Please help - I'm really trying and failing

Frankietb

The "easiest" fix would be to drop the calories consumed. While programs like MFP are good for tracking, they are not always 100% accurate on things like resting metabolism, so it might not be predicting the calories you need correctly. If you eat fewer calories, you will lose weight.

The other option would be to change the kinds of foods you are eating. I noticed you have a lot of processed foods in your diary. If it's processed, it will also be high in sodium (whether it tastes salty or not) and probably sugar as well. While weight loss can definitely be boiled down to calories in vs. calories out, the quality of the calorie can make a difference. I would try cutting out some of the processed (aka packaged) foods, and cutting back on some of the unnecessary things (maybe leave off the jelly when having peanut butter on your cinnamon raisin bread, or switch to plain whole wheat bread for less sugar in there). Go for home cooked meals as often as you can, and generally avoid any packaged food that boasts some big health benefit (sugar free = more fat, fat free = more sugar, etc.). If you need a crunchy, salty snack, opt for baked chips instead of regular.

Also, it's important to get enough, though not too much, protein. Make sure every meal or snack has some protein in it. I personally don't think you need to or should be supplementing with whey powder or any other protein supplement, but instead focus on a whole food source for your protein, whether it's chicken, fish, nuts, or beans.

Finally, make sure you're drinking enough water. Hunger can often a sign of thirst. A good trick that I've heard is to drink a glass of water when you get hungry and wait 10 minutes. If you're still hungry 10 minutes later, go ahead and eat. Since the water will take up room in your stomach, it will help you eat less as well.

Good luck with your weight loss! I hope you find something that works for you.

Thank you! Your suggestions are really good. I agree that I could clean up my diet and will try very hard to do just that. Looks like I was wrong about the calories in vs calories out way of doing things.

dfonte

This is what works for me.

I set my goal at around 2000 (maintenance assuming I am not active). I eat that. My active lifestyle / exercise creates my deficit - which I do not log.

My goal is body fat, which depends on how much I work out. If I cut calories, I wouldn't have the energy to spend 2-3 hours in the gym.

Frankietb

Your calories don't add up to your macros. I would try and ensure

1) You hit or exceed the protein every day
2) you stay under on the carbs and sugar
3) you make sure your food info is correct

I counted up the macros to several days and one was off by 700 calories! You thought you ate 1700 but you ate 2400!! That is a big difference...

OMG. This is something I have never checked in my own diary before . . . it never even occurred to me that it was a possibility! On the two sites I used to use before MFP, they would both correct erroneous data by upping the calories in the food to match the entered macros.

I'm going to be going through my diary for the last month and adding everything up.

I still (embarrassingly enough) don't understand what is meant by this. Could someone explain it to me. Thanks!

Frankietb

You seem to be eating a lot of "snack/junk" foods, imo. There was one day your snack calories added up to around 1300. Try eating less snacks, and the ones you do eat, try to make them a protein based snack. Cut out the cake, and dessert bars after dinner. Like others have said, be sure what you are logging is accurate. If you don't have one, invest in a food scale. Good luck!

I do use the scale. Always. But you're right. Too many snacks. I'm a huge snacker so I need to work on this. Thanks!

SassyCalyGirl

ya-sorry to say your diary doesn't look very "healthy"
lots of junk and processed foods=high sodium.
your fat grams allowed are super high and your protein is low-remember 1g (per lb of your weight) is the norm.
weight training is great but I think you also need to add some cardio.

Frankietb

Being a therapist who has struggled with my own eating for years I know weight is more than just about food and diet. But working in the weight loss industry as well can say your calories are too high...especially if your body is "used to that. I would try going down to 1500 and just shocking your body a bit seeing if that helps and revving up your cardio...doing interval training. Invest in a heart rate monitor if you don't have one already...burning more like 600 is what you want to aim for (in 1-1.5) would be be helpful to. Also as some have already said, going to Dr. to rule out thyroid issues is key as well. Good luck!

Thanks! Great suggestions.

Frankietb

I would definitely increase your fiber and your protein. MFP goals for fiber are too low....you should be at least 25 - 30 g /day. And protein is so very necessary especially if you are weight training. You are lacking in that everyday. Watch your sodium levels and drink lots of water....especially if you have a high sodium day. Don't get discouraged...Just keep moving along. IF things haven't changed in this long then you need to change things up. Make sure you are accurate with your food measures and your calories burned. Get a food scale...a definite must and maybe a Heart rate monitor if you don't already have one. These things make it so much easier to be accurate.

Good luck and DON'T GIVE UP !

Thank you! I won't give up that's for sure.

Frankietb

We have very similar stats and we eat very similarly, as well. I am 5'4" 52yo and started at 153 lbs. I have my calories set to 1600 due to the fact that calories in the database can be off and calories burned during exercise can be off--this allows me some padding. Try lowering your calories by 100-200 for a month and see what happens. I would also monitor your sodium and make sure you are drinking plenty of water if your soduim intake is high.

