What am I doing wrong?

JoanB5

Personally, In Place of a Road Map helped me understand more of what I was doing and the goal. I use it, but modify it to work with MFP because I need the incentive to workout. So, I set it 200 calories lower than it's stated each day for my daily eating goal, then if I exercise, I get to eat add it back (he counts on you subtracting it if you realize you aren't going to work out that day...I don't like seeing that number goal at all until I've earned it). I'm pacing appropriately throughout the day in case I don't get to work out as planned. I still need that. Maybe someday, I won't. My schedule is just too variable around family obligations to count on any workout for sure...and I don't want to eat like I'm going to, and then not be able to fit it in.

koshkasmum

I have looked over a few days of your food diary and I notice a couple of things that could be holding you back.

First is measurements. Do you measure your food? When eating out particularly guestimates can kill you. I note refence ot 1.5 ounces of barbecue ribs - that is VERY little. Also, you need to apply some thought to calorie counts on the database as some of them are so far off as to be worse than useless (you have a good example: .a quarter of a typical Chinese restaurant plate of chow mein is a heck of a lot more than 22 calories. ) Try checking a few similar items on the database to make sure your selection is in the ballpark. For example, a typical half cup serving of most starchy foods (noodles, pasta, rice, potatoes) is going to run 100 calories or more. So if you ate only enough chow mein noodles to fit neatly in the cupped palm of your hand, it would be at least 100 calories - and that is before you factor in things like the generous amount of oil they cook it in (100 + calories per tablespoon and most Chinese resturants start off a dish for 4 people with 4 tablespoons of oil - then there's meat, sauce, etc.)

I do not see any references to butter, margarine, oil etc - like in your omelette - Are you leaving them out? Little things like thais can add up enormously. As do sauces and condiments like ketchup, mayo, relishes etc.

I do not see much that looks like vegetables. Your body needs the nutrients in these, they help fill you up and they help keep the output part of your digestive tract working properly. (If your body is not getting rid of excess water and waste the scale can show 3-5 pounds that is not your body, if you know what I mean.)

May I suggest that you see a dietitian? They can be a real help when you are a bit over your head on your own

Good luck and good health.

KaraLee69

Wow! Great information here!!! Thanks for asking the question! And thanks to all of those that answered with great info!

hfox9707

Have you tried weight training? You will build more lean muscle therefore burn more fat. However, you may not see much change in weight loss if you gained muscle mass. I would also eat more protein from lean meats, eggs, seeds and nuts: and less grains and dairy. For carbs, focus on veggies and moderate on fruit. Weight training also has other benefits such as better bone mass which we need as women. Btw, check to see how your clothes fit and have someone measure your fat loss. For the cardio workout, try shorter highly intense interval training.

PS- when you focus on just weight loss, you lose both fat and lean muscle...lessen the cardio and add weights to your workout routine. Eat more protein and healthy fats such as avocados, flax seed oil, virgin coconut oils. This way your insulin levels don't sky rocket causing more stores of fat. Eat your veggies and stop eating processed foods all together. Try to go more paleo or a modified one.

Hope this helps.

sexymom04

my clothes don't fit anymore.....lol I've gone from a size 10 to a 6 already. So now I will exercise less, only did my walk today and I will eat more.

Hope this works.

Thanks everyone

sexymom04

As for weight training, I have hand weights that I use with my Shed and Shred and that I also use on the treadmill when I walk. But I don't do more than that. I'd like to, but the closest gym is like 20 minutes away. Not feasible.

Mads1997

you are suppose to be eating your exercise calories back, that's how MFP works if you are following it and not some other method.

sexymom04

What does that mean eating your exercise calories back?

Cat_Lifts

What does that mean eating your exercise calories back?

It means consuming back what you've burned in exercise, typically if you're already at a calorie consumption deficit. Example:

Your daily net goal to consume is 1800 calories. You workout, burn 300 calories. If you do not eat back those 300 calories you burned, you will only be netting 1500. If you eat back your exercise calories, you can technically be eating 2100 calories for the day, but still netting 1800 because you burned 300.

Many people will have their own methods of creating a deficit, whether that's:

Consuming less calories + working out to reach their net goal. (200 less calories eaten + 200 burned at gym = 400 cal deficit)
Consuming even less calories with no exercise to reach their net goal. (400 less cals consumed + 0 cals burned from gym = 400 cal deficit)
Not consuming less calories but working out to burn those excess calories. (400 calories burned at gym + 0 less cals consumed = 400 cal deficit) In this case, you would not eat exercise calories back because you are not cutting back on calories you are consuming, you are creating your deficit solely from working out.

