Diary advice

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DCookish74
DCookish74 Posts: 6
in Health and Weight Loss
I've only been at this for about two weeks, zero results thus far.

I'm 5'6", 176.

Would any of you experienced folks be kind enough to take a look through my diary and tell me maybe what I can improve? I eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm not. My NET cals are usually low, but it's kind of the best I can do. If I tried to force more cals in, I know I'd get sick by feeling TOO full.

I'm getting married in six months and my dress is four inches too small. I'd really like to see some results from all of my work.

For exercise, as noted in the diary, I incline hike on Mondays, Tuesday through Thursday are spend in the gym doing cardio, Friday is 1 hour of "Bob Harper - Yoga for the warrior" day for strength. Saturday is my rest day and Sunday is another at home cardio DVD, 1 hour.

Also, lots of water every day. I'd say 80oz or so. Coffee twice a day and no soda whatsoever.

Any advice is greatly appreciated! :)
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Replies

  • cindybpitts
    cindybpitts Posts: 213 Member
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    It takes time for your body to adjust. I looked at your diary and it does`nt look like you eat any fruit or vegetables...also looks like you eat alot of processed foods. I dont like to tell people about what they are eating because Im new at this and trying to eat better myself...
  • Ellealie
    Ellealie Posts: 17
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    Well, I see a lot of fast food (everyday!) and prepackaged stuff. Are you just trying to lose weight for your wedding, or do you want to get healthy? (No shame in answering to the former, I'm just wondering).

    I'm going to assume you're just trying to eat under your BMR calories every day. From what I've seen some people will tell you, you should lose weight on that alone, but that doesn't work for everyone for a variety of reasons (insulin resistance, for example).

    I would try a different approach. Maybe paleo? That would require you to overhaul your lifestyle however. No more fast food, no more prepackaged stuff. If you want the weight to come off and stay off, you're looking at lifestyle change regardless. Maybe you should familiarize yourself with the various lifestyle diets and choose one.
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
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    I'd suggest incorporating more veggies into your diet. If you're have trouble eating enough don't use non-fat switch to full fat.
  • omanitshann
    omanitshann Posts: 179
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    Looks like you need more whole foods in your diet. Maybe try limiting the fast food to once a week, and then eventually once a month.
  • MysticRealm
    MysticRealm Posts: 1,264 Member
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    You're most likely holding onto water weight due to eating foods that are most likely really high in sodium.
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
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    Try eliminating bread products. I'm not saying go low carb or anything like that, just eat foods that don't require bread. This will shift your thinking about your meals and will naturally push you towards a healthier style of eating.

    4 inches in 6 months over your whole body is doable. If you need to shrink 4 inches just off your waist or hips, this can be problematic. Get yourself and your dress to seamstress right away! Those 6 months will go by in a flash and you'll be glad you got the alterations done. Taking a dress in is a much faster and easier process than letting it out.
  • bronnyd
    bronnyd Posts: 278 Member
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    Ditch the fast food! I think I see McDonalds in your diary almost every day and I went back a while!

    Also a lot of skipped meals. That's a habit you're gonna want to break as well.
  • cindybpitts
    cindybpitts Posts: 213 Member
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    Well, I see a lot of fast food (everyday!) and prepackaged stuff. Are you just trying to lose weight for your wedding, or do you want to get healthy? (No shame in answering to the former, I'm just wondering).

    I'm going to assume you're just trying to eat under your BMR calories every day. From what I've seen some people will tell you, you should lose weight on that alone, but that doesn't work for everyone for a variety of reasons (insulin resistance, for example).

    I would try a different approach. Maybe paleo? That would require you to overhaul your lifestyle however. No more fast food, no more prepackaged stuff. If you want the weight to come off and stay off, you're looking at lifestyle change regardless. Maybe you should familiarize yourself with the various lifestyle diets and choose one.
    Insulin Resistance is what Im fighting with now..I have learned from all the starving days I did to myself!! No matter what I did my body fought against me so now I take medicine that has helped.
  • LavenderBouquet
    LavenderBouquet Posts: 736 Member
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    It's possible you're not eating enough on those days you have large deficits and your body is trying to hold onto what you've got, especially because of the amount of exercise you're getting in. It's easy to add calories without adding bulk to foods, which is why you feel full on so few calories. Try adding in healthy fats from items such as nuts & seeds and their butters, avocado, or other more calorie-dense foods such as cheese or yogurt. Cooking your foods in oils such as olive/sesame oil can also help to increase the number of calories you're taking in. I eat 20% below my TDEE, which I calculated on this website: http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/, and I eat back all of the calories I burn exercising. I'm 5'6" and currently 135lbs and lost ~20lbs in the past 2.5 months eating in way like this. I also highly recommend cutting down on so much fast & processed foods, not helpful for weight loss or health!
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
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    Ditch the crap food and start eating healthy foods. Eating fast food everyday won't help you. You have very little actually healthy food in your diary... very very few fresh veggies and fruits... no lean meats at all.

    I would suggest doing some research, get a few cookbooks, make a list and head out to the grocery store.

    Stop eating out everyday for almost every meal and eat food at home that you make with fresh ingredients you have purchased.
  • ThePrincezz
    ThePrincezz Posts: 19 Member
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    It takes time for your body to adjust. I looked at your diary and it does`nt look like you eat any fruit or vegetables...also looks like you eat alot of processed foods. I dont like to tell people about what they are eating because Im new at this and trying to eat better myself...

