Frustrated

Crochetluvr

Deli meat is something I have cut out of my diet completely....too much sodium and the nitrates, too.

You could try lowering your carbs...see if that helps. I am more concerned about carbs than I am the calories.

More veggies, as was suggested, and fresh protein like fish. You can do it. Weight loss is not an exact science. You have to tweak it to what works for you.

AllisonST

Thank you, crochetlvr! what percentage of carbs do you recommend?

RuthSweetTooth

I'm thinking that you could be double counting your exercise. If you tell MFP that you have a moderate level of activity, and you do a moderate level of activity, you don't need to log the exercise unless you do something unusual like run a marathon. If you like logging exercise, set your activity to sedentary, then log your exercise. You prob should be eating about 200 calories less.

RuthSweetTooth

Follow the MFP ranges for carbs, fats, and proteins. I usually stay a little under the carbs, and sometiimes higher on fats, almost always a little over on proteins. Following the ranges usually results in good nutritional balance.

Rachelmilloy

To allow everyone to view you diary:
- go to 'My Home' tab.
- go to 'settings' tab.
- under 'Diary Settings', see 'Diary Sharing'... Select 'public' for now. After you get the responses you need, may wart to change to 'friends only'.

Best of luck!

AllisonST

Yes, I am set at sedentary, even though I am not. When I do "exercise" as opposed to walking arund, then I log it.

irisheyez718

I agree with what others have said. Use that food scale, its a great tool and can help you to be more accurate as far as your calories go.

irishcream4u2

Might I suggest that you consider adding a great deal more fresh produce to your daily intake. They are filled with lots of fiber and water that your body craves. My body loves me the best when at least 50% of my foods are veggies/fruits. I tend to more easily drop weight when I fill my days with "Rainbow Eats"--- the colorful eating of very fresh produce of every color of the rainbow. I love to shop the farmer's market all summer long.

Also, after reading many of your food diary entries, (thanks for opening them to us) you might consider eliminating the very calorie dense foods that are heavy in fats/sodium/preservatives. Dunkin' Donuts, Panera's, Etc. are roadblocks to your success. Because I have little will power around the influences of such eateries, I simply do NOT go to them. Might you consider banning them for a period of time, using them only as a reward for a small treat after dropping every 10 lbs?

Another thought to ponder is drastically reducing the "white" foods you eat.....potatoes, bread, chips, donuts, dairy, etc. And, consider switching to reduced/low/no-fat dairy products. I have gone to eating Greek yogurt, making it into veggie dips, spreads for sandwiches on whole grain breads.

One of the MOST helpful things I've done for myself is to commit to ONLY eating when I feel absolute true physical hunger and I must have tried to quench that hunger with lots of water for 30 minutes before I allow myself to eat anything. This gives me 30 minutes to consider what I might eat, how healthy my food choice will be for me, and how much I might serve myself. I can't begin to tell you what impact this has had on my eating habits.

I wish you the best as we share this journey together. I think it is fabulous that you can see that you look better and that you are sticking to you goal, in spite of not seeing the pounds disappear on the scale. Hang in there!!! :-)

Crochetluvr

Yes, I am set at sedentary, even though I am not.

See...I am sedentary. Most of the time I am sitting unless I am doing chores or working out. So that's why I am at 1200 calories. If I go over that I exercise to burn the extra off.

I don't use percentages for carb count but you can use a formula. I am allowed 45 carbs max per meal but I dont even have that. I try to keep it as close to 100g a day as I can. I up my protein to compensate. I am losing an average of 2 pounds a week...not too much, not too few.

011240

keep it up, you can do it, you may not have lost ounces but you have lost inches. so stay with it. I too have not lost but 2 pounds and I have been on this for almost one month. We can do it. dont give up .

tauranheart

Portion control is great for maintenance. I wonder if that's the track you should be taking though. I went through your food diary for the past few days and it looks like you're hardly eating ANYTHING, you must be starving.

I (and many others) have had great results with ketogenic diets (cutting almost all carbs and replacing with healthy fats). Although you should really talk to your doctor beforehand, it's a significant change. And I'm sure there are people on here who would recommend against it for valid reasons.

It would be interesting to see how it worked for you, though.

HoneyIShrunktheMom

I took a look at your food diary and there are some things that I noticed.

*Not nearly enough NON-starchy vegetables (the GREEN stuff ). Most days there are zero. You should be eating at least 5+ combined servings of fruits and veggies a day
*Not enough lean protein (lunchmeat doesn't count. Eat 2-3 servings of lean meats such as fish, chicken, turkey, lean pork, occasionally lean beef)
*Far too much processed food (processed foods does not just mean stuff like mac & cheese with powder mix or potato chips. Processed foods means anything that is prepared and ready to eat when you buy it from the store.)
*Too many starchy foods like bread and potatoes

I know someone else mentioned a food scale and I agree. Measuring spoons too. If you don't weigh and measure everything, how do you know how much you are eating?

