Would you mind looking at my diary and advising me?

I dont see anything in your diary that really calls out to me. You are way more meticulous than most about logging things (spices!).

All I can say is that you probably are just hitting a natural plateau and will push past it in a week or two. 2+ lbs/week for 2 months is a pretty solid achievement and you should be proud.

If you think it might help, try changing things up for a week. Maybe not eat at a deficit for a week and see if that kickstarts your body into losing again? I read a lot about people's bodies adapting to deficits so tricking it might help.

Anyway, you are doing great and no need to worry too much.

I know some people have a plaeteau for far longer but till now you seem to have done everything right, you lost a bunch!
Maybe try changing your exercise routine that might help.

The only suggestion I might have is that you could up your fiber intake a bit, might help with the loss too

i definitely don't agree that clean eating is simply a "preference." but, if you have reached a plateau, it doesn't hurt to change up your diet and see if that can help - "clean eating" and replacing processed foods or bad carbs with unprocessed foods and good carbs is a good place to start, in my opinion.

well, i never said the weight will magically fall off. she asked for comments and feedback on her food diary, which is what i gave.

im also not sure what you are qualifying as good vs. bad foods, because it's pretty clear that most good foods will have more nutrients, which seems to be the point you are making above. empty or bad calories is NOT the same thing as good calories. i recommended that she replace some of the processed foods or the "bad" carbs with good carbs, which have a much higher nutritional value and probably just as much calories. you get much more health-wise out of eating a cup of chickpeas than you do eating white pita bread, even though the calorie-count is probably fairly similar. pasta is not the same thing as eating a piece of salmon with grilled veggies and quinoa, even though the calories may be similar.

there is a problem with eating too many processed, packaged foods or refined/processed carbs (e.g. white bread). white bread has almost no nutritional value, and, if im not mistaken, the pasta and pita bread from yesterday's diary entry were probably processed carbs. i am not saying that you have to eat 100% clean, but, if you are eating 5 or 6 or more packaged/processed foods a day, it might be time to cut back and see if that can help you lose weight. if, by replacing some foods, you find that you are not eating enough calories, then replace it with something else that has higher calories. it's not about just replacing a piece of raisin bread with a carrot.

ive struggled with eating enough calories while following a clean diet, but there are clean foods you can add into your diet to increase your calorie intake, and that's exactly what i've been trying to do. i do eat unclean foods now and again as well. add an avocado in there for some more calories. add a banana. add a cup of carrots. add in some beans.

Hey there! :-)

I think we have a logging issue here.... *sherlock holmes face*

Your baked potatoes are exactly 100g, your broccoli is exactly 50g, your beans are exactly 150g.

I eat baked potatoes all the time - I haven't had two weigh the same amount yet. Perhaps you are estimating rather than weighing?

Time to get the scales out!

ALSO your babies are Absolutely Gorgeous. Beyond cute. :-)

Good luck! xx

Don't worry it's just the clean eating vs IIFYM argument, it happens all the time :flowerforyou:

Which is FOREVER hijacking other people's threads. *sigh*

I wish the IIFYM (for the uninitiated, this stands for 'If It Fits The Parameters Which You Have Arbitrarily Selected For Yourself') zealots would join forces with the clean eating ('Piety Our Speciality') zealots and start their own thread.

And stay there. No offence but it's getting old.

Thanks for all of your comments.... I didnt want to start an argument :-(

Don't worry it's just the clean eating vs IIFYM argument, it happens all the time :flowerforyou:

Oh, this was no argument. The posters were being quite civil and there is a refreshing lack of snark. And actually, Kyle, your explanation was very rationale as well as accurate. A calorie is a calorie, but we all know there is more strategies to being successful than simply counting calories.

True, snark level was surprisingly low, I think we're getting somewhere as a group.

I agree with weighing your food if you have the option. I don't have a scale yet, so it's a tad hypocritical of me, but I know measuring isn't as accurate and whenever I'm not sure, I under-measure or overestimate a bit. Not the greatest, but until I have the means to do better.... ::shrug::

Clean eating certainly has it's benefits, but does not in itself affect weight loss. If you are accurately tracking to be sure that you're eating at a deficit, you can lose weight eating pizza and ice cream every day.

The other thing you'll hear along the way (if you haven't already) is that "weight loss isn't linear," meaning that you will have times when you simply don't lose what you expect to for a week or whatever. It is part of the deal and doesn't necessarily indicate that you are doing something wrong. Maybe you are retaining a little extra water or whatever. My weight actually went up over the last few days almost 4 pounds - I just carried on, didn't stress about it, and ended up losing that and an extra four! Why? I have no idea, but I'll take it!!

A short time doesn't really indicate a plateau - it's just part of the natural way of things. Sounds like you're off to a great start! Hang in there.

ETA: Your kids really are adorable!

And thus ends the refreshing lack of snark.

Busted! :bigsmile:

And thus ends the refreshing lack of snark.

Busted! :bigsmile:

We all have our moments. :laugh:

this is my new favorite link for all things plateau:

http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/

It covers all of the common problems with why the weight isn't coming off. Another good one to use for plateaus is this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CHWwSnMQ6o

I respectfully disagree that plateaus are "natural" or simply "part of the deal". There are reasons why a given intake is no longer allowing you to lose weight... but if you remain at the same weight for more than a week, you're probably no longer eating at a deficit. Remember that the number of calories you need to eat to lose weight isn't defined by MFP or some other online calculator. Check out those links, put them to practice, and you will lose weight.

Possibly a matter of semantics. Long-term true plateaus, maybe so. But people use the word so lightly. "I haven't lost for one week - I've hit a plateau" - but on day 8 lose three pounds.

This was my experience over the last week and a half or so. Hormonal, water retention - weight actually went up (per the scale anyhow) almost four pounds. I just kept doing what I was doing and end up not only back to where I was, but a 4.6 pound loss!

Given that the OP only joined in July and notes eight weeks of losses, I believe it's a real possibility that it's something more along that line.

Hey there! :-)

I think we have a logging issue here.... *sherlock holmes face*

Your baked potatoes are exactly 100g, your broccoli is exactly 50g, your beans are exactly 150g.

I eat baked potatoes all the time - I haven't had two weigh the same amount yet. Perhaps you are estimating rather than weighing?

Time to get the scales out!

ALSO your babies are Absolutely Gorgeous. Beyond cute. :-)



Good luck! xx

I would also like to add that a 100 gr potato, or 50 grs of broccoli are almost nothing and many people who eyeball their food for weight have no idea how little it really is. I eat a lot of sweet potatoes and never have come across one that is even close to 100 grs and even a modest amount of broccoli is around 150grs/5oz.

Thanks for all of your comments.... I didnt want to start an argument :-(

Don't worry it's just the clean eating vs IIFYM argument, it happens all the time :flowerforyou:

Oh, this was no argument. The posters were being quite civil and there is a refreshing lack of snark. And actually, Kyle, your explanation was very rationale as well as accurate. A calorie is a calorie, but we all know there is more strategies to being successful than simply counting calories.

True, snark level was surprisingly low, I think we're getting somewhere as a group.

:flowerforyou:

ETA: For the record, I never mentioned IIFYM in my responses.

Nor did I, but I'm nowhere near a clean enough eater to be mistaken for being in that group. :laugh: