Can I get some honest opinions?

missyjg99

My food diary. Could you stalk it and give me some opinions? I'm not perfect, this I know, far from it actually. But I'm trying. My exercise calories are pretty accurate b/c I always have my HRM on when I exercise. I log the calories burned based on that. I also weigh all my food, and log everything (except water, I'm bad about logging that).
Reason I'm asking is because I'm not losing. I've actually gained 2lbs over the past week. I drink at least a half gallon of water a day, sometimes more. I fill up the container and make sure I drink it all during the day. I have been doing this for the last 2 weeks. I'm not even close to giving up but I really want to get my diet under control. I'm viewing this as a complete lifestyle change and want to make sure I'm on the right track.
Currently, my weight it 218 and I'm 5'6". I get a solid 8 hours of sleep most nights. I have a lot to lose. My clothes are fitting better and I can see changes in my body, but I'm not losing fat. This is so frustrating.

Thanks, I'd appreciate any input!

tony2009

You actually seem to be doing quite a bit of exercise. Maybe try toning down on that, or combine your workouts into high interval workouts.

Less can be more. Also wouldn't worry about gaining weight in the short run.

hamiltonba

Maybe cut down on the sweets?

33neenaj

Hey....If I were you I'd increase my fat and protein and drop carbs to about 100-150. Also you might want to track your sodium. It could be the reason the scale is not moving. Increase your potassium rich foods to help flush out excess sodium and keep it stablized. Anyway, good luck.

lavieboheme1229

I only went a couple days back, but IMO

1. Watch the sugar!
2. You may want to start tracking your sodium. THAT's an eye opener. Those frozen lunches- full of them!
3. You are exercising. A lot. And that means 2 things. Muscle build up and you need to fuel your body. Muscle takes up less space than fat, but is more dense. And if you don't fuel your body, but you exercise, everything gets all out of whack. Throw in a banana and peanut butter or some nuts or something, get some more calories into you. Fruit can also help.

Keep on keeping on!

gatorginger

I would eat only half of my exercise calories back and you need to watch the sodium as you can retain water weight when you have too much sodium. Go to the diary settings and fix it where you can see your sodium intake it really makes a difference

Carolinagirlo76

Looks like you're eating a lot of processed foods and need to add in more fresh veggies. Instead of eating the frozen meals for lunch, try making an extra serving (i.e. leftovers) and eat that for lunch the next day instead of the frozen diet meals. Also, make sure you're eating ENOUGH calories to fuel your body for the exercise you're doing. Good luck!

Warley_x

Hi hun, you seem to be going over daily on your sugar intake. You have a good range of foods with a nice balance of carbs etc but I would suggest you cut down on your sugar. Also if your food contains a lot of salt (sodium) then you may just have retention which has caused the weight gain.

tadpole242

I've only looked at the last two weeks and one thing stikes me, lots of sugar. as in some days your over your sugar by 100's other days by 40ish. Mostly it seems from processed cereal. Try cutting out high sugar and processed foods, Raw cereal like oats and bran are better for you and have less sugar. Or skip the cereal altogether and eat food that will fill you up till lunch rather than fill you up for an hour, then leave to ready for a snack.

chedges9090

I would agree with the sodium . Your diary looks great though. Not sure that i agree with the sweets being a big deal. This is a lifestyle change, so you dont want to feel deprived.

Also, I didnt take a look at what you are doing for excercise--but, make sure you are switching that up.

Be patient-- I have seen many hit a little bit of a plateau.. and then, all of a sudden, the weight will start dropping off You are smart to be watching this and working hard at doing the right things. You WILL be very succesful-- you are working hard.

Congratulations on all that you are doing!

chedges9090

.... post #2--- OK, I may have been wrong on the sugar. Pick a few things to cut out... our just cut some of your sweets in half. That may help also

missyjg99

Thanks. I know sugar is my downfall. Yup, before starting this I feel that I ate half my calories in sugar. It's been difficult but I find that hard. Even the sugar in fruit has made my jaw drop. 2 banana's puts me over my sugar allowance. I need to get better and saying no to the cake and icecream. We have birthdays every week in July in my family and this is my major downfall.

Sodium: I'm going to take a good hard look at this. I never thought. I really appreciate it. I never shake salt on things, ever. But it makes sense.

Can you really exercise too much? I'm not trying to be snarky, really. I am active by nature. I'm fat b/c although I was active I would eat 10x the calories I needed somedays.

dinosnopro

Get your protein up A LOT, try for around .8 to 1gram per lb of body weight.

Linda_Darlene

Wait! I haven't looked at your diary yet but - if your clothes are fitting better and you are seeing changes in your body, then you are doing great!:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

Now I'll go look around.

missyjg99

Get your protein up A LOT, try for around .8 to 1gram per lb of body weight.