One other thing that I think could effect your lack of weight loss; as I mentioned above, you are not eating a balanced diet with the foods to fuel your body (fresh fruits and veggies, lean meat, healthy fats, some low fat dairy, whole grains). You are also not eating a balanced diet in the amount of calories through your day. Most of the things you eat are very high calorie (the prepared foods) and then you usually skip a meal to "make up" for the high calorie meal.

The best way to keep your metabolism moving is to eat small, balanced meals throughout the day. Think of your body like a car. You need to have fuel/gas in your car for it to run properly, right? You also need to have fuel/food in your body for it to run properly too. If you don't keep gas in your car it doesn't work. Same with your body.

You are asking your body to do it's basic functions, to workout AND you are asking your body to shed weight/burn fat. Unfortunately, you aren't giving your body the fuel for it to do all of those things.

When your body doesn't get food, it starts going into starvation mode and it holds onto the fat that you want it to shed. Getting rid of fat is actually work for your body. If you're not fueling your body with healthy foods then it doesn't have the ability to do that.

I hope you don't take this wrong. I really only mean to offer advice that might help you. This weight loss thing is hard. It's hard for me too! These things I listed are just some things that you might want to take a closer look at it. Maybe if you tighten up your diet, start really focusing on eating healthy and balanced amounts of food through the day, it could really make a difference. If you do that for a couple weeks and I mean really, really doing that (not eating donuts, fried potatoes or strombolis (LOL) and if you don't see a difference then I would certainly talk to your doctor. Maybe there is something else going on. But looking at your food/exercise diary, I think you may just need to fine tune some things to get things going.

Good luck to you.

kennharr

I just looked at your diary and I think I can help. I am 6" and currently 286, from 311.8 one month ago. Try and eat 6 times a day, breakfast, then later a snack, then lunch, then a little later a snack, then dinner, then a little later a snack. Try to keep your calories around 4-500 for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Eat your carbs in the morning, say a 40 cal piece of toast with 2 eggs and 2-3 slices turkey bacon. A snack can be a carbmaster yogurt like Kroger brand or a string cheese, mozzarella. The big one is no carbs past 4pm, thats bread, pasta, or anything high in sugar. I do not eat pizza or pasta at all. I do not consume any sugar unless its in my food naturally. Look at my diary and kind of use it as a tool. Chicken, turkey, fish, shrimp, some red meat such as lean steak etc. I have lost 26 pounds as of last Monday. I do one hour of cardio (treadmill) 7x a week and lift weights 3x a week. My mother uses my same plan and has lost 18 pounds. Also take a good multivitamin, whey protein, B,C,D3, Fiber gummies in morning for hunger control, and green tea extract. All these will help if you can handle the pills. I hope this helps! I do not measure my food with a scale, but I eyeball it pretty good. Treat yourself every once in awhile, just not weekly. Lastly, I do not eat back my exercise calories as some say to do.

RuthSweetTooth

I agree with Irish cream. In looking over your diary, you only eat about one fruit or vegetable per day. More of your carbs should be coming from fruits (about two a day) than from grains. You should eat at least two vegetables a day, and a big salad. Without eating these foods you are not protecting yourself against cancer and not getting enough fiber. Your diet is not nutritious, and although your fat and protein are about right, your carbs from white flours and potatoes should not be as high as they are.

The problem could also be weighing. That means 1/2 cup and not a cup of rice, pasta, potatoes (cooked). Your portions may be too large because without fruits and vegetables, your plate will look empty. For example, spaghetti sauce and pasta should not fill an entire plate. There should also be two vegetables on there filling half the plate. A serving of a half cup if about the size of a baseball (not a softball) cut in half. Using a measuring cup can help too.


Ruth

Helloitsdan

Yes, I am set at sedentary, even though I am not. When I do "exercise" as opposed to walking arund, then I log it.

Thats not how weight loss works.

AllisonST

Not sure I understand your point. I have set my activity level to "sedentary" on the MFP even though I do not sit around all day. I am up and down all day; raising kids, running a household, teaching etc. Then, when I go out and exercise, I log it. That way, I am burning more calories than I am logging. See?

AllisonST

I am closing the diary now. In reviewing it myself, it actually was kind of shocking how little fruits and veggies I am getting, and how much "white" carbs I am eating. That is very helpful. Again, the helpful tone is wonderful. I beat up enough on myself as it is!

