Could my body be...confused??
McGristy
Posts: 61 Member
Hi all!! Looking for encouragement and friendly advice! I'm not new to "dieting" by any means. I have tried Low-Carb, Keto, Gluten free, low cal....it's been a roller coaster. A crap coaster, if you will. But the last few times around I've decided to knock that crap off and am sticking to the cals in vs. cals out route, because I get that should be all I need at this point. I am a woman, 34 yrs old, 5'6" tall, weigh 212, have taken all my measurements, and after weeks of keeping serious track (yes I weigh and measure everything) of absolutely EVERYTHING I eat on MFP nothing has budged. Not my weight OR measurements. This is how I end up quitting. Could my body be confused from all the crap I've done to it the last couple years?? How long should I expect to have to wait to see even the smallest results? I don't have an exercise program yet, but I'm a pretty active person, not just a couch dweller, and have been eating between 1400-1650 calories every day for almost 2.5 weeks. I have had my thyroid and blood sugar checked and I'm fine. I drink water throughout the day.
I just don't want to get discouraged again and quit. I want to go from 212 to 150, and it is so discouraging to see NOTHING
Any advice?
Am I just not giving it enough time and expecting too much too soon??
I just don't want to get discouraged again and quit. I want to go from 212 to 150, and it is so discouraging to see NOTHING
Any advice?
Am I just not giving it enough time and expecting too much too soon??
0
Replies
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I'd recommend you open your diary, then people can take a look and offer more informed ideas.0
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Could my body be confused from all the crap I've done to it the last couple years??
nope. that definitely isn't it.
Typically 2.5 weeks is just barely enough time. Give it another week or two- make sure you're really being accurate with food choices- and go for some walks- I find when I start doing some extra cardio if I'm a little "stuck" it helps get the weight moving again.
at 200 something pounds eating 1500 a day- you should be losing- I'd open the diary and let people look as well- you could be doing something you're missing someone might catch.0 -
The crap coaster may have taken a toll and your body is readjusting. Give it at least a month. Personally I don't lose unless I exercise. This is partially do to being hypo thyroid and the fact that my true daily calorie burn is probably a bit lower than the MFP calculated amount.0
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Thank you so much!! I will go in and open it now...0
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anytime I change an aspect of my fitness life; calorie intake, exercise regimen, whatever, it takes my body three weeks to adjust and realize that it's "gonna be okay." hang in there. you're worth it. :flowerforyou:0
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Could my body be confused from all the crap I've done to it the last couple years??
nope. that definitely isn't it.
Typically 2.5 weeks is just barely enough time. Give it another week or two- make sure you're really being accurate with food choices- and go for some walks- I find when I start doing some extra cardio if I'm a little "stuck" it helps get the weight moving again.
at 200 something pounds eating 1500 a day- you should be losing- I'd open the diary and let people look as well- you could be doing something you're missing someone might catch.
Thank you so much, this makes me feel tons better. I did open the diary, so please lmk what you might think. I'm going to start walking, I do every Wednesday during my daughter's soccer practice for an hour around the track, but I'm going to expand to 4 days.0 -
anytime I change an aspect of my fitness life; calorie intake, exercise regimen, whatever, it takes my body three weeks to adjust and realize that it's "gonna be okay." hang in there. you're worth it. :flowerforyou:
:flowerforyou: 
Thank you so much:bigsmile: 0 -
Several days I see you have over 200 in carbs and only 40 grams of protein. Maybe try increasing the protein and cutting out some of the carbs and see if you see a change. JMO0
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You go over calories a lot and your sodium intake is through the roof. You need to cut sodium. And either stay within calorie range or add exercise.0
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You go over calories a lot and your sodium intake is through the roof. You need to cut sodium. And either stay within calorie range or add exercise.