Honestly, would you recommend protein drinks like I've been doing (pure protein whey) or just getting lean protein to eat. Then deli meats are high in sodium...ahhhhh. I'll get this. Just takes time I guess.

Hezzietiger1

To me it looks like most of your carbs are processed. So, you are doing a lot of pastas, crackers, creamers, cookies, that sort of thing. Knock that stuff out and focus on fruits and veggies. Do some whole grains-but limit those as well at first and add em back in once the scale starts moving. When you do eat carbs eat protein with them. It will help break the carbs down completely.

I never like the suggestions to exercise less. I don't think that's necessary...just my opinion. Keep it up and just make small diet changes til you find what works. Fruits and veggies!

Hezz

artslady96

I looked at some of your diary entries, and you seem to be making similar mistakes to the ones I made a few weeks ago. Although processed food is convenient, it is not healthy enough to consume on a daily basis. Prepared frozen meals are packed with sodium and sugar, which are the devils of weight loss. You definitely want to avoid going above your recommended sodium intake because it leads to water retention and cut back on sugar. While I consistently go over my sugar macro, it's because of fat free milk and fruit. Even as I type this recommendation, I think I need to replace one protein milk shake each day with protein powder in water instead to cut back on my sugar intake.

Moreover, I question the accuracy of the calorie expenditure for exercise. What do you do and how much time do you spend at it that you burn 700-1000 calories consistently? I'm not saying not to track your exercise so much as recommending that you do not eat all of it back. Perhaps cut how much you eat back by half and see what happens.

Good luck to you, and I hope you receive helpful advice from your tread. Feel free to friend me if I can support you on your journey.

missyjg99

Thanks. I guess I'm americanized by eating way too much of the wrong stuff. I truely appreciate your input.

bear73000

You seem to be doing really good on what you are doing for lunch and dinner. A few things I would suggest trying if it was me. With the amount of calories you are burning, you should really look at setting your calories per day to around 1600. You would be surprised how much you can eat in a day and stay around that number. Another thing I would do is cut out the amount of snacks. If you really looked at the amount of calories a day you are eating just in snacks, you could easily get down to the 1600 range. I would also try cutting down on the coffee creamers. I am a huge coffee person and I know that is really tough one, but when you are counting calories. You have to think is it really worth it. Every calorie counts. Try changing your habit and not going to the coffee shop. Try making your coffee at home and take it to work. Temptation is everything for me so I try to avoid it as much as possible.

I saw in your profile that you want to change your life style to be more healthy. You have to be honest and look at your food diary. Are you really making all the healthy choices? You are really starting to make some great changes. Logging all your food and tracking your exercise is so awesome. Now really look at what you are eating for snacks. I am assuming most of that is in the evening. Experts will tell you, you shouldn't be consuming a lot of food later in the day. Your body doesn't process foods as much when you are going to bed. Try increasing your intake earlier in the day and a decent dinner before 7 in the evening.

Again, you are starting down the right path and I think it's awesome. Keep it up!!

AimersBee

just a quick glance.. as when I was stagnant with my weight.. i was told more protein and fats rather than carbs.. and I see you're fairly high with the carbs as well, so.. maybe lower the carb intake and up the protein and fats (good fats of course, avocado, almonds.. etc)

good2bthaking

looked at a week and noticed that you don't eat enough protein, especially since you are exercising a lot. also, watch the sugars and sodium. You would be amazed at where the sodium is hidden. Best of luck.

gatorginger

Thanks. I know sugar is my downfall. Yup, before starting this I feel that I ate half my calories in sugar. It's been difficult but I find that hard. Even the sugar in fruit has made my jaw drop. 2 banana's puts me over my sugar allowance. I need to get better and saying no to the cake and icecream. We have birthdays every week in July in my family and this is my major downfall.

Sodium: I'm going to take a good hard look at this. I never thought. I really appreciate it. I never shake salt on things, ever. But it makes sense.

Can you really exercise too much? I'm not trying to be snarky, really. I am active by nature. I'm fat b/c although I was active I would eat 10x the calories I needed somedays.

The sodium is in processed food, not talking about shaking the salt on your food, it's the salt that is already in them

gatorginger

I go over my sugars every day too as I eat fruit and yogurt so I don't think it's your sugars thats hurting you but more the sodium that comes from processed food

gatorginger

Another thing I would suggest is always eat at least half of your exercise calories back

mcrowe1016

If your period is coming up, you could be retaining water for that reason.

missyjg99

Thanks all. I think I'll start making small changes. First priority, decrease sugar and processed foods.

Oh and no period. I'm an ovarian cancer survivor ( diagnosed at 29) and am lucky in the fact that I only get one a couple times a year. By body is way out of wack. Part of the reason I need to lose weight is that I can finish my cancer treatment (complete removal of all reproductive organs, right ovary is gone). But with the extra weight, it means a more invasive surgery. That I really DON'T want. And on top of it, I want to wake up with energy and know that I'm setting a good example for my child.