Asking for help/suggestions

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  • cominupmilhouse
    cominupmilhouse Posts: 257 Member
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    I took a peak at your diary. You may be hitting your calorie goal, but it's with mostly processed/take-out foods, and almost no fruits/vegetables. Your energy levels are probably low because you're not giving yourself proper nutrition. You can eat a lot more quality food throughout the day, instead of one or two really caloric meals and I'm sure you'll start to feel better. The inches/scale will come down eventually.

    I have got to quit giving in when the girls in my office pick up lunch lol. My energy level has been fine since I started eating more calories, it was just low when I was only eating 1200. And i see a trend with the fruits and veggies ao I will pick some up next time I grocery shop.

    Oh man, this!! I hear ya girl, a HUGE part of my initial problem with weight loss was the social aspect. It's crazy how much social life is intertwined with food & beverage. For me what worked was letting my friends know I was cutting back and trying to be healthier, then setting specific goals for myself (eg. Eating out max 2 times/ week, alcohol 1 night/ week, etc..)

    Mini goals are an awesome way to stay on track, they give you a specific proactive change in your routine and if you stick with em, you really can start dropping the pounds! It's baby steps, the smallest change, ie what you put in your coffee, can make a 10-15 lb difference in a year!

    Good luck & definitely get on that fruit and veg!! Also, I'm not so sure dairy is all that awesome for you, I wouldn't force myself to eat it if I didn't like it. Actually, I love cheese but had to cut it out because it's very calorie dense and fatty.

    I have a hard time with dairy. I hate the taste of milk but I love cheese (which is bad because cheese is processed). I like yogurt, but I know like the Yoplait lights and some of the yogurts out there use Aspartame, which I am trying to stay away from. Trying is the key work there lol
  • hockeymomrw
    hockeymomrw Posts: 35 Member
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    Hi! Wow, we have many similarities. I am 5'3" and was at 163 about a month ago. I am now at 155.5. I am doing the 1200 calories per day, but I made some MAJOR changes. Here are some things that may help you, as they have helped me.

    --Minimum of 5 servings of fruits/veggies per day.
    --Minimize the use of processed foods. (This was hard for me. I can easily eat a whole sleeve of girl scout cookies or a full pound bag of chips. ;-| )
    --I got used to drinking Silk Unsweetened Almond Milk. 30 calories for a whole cup, and more calcium than milk! I hate drinking real milk, this is a great sub but you have to get used to it because it tastes different.
    --Skip the takeout and office foods. Today at my office there is a huge plate of cheese and sausage, a large batch of cookies and there is pizza coming for lunch. I was the first in line for many years. I have stopped doing this for a month+ now and am seeing the rewards. Personally, I have to skip it because I cannot seem to have just a little bit.
    --Eat a protein with a fruit or veggie because it keeps you full/satisfied exponentially longer. Like, an apple with some tuna. Some turkey with celery. Or an orange with some lowfat pepperoni. Etc. Sounds strange but it really works. And I really have never liked fruit at all but am starting to crave it.

    I am no expert but all of these things have really helped me. I have tried many different times to lose weight and with the above plus the use of this web site it is finally working. :-) Maybe some of them will help you!!
  • cominupmilhouse
    cominupmilhouse Posts: 257 Member
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    Wowsorry, kinda messed that up and I can't fix it! Stupid iPod won't let me scroll down to the bottom of the message when I wanna quote something!

    But my input is mixed in with the quote box up there if you're interested in my suggestions!

    Good luck
  • BCSMama
    BCSMama Posts: 348
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    BlackKat- Should I set my net for 1700? This may be a stupid question, but all of the calculations has really made my head spin.

    ChangingAmand- My calories burned are mostly MFP, I know that the once calculated for dancing are what the Kincect shows me as calories burned. I would like to get a HRM, but I can't afford any of the expensive ones, and I am not sure how accurate some of the lower quality ones are. Any suggestions? Also I take me measurements once a week, as I sew a little on the side, and it flucuates every week. I'll be down then back up then down again.

