Getting really discouraged...the scale just won't budge

SherryTeach

My 2 cents? If I ate pancakes, biscuits, & hot pockets I'd GAIN weight. Whether I was within the calorie restriction or not! I don't see any real veggies in there or whole grains when I just did a quick check. I'd go old school. Cut out processed foods as they contain chemicals, salts, sugars, and oils that are above and beyond what is healthy to eat. The current medical recommendation for healthy diet relating to sodium levels is 1500mg/day. With processed foods it is easy to get double that. Sugar also comes in many names to be hidden in the ingredient list. Both salt and sugar hold water in your body. If I even eat bread my weight will go up a pound overnight! Fruits, veggies, and cooked dried beans are the way to go. healthy fats are found in raw unsalted nuts and avocados. Eating raw veggies helps lose weight faster than anything and you can really have as much as you want for a relatively low calorie hit. Also read this great post on weighing your food versus measuring or eyeballing: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/766769-weighing-vs-measuring-food Just my take! Good luck to you!

Edit: I looked at your diary again and checked out your sodium intake which was like 3200+ and a fiber intake of 6gms one day. Eating 35gms of fiber is the current medical recommendation for a healthy colon. Eating fiber helps decrease your colon cancer risk and keeps you full, and makes you very happy in the bathroom! = D I remember one of the very first recommendations given to me was to make sure that every grain product I ate was a whole grain. Learn to read labels and consider the benefits/risks to your health as you do. Changing your diet now will make your life easier later on. It's never too late to increase your health with healthy eating! I did see 1 cup of carrots the other day and half a cup of Uncle Ben's Brown rice. The sugar in whole fruit is a component of a real fruit and is healthy rather than pancake syrup or sugar in your coffee. It doesn't count as "bad for you" as those sugars do. You can do much better in the veggie department. Start thinking in terms of one big salad either at lunch or dinner and put EVERYTHING you can think of in it except dressing. OR really water down your dressing to start. Cubed mangoes make a great dressing because they are so juicy and sweet!

Edit again! Just wanted to let you know that I started my adventure at 205 pounds when I was 49. I've had hypothyroid disease since I was 19. My only exercise for the most part is walking for 30 minutes twice a day and I spend my day behind a desk. If i can do it you can do it. My success I found was related to what I would give up. I couldn't eat my old way even in smaller portions and expect to get to 135. I decided there was more to life than donuts and pizza and darned if there isn't! You can do it!

Definitely this. Five Guys, Pizza Hut, loads of bakery sweets, processed food like Hot Pockets. Eating your own food does not have to be time-consuming. I cook mostly on Sunday afternoons and package individual servings for the whole week. Lunch and dinner. All recipes entered in MFP so I know exactly what's in that food. Eating out is a few times a month, not a few times a week or practically every day.