Too many or too little....so confusing!!!

cbullock115

Ok, so I recently lost 16lbs and now I am fluctuating with gaining a few pounds and then losing them. It's very frustrating! :explode: I haven't added the weight back on my ticker because I feel that it could just be water weight. However, I started looking to see what I have been eating and all though I haven't eaten the greatest, I have generally been under everyday and I am working out everyday. Here's the thing though, I don't always eat my exercise cals. I know that there are a lot of posts on here about that topic but for some reason reading them isn't helping me :embarassed: My diary is public if you want to look at it. I added more foods today to see if it helps to eat most of my exercise cals. I have you warn you though, I got my monthly visit yesterday and it shows in my eating :blushing: Anyway, thanks for taking the time to look and help me out!! :flowerforyou:

CardioRS

I have a hard time eating my exercise calories too! Mostly because I burn about 1200 calories for swimming, but still - it's a lot. I'm working on eating those too. One thing I noticed in your food diary is a lot of processed foods. That could be a rough spot for you. Fresh is always better and if we can't pronounce an ingredient, it is probably best to steer clear of it. I know that it seems harmless when you are within your calories, but it can cause bloating, water retention, lethargy, etc. In my case, my stomach gets completely out of whack when I eat processed foods and my digestive system seems to slow down.

Don't kick yourself! Your weight loss is good and you can do this!

nolachick

Agreed. Less processed food. Also I cannot see your sugar intake so try tracking that. MFP only allows a little like 25g but if it comes from natural sources like fruits its usually ok, but u wud be surprised how much sugar is in the processed food stuff. example those "100cal packs" that may seem harmless.

skatjon

If yo start tracking your sugar intake you will see a difference. Your body burns sugars before fat so by lowering it you will naturally put your body into fat burning mode. You could also lower the carbs and increase the protein that will help too. Stick to complex carbs and try to get rid of the processed foods. Nautral rolled oats in the morning with egg whites are a great way to start the day. The oats take longer for the body to process leaving you fuller for longer and the egg whites are so low in fat with NO sugar that you can eat 5 servings and add veggies to them for a great protein packed meal.

cbullock115

I want to appologize for the way my Food diary looks on previous entries, I changed the layout so that I could see exactly what i was eating for snacks and when. I realize that I do eat a good bit of processed foods and I am trying to fix that. I am doing more chicken recipes and stuff from scratch but with me going to school at night, it's hard sometimes. The snack thing is my worst problem by far.

Berliner

yes, to the above comment.
I have not looked at your diary, but processed food is a big no-no!!! I have experienced that as well. i actually only ate fruits and veggies, beans brown rice, plain oatmeal w/cinnamon and maybe an egg. Not just that I felt lighter and less bloated, I lost the most inches in those 5 days. Watermelon works wonders, since it is mostly water (yes, I know the sugar), but I fell full after 2 cups if it.

After working out I eat half of my burned cal and leave the rest for something I crave later on in the day. Plus I have been drinking whey isolate 28 to get protein in and now I am eating chicken again. Lost another pound after that. It is a slow process, but the inches are melting off.

Try to eat your burned cal. very important to do. If your cal for the day are 1800 (let's say) and you burn 400 in exercise you really only get 1400 in. Your body is thinking: "Holy cow, I am starving, she is not feeding us...guys, hold on to the fat!!!!!!!"
MFP is giving you a low cal intake already to shed a pound or so a week (w/o exercise). Add the burned cals equals to a double whammy of burning cals.

Good luck on your journey

Shy1979

I'm not eating my exercise calories either, mostly because I'm not hungry. I do always go over my 1200 cal for the day, but not by much. I know a lot of people eat their exercise calories, but I don't really see the point in forcing myself to eat, even though I'm full, while I'm trying to loose weight ... it doesn't seem logical to me! Don't get me wrong, if I was still hungry, then I would eat them!

Shy1979

I would agree with everyone, that you need to try to eat more fresh things, I try to do that too, and sometimes fail! Don't give up, just try to do what's right for you, if you are still really hungry after eating only your regular calories, then maybe you should eat your exercise calories as well. It's different for everybody!

cbullock115

yes, to the above comment.
I have not looked at your diary, but processed food is a big no-no!!! I have experienced that as well. i actually only ate fruits and veggies, beans brown rice, plain oatmeal w/cinnamon and maybe an egg. Not just that I felt lighter and less bloated, I lost the most inches in those 5 days. Watermelon works wonders, since it is mostly water (yes, I know the sugar), but I fell full after 2 cups if it.

After working out I eat half of my burned cal and leave the rest for something I crave later on in the day. Plus I have been drinking whey isolate 28 to get protein in and now I am eating chicken again. Lost another pound after that. It is a slow process, but the inches are melting off.

Try to eat your burned cal. very important to do. If your cal for the day are 1800 (let's say) and you burn 400 in exercise you really only get 1400 in. Your body is thinking: "Holy cow, I am starving, she is not feeding us...guys, hold on to the fat!!!!!!!"
MFP is giving you a low cal intake already to shed a pound or so a week (w/o exercise). Add the burned cals equals to a double whammy of burning cals.

Good luck on your journey

This is very helpful but, I have a question about the sugar. So, I looked at my intake for the day if I eat what I have scheduled then most of my sugar comes from fruits. Should I write some of that off and it be ok that I am over in the sugar department because it's fruit and a natural sugar? See, I am just really learning about all of these little things that add up, like the sugar and sodium. As soon as we get paid Friday I am going to dump the yogurt I have now and get some lower sugar. I love my yogurt and have a hard time giving it up.

cbullock115

If yo start tracking your sugar intake you will see a difference. Your body burns sugars before fat so by lowering it you will naturally put your body into fat burning mode. You could also lower the carbs and increase the protein that will help too. Stick to complex carbs and try to get rid of the processed foods. Nautral rolled oats in the morning with egg whites are a great way to start the day. The oats take longer for the body to process leaving you fuller for longer and the egg whites are so low in fat with NO sugar that you can eat 5 servings and add veggies to them for a great protein packed meal.

I had no idea that our bodies burn sugar before fat. It makes since because the sugars turn into carbs but I've just never thought of that. Thanks for the tips!

amk44

Experiment with eating less later in the day... I find that when I eat late, it tends to affect my weight. So I tend to eat heavier foods during the day and lighter (a salad of greens and veggies) at night. For me, it makes a difference. My husband noted that I was doing this, so he started eating what we call our "evening salad". He hasn't changed his eating habits much during the day; except that he eats more caloric food earlier, and then the salad at night, and he too has seen that it works for him (and he's discovered that he actually enjoys the salads). I include sweet potatoes, beets, etc in with the romano and spinach. I've even tried some new veggies, like jicama (yummy). He uses a vinaigrette dressing, but I enjoy it without dressing.

Anyway, hope this sparks an idea for you to try. I laughingly said along the way that I was going to try a "different diet plan a week", just to add some excitement to the journey!!! :laugh: I didn't actually do it, but I did explore a couple of diet plans. As I near my goal, I'm exploring maintenance strategies. I find the anti-inflammatory food pyramid quite interesting and hopefully a healthy approach to benefit both my husband (who has diabetes) and myself.

Good luck to you. I had your experience several times along the way, but by sticking to what I knew was right, the weight eventually started coming off again. I've been on a plateau for about two weeks now (the longest that I've been on one), but this morning the scale smiled back at me again...:laugh:

skatjon

try Greek yogart... I add a pack of splenda, cinnamon, and berries.