4 WEEKS DIETING AND HAVEN'T LOST 1 POUND !!!

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  • mikeyrs
    mikeyrs Posts: 176 Member
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    Your menu needs a bit of a makeover. Your diet includes too much Sodium which results in water retention. Eat two apples and one grapefruit for snacks each day. That will add fiber and also jump start your metabolism to burn fat. Eat fresh Parsley with your proteins (chicken, salmon, lean beef, etc.) and / or add Dandelion leaves to a fresh salad everyday. The fresh Parsley and Dandelion leaves are a natural diuretic that will optimize your Sodium balance and reduce water retention. Bump yourself up to 1550 calories a day dietary intake and eliminate bread, pasta, potatoes, and bakery goods from your diet. Fiber One and similar granola bars are junk food containing high fructose corn syrup - don't touch them or you'll crave sweets and eventually crash!
  • aeg176
    aeg176 Posts: 171 Member
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    BUMP FOR LATER
  • stonel94
    stonel94 Posts: 550 Member
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    you aren't eating enough, check your BMR and don't eat below that
  • SkimFlatWhite68
    SkimFlatWhite68 Posts: 1,254 Member
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    Try reading these:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12 (already mentioned above)

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf -

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ - good one for working out your TDEE.

    Good luck!
  • Jonesie1984
    Jonesie1984 Posts: 612 Member
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    Your diary gives me the sadz.

    ^^ This
  • portergolf
    portergolf Posts: 40
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    She wants to lose 20lb in 2 months... :noway:

    Case closed.

    Whats wrong with that? That is not unrealistic for anyone who wants to put in the hard work.

    On 11/26/12 I was 224.8 this morning I was 188. That is about 36lbs in 11 weeks. I'll admit I am very committed to eating very clean and working out just about 7 days a week. I have missed the gym 3 days since 11/26. I have also had quite a few days where I have gone twice.

    I have a plan and I am sticking to it and it requires a lot of hard work, planning/preparation, dedication and no excuses. I have a busy work schedule and a family with very young kids and I will be honest it is hard some days but it is doable. I made my health a priority and I want to look good. I wake up at 5:00am eat breakfast kid the kids ready and in the car, I get to the gym by 6:30am and my day is off and running. I am home for dinner with my family and have a pretty normal life I just go to the gym instead of watching TV in the morning. I eat 6 times a day and I have every meal planned if not already prepared for the next day before I get in bed. If she wants to and puts her mind to it there is no reason she can't.
  • swilson133
    swilson133 Posts: 7
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    I feel your pain! Over five weeks for me. I lost two pounds each of the first two weeks then gained all four back and the scale has not moved since. I'm 5'4" and weight 148. Trying to get to about 130. Eating 1200 calories and still not sure what to do about eating or not eating the extra calories when I exercise. I generally workout 3-4 times a week. I am trying not to give up, but I have to say that it's getting pretty frustrating not seeing that scale move week after week. I did finally do my measurements last week in hopes that maybe they will go down. Would also welcome any advice from anyone who wishes to look at my food diary.
  • portergolf
    portergolf Posts: 40
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    I am a single mom of two and a full time student as well. I completely understand about being extremely busy and then either "forgetting" to eat or going so long without eating that you just shove whatever is handy into your mouth! The thing that has helped me the most is PLANNING AHEAD! Weekly, usually on Saturdays, I sit down and figure out our dinner meal plan for the week. I even write it down on a whiteboard we have in the kitchen so everyone knows what we're having in advance. On Sundays I do all my grocery shopping for the entire week, that ensures that I have all of the ingredients I will need for the dinners I have planned. Now, I'm not saying that I stick to that plan 100% of the time but it really does help and I find that it is less chaotic around our house at dinner time. As far as lunches go for me, it's the same thing. Plan, plan, plan. I have to get my lunch together the night before otherwise it's too chaotic around here in the mornings and I don't take anything for lunch. That usually means I end up grabbing something on the go that probably isn't the best choice. I hope that this helps a little. I can't stress enough how important it is to plan ahead! Best of luck!

    Great advice! Listen to her she knows what she is talking about!