    I actually don't think you would eat back exercise calories if you are going by TDEE. The number you got for your TDEE should have exercise built into it, so if you eat TDEE (minus the deficit to loose) plus exercise calories, you are really double dipping, if that makes sense. I am working on maintaining my weight and am slowly adding calories to get up to my estimated TDEE, therefore, I log my exercise as burning 1 calorie so that MFP doesn't add tons of calories to my goal. The alternative would be to recalculate your TDEE as sedentary, set your goal at -10-15% of that and eat back your exercise calories.
  • jessilee119
    jessilee119 Posts: 444 Member
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    I didn't have a chance to look at your diary, and I'm not sure if someone else mentioned this, but when do you eat. I've found that it's not how many calories I eat, but when I eat them. If I consume 1600 calories throughout the day and exercies, I gain weight or stay the same weight. If I consume 1600 calories where I eat most of my calories earlier in the day, have a smaller dinner, and don't eat after 6:30 pm (and exercise), I lose weight. I guess my body can't break down a huge dinner whereas a bigger lunch it has time to digest everything?

    So, maybe you need to also look at when you're eating your calories. Play around with different times and see what works for you. Good luck! :happy:
  • ChangingAmanda
    ChangingAmanda Posts: 486 Member
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    ChangingAmand- My calories burned are mostly MFP, I know that the once calculated for dancing are what the Kincect shows me as calories burned. I would like to get a HRM, but I can't afford any of the expensive ones, and I am not sure how accurate some of the lower quality ones are. Any suggestions? Also I take me measurements once a week, as I sew a little on the side, and it flucuates every week. I'll be down then back up then down again.

    I have a Polar FT4 HRM. I bought it locally for about $100 but have seen it online at amazon.com for $65(ish) and I'm not sure what ebay offers. You'll want a HRM with a chest strap which are more accurate than one where you put your fingers on the watch dial.
  • iAMsmiling
    iAMsmiling Posts: 2,394 Member
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    FWIW... I fail to see how adding fruits and veggies will help with weight loss. Overall health? Sure. But simple weight loss? Someone enlighten me.

    ^^ This

    Also, no matter how hard we try, all our numbers of calories in and calories out are just estimates.

    Weigh your food. Wear a HRM during exercise.
    Adjust food/activity for results.
  • BlackKat75
    BlackKat75 Posts: 210 Member
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    I actually don't think you would eat back exercise calories if you are going by TDEE. The number you got for your TDEE should have exercise built into it, so if you eat TDEE (minus the deficit to loose) plus exercise calories, you are really double dipping, if that makes sense. I am working on maintaining my weight and am slowly adding calories to get up to my estimated TDEE, therefore, I log my exercise as burning 1 calorie so that MFP doesn't add tons of calories to my goal. The alternative would be to recalculate your TDEE as sedentary, set your goal at -10-15% of that and eat back your exercise calories.

    That's true on the straight-up TDEE plan, which IPOARM suggests a setting of activity level above sedentary. What I've found works for me, is to figure out TDEE at a sedentary level, take a cut from that, and then add back in my exercise calories. I'm still eating above BMR, but I have found that, for me personally, adding additional calories from exercise makes me more likely to do it. It was this approach that I was suggesting to the OP, but I didn't explain it clearly at all.
  • staceypunk
    staceypunk Posts: 921 Member
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    I looked at your diary. Kudos for logging well, but I think changing your diet will have the greatest impact. Try to eat your calories more evenly spaced out. Looks like you have many days where there are only a couple of meals. Also, get that heart rate monitor. I have a polar F4 and it was $65 on amazon. Totally worth the investment. Best of luck!
  • mshaw02
    mshaw02 Posts: 4
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    By looking at your food diary for the last week or so there's a lot of high processed foods. Breakfast is a meal you should not skip, by skipping breakfast you are slowing down your metabolism. I'm not an expert at this, but have been very successful with my weight loss journey. I look at my journey as eating healthy, not a diet. Once you go off a diet you gain the weight back.

    Try eating more balanced meals that aren't processed (lower in sodium). I have two websites that are my recipe bibles.. www.skinnytaste.com and www.emilybites.com. These websites provide healthy recipes for a lot of different types of foods and it easy to browse. Also try setting up your Diary to list out Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner and snack. Try to eat smaller meals that are lower in calories and eat more frequently (every 3 hrs or so).
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    By looking at your food diary for the last week or so there's a lot of high processed foods. Breakfast is a meal you should not skip, by skipping breakfast you are slowing down your metabolism. I'm not an expert at this, but have been very successful with my weight loss journey. I look at my journey as eating healthy, not a diet. Once you go off a diet you gain the weight back.