Best!

MikeInAZ

I'm just gonna be blunt here, please don't take offense. I was in the same boat.

I see n your diary, marshmallows, icecream, cookies, a lot of bread. I don't see too much veggies or fruit. No salad. No nuts, no vitamins, omega 3 s etc. no oat meal. No egg whites.

I'm not sure what mfp told of to set your calories at, but I was 220 and I had mine at 1600. Drop 100 calories a day out. Add a lot more proteins, veggies, complexl carbs. Reduce your bread and cheese and sugar. Drink lots of water. Add some multi vitamins, fish oils and calcium supplements.

Cut out the cookies and ice cream ( at least for awhile). Get 20 to 30 min of intense cardio in 3 to 5 days a week!

Keep it up, it will happen. Something in your routine or diet is slowing this down. Crazy for 30 days you'll see results and feel better too

AllisonST

Thank you Mike. Blunt is fine; you were kind about it. Thanks everyone for all the concrete suggestions. I will keep going and integrate these ideas! Blessings all.:flowerforyou:

tauranheart

Might I recommend not closing your diary?

It's a really great motivator to stay on track because it will make you feel accountable.

irishcream4u2

THANKS ALLISON for posting tonight!!!!!

I have enjoyed reading everyone's suggestions/helpful hints/links to check out. I need all the help I can get, as I am sure we all do!! Thanks to everyone who took the time tonight to support Allison on her journey, as it has helped me as well. I feel the love being offered by each of you!!! What a wonderful group of people to be a part of and know that we are all backing one another.

I have long known that my lifelong weight issues are directly connected to how much I LOVE MYSELF (something I struggle with to this day). Therefore, I have written affirmations on Post-It-Notes, stuck to my bathroom mirror. They are reminders for me to focus on loving myself more. (examples below)

"I love ME!!"
"I treat MY body with respect by feeding it well."
"I love my BODY--just as it is!!"
"My body is the perfect haven for my spirit."
"I energize my body with daily movement."
"I strive to feed my body with nutrient rich fuel."
"My body thrives on all the water I drink."
"I love this healthy lifestyle journey I am on."
"I embrace my "Rainbow Eats" food plan."

You get the idea. The notes on the mirror work for me. I've even put them in my car, on the TV/computer, wherever I frequently am, so I can see the prompts often. They help keep me on course and focused on my goals.

Feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like to. Cheers to SUCCESS!!! :-)

HoneyIShrunktheMom

One more thing A good way to get ideas on what things you could eat is to look at the diary of other people who have been successful. I have several friends and I enjoy the support/ camaraderie but I have my diary open to friends only. If you are interested in adding friends or would like to see my diary, just friend request me.

Wishing you the best!

elsher

Hi Alison,

I have been struggling with my weight going up astronomically. I too am very discouraged. I have thyroid disease, and my incompetent doctor at the time was misreading my blood work, and went the wrong direction with my meds four times, but I managed to recover "so I thought" that was until the weight started pouring on at a rate of about three pounds a week. Having thyroid disease I thought for certain it was off again, however, my new doctor discovered a severe vitamin D deficiency, and said that she was certain that the vitamin D deficiency was the cause of my new found weight gain, as well as a host of other issues that I won,t bore you with.

Amazing how much vitamin D has to do with obesity. It doesn't,t hurt to ask for your levels to be tested. 60 to 70% of people are defficient, and the correlztion with obesity is overwhelming. Who knows it is sort a shot. I have not lost but a pound since they started me on a regimen to get my levels back up, but at least I stopped gaining so much for no known reason.

elsher

Great suggestion. I think tomorrow I will open my diary. I am new, so my first diary entrance will be tomorrow.

Helloitsdan

Not sure I understand your point. I have set my activity level to "sedentary" on the MFP even though I do not sit around all day. I am up and down all day; raising kids, running a household, teaching etc. Then, when I go out and exercise, I log it. That way, I am burning more calories than I am logging. See?

But since you can only burn so much fat, and you arent bringing in enough calories to fuel the rest of your activity, where is the other energy coming from?

To prove a point i'll tell you about my wife.
She said "I'm sedentary! All I do is sit on the couch and watch TV. At work I just stand behind the register!"
So I set her calories to 1600 daily and she hasnt lost a pound.

Put a fitbit on her.

She takes 16k steps a day and burns 2400-3k a day.

Set her to 2k cals and shes losing a pound a week.

Do what you want.

I have 200+ clients who all eat 1600-3k and lose fat.

If you truly sit all day and take 5k or less steps then go for sedentary.
If you do more then at least try Moderate for 2 weeks and if it doesnt change then step down to Light.