Right Choices, Wrong Results?

Raising protein and lowering carbs is not drastic and doesn't need to increase your unhealthy fats. Fish, plant based protein powder, lean meats are all great protein sources that won't negatively impact your fats/cholesterol. I've found that I feel more full on this and therefore able to eat less. Also, focus on whole, unprocessed foods. Those will also keep you feeling full on fewer calories. Good luck! And 68 pounds in 14 months is definitely worth being proud of--better than I've ever done! :-)

When I first started, I was at 376. My dietician wanted me to have 1500 calories a day, and I was really struggling with it. My therapist suggested I join Weight Watchers just as a measure of accountability in having someplace to go weigh in every week and go to the meetings for extra support. They actually had me down for about 2200 calories, and I was losing weight with it, and not exercising.

I log my food in MFP so I can have everything calculated out with fat/fiber/carbs/protein, which are the things that WW uses to determine the number of points you consume in a day; Then I just convert the information to Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner, or snack.

I use MFP numbers as my low end, and WW numbers as my higher end.

I guess what I'm saying in a round-about way is, you may need to consume more - particularly with the swimming and extra activity you're doing.

I really doubt this. I believe she's eating more than she thinks

First of all, as much as I would love to believe that 30-40 minutes of swimming can burn 1000+ calories, I doubt this is happening. It would be nice, and perhaps a very muscular swimmer training for a competition would burn that much, I doubt that anyone else does. So, you are probably overestimating what you are burning A LOT.
Second, there are several days when you stop logging after lunch, not a day or two. I would start by being honest there.
Third, you have meals of around 1000 calories. Which is not consistent with someone doing a lifestyle change.

Despite all of the above, losing this amount of weight is remarkable, not slow progress. You have done a good job, you just have still a long road ahead of you. But this does not mean what you have already accomplished is not worth anything. Maybe you are getting more relaxed about and need to get stricter with yourself or losing motivation?

And finally, what about talking to a nutritionist? I am guessing you need to make major lifestyle changes, and while you are on the right path, having a professional support you and guide you and correct whatever needs correcting would definitely help more than doing it alone.

Oh, the othr thing that helps me is to weight daily, but record it on a spread sheet ONCE a WEEK on the same week day. This gives me a better visual of loss, as the day to day can really fluctuate. Also, I like having the ability to say, hey, I ddint drop much this week, but in three weeksI lost xyz and in five weeks, I lost pqr!

Just a few observations by looking at your food diary:

1. I didn't see dinner listed on some days. Do you not eat after mid-afternoon? You may be throwing your body off by not having several consistent smaller meals throughout the day. If you're not that hungry, maybe just go for a banana or something right when you get home from work. If I'm not hungry, I at least try to make myself have some yogurt to prevent late night cravings.
2. It's interesting that you track protein and potassium, but you seem to be getting less than your daily amounts of them. You should be striving to max those out, while minimizing the sodium and calories. If you are doing weights, your body is not getting the fuel it needs to take full advantage of the weight training that you are doing. Protein helps to build muscle, and potassium helps to flush lactic acid away from them. Combine that with plenty of water, and you have a great combo for building muscle!
3. It's also interesting that you aren't tracking fiber. In my opinion (for what it's worth), having a high fiber diet is one of the easiest ways to lose weight. You feel fuller longer, and it's great for your GI health. One of my favorite recipes is slow cooked black beans cooked with chipotle peppers and a bunch of seasonings. The best part is, if you mash it up you'd have no idea it isn't taco beef (trust me- I fed it to my guy and he never knew) and it's packed with protein and fiber. Low cal, high fiber and protein, and it keeps you full for hours!

And as others are saying, don't fret. You've lost 68 lbs, which is a huge accomplishment! I struggle to lose weight too, but the worst thing you can do is get discouraged. If you plateau, mix it up. I just recently lost 9 lbs and then gained 4 of them back in 2 days (wtf?!), but it told me I had to mix things up. Last night I quit the treadmill for a bit and got on the rowing machine. Fingers crossed for more progress!

