PLEASE!

reesh2652

HELP! ::huh:
Hi all! I am fairly new to MFP. Well, I have had the app for a few months now, but am just now appreciating how amazing it is!

Anywho- a little background:

I am 26 years old, and have struggled with my weight my whole life, as long as I can remember. My smallest was around 105 in High School, but the weight loss was in a very unhealthy manner, and I don't want to go back to that again. I work in a "less than healthy restaraunt"..and I work many hours....so it has made it difficult in the past to stick to anything healthy. But I have started packing my own lunches etc.

Currently, I weigh in at 200 lbs, at 5'5 in height.

I have always said "Im dieting", im "doing it healthy this time" etc. But this past week has been the first week in as long as I can remember, that I have actually gotten serious about my weight loss. Ive exercised, and have been counting my calories and eating healthy the ENTIRE week.

So I got on the scale today to weigh myself...and guess what? 200 lbs still. I am BEYOND discouraged. I was thinking that since I am on the heavier side, the initial weight would melt off after a huge diet change like this. I can tell you 100% honestly that I havent cheated once this week...and I don't know what I'm doing wrong! Heres a typical eating day for me:

Bfast: carnation instant bfast

Snack: rice cake with hummus

Lunch: carnation instant bfast

Snack: grapefruit

Dinner: banana and grilled chicken sandwich

Drinks: water only, almost a gallon per day.

Any insight? I know that I have had my thyroid checked recently, and it was normal....but I am actually considering speaking to my doctor about the lack of weight loss..because I am feeling so discouraged. Support would be great too. Thanks alot...I am excited to be part of this group!

3LittleMonkeyMom

Stop the instant breakfasts! Eat something substantial - without seeing the calories, it really doesn't look like you are eating enough, or the "right" foods. Try eating whole foods, and focusing on nutrition. Give your body what it needs. Don't forget the fruits and veggies!! You can do this.

ETA: You are doing great with the water, keep that part up.

erickirb

I would suggest you get off the meal replacement shakes. Not enough protein and too much sugar. If this is not something you plan on doing for ever I would not "diet" like this.

Try eating food instead. By eating food you will feel much more full as you should get more fibre and protein. Also this does not look like nearly enough calories.

stuffinmuffin

Give it time, it WILL work. You're not going to get instant results, this is more about losing weight slowly and healthily and adopting new habits that you can take on with you through your life to maintain a smaller you.

Stick with the programme, next week may see results, and the one after that and so on...this isn't a crash diet. Get some friends behind you for support (on MFP) and stick to the programme. I have been here for over a year now and I have never looked back - it's not always easy but you sure as hell reap the results in the end .... you can do it!!! Keep going! xx

Edit - also agree with the others about upping your cals perhaps as that does not look like enough to keep a mouse going for a day! ; )

smkcx

Hey there, I'm slow to see changes on the scale as well, i've heard of people losing alot in their first week (due to water weight) but my body obviously doesn't hold much water weight. Give it another week and see if the scales go down. From your examples of your meals I'd say your on the right track.

My stats are the same as yours, 5'5 & 204lb. I thought i'd be quick to see results as well because I am a bit on the bigger side, but thats not the case with me. (Last time I used this site, I lost 12lbs in 6wks ~ didnt start noticing until around the 2nd week when I lost 5lbs)

UticaBoy51

More protein, less Carb especially at night. How are your workouts? Make sure you are getting your heart rate up. Hang in there, it will come you may just have to make some tweeks.

hmcminton

I am not a nutrition expert; however, I noticed that you have consumed no vegetables. You really need to add those. Also, instead of eating a carnation instant breakfast for lunch, try eating a salad with protein (like grilled chicken, tuna, hard boiled egg). You will feel more full and get a better variety of nutrients. And make sure you are eating enough calories... it seems counterintuitive, but it is imperative that you not have too big of a calorie deficit. So, add in some veggies and hopefully you will see results quicker, but remember, it won't happen overnite. good luck!!!

hmcminton

and try eating the hummus with vegetables (like assorted raw peppers or cucumbers) instead of the rice cake - that should make a difference too!

