What am I doing wrong?

sam2054
sam2054 Posts: 2
in Food and Nutrition
I am just now, at the age of 32, learning how to eat. I have about 70 lbs to lose to be in the middle of a healthy range, but I have only lost 1 pound in the last 5 weeks, and I am getting discouraged. I am eating 1200-1350 calories a day. (I have been going back and forth, trying different caloric intakes to see which works best.) I walk (3.5 mph) 4-5 times a week for 45 minutes. I just started juicing fruits and veggies (as a snack) to get more vitamins. I know I do not drink enough water (only 20-50 oz/day), and I'm focusing on that now.
My goal is to lose 1 pound a week. I don't understand how I'm not doing that now. I know I do not eat perfect (I indulge in a donut or some fried food every once in a while), but I'm a work in progress. And I'd like to progress! :)
Would someone who knows about nutrition please take a look at my food diary and give me some advice? (I'll keep it open for a couple weeks.)
Thank you so much for your help.

Replies

  • bostonwolf
    bostonwolf Posts: 3,038 Member
    1. You cannot focus entirely on the scale. You need to take body measurements. Every other week I measure both arms across the bicep, waist at the belly button, hips, and both thighs. Sometimes you will see no movement on the scale and drastic movement on the measurements. This means you are burning fat and adding muscle. This is a good thing.

    2. I'm also going to guess you are eating too little. Are you eating back your exercise calories at least in part? I'd suggest finding a website to calculate your Base Metabolic Rate to see what you should be eating and get closer to that number.

    3. You don't drink enough water. I try to 2 liters of pure water a day minimum.

    4. I am on Tim Ferriss' Slow Carb diet. Similar to Primal but with one cheat day and beans allowed. I'd suggest looking into it. IMO you are vastly overconsuming carbs. Take a look at my diary (friend me first) for a comparison. You can change your macros to whatever your goals are. I eat about 2000-2500 calories a day and target my carbs at 100g, but am usually about 120-150g. Which I'm fine with if I exercise that day.

    I'm also not a fan of juicing. Just eat the fruits and vegetables and get the benefit of the fiber as well.

    I am not a nutrition professional, but I've been exercising, lifting weights and dieting for the better part of 20 years. Slow Carb is the first thing that has not seemed like a diet or deprivation and gives me great, consistent energy throughout the day (no post-meal insulin spike related crashes)

    Good luck, I'm sure other responses will come along that will differ from mine.
  • Keane2baMsed
    Keane2baMsed Posts: 5 Member
    Hi there,

    First off try not to get stressed out (easier said than done I know!) Not saying you are stressed but if you feel it, that could be a factor in your plateau. Stress releases cortisol hormone which can have an affect on your metabolism and subsequent weight loss.

    You don't say what height you are but potentially you may not be eating enough? Having just had a quick look at your diary from friday I notice that some of the days your breakfast was quite calorie laden with foods that are not really ideal for weight loss (such as donuts/ bacon etc). Could you possibly have a smaller but filling breakfast such as oatmeal with raisins/honey or some fruit. I see you have had eggs also which are an excellent start so try different variations such as poached/scrambled eggs alongside some grilled tomato and mushrooms if you like them :)

    The main thing I have noticed from the food diary is that the sodium levels of your diet are pretty high. Processed foods are generally the cause behind this and also adding salt to meals. Really the best way to 'diet' (don't believe in dieting though as that is a quick fix) is to cut out processed foods completely. Essentially if it comes from a jar/packet/bakery it will have additives which are not too good.

    The sodium levels could be making you retain a lot of water and if you're not drinking enough water to compensate and flush it out that could be part of the problem?

    I don't believe in no carb diets so do make sure you include some wholegrain bread/potatoes/brown rice/wholewheat pasta. Our bodies NEED carbs for energy so it is really important considering the exercise you do also.

    Last but not least make sure you don't go below 1200 calories per day. If you exercise use what you have burned to ensure you've had at least the 1200. Even this is quite low so what I would suggest is figure out a calorie intake for your weight & height and stick to it for a number of weeks rather than chopping and changing. Give your body a chance to adjust!