To be fair, I go over the 1400 calories I set myself in MFP, but stay below 1650 for the most part. I try to stay within that range. I do eat a lot of salt I will admit. I definitely need to reel that in.0 -
What does mfp want you at to lose? Why put it at 1400 then?0
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I see you just changed your daily goal so hopefully other folks will keep that in mind. When I first went in, it was 1574, now it's 1400. I also noticed you were over some days but on average you were only over by like 50 calories and that wouldn't be enough to make you not lose weight.
1) The 1400 might help you out. I know for me, it can help to have a lower goal so I don' have to worry about any logging errors and it gives me wiggle room if I decide I need an extra snack. In the back of my mind, I know going over 100 or so isn't going to ruin my progress.
2) I also noticed you have VERY high sodium intake about half the time. That won't make you gain actual weight but it will mask weight loss and cause fluctuations on the scale, especially if you're not drinking enough fluids or sweating enough to counteract it. Try swapping out for more natural foods to cut down on the sodium and up your water intake.
Also, when you do start working out, do eat back earned calories but be careful about eating them all back as some of the exercise database listings overestimate. Try for about half...
Good luck!0 -
Hi all!! Looking for encouragement and friendly advice! I'm not new to "dieting" by any means. I have tried Low-Carb, Keto, Gluten free, low cal....it's been a roller coaster. A crap coaster, if you will. But the last few times around I've decided to knock that crap off and am sticking to the cals in vs. cals out route, because I get that should be all I need at this point. I am a woman, 34 yrs old, 5'6" tall, weigh 212, have taken all my measurements, and after weeks of keeping serious track (yes I weigh and measure everything) of absolutely EVERYTHING I eat on MFP nothing has budged. Not my weight OR measurements. This is how I end up quitting. Could my body be confused from all the crap I've done to it the last couple years?? How long should I expect to have to wait to see even the smallest results? I don't have an exercise program yet, but I'm a pretty active person, not just a couch dweller, and have been eating between 1400-1650 calories every day for almost 2.5 weeks. I have had my thyroid and blood sugar checked and I'm fine. I drink water throughout the day.
I just don't want to get discouraged again and quit. I want to go from 212 to 150, and it is so discouraging to see NOTHING
Any advice?
Am I just not giving it enough time and expecting too much too soon??
You eat more than you say ( at last from what I can see in your log ) and ingest a lot of simple carbs, and processed foods like cheese and lots of snack items. They all bring your salt intake to really, really high levels. I think you need to incorporate more fruit, vegetables and other healthy items, because your body might retain a lot of water with all that salt. Also, some people need more than 2.5 weeks before things start to move.0 -
When I pull all of your data I show the following:
You've logged a total of two weeks, from 9/10 to today.
You have some days in your diary with 500-700 calories logged. In one of them it shows you ate a breakfast sandwich and nothing else all day. In another it shows that you ate a small breakfast and lunch and nothing else. No snacks, no dinner/etc.
Most of the time when I see these things the culprit is inaccurate logging. You are not actually logging everything that you eat.
Now if you find yourself getting angry please understand that this is not me calling you dishonest--I'm actually trying to help.
Many people do this and to some extent it also happens in people who are well trained in tracking food intake.
The likelihood is that you are eating more than you are logging.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think
Now taking that into consideration there are other issues at play here that could explain your lack of weight loss.
1) It's only been two weeks. If you have started an exercise program in this time frame then it could simply be fluid retention masking fat loss.
2) While this wouldn't explain a complete lack of weight loss it would probably be beneficial for you to increase your protein intake at the expense of carbohydrate largely for satiety purposes but there are additional benefits as well.0 -
Just don't give up. It takes time!! Don't get discouraged!0
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you already have been given some good advice, I will just add that you need to give it longer, it takes time for your body to adjust to eating a bit differently..keep going and you will reap the rewards
and try to get moving each day in some way, even starting off with a 15 min walk, it might feel like a lot of effort but you will come to really enjoy those walks and you will love earning extra calories from that.0 -
First, I am not a doctor...
