HELP ME!!!!121 days and only 14 pounds!

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Replies

  • pianolover2012
    pianolover2012 Posts: 168 Member
    okay i am no expert so....maybe more of what you are eating.
    cut the french fries. late night ice cream snack. things like cobbler for lunch. eat complex carbs not the simple carbs of bread and then try no carbs for dinner but lean meat and salad.
    oatmeals for breakfast with egg white. then some brown rice at lunch with lean meats and salad.
    up your water intake to 8 glasses. it shows you don't drink water or you are not logging it and get rid of the cheese. allow yourself one cheat meal on the weekend only.
    i dropped 12 pounds in one month eating this way. i have a whacked thyroid and am over 40 and have been struggling for years.
    i have had to be realistic about my diet. p.s. you will feel better with a clean diet

    Thanks for the info. Unfortunately, I have Celiac Disease and I am limited to what I can eat. I think that is one reason why I enjoy the "treat" of ice cream or GF cobbler occasionally. I need something to get me over the hump of despair- lol.
  • BlackKat75
    BlackKat75 Posts: 210 Member
    I know it's hard when you're feeling frustrated, but slow and steady really does win this race. I've been here for a little over a year and I've lost 41 pounds in that time. Averaged out, that's less than 1 pound a week. I've lost 20-25 pounds in a few months before, but I've *always* put that weight back on almost as quickly. In contrast, this time, I've continued to lose (albeit very slowly), even over the holidays, and even after I pulled back on my exercise in the dark days of the Minnesota winter. Just keep plugging away and the results will come!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Just a look at your diary and I can tell where the problem is... 'homemade' doesn't mean anything. You should just never enter food that starts with 'homemade'. Homemade soup, homemade breaded chicken, sauteed veggies, homemade coleslaw... you could be off by 100 calories or more every time you enter one of those.

    Basically, way too many generic entries in your diaries. Get a scale, enter exactly what you eat (with the brand and everything), one ingredient at a time. I mean you entered a 4oz homemade turkey and beef burger for 48 calories... that can't be right.

    Also, no matter what people say here, I'd put fat in your macros and try to stick under the total.
  • Wanderson1311
    Wanderson1311 Posts: 17 Member
    Stay positive that is the key! I understand your fraustration because I have been there. My advice is to only constrate on you and not the people around you. Plus everyones body is different. I would just keep staying on track and doing what you are doing. I can fully understand where you are coming from. I have doing MFP for almost 2 years and I have only lost 61 pounds. It also depends on the person's metoblism as well. Good luck! You can add me and I will help you in any way!
  • Griffin220x
    Griffin220x Posts: 399
    OK- I know that I gripe about this a lot, but can any of you who have lost slowly give me some input? I have friends who seem to lost faster than me overall. UGH! So frustrating for me right now!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/937860-how-to-lose-fat-for-newbs
  • pianolover2012
    pianolover2012 Posts: 168 Member
    Just a look at your diary and I can tell where the problem is... 'homemade' doesn't mean anything. You should just never enter food that starts with 'homemade'. Homemade soup, homemade breaded chicken, sauteed veggies, homemade coleslaw... you could be off by 100 calories or more every time you enter one of those.

    Basically, way too many generic entries in your diaries. Get a scale, enter exactly what you eat (with the brand and everything), one ingredient at a time. I mean you entered a 4oz homemade turkey and beef burger for 48 calories... that can't be right.

    Also, no matter what people say here, I'd put fat in your macros and try to stick under the total.

