LOOK AT MY DIARY PLEASE HELP!!

Emmalydia26
Emmalydia26 Posts: 10
in Food and Nutrition
I am 5 ft 5 and 124 pounds so i am not in any way over weight, but i would just like to get rid of some fat here and there, then i can start toning up.
I know that my calorie intake is pretty low but after monitoring it for a week or so i found out that i only ate roughly 1500 a day any way, so this is only a slight reduction.
Could you take a look at my diary and let me know what im doing wrong? Because i dont seem to be losing anything and its been over a month, im getting a bit disheartened.
I eat when im hungry but just pick healthier options now, so im not any hungrier as before i started the diet :)
Thank you!

Btw, I am still at school so finding the time to exercise is a struggle! so being able to 'Tone up' at the moment is not an option
I am hoping to do much more exercise during the summer holidays

Replies

  • bhb301
    bhb301 Posts: 338 Member
    I don't many vegetables on your diary, what about meat also?
  • ricosuavee123
    ricosuavee123 Posts: 10
    Cut your sugar intake. Try for 15 grams per day and maybe under 120 grams of carbs and you'll tone up.
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    You are at a very healthy weight for your height... bordering on the lower end of the weight range.

    Your net calories are far too low as is your daily calorie goal.

    With your current weight it 's probably best for you to focus on building muscle right now instead of losing anymore weight. Google bodyweight exercises. If your school has a gym hit the weights and focus on lifting as heavy as you can while eating at a slight surplus of calories. Building muscle will lower your body fat %.

    Right now you are consuming far too little. Eating so little will only do more harm than good as you will increase muscle that you lose which will increase your body fat %.
  • tracieangeletti
    tracieangeletti Posts: 432 Member
    Not eating nearly enough food and in my opinion way too much sugar. Try going to Fat2FitRadio.com and punch in the numbers it asks for to find your TDEE and then eat below that number. Subtract about 20% from TDEE and eat those calories!
  • missability
    missability Posts: 223
    I went back 5 or 6 days, and the sugar was over every day...I am not a doctor, but I think sugar, especially processed "un-natural" sugar, in cakes and so on, does more harm than any fat could...I have had 2 tsp of organic cane sugar in 3 months. I try to get my sugars from fruits veggies and grains....Just sayin s'all:)
  • rouxlaM
    rouxlaM Posts: 1
    I think the problem is with your snacks - stay away from cookies, they're the worst snack you can eat basically.
    Try to eat dark chocolate instead of dairy, and limit it to 2-3 pieces a day.
    I'm 5 foot 9 and I started at 138 lbs - in 4 weeks I managed to get to 129. Lower your calorie intake to 1200 to lose weight, since you're a sedentary type (I assume since you're still at school), 1500 is the amount you should eat to maintain weight.

    Hope this helps! :)
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
    Stop making excuses.

    Exercise more

    You probably need to eat more protein

    eat less processed foods and more whole raw foods. (ie less cakes and cookies and pre-made foods)

    Sugar is find as long as most of it is derived from natural sources. (like fruits and veggies, not cookies)

    You don't need to lose weight, just tone up.. for that you need to life weights.

    So it's hard..

    Nothing worth it is ever easy.
  • AliciaC81
    AliciaC81 Posts: 72 Member
    Well, I see very little protein in your diet and a lot of snacky foods and not much "real food" so that could be one reason. However; If you're at a good weight then you need to exercise to change how your body looks, not eat less. You need to put yourself on a maintenance level of calories and work out. I understand time constraints, but that's what is going to get rid of the "fat here and there". If you strength train you will replace fat with muscle and while your weight will likely stay the same if you're eating at maintenance level, your body will change and will likely be more what you seem to be looking for.


    edited to add: You need to make work outs a priority. It does NOT have to take up that much time. Try a starter strength program, stronglifts 5x5, New Rules of Lifting for Women, etc. and you'll find it does not have to be a huge time commitment. But, you really cannot just work out during the summer or on other school breaks. If you do that you'll get yourself into somewhat decent shape but then just lose everything you've worked for. I'm sure if you look hard enough you can find 30 minutes 3x a week to add in some strength training. I have 3 kids, work a full time job, have a house to take care of and I still manage to do it..I'm sure you can too.
  • Lmaass1
    Lmaass1 Posts: 33 Member
    I agree with the person up there about sugar intake!!! I'm no expert but I am pretty sure If you have too much sugar your body stores it as fat
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    I agree with the person up there about sugar intake!!! I'm no expert but I am pretty sure If you have too much sugar your body stores it as fat

    Your body stores excess calories as fat.

    I regularly double the recommended sugar intake and still lose each week provided I am under my calories.

