What do I do when nothing works?
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It sounds like you have been yoyo dieting and what it can do is mess up your metabolism and confuse your body. Seeing as you have a nutritionist to talk to you may want to discuss that with her/him. I am surprised that she has you on such a high calorie intake though. Fad diets are very unhealthy for your body and most don't work for the long term you usually end up gaining the weight back plus more. The idea that if you want to weigh 180lbs you eat 1800 calories is interesting I have never heard of that even when I was attending university. It doesn't make sense especially since everyone is different and their bodies are in different stages of life which means following that could put weight on some people yet others would lose weight. I eat 1260 calories a day and I want to lose 90 lbs if I ate 1900 caloris a day I'd definately gain weight. Everyone is at a different fitness level as well some can't exercise enough to burn the calories to take weight off when on such a high calorie diet. One way to boost your metabolism is through exercise even if the weight isn't coming off being consistant and sticking to counting calories and exercising consistantly your body will eventually adjust, get out of the rut and start losing weight. Reprogramming your body after yoyo dieting is difficult I know I did it. Also consulting your doctor about your metabolism and maybe your thyroid and just telling him/her how you're feeling may also help you and besides consulting a doctor about dieting is a good idea anyway.
Not weighing and measuring your food on a calorie counting program also just sets you up for failure you have to know what you are putting in your body so you know how many calories you need to burn in order to lose weight.0 -
Does your family have a history of metabolic disorders?0
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Also, no I have not been meaduring
^^^ This right here. This is the problem, and probably 100% of the problem.0 -
Okay, I've made my diary public. I would just like to add that the past few weeks have been weird because of finals and moving home from college, so I'm still adjusting to the way my parents do things and what I have to add or subtract from what they're doing.
Also, no I have not been meaduring because I have been on the meal plan at college, since I live in a dorm and it would be very hard to cook for myself and too easy to eat microwave food. So I eat (healthily) at the dining halls. And I know the look a lot of you have right now but I go to a very large school with very nice dining halls. Trust me on ths one.
Oh, ok, so no possibility of accurate logging then. In that case try to learn what a serving size should look like. Half a cup is the size of a tennis ball. 4 oz of meat should be the size of a deck of cards, etc. Avoid cream sauces, go for grilled meat when possible, etc. Until you can actually weigh and measure you're going to have to just do the best you can and adjust as you go.0 -
Okay, I've made my diary public. I would just like to add that the past few weeks have been weird because of finals and moving home from college, so I'm still adjusting to the way my parents do things and what I have to add or subtract from what they're doing.
Also, no I have not been meaduring because I have been on the meal plan at college, since I live in a dorm and it would be very hard to cook for myself and too easy to eat microwave food. So I eat (healthily) at the dining halls. And I know the look a lot of you have right now but I go to a very large school with very nice dining halls. Trust me on ths one.
Oh, ok, so no possibility of accurate logging then. In that case try to learn what a serving size should look like. Half a cup is the size of a tennis ball. 4 oz of meat should be the size of a deck of cards, etc. Avoid cream sauces, go for grilled meat when possible, etc. Until you can actually weigh and measure you're going to have to just do the best you can and adjust as you go.
Yeah, bottom line is that you're underestimating your intake. SUPER easy to do without measuring; frankly, when I started measuring and weighing food I was SHOCKED at how bad I was at estimating proper servings. So yeah, learning different serving sizes is a good starting point for sure. You could also simply try reducing the amount you eat at each meal by, like, 10% and see how that goes. Do some internet sleuthing to figure out which foods you eat that are really calorically dense that you may not be considering or estimating well. It's not a huge deal if you're off by 25% on a bowl of romaine lettuce, but being off by 25% on things like cooking oils, nuts, trail mix, rice, pasta, granola and other cereals, etc. can add up super-fast.
ETA
Hang on a sec, you said you've moved back home for the summer?? GET A SCALE NOW. Use the summer as an opportunity to train your eye and learn servings of foods you normally eat at school.0 -
GET A SCALE NOW.
That right there ^^^0 -
GET A SCALE NOW.
That right there ^^^
yep.
weigh as much of your food as possible
peanut butter in grams in WAY more accurate than trying to measure a tablespoon, for example0 -
I'm going to sound like everyone else but I was in your boat a few months ago. I blamed it on menopause. I did start keeping track of everything. A major pain since I make most things and rarely eat stuff that is in the database - with the exception of the junk food and booze.
I started keeping track. Took B-12. Took Iodoral ( an iodine supplement since I live in the rust belt where we don't get much iodine).
