I have been working really hard and not seeing results

Woomytron

It is time consuming if you don't plan your meals.
I usually do my things in the morning and log my breakfast with my entire day, it's less then 10 minutes and I have all set up.
Try to do that, know what are you gonna cook/eat one day before and everything will be fine.

This is usually what I do and leave some room for snacks. Then log my snacks in at the end of the day. By snacks I mean an apple or air popped popcorn ( I love popcorn :embarassed: ).

It doesn't have to be time consuming. If you have 10 mins to surf the internet you have 10 mins to log your food.

Momma_Grizz

Or should I say no thanks, I really thought that I might get some helpful suggestions on here, not a bunch of criticism. I have been working hard I go to the gym as much as possible with three kids. I just joined the gym 2 months ago. I just thought that since I have been working out 3 times more that I ever have before that I would see results. I do not just east a bunch of crap. I try to eat as healthy as possible.

Heya.

Ok, deep breath aaaand relax

Dont worry, firstly. sounds to me like you're half way to being on track. Now lets get the other half sorted.

First - Food. Probably the most important thing. Forget diets, they dont work. Let me explain. I've "dieted" or had periods of "being healthy" for years but only by actually changing the way I approach food did I have success. 20 years too late maybe but at least Im there now. Sorry if a lot of this you know but here you go anyway :

- People who dont log typically eat too many carbs. Even when "being good". Thats speaking from experience. I used to track for one week of the month and by the 3rd week I was eating 70% carbs which is way too much.
- Fat is good. Good fats at least. nuts, seeds, avocado, fish are all good fat.
- Fat is bad. Yeah, not all fat is good. Biscuits, cake, hydrogenated fats, saturated fats. All things generally found in processed foods.
- Protein is needed. Not sure if you are veggie. If so, consider lentils, chickpeas, quinoa etc. If not, then Chicken, Tuna, Salmon, Turkey. Ideally fresh, grilled.
- Carbs. Here is the biggy. Try and cut right down on bread, pasta, breakfast cereals. Basically starchy carbs. Sugars and processed carbs try to get rid of. I still have the odd choc bar or treat. But its odd, once a week maybe and not daily like I was. I dont eat breakfast cereal anymore and seldom have bread.
- Carbs - fibrous. Veg, salad are excellent sources of vitamins etc Some fruit but not too much. I have 1-2 bits of fruit per day but much more veg.
- Drinks. Take milk in your tea/coffee? Thats calories in every drink. I have it black these days and while I had to get used to it now prefer it.

So, an example of meals for me is a nice big pile of chicken / tuna with salad or a big portion of broccoli/asparagus. I dont have a starchy carb anymore. I still have home made chilli but rather than on rice I have on a bed of kale/spinach. you get the idea.

Finally log it and log it ALL. Sure it gets boring but after a while its second nature (imo). I also find it interesting so as I go I can see whats what.

Now, kids. I understand. I have two. The hardest bit is feeding them and you different and but more so picking off their plates as feeding them


Water - Drink plenty. Aim for 2L per day for now.

Exercise - do what you can. Its hard when having kids to look after but if you are managing 3 days a week then make them count. Work hard and maybe harder in those sessions. Mix cardio and weights as you have been but make every rep and every step count.

So how much should you eat?

http://www-users.med.cornell.edu/~spon/picu/calc/beecalc.htm

Have a look. That tells you what you should eat "if you do nothing and sit still"

Then take away 20%.

Thats how much to eat to start losing weight at a sensible rate "if you sit doing nothing"

On days you go to the gym, eat and extra 300 cals maybe "if you have worked hard for around 45mins"

Or if you know what you burned then replace that so long as your target is the 20% reduction.

Im cautious on what MFP says Im burning in cals, but I find 100-150 cals per 15min is a decent guideline for me personally.

All I can think of for now, feel free to ask anything.

I so needed to read this today - thank you!

melonclarinet

If I stop logging for a bit, when I start back up I'm sometimes surprised at how quickly things add up. Other times, I'm surprised by how little I was actually eating. Both can be bad. Also, look at your adtivity the rest of the week, you're working out less than half of the week -are you still eating the same amount on the days you don't work out? How many calories are you actually burning? Do you have a HRM? Wen I look at the calories burned on a machine, it is sometimes twice as high as what my HRM says. The difference between 400 and 800 calories burned is huge! If you're working out 3 times a week, it's half a pound difference!!!

Good luck and sorry to say that you will need to log food again-oh, and I agree. Weigh all food whenever possible! I find it kind of fun

juliekaiser1988

If you aren't logging ALL OF IT, you're only eating as healthy as you THINK you are.

I really, really wish people would get their bloodwork done PRE lifestyle change and then at a point where they feel like giving up. If you could see the magic that's going on inside your body, you wouldn't give up so quickly.