    Fail to plan = Plan to fail
  • kdragonrose21
    kdragonrose21 Posts: 1 Member
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    Have you had a body composition done? It's where you hold onto this little machine and it measures how much of your body is fat and how much is muscle. You could be buring fat and building muscle which won't necessairly show any changes on the scale. A healthy woman should be 25% body fat at the most. Are you exercising as well as dieting? Are you drinking enough water? If you go below 1,200 calories a day, your body will go into "starvation mode" and what you do eat will be stored as fat.
  • Ruebia
    Ruebia Posts: 7 Member
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    definitely not eating enough....you've got too many calories left over at the end of the day and that's not good...the key to losing weight is eating...sounds crazy huh?....it's true though....my husband and i started this seriously on jan. 2 and to date he's lost 21 pounds and i've lost 12 (he's a lot heavier than i)....we haven't been getting much exercise but we're watching everything we eat like a hawk....we thought it would be a good idea to work on the nutrition part first and save up to join a gym which, i believe, we're doing this weekend....if you'd like to look at some of the stuff we've been eating add me as a friend and check out my diary....we are hardly starving ourselves and we do a cheat day one day a week (usually sunday)....there may be a few missing entries but for the most part everything is as accurate as i can get it to be....hope this helps....
  • AnnaMarieDinVa
    AnnaMarieDinVa Posts: 162 Member
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    You sound like a smart and committed person, and I see you've received some good advice on this thread. I just wanted to wish you lots of luck. Especially with your busy life, you may find the changes overwhelming at first, but just stick with it and it will become easy in no time at all. :smile:
  • Mrsmorman
    Mrsmorman Posts: 29 Member
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    Yep, that's it. You are not eatting nearly enough and your body is holding on to the weight it has to keep from going into starvation mode. You also need to vary what you eat , more fruits, veggies, eat protein. Focusing on eatting real meals and snacks in between . Also make sure to drink plenty of water. When exercising, eat those calories back. Everyone is telling you the same thing because that is the problem so go ahead and try it and you should start losing. Good Luck.
  • ArturoGomezTagle
    ArturoGomezTagle Posts: 1
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    Don't consume calories and fail to report them. Are you currently drinking alcohol and not reporting it? If you consume less calories your body will burn the excess. It's biology. It can't falter. Starving yourself, regardless of what all of these "Doctors" and "Experts" say will make you lose weight. There must be a disconnect with your diary and reality.
  • mrsjones81
    mrsjones81 Posts: 3 Member
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    Eat lots of negative calorie foods. You can google a list of them. Your body burns more digesting them than than they contain. Also If you're not a breakfast person like me try Carnation Breakfast shake. It's low calorie and has lots of vitamins and minerals. I have found that pre-boxed diet foods leave me feeling unsatisfied but a huge fresh salad with a little cheese and some protein fills me up for a long time. Try mustard or salsa instead of dressing. I also see no exercise. That's super important.
  • hiyomi
    hiyomi Posts: 906 Member
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    Not eating anything does not mean a diet. You need to do it healthier. Up your calorie intake and exercise. :)
  • wease1204
    wease1204 Posts: 31 Member
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    I haven't read all the replies but my number one concern is that you are not eating enough. And I bet you are also not spacing your meals out to keep your metabolism in the fat burning zone. My recommendation for you is to:

    1. Make sure you eat a good breakfast of whole grains and protein
    2. Healthy snacks of fruit, nuts, cottage cheese, etc.
    3. Good lunch with protein AND carbs (your body can't function without carbs!)
    4. Dinner should be small with another healthy proportion of protein and carbs - a good example is 100g lean chicken, fish or meat of your choice, 1/4 plate of pasta or rice or sweet potatoes etc and 1/4 plate of salad/veggies.
    5. Keep an eye on your macros, keep that in mind to help you decide which food will be best to reach your goals. i.e. too low on carbs, think of a carb rich low fat product (like brown rice!) and eat a portion of that; too low on protein? Cottage cheese is a great idea as is nuts etc.

    You should be aiming for a minimum caloric intake of your BMR. Going below that and your body has trouble functioning and it goes into starvation mode - as such you wont lose anything! Have you ever heard the saying "Eat to lose weight"? you must EAT to keep your metabolism burning.

    MFP is an education tool - it helps you learn what you can and can't eat to lose weight and helps you make the right choices based on this new knowledge! I really hope you take into consideration everyones comments - and please remember - this is a way of life NOT a diet. When you finally reach your weightloss goal, how do you expect to maintain? I have made this mistake the first time in 2010/2011- I lost 22kg in 10 months and then put 10 back on after reaching my goal because I was afraid of carbs. I have since grown wiser and realised that you need carbs to survive and it needs to be about 50% of what you eat. Keep this in mind and you will be successful in your goals and your maintenance!

    Good luck and please feel free to add me for help and examples :-)
  • fatoadsgranny
    fatoadsgranny Posts: 3
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    look at your caloric intake and your age. For me (I'm 50) my intake should be 1200 cals a day. I'm finding it hard to consume that much food. Today's intake was 880 cals with 40 from fat. Look at the types of foods you are eating. Make sure that they are high protein, low carb, low fat. If you need to increase your calories, try a protein shake - one with low carbs and no refined sugar. Everything I have read suggests Stevia or another natural sweetner. I've tried several and so far my personal favorite is Jay Robb. It's really expensive, but it doesn't have the gritty taste and it dissolves nicely unlike many other powders. My dad uses it to increase his caloric and protein intake (he has MS and is trying to avoid being put on a feeding tube. An yw'ay, it's non-lactose (a bonus for me too). The hardest thing for me is giving up the refined sugar and flour. But, I have managed....Ezekiel bread instead of homemade white bread (I still make that for my family) pureed almonds (no oils) instead of peanut butter, avocado instead of mayo, and no fruit. Bananas are carb-filled enemies. Potatoes are death, too. Make omlets with only egg whites and then add things like spinach, onion, and lots of seasonings. Biggest thing...water. Drink lots of water (or plain tea). My new "sweet treat" is Good Earth's Sweet and Spicy". It kills the sweet tooth cravings for me.