    ** Very rarely do I list something as "homemade" when plugging in the calories. Everyday, I actually "create" a recipe based upon pre-measured ingredients so I am usually very careful with this. I think I did use the "homemade" for one day this week but again that is rare. Thanks for the info though!
  • moonbutt
    moonbutt Posts: 9
    i completely understand. though not celiac, with hashimatos i try to eat no gluten as a result. they have gluten free oatmeal and brown rice is a complex carb naturally gluten free. me personally i just found that if i eat carbs or sweets at night my body doesn't respond well
  • leighann881
    leighann881 Posts: 371
    You have your calories goal at 20 more per day than I do. I'm 5'3" 126 lbs. I think you need to eat more. A lot more.
  • nwlve1962
    nwlve1962 Posts: 6 Member
    I know it's frustrating to lose too slowly, but in the long run you're better off. As long as you're losing 2 lbs a week (or 8 lbs a month) you're in good shape. It's different for everyone, but the average of 1200 calories a day pretty much works for me. As long as your first meal is within an hour of waking and your keeping your fuel going throughout the day. Just try to look at the positive, you're not stalled anymore the weight's going in the right direction. Keep up the good work!!!
  • Just took a quick look at your food diary...

    Are you celiac? Because I doubt if you have a serious allergy that you would risk the cross contamination allergy that chik-fil-a fries could give you.

    Gluten free is a great way to FEEL better for a lot of people, but the idea behind it is that you are eating less processed foods. Adding in GF waffles, breads, etc isn't going to help and they actually contain a lot more ingredients than you'd think. HIGHLY processed.

    I also noticed that some days you don't get more than 2-3 servings of f&v. Try adding 2 fruits and veggies to every meal/snack and you will notice you are not hungry AND feel better.

    Let's face it- I'd love to eat Chik Fil A french fries 3-4x per week and drop magic amounts of weight. It just isn't going to happen. You are SO on the right track though by logging everything in. Sometimes I lie to myself and just don't log the day when I do that sort of damage so serious kudos there. :)

    Bottom line: up the fruits and veggies, cut down the reliance on GF packaged stuff and fast foods and soon you'll be losing at the rate you feel is deserved. Best of luck!!
  • iecreamheadaches
    iecreamheadaches Posts: 441 Member
    Slow progress is better than no progress.
  • eileenchristine
    eileenchristine Posts: 228 Member
    You are committed to logging it appears and that is good. I am losing very slowly too. Am blaming on age, but mostly its because i don't weigh my food often enough and I certainly sit at this desk way too much. I have learned to eat cleaner since starting last Sept. and in December I added exercise (still not into the exercise!) but my weight loss is still really slow and even though I have lost 29 lbs it doesn't really show much. Yes, my clothes are getting too big and i can fit into smaller things but still no waistline and I have days I still feel tired.... lately I think its my lyme disease kicking back up.

    Don't give up, we can do this. Friend of mine who lost 80 lbs in a year said I need to move and sweat more when I am exercising so I tried that for 2 months. No noticeable difference on lbs lost but I do feel better and my balance has improved.

    Gotta take the small rewards. I have stopped gaining! That is a real positive. Its hard when you put so much effort into it and not much seems to be happening.

    As for actual advice.... hmm. Watch sodium, up the fiber and drink your water. And exercise as much as you can. If you have access to a gym get a trainer. I have had a couple in the past and they are worth the money. I don't belong to a gym but I have light weights and a tv that does youtube videos and now that it is warmer am starting to hit the track near my house... hey my property taxes help pay for it and never see kids on it. Its wonderful for walking or running on compared to the pavement for these old bones.

    It better to just do something than nothing. My daughter critics me trying to do Jillian Michaels because I modify the jumping and squats. I am scared of injuring my knees as I am a bit older. Wait till she gets to be my age and see how much jumping she can do (hopefully alot more than I am able to). So I just keep at it and the weight is creeping off. I have bad days from time to time and that was yesterday. I can make good choices today. Today is all I have.

    Hang in there. If you are able get to a gym and get a trainer. If you are new to the gym scene all prices are negotiable when you sign up. And sometimes you can negotiate training sessions.

    Another thing that has helped me immensely is friends here who are committed to logging daily. I have friends who look at my diary daily, etc. Seeing them exercising and eating clean help me to keep making good choices too.
  • pianolover2012
    pianolover2012 Posts: 168 Member
    Just took a quick look at your food diary...

    Are you celiac? Because I doubt if you have a serious allergy that you would risk the cross contamination allergy that chik-fil-a fries could give you.