    Try eating more balanced meals that aren't processed (lower in sodium). I have two websites that are my recipe bibles.. www.skinnytaste.com and www.emilybites.com. These websites provide healthy recipes for a lot of different types of foods and it easy to browse. Also try setting up your Diary to list out Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner and snack. Try to eat smaller meals that are lower in calories and eat more frequently (every 3 hrs or so).

    No it doesn't. Your metabolism doesn't slow/stop just because you aren't eating.
  • mshaw02
    mshaw02 Posts: 4
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    By looking at your food diary for the last week or so there's a lot of high processed foods. Breakfast is a meal you should not skip, by skipping breakfast you are slowing down your metabolism. I'm not an expert at this, but have been very successful with my weight loss journey. I look at my journey as eating healthy, not a diet. Once you go off a diet you gain the weight back.

    Try eating more balanced meals that aren't processed (lower in sodium). I have two websites that are my recipe bibles.. www.skinnytaste.com and www.emilybites.com. These websites provide healthy recipes for a lot of different types of foods and it easy to browse. Also try setting up your Diary to list out Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner and snack. Try to eat smaller meals that are lower in calories and eat more frequently (every 3 hrs or so).

    No it doesn't. Your metabolism doesn't slow/stop just because you aren't eating.

    If you regularly skip.. It does.
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/507334-does-skipping-meals-make-you-fat/
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    By looking at your food diary for the last week or so there's a lot of high processed foods. Breakfast is a meal you should not skip, by skipping breakfast you are slowing down your metabolism. I'm not an expert at this, but have been very successful with my weight loss journey. I look at my journey as eating healthy, not a diet. Once you go off a diet you gain the weight back.

    Try eating more balanced meals that aren't processed (lower in sodium). I have two websites that are my recipe bibles.. www.skinnytaste.com and www.emilybites.com. These websites provide healthy recipes for a lot of different types of foods and it easy to browse. Also try setting up your Diary to list out Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner and snack. Try to eat smaller meals that are lower in calories and eat more frequently (every 3 hrs or so).

    No it doesn't. Your metabolism doesn't slow/stop just because you aren't eating.

    If you regularly skip.. It does.
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/507334-does-skipping-meals-make-you-fat/

    False.

    And to the point of the article, as it says, the negative side effects aren't from skipping a meal, they are from binging later on. Skip a meal but maintain good eating habits is fine. Skipping a meal then having 1 of everything from wendy's is bad... but it's not the skipped meal that's bad, it's the one of everything from wendy's that's bad.
  • Slaci_Jo
    Slaci_Jo Posts: 69 Member
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    I haven't really eaten breakfast in 11 years. I stopped eating it in highschool so I could sleep later. And on weekends I usually don't get up before 10 or 11 and by that times its lunch anyway. I work M-F 8-5 and I usually don't even start feeling hungry until around 11. The last few weeks that I have ate breakfast was because I was tying to get in the habit of doing it (with unhealthy foods as you all can see).

    $65 isn't bad, I think I can afford that. But not for another 2 weeks at least. Our extra money this week is going to my husbands hockey gear as he plays for a league and thats going to cost around $400. And our extra money for next week is allocated to my husbands 30th birthday party ($100 for the event space, $100 for drinks/food, $200 for travel expenses, $50 for gifts).

    I think its pretty clear what needs to happen. Cut back on processed foods, eat healthier and keep working out as I have been and patiently wait for results.
  • akelli01
    akelli01 Posts: 32 Member
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    I hate that you're having a rough time! :/ For years I didn't eat breakfast either...then a couple years started eating something, even just a granola bar. And now, I can't go without breakfast! Also, I have noticed a diff in the movement of the scale too when I eat later in the evening (say, anything after 8:00 pm or so). I've found Fiber One or even Fiber Plus bars or Fiber One pop-tarts (if you can get them in your area) are great for breakfast on-the-go. It might be processed, but I'm getting more fiber than I normally would. I really hope you can find what works for you! I know how frustrating it is to go up and down, and see all the hard work you've done "go up in smoke" almost. :/ I have struggled with my weight for years now, since I was in junior high. It sucks, but I know you can do this! :)

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