MSeel1984

I agree with the above and might also add: It looks like you are not eating enough...I know there's a big debate about eating back calories exercised off and not eating them back...I am not going to get into that debate-but exercise aside, it looks like you're really not eating much. You have to give your body adequate energy.

Also it's not going to happen overnight-not even over seven nights. It's a process and sometimes it can take a while to see results. Don't give up!

Try doing something like 1/2 peanut butter sandwich, a serving of baby carrots and an apple in place of one of the shakes. It's more substantial, is packed with nutrients and will keep you feeling full.

jlynn6810

I agree with mosy about laying off of the shakes. It is not sustainable and not a good idea for long term use plus it probably has too much sugar and not enough nutritional value. Look for more balanced meals and use a nutrition calculator to see how many calories your body needs in day because it does not seem like you are eating enough calories. Eating too few calories can have a negative impact on weight loss too. Good luck!!

phillieschic

If you like the Carnation Instant Breakfasts and they're easy for you, try the Carnation Instant Breakfasts No Sugar Added and drop down to one a day. I drink those for breakfast sometimes with skim milk and an apple and it keeps me full for hours. Perhaps a little more "roughage" would do you some good, too. Fruits and veggies work wonders to fill you up...raw or steamed or even grilled, they can be so delicious.

Also, add some cardio to your day. Try a program like C25K or even just some fast paced walking to start.

AND, lastly, while you may not be dropping pounds, you may be dropping inches. Be patient. It takes time. You didn't put the weight on in a short amount of time and it's not going to come off that way either...

You have to understand that losing weight is not about being on a diet...it's about changing your lifestyle so that everyday you're making good choices about what you put in your body and how you decide to exercise it. You can add me for support if you like!

Good luck! :drinker:

nade0069

It takes time to see a drop on the scale. It's completely normal to not see any change after the first week. But I would definitely take a look at some of the other suggestions about what you are eating. Have some more fruits and veggies, skip the instant breakfast. One of the big changes that I have had to make was starting to cook, was not happy about it, but the difference it has made was worth it.

Pinknspooky

Hiya - feel free to add me as a friend as I am also in this for the long haul!

I also thought that it would melt off once I stopped all the bad stuff but to be honest it took a couple of weeks for things to get moving and then it hasn't been fast - but slow and steady is the way I want to go so I am happy. I think at first your body goes into shock and hangs on to everything it can - you are changing the way you have been for a lifetime sadly it is not going to change over night.

So instead of being discouraged think - well I have stopped the creep up the scale, I have started to make some awsome changes, I have taken the first step towards being in control and the person I want to be . . . I am awsome bring on the next week, month, year - cos you can and will do this as long as you remember that there is no magic wand - if there were we would all be super models and not to beat yourself up but recognise and celebrate your achievements x

Macrocarpa

Keep at it, you will see the changes eventually.

Tips that have worked for me:

Exercise, even if it's walking for a mile a day.

Weigh & log absolutely everything, calories hide in some odd places. Grilled cheese sandwich for dinner - ok then, how much cheese, what kind of cheese, how many slices of bread, what kind of bread, did you nibble on some cheese when you were cutting it, that kinda stuff. A 1 inch cube of cheese can be over 100 calories.

Be honest with yourself re tracking and logging. Whenever I've felt I should be dropping but am not, it's usually because something's crept into my logging which is not being accounted for.

Natell1983

Hi hun

Ok so let's look at the foods you've been eating...

Bfast: carnation instant bfast - Try just having some muesli with a few bran flakes. Full of fibre but not too calorific (small portions)!

Snack: rice cake with hummus (ok)

Lunch: carnation instant bfast - You need to really look at getting more veg and meat (chicken, not red meat) in your diet. You may hate the taste of veg but you can get your carbs from veg without them being heavy carbs and so your body will use them for energy but wont have an overload of them so some gets stored as fat. You will also find after a week or so that you will start liking veg!

Snack: grapefruit (fine but passionfruit or watermelon have less carbs)

Dinner: banana and grilled chicken sandwich - Bananas are FULL of carbs, 30g average!! So if you are going to eat a banana I'd suggest doing this straight after a workout when your body can process and use the carbs much quicker. Bread again is full of carbs so best to avoid this. If you 'need' bread in your diet then I'd suggest wholemal pitta breads instead or just treat yourself to bread once every 2-3 days and NOT after 7pm when your body wont have time to process it before bed.

