Am I doing something wrong, or do I need to wait longer?

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I started the c210k program about 5/6 weeks ago (I will be doing week 5 day 1 today). I do this three times a week, and usually pair it with 30 minutes of elliptical with intervals or stationary bike with high intervals. On days I dont do c210k, I do elliptical and bike and I switch up the intervals/speeds pretty frequently. I have lost about 8 pound since Christmas, but 5 of those pounds were before I came back to college on the 13th.
Not so much worrying about the number, but I have noticed that my stomach is bloated. Annoyingly bloated, and I feel gross. Around the time I noticed it continuing to be that way I knew it was almost my time of the month, so I waited. Now that is over, and I am still bloated and feeling like maybe I'm not eating properly or that my exercise routine isn't good enough. I have struggled with eating problems/body image problems and I'm really trying to be healthy and feel better. I feel like I don't eat badly (excluding the last couple days, I had chipotle yesterday but still stayed in a decent calorie range) but the only thing I can think is that I'm not eating enough fruits/vegetables.
My question is - is there something I should be doing differently? My diary is public. Any advice would be appreciated!
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Replies

  • merpmerp95
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    I would also like to add that this is not my first time trying to lose weight. A couple years ago I lost almost 40 pounds on my own.
  • jbwegner
    jbwegner Posts: 254 Member
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    Hi! As far as I can tell, your diary isn't public. You need to open it up. Congrats on a 10 pound loss! That is great progress in just a month!
  • merpmerp95
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    Opps, it's public now, sorrry :p
    Thank you!
  • nancyluckhurst3
    nancyluckhurst3 Posts: 122 Member
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    No your diary isn't public. So hard to tell for sure but it could be you need more fruit and more water. It is going to take a while. You didn't put it on over night and it will take time to take if off. I would not be real worried as 8 lbs since Christmas is just under 2 lbs a week which is good progress. hang in there.
    I started the c210k program about 5/6 weeks ago (I will be doing week 5 day 1 today). I do this three times a week, and usually pair it with 30 minutes of elliptical with intervals or stationary bike with high intervals. On days I dont do c210k, I do elliptical and bike and I switch up the intervals/speeds pretty frequently. I have lost about 8 pound since Christmas, but 5 of those pounds were before I came back to college on the 13th.
    Not so much worrying about the number, but I have noticed that my stomach is bloated. Annoyingly bloated, and I feel gross. Around the time I noticed it continuing to be that way I knew it was almost my time of the month, so I waited. Now that is over, and I am still bloated and feeling like maybe I'm not eating properly or that my exercise routine isn't good enough. I have struggled with eating problems/body image problems and I'm really trying to be healthy and feel better. I feel like I don't eat badly (excluding the last couple days, I had chipotle yesterday but still stayed in a decent calorie range) but the only thing I can think is that I'm not eating enough fruits/vegetables.
    My question is - is there something I should be doing differently? My diary is public. Any advice would be appreciated!
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    8 pounds since christmas (around a month so 2 pounds a week on average) is a really good rate of loss. Weight loss isn't linear so your body does not know one week from the next which is why it may be different week to week. Keep doing what your doing eat enough and it should carry on as it has been. Congratulations on your achievements so far
  • lucasmoten
    lucasmoten Posts: 143 Member
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    I'm unable to see your diary (This user is not allowing others to view his or her diary. ).

    I'm a guy, so I am clueless with actual experiences on the bloated and TOM considerations and how long that should be expected to last.

    Things I'd be curious about are
    a) are you getting enough water?
    b) are you eating things that can contribute to bloated-ness (think lots of bread/pasta, sodium, fried/crispy, dairy)
    c) have you considered cross training something other then cardio?
  • WaterBunnie
    WaterBunnie Posts: 1,370 Member
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    Are you not building in a rest day or two each week?
  • merpmerp95
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    Sorry everyone, I thought my diary was public, I fixed it now!!

    The thing is, most of my weightloss was the very beginning when I changed how I was eating. I do not eat a lot of fast food/greasy food. I do have an issue with eating too many carbs possibly though, as well as prepackaged food but I try to eat as healthy as I can. My campus' choice of food places is awful, it's all fast food, so pretty much anything I want to get that's healthy I have to get from the grocery store, or eat at a wrap/salad place or try my luck with the dining hall and get veggie sushi or something.

    I take usually 2 days a week of rest. I have a fitbit that tracks my heart rate and stuff (I am going to get a polar fitness watch soon) and I try to underestimate what MFP says I burned, I usually lower it by 50-100 calories depending on what my fitbit chart was like. I dont eat back all of my calories from exercise, I try to stay under 1500 a day. I just feel like I'm working really hard like I have done before, and I'm not getting any physically noticable results. :( I ran a mile straight for the first time ever, and I felt awesome, but being bloated is really just starting to upset me.

