strict diet but very little change

kelliethridge
kelliethridge Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
So i've been on this strict diet (havent been logging at all just looking for some advice), where i eat 6 small meals a day consisting of 4oz of chicken, 3.5oz of sweet potato and 2 cups of green veggies every single day and its been a month since ive started. I've cheated only a handful of times on ONE meal, but i never went crazy. I know it takes time to lose weight and its not a competition but i feel like i should see a little more progess! My starting weight was 182lbs and now when i step on the scale, it says 179.2lbs.... should i have made more progress than that or what???? i need some advice asaaaaap

Replies

  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
    You need to log everyday and weigh all your food.
  • kelliethridge
    kelliethridge Posts: 4
    i dont need to log everyday when i eat the same thing 6x so i know whats going in my body, i just wanna know if i should be seeing my results sooner or later, ya knooow?
  • dlionsmane
    dlionsmane Posts: 674 Member
    How do you know you are in a deficit?
  • gypsy_spirit
    gypsy_spirit Posts: 2,107 Member
    The way to lose weight is be in a calorie deficit.

    To know you're in a calorie deficit, you need to weigh (with a scale), measure (cups and spoons) and log your food - every day, every bite. It also will show on the scale.

    Eat the foods you like - just make sure you are meeting your calories and macros (protein, fat, carbs)

    Find something you like to do and do it consistently. Lifting is awesome for body recomp. But, it needs to be something that you enjoy.

    Most importantly, don't stop and have infinite patience.

    To answer your 2nd question - Will you see results sooner or later? Yes.
  • aliakynes
    aliakynes Posts: 352 Member
    How big of a deficit is it? If you were set to lose 1 lb per week you're on track.
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
    is that you in the mirror? honestly you look really really good. I wouldn't have know your weight if you didn't say it...
  • 126siany
    126siany Posts: 1,386 Member
    So i've been on this strict diet (havent been logging at all just looking for some advice), where i eat 6 small meals a day consisting of 4oz of chicken, 3.5oz of sweet potato and 2 cups of green veggies every single day and its been a month since ive started. I've cheated only a handful of times on ONE meal, but i never went crazy. I know it takes time to lose weight and its not a competition but i feel like i should see a little more progess! My starting weight was 182lbs and now when i step on the scale, it says 179.2lbs.... should i have made more progress than that or what???? i need some advice asaaaaap

    You're losing about a pound a week, which is a decent rate.

    Without measuring what you're eating (weighing it and then logging it) you really don't know how much you're eating. Just about everyone here who started without a food scale and then started using one will tell you they were waaaaaayyyy off eyeballing things, me included.

    How are you preparing these foods? You can add quite a few calories with dressings and seasonings.

    What sort of chicken? Boneless, skinless breasts? Thighs? Etc.?

    What green veggies?

    What about your beverages?
  • kelliethridge
    kelliethridge Posts: 4
    I weigh/measure my food every single time I eat! I never seem to remember to log, and it seems like that's where you guys are going with it! I also need to get my butt to the gym, thank you! youre advice is appreciated!
  • kelliethridge
    kelliethridge Posts: 4
    i completely cut out soda, coffee and basically just drink all the water i can! buttttt i do from time to time have a glass of wine or two or three and a few beers on the weekend, so could that be a factor?
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
    i completely cut out soda, coffee and basically just drink all the water i can! buttttt i do from time to time have a glass of wine or two or three and a few beers on the weekend, so could that be a factor?

    Wine and beer do have calories that's where the logging comes in you can actually track everything you consume.

    Why are you eating the same thing every day for every meal, that sounds very very depressing.
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    You're going to have to start tracking your food in the diary. Oh, and there is no need to eat such a narrow range of foods for weight loss. Even my body builder friends eat more variety, even in the few weeks leading up to competition. Only eating 3 foods ever must be very boring and maddening (well, for me at least, and I'm pretty easy to please, lol). No need to do that; it's not sustainable or satisfying for the long haul.