Drinks: water only, almost a gallon per day ok ... Green tea is also good to have as it encourages weight loss.

To just (try to) lay it out simple lol:

Carbs = sugar. Everything we eat is converted into energy. Sugar is energy. So let's say, for example, we needed 1 cup of sugar every hour to keep going in our daily routine. If you have a potato, which is, let's say, 3 cups of sugar - your body dosn't need all of it so instead of distributing it around your body to use, it will simply store it as fat. This is why it is good for you to avoid foods that are carb heavy as you're basically giving your body more than it needs to get through the day.

Protein - This helps to keep your muscles working and developing and also fills you up. This is why it is good to try and make 50% of your daily intake Protein.

Fat - We also need this to go about our daily routine, but less of it. If you have one meal with your full allowance of fat, again your body wont need it and will store it.

Try to keep your split:

50% Protein
30% Carbs
20% fat each day...

...And try to split it out across the day, so you aren't having loads of carbs one meal, loads of fat the next and so on, try to have the same split on your plate too. Protein shakes are a good way to get your protein if you aren't a big meat fan (I'm not so I use them as my snacks).

You can track these percentages in My Fitness Pal. Go to 'Goals - Change Goals - Custom' then in there put in the calories you are sticking to and then change the percentages underneath. This will change the grams allowed for each accordingly.
Also, if you have the mobile app, you can go to 'Home - Daily' This will show your goals versus what you have eaten so you can try to stick to those amounts. You'll know when you're naughty cause the amounts turn red! ...You'll soon see the difference one banana makes to your daily carb allowance! If you then press the little pie chart in the blue bar, it will show you're percentage split for the day, you can then adjust your diet to suit.

Raspberries are a great fruit to have as very low in carbs and taste great blended into protein shakes!

And bear with it, it takes time for your body to adjust... You've been eating too many carbs to see dramatic loss in the first week, try to even it out more so your body is using more than you're putting in.

Feel free to add me as a friend too and I'll push you aswell

Nat xxx

bathsheba_c

EAT! "Eat [real] food, mostly plants, not too much." That should be your motto.

Please feel free to look at my diary, and to friend me if you like. I'm 5'5", making my way from a top weight of about 155-160 to a goal weight of 130. I am slightly more than halfway to goal by eating an average of 1800 calories a day and burning an average 500 calories a day from exercise. Here are typical meals for me:

Breakfast: usually yogurt and a glass of milk, maybe a piece of fruit
Lunch: tuna sandwich, chicken sandwich, salad with nuts and hard-boiled egg, falafel in pita, avocado and egg sandwich
Dinner: grilled or stir-fried chicken or meat, a vegetable or salad, whole-wheat pasta or rice or kasha
Snacks: fruit, the occasional piece of chocolate

erickirb

Try to keep your split:

50% Protein
30% Carbs
20% fat each day...

Way too much info in your post that was not needed to address the OP's question and there is no need for this ratio to lose weight.

As long as your cals are below maintenance you should lose. I actually think this ratio has too much protein and not enough fat. Carbs can be higher or lower, not a big deal. My macros are set at 45% carbs, 25% protein, and 30% fat, and that worked for me. But like I said the macros don't have a lot to do with weight loss, just make sure you at least get enough protein to ensure that your loss is mostly fat, instead of a large % of lean muscle.

Natell1983

You put it much better lol!

Think as long as you have a decent ratio and are exercising, you can see results.

I'm no expert, I'm learning myself!! x

reesh2652

I thank you all SO much for your advice!

I want to share with you my thought process on the carnation instant breakfasts...so y'all don't think I'm trying to starve myself. LOL

I was under the assumption that they carried all the vitamins and nutrients that your body needed to achieve a healthy weigh/lifestyle...withough gorging on unhealthy choices. I am, however learning through everyones AWESOME knowledge..that it is probably not the best option for me! They are pretty high in sugars, and I think that the act of consuming the exact tsame thing everyday is more likely to make me cheat...so thanks again for your input!

Like I said before...losing weight the healthy way is all new to me, so any suggestions are always welcomed and appreciated!

Also- feel free to add me as your friend if you would like!
xoxo