Hope that makes sense, shoot me a PM if not or anyone feel free to correct me if I've made an error in explanation.

sexymom04

So basically no matter what I have to eat 1200 a day even if I work out.

IamUndrCnstruction

I am curious as to why this post already has two pages worth of replies, and the post I put up ten minutes ago asking roughly the same thing, only with more information given, has two replies total? Am I posting incorrectly?

Cat_Lifts

i wouldn't recommend the 1200 fad, you ought to eat what is going to properly fuel you without going below your BMR. Eating lower than what you should be won't mean faster or better weight loss. If you haven't checked it out yet, please read the 'In Place of a Road Map' post on the forums. If you really want to eat at the borderline of 1200 (which I don't really recommend - I've tried it and didn't get anywhere for 2 months), then you are going to eat back exercise calories.

Whatever you burn at the gym, eat those calories burned BACK. Even if you eat up to 1300, 1400 calories a day - that is more than okay. You are at a severe deficit from what it sounds like and may work more against you than with you. You want to reach your daily goal of 1200, right? So if you burned 500 calories, you've only subtracted 500 from 1200 = 700 calories taken into your body. You now have to eat back 500 calories to get back up to 1200. At the end of the day, you will have consumed a TOTAL of 1700 calories, but you've really only netted 1200 because of the 500 calories burned at the gym. Does that make sense?

Again I'd really recommend checking out In Place of a Road Map which will help you to pinpoint what your body needs. Eating below your BMR, from what I've read on here, is not the best idea as your BMR is what your body needs to be able to even fully function if you were in a coma. My BMR is about 1618 calories a day at 5'4", 192lbs - that's 1618 calories just to make sure my organs, brain, lungs, muscles, etc. are all functioning properly. What do you think would happen to your body at 1200? The post In Place of a Road Map has a site where you can figure out your BMR and TDEE (the amount of calories burned in an entire day from waking up to going to bed, based off of activity, weight, height, etc. etc.).

sexymom04

I just 1200 as an example. My BMR is 1337 so I have to eat that much no matter what

Cat_Lifts

I just 1200 as an example. My BMR is 1337 so I have to eat that much no matter what

Ahhh okay my apologies, I read into you doing the 1200 plan. How much do you aim to eat daily? 1400? 1500? If you haven't checked out In Place of a Road Map yet, figure out your TDEE so you can see (roughly) how much you would consume to maintain your weight. From that maintenance weight, you can then subtract a percentage to find yourself a daily goal for further weight loss.

First off, if you don't mind me asking, how much do you weigh, what's your goal weight, height, etc?

sexymom04

I'm 5'4", weigh 130 looking to lose another 5 lbs. no I haven't checked it yet.

Cat_Lifts

I'm 5'4", weigh 130 looking to lose another 5 lbs. no I haven't checked it yet.

Normally the closer you are to your goal, the slower the weight will drop off. Once you figure out your TDEE, subtract 10 - 15% from your maintenance goal and that should eventually get you there. Also keep in mind the importance of rest days and plenty of water.

Barbellerella

yup, burning 600-1200 calories through exercise and only eating 1200-1300 per day is definitely doing it wrong. I'm glad people are steering you in the right direction now!

MayaSPapaya

I agree that your measurements are probably off-do you use a food scale? 1.5 ounces of anything is extremely tiny, and I doubt you are only eating that much. Also, like others are saying, you probably have a lot of water weight from all the sodium.

Graelwyn75

Overdoing the exercise can actually cause you to stall or even gain fat, because it can impact the balance of your hormones, in particular, the stress hormone, Cortisol. Research it.
You have so little to lose, you should be aiming at 1/2 Ib a week, and eating at least half, if not all your exercise calories back. You need to be netting as close to your bmr or above as possible. Stick to no more than an hour of cardio a day, and try and do some weights or bodyweight exercises 3 times a week. You don't need weights, just get a book like 'you are your own gym' and that will suffice if you cannot get to an actual gym. Or invest in a set of weights, they do them pretty cheap on amazon. I work with 5 and 6kg dumbbells myself.

Heyyleigh

Clean up your day- you have lots of processed foods. I dont see any thing lean, green and clean and very little water. I would ditch that processed oatmeal asap! Soooooooooooooooooo many other great choices.