    Thanks to everyone for the advice/nice words so far, I really appreciate it
  • lucasmoten
    lucasmoten Posts: 143 Member
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    b) are you eating things that can contribute to bloated-ness (think lots of bread/pasta, sodium, fried/crispy, dairy)

    Now that I can see your diary, I would drastically down on dairy for a week or two and see if you get improvements. Here are some examples...

    Chipotle - Nix the sour cream. the sprinkle cheese is ok occasionally. I'd reserve the guac for an actual veggie bowl. if you're counting calories, opt for the white rice over brown, and pinto beans over black.
    Laughing Cow Babybel - Switch this out with something else if you can. Or try just one every other day.

    Most people are lactose intolerant (of varying degrees) which can also compound the effects of dairy. If you (yes, you reading this, OP or not) don't think this applies to you, then I challenge you to give up all forms of dairy for 2 weeks, and then try drinking a glass of milk. The good news is that tolerance varies and most can handle occasional amounts. The point is, everybody's body is different and one thing logging here on MFP will help with is in isolation of what causes problems and what your body gets along with.
  • merpmerp95
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    b) are you eating things that can contribute to bloated-ness (think lots of bread/pasta, sodium, fried/crispy, dairy)

    Now that I can see your diary, I would drastically down on dairy for a week or two and see if you get improvements. Here are some examples...

    Chipotle - Nix the sour cream. the sprinkle cheese is ok occasionally. I'd reserve the guac for an actual veggie bowl. if you're counting calories, opt for the white rice over brown, and pinto beans over black.
    Laughing Cow Babybel - Switch this out with something else if you can. Or try just one every other day.

    Most people are lactose intolerant (of varying degrees) which can also compound the effects of dairy. If you (yes, you reading this, OP or not) don't think this applies to you, then I challenge you to give up all forms of dairy for 2 weeks, and then try drinking a glass of milk. The good news is that tolerance varies and most can handle occasional amounts. The point is, everybody's body is different and one thing logging here on MFP will help with is in isolation of what causes problems and what your body gets along with.

    Okay, I will try this. Thank you so much, this is great input :)
    Chipotle is definitely not a regular thing though, I got it yesterday for the first time in months :p
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    To be honest, I don't think you are fueling your body enough to do the work your wanting it to do. You are likely burning a substantial amount of calories doing 10k training plus bike/elliptical/whatever. 1330 calories simply does not cut it. You should be eating at least half of your exercise calories back, if not all.

    Fuel your body or your workouts will suffer, as well as your health.
  • merpmerp95
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    To be honest, I don't think you are fueling your body enough to do the work your wanting it to do. You are likely burning a substantial amount of calories doing 10k training plus bike/elliptical/whatever. 1330 calories simply does not cut it. You should be eating at least half of your exercise calories back, if not all.

    Fuel your body or your workouts will suffer, as well as your health.

    I'll take this into account as well. I'm getting a proper heart rate/calorie burned calculator soon so I'll know if I'm burning less/more than what I'm figuring out.
  • gajones02
    gajones02 Posts: 34 Member
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    Are you measuring all your food accurately?

    ^^^This.^^^

    The week after I got a $10 food scale from Amazon I started seeing results.

    A portion size is really small. Guesses at sizing can quickly add up to huge amounts of calories eaten but not recorded.
  • merpmerp95
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    Are you measuring all your food accurately?

    ^^^This.^^^

    The week after I got a $10 food scale from Amazon I started seeing results.

    A portion size is really small. Guesses at sizing can quickly add up to huge amounts of calories eaten but not recorded.

    A lot of the food I eat I can't measure, I'm in college, and the food I get is often premade. I overestimate as much as possible. The only things I really eat that I would "measure" are chips/veggie stix and peanut butter. I've been measuring peanut butter for almost 4 years now, so I'm pretty confident that I know how much of that I'm eating.
    I could try a scale but all my snacks are usually things like lara bars, fruit cups, and things already portioned :/
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    To be honest, I don't think you are fueling your body enough to do the work your wanting it to do. You are likely burning a substantial amount of calories doing 10k training plus bike/elliptical/whatever. 1330 calories simply does not cut it. You should be eating at least half of your exercise calories back, if not all.

    Fuel your body or your workouts will suffer, as well as your health.
    This. For sure. And what I see are a lot of carbs of the not very nutritious variety, and not enough protein or fresh foods in general.
    For the sake of argument, since you're already counting carbs, swap sugar for fiber in the tracker. See how much you're getting. I went back a few days and didn't see a single vegetable (other than lettuce and some tomatoes). Lots of bread, and some fruit. What do you have your macros set to? A diet "rich" in grain carbs can make you feel bloated (thus the reason folks who go "low carb" usually lose water weight quickly).

    Yes, you're in school. It can be done. :smile:
  • Dnarules
    Dnarules Posts: 2,081 Member
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    b) are you eating things that can contribute to bloated-ness (think lots of bread/pasta, sodium, fried/crispy, dairy)

    Now that I can see your diary, I would drastically down on dairy for a week or two and see if you get improvements. Here are some examples...

