What am I doing wrong?
rock_kowgurl
Posts: 16
I'm getting very frustrated over here. I've been working out steadily, 4-5 times per week, for about 4 weeks. I don't always stay under my calories, however, I've only gone over 1800 a few times in the last 30 days, and most days I'm around 1600. The "experts" say I need 2200 to maintain, as a woman, so I'm way below that 99% of the time. I drink 6-8 or more glasses of water every day. So far I've gained 6 pounds and gained several inches. My clothes do not feel looser and my jiggley bits are still very jiggley.
I feel that this is the exact opposite of what should be happening. Anybody have any ideas on what is going on?
I feel that this is the exact opposite of what should be happening. Anybody have any ideas on what is going on?
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Replies
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What are you eating and what exercises are you doing?0
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What is your height and weight? And who are the "experts" you are referring too?0
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I think sodium is probably a major factor here. If I go that much over my sodium, I weigh more than the next day. Sometimes as much as 8 pounds more. So you could be losing, but the loss is masked by the fluid retention.0
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I would agree. I looked back over a week of your food diary, and your sodium is very high. I would really try to keep that under 2500, lower your fat and sugar and up your protein. On days when you go over your sodium by 3500, you're going to retain. Try adding a few drops of lemon juice to your water as well
Hope it helps!
Don't get discouraged! Good on you for asking/sharing. You can do this!0 -
I'm 5'4", 271.8 pounds. The experts are the people who came up with BMI.
What do I eat? Anything and everything. I used to be a chef, but now I'm a stay at home mom. We try and stay away from processed foods, canned food, boxed food, etc. It's not like I'm living on Hamburger Helper and Lean Cuisines or anything - yuck. I do eat a lot of grilled cheese and tomato soup. Since I've started on this weight loss quest, I have no taste for anything but grilled cheese, even though I'm constantly starving.
Any tips for cutting down sodium? I thought that drinking lots of water was supposed to flush out your system and prevent water retention?0 -
Honestly, your calories might be too high. If you have a large amount of body fat, the calories given by online calculators are estimated too high. Do you know your body fat%? I would try to get that number then use a Katch Mcardle BMR calculator to estimate your BMR.
Another thing to consider is that your portions may be off in your diary. I recommend weighing everything that you cn for a while and see if that hels you any. Even if you are using measuring cups, those measurements are more subjective that the scale.0 -
I think, and this is just my opinion, that you eat too many processed foods. i agree that the sodium content is high but I think all those foods are also too starchy and not so nutritious.
More fresh vegetables, green leafy vegetables, maybe some brown rice, more fruits, more lean meats, lentils and legumes, fresh fish. Something that's more nutritious and fresh. Make a big omelet with vegetables for breakfast. Cut out the salad dressings and stick to healthy oils and vinegar.
It takes a while to figure this out but once you get the hang of it, you're good to go. Keep with the plan and look at some healthy cooking websites for menu ideas.0 -
There's much to consider~
How old you are? Family History? Calories consumed vs. calories burned? Time of day you eat? Can you fill in the blanks?0 -
Yikes, your sodium is through the roof. You'd have to drink far more than 6-8 glasses of water to balance that out. I would suggest eating less processed foods and more whole foods, fruits and vegetables. I know it's frustrating but stick with it!0
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Ditto. I keep my sodium at or below 1000mg a day now. I feel sooo much better! It's a 4-6 lb difference when I go above that.I think sodium is probably a major factor here.
And I keep my fat very low. I am still, however, on a high-fat diet, while eating almost no fat, to force my body to burn the fat I already have. I certainly don't need to add any more to it via my mouth. And it's working very well for me. Good luck to you!0 -
I can help you with the sodium. Back in April, my doctor diagnosed me with high blood pressure, and told me to keep my sodium down. First thing I did was to start tracking my sodium intake (easy to do with MFP). Holy cow! I was taking in up to 9000 mg per day. So I quit adding salt to foods, quit eating fast food, and really started reading food labels. Now it is easy to eat between 1500 and 2000 mg of sodium per day. An interesting side effect, IMHO, is that I rarely have migraine headaches anymore. Hope this helps! If I can do it, you can do it. I was a severe salt-o-holic, and now I don't even miss it. Good luck!!!0
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Drinking lots of water will help cut sodium. Also never add salt to anything, try using different herbs instead. Stay away from anything preserved in brine like olives, pickles and onions, and be catious of any canned foods. Avoid any products that say "lite" "low-fat" "low-calorie" or similar, these often have added sodium or MSG. Switch to a low sodium bread. Learn to read food labels. There average acceptable sodium intake for people aged 9-70 is 1300-1500mg per day, I would aim for half this.0
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You're already half-way there since you know how to cook well. My solution was to cook everything myself because I discovered that EVERYTHING has sodium in it. Everything. I am still learning how to cook vegetables I'd never eaten before, and I invested in lots of good spices and salt-free seasonings. Still lots to learn there, but spices are key to cooking without sodium.Any tips for cutting down sodium?
