I need help.

LoganAnthony6
LoganAnthony6 Posts: 164
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everyone. I'm coming here seeking help because I feel that my weight has not been budging much despite me eating the appropriate amount of calories, working out and making sure to eat back those exercise calories. I havn't been tracking on the website here for a little while, but I have been calculating everything that's been going in my mouth on my own accord. My real question is this: Should I be eating strictly healthy? My 'diet' definitely doesn't consist of much that's good for me, i'll be honest. I always hear that a calorie is a calorie though.
Are there any people out there who were in the same boat as me that switched over to healthy foods and started to see a drop in weight?
For the record, i've been taking measurements and I have gone down a few inches, but my midsection just WILL NOT budge.
I've been at this since january and only managed to lose a tiny 3 inches from my midsection.
Please help.
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Replies

  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    When you say you've been calculating on your own accord, does that mean you have been tracking on a spreadsheet or other app?

    If you're not tracking, you should.

    If you are tracking, what deficit are you eating at?

    How do you determine your caloric intake and exercise calories?

    Lots of information gaps. Regarding healthy food, that's up to you. If you're eating calorie-dense, high sodium foods, and not tracking, you're probably just eating more than you think.
  • LoganAnthony6
    LoganAnthony6 Posts: 164
    When you say you've been calculating on your own accord, does that mean you have been tracking on a spreadsheet or other app?

    If you're not tracking, you should.

    If you are tracking, what deficit are you eating at?

    How do you determine your caloric intake and exercise calories?

    Lots of information gaps. Regarding healthy food, that's up to you. If you're eating calorie-dense, high sodium foods, and not tracking, you're probably just eating more than you think.

    I've been eating packaged goods for the most part and I look at the nutrition label to gauge how many calories I am consuming. From there, I write all my information down on a piece of paper and add it up at the end of the day. As for calculating calories burned, I have a polar FT7 that I use every time I lift weights, go biking or walk.
  • elleloch
    elleloch Posts: 739 Member
    I'm a huge believer in whole, nutritious food.

    You said yourself you know it isn't "good" for you so why do you eat it? I don't profess to eat a perfect diet but I'd say 80-90 percent of my intake is pretty damn healthy.
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member

    I've been eating packaged goods for the most part and I look at the nutrition label to gauge how many calories I am consuming. From there, I write all my information down on a piece of paper and add it up at the end of the day. As for calculating calories burned, I have a polar FT7 that I use every time I lift weights, go biking or walk.

    This could very well be your trouble. HRMs are designed to work during steady state cardio ONLY. So, great for biking or to a lesser degree for walking, but if you're using it to calculate how much you burn during a lifting session and eating back those calories, you're probably eating back too much because HRMs are not accurate at all during weight lifting.
  • LoganAnthony6
    LoganAnthony6 Posts: 164

    I've been eating packaged goods for the most part and I look at the nutrition label to gauge how many calories I am consuming. From there, I write all my information down on a piece of paper and add it up at the end of the day. As for calculating calories burned, I have a polar FT7 that I use every time I lift weights, go biking or walk.

    This could very well be your trouble. HRMs are designed to work during steady state cardio ONLY. So, great for biking or to a lesser degree for walking, but if you're using it to calculate how much you burn during a lifting session and eating back those calories, you're probably eating back too much because HRMs are not accurate at all during weight lifting.

    I see where you're coming from with this, but to be fair, my HRM will only calculate MAYBE an additional 80 calories for a twenty minute lifting session, which many people will argue is far less than what you actually would burn during that time, so I really doubt that's the issue.
  • conniemaxwell5
    conniemaxwell5 Posts: 943 Member
    I think 3" from your midsection is quite good for 6 months of effort. How many inches have you lost elsewhere? What is your daily calorie deficit?
  • LoganAnthony6
    LoganAnthony6 Posts: 164
    I'm a huge believer in whole, nutritious food.

    You said yourself you know it isn't "good" for you so why do you eat it? I don't profess to eat a perfect diet but I'd say 80-90 percent of my intake is pretty damn healthy.

    I'm young and don't worry about my overall health at the moment. So why not eat tasty, convenient foods and still lose weight? That was the idea, anyways. If I discover my food choices are what's holding me back, i'll make a change.
  • LoganAnthony6
    LoganAnthony6 Posts: 164
    I think 3" from your midsection is quite good for 6 months of effort. How many inches have you lost elsewhere? What is your daily calorie deficit?

    When you look at it that way, it doesn't seem ALL that bad.. But it just seems like I should be losing a lot more than that at the amount of effort i'm putting into my work outs. Overall, I believe i've lost somewhere in the range of at least 10 inches total from my body since the beginning of the year, but most of that was from the first few months.. Things have slowed drastically.

    ETA: My daily calorie deficit varies depending on the day, but it's anywhere from 100 - 800 calories a day.
  • elleloch
    elleloch Posts: 739 Member
    [/quote]

    So why not eat tasty, convenient foods and still lose weight?
    [/quote]

    Healthy food can taste great and be convenient.

    Why are you not concerned about your health?
  • elleloch
    elleloch Posts: 739 Member

    So why not eat tasty, convenient foods and still lose weight?