    You will need to figure out what your calorie deficit needs to be. With the foods you say you eat, that adds up to ~370 calories each meal (without added oils). That's 2,220 calories every day. Obviously, it's some sort of deficit, since you've lost. But you can at your weight adjust for a little bit larger deficit, and perhaps see more like 1lb+/week loss.
  • Cryptonomnomicon
    Cryptonomnomicon Posts: 848 Member
    So i've been on this strict diet (haven't been logging at all just looking for some advice)
    Well there is your first problem as you have no way of really knowing how consistent your intake is, research grazing and you will be amazed by how much people consume even when they believe they are adhering to a "strict diet" so to speak.
    where i eat 6 small meals a day consisting of 4oz of chicken, 3.5oz of sweet potato and 2 cups of green veggies every single day and its been a month since I've started.
    Meal timing is not necessary for weight loss beyond how it affects your adherence to sticking to a deficit, purely personal preference...

    Meal Frequency. Rev up that furnace. LOL.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/820577-meal-frequency-rev-up-that-furnace-lol
    consisting of 4oz of chicken, 3.5oz of sweet potato and 2 cups of green veggies
    Measuring cups, spoons etc can be deceptively inaccurate...

    Logging accuracy

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think
    I know it takes time to lose weight and its not a competition but i feel like i should see a little more progess! My starting weight was 182lbs and now when i step on the scale, it says 179.2lbs.... should i have made more progress than that or what???? i need some advice asaaaaap

    As a rule of thumb, the following weekly targets would give a balance between minimizing these negative side effects and seeing a reasonable weekly weight loss:
    More than 75 lbs: 2 lbs/week
    40-75 lbs: 1.5 lbs/week
    10-40 lbs: 1 lb/week
    Less than 10 lbs: 0.5 lb/week

    Obviously, the deficit that is right for you will depend on your personal circumstances and how well you deal with the deficit. For example, for someone who is morbidly obese, the health benefits of getting the weight off quickly will often outweigh the possible negative impact and, as such, a higher than 2 lb a week deficit may well be appropriate

    Lastly some extremely helpful links for you...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read

    ETA:
    i completely cut out soda, coffee and basically just drink all the water i can! buttttt i do from time to time have a glass of wine or two or three and a few beers on the weekend, so could that be a factor?
    This definitely can be a significant factor, unlogged beverages, specifically alcohol can wipe a whole weeks deficit out. You have to factor this into account.
  • 126siany
    126siany Posts: 1,386 Member
    If you're eating 24 ounces of boneless skinless chicken breast a day and 21 ounces of sweet potatoes (not counting any condiments, oils used in preparation, etc.) both weighed prior to cooking, that's 1580 calories right there per day. I'm not even going to try to guess what 12 cups of green veggies would be as it would vary tremendously based on what you choose. I'd be weighing the veggies, personally, not using measuring cups.

    Yes, alcohol calories count. A 5 oz glass of white wine is around 130 calories, and restaurants and bars often give you much larger glasses. A 12 oz beer has around 160.

    I don't know what calorie deficit you aim for, but on a typical day without the veggies and three 5 oz glasses of wine(not counting any condiments, etc.), you'd be at 1970 calories.

    That may keep you in your deficit and it may not.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    i completely cut out soda, coffee and basically just drink all the water i can! buttttt i do from time to time have a glass of wine or two or three and a few beers on the weekend, so could that be a factor?

    Have no ideal!! You don't log so you have nothing to look at to see where you are at or whether you are in a deficit or not.

    Try logging!!! :wink:

    ETA: I drink several diet sodas a day and I have lost a few pounds. :bigsmile:
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
    You're making this so difficult. Controlled diets make me have a sad :(
  • LifeWithPie
    LifeWithPie Posts: 552 Member
    i completely cut out soda, coffee and basically just drink all the water i can! buttttt i do from time to time have a glass of wine or two or three and a few beers on the weekend, so could that be a factor?

