discouraged

I just looked at your food diary. Here's what I see: McDonalds many times, Taco Bell, Dairy Queen, pizza, Pop Tarts, cookies. . . not a fruit or vegetable in sight. You are over your calories, sometimes by 1000. I might gently suggest that you rethink your food plan.

I just looked at your food diary. Here's what I see: McDonalds many times, Taco Bell, Dairy Queen, pizza, Pop Tarts, cookies. . . not a fruit or vegetable in sight. You are over your calories, sometimes by 1000. I might gently suggest that you rethink your food plan.

I agree with this. I think you need to eat better! If you need any help/tips/ideas message me and I can help you out I'm a culinary science major with a minor in dietetics (2 years of dietetics before changing my major)

You have plenty of time! March is still a very long time away. So with a better diet, being consistent, and lifting you WILL see a big difference!

Hi! I took a look at your diary. I mean this to be helpful not cruel.....

I ate the way you are eating all through my 20's and now I am rediculously overweight. Start eating healthier now or you may waste the next 10 years of your life like I did. I'd give anything to have a time machine and go back to when I was your age and correct my bad habits before they got out of control.

Seriously, you're young and beautiful. Treat your body the way it deserves to be treated. As the ones before me said, eat more fruits and veggies, avoid fast food,/simple sugars, and drink more water. Good luck!

That was quite mature of the OP to accept the advice of her MFP supporters here. Many people ask for advice and then get defensive when they get it. A couple of things to remember. . . weight loss is all about food. It has very little to do with exercise. Exercise is about fitness. And the quality (read: nutritional value) of food matters very much.

Since I have been on MFP and overhauled my eating, 146 days ago, I feel 20 years younger. I am never hungry. Many of the aches and pains I attributed to aging have disappeared. Yup, all that broccoli, asparagus, fresh tomato, apple, hummus, grilled chicken, almonds, the stir fries, baked sweet potato fries. . . it's paying off. . . and it's delicious.

A couple other suggestions.....Start tracking sodium if you are eating out even now and then you'd be surprised how much sodium you're getting this casues excess water retention and can mask some weight loss. Of course you should also curb the fast food some and try to eat more of the good stuff. Another thing that helped me was upping my Protein macro so I concentrate more on lean protein and the sugars and Carbs end up taking a back seat without me feeling like I'm depriving myself.

Also netting 1200 a day is really only healthy for very few people long term. So depending on how much you have to lose you might consider upping your calorie goal little. I say try to keep it near your BMR so your body always has the fuel it needs.

Hey there -- others have mentioned that 1,200 calories a day might be too little and I'd like to echo that. I am a short person so we all though 1,200 was enough for me. Nope - it wasn't enough. Yes, I lost weight, but in the end, it backfired -- I just ate and ate and ate to make up for lack of calories and gained all the weight back.

If your body thinks it's in starvation mode it will not allow you to loose. Eating more (especially eating more nutritiously) may, oddly, help you loose.

Throw out your current goals and start over. You need to step back and start by setting goals that you can achieve. I've been there and was seriously overweight, then started lifting and doing some cardio . . . and then I would reward myself by eating more! It took me a long time to learn that diet is everything. So do this: (1) go back through your food log and add up your calories and divide by the number of days you've recorded. That's your average daily consumption, (2) set a goal that reduced your average calories by a reasonable amount - but don't go overboard for now as you just need to start making real improvements (maybe set your goal at a total of 1500 calories a day okay - is that doable for you right now?), (3) build in your cheat meals but don't give yourself more than 1 a week but enjoy that meal when you have it. Maybe plan it for right after your hardest workout of the week and (4) learn to cook healthy meals that taste good. Number (4) is hard in the beginning but once you get it down you will really enjoy the food. Start by picking up a cookbook or finding a magazine such as Clean Eating. The key is eating clean - fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, good fats, whole grains, and low fat dairy. Don't eat anything out of a box as its rarely food! There are exceptions such as shredded wheat cereal, whole grain dried pastas, etc. but if it has more than a few ingredients stay away. Most food labeled "healthy" is anything but. If you're craving sweets then grab a piece of fruit, if you're really hungry make sure your meal includes protein and some good fats. Things like whole eggs, salmon, avocados and nuts are loaded with fat, and the salmon and eggs have cholesterol, but they are all very healthy and filling. Good luck!