Wear my fit bit device which tells me where I'm at thruout the day, the switch over to the MFP site where it tells me if I've earned more calories than the 1200 I've allotted myself.
I don't know which of these things worked, but by and large - I have now lost pounds and inches.
I love a Margarita and my wine. I always mark down the calories for those.
I love to snack around Sam's Club and Costco so I have to guess at those, but try to guess high. I also try to eat decent food but don't look at my food diary as of late. Today I ate Cheddar and Sour cream chips and had 2-3 glasses of wine. I'm still under my 1200, but with junk......................
I"ve been know to buy a low cal Subway sandwich - 12" and have half for lunch and the other half for dinner.
If you're honest with yourself and write EVERYTHING down - and that still doesn't work, then perhaps it's a medical issue but do everything you can first and use that as a last resort unless your intuition tells you differently.
I"m 59 - not young like you. You should be able to lose weight quickly.
Get yourself a reliable scale. I have a WW scale - ($29). It measure 5 things. I've noticed that my body fat is decreasing and my water % is going up. That apparently is fairly normal as you gain more muscle even if the scale doesn't go down. My pants fit me again. That is a better indicator than most.
Hang in there. Don't give up...........You'll do it if you're honest about your intake and output. I want to lose 2 lbs a week, so that means a calorie deficit of 1,000 less than I need to maintain. I don't always make it, but I persist............
You can too!0 -
I see a lot of protein shakes in your diet.
I noticed I went through a can of Whey protein way too quickly ( it was suppose to have 20 servings)
Saw a post someone else wrote noting to weigh the Whey protein instead of just using the scoop.... duh, why didn't I think of that, I weigh everything else!
Point is you could be taking in a good extra 100 calories a day just from the Whey protein alone. Who knows where else yo may be eating un-logged calories. You must weigh all food.0 -
Turn the knob to 11... now go.0
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Have you read this?
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12/
And seen this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY
DITTO
Seriously, READ that roadmap Post if you have not yet!!?0 -
Its all about consistency
you have to be patient as well
-try eating protein like fish and chicken
-do not slack on veggies! the darker the better (spinach and kale are great for green smoothies)
-stay away from sugar as much as possible (a little fruit in the day is good)
-stop eating out! food prep! make your meals ahead of time, its easy to run out to chik fil a or order a pizza but have something ready to grab from the fridge. pre pack snacks in baggies and healthy dinners in a bunch of containers
-basically just eat clean, LOW sodium, don't over do it on the carbs, fresh fresh fresh foods
-if you cant pronounce the ingredients on the label keep it moving
cheat days are worth it! but try and keep em few and far between
Lengthy a bit but I hope it helps out. I dropped about 50 this way, im still working on the last 20ish0 -
Hi are all these smoothies so high in calories? Do you add sugar? Eat more fruits as fruits, eat green salad with olive oil and vinegar for dressing.0
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Okay, I've made my diary public. I would just like to add that the past few weeks have been weird because of finals and moving home from college, so I'm still adjusting to the way my parents do things and what I have to add or subtract from what they're doing.
Also, no I have not been measuring because I have been on the meal plan at college, since I live in a dorm and it would be very hard to cook for myself and too easy to eat microwave food. So I eat (healthily) at the dining halls. And I know the look a lot of you have right now but I go to a very large school with very nice dining halls. Trust me on ths one.
There is your problem...now that you are home start using a digital scale and weigh everything that goes in your mouth. Bet you start losing weight.0 -
I too had a problem losing weight... it took nearly 18 months for me to lose 30 pounds. I tracked *everything*. When I went over my target for the day, I tracked it (and then didn't beat myself up for missing a day). When I had a glass of wine, I tracked it. When I had a Lindor Chocolate ball (and chocolate for me is a great weakness) - I tracked it.
I weighed my food, I got a heart rate monitor so that I could better track my calories burned (MFP and MyPlate were both *way* over estimating how much I burned) - and I started to lose.
In reading about eating healthy, getting to a healthy weight - I found that exercise is a must. Even if you are just walking, you're burning. But just as important: your body can get into a "rut" in exercise where it doesn't burn anything because you have trained it in a certain way. Change it up. Make sure you're getting in a good set of cardio (low-heart rate, fat-burning), and also strength training. Muscle will help you lose.
There will be days that you will go over your calorie goal. I'm a runner, and when I race - the two days after I race I am *famished*. I still weigh and track everything, but I listen to what my body needs. And then I get back into "game" mode and remind myself that I am not dieting, I'm choosing a healthy lifestyle.
