I need help! Please! What am I doing wrong?

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Replies

  • emphoto2003
    emphoto2003 Posts: 37 Member
    Thank you all for the helpful tips! I really appreciate it. I agree I am not eating enough healthy foods. I am going to try much harder in that regard. I will say I have totally given up Cokes, which I used to drink about 5/day. I have been drinking a ton of water but I forget to add it to the diary. (how much should I be drinking anyway?). I like the suggestion of getting a HRM. Going to do that today before my workout.

    I really appreciate the encouragement. I have been way overweight for 10 years and I'm finally ready to change my life. I have been very determined all summer and while I am not perfect at this, I know it's a step in the right direction. I'm not going to give up. I just have to find the secret formula for me and what works. I will take all of your suggestions into consideration. Thanks again!
  • Anastasiasosa
    Anastasiasosa Posts: 36 Member
    I noticed that eating out has a lot of extra fat grams. You can't lose weight if you go over your fat for the day.
  • You don't seem to be drinking enough water? If you start exercise your body is likely to retain water, Untill
    Your muscle are used to working out! When you consider how much of the body is made up of water
    You need to drink this stuff, if your properly hydrated you can work out more effectively
    And your body won't retain it! Also you cant skip breakfast it boost your metabolism after sleep!
    Eat breakfast like a king, lunch of a queen and dinner like a pauper! Stick with it, you have lost and ur body my
    Just be adjusting, as frustrating as this is, by eating healthy you will get threw this! For me I was
    So impatient I thought the weight would drop
    Off, despite the 20 off years it took me to gain it, when I stopped stressing and reliased weightloss was a marathon not a sprint
    I relaxed and enjoyed it, I am not dieting just choosing to eat better meal by
    Meal and day by day, I also choose to have a "binge" once a month, it's not that I have fallen off the diet but made the choice!
    Good luck you will get there
  • themrsbriggs
    themrsbriggs Posts: 151 Member
    I know EXACTLY how you feel! Just keep pushing :)
  • Hey girl, Several thing could be going on. First, our bodies are amazing in its ability to adapt. You may need to change up your exercise. 2 months doing the same class for the same 20 -30 min, you'll hit a plateau. Your body may need a shock to the system. Instead try zumba or perhaps a recumbent bike, walking. Just whatever you enjoy that is different from what you are now doing. Also maybe try doing 45 minutes or two 20 min. sessions. Basically just shake things up. 1800 is fine but keep in mind skipping meals causes your body to store fat. Small meals throughout the day are best . Another tip I give my clients is to put lots of raw food into your diet. Our bodies have to work harder to break down those foods. I like to put flax seeds in my yogurt or oatmeal in the mornings. Nuts, fruit, raw veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers etc..) The goal wouldn't be to only eat those thongs but to pair your foods with something your body must break down at every meal. I have been a trainer for 8 years, and trust me there are so many people who have the same problem. The main reasons people quit trying is- no results, lack of motivation, and time. Don't be discouraged this is a normal hiccup on your road to good health. Be proud of yourself. 13 pounds is an awesome accomplishment. Switch up that exercise routine and enjoy getting off the next 13:) Good Luck.
  • jms3533
    jms3533 Posts: 316 Member
    You might want to add the sodium column to your diary. It appears that you are eating a lot of food that is packed with sodium, which will wreak havoc on weight loss. The recommended daily allotment of sodium is 2500 mg. I suggest you add the sodium column so you can see how much you are actually taking in.
  • jwk979
    jwk979 Posts: 3 Member
    I'm not going to get on here and harp on you about the type of foods you eat because personally I have lost 75 pounds ( a lot before MFP) and have eaten pretty much anything I wanted. I will say that I have done aerobics and ran for years at different weights and 500 calories for 20-30 minutes of aerobics is WAY overestimating what you are burning. I would bet you are burning closer to 200. (I am also a group fitness instructor and know how many calories people burn in my classes.) If at all possible get you a HR monitor ASAP...good luck and keep trucking along..you CAN do this!
  • happyfeetrebel1
    happyfeetrebel1 Posts: 1,005 Member
    I noticed that eating out has a lot of extra fat grams. You can't lose weight if you go over your fat for the day.

    completely untrue :(
  • I'm not going to get on here and harp on you about the type of foods you eat because personally I have lost 75 pounds ( a lot before MFP) and have eaten pretty much anything I wanted. I will say that I have done aerobics and ran for years at different weights and 500 calories for 20-30 minutes of aerobics is WAY overestimating what you are burning. I would bet you are burning closer to 200. (I am also a group fitness instructor and know how many calories people burn in my classes.) If at all possible get you a HR monitor ASAP...good luck and keep trucking along..you CAN do this!