    So far, I've lost 4 lbs of the 25 I need to loose. It's not an easy road. Make sure that you get plenty of exercise even if it's just walking 2 miles a day. And most of all....keep going! It's better to loose slow and easy than to see a big sudden weight loss. Remember, if you're "over-weight" like I am (yep! I had a grandbaby 5 years ago and I ate through our daughter's pregnancy) you don't want to loose weight fast, because there is no where for your extra skin to go. And most of all....DON'T GIVE UP!! We're all in this together. :-)
  • Nikky43
    Nikky43 Posts: 34 Member
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    This was such sound advice! Im so glad you shared this!
    Rather than just tell you that you aren’t eating enough I am going to offer you some advice and you can choose to use it or not but I felt it would be helpful. I think you can easily reach your goal of 145 by April 15th if you can do what I suggest or even use it and modify it you fit you.

    Your metabolism is probably in the dumps from your low caloric intake. The only way to get it up is increase your caloric intake with complex carbohydrates, lean proteins and healthy fats.

    Are you exercising at all? If not that could also provide a metabolic boost especially if you incorporate some type of weight training whether it be free weights or machines. If you don't have access to it I would recommend doing body resistance stuff at home. You would be surprises how 20-30 minutes a day of push-ups, lunges, squats, sit-ups will do for you.

    Try and focus on complex carbohydrates, lean proteins and healthy fats. It’s better to have eggs (or egg whites) and oatmeal for breakfast at around 300 cals rather than an instant "breakfast" bar, which in reality is basically a candy bar.

    I would recommend this:

    Breakfast: (250-300 Cals)
    3-Egg whites (cooked with non-stick spray, not butter)
    1-whole egg
    1/2 cup oatmeal( or a whole pack of instant oatmeal if you need convenience)
    --- You could use liquid eggs for convenience, I do

    Morning snack: (160 - 200 cals)
    Piece of Fruit
    1/2 serving of almonds

    Lunch: 300-450 Cals
    4-6oz Lean meat (chicken breast/lean beef/Fish/Shrimp)
    1/2 Sweet potato
    1-.5cups or 1 serving of Broccoli/green beans/ asparagus/ cauliflower

    Or Grilled Chicken Salad with low calorie dressing and be very cautious of the amounts of the extras on the salad (croutons/cheese/bacon, etc) they add up very fast

    Afternoon snack: (~200 cals)
    Greek Yogurt or
    1/2 serving of almonds or mozzarella Cheese stick

    Dinner: 300-500 Cals
    5-8oz Lean meat (chicken breast/lean beef/Fish/Shrimp)
    1/2 cup cooked brown rice or sweet potato
    1-.5cups or 1 serving of Broccoli/green beans/ asparagus/ cauliflower

    PM Snack Ideas: (100-200)
    Sugar Free Fudgesicles
    Light Microwave Popcorn
    Piece of fruit

    On the low end it would be 1,300 Cals and on the high end it would be 1,750 and that would assume you at every meal at max Cals.

    I promise you if you eat this way consistently you will lose weight faster than you have ever lost weight in your life. It will only magnify if you can find a way to consistently incorporate exercise. Even if you can only fit in 3 days a week of 30 minutes. All I can say is we need to get out and move. No matter what type of exercise you choose we need to do some.

    There are only two certainties I can guarantee.
    It will happen if you do it
    It won't happen if you don't

    I will say this I am not offering a short cut. If you are looking for easy and a silver bullet that is not what I offered. What I offer is sound advice that takes hard work, planning/preparation and dedication.
    You have to remember if it was easy we would all be walking around with 6-packs.
    Best of luck.

    If this was helpful to you and you have any further questions let me know.
  • denise032
    denise032 Posts: 108 Member
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    Move more! Exercise at least 30 min a day w/ 1-2 rest day(s)/week. Preferably do a mix of cardio/strength and at the same time and aim for 85% max HR = (220-AGE) * 0.85. Aim to burn 200-300 calories in a 30 min session (or more if you're more fit and able to workout longer)

    Eat b/t 1200-1400 calories / day and as cleanly as possible. Aim for 40% (~140g) net carbs (subtract fiber from total carbs), 30% (~105g) protein, 30% (~47g) fat.

    Drink 64-80oz water a day (and nothing else except 1 cup tea/coffee)
  • pearljam1997
    pearljam1997 Posts: 13 Member
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    Most posters have covered everything already but I just wanted to chime in about planning meals. I just started back on here again recently and I have a really hard time with meals but someone introduced me to this site and its awesome. The food is amazing and covers what you'll need in a meal. Its also low calorie and most of these meals are already in the database here. So definitely check it out. Hope it helps

    http://skinnyms.com/recipes-menu/

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