The weight lifting causes your body to produce HGH, which in fact, turns the hands back on time. This spike in HGH helps women with everything from skin issues (wrinkles to acne) to bone health.

The cardio is improving your HDL Cholesterol (the one you want to be high) and lowering your LDL (bad cholesterol), triglycerides, blood sugar.

The foods you choose can decrease body fat, blood pressure, and risks of cancer, heart disease, and stroke.

So for crying out loud- throw that f%$6ing scale out the window and do what you're supposed to do.

heyyoudontgiveup

Just think -- if you hadn't given up, you'd be 7 lbs lighter. This isn't supposed to be a "diet" in your life. You're supposed to have a lifestyle change. If you "give up" and then just go back to eating crap, then it wasn't successful. I suggest logging and working out more. I have been logging and working out for over a month now and have barely lost anything. I log everything and track workouts on my Fitbit and bust my *kitten*.

Real talk: if you haven't been logging, have only been working out 3 times a week, and you've "given up," you are not working hard. Change your mentality and start ACTUALLY working hard.

I just want to say that I am working hard, and ACTUALLY if this is a nice post than maybe I am wrong. I kind of found it offensive. My Bad. I really do appreciate the helpful advice.

You don't have to like my advice. I don't care if you think you're working hard. You are not working "hard" at the limit you are at. You said you aren't logging -- that means you're not working hard in my opinion. You ACTUALLY said you are working "really hard" when in reality you're working at a NORMAL level. "I've been working out normally and I'm not seeing results" isn't as shocking and puts the onus on something other than you.

Again, I think working hard would be actually logging. Working out when you can is a positive thing. Logging isn't that difficult so you can't be working "really hard" if you aren't even doing that one step. I'm sorry this isn't a hugbox comment, but I wish you well and I think logging will help you kick butt instead of whiff air.

RustyDogma

Be sure to take measurements regularly as well. I often gain a little muscle, lose a little weight, and the scale shows little difference. Then I'll find I dropped a couple inches from my waist and/or thighs. The scale doesn't tell the whole story.

psuLemon

Clean eating is important.

For weight loss its not important to eat clean. From a macro/micro nutrient level its important. But you can lose regardless of the type of foods you eat. But sodium can mask weight loss with water weight. But you can counteract it with drinking water and eating foods high in potassium and magnesium.

psuLemon

Be sure to take measurements regularly as well. I often gain a little muscle, lose a little weight, and the scale shows little difference. Then I'll find I dropped a couple inches from my waist and/or thighs. The scale doesn't tell the whole story.

It is virtually impossible to continuously gain a little muscle and then lose a little fat. Unless you are doing some significant alterations in your diet plan and have a progressive lifting program. Even at best, women who eat a surplus of calories and have a progressive weight training program only have the ability to gain about 1/2 lb per week. The more likely scenario is water retention some weeks and then it releases. But its virtually impossible to quickly jump from a catabolic to an anabolic state and then back.

joannbrunton

"Helloitsdan" roadmap post is great...read it....it's on MFP message boards......It works.

veggieluver2

it's a shame that you haven't learned throughout your days how to take criticism - that's a pretty important part of life... the worst part is that they are all being very nice and supportive. don't ask for help if you don't want honest answers

with that said, "abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym" - you can go to the gym all you want, but if you are eating more calories than your body is burning in the day, you will not lose weight
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^^^This^^^
What are you looking for? There are no special snowflakes here. You are not the only one with kids, work each day, find time to work out and eat right. You have to fight for it if you truly want it.

orangeyellowkayak

OK she said she is sorry. She thanked us for our advice and sounds like she is going to start logging. (that's a good thing). some times when you read something you take it different from the way it was intended- can't see the person face so it could be taken wrong. She most likely can take criticism but not 100% of the time. I'm that way I do a lot wrong so I have to take a lot but every once in a while I say something back that I should not have said.

grbhmb

Julienewlie is right - have you had bloodwork done recently? Your hormones
could be out of whack. I listened to this recently: http://instantteleseminar.com/?eventid=38063244
by Leanne Ely and Dr. Sara Gottfried and a lot of it made sense; the doctor has
a website that talks about it, too.

I recently spoke with an acquaintance (around 32 y. o. I think) who lost about 40 pounds in two months
exercising like a crazy woman and eating less, but she said a couple of years prior to this she had her thyroid
and her other hormones checked by her doc who helped her and prescribed progesterone and something
for her thyroid. She thinks getting her hormones regulated helped her body
to become more efficient.

My own DH experienced this same thing recently by having his hormones
regulated and not only is he able to lose weight and gain muscle better, but
his bloodwork (triglycerides, etc) looks much better and he's donating blood to help others and
bring down his hemoglobin/hematocrit levels.

I understand how frustrating it is to work so hard and not much to
show for it, so it could be you have an underlying hormonal issue
working against you! Just a thought!