trying to eat healthy but still gaining weight.

sherryb3052
sherryb3052 Posts: 24
in Food and Nutrition
I have been eating healthier than I ever have but am still gaining weight. Look over my food diary and tell me what I'm doing wrong, please. I would like to fix things that my family will also eat because this keeps me on track.
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Replies

  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    It doesn't matter the types of food you eat, what is key to weight loss is a calorie deficit. if you are gaining weight, you are still eating at a surplus.

    and your diary is not public.
  • wordena
    wordena Posts: 177 Member
    Healthy foods are nutritious and important for you. But without stringent portion control on almost everything but vegetables, weight gain will still happen. But yourself a food scale and start measuring. Youd be surprised what one serving really is.
  • twixlepennie
    twixlepennie Posts: 1,074 Member
    It doesn't matter the types of food you eat, what is key to weight loss is a calorie deficit. if you are gaining weight, you are still eating at a surplus.

    and your diary is not public.

    This.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    your diary isnt public.

    also if you're eating more food than you require then you will gain weight, regardless if it's "healthy" or not. after all sumo wrestlers eat primarily healthy foods too
  • heatherota
    heatherota Posts: 8
    Exercise is needed. If you are a mother with little one's around, walk them to the park, play ball with them, go swimming with them, anything to get you moving.

    Portion control is key too. Buy a food scale and measure EVERYTHING
  • sunryzer
    sunryzer Posts: 31 Member
    Portion control is the thing that will amaze you. Get out the food scale and the measuring cups and prepare for some surprises!

    In some cases, when I starting measuring portions, I found that I had previously been eating double (or greater) the actual portion!
  • sherryb3052
    sherryb3052 Posts: 24
    Thanks for the reply. I changed my diary settings to public. I will keep your advice in mind. I'm sure I need to increase exercise.:smile:
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    Exercise is needed. If you are a mother with little one's around, walk them to the park, play ball with them, go swimming with them, anything to get you moving.

    Portion control is key too. Buy a food scale and measure EVERYTHING

    Exercise isn't needed for weightloss, just a caloric deficit.
  • Rachelito
    Rachelito Posts: 119 Member
    After going back a few days in your diary I can see that you are not eating nearly enough. On top of that, what you are eating is a lot of pre-packaged food and take-out. Those are sodium bombs which can cause you to retain water.

    You should start measuring everything you eat and drinking tons of water. Both of those will help tremendously with seeing the scale move in the right direction.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    I would suggest starting here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    It's a lot of reading, and all of the linked posts are worth reading too, but it should get you going in the right direction again.
  • JoJo__Fit
    JoJo__Fit Posts: 258 Member
    Measure your food
    Drink tons of water
    Cut the sodium in half
    Try cooking your meals more, that way you know exactly how much your eating and what your eating
    Exercise
    Eat a little more you are eating only 800 calories or so. It's a lifestyle not a diet, think about the long run :)
  • obsidianwings
    obsidianwings Posts: 1,237 Member
    Your diary suggests you are eating hardly anything, so my guess is if you are putting on weight you are logging wrong. Make sure you weigh everything, and input your own recipes if you are not already.
    Apart from that, are you weighing to often perhaps? Don't forget you weight you fluctuate quite a bit. I suggest weighing only once a week, in the morning after the toilet, before breakfast, to take away as many variables as possible.
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
    Your diary is not consistent - and it shows huge amounts of carbs and very little protein...Start weighing and measure everything, log it all and up your protein - a peanutbutter mayo and banana sandwich for breakfast is not healthy....
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    I expect that you're eating far more than you think. Your either not logging everything or what you're logging is inaccurate. 1 sandwich isn't really a measurement. Also some fresh fruit and Veg would be good as you are severely lacking in that department.
  • twixlepennie
    twixlepennie Posts: 1,074 Member
    Exercise is needed. If you are a mother with little one's around, walk them to the park, play ball with them, go swimming with them, anything to get you moving.

