Please tell me what I'm doing wrong here!!

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  • levitateme
    levitateme Posts: 999 Member
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    You are probably eating more than you think.
  • willrun4bagels
    willrun4bagels Posts: 838 Member
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    But, as has been mentioned, cutting out 700 cal/day worth of coffee would be huge. Those calculations are also just averages, so it's possible that you are consuming even more than that many days, especially if you are adding things to the standard recipe and calculating on your own.

    It's not for everyone, but I've switched to black coffee and have zero regrets. Even a little creamer of sugar is fine but 700 calories a day is obscene. You are getting an entire meal's worth of calories from your beverages alone.

    ^This. I used to drink 6-8 cups of coffee a day, 7 days a week, with a lot of half-and-half and splenda or sugar in each cup. I'd also get whatever sugary drink I wanted from Starbuck's every Friday morning on my way to work as a treat. Last September, I quit all of the coffee cold turkey, and now only drink 1 cup of coffee in the morning, with one quick splash of unsweetened almond milk (though black is fine too), and no sweeteners or anything else. I went through a miserable caffeine withdrawal for about a week, and then was okay after that. It cut hundreds of calories a day from my food diary, and I can eat lots of other things for the same amount of calories that I was drinking out of a cup. I find that I have more energy now than I used to, because I used to rely on getting my next cup of coffee every hour or so throughout the work day to keep me awake, and would crash after work at the end of the day and had no energy to work out.

    If cutting the sugary coffee drinks is something you want to do, it is totally possible. Save the drinks for once a week, or cut down to a small sized one once a day, something like that to start out. Passing on whipped cream, opting for skim milk, and asking for only 2 or 3 pumps of flavoring also cuts the calories, fat, and sugar of the drink.
  • euronorris
    euronorris Posts: 211 Member
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    This might help you to see the financial cost of that Starbucks addiction: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/demotivator/

    You could apply the same methodology to the calorie cost to you too. 700 cals per day is 4900 per week. 254,800 per year, which is equivalent to approximately 72.8lbs of fat per year. I'm not suggesting you cut it out, and don't replace it with real food as you really need to replace it with real (nutritious) food. But, I think it might help you to realise how much it's 'costing' you.
  • k_nicole87
    k_nicole87 Posts: 407 Member
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    Since everyone else has basically nailed the rest, I will chime in on weighing yourself so often. You're bound to go up and down ounces if you are checking daily just by simple water weight. You're only going to stress yourself out more by stepping on the scale every day. I know you want to lose weight badly but you should try to resist and limit yourself to one weight per week to give you a realistic idea of what you are actually losing.
  • JoshD8705
    JoshD8705 Posts: 390 Member
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    1. Water retention happens.
    2. Some days you just carry more poop.
    3. By week 3 muscle is starting to replace fat.
    4. If you can check your blood sugar before you eat. A high fasting blood sugar 90-110 can be what is slowing you down.
  • nomad1000
    nomad1000 Posts: 206 Member
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    A couple of things:

    Outside prepared foods rarely equal exactly the calorie counts on their websites. For example, the SB drinks are only an estimate because they don't measure everything each and every time. One barista may do an extra pump where another doesn't. One may give an extra 1/2 milk, one may not. One may add more caramel or chocolate. Since an abundance of your cals come from these types of drinks, you could be going over plan without meaning too.

    I am also seeing entries in you log that are like "Subway, 3 slices tomato" for 5 cals. Find the database entry that is by weight. I see a few of those that are with cup measurements versus the weight in grams or ounces. Unfortunately a cup isn't a cup when it comes to food since you may pack your cup tighter than mine or vice versa. Which is why measuring in ozs or grams is a better way to go.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    When is your period? I always go up 3-5 pounds during. If you've stayed within ounces, you may find a quick drop after you are off your period. I never weigh during TOM, because it ALWAYS goes up!
  • RRB2000
    RRB2000 Posts: 77 Member
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    Deep breaths! I agree with the other posters.....your sugar intake is not helping in the weight loss department. Its completely normal to lose a bunch in the beginning and then slow down. I am one of those "weigh every day" kind of people too, can't help it, but I basically do it to see if the meals I had the day before effected me too much....ex to much salt etc. I try not to take it to heart too much until my actual weigh day. Try to get some exercise in...even if its just a walk. It will make you feel so much better. I will say tho, that I didn't exercise for about 2 weeks, due to being on vacation and then not feeling well....and I lost consistently both weeks. Exercise however will help you lose inches and make your body look better...regardless of what the scale says. Just do a little tweeking and you will be back to losing again.......good luck!
  • lastspen
    lastspen Posts: 106 Member
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    Even though you're at a deficit you have to also consider the nutritional value of what you're eating. If you're drinking 700 calories in coffee and only eating 900 calories in real food then you're body is probably still in some form of starvation and that could be a reason why your weight loss has stalled. I think that you would lose for a while but eventually plateau due to an insufficient diet. I believe that you should strive to eat 1300-1500 calories of good solid food and then consider the coffee in the excess calories that you're allotted and after working out.
  • dcue103
    dcue103 Posts: 19 Member
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    Yes!
  • ChriJMitch
    ChriJMitch Posts: 70 Member
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    I have posted this a couple times in other threads, but will say again: weight is a useless metric. Still don't understand why the mass majority uses this to base a fitness plan on.