    This ^^^, and meanwhile, eat less, work more.
  • paralegalnc
    paralegalnc Posts: 43 Member
    I wanted to send you a personal message because I had some of the same issues... busy life style... eating out was a biggie. HUGE. It was so much easier. But I learned to make better choices. But the biggest thing... at our age (I'm 43) HORMONES and insulin levels. Alot of people here have alot of opinions...eat this...eat that... watch carbs...watch sodium (well you do have to do that) but to get a good grounding of what you need.... make an appt with your doctor... get a fasting blood sugar... mine was 108 ...not BAD... but my body wasn't using the insulin I was making...thereby making more..cuz it wasnt getting enough... and then since it wasn't using it, it was storing it...as fat...around my middle. It's called insulin resistent and alot of women suffer from it... amazingly...doc put me on high protein diet... 120 grams per day. I drink 2 liters of water per day... no fruit unless I have to have it. stress was a biggie too. I had to meet with a nutritionist to help set up a program that worked for ME. in fact my nutritionist is on my friends list. I was serious about losing weight and I got professional help. My doctor knew what was best for me. and frankly its working. one little blood test... fixed literally years of doing what you're doing now.
  • Polly758
    Polly758 Posts: 623 Member
    As others have said, you could try eating better. All the fast food and takeout is high in sodium which may be causing a problem.

    However I think you may be eating too litte-- try this reading
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

    If you go on a daily 30 minute walk, Scooby's calorie calculator says you need 2282 calories a day in order to lose weight (and 2853 to stay at your current weight). Maybe it sounds high, but 2282 calories/day will supposedly lose you 60 pounds in a year at that rate (it will shift as you lose weight, recalculate every 10 lbs or so.)

    The calorie counter is here
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    Good luck...
  • kiachu
    kiachu Posts: 409 Member
    Work out your BMR eat less than that, you will lose weight

    Do not do this.
  • Sageyoku
    Sageyoku Posts: 77 Member
    Though I'm no expert, I think the people who are saying 'eat healthier/whole foods' are probably correct.

    If I may make one suggestion though, it would be to make changes GRADUALLY.
    There's no need to immediately cut the foods you're used to eating. If the goal is to lower fat or sodium, see if you can do it over the course of several months. That way, your body will have time to adjust and your cravings will have less power over your decisions.

    I have no health background...just my 0.02 cents.
  • tvanhooser
    tvanhooser Posts: 326 Member
    So if my calorie goal is to eat 1800 and I burn 500 with exercise that give me a net of 1300. Do I need to make my NET 1800 or just my food? I am so confused. Sorry, I'm such a noob, but I'm trying really hard. I am trying to not get discouraged. It is especially frustrating when my friend is eating everything in sight and losing 2-4 lbs per week! Haha!

    Well if your calorie alottment BEFORE exercise is 1800 and then you exercise a 500 cal burn and you eat them back, you are actually taking in 2300 cals a day minus the 500 cal = 1800 net. As opposed to if your gross intake is 1800 minus 500 exercise cals = 1300 net unless you eat them back which puts you back at 1800 net. Everyone's body responds differently and with exercise I usually get an allowance for 1600 to 1800 cals (sometimes more on a heavy exercise day). I never eat them all back and I feel fine no matter who says I shouldn't do that and according to my measurements today I've lost quite a few inches in several places in addition to pounds. I find that if I eat much more than 1400 calories or so, even if the calculator says I can, I stop losing and sometimes even gain a pound or two back. That's just how my body works. I don't claim to be an expert, but I just experimented until I found the level that works with my particular metabolism and body factors without causing undue hunger, sickness, dizziness, fatigue, etc. I would recommend that you do the same and eat at a certain level for a week or so and see what happens. If it works, stick with it. If it doesn't tweak something else and try again. I got off my latest plateau for instance by cutting my sodium allowance to 1500 (per Mayo Clinic recommendations) instead of the 2500 that MFP allows and eliminating added salt to most recipes (except baking), using unsalted butter and choosing low sodium ingredients when I go shopping whenever available. So I hope that helps and gives you some ideas of what to try next.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,571 Member
    Since it seems like you haven't been following MFP's guidelines for very long, the logical place to start would be to do that. So, eat your 1800. Then eat some or all of your exercise calories. A lot of people find the exercise calorie estimates to be high and will eat only 50-75% of their cals back, while others find it works to eat 100%. You should be eating at least some of them back. I would say 500 for only 20-30 minutes of aerobics seems high, but at your current weight it could be fairly accurate. I would personally probably eat around 300 of those. Try that for four weeks to get an accurate gauge of whether it's working. One or two weeks is not enough time to measure how a change is working.