Oh - and I'll agree with everyone else here: stay away from processed foods - that includes fast food. The calories in fast food are notoriously off (low) by anywhere from 20-35%. That's a lot of calories.
You *can* do this. Don't worry if the weight is slow to come off. I don't regret a minute of the 18 months it took to lose the weight. It's been 3 years now.
You *can* do this!0 -
I noticed that your daily goal has changed - at least in the last week. You have several days at 1800 calories, but then you have a day at 2100 calories and one at 2300 calories.
The honesty part people have been talking about includes your goals. Don't change your goal to simply give the illusion that you are under your goal.
She's not changing her goal, those are her exercise calories.0 -
I noticed that your daily goal has changed - at least in the last week. You have several days at 1800 calories, but then you have a day at 2100 calories and one at 2300 calories.
The honesty part people have been talking about includes your goals. Don't change your goal to simply give the illusion that you are under your goal.
She's not changing her goal, those are her exercise calories.
Whoops - my bad. Thanks for pointing that out. Edited to remove it.0 -
Complete ****ing nonsense.There are a lot of numbers between 1200 and 1800. It seems like 1800 is too many for weight loss for you. I would eat 1800 cals. if I wanted to weight 180 lbs. (rule of thumb).
bump! ive heard this before.. my sisters boyfriend said that.. like if you wanted to weigh 150 then you eat 1500 cals a day...160 then 1600 cals a day etc.. kinda cool
Yesterday was the first time I had heard that!! My Brian says "Seriously?? People think that??" Just when I thought I had read all the weird there is on MFP.
(I eat 1600 cals a day and weigh 134 or less. And I know many other do not weigh a multiple of 10 of how many calories they eat)0 -
If it were true, I would have been starting out here between 450 and 500lbs.
Complete ****ing nonsense.There are a lot of numbers between 1200 and 1800. It seems like 1800 is too many for weight loss for you. I would eat 1800 cals. if I wanted to weight 180 lbs. (rule of thumb).
bump! ive heard this before.. my sisters boyfriend said that.. like if you wanted to weigh 150 then you eat 1500 cals a day...160 then 1600 cals a day etc.. kinda cool
Yesterday was the first time I had heard that!! My Brian says "Seriously?? People think that??" Just when I thought I had read all the weird there is on MFP.
(I eat 1600 cals a day and weigh 134 or less. And I know many other do not weigh a multiple of 10 of how many calories they eat)0 -
I know we've moved on from this point, but the food scale is the MOST important piece of the puzzle.
I can spot 20g of cheese from ten paces. Seriously, the foods I eat on a regular basis I can eyeball within 3g. But it wasn't always thus.
It takes practice and consistency.0 -
I understand your frustration. I also have tried many things that allow others to lose weight and have lost very little. I have come to the conclusion that I need to stick to trying to meet my calorie goal that MFP has calculated and eating back exercise calories, but not all of them. I have tried the super low calorie and feel terrible and low energy. So, find that level which allows you to have energy to work out, but you are truly hungry at meal times. As far from the medical perspective, you can have normal labs and still have a thyroid that is slower than normal. I do, so this makes losing slower. I also have hypoglycemia, which any blood sugar metabolism issues slow weight loss. My blood sugar labs are normal, but only because I know how to manage it with my diet. Soooo....just because your labs are normal, you have to learn about your body and how what you put into it affects you. Just because it works for everyone else, you may have to be patient and give it more time. I have had to accept the slow and steady route.
I do have some suggestios for you based on your diary. It looks like you eat a lots of carbs and sugar at breakfast. I try to save my biggest carb meal for right after exercise and that has helped. You seem to eat out often. It is so difficult to be truly honest when you eat out. Even if you look at the menu ahead of time online, it is so hard to meet your goals when eating out. Estimating what your nutrition truly is by finding the closest match on the MFP database can be off my hundreds of calories! You are consuming a fair amount of sodium and processed food. A lot of those 10 lbs you have may be water retention. Lastly, upping the vegetable and some fruit would be a great goal.
Whatever you do, don't give up!0 -
I followed the youtube link that someone suggested regarding weighing your food -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY
I found that when I weighed my supper food tonight (first time ever) it was actually 300 calories more than the MFP estimate I had chosen (3 chicken thighs and a potato). Imagine doing that 6 days a week: that's 1800 calories that I wasn't expecting. That would add up to gaining 2 lbs per month and wondering why that was happening.
I have to completely agree with the suggestion of weighing your food and not relying on an estimate. You want to be as realistic as possible.