    Your weight is going to fluctuate sometimes as much as 5lbs in ONE DAY. Eat a big meal with a lot of salt, retain water for the next 3 hours and boom....instant 5lbs. Is it fat? No. Do you really need to get super upset about it? No.

    If you really want to measure actual progress, you need to look at Body Mass Index (BMI). It is the measure of fat stored on your body. There are several ways that this can be measured, with varying degrees of accuracy and cost:

    http://www.builtlean.com/2010/07/13/5-ways-to-measure-body-fat-percentage/

    Also, here are what the BMI (body mass index) ranges are for men and women, and what they look like in general. Aim for what you want your body to look like, and shoot for that body fat %:

    http://www.builtlean.com/2012/09/24/body-fat-percentage-men-women/

    Other big thing I noticed is your carb intake is *SKY HIGH* compared to your protein intake. You are getting over 60% of your calories from carbohydrates almost every day and only about 15% of your calories from protein!!! You need to drastically shift your calorie sources. I would recommend keeping your carb intake to an absolute maximum of 40% of your daily calories, and bumping up your protein intake to at least 35%. Easiest way to do it is to cut the processed foods out and replace with lean meats.
  • k_nicole87
    k_nicole87 Posts: 407 Member
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    I have posted this a couple times in other threads, but will say again: weight is a useless metric. Still don't understand why the mass majority uses this to base a fitness plan on.

    Your weight is going to fluctuate sometimes as much as 5lbs in ONE DAY. Eat a big meal with a lot of salt, retain water for the next 3 hours and boom....instant 5lbs. Is it fat? No. Do you really need to get super upset about it? No.

    If you really want to measure actual progress, you need to look at Body Mass Index (BMI). It is the measure of fat stored on your body. There are several ways that this can be measured, with varying degrees of accuracy and cost:

    http://www.builtlean.com/2010/07/13/5-ways-to-measure-body-fat-percentage/

    Also, here are what the BMI (body mass index) ranges are for men and women, and what they look like in general. Aim for what you want your body to look like, and shoot for that body fat %:

    http://www.builtlean.com/2012/09/24/body-fat-percentage-men-women/

    Other big thing I noticed is your carb intake is *SKY HIGH* compared to your protein intake. You are getting over 60% of your calories from carbohydrates almost every day and only about 15% of your calories from protein!!! You need to drastically shift your calorie sources. I would recommend keeping your carb intake to an absolute maximum of 40% of your daily calories, and bumping up your protein intake to at least 35%. Easiest way to do it is to cut the processed foods out and replace with lean meats.

    :drinker:
  • mycupyourcake
    mycupyourcake Posts: 279 Member
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    Yes, Starbucks addict. I thought though that if you stay under your calories that you will still lose weight. I am going to cut back on that though..but I want to drink my coffee everyday. Will drinking sugary coffees but still being under my caloric goals really keep me from losing weight!?

    If you stay under your calories you will lose weight, but for your health and your ability to continue a lower calorie diet you need to cut down on your coffee drinks. Try just one a day or even try one normal starbuck's frap as you drink now and then the second of the day ask for a grande iced coffee and only add skim milk and half a packet of sugar.
  • kitlynnJ
    kitlynnJ Posts: 78 Member
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    I actually measure my food with a scale daily and use measuring cups/spoons ALWAYS. I never just guess what I'm eating. I read the labels and eat exactly what is said for the amount and what I log. I log EVERYTHING I eat. I don't even take bites of other peoples food because then I would have to add it. Seriously..I measure everything lol

    Are you sure you are picking the right entries for your food. One example is the subway tomato slices, when I don't think the sandwich was a subway sandwich? Try to pick entries in the database without an asterisk next to them when possible.