    Hope I don't sound like i'm preaching just thought I would give you some tips if they are any help!

    Hope the weight loss kicks off real soon!
  • CoraGregoryCPA
    CoraGregoryCPA Posts: 1,087 Member
    I noticed quite a few "Homemade" or "restaurant named" or "generic" items in your diary. Are these truly homemade items or from the database? Just be careful because you don't know if those items are made with the same calories that you are eating. I think it is okay to use those in very rare cases but not daily. With the sweets, donuts, etc.. nobody is perfect :) It happens at least you stay "near" your calorie goal. Don't make it a daily habit.

    Just be careful that you are actually weighing and measuring everything. If you don't measure the peanut butter, you could accidentally be getting 2 tablespoons and not know it. You also said that you have been bobbling between calories. How long have you been doing this? Do you go a month with a plan? Or a day? I try different ideas for a month long to see if they actually work or not. You can check out my profile for my journaling progress.

    Excellent job on the vegetables. Can you get better quality protein? More nutritionally densed meals? Look at other's diaries for ideas. Make sure you aren't eating over on your exercise calories. Maybe try not eating your exercise calories back because you might be overestimating them and eating back more than you should.

    Good Luck.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    1) why is your goal 1200 a day? If you have 70lb to lose, your goal should be close to 1500 a day, 1700 with exercise. It's what I have with 70lb to lose and sedentary lifestyle (although I do exercise but don't log it). Something isn't right there.

    2) don't use 'homemade' or 'generic' in your log. Enter the ingredients separately.

    3) stop the juices. Eat the whole fruit. You'll get the same amount of sugar but a lot more fiber.

    4) you've gone quite a bit over your goals a few days. Indulging is fine but if you want to lose weight you need to try to stay under your calories goal.
  • lutika
    lutika Posts: 7 Member
    Dear Sam

    I was like you eating 1200 cal and was loosing weight to start with. I must say it was hard to amintain this restrictive regime. But I was detrmined to do it. Then I hit plateu. 3 weeks with exercise (I am doing insanity) without slightest result.
    To my relief I came across Intermittent Fasting. One of my medical doctors colleagues were doing it and advised to investigate it further. Which I did. There are actually a lot of research being done into it primerily in America. The documentary by BBC 'eat, fast and live longer' was on air last august and revolutinised the way to not only what we consume but also when. It worked out that it has not only short term benefirts like weight loss and everything what comes with it (prevention of diabetes, heart disease etc) but also long term effects like cancer prevention, prevention of dementia and longevity. You can watch documentary online.
    So I decided to give it a go. Nothing to loose, I am on plateu anyway. I am doing 5:2 version of it. When 2 days a week you eat 500 calif you are woman, 600 if man. THAT'S IT! Rest of the week you live normallly. Comletely normall! I know its hard to believe.
    So first week I was on it and I was still catious, I lost 3 pounds, second week I lost 2, I was more free in my choces, I was going out with friends etc. My husband was impressed with effects and now we implemented this lifestyle in our household. Once you reach your goal you do it only once a week for health benefits rather then weight loss. Its not diet, its lifestyle that is sustainable long term.None of any other diets are sustainable.
    Good luck. I am sure that you will be happy with results as I am.:)
  • sam2054
    sam2054 Posts: 2
    Thank you all. I appreciate the feedback.
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
    People are offering good suggestions, so I'll only comment on the juice issue.

    You might find it's much more filling and satisfying to use a blender and make smoothies with your fruits and vegetables instead of juicing them. Juicing removes the best part, fiber, which keeps you full. Fiber is also very important for cardiovascular health, colon health, etc. Don't rob yourself of it!

    You can play around with soymilk, yogurt and fruit smoothies (frozen berries are usually fairly cheap), or look up some green smoothie recipes. Here is a simple one:

    1 banana
    1 cup baby spinach
    1 head of romaine lettuce
    juice of one lemon--with pith, if possible :)
    1 sliced green apple, with skin

    Toss it all in a blender with a bit of water, and enjoy! It should make enough for two servings, and it's a quick way to get some veggies in your diet.

    Good luck, and don't focus on the scale so much. Slow and steady wins the race.

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