In looking at your diary over the past 7 days or so, you have several days where you calories were >200 above your goal. When I was losing the weight I lost, I stayed w/in 150 calories + / - the goal. I think your Saturday you were +600 above goal.
Second observation is you take in a lot of sodium / salt so that could be causing you to retain more water....but again, I am not a doctor - just an observation0 -
Thank you everyone!! I did scroll back through and noticed a couple days where I did forget to log my dinners (although I have been very careful!) I have been pretty seriously careful since with logging everything. We have a vegetarian in house, so it's hard to eat as much protein as others as I'm cooking for four people so we tend to have to eat similarly, but I do think I try to get a decent amount of protein in. I guess I have just been focused on the calorie content of the foods I'm eating and not the other things for right now, but I know my sodium level is not good so I will chip at that and try to find healthier snacks and just keep glugging water down. I'll check in again in a few weeks.
I really appreciate all the kind and helpful comments! You guys are awesome, and this is really hard!! HAHA0 -
Everyone here has some stellar advice...I would definitely watch that sodium intake, I know myself if I have a high day I retain quite a bit of water. Clean that up and add in some greens and fruit...you'll start to see it head in the right direction! Good luck!0
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*waves* As someone that had similar goals (215 to 150, 15 lbs from goal now) I just wanted to say YAY go you! I'd advise checking out the stickied post about your guide to sexy pants. It was really really useful. Did I mention REALLY?
One thing you will hear over and over and over is to get a food scale and USE it. It can be a pain at the start but now I don't know what I'd do without it. It also will help you realize that yeah, you probably are over eating. A good general rule is to over estimate your calories eaten and under estimate your calories burned.
Good luck!!0 -
As you've come to find - dieting is crap. Fad diets are crap. Listening to your body and merely eating healthy with a calorie deficit is what works if you want to be healthy & lose a bit of weight. It's hard at first since we're not necessarily used to providing our bodies with the proper foods, but with a bit of education and practice, you can learn to interpret your cravings and how to satisfy them with foods that won't negatively impact your weight loss efforts, or health.
Have you tried aiming for the 40/30/30 macronutrients? This is generally helpful when starting out - not something you need to obsessively stick to but something you can estimate/sorta aim for - and something that should help you in making more aware choices.
(That is assuming you don't have a gluten intolerance, your gallbladder removed, etc., in which case, a gluten free diet, a low fat diet, etc., would be required for medical reasons.)0 -
I agree with what everyone said about the sodium intake but I also think you eat a lot of bread. For me, that makes me feel sluggish and I have found my body has a harder time digesting. Maybe cut down the bread products (including tortillas) down to only one meal a day or not at all. Try to switch up your fruit and vegetable intake so it does not have a placebo affect on your body. I would also love to know what exercises you are doing to combat the intake.0
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*waves* As someone that had similar goals (215 to 150, 15 lbs from goal now) I just wanted to say YAY go you! I'd advise checking out the stickied post about your guide to sexy pants. It was really really useful. Did I mention REALLY?
One thing you will hear over and over and over is to get a food scale and USE it. It can be a pain at the start but now I don't know what I'd do without it. It also will help you realize that yeah, you probably are over eating. A good general rule is to over estimate your calories eaten and under estimate your calories burned.
Good luck!!
I do have a food scale and agree I was WAYYYY underestimating in the past, but these past weeks I've been using it pretty diligently I'm not sure what a stickied post is and where to find it???
Thank you for your help~!0 -
I see you just changed your daily goal so hopefully other folks will keep that in mind. When I first went in, it was 1574, now it's 1400. I also noticed you were over some days but on average you were only over by like 50 calories and that wouldn't be enough to make you not lose weight.
1) The 1400 might help you out. I know for me, it can help to have a lower goal so I don' have to worry about any logging errors and it gives me wiggle room if I decide I need an extra snack. In the back of my mind, I know going over 100 or so isn't going to ruin my progress.