    Healthy food can taste great and be convenient.

    Why are you not concerned about your health?
    [/quote]
  • LoganAnthony6
    LoganAnthony6 Posts: 164

    So why not eat tasty, convenient foods and still lose weight?

    Healthy food can taste great and be convenient.

    Why are you not concerned about your health?
    [/quote]


    I appreciate the response, but we're going off topic here. My health is not of issue or concern at the moment.. All i'm worried about right now is lowering my weight. One thing at a time.
  • hide_yo_cats
    hide_yo_cats Posts: 83 Member
    Start tracking here. Track absolutely everything, weigh everything for accuracy.
    Try it for at least a month.
    I wouldn't worry much about eating "clean" as long as you stay within your calories and macros.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    I'm young and don't worry about my overall health at the moment. So why not eat tasty, convenient foods and still lose weight? That was the idea, anyways. If I discover my food choices are what's holding me back, i'll make a change.

    You should care about your overall health. Building muscles, healthy skin, etc depend on getting a decent nutrient mix. Aside from that, are you accounting for alcohol?

    If your goal is to lose weight, you're consuming too many calories. Just have to figure out where the miscalculation is coming from.
  • LoganAnthony6
    LoganAnthony6 Posts: 164
    I'm young and don't worry about my overall health at the moment. So why not eat tasty, convenient foods and still lose weight? That was the idea, anyways. If I discover my food choices are what's holding me back, i'll make a change.

    You should care about your overall health. Building muscles, healthy skin, etc depend on getting a decent nutrient mix. Aside from that, are you accounting for alcohol?

    If your goal is to lose weight, you're consuming too many calories. Just have to figure out where the miscalculation is coming from.

    I make sure to calculate everything included my liquids, so yes, alcohol is definitely being accounted for.
  • elleloch
    elleloch Posts: 739 Member
    80 percent of weight loss is the food you consume. Yeah, "a calorie is a calorie," but the quality of your calories matters too. Your body will want more food if you aren't giving it the nutrients it needs. That's why it's easier to eat one apple, and harder to stop at one potato chip.

    So if your weight loss stalls and you keep doing the same thing, expect the same result. If you've plateaued you need to change things up. You need to tweak your diet and you need to challenge your body more with exercise.
  • manders376
    manders376 Posts: 53 Member
    Processed food has a lot of sodium and for some people causes them to retain water weight even if they are eating at a deficit.
  • hollygoddess
    hollygoddess Posts: 78 Member
    Watch the fat & salt intake, also: ever tried NOT eating back exercise calories?
  • LoganAnthony6
    LoganAnthony6 Posts: 164
    Processed food has a lot of sodium and for some people causes them to retain water weight even if they are eating at a deficit.

    I understand that the high sodium foods cause us to retain water, but looking past that the weight still hasn't budged in about the past twoish months.
  • LoganAnthony6
    LoganAnthony6 Posts: 164
    Watch the fat & salt intake, also: ever tried NOT eating back exercise calories?

    I have at one point but not for too long... Perhaps this will be a good thing to do. I'll give it a shot for a while and see how it goes.
  • BiblioTrecho
    BiblioTrecho Posts: 26 Member
    Ignoring what others have already said about diet, has your workout stayed the same? It could be that you hit a plateau and you need to switch things up a bit. Add some HIIT or plyometrics.

    However, and let me find a dead horse so I can continue to beat it, I do agree with everyone else about watching what you’re eating. Yes, a calorie is a calorie, but if those packaged foods have high sodium, it could be that you’re retaining water. Or if you’re have a rum and coke, that carbonation could be causing a slightly distended belly so that you don’t see as much of results as you think you do.

    I know I went from steady weight loss to a plateau last week and when I looked back at my macro nutrients it was because my sodium was through the roof and it was all water weight.
  • csheltra26
    csheltra26 Posts: 272 Member
    ETA: My daily calorie deficit varies depending on the day, but it's anywhere from 100 - 800 calories a day.

    How did you figure out your maintenance calorie goal?
  • CorvusCorax77
    CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member
    I think things like proper macros and sufficient fiber matter, which are easier to get from "healthy" foods. And some things make you bloat (that's not fat, that's air) like soda pop.
  • sympha01
    sympha01 Posts: 942 Member
    I have had a similar experience in the past. I find that I lose weight more consistently when I track "officially" with MFP or something similar. The reasons?

    1. No rounding cheats and no measurement cheats. Using a scratch pad, I was both more likely to round down numbers and more likely to "eyeball" a serving size than I am entering into MFP.
    2. It's more motivating to keep a long term record.
    3. (Your mileage may vary) tracking officially does encourage me to track nutrients other than calories and that makes me more aware of the effects of what I'm doing. I find that motivates me to eat better, which is (surprisingly) MORE DELICIOUS than packaged foods, at least after a week or so adjusting. Weird, right?

    Seriously though, rounding cheats and measurement cheats were killing me. And you have to ask yourself, WHY are you resistant to tracking on MFP? You may have a different reason that what I suspect, but is it possible that you're doing this on some level because you want the freedom to cheat? It won't work if you're not really accountable to yourself.

