Can I get some constructive criticism please?

kristen6022

5 pounds in one month is really good. I realize you didn't lose it steadily, but you lost it. Weight loss isn't linear, you averaged more than a 1lb a week - that's great. Keep on keeping on.

phergert55

Congratulations, you did 5lbs, now your body is just catching up. I did not see your food in take, but a great suggestion is raw fruit and veggies. These are considered free calories. The more whole food you eat the better off you are. Your right your work hours suck, are you able to get up and move around while your at work. Also there are some great chair workouts. Good luck, you are doing great!

Faye_Anderson

I am 37 years old. Started at 189 lbs and am now 184. My job is completely sedentary as I am a dispatcher 40 hours a week. Any helpful suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

I'm 33, currently at 183lbs and losing steadily on 1810 calories. for the most part I'm sat typing on MFP but the little things I do such as housework means I count myself as lightly active. I know you said you sometimes struggle to get to calories but there must have been a time when you could eat more to gain the weight (and truly believe I do not mean any disrespect in that statement)
I started here thinking diet and will admit that I ate around 900 cals, then 1200, then 1400, then 1600 then 1810. I think it's a process that most people go through. I'm rarely hungry but I know my body is fed and getting the nutrients it needs and the weight is coming off at a steady pace so it must be a good thing :flowerforyou:

tiffanyheth

I'm so new to this that I don't have a whole lot to offer in the advice realm. I will say that just keep moving forward. Everyday DO the right things, eat the right things. I know for me, when the results stop, then I stop. I just want to encourage you! I like what others have had to say--changing up the work regimen, eating consistently, high protein, less carbs, mixing cardio with strength.

Oh--and YOU CAN DO THIS!!

fotofreak01

Try keeping an accurate diary before asking for advice. You can not get accurate advice if you are not being honest with your diary.

I log everything. I weigh everything. I measure everything. I don't use the number of calories burned by the machine. I use my HRM. My diary is as accurate as it can possibly be.

jacque930

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Figure the correct number you should be eating from the link above.

Also you need to be more consistent with your eating, if your way over or way under try to be dead on, get a food scale, exercise, and give your body time to adjust.. and just cause you have alot of fat to lose, doesnt mean having huge deficits will make your body eat that fat off.. you can be in a plateau and be 60 lbs overweight.

BUMP for this Link..

whatjesseats

Your food log really is all over the place right now--for the next month, be really diligent about measuring and logging your food and getting as close to possible to your calorie goal each day.

petstorekitty

When I hit my 1st plateau I made a commitment to start eating more often. I broke my calorie intake up into 5 meals a day instead of 3. If you eat more regularly your metabolism will speed up.

Also, how is your water intake? If you are not hitting 8 glasses of pure water a day, I would recommend setting that as your 1st goal for February

Good call. Five meals of 300 calories a piece (or whatever your breakdown is) is better than three meals of 500 calories a piece. I'm a believer!

Great advice here. Smaller meals more often help jump start your metabolism.

Also, you just started so do your best to track everything! And measure everything. It can be time consuming but it's worth it to learn what eating properly is for your body.

Be observant of everything and how things make you feel. Like, are you more tired on days you eat sugar. Do raw almonds make you feel bloated and want to die, etc.

Switching your exercises up helps. I'm better at this in the summer - right now all I want to do is elliptical.
Even if you just switch up the kind of things you do on an elliptical is an improvement.

If you have time check into the difference between aerobic exercise and anaerobic exercise.
Sometimes, working harder isn't always the best option.

Also... Lots of people are of the belief that the calorie amounts set for us are too low. I'm only 5'1" and I sit all day, so eating 1200-1300/day + exercise works OK, but other people see better results with eating more.
Play with it for a while and track everything so you can see what happens.

Finally, your picture is SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!!

Hope some of my ramblings are helpful.

fotofreak01

When I hit my 1st plateau I made a commitment to start eating more often. I broke my calorie intake up into 5 meals a day instead of 3. If you eat more regularly your metabolism will speed up.

Also, how is your water intake? If you are not hitting 8 glasses of pure water a day, I would recommend setting that as your 1st goal for February

I have 1 or 2 cups of coffee when I wake and then nothing but water. I actually love water so I never have a problem getting that in. I pee more now then I have in 37 years...lol. sorry, maybe TMI?

Amberlynnek

After looking at the few entries you have made in your diary - wether or not you're within calorie range, you should learn how to eat properyly. Reduce carbs, increase veggies and fruits. Get rid of condiments. Start packing snacks and meals. You really aren't making healthy choices right now and that is probably why you have plateaued. Its not always about staying under the cal count.