Thank you. I will try that.

Frankietb

I'm similar in age and height to you and I'm currently a little below your goal weight. I maintain on what you are eating each day, so maybe your calories are too high. If I ate what I've found to be my TDEE, I'd definitely gain weight! What worked for me was figuring my TDEE at a step lower than my actual activity level. My net has to be below 1350 for me to lose any weight at all, and even then it is slow. Good luck to you and don't feel bad for the last two months. You probably gained some good experience counting calories, you might have figured out what doesn't work, and it looks like you've been working out a lot and are in better shape. Good luck to you and I hope you figure this out.

Thank you for the encouragement and suggestions. I appreciate it.

ryry_

Join the group eat, train progress and fill out there online form. They are pretty helpful in troubleshooting things with you. My two guesses would be tdee - 20& coming out with 1800 is a 200 calorie deficit. That is small and can easily be messed up with inaccurate weighing or a couple of meals "off the books". The other option is that your actual TDEE is different than your estimated and you need to adjust downward slightly.

Frankietb

Your calories don't add up to your macros. I would try and ensure

1) You hit or exceed the protein every day
2) you stay under on the carbs and sugar
3) you make sure your food info is correct

I counted up the macros to several days and one was off by 700 calories! You thought you ate 1700 but you ate 2400!! That is a big difference...

Sorry but I still don't understand why? Isn't it the total calories that count? Why would I need to add up the macros? Is there a link somewhere that explains this. Thanks.

^^^^^^^Could someone please explain this to me? Something I've never really heard about, but I find it interesting!

I just checked my own. The don't add up. They're out between 49 and -35 everyday, and average out to 7.375 over the course of eight days.

Carbs are 4 calories per gram.
Fats are 9 calories per gram.
Proteins are 4 calories per gram.

Calculate your total calories for each of your macros. Add them together. Do they match your total calories consumed?

Frankietb

Keep in mind 80% of the food database is inaccurate. Most of the time, people enter the correct calorie count - but not the correct macros. Many people also enter net carbs as total carbs. Always double check

I've seen people log things like "Pasta - Homemade, 2 cups" and it says 10g carbs. Come on now. 2 cups of pasta with only 10 carbs?

Good point. Thanks.

Frankietb

I would probably lower your calorie goal or excersise more( since you dont eat those calories back ), either way the way we lose weight is by cosuming less than we take in, so I think thats the most obvious answer.

Also per another suggestion try to pay close attention to your macros. keep your sugar low and protein high and drink lots of water. I hope that this helps... I can understand how frustrated you might be. Don't give up!

Thank you!

Frankietb

It doesnt show your drinkin water thats very important also if your workin out really hard or alot u would need to eatalittle more hope this helps

I don't track it but I drink lots of water. Thanks.

Frankietb

It looks like we're in the same boat. I'm the same age, though taller, and my scale has been stuck for months as well. I have little advice since I'm still trying to figure this out as well.

What I've done is put the scale away for the time being and am focusing on my strength training. I'll reevaluate after a month to see where I stand.

I've sent you a friend request. Good luck!

Thanks! And good luck also!

tracieangeletti

Your calories don't add up to your macros. I would try and ensure

1) You hit or exceed the protein every day
2) you stay under on the carbs and sugar
3) you make sure your food info is correct

I counted up the macros to several days and one was off by 700 calories! You thought you ate 1700 but you ate 2400!! That is a big difference...

^^^^^^^Could someone please explain this to me? Something I've never really heard about, but I find it interesting!

Adding up macros?? Never even thought about that before. Something else for me to obsess over!! lol :frown:

ascsimon

A lot of good advice here. Thank you for the question because I picked up some things I didn’t know from reading on some of the responses. Example would be TDEE and macros.

As someone else pointed out the food database isn’t always accurate so I was always scanning in items or manually entering in information in order to be as accurate as I could. I also just watched my diet and I did not do much in the way of Cardio – I found this was a little easier for me to concentrate on. After some weight loss – around 25 lbs – I started working on cardio and incorporating exercise into my weekly activity. I know you mentioned lifting but do you do any aerobic / cardio activity - fat burning vs putting on muscle?

Dropping the calories down may not be bad. I know that when I started out, my target goal was 1 lbs a week and my daily calorie goal was a little over 1500 net calories - according to MyFitenessPal. Surprised that you are at 1800 actually since that is my maintenance number although I am short - 5’5” and 38 - so that may play a factor.

Here is another way of looking at TDEE - its an online calculator:

website is : http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

Calulate your TDEE and the information below - also on the site - is what you can use to figure out macros

- Protein: 1 gram per pound of body weight
- Fat: .45 grams per pound of body weight
- Carbs: The remaining number of calories left will be filled with carbs


Keep trying - before you know it - you will be buying clothes every 2 - 3 months because of shrinking out of them

steph0924

I think this is one instance where no one's gonna tell you to eat more to lose more.