Your taste buds will eventually adjust, trust me. As a professional chef, you will come up with lots of clever ways to prepare food without salt that I would love to read about from you!
BTW, I no longer take blood pressure medication (in fact, I take NO medications now) so I mean it when I say I feel great without all that sodium I was ingesting.0 -
by doing the math on your macros (assuming theyre all correct)
you actually ate 1859 calories today
most of us are eating more than we think
9 calorie per gram of fat
4 calorie per gram of carbs
4 calorie per gram of protein
4 calorie per gram of sugar0 -
Another thing to consider is that your portions may be off in your diary. I recommend weighing everything that you cn for a while and see if that hels you any. Even if you are using measuring cups, those measurements are more subjective that the scale.
This^. Weigh everything so your diary is accurate. Its very easy to make mistakes with your portions otherwise.0 -
Be really careful with your food measurements. Either that, or maybe you get up in the middle of the night and sleep eat?0
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Honestly, after looking over a few days, I agree that sodium is high, but if that were the only issue, your weight would be going down eventually. I am going to say again that your B pMR estimate is probably too high. Just doing an estimate without body fat, BMR comes up over 300 calories higher than if using weight and body fat % of 50. Once you add in your activity factor, you're talking almost 400 calories different. If your body fat is higher than that, then your numbers are ven more off.
Also going to say again that you should definitely weigh everything you can for a while, and make sure you are using the correct entries. I saw you had Kens ranch a few times. How did you measure your two T? I learned by weighing it, it's not quite as much as I thought, even when I measured with a two T measuring cup. Plus, is that lens ranch, or kens buttermilk ranch? I only use the buttermilk ranch, and, unfortunately, it's 180 calories a serving. Just being a bit off on your measurement, and using the wrong entry could add 100 calories to your day for that one item alone.0 -
Honestly, after looking over a few days, I agree that sodium is high, but if that were the only issue, your weight would be going down eventually. I am going to say again that your B pMR estimate is probably too high. Just doing an estimate without body fat, BMR comes up over 300 calories higher than if using weight and body fat % of 50. Once you add in your activity factor, you're talking almost 400 calories different. If your body fat is higher than that, then your numbers are ven more off.
Also going to say again that you should definitely weigh everything you can for a while, and make sure you are using the correct entries. I saw you had Kens ranch a few times. How did you measure your two T? I learned by weighing it, it's not quite as much as I thought, even when I measured with a two T measuring cup. Plus, is that lens ranch, or kens buttermilk ranch? I only use the buttermilk ranch, and, unfortunately, it's 180 calories a serving. Just being a bit off on your measurement, and using the wrong entry could add 100 calories to your day for that one item alone.
yeah i avoid calorie dense foods for that reason lol even though i have a scale0 -
Looking at your diary, you have a lot of processed food. (mac and cheese, pizza, taco bell, cheese, bagels, soup, mcdonalds, pickles, olives, etc... )
The first thing would be cut the processed items, up the clean, keep carbs 100 or lower, and up the protein.
If you eat 1,000 mg sodium then eat 2,500 mg potassium.
And to add WEIGHT everything and double check the mfp numbers (always go with the highest value if in doubt.) b/c often people put in the wrong info.0 -
I'm 5'4", 271.8 pounds. The experts are the people who came up with BMI.
What do I eat? Anything and everything. I used to be a chef, but now I'm a stay at home mom. We try and stay away from processed foods, canned food, boxed food, etc. It's not like I'm living on Hamburger Helper and Lean Cuisines or anything - yuck. I do eat a lot of grilled cheese and tomato soup. Since I've started on this weight loss quest, I have no taste for anything but grilled cheese, even though I'm constantly starving.
Any tips for cutting down sodium? I thought that drinking lots of water was supposed to flush out your system and prevent water retention?