TMorrison1227

Hey fotofreak,

First off, congrats on your loss so far! It's awesome that you're making progress and have been so detailed with your diary. I've been off the MFP wagon myself for a bit, but I'm just now hopping back on. So here are my initial thoughts after breezing through the last week of your diary..

POSITIVE
- The fact that you've kept your diary so well means you're on a really good path
- Also props for the attitude that these things take time.

NOT-SO-POSITIVE
- I noticed that you seem to eat a lot of calorie dense foods (the biggest offender was the Taco Bell Cina-twists) these types of foods are high in calories but break down super fast in your stomach and leave your hungrier than when you started. Examples of calorie sparse foods are veggies, beans, and the like.
- Lots of sugars added
- Your carbohydrate / sugar intake is a bit high

SUGGESTIONS

1) Consider completely revamping your breakfast - Start the day with a minimum of 30g of protein and you'll notice that it tides you over longer than cereal. If you change nothing else about your diet, this will improve your weight loss.

Right now it looks like your standard is coffee + creme and sugar combined with some sort of cereal. This used to be my go-to, but the combination of caffein + quick carbs leads to you often getting hungry within an hour after breakfast. Instead consider scrambled eggs (pref egg whites + 1 yolk) or if you're really on the run look at buying a low-carb whey protein powder.

2) Ditch the Taco Bell for another fast mexican option - Don't get me wrong, I'm obsessed with mexican food, but Taco Bell is known for it's lack of good ingredients and it adds a bunch of hidden things that are not good for weight loss. Where possible, stop in to a Chipoltle or Salsaritas or any other fresher fast-mex chain that you like.

My lunch almost every day is a burrito bowl and if you make the right choices you can feel really full and lose weight quickly. A few suggestions...
- Avoid chips and tortillas like the plague (hence the bowl option) - the flour or corn mash is just extra calories that really grind down fat loss
- Avoid rice even more than the suggestion above.
- Double down on black beans whenever possible - these are slow-carbs that will really aid in feeling full without spiking blood sugar

3) Switch out all your raw sugar to a stevia or other artificial sweetener - This isn't perfect because your brain and pancreas still react like it's sugar, but it's much better than plain sugar.

At any rate, I hope this helps. Again, congrats on your work thus far!!

I've had a LOT of success following the suggestions in Tim Ferriss's 4-Hour Body and would highly recommend it to anyone if you're looking for extra guidance.

-Tyler

wareagle8706

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Figure the correct number you should be eating from the link above.

Also you need to be more consistent with your eating, if your way over or way under try to be dead on, get a food scale, exercise, and give your body time to adjust.. and just cause you have alot of fat to lose, doesnt mean having huge deficits will make your body eat that fat off.. you can be in a plateau and be 60 lbs overweight.

I agree with this person saying you need to try hard to be more consistent with the amount you're eating. I've seen success being pretty spot on with my calorie intake. Also agree with get a food scale and maybe even a heart rate monitor for your workouts. Give it time.

I'm not necessarily sold on "in place of a road map," that link they provided you. My suggestion would be if you haven't lost any weight eating at that calorie range (once you start being consistent) then drop the cal's a couple hundred for about a month and see what happens. If you lose, great. If you stay, lower then again, etc.....

You might want to add up how many cal's your eating on a per week basis since you say you're eradic from day to day and compare that to the 9,660 that MFP suggets per week (1380 * 7 days/week) to see how closely you're meeting your calorie goal on a per week basis. It'll make it easier to see.

ETA: I just did a quick add up of 7 days of your diary and came up with 9,817 calories for one week. that's 157 more than what MFP is suggesting per week. I'm not saying this is going to make you fat, but I'm saying this may be a contributing facctor as to why the scale hasn't moved. This is an even bigger reason to try to be consistent with your DAILY intake.

LessMe2B

There is a lot of good information in the posts prior to mine, but my one piece of advice for the sedentary job is to get a large workout ball to sit on instead of the chair. Helps with posture, core strength, balance, stiff back, etc. Made a world of difference for me because you are just plain moving more than you do in a chair.

Beyond that....you're doing great and best of luck on your journey.

fotofreak01

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Figure the correct number you should be eating from the link above.

Also you need to be more consistent with your eating, if your way over or way under try to be dead on, get a food scale, exercise, and give your body time to adjust.. and just cause you have alot of fat to lose, doesnt mean having huge deficits will make your body eat that fat off.. you can be in a plateau and be 60 lbs overweight.

