Any help from my MFP family would be appreciated :)

michele040673

I have been at a plateau for about three months. I think it all started because I picked up a second job four nights a week overnight. I obsess about food more now because I am awake longer. I am not as strict as I was in the beginning but I rarely go over 1200-1400 calories a day. I try to walk for one hour four times a week and I joined a gym last month and have worked up to using the elliptical five times a week for about a half hour. I am wondering what I can do. I do eat to many snacks and I find I do lean towards carbs a lot of the day...mainly popcorn and "protein" bars. I tried to eat "clean" but when I did that I found myself obsessing even more about food. I am 39, 5'2 and weigh 145. I have lost forty pounds this past year but I am no where near where I want to be. I want to lose about twenty more pounds. If anyone could give me advice and peek at my food journal I would appreciate it.

MidgeN27

Hey Michele, are you eating out of boardom or is it emotional if you're eating for emotional reasons you should try EFT (emotional freedom techniques) you can find information on the web. Best wishes!

Firefox7275

Change up your workout routine, your body gets very efficient (= saves calories) very quickly if you do the same thing day in day out. Do some strength training and cardio intervals, maybe some classes so you learn good technique and get pushed to your maximum, use the treadmill, stair climber or Spinning bikes if you gym has them.

You are not feeding your body adequately in the morning or at lunch and probably missing out on a raft of nutrients. Your calorie goal is 1600 so that is 400 at each of four meals/ snacks but you are often eating less than 200 cals! Foods that confer satiety are rich in fibre, protein, water and to a lesser extent fat, you are likely craving carbs because you are malnourished and your blood sugar is dropping. Eating clean is not about starving or depriving yourself, you actually should be eating a ton of tasty food, with plenty of sweet and savoury flavours if you do it right. For me egg whites are a step too far but if you like them go ahead.

Concentrate on what you can and should eat, nine servings of low sugar fruits and non starchy vegetables, three servings of reduced fat dairy, oily fish and other healthy fats regularly, 25g daily of fibre. Have a large low glycaemic index breakfast instead of a 200 calorie high GI snack that is going to set you on the sugar rollercoaster all day. My current favourite breakfast is two servings of veggies (frozen spinach and avocado for creaminess) and two servings of frozen berries plus protein powder - it's a hefty 750ml but only 350 calories well balanced between protein, carbs and fat. If you want to make it even more filling add a scoop of ground flaxseeds or similar, if you want a little more sweet add a natural sugar substitute. I also like sweet omelettes with fresh fruit and low fat soft cheese, does not taste like diet food IMO.

Lastly where are you getting all this junky, processed food? Remove your access to it, get it out of your kitchen or office drawer or car, don't go to the stores/ vending machines that sell it, don't carry money that you don't absolutely NEED instead carry filling tasty nutritious real food. Did you know banana chips are deep fried?

jzammetti

You and i are the same height and I used to be your weight as well. I also plateaued around where you did (for 4 months) and was also eating 1200 - 1300 calories a day.

So, I read the thread about the TDEE method and calculated my BMR and TDEE. It said I should eat 1750 a day and I was totally freaking scared to do it - but I was getting desperate about the damn plateau (fat2fitradio.com is where I did my calculations).

So, I just decided to try it for 30 days wthout getting on the scale at all (I had my hubby hide it) to test it out. Well, guess what? I lost 2 pounds in that 30 days and have lost 7 in the 4 months since. I am 5 pounds from my goal now. Maybe you need to eat more?

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

More protein and fiber and lift

mgobluetx12

Yes, definitely more protein and less processed food. Your snacks are some days all processed junk. Less cereal and fiber bars and more fruit and maybe something like veggies with hummus. I was on a plateau in September and only lost 2lbs. I upped my protein intake to 30% and in October I lost 8lbs. MFP sets protein way low, so an increase will only benefit you. You go over on protein a lot anyway, so it probably won't make a big difference.