    Gluten free is a great way to FEEL better for a lot of people, but the idea behind it is that you are eating less processed foods. Adding in GF waffles, breads, etc isn't going to help and they actually contain a lot more ingredients than you'd think. HIGHLY processed.

    I also noticed that some days you don't get more than 2-3 servings of f&v. Try adding 2 fruits and veggies to every meal/snack and you will notice you are not hungry AND feel better.

    Let's face it- I'd love to eat Chik Fil A french fries 3-4x per week and drop magic amounts of weight. It just isn't going to happen. You are SO on the right track though by logging everything in. Sometimes I lie to myself and just don't log the day when I do that sort of damage so serious kudos there. :)

    Bottom line: up the fruits and veggies, cut down the reliance on GF packaged stuff and fast foods and soon you'll be losing at the rate you feel is deserved. Best of luck!!

    Yes- I am a diagnosed Celiac- all tests were positive. Chickfila in our town is VERY careful about cross-contamination. Their fries are fried by themselves in a special kind of grease. Also their grilled chicken never comes into contact with the same area of the kitchen (I know the owner and I have worked there). I do admit that fries are not the best item for my cholesterol and health- I am working on that but it is difficult eating the same things daily as a Celiac. Sometimes you just want to "be normal" and order something takeout. Salads are often more contaminated than my grilled chicken and fries from CFA. I appreciate your input on this- I will try to lay off the fries!
  • endoftheside
    endoftheside Posts: 568 Member
    To me, rushing is the biggest mistake people make when trying to lose weight. Rushing to be "done" and then what? I have about the same amount to lose as you, and my TDEE at my goal weight is about the same as my TDEE-20% from when I started, so to me, I look at this as the beginning of the way I am going to eat for the rest of my life. There is no end, and no rush because it is a forever thing. I fully expect it to take more than a year, and hopefully by then I will be used to eating this way forever.

    Your weight loss is almost a pound a week, that is not bad! Has it stayed at about that rate or has it slowed down a lot recently? Have you been tested for other food allergies or intolerances? Since you have celiac, there may be other foods causing you problems.
  • KaraKramerRapp
    KaraKramerRapp Posts: 11 Member
    Your diary shows you eating 1400 cals a day. You may want to try to up your calorie intake by a couple hundred cals. You may be holding weight because your not eating enough (starvation mode). Are you eating over your BMR?

    My weight has stalled for several weeks. I was eating 1600 and my doctor suggested 1400 to see if there was a difference. No difference so far!!! ugh!!!

    If you were losing at first with 1600 and then you stalled out you need to INCREASE your calories. Your body has spared probably all of the fat it wants to when all it expects is 1400, or 1600 cals a day, make it known to your body that you aren't limited to that amount and it will release fat again instead of eating your muscles, another thing you may do is measure yourself, not just hop on the scale. For the last 3 weeks of burning 600-920 cals a day and eating 1800-2000 calories I have actually GAINED a lb, but have lost another 3 inches everywhere and am starting to see abs =)

    That makes sense, as muscle weights more than fat.
  • rachelprogress
    rachelprogress Posts: 37 Member
    That makes sense, as muscle weights more than fat.
    Muscle is more dense than fat, meaning a pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat... they "weigh" the same :)
  • rachelprogress
    rachelprogress Posts: 37 Member
    OP, great job on your progress so far! It's something! Looking at your diary it seems that what you really need to do is make some sacrifices. Less eating out at chick-fil-a, less ice cream snacks, basically less "rewards". The reward of healthy eating shouldn't be a snack, it should be progress in your overall well being, fitness level, and weight loss. More specifically, I think your diet is too carb heavy and I would consider snacking on more protein rich (but watch the fat!) snacks to keep you satiated for longer. Try greek yogurt with a bit of sweetener and some fresh lower sugar fruit like raspberries or blueberries, in place of your ice cream fix, for example. No, it won't be as delicious in that moment as ice cream, but your tastes and cravings will adjust the long term rewards will be much greater than that small moment of indulgence! Try to make smarter choices like that to replace some of the more indulgent items in your diary and I think you will find great success.