Just a few observations by looking at your food diary:

1. I didn't see dinner listed on some days. Do you not eat after mid-afternoon? You may be throwing your body off by not having several consistent smaller meals throughout the day. If you're not that hungry, maybe just go for a banana or something right when you get home from work. If I'm not hungry, I at least try to make myself have some yogurt to prevent late night cravings.
2. It's interesting that you track protein and potassium, but you seem to be getting less than your daily amounts of them. You should be striving to max those out, while minimizing the sodium and calories. If you are doing weights, your body is not getting the fuel it needs to take full advantage of the weight training that you are doing. Protein helps to build muscle, and potassium helps to flush lactic acid away from them. Combine that with plenty of water, and you have a great combo for building muscle!
3. It's also interesting that you aren't tracking fiber. In my opinion (for what it's worth), having a high fiber diet is one of the easiest ways to lose weight. You feel fuller longer, and it's great for your GI health. One of my favorite recipes is slow cooked black beans cooked with chipotle peppers and a bunch of seasonings. The best part is, if you mash it up you'd have no idea it isn't taco beef (trust me- I fed it to my guy and he never knew) and it's packed with protein and fiber. Low cal, high fiber and protein, and it keeps you full for hours!

And as others are saying, don't fret. You've lost 68 lbs, which is a huge accomplishment! I struggle to lose weight too, but the worst thing you can do is get discouraged. If you plateau, mix it up.I just recently lost 9 lbs and then gained 4 of them back in 2 days (wtf?!), but it told me I had to mix things up. Last night I quit the treadmill for a bit and got on the rowing machine. Fingers crossed for more progress!

You didn't gain 4 pounds back in 2 days, unless you at 7,000 extra calories in those 2 days. It's water weight fluctuation and it happens to everyone. Hormones, dietary changes like sodium and carbohydrates, and exercise that causes slight muscle damage that needs to be repaired all cause water retention. It's not about mixing things up, it's about patience.

Im not sure what all could be the problem however, if you dont eat back you workout calories then it can slow your metabolism. You body needs it. Also 2026 seems alittle high. I didnt think a woman should ever be over 2000 calories a day and that is still alot. Maybe check with your doctor.

It took me a year and a week to reach my goal, and that involved a 70 pound loss. I averaged a loss of 1-1.5 pounds a week, but there were frequent long plateaus. You are doing fine by my measure. I do understand your frustration but I wonder some things:

Are you measuring every bite? We used food scales for some things and measuring cups or dishers for things like rice, potatoes, soups and stews. Now that I'm on maintenance I'm STILL MEASURING EVERY BITE and swallow.

Why aren't you recording everything in your food log? Can you solve that problem with technology or paper lists? I started MFP with a phone app and didn't even know about the website for several weeks. I still do all of my logging on my phone, and since it goes with me when I travel there have been no gaps.

Regardng sodium: My husband had a stroke last year and it brought the relationship between sodium and blood pressure to the top of our worry list. We made some changes that were a significant help in the fight against salt. We stopped salting things while cooking and added salt at the table, instead. He adds salt substitute and I add salt. My sodium intake dropped significantly and I have less swelling in my hands and fingers, where I notice water retention first. If I'm eating out somewhere that I don't have control over salt, I drink more water to help wash it out of my system.

Be patient, and keep doing the right things. You will reach your goal if you don't give up.

I had a quick look at your diary and you do sometimes measure in cups. I would recommend measuring everything using kitchen scales. They are much more accurate.

I dont always agree with the calorie allowance that MFP gives you. I use the TDEE method. Check out IIFYM.com and it will tell you what you resting metabolic rate is and what you tdee is - you simply deduct 20% from you tdee and that is the amount of calories you eat every day, whether you exercise or not. I use this and it allows me to eat much more than what MFP gave me, but it may allow you to eat less.

There is nothing worse than a platuea but yours seems to have gone on quite a while to make it a stall, sounds like you have stopped, you need to shake it up a bit.

Agree with this. The only thing I would add is that you are allowed a greater deficit than TDEE -20%. There's medical research out there (that's even been posted here that I can't find at the moment, ugh) that says that someone who is your weight can start with a TDEE -35%. If you know your body fat percent (or have a good guess as to what it is, the Katch-McCardle calculator on the IIFYM site is probably your most accurate one. Based solely on body fat guestimates (quick internet research based on your weight, age and height), Katch-McCardle gives me a TDEE for you of 2857+/-, which puts your TDEE-25% at 2142 a day.

Have you considered eating a straight 2100-2200 calories a day and not eating back exercise calories? With the TDEE method, you need to recalculate it periodically (every 5-10 pounds lost, and when your body fat percent decreases), but this might kick you out of your plateau.

LIke everyone else says, make sure you are weighing your food. That was a huge deal for me, particularly when I learned that I could put 2 servings of ice cream into a half cup measuring cup and was eating twice as much as I thought. Target and Bed Bath & Beyond both have inexpensive food scales that weigh in grams (that's very important). Make sure you're getting adequate protein and foods dense in micronutrients. Give it a month.