    I know this sounds basic, but I agree that FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS really helps.

    When they give you 1800 calories, that means you should net 1800 calories.

    You can think about that two ways: what you eat minus your exercise calories should be 1800. OR, be lazy and skip the math. It automatically adds your exercise calories to your allotted calories and that's how many calories you should eat for the day.

    That's how the site is set up. As a baseline, on average, it works well.

    You should also look at where your calories are coming from and eat as healthy as possible. That means good healthy, nutritious choices so you get your nutrition with those calories.

    I also, as someone older than you, also find lowering my carbs A LITTLE (I try for 40% but always achieve under 50%) really helps me a lot. It also makes it way easier to keep my calories low because things with lots of simple carbs (sugar, white flour, bread, pasta, cookies) also have a ton of calories. Dropping my carbs a little makes it easier to stay under my calories and also seems to help me avoid insulin spikes, which aren't great for you long term. If your older or have been overweight for a while, that is particularly important.

    IF THAT DOESN'T WORK FOR A MONTH then I would think about changing your calories.

    Personally, I find it more accurate to list myself as sedentary and log all my exercise than to guess my exercise level and then not make it.
  • ppatick
    ppatick Posts: 13 Member
    I am new here, but have tried every diet, exercise, whatever program over a few decades.

    I looked at a few days of your diary and wow, you are eating the wrong foods. You won't lose weight with fast food, fried food, even if it adds up to 1800 calories. You need healthy, fresh, and..uh oh she's going there..home cooked food.

    Now it gets worse: this is the most success I have had with an eating regimen, 3 months ago I went totally vegan. No animal products whatsoever, no eggs, dairy, meat, fish, chicken. Tried it just as a 3 month experiment, 20 lbs later, I won't go back.

    My nutritionist helped me set the goals as 140 carbs/day, 50 grams protein (non-animal), 57 grams of fat (6 of those saturated).
    1400 calories. 1.5 lbs a week lost with light exercise.
  • emphoto2003
    emphoto2003 Posts: 37 Member
    Got the HRM..Just have to figure out how to work the thing now. How accurate are these things anyway?
  • marti37
    marti37 Posts: 5
    is it possible you take snacks with instead of eating out? one thing I know that has helped me is that I carry my snacks and breakfast ( usually a cheese stick, a yogurt, a banana etc. something easy to throw in my bag). I find i don't feel the desire to eat out this way. Number one rule when eating out automatically put half the plate in a to go box. Number 2 all dressing, mayonaise etc. on the side. this has helped me I hope it works for you. PS I work crazy hours and sometimes must eat out.
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
    Work out your BMR eat less than that, you will lose weight

    Actually, you should NEVER eat less than your BMR. That's the number your body needs to survive. Eating less than your BMR will result in nutritional deficits. You lose weight by eating at least your BMR but below your total calorie expenditure (TDEE).
  • emphoto2003
    emphoto2003 Posts: 37 Member
    Sometimes I have to eat out for my job and stuff. I'm an actress and usually can't eat until after a show, which can cause a problem since I have to eat late. This can many times invovle eating out with cast/crew. I try to make good choices when I eat out but that's not always possible. I am also a teacher and have had a crazy schedule so my eating patterns are so screwed up. That's why I skip breakfast sometimes. My goal, though, is to eat something every morning before class so I am not starved by lunch. I've got a lot to change.

    So I have a new question...this HRM is showing I am burning WAY fewer calories doing aerobic step than ALL of the online calculators and MFP. How accurate are these things for showing calories burned because that can make a huge difference on what I do and don't do as far as eating is concerned.