    The OP doesn't need to lose anymore weight as they are bordering on the lower end of the healthy weight range. The OP needs to change her focus from weight loss to building muscle.
  • BlackEyedPanda
    BlackEyedPanda Posts: 86 Member
    You eat very little and most of what you eat is sugary. Try having a little bit more protein.
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
    You won't want my opinion on your diary. I do not eat high carb/low fat because it isn't healthy for me.

    Why are you waiting to lose fat before you start to "tone up"? There's nothing that will change your body composition except for strength training. And eating too few calories will NOT help you with that.

    I suspect that if you start building muscle, you will be freaking out by the rise in the number on the scale instead of noticing how your body is changing for the better. At 5'5 you are already underweight but without muscle you won't like what you see.

    Consider getting rid of the scale and start getting stronger.

    (Interesting excuse that you can't exercise at school. There are all kinds of simple body-weight exercises that one can do anywhere and without equipment.)
  • _SABOTEUR_
    _SABOTEUR_ Posts: 6,833 Member
    If you feel you are a reasonable size and just need the wobbly bits to go away I would suggest upping your cals to 1500 again as a minimum. I would try and add more vegetables and if you struggle on calories try eating nuts, avacado and peanut butter (which are calorie and nutrient dense).

    As for exercise, if you really have no time to go to the gym, buy the 'You are your own gym' book which will help you get into strength training which is really the only way you're going to get the trim/toned look you want without making you calorie intake too low (which it seems to be at the moment). HIgher protein content will also help with this. Try upping your protein to about 25-30% of your daily calories.

    Also, there are quite a few quick add calories on certain days. You really have to make the effort to record everything accurately to know how many calories you are eating.
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    I think the problem is with your snacks - stay away from cookies, they're the worst snack you can eat basically.
    Try to eat dark chocolate instead of dairy, and limit it to 2-3 pieces a day.
    I'm 5 foot 9 and I started at 138 lbs - in 4 weeks I managed to get to 129. Lower your calorie intake to 1200 to lose weight, since you're a sedentary type (I assume since you're still at school), 1500 is the amount you should eat to maintain weight.

    Hope this helps! :)

    Cookies are fine in moderation.

    Dark chocolate instead of dairy?? Dairy has a lot of good nutrients in it.

    Lower calories to 1200 is not going to help the OP. The smaller you are the less of a deficit you need... 1500 should be far too little to maintain weight.
  • _SABOTEUR_
    _SABOTEUR_ Posts: 6,833 Member
    I agree with the person up there about sugar intake!!! I'm no expert but I am pretty sure If you have too much sugar your body stores it as fat

    Only if this puts you in a calorie surplus.
  • dwalt15110
    dwalt15110 Posts: 246 Member
    I agree with two of the others. You need to cut the sugar. Excess sugar makes it difficult to lose fat. You also need to add protein. You are very low in that area. You need protein to fuel your weight loss. Even though you are in school, find time to at least walk or use the gym.
  • ToughTulip
    ToughTulip Posts: 1,118 Member
    wow so much misinformation in this thread it is making my head hurt.
  • stargazer008
    stargazer008 Posts: 531
    Where's the meat, vegetables, and fruits?
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    Excess sugar makes it difficult to lose fat. You also need to add protein.

    On the protein part, yes... more protein isn't a bad thing and keeps you feeling full for longer... and helps you retain and build muscle with proper diet and exercise.

    I'm unsure as to how excess sugar makes it hard to lose fat. I know it does for people who have issues with sugar levels or are insulin resistant... but people who have no medical issue in regards to sugar? Excess sugar won't cause a healthy person to gain or stop losing (provided they are not consuming more calories than they need to) I lose every week and I regularly go at least twice what the sugar amount is here. I consume a lot of fruit which causes me to go well above the sugar amounts yet I have no issues.
  • etoiles_argentees
    etoiles_argentees Posts: 2,827 Member
    wow so much misinformation in this thread it is making my head hurt.

    me too, hun. I'm off.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    I think the problem is with your snacks - stay away from cookies, they're the worst snack you can eat basically.
    Try to eat dark chocolate instead of dairy, and limit it to 2-3 pieces a day.
    I'm 5 foot 9 and I started at 138 lbs - in 4 weeks I managed to get to 129. Lower your calorie intake to 1200 to lose weight, since you're a sedentary type (I assume since you're still at school), 1500 is the amount you should eat to maintain weight.

    Hope this helps! :)

    At 18 years old and 5 5", I sure hope that she maintains on more than 1,500 calories. I am nearly 30 years older, only an inch taller and maintain on about 2,100 - 2,200 with no cardio.


    Nothing wrong with dairy if you are not lactose intolerant - in fact it has better macros for most people than chocolate.
  • Emmalydia26
    Emmalydia26 Posts: 10
    Thank you for all your help! :)
    I have tried to cut down on the sugary stuff that is in my diary, but due to it being a holiday at the moment, my family have been having 'treat's on a regular basis and i find it very hard to resist or turn down when it is offered, but i do realise that this is not an excuse!! and i should just get rid of all the sugary snacks which i will try to do.