    Portion control is key too. Buy a food scale and measure EVERYTHING

    Exercise isn't needed for weightloss, just a caloric deficit.

    This.
    <
    lost over 50lbs wihout any exercise. Did'nt start until I transitioned into maintenance :)
  • 1ZenGirl
    1ZenGirl Posts: 432 Member
    I would suggest starting here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    It's a lot of reading, and all of the linked posts are worth reading too, but it should get you going in the right direction again.

    Perfect advice. You can own this but you will have to do the research. Frankly that link gets you the knowledge you likely need. Best of luck to you!
  • twixlepennie
    twixlepennie Posts: 1,074 Member
    I would suggest starting here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    It's a lot of reading, and all of the linked posts are worth reading too, but it should get you going in the right direction again.

    +1
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    you are eating more calories than you are logging. for instance from panera's website, half that grilled chicken ceasar salad is 220 calories, you have it as 70 calories.

    the calories counts you have in panera sandwiches also look off.

    MFP has an extensive database but many things are wrong. i recently found something that was listed as being 600 calories less than what it really should be. if something seems to good to be true calorie wise in our database, then odds are it's wrong
  • betreich
    betreich Posts: 51 Member
    Hi Sherryb, good on you for trying to make some positive changes, but as you have asked for opinions, I am going to be honest. Have had a look at your food diary. Your tracking of intake has lots of gaps. Horrified by the amount of processed and junk food you eat - suggest you think about adding some more fresh food, vegetables and fruit on a daily basis, The other thing is portion control is paramount. If you really don't know what constitutes a healthy diet suggest you look for guidelines to help. I don't know what country you live in , but here in Australia our government publishes healthy food guidelines. It basically outlines what a healthy diet consists of and gives daily targets for fruit and veg intake, protein, fats etc. It suggests what a healthy plate of food looks like. Maybe you can access something similar where you are? The other thing is, apart from weight loss, I can't help to feel a diet full of processed food like yours would lead to low energy levels, and basically make you feel like crap. You have the power to make healthy changes. All the best.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    you are eating more calories than you are logging. for instance from panera's website, half that grilled chicken ceasar salad is 220 calories, you have it as 70 calories.

    the calories counts you have in panera sandwiches also look off.

    MFP has an extensive database but many things are wrong. i recently found something that was listed as being 600 calories less than what it really should be. if something seems to good to be true calorie wise in our database, then odds are it's wrong

    bingo.

    the whole process is a simple equation. OP is eating more than they think.
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
    weight loss is simply quantity not quality.

    you are eating more than youre burning.

    EDIT: had a look at your diary. it's all over the place. 700 some days, 1300 some days. you need to weigh/measure EVERYTHING you eat. you are either underestimating cal intake or overestimating cal burn.
  • mortuseon
    mortuseon Posts: 579 Member
    Your diary is not consistent - and it shows huge amounts of carbs and very little protein...Start weighing and measure everything, log it all and up your protein - a peanutbutter mayo and banana sandwich for breakfast is not healthy....

    ain't nothin' wrong with it if it fits your calories (and macros if tracking them...)
  • psych0kitty
    psych0kitty Posts: 313
    Yeah, something is off.

    If you're really only eating 800-1200 calories a day, you should have dropped a ton of weight quickly and then run into problems because that's typically not enough food.

    The basic principals to follow are:
    1. Drink enough water (at least 1/2 a gallon a day)
    2. Eat fresh, real foods whenever possible (because they will fill you up and give you nutrients, though you can lose weight eating all junk food)
    3. Weigh those foods on a food scale so that you know how much you are really eating
    4. Log every food/drink you consume
    5. Check the accuracy of other people's MFP entries via http://nutritiondata.self.com/ or similar if you are unsure (for instance, Panera lists all of their nutrition data on their website and it's semi-customizable)
    6. Eat less calories than you use each day (you can find an estimate here (http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/)
    7. Do not overestimate your activity.