You should find a calculator online, to calculate your BMR/caloric needs. DO NOT go by MFP's recommendations or somebody else's (unless they're a physician/have a medical degree that is), since MFP doesn't tend to be rather accurate with such, and people' caloric need are vastly different, depending on their currently weight/height/activity level, and goal weight/height.
If you want, you have the option of manually going in and changing your daily calorie goal, if you want to use such a calculator.0 -
You may have to make different meals for yourself than your family. My husband and I are vegetarians, my kids are not although one eats some of the vegetarian meals more. They get meat and we don't. You have to find what works for you and go from there.0
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As you've come to find - dieting is crap. Fad diets are crap. Listening to your body and merely eating healthy with a calorie deficit is what works if you want to be healthy & lose a bit of weight. It's hard at first since we're not necessarily used to providing our bodies with the proper foods, but with a bit of education and practice, you can learn to interpret your cravings and how to satisfy them with foods that won't negatively impact your weight loss efforts, or health.
Have you tried aiming for the 40/30/30 macronutrients? This is generally helpful when starting out - not something you need to obsessively stick to but something you can estimate/sorta aim for - and something that should help you in making more aware choices.
(That is assuming you don't have a gluten intolerance, your gallbladder removed, etc., in which case, a gluten free diet, a low fat diet, etc., would be required for medical reasons.)
SOOOOO Much crap!! :sad: Haha. I'm not really using the macros yet. It makes it very complicated for me. I figured if I can just monitor my calorie intake and eat at a deficit for a while, when I get closer to my goal I can start in with the macros. But I might take another look. They're just so confusing, idk why. I know me enough to know, if something is like crazy work and I get too overwhelmed with it, I'm not going to stick to it if it makes my existence like a job. I don't mind tracking my calories for some reason though. I'm a mess...haha.0 -
I don't see you logging any water. Are you drinking throughout the day?0
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You got some great advice, so I won't repeat it. To help you with perspective, I will say that it took me about 6 weeks to figure out how to log consistently and eat to calorie goal. I also did a ton of reading of very helpful posts (one of which was linked above) to figure out how to eat without feeling starved. Protein was a big piece of that puzzle for me. Give it time, do the research, be consistent, and you will reach your goals.
Here's a helpful compilation of a lot of the useful stuff on here. I still keep coming back to this, 7 months after starting this process:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read
Good luck!! :flowerforyou:0 -
I see you just changed your daily goal so hopefully other folks will keep that in mind. When I first went in, it was 1574, now it's 1400. I also noticed you were over some days but on average you were only over by like 50 calories and that wouldn't be enough to make you not lose weight.
1) The 1400 might help you out. I know for me, it can help to have a lower goal so I don' have to worry about any logging errors and it gives me wiggle room if I decide I need an extra snack. In the back of my mind, I know going over 100 or so isn't going to ruin my progress.
You should find a calculator online, to calculate your BMR/caloric needs. DO NOT go by MFP's recommendations or somebody else's (unless they're a physician/have a medical degree that is), since MFP doesn't tend to be rather accurate with such, and people' caloric need are vastly different, depending on their currently weight/height/activity level, and goal weight/height.
If you want, you have the option of manually going in and changing your daily calorie goal, if you want to use such a calculator.
Yes, I don't use MFP's count for that reason. I went to other sites and used their calculators and sort of averaged their results. Which is why I changed the amount I try to stay between 1400 and 1650 on any given day. Each would provide me with a pretty good deficit. 0 -
This thread helped me a lot: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013
Also - bump up that exercise. Try to do a little something every day. There is stuff you can do with a child in tow, like situps on the floor, or pushups, or dancing to music. It might feel hard at first but as your body remembers its muscles it will start to feel good.
Also - your macros from yesterday tell a lot of the story. Listen to them. Lots of protein left in your goal, way too much sodium carb and fat. Try to balance that out better. Try to eat cleaner, not so much processed stuff with a ton of salt in it.
Best of luck!0
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