Chef, you will have to start cooking and stay away from higher sodium choices such as most processed food and cheese. Buy fresh tomatoes or canned no salt varieties and make a delicious homemade tomato soup. You can train your taste buds to eat less sodium. Buy lower sodium swiss cheese for your grilled cheese sandwhiches. If you are reading labels, their is probably sodium in it! To lower my blood pressure without medication. I had to began cooking everything with no salt and only natural sodium food content. I keep my sodium gram 1500 most days (when I cook and don't eat out). Lime (Mrs. Dash) is my best food flavorer. I swear there is salt in there and read the label everyday just to check.0 -
I have to say one thing first: I'm kind of put off by the fact that you guys seem to think I eat a lot of processed foods. I don't. The only processed food I eat on a regular basis is Velveeta, and I only eat 1-2 ounces at a time. Now I feel defensive instead of feeling supported or like I'm getting advice.
Life and food have lost all their joy thanks to this weight loss attempt. I used to be a chef and love food and cooking, now I just want to die instead of diet.
I do measure everything I can, and I use my culinary skills to fill in the blanks. I always over estimate if I do have to guess. I realize that I eat a lot of carbs, but we are poor and can't afford fresh vegetables and meats. We're too rich for food stamps and too poor to buy the right things. I don't eat canned vegetables (except corn occasionally), only frozen or fresh. We have to get a lot of our groceries at the food pantry, and they don't have fresh produce very often.
I'm almost 31. Family history is unknown because I am adopted. The only thing I know is that at the time of my birth, the only overweight biological family member was my maternal grandmother, at 5'2" and 200+ pounds.
I don't eat at any specific times of day, intentionally, but the day usually goes like this:
Wake up 9am
Feed the baby
Gym 10-11
Feed the baby
Eat lunch while baby is sleeping (usually 11:30-12)
Feed the baby & have a snack around 3-4
Baby's dinner at 6
Parents' dinner at 8 (due to FH getting home from work at 7:45)
Most days I don't eat anything until noon.
We rarely eat fast food - less than once a week on average (some weeks we might eat it 2-3 times, but then not have any for a few weeks). I usually try to work out extra if I want fast food.
Just a note, I did eat half a jar of pickles because I was starving and had already gone over my calories. That's why my sodium is so high today. If you go back over the last few days, not just today, you will see that it's not always that high. Maybe that's why you think I eat a lot of processed foods and salad dressing and stuff like that too?
Sometimes, when I make food at work, it's 100% from scratch but I use a product that's already in the database - for example, last Tuesday we made macaroni & cheese for 500 people. I knew exactly what and how much the ingredients were, but I wasn't 100% on the serving size or how many servings the recipe actually made. Instead of trying to figure that out, I put in that I had Stouffer's macaroni & cheese. I find myself in that situation quite a bit. Local restaurants don't always have their nutrition info, so when I get a sub from my friend's place I put in the Subway equivalent. I guess that would be another reason why people are saying I eat a lot of processed foods.
I know you probably think I'm making excuses, but I'm just trying to make sure you all get the real picture short of moving into my house with me.
Here's my info from fat2fit.com
Entered information: 30 year old female, 62 inches tall, weighing 272 pounds.
From the information that you entered, you'd like to weigh 200 lbs.
Your current BMR is 1989 calories.
Daily Calories to Lose Weight
Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) - 2010
Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) - 2303
Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) - 2596
Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk) - 2889
Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.) - 3183
Entered information: 30 year old female, 62 inches tall, weighing 272 pounds.
Your BMI is: 49.7
This puts you in the Morbidly Obese category.0 -
I'd put the recipes in MFP and divide the total portions by the amount you eat to get the number of servings. The way you enter them now, they could be significantly off. You have a benefit most of us who eat at restaurants don't have. You know how much of each ingredient goes into the dishes. If the rest of us can't get info from the restaurant, we just have to guess. When I order food without cheese or mayo or dressing, I often have no clue how much is typically used.0
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just a tip for you since you cook -
you can add your own recipes in and it will tell you the caloric amount etc, even when making things from scratch
click "food" then click "recipes" enter all of the things you used to make it and voila!0 -
As far as "feeling jiggle", this could be a very good thing. I know when I started losing weight from my belly, the fat sort of "broke up", and before it started visibly reducing, it just got sort of Jell-Oesq and flabbier and grosser than before. I was super frustrated and grossed out. But I kept up with it and then it went away. I guess when you have a lot of fat to lose, the fat cells begin to shrink in random spots, making the trouble area looser and more jiggly, and THEN it starts to reduce.