    Wine and beer do have calories that's where the logging comes in you can actually track everything you consume.

    Why are you eating the same thing every day for every meal, that sounds very very depressing.

    Yes....it does indeed. :(
  • mtyler7718
    mtyler7718 Posts: 24
    Your diet sounds like it is healthy but how boring it is! I have an extremely hard time losing weight because I have almost no thyroid left and while synthroid helps, it's not the same as if your body was producing those hormones.

    I eat only 1250 calories a day but my diet is far more interesting than yours. I also think if you shake things up with what you eat every day then there's less of a chance of going out and blowing it badly.

    And believe me, alcohol does add up. I like wine with dinner (just a glass) but I wasn't tracking that. As soon as I started ACCURATELY logging every single bite of food, I started losing weight.

    I'm in this for the long haul--I've only lost .5 lbs per week but I am willing to keep at it as long as I need to. But when I really need a break and need a burger and fries, I allow it--that shakes your metabolism up too. Your body starts conserving calories when you eat the same thing every single day.

    As someone else said, if that's you in the mirror, you look great! Weight is very subjective. People should be at where they feel and look their best (and for me, that's around 165 lbs (and I'm about 5'8"). I like my curves--just want them to become smaller.

    Good luck :flowerforyou:
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    You're eating too much it's that simple. You may want to fool yourself that your not but without consistently weighing everything every day and logging it your guessing especially with the veg that needs to be weighted and I agree with the others God that sounds dull
  • mtruitt01
    mtruitt01 Posts: 370 Member
    I found I had to weigh and measure my food. I didn't learn anything if I just guesstimated or "had a glass of wine or two" or 'a couple of beers".
    For me this is not about punishment. I am changing my way of eating. I do some eating of the same meals, but I really just mix it up. By logging in everything, by weighing and measuring everything, I am educating myself so I stop the insanity of the crazy ways I used to eat.
    I stopped giving myself nutty goals like losing too much weight too soon.
    I even go on a gelato blog to see what kind of gelato they are making. Some day soon I will eat some! But i know right now I can't keep it in the house--I can't control myself in the evening if some of my craving foods are in the house.
    I used to try rigid diets like you are.
    No more. I know they won't work in the long term.
    MFP will work if you spend some time on it. There are a few extreme people, but look for the sensible ones. Try things and learn from them--that is what is working for me. I hope you decide to join us and log in daily.
  • mtruitt01
    mtruitt01 Posts: 370 Member
    If you're eating 24 ounces of boneless skinless chicken breast a day and 21 ounces of sweet potatoes (not counting any condiments, oils used in preparation, etc.) both weighed prior to cooking, that's 1580 calories right there per day. I'm not even going to try to guess what 12 cups of green veggies would be as it would vary tremendously based on what you choose. I'd be weighing the veggies, personally, not using measuring cups.

    Yes, alcohol calories count. A 5 oz glass of white wine is around 130 calories, and restaurants and bars often give you much larger glasses. A 12 oz beer has around 160.

    I don't know what calorie deficit you aim for, but on a typical day without the veggies and three 5 oz glasses of wine(not counting any condiments, etc.), you'd be at 1970 calories.

    That may keep you in your deficit and it may not.

    I agree--weigh the veggies. I was using measuring cups and found quite a difference now that I bought a food scale. It takes a little time but it is worth it. I'm learning, this is a way I'm educating myself about the food I eat and the attitudes I have towards portions. I was served huge portions as a kid so I thought that was normal. After awhile my belly thought so too. Now I can eat smaller portions and be happier. I'm amazed at how much I stuffed down my gullet! I eat a lot of food, and not many 'food shaped objects'. FSO I call them.
  • Mykaelous
    Mykaelous Posts: 231 Member
    You need to log everyday and weigh all your food.

    I agree. If you can't maintain the simple discipline of logging your food, how can you expect to maintain the more difficult task of monitoring what you eat?

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