I was thinking the same thing.

darwinwoodka

I would say like me you're already pretty fit, and that makes it tough to drop anymore even if we think it would be nice. I think you may need to do a true cut diet if you really want to lose it, lots of protein veggies and good fats and low carbs. If you really want, try dropping the bread and wheat completely and "eat clean", as they say.

Get the thyroid checked, too. That made a big difference for me. I ended up going to a naturopath to get the right amount since I was "within range" and my regular doctor wouldn't set my thyroid medication any higher.

Then add some HIIT training. You're already lifting, so try and get a bit heavier lifts if possible. You need to change it up and get your body to work even harder, surprise it.

Where do you carry your weight? For me it's all hips and thighs. I've lost everything on my waist I can and the rest is really stubborn....

Frankietb

what? i dont understand adding macros?? how do you do this??

When you're entering a food into the database you enter all of the information off of the label (calories, grams of carbs, etc.). Apparently, MFP doesn't have an algorithm which verifies that everything adds up correctly when the food is submitted. This seems like a huge oversight, as I know that two of MFP's competitors do run an algorithm to ensure that the math is correct on user entered data.

Thanks! So is this something that I need to calculate at the end of the day, every day, or as I enter my food? I imagine it would be too late at the end of the day.

Frankietb

Hi. I noticed that you were not counting your sodium intake and I see that you eat a lot of things that have extremely high sodium. I would suggest tracking that as well and see if you can get the numbers down.

This. It's something people often overlook. Whenever you get something that is pre-packed and processed its LOADED with sodium. Also, you don't log water.... are you drinking atleast 8 glasses? This is VERY important. you're probably holding onto lots of water weight.

I will work on lowering my sodium and I drink a minimum of 10 glasses a day. Thanks!

scarrletti_girl

you know maybe the fat is just slowly being replaced with muscle instead and that is why you arent seeing results i just say keep doing what ur doing and it will eventually happen this isnt a get skinny quickly thing it is a life time thing. so keep it up girl!!!

good luck and chin up

jenniejengin

bump

Frankietb

What do you do to workout? You say you burn 350 calories - how is this calculated? Can you up the intensity of your workouts, e.g. do interval training?

I use a heart rate monitor. I will try and bring up my intensity. Thanks for the suggestion!

Frankietb

I think this is one instance where no one's gonna tell you to eat more to lose more.

Seriously! That's all I've been reading about lately so I was actually thinking of increasing my calories because I saw some diaries of women the were in awesome shape and were successful at losing lots of weight and their calories were set at over 2000 a day! Not sure this is a good idea for me. Wish there was a one size fits all solution to losing weight.

Frankietb

Up the proteins (eggs, not cereal for breakfast, every day)

lower the carbs a little - don't go crazy.

Try to lessen the canned foods.

More real food - raw veggies - LOTS!
I know it's expensive in the some places, but if you can... do.

50 minutes 5 days a week is GREAT! Keep it up. I bet your body is healthy and happy.

It is!!! I feel stronger and have more energy so that's positive. Thanks for the suggestions!

Frankietb

I'm going to agree with some of the others and say that I think you might be eating more at maintenance. Some people just don't fit into those TDEE calculators (myself for example). I'm 5'7", 133 pounds, 44 years old, and maintain at what you are eating. If I want to lose, I have to drop my calories from there.

I also agree with what the others are saying about food choices. I find that if I eat a bunch of junkie foods, even if I stay within my calorie limits, I don't have the results I do if I'm eating healthy, whole foods.

I'm glad you're sticking with it! Keep at it, and you'll find that sweet spot that works for you!

Thanks! I'm beginning to see that I'm not going to be successful with TDEE-20% and will try to lower my calories and eat better foods.

Frankietb

This is what works for me.

I set my goal at around 2000 (maintenance assuming I am not active). I eat that. My active lifestyle / exercise creates my deficit - which I do not log.

My goal is body fat, which depends on how much I work out. If I cut calories, I wouldn't have the energy to spend 2-3 hours in the gym.

That's a good way to do it. Good luck!

Frankietb

ya-sorry to say your diary doesn't look very "healthy"
lots of junk and processed foods=high sodium.
your fat grams allowed are super high and your protein is low-remember 1g (per lb of your weight) is the norm.
weight training is great but I think you also need to add some cardio.

I know (hides head in shame). Will do better from here on. Thanks.

Frankietb

Join the group eat, train progress and fill out there online form. They are pretty helpful in troubleshooting things with you. My two guesses would be tdee - 20& coming out with 1800 is a 200 calorie deficit. That is small and can easily be messed up with inaccurate weighing or a couple of meals "off the books". The other option is that your actual TDEE is different than your estimated and you need to adjust downward slightly.

Thanks. I have actually read quite a bit from that group and that's why I thought I'd be good with 1800 calories a day because some of the women there are in such good shape and eat a lot more than me! Guess I'm not so lucky.