Don't give up, keep eating at a deficit, stay with your exercise and pound water all day long. You'll get there if you're patient and stick with it.0 -
I don't think the processed food is a problem, I think the having to estimate is. The other day you had three slices cicis cheese pizza for only450 calories total. Was that one of your pick a substitute entries, or is that what you really had? If you used that as a sub, you were probably way under on your calories. A cheese slice from just a small pizza will run about 250 for at least 750 for three, not 450. As for the measuring, if you can't weigh, then don't measure level for dressings and such...I've found that if it's a tablespoon, it's just under the rim of the spoon, not level with the top. Again, I also recommend making sure you are using the right entries...did you have kens ranch, or kens buttermilk ranch? Did you have cicis pizza or restaurant pizza? As for what you make, enter it in the recipe builder and try your hardest to figure out your portion size.
Your BMR calcs are probably off, because it doesn't account for lbm or body fat. Google military body fat calculator or just body fat calculator, find your average body fat percent, and use that to find your BMR. I keep saying yourbmr is probably too high because we are very close in weight, but I'm 6 inches taller with a good deal of lbm, and if you had my body fat %, your BMR would still be lower than what you have now.
Finally, you say you don't have the money for veggies, but you also mention going to a lot of local restaurants. Those two things don't really go together for me. My DH isnt working currently, and we manage to have fresh, healthy stuff for us and two kids. We only eat out twice a month, and this past weekend our eating out was a local pizza place. You should be enjoying your food...I know I do. In the past week, I've had bacon and Gouda stuffed pork chops with a ranch blt salad, awesome roasted veggie pizza (3 slices), scratch made gumbo with sausage, shrimp, and chicken, a huge Caesar salad with full fat creamy dressing and grilled chicken, and dessert almost every night. I'm loving my food choices...tonight I had scratch made chocolate chip cookies, not lightened up in any way, and they were amazing, and cheaper than a McDonalds run. If you love to cook, you should be able to find a way to make the foods you love, even on a budget.
Edited to add that a sub from a local place is probably going to quite different from subway...subway is skimpy...the cheese there is only 40 calories a ix inch...most real cheese slices are at least twice that, plus most local places are more generous with the meats and toppings, etc. Also wanted to add that while I've been enjoying my delicious foods, I've averaged pretty much 1 lb a week this year, and that includes the lost three months where I maintained because I wasn't tracking- my actual rate of loss counting only when I logged regularly is closer to 2 lbs a week than 1.0 -
Do you have any kind of yard/balcony? If so try growing your own vegetables, it's something you can get the kids involved in and you can grow what you want to eat. Or look online to see if your community has a community garden. I hear so many people saying they cannot afford fruit and vegetables or don't have the time to grow their own, but with a bit a creativity, I've found it cheaper to buy produce. Cook soups/casseroles/stews with cheaper meat and lots of vegetables and freeze them, that way when you are rushed for time you can take a portion out of the freezer and zap it in the microwave. Also bulk up leftovers with rice, beans or potato. Buy these items in bulk and you will have enough for months.0
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looking at your food record you are eating a lot of processed foods with a high salt content Try to limit your processed foods, way too much sodium and other preservatives. Work with a 80/20 diet 80 percent of your food should be as close to fresh and natural as possible. As well until you drop to where you want to be fixate and be ruled by your base caloric intake,0
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you said you eat fast food ONLY once a week, sometimes 2-3 times a week... just in my experience, If I cheat on my diet, even once in a week, i usually will have no weight loss for the entire week, thats why i only allow myself to cheat only once every 2-3 weeks, as a "reward" for myself... something to look forward to. i think even ONCE a week fast food is adding to your problem, along with high sodium and lack of fresh foods... just my opinion tho... good luck!0
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I'm not sure how I can say this gently since you're already feeling defensive, but I've looked at your diary over the last week or so. There's an awful lot of processed foods with enormous amounts of sodium, almost every day -- McDonald's, Taco Bell, Mrs. T's pierogies. Campbell's soup, pepperoni, etc., etc. Ah, and the pickles. Wow on the sodium there. Listen - I like all kinds of food, including fast food, as much as the next gal. But it's an occasional treat. If you cut back on the sodium and kept hydrating as you're doing, you would probably release quite a bit of water weight.
Sorry, love. I don't think the majority of the posters have been unkind. They're just offering advice to help support you.0
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