    There was recently a great post covering how to log accurately http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide
  • breakyoface
    breakyoface Posts: 160 Member
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    Thank you all for your advice and imput! Yes I know the coffee I drink is ridiculous and I figured it could be playing a role in this whole thing..so I am fine with cutting back to 1 a day..about 270cal per the website. I enjoy them and don't want to cut it out completely..for some reason it gives me some type of happiness lol..and I would pick it over cookies or cake or whatever. As for the subway tomato thing..I picked that one cause I only eat like 2-3 slices on my sandwich so I figured it was about the same..but I can measure from now on.
    I either back or grill my food, never add butter unless necessary in a recipe, use butter spray any other time, don't cook my meat in oils, don't add salt to my food either. I thought I was doing pretty good except the coffee situation but I guess I'm not?! Life would be so much easier if counting calories really meant counting calories!!
  • SuziQGettinFit
    SuziQGettinFit Posts: 28
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    May I add my 2 cents worth? I, too, had to give up my sweet, creamy coffee when I started this and I still miss it sometimes. But I do allow myself a treat once a week and I make the most of that! I agree with the poster above that I too have way more energy now that I'm not depending on the caffeine for it. I do agree that you need more protein and less carbs and sugar. I also have a bigger breakfast than lunch now and it really helps to get me through the day. I use protein shakes to get the extra protein and love them. I am thinking, too, if you were to add a bit of a walk each day (or even a few times a week) that would help. Your sodium intake could definitely be making the scale report an increase today. Sometimes, I want to throw my scale out the window, but if I limit myself to weighing only a few time a week, it helps a lot! Other than all that, you are obviously making a sincere effort to lose your weight and just keep it up! Good luck!
  • lisaabenjamin
    lisaabenjamin Posts: 665 Member
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    Agree with everything that everyone else has said! That's not a coffee addiction, that's a fat and sugar addiction and you should try your best to cut that out. And while we're talking about drinks, I notice that you're either not logging any water, or you're not drinking any. You neeeeeed to drink around 8 glasses of water a day, especially with all that diuretic coffee dehydrating you!

    Something that has really helped me is eating more breakfast. I notice you're just eating yoghurt and fruit; some days just fruit, some days just yoghurt. Lured in by the hottie in the red dress in the adverts, I used to eat the recommended serving of Special K (which is 30g, and is a pathetic number of cardboard-tasting flakes in the bottom of a bowl). I was always starving hungry by mid-morning and consequently would either snack, or over eat during my other meals. So, I switched to porridge (oatmeal) topped with greek yoghurt, fruit and a sprinkling of seed mix. The calorie count of my breakfast has more than doubled, but it is also far more filling and means I don't need to snack or overeat at other times.
  • breakyoface
    breakyoface Posts: 160 Member
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    Before I hurt my back I would run 5 miles 5 days a week or do Jillian Michaels/Bigges Loser dvds. I hurt my back to where I was not even able to walk at the grocery store without the pain going down my legs and barely be able to stand up. I am on pain meds now and starting physical therapy on Tuesday. I can't wait to get back to working out and going on walks as much as possible. Definitely exercise is going to be part of my plan like it was before the back issue.

    If I cut down my coffees and have about 300 calories left for food..where should that go..breakfast? And what should I chose to get more protein and less carbs?
  • breakyoface
    breakyoface Posts: 160 Member
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    Also, I forget to log my water..but if I'm not drinking my coffee, the only other thing I drink is water. Plan delicious water! I drink tons of water all day long. And yes, I have a bad sweet tooth. I use to eat cookies, candies, cakes but cut them out except the 100cal packs once in awhile so I will do the same with the coffees to 1 a day because it's that important to me!
  • k_nicole87
    k_nicole87 Posts: 407 Member
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    Thank you all for your advice and imput! Yes I know the coffee I drink is ridiculous and I figured it could be playing a role in this whole thing..so I am fine with cutting back to 1 a day..about 270cal per the website. I enjoy them and don't want to cut it out completely..for some reason it gives me some type of happiness lol..and I would pick it over cookies or cake or whatever. As for the subway tomato thing..I picked that one cause I only eat like 2-3 slices on my sandwich so I figured it was about the same..but I can measure from now on.
    I either back or grill my food, never add butter unless necessary in a recipe, use butter spray any other time, don't cook my meat in oils, don't add salt to my food either. I thought I was doing pretty good except the coffee situation but I guess I'm not?! Life would be so much easier if counting calories really meant counting calories!!

    As a fellow coffee addict, here is my suggestion, try to cut down to one per day as you said for about a week, then start avoiding it altogether for one day out of the week: for example, try one a day all days but Sunday or something, then the next week, try to add another day without the sugary coffee from SB. Eventually you could still have coffee at home 6 days a week and SB as a once a week treat.

    You could try a scale for your food. I actually just bought mine today so I'll be in the boat with you. See if that helps. You just have to find what works for you.

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