    This thread is good, too http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013
  • SimoneBee12
    SimoneBee12 Posts: 268 Member
    After going back a few days in your diary I can see that you are not eating nearly enough. On top of that, what you are eating is a lot of pre-packaged food and take-out. Those are sodium bombs which can cause you to retain water.

    You should start measuring everything you eat and drinking tons of water. Both of those will help tremendously with seeing the scale move in the right direction.

    +1

    I went back almost a week in your diary, and you have some kind of take-away everyday, the amount of sodium in take-away food is amazingly high, not only is it bad for your health in general, but sodium helps retain water, so that could be the weight you're seeing.

    Everyone is suggesting you weigh everything, because it is mostly likely your major problem, but until you start cooking your own food, I don't see how that is possible.
  • abramerickson
    abramerickson Posts: 14 Member
    I looked at your diary. Your eating high carbs and low protein. Reverse that and you will lose weight. You will lose weight with your current calorie deficit but continuing to eat crap (processed foods, sugar, high carbs.) instead of clean will ensure long term failure.

    Also, if you find yourself eating a mayo / peanut butter sandwich throw it in the garbage immediately and eat some salmon, lean chicken or turkey. Eat as many vegetables as you want.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    I looked at your diary. Your eating high carbs and low protein. Reverse that and you will lose weight. You will lose weight with your current calorie deficit but continuing to eat crap (processed foods, sugar, high carbs.) instead of clean will ensure long term failure.

    Also, if you find yourself eating a mayo / peanut butter sandwich throw it in the garbage immediately and eat some salmon, lean chicken or turkey. Eat as many vegetables as you want.
    not if she isn't counting what she's eating. It wouldn't matter if she just magically flipped her macros, she wouldn't lose weight if she was still eating too much.
  • tonedthighsbubblebutt
    tonedthighsbubblebutt Posts: 40
    It looks like you eat a lot of ready meals/heavily processed meals. That can make your sodium intake fairly high. Are you drinking water? Limit your sugary drinks and drink more water to avoid water retention from the excess sodium. It also appears that your calorie estimates are off for some of the panera meals. When in doubt make a new food entry with nutritional info from their website or food wrapper. I suggest making more meals at home and accurately calculating your calorie intake. Do you currently eat any fruits or vegetables? Make it your goal to test new recipes and to incorporate more whole foods. If you're on the go a lot, you can easily preplan snacks to bring. Try mixed nuts, fruit and pb, hummus and veggies, homemade granola and yogurt, etc. If cooking is intimidating or stressful, perhaps you could make it a family activity so you're not doing it alone.
  • becmarkwick
    becmarkwick Posts: 21 Member
    Hi There,

    I have a couple of suggestions:

    1. replace your sugary drinks with water
    2. Try a breakfast that has some good carbs and protein that will keep you full
    3. Limit takeaway - even if you are logging it correctly - the people who make it for you aren't measuring it when they make it, so it is guaranteed to be more calories then listed.
    4. try to have regular meals and snacks. I know I can have snacks at around 150 calories, and a main meal 300-400 calories.
    5. If you are eating takeaway as you are pressed for time - try cooking up a batch of something - bolognaise is a great one, and instead of spagetti on its own, you stir fry up zuchinni strips to go with the spagetti = less calories.
    6. Swap your pizza for a different takeaway - I regularly have subway (without the cheese) or sumo salad.
    7. Measure everything.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    i think some of the posters on here are ignoring the obvious and giving too many nitpicky advice about the types of food the OP should be eating.

    as long as she is relatively healthy with no issues with sodium, sugar, fat then the WHATs of her calories goals arent going to be at all important.

    regardless is she eats takeaway a lot if not really the concern if she gets it to fit in her calorie goals. the main issue is that many of the things in her diary dont have the correct amount of calories. there are plenty of people on this website who have lost , and maintained, loads of pounds lost while eating pizza, mayo, peanut butter, taco bells, mcdonald, etc
  • jshort152
    jshort152 Posts: 80
    It is probably just too many calories overall or a high % of carbs or fats in comparison to protein, open your diary to people to view.

    Jesse Short, ISSA- CFT.SSC

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