    Also, i'm not underweight, according to my BMI i am at an ideal weight, so im not quite sure where you got that from.

    I will definitely try to increase my fruit and veggie intake but should i cut down on fruits? they seem to contain lots of sugar :/
    As for protein, what sorts of foods should i starts eating in order to acquire more protein into my diet?
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Thank you for all your help! :)
    I have tried to cut down on the sugary stuff that is in my diary, but due to it being a holiday at the moment, my family have been having 'treat's on a regular basis and i find it very hard to resist or turn down when it is offered, but i do realise that this is not an excuse!! and i should just get rid of all the sugary snacks which i will try to do.

    Also, i'm not underweight, according to my BMI i am at an ideal weight, so im not quite sure where you got that from.

    I will definitely try to increase my fruit and veggie intake but should i cut down on fruits? they seem to contain lots of sugar :/
    As for protein, what sorts of foods should i starts eating in order to acquire more protein into my diet?

    Do not worry about sugars, especially ones in fruit.

    Here is a post with protein sources:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/926789-protein-sources
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    Thank you for all your help! :)
    I have tried to cut down on the sugary stuff that is in my diary, but due to it being a holiday at the moment, my family have been having 'treat's on a regular basis and i find it very hard to resist or turn down when it is offered, but i do realise that this is not an excuse!! and i should just get rid of all the sugary snacks which i will try to do.

    Also, i'm not underweight, according to my BMI i am at an ideal weight, so im not quite sure where you got that from.

    I will definitely try to increase my fruit and veggie intake but should i cut down on fruits? they seem to contain lots of sugar :/
    As for protein, what sorts of foods should i starts eating in order to acquire more protein into my diet?

    You are at the lower end of the healthy weight range... I haven't read all the comments so I'm not sure if someone siad you were underweight. You will have much better results i believe with switching your focus from weight loss to muscle gaining. MOre muscle, smaller body.

    Sugar isn't a bad thing provided you have no medical reasons to watch your sugars. Sugars from fruits, while processed pretty much the same as refined/added sugars, are much better for you because they come with many more vitamins, minerals and overall nutrients than things like cookies, cakes, etc.

    For protein, eat nuts, seeds, beans, chicken, pork, beef, fish, nut butters, dairy products, etc. Tons of protein options out there!
  • _SABOTEUR_
    _SABOTEUR_ Posts: 6,833 Member
    Thank you for all your help! :)
    I have tried to cut down on the sugary stuff that is in my diary, but due to it being a holiday at the moment, my family have been having 'treat's on a regular basis and i find it very hard to resist or turn down when it is offered, but i do realise that this is not an excuse!! and i should just get rid of all the sugary snacks which i will try to do.

    Also, i'm not underweight, according to my BMI i am at an ideal weight, so im not quite sure where you got that from.

    I will definitely try to increase my fruit and veggie intake but should i cut down on fruits? they seem to contain lots of sugar :/
    As for protein, what sorts of foods should i starts eating in order to acquire more protein into my diet?

    Unless you are diabetic don't worry about sugar, particularly the ones in fruit. The fibre and nutrients in them are good for you.

    Protein can come from meat or vegetables depending on your preference. One of my favourites is 0% Total Fage natural greek yoghurt you can get at any UK supermarket. But, chicken, turkey, eggs, beef are all popular too.

    Please do look at upping your calories though. as Sarauk2sf said, you will still be in a deficit at 1500 cals.
  • karensdream
    karensdream Posts: 135 Member
    protein at it's best comes from lean sources...chicken, beef, pork, fish (tuna and salmon are great), and eggs. You can also get it from dairy such as hard cheese. cottage cheese, legumes, . For one so young and at your ideal body weight, you are really lacking in protein, as well as veggies, and calories. Adding protein along with your carbs will make you feel satisfied for longer. The sweets need to be more of an occasional treat. You can then balance the increased calorie intake with exercise, and you should still maintain while toning up.
  • Emmalydia26
    Emmalydia26 Posts: 10
    Right, so upping my calories up to 1500 and adding more fruit and vegetables and protein, should help my weight loss? and overall health?
    Thanks again for being so helpful, i didn't realise what i was doing could be harmful :/
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    Right, so upping my calories up to 1500 and adding more fruit and vegetables and protein, should help my weight loss? and overall health?
    Thanks again for being so helpful, i didn't realise what i was doing could be harmful :/

    Lift heavy! Find a gym or search online for body weight exercises. Eating at maintance while focusing on building muscle will make for a smaller body even if the scale doesn't agree.

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