    I agree and I can comment because Im a processed food junkie too...And what I have found is the sodium is so so high. Causes you to hold fluid no matter how much water you consume. I am having to readjust what I am eating and most veggies are a natural diuretic. I am at the same point you are. I just started about a week ago and am still in that learning stage. Add me if you like and we can update on things that work and things that dont. I am changing up my processed food intake as I continue to feel the "bloat". Hope this helps.
  • 1223345
    1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
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    Well, I see a lot of fast food (everyday!) and prepackaged stuff. Are you just trying to lose weight for your wedding, or do you want to get healthy? (No shame in answering to the former, I'm just wondering).

    I'm going to assume you're just trying to eat under your BMR calories every day. From what I've seen some people will tell you, you should lose weight on that alone, but that doesn't work for everyone for a variety of reasons (insulin resistance, for example).

    I would try a different approach. Maybe paleo? That would require you to overhaul your lifestyle however. No more fast food, no more prepackaged stuff. If you want the weight to come off and stay off, you're looking at lifestyle change regardless. Maybe you should familiarize yourself with the various lifestyle diets and choose one.
    Insulin Resistance is what Im fighting with now..I have learned from all the starving days I did to myself!! No matter what I did my body fought against me so now I take medicine that has helped.
    While I'm not glad you have had an insulin resistance problem, I am glad to see the post about diet and the relation between the two. To many preach about "a calorie is a calorie". It really does matter what the quality of that calorie is.
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
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    I've only been at this for about two weeks, zero results thus far.

    I'm 5'6", 176.

    Would any of you experienced folks be kind enough to take a look through my diary and tell me maybe what I can improve? I eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm not. My NET cals are usually low, but it's kind of the best I can do. If I tried to force more cals in, I know I'd get sick by feeling TOO full.

    I'm getting married in six months and my dress is four inches too small. I'd really like to see some results from all of my work.

    For exercise, as noted in the diary, I incline hike on Mondays, Tuesday through Thursday are spend in the gym doing cardio, Friday is 1 hour of "Bob Harper - Yoga for the warrior" day for strength. Saturday is my rest day and Sunday is another at home cardio DVD, 1 hour.

    Also, lots of water every day. I'd say 80oz or so. Coffee twice a day and no soda whatsoever.

    Any advice is greatly appreciated! :)

    Two weeks is not enough time for anything. (At least 4 weeks)

    Start a lifting program.

    Your calories are all over the place. Some days you are eating 1,300, some days, as much as 1,800. Eat consistent, get consistent results.

    Go here for some good info and to calculate a SET number of calories, based on average activity levels, to eat each day and hit those calories every day. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/952996-level-obstacles-lose-weight-target-fat-easy

    I would recommend adding in more whole foods like meats and vegetables. They can bulk up the size of your meals for hardly any calories, but the most important part of losing weight is STICKING TO IT.
  • socajam
    socajam Posts: 2,530 Member
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    Ditto to ditching the fast food, cut back on the daily snacks and most definitely reduce the sodium.
  • jadams1650
    jadams1650 Posts: 139 Member
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    How are you calculating your calorie burns? Some of the calorie burns look pretty high based on the daily caloric allotment. Too much fast food (I think you already know that). As others have said, eat more veggies and fruits. Lean protein will help as well, think skinless chicken, turkey, low fat pork. Finally, you might want to read "in place of a road map" on the site (use the search feature). Spend a little time thinking about your strategy...use some paper and pencil and come up with a formula that will work for you...you can always adjust it later if you encounter difficulties. My guess is your problems stem from being a little too informal in the approach...you need to KNOW your caloric burns, know the caloric content of the foods you eat, and stick to a strategy to reach the goals you have set. Good Luck, I hope it works out for you...and congrats on the wedding...
  • LR1964
    LR1964 Posts: 2 Member
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    Try some salads,veggies, chicken, fish. Get rid of the fast food and start cooking some good food. You will not stay healthy eating all the fast food. You will loose and will look awesome in your dress.
  • aeg176
    aeg176 Posts: 171 Member
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    A problem I had was I just trusted MFP macros/micros and didn't actually research my BMR and TDEE after I figured out where I should be it helped me to stay in my range (initially I wasn't eating enough) and I tried to eat fast food/prepared meals to get to my caloric goals but it just wasn't the way to go. I started actively making most of my meals myself and substituting fast food and prepared stuff only when I was in a pinch. Good luck on your journey finding the the right stuff to eat was one of the hardest parts for me.
  • mumtoonegirl
    mumtoonegirl Posts: 586 Member
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    It is not all about e calories. Your sodium levels are almost 3x the max you should be eating. I would strongly suggest packing your lunches and make your own dressings. So much healthier not to mention cheaper. You honestly need more whole food in your diet and lean proteins. You will feel full and the weight will start coming off. Weight loss is 80% in the kitchen.
  • jadams1650
    jadams1650 Posts: 139 Member
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    Read this several times and it will answer the majority of your questions:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/937709-in-place-of-a-road-map-ver-3-0
  • DCookish74
    DCookish74 Posts: 6
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    Thank you x1000!

    Like a dumb-dumb, I was finding myself at the drive-thru nightly before going to the gym to try to boost cals since they were so low. Bad move, I know.

    The BMR and TDEE stuff confuses me and I wish I could get a better grasp on what I'm supposed to have NET by the end of each day. It's clear I need a crazy overhaul on my daily diet to fix the problems. I just can't figure out where I need to be. All the calculators tell me something different. If I can find the NET number I need to reach every day, I feel like that would make it easier to repair the diet, ditch the crap, and get to where I need to be. MFP claims 1200, but I burn high during workouts so I assume that must be NET. However, that seems low taking my exercise schedule into consideration. *head desk*

    Someone asked, so I monitor my caloric burn while working out with a Polar FT4 heart rate monitor.

    Thank you for your supportive and insightful answers. I'm glad I have a place to ask questions without getting totally crushed. <3

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