    Chipotle - Nix the sour cream. the sprinkle cheese is ok occasionally. I'd reserve the guac for an actual veggie bowl. if you're counting calories, opt for the white rice over brown, and pinto beans over black.
    Laughing Cow Babybel - Switch this out with something else if you can. Or try just one every other day.

    Most people are lactose intolerant (of varying degrees) which can also compound the effects of dairy. If you (yes, you reading this, OP or not) don't think this applies to you, then I challenge you to give up all forms of dairy for 2 weeks, and then try drinking a glass of milk. The good news is that tolerance varies and most can handle occasional amounts. The point is, everybody's body is different and one thing logging here on MFP will help with is in isolation of what causes problems and what your body gets along with.

    I am pretty sure she would know if she were lactose intolerant. The symptoms are pretty obvious. I doubt dairy is the issue.
  • merpmerp95
    Options
    To be honest, I don't think you are fueling your body enough to do the work your wanting it to do. You are likely burning a substantial amount of calories doing 10k training plus bike/elliptical/whatever. 1330 calories simply does not cut it. You should be eating at least half of your exercise calories back, if not all.

    Fuel your body or your workouts will suffer, as well as your health.
    This. For sure. And what I see are a lot of carbs of the not very nutritious variety, and not enough protein or fresh foods in general.
    For the sake of argument, since you're already counting carbs, swap sugar for fiber in the tracker. See how much you're getting. I went back a few days and didn't see a single vegetable (other than lettuce and some tomatoes). Lots of bread, and some fruit. What do you have your macros set to? A diet "rich" in grain carbs can make you feel bloated (thus the reason folks who go "low carb" usually lose water weight quickly).

    Yes, you're in school. It can be done. :smile:

    Yeah I see what you're saying now. I kinda do have a problem eating too many carbs, I will go and get some fresh fruits/vegetables tomorrow. I also didn't think about fiber being an issue, either. Thank you so much!
  • merpmerp95
    Options
    b) are you eating things that can contribute to bloated-ness (think lots of bread/pasta, sodium, fried/crispy, dairy)

    Now that I can see your diary, I would drastically down on dairy for a week or two and see if you get improvements. Here are some examples...

    Chipotle - Nix the sour cream. the sprinkle cheese is ok occasionally. I'd reserve the guac for an actual veggie bowl. if you're counting calories, opt for the white rice over brown, and pinto beans over black.
    Laughing Cow Babybel - Switch this out with something else if you can. Or try just one every other day.

    Most people are lactose intolerant (of varying degrees) which can also compound the effects of dairy. If you (yes, you reading this, OP or not) don't think this applies to you, then I challenge you to give up all forms of dairy for 2 weeks, and then try drinking a glass of milk. The good news is that tolerance varies and most can handle occasional amounts. The point is, everybody's body is different and one thing logging here on MFP will help with is in isolation of what causes problems and what your body gets along with.

    I am pretty sure she would know if she were lactose intolerant. The symptoms are pretty obvious. I doubt dairy is the issue.

    I was gonna avoid saying that but yeah, I'm not really thinking dairy is too much of a problem. I've never had issues with cheese before, the only things that bother me are like whole milk/milkshakes/ice-cream and things like that.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Options
    To be honest, I don't think you are fueling your body enough to do the work your wanting it to do. You are likely burning a substantial amount of calories doing 10k training plus bike/elliptical/whatever. 1330 calories simply does not cut it. You should be eating at least half of your exercise calories back, if not all.

    Fuel your body or your workouts will suffer, as well as your health.
    This. For sure. And what I see are a lot of carbs of the not very nutritious variety, and not enough protein or fresh foods in general.
    For the sake of argument, since you're already counting carbs, swap sugar for fiber in the tracker. See how much you're getting. I went back a few days and didn't see a single vegetable (other than lettuce and some tomatoes). Lots of bread, and some fruit. What do you have your macros set to? A diet "rich" in grain carbs can make you feel bloated (thus the reason folks who go "low carb" usually lose water weight quickly).

    Yes, you're in school. It can be done. :smile:

    Yeah I see what you're saying now. I kinda do have a problem eating too many carbs, I will go and get some fresh fruits/vegetables tomorrow. I also didn't think about fiber being an issue, either. Thank you so much!
    To be clear, I'm NOT suggesting you go low carb. Just try to eat more nutrient dense foods, and know that much bread can make some folks feel a bit bloated. And then there's fiber.
  • nicoleisback
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    I would suggest going for less processed foods where possible. The foods you are eating aren't that bad in themselves, but there does seem to be a lack of whole foods, which are going to give you the best fibre content (generally) and help 'keep things moving'.
    If you do have problems with bowel movements and you aren't able to add extra high fibre natural foods, maybe try adding in something like a handful of prunes or some prune juice once or twice a week.
    I would also suggest upping your water intake, especially when you exercise. Ironically the less water you take in, the more likely you are to end up retaining water.
    Are you able to use a slow cooker where you are? For about 5-10 minutes prep work you can chuck on a casserole or soup in the morning, and come home to a well cooked healthful meal.