    A calorie is a calorie and I'm not a believer in magic science. That being said, really, it is better to eat some healthy foods for so many reasons. Healthy foods make you feel more full, for one thing; packaged foods tend to make you want to keep eating (by design; it's not just an unfortunate coincidence). But also, it shouldn't matter in the long run but the high sodium in packaged food will make you retain water and that will really hide progress on the scale.
  • LoganAnthony6
    LoganAnthony6 Posts: 164
    ETA: My daily calorie deficit varies depending on the day, but it's anywhere from 100 - 800 calories a day.

    How did you figure out your maintenance calorie goal?

    I figured it out through the scooby website and this one.. They both varied quite a bit, so I went somewhere in the middle, thinking that would yield the best results.
  • jsiricos
    jsiricos Posts: 340 Member
    You are here, on MFP, posting for help.

    So here it is, log everything here, on MFP, its an eye opener. a lot of foods I thought were "healthy" turned out to be "whoa" moments
    What is it going to hurt? what is it going to cost you?

    Quit procrastinating, start logging :p
  • LoganAnthony6
    LoganAnthony6 Posts: 164
    I have had a similar experience in the past. I find that I lose weight more consistently when I track "officially" with MFP or something similar. The reasons?

    1. No rounding cheats and no measurement cheats. Using a scratch pad, I was both more likely to round down numbers and more likely to "eyeball" a serving size than I am entering into MFP.
    2. It's more motivating to keep a long term record.
    3. (Your mileage may vary) tracking officially does encourage me to track nutrients other than calories and that makes me more aware of the effects of what I'm doing. I find that motivates me to eat better, which is (surprisingly) MORE DELICIOUS than packaged foods, at least after a week or so adjusting. Weird, right?

    Seriously though, rounding cheats and measurement cheats were killing me. And you have to ask yourself, WHY are you resistant to tracking on MFP? You may have a different reason that what I suspect, but is it possible that you're doing this on some level because you want the freedom to cheat? It won't work if you're not really accountable to yourself.

    A calorie is a calorie and I'm not a believer in magic science. That being said, really, it is better to eat some healthy foods for so many reasons. Healthy foods make you feel more full, for one thing; packaged foods tend to make you want to keep eating (by design; it's not just an unfortunate coincidence). But also, it shouldn't matter in the long run but the high sodium in packaged food will make you retain water and that will really hide progress on the scale.

    I understand where you're coming from. The only real reason why I stopped tracking on MFP was mostly because it was just too redundant for me and I wanted a break from it. But as I believe I stated before, even when I was tracking on MFP, the weight wasn't really coming off. If it was, it was coming off at a snails pace. We're talking about 1lb of weight loss per month.

    I'll try a few different things as mentioned above and see what happens. Let's hope I see some results.
  • DearJuliaG
    DearJuliaG Posts: 20 Member
    Hi. I know everyone loses weight differently, but I feel your pain. I have found that a calorie is NOT a calorie and nutrition is important. I can eat more food when I eat vegetables, fruits and beans, and end up eating less and feeling hungrier when I consume grains. I cut way back on grains and dairy, and it has made such a difference, and mostly in my midsection. Also, plant nutrients will help rev your metabolism. Also, eating 5 times per day is what is working for me. Each main meal (breakfast lunch dinner) is smaller and I add in 2 snacks in between. Each time I eat, I drink a glass of water,not just to help me feel like I am eating enough but being hydrated also keeps the body working more efficiently.

    Good luck :)
  • kmbweber2014
    kmbweber2014 Posts: 680 Member
    I think for most people it varies. I eat mostly healthy because I think it works better for me to lose weight. Some people can eat whatever they want as long as they are at a deficit. Best thing to do is experiment with it, try eating clean and healthy (at least 70% clean) for at least 4 weeks and see how it works out.
  • LoganAnthony6
    LoganAnthony6 Posts: 164
    Hi. I know everyone loses weight differently, but I feel your pain. I have found that a calorie is NOT a calorie and nutrition is important. I can eat more food when I eat vegetables, fruits and beans, and end up eating less and feeling hungrier when I consume grains. I cut way back on grains and dairy, and it has made such a difference, and mostly in my midsection. Also, plant nutrients will help rev your metabolism. Also, eating 5 times per day is what is working for me. Each main meal (breakfast lunch dinner) is smaller and I add in 2 snacks in between. Each time I eat, I drink a glass of water,not just to help me feel like I am eating enough but being hydrated also keeps the body working more efficiently.

    Good luck :)

    Really helpful post! Thank you for this.
  • chubbiebunny4444
    chubbiebunny4444 Posts: 9
    a calorie IS just a calorie buuuuuut, calories arent the only things that makes up a food... the'res also fat and carbohydrate components
    that could effect how it is absorbed and processed into your body and to be honest nobody really wants to count their fat and carbs intake (or at least my lazy bum doesnt want to) counting calories is already enough work ahah jus try to stick with natural foods like straight off the tree or ground :) thats obviously not always going to be possible but most things you find that the local produce stores are wayyy better than microwavable meals! Good luck :]

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