Same goes for the MFP exercise estimates. When I go for a 90 minute bike ride, my Garmin heart rate monitor says I burn around 850 calories whereas MFP estimates that I burn 2300 calories. I'd rather take the lower HRM value.0 -
I am one of those people with a very slow metabolism. When you saw a nutrtionist did they do tests to figure out your individual metabolic rate? If I had 1800 calories per day I would be gaining weight. I tend to maintain at 1400 per day, and do not really lose until I get under 1200. When in weight loss mode, I'm usually getting in 1000 calories a day. People here may say I am nuts, buit I am under the supervision of a doc, and 6 months of recording every bite, along with watching the pounds disappear don't lie. The math "formula" that people use for TDEE or TEDAH, or whatever it is called does not work for everyone because we are all INDIVIDUALS, and we all precess food differently. So....what did "starvation mode" mean? If you are getting in 1200 per day, you are not starving. I do take supplements, and I exercise moderately...no extremes on anything. Anyway, don't give up....just do something different.0
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No. It is not important to stay under/over all the MFP macro values. But if you have messed with your insulin sensitivity there is only one way to break that cycle from my experience and that is to reduce carbohydrate intake. I know this is a controversial subject but it does work for a lot of people and it is sustainable. Again not preaching no carb but if you are over on sugars (carbs) regularly then you are not going to lose weight very easily. My view. Good luck.0
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Okay, I've made my diary public. I would just like to add that the past few weeks have been weird because of finals and moving home from college, so I'm still adjusting to the way my parents do things and what I have to add or subtract from what they're doing.
Also, no I have not been measuring because I have been on the meal plan at college, since I live in a dorm and it would be very hard to cook for myself and too easy to eat microwave food. So I eat (healthily) at the dining halls. And I know the look a lot of you have right now but I go to a very large school with very nice dining halls. Trust me on ths one.
If you're not measuring your food and you eat something that someone else prepared, how the heck do you know how many calories you are consuming? The answer is: you don't!!! It's time to start being honest with yourself.0 -
There are a lot of numbers between 1200 and 1800. It seems like 1800 is too many for weight loss for you. I would eat 1800 cals. if I wanted to weight 180 lbs. (rule of thumb).
That rule of thumb has to be one of the worst out there...and yet its persistence is remarkable.
Anyhow, in...
...hopefully to catch up.
ETA: For what it's worth, as an n=1 example of the ridiculousness of that "rule", my calculated NEAT+BMR (or TDEE - additional exercise) has averaged ~2400 during the past two years. Based on that "rule", I should have weighed 240 when I actually weighed 152 to 180 during that time.0 -
I followed the youtube link that someone suggested regarding weighing your food -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY
I found that when I weighed my supper food tonight (first time ever) it was actually 300 calories more than the MFP estimate I had chosen (3 chicken thighs and a potato). Imagine doing that 6 days a week: that's 1800 calories that I wasn't expecting. That would add up to gaining 2 lbs per month and wondering why that was happening.
I have to completely agree with the suggestion of weighing your food and not relying on an estimate. You want to be as realistic as possible.
Same goes for the MFP exercise estimates. When I go for a 90 minute bike ride, my Garmin heart rate monitor says I burn around 850 calories whereas MFP estimates that I burn 2300 calories. I'd rather take the lower HRM value.
Glad it was helpful, I've found similar things. Ice cream was the biggest one for me. :sad:0 -
There are a lot of numbers between 1200 and 1800. It seems like 1800 is too many for weight loss for you. I would eat 1800 cals. if I wanted to weight 180 lbs. (rule of thumb).
Are you kidding me? That is ridiculous. My maintenance calories is 2200 cals per day and I weigh 138lbs, this is exercising 5 days a week. Even with no exercising at all, my maintenance calories are 1900 cals. So this is just not true.
Chances are you aren't eating the right calories for weight loss and you need to re-calculate or try dropping to 1400/1500 calories and see if you lose anything... you are probably eating too many calories but I don't think 1800 calories is too many, but it's also not enough of a deficit for a 1lb per week loss which is desirable when initially losing weight (and if you have more than just 5-10lbs to lose). Are you weighing all your foods properly? I think it sounds to be like your logging isn't reflecting your true calorie intake.0 -
starvation mode = myth. eat less and lose0
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You've had all the buy a scale and weigh your food properly advice you can probably take, but looking through your diary I can't fail to notice that you do not log your drinks.
You really need to do this as these too add calories to your daily amount. I can drink nearly 200 calories a day, but they have to come off my total daily allowance.0
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