This is extremely helpful! Thank you!!

emstethem

Have you tried Atkins? www.atkins.com If you visit the site and sign up, they will send you a start up kit full of goodies. It is a healthy diet too! Atkins encourages veggies and low carb fruits such as berries ect. I'm trying it, and I feel like I'm eating like a king. And, I'm losing! Right now I'm consuming about 20-50 grams of carbohydrates a day. ...I don't count calories really...but I have noticed that I'm staying below my daily limit which is a win win. Check it out.

Klem4

1. read the road map thread that others have posted. its excellent.
2. More fruits and veggies. some days i am still not good about this, but i always feel better and fuller when i eat more of them.
3. be honest and accurate with your diary. do not use the quick add calories unless you truly do not know what it was, or can't find info for it. this took me awhile, i would get so anxious about it, but in the end once i started doing that things started moving along.
4. i have been through many plateaus, just keep going, stick to the plan. remember lifestyle change for good! not just a quick diet.

fotofreak01

I had the same problem when MFP dropped my calories. I found that by returning to my original calories set, I made more progress. The fluctuation you describe in your diet from day to day may also contribute to that. If you stick to the daily allotment of calories more closely, this may yield better results. Also, are you weighing your food? Weighing food is the only way to ensure you are entering the right amounts in. I found that before I got a food scale, I was estimating way off what I should have for a 'serving size' of things like chicken, sweet potatos, fruits, veggies, etc. Lastly, your body may be adapting to the same exercise regimen. Try switching it up with different exercises, weights, etc. Good luck.

I would love to do weights but I really don't know what or how to do them. I know that may sound silly but it's the truth. I will hook up with one of my fitness friends and make them baby step me through it. Thank you!

00sarah

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Figure the correct number you should be eating from the link above.

Also you need to be more consistent with your eating, if your way over or way under try to be dead on, get a food scale, exercise, and give your body time to adjust.. and just cause you have alot of fat to lose, doesnt mean having huge deficits will make your body eat that fat off.. you can be in a plateau and be 60 lbs overweight.
[/quote

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^this

This! I started at one 189, it's taken 2 years to get where I am now.

bpotts44

Also, note the word CONSTRUCTIVE. Okay, been here a month, give or take a day. MFP originally had me set at 1400 cals per day then dropped to 1380 on day 15. I lost 5 pounds that first week. Yay! But since then, I have yet to lose an ounce. I'm not too stressed about it, simply because I didn't get fat overnight so I don't expect to wake up skinny. I am thinking I may need to change it up a little but not sure where to go. Either up with the cals or down. In all honesty, I have a difficult time eating the 1380 I am required. Most days, I do well but of course, if you look at my diary, you will see days that I am way over or way under. I don't believe I am in "starvation mode" because 1. I've only been at this a month. Pretty sure it takes a tad longer then that to be in real starvation mode. and 2. There is PLENTY of fat for my body to eat before it starves. lol. I work out when I can but at least 3 times a week. Sometimes more, less seldom less. I go for 30 to 60 minutes at a time. Usually elliptical and I work hard enough to where I think I am on the verge of a heart attack. (p.s. I HATE exercise but I know it's part of it.) I work midnight shift so sometimes it's difficult to get to the gym because of their ridiculous hours so I will work out at home.

I am 37 years old. Started at 189 lbs and am now 184. My job is completely sedentary as I am a dispatcher 40 hours a week. Any helpful suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

Do you use a food scale and measure everything that crosses your lips? Really important at the beginning to be extremely diligent about logging. I would ditch as much of the processed foods as you can. There are tons of ideas out there.

fotofreak01

I'm a 35 year old attorney who spends most of his time at his desk (I usually do 10+ hours a day/60+ a week). While at my desk at work, I lift weights. It's not much, but it's better than nothing and it's toning my arms. I don't count it as exercise on MFP, but I believe it's making a difference re: Calorie burn. When I get home in the evening, I park my car, walk around the block, and then go inside. The block walk only takes me around 12 minutes and, like the weight lifting, isn't much, but again, like the weight lifting, I figure something is better than nothing. The other things I do is park in the far end of the parking lot when I go to the grocery (or any other ) store, take more trips than necessary when I'm unloading my car after shopping (or when I'm putting things away in the house, e.g., even though I could take an armful of crap upstairs, I take a few pieces at a time, thus turning one trip up the stairs into three, etc.).

Anyway, I try to do little things like that, drink more than the recommended amount of water, and stick under my calorie count. Result: I'm losing slowly...but I'm losing.

Good luck...you can do it!

I honestly never gave thought to doing exercises at my desk!! Thank you so much for the idea!! I'll research desk exercises when I get to work!!