No Weight Loss... Would like suggestions!

anhampton2
anhampton2 Posts: 6 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
First let me ask someone how to make your diary public so you can actually give real recommendations!

Here's my story, I have done weight watchers 2 years ago and used this app multiple occasions (after my subscription ended with WW) to help maintain weight. But I am 8 months out from having a baby and I have GAINED the weight I lost plus some back AFTER the baby weight went away. I know I wasn't living a healthy lifestyle because I was so busy between work and the baby so last week I decided to start tracking again and also quit drinking anything caffeinated or too sugary. You will notice in my log the first few days are terrible because those were actually my normal days before I started but I went back to see how much I was actually putting in my body. I did really awesome all week, went a little beyond my calorie count because of some family functions this weekend but didn't do too bad. I measured all the meals that show as recipes and did my best to match exactly what I was eating otherwise to other entries.

I gained weight this week! And so I would love for advice on how to really kick start my diet (keeping in mind I work full time and have a busy body 8 month old and don't always have a ton of time for meal prep and exercise) and also if my calorie and %s are set up correctly! I really though switching from 3+ sodas a day to just water and the occasional tea would help a lot, and even though I feel better and have more energy, I still would like to lose some weight!

Thanks in advanced for your great advice and patient responses! :)

Replies

  • anhampton2
    anhampton2 Posts: 6 Member
    Actually , I figured out the diary issue so it is public now!
  • tiptoethruthetulips
    tiptoethruthetulips Posts: 3,372 Member
    Regarding time, what can your partner or husband do to help? Can he look after your child while you exercise and/or batch up home prepared meals on a one weekend day for later use? Can you exercise during your lunch break?

    Your food dairy shows a lot of highly processed foods that are full of sodium, it may well be that the weight gain you had is actually fluid retention. There seems to be a lack of fruit and veg as well as dairy.

    Food wise you need to go back to some basics...home prepared meals....these will be better for bub too.

    Home cooked meals along with calorie counting and exercise will be good for weight loss and your health.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    You're eating more than you think. First thing I checked the JJ sandwich you have : 398 calories Their BASE sandwich (nothing on it) is 420, you add cheese its 521. I'm assuming you didn't just eat the meat and bread? You eat a ton of processed food which are going to be high in sodium. You have a lot of generic items. You want to use actual when at all possible. For example, blueberry muffin you have 150 calories. The average medium size is going to have 400 calories or so.
    Tighten up your logging.
  • happyfeetrebel1
    happyfeetrebel1 Posts: 1,005 Member
    Yes, a lot of processed and/or take out foods. I am not against these at all, I eat them too, but it's very VERY hard to eat them and estimate the amount of calories that you're intaking, just because there is so much variance in preparation. I'd be willing to bet on the days where you had 2 or more meals of take out, that your calories were a LOT higher than you logged, not thru any fault of your own.

    Make your own things and it'll be a lot easier to log for you..and probably a titch healthier overall as well.

    Invest in a food scale too :)
  • anhampton2
    anhampton2 Posts: 6 Member
    I appreciate the advice, unfortunately my husband and I work opposite schedules, so when he has the baby I am at work and vice versa. And I am in and out of schools all day for my work and Actually don't get a lunch break, I tried taking leftovers from the night before for each day but did not always work out that way. The Times I was able to work out/jog was either with the baby or once during down time at work, but that doesn't happen much. I bought a jogging stroller so I could go while I had the baby and am hoping to get more exercise in this week since my schedule isn't as chaotic! In a perfect world, I wouldn't have to do take out at all and trust me... I cut back a TON this week although it may not look like it. I am slowly working on cutting out processed/fast food, my goal this week is to eat all homemade breakfast meals. I realize this needs to happen but more than anything I just want to make sure that my actual profile and %s are set up correctly because I read something elsewhere on the forums that made me doubt this?
  • anhampton2
    anhampton2 Posts: 6 Member
    Actually, I did only eat bread, Turkey and lettuce with a small amount of mayo and took that nutrition info directly from their website and only ate half the bag of chips since it contained 2 servings. And the muffin was at a conference and was a super mini muffin , and I cannot imagine that was too far off calorie wise. I try to pick what fits best and usually over estimate when I don't know for sure. I recognize that it is easier to count your own foods and figure out the nutrients but with my work it is hard to always do that but I did do that more than a few times this week, but still had to eat out (like yesterday, I was somewhere with no microwave to reheat leftovers and for a very long amount of time). I am slowly working to cut out all processed food but making total lifestyle changes take some time.
  • austinsneeze
    austinsneeze Posts: 220 Member
    I don't see you tracking your water intake... that's important, as cliche as it is. No one wants to do it, but drinking water helps get rid of water retention. (Maybe you are drinking water, I just didn't see it logged.) It helps flushes all the toxins out. I keep a 32oz camelback with me all the time. I drink water when I don't realize it... like mindless eating? It's the same principle, if it's there, you'll drink or eat it.

    Also, increase your protein. Greek yogurt. Eggs. Salmon. Tuna. Nuts. Protein take longer to digest in your system, so it keeps you fuller for longer.
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,783 Member
    I haven't looked into your diary but understand with a baby and a hectic schedule, food prep can be a hassle.

    I find that turkey wraps make an excellent, quick lunch on the go - tortilla wrap (you can find all variations - lo carb, high fiber, lo fat, etc to suit your needs), turkey (low sodium if you are watching that), slice of cheese, handful of baby spinach leaves, squirt of balsalmic vinegar dressing and you are good to go.

    My fave breakfast is cottage cheese with fruit - lots of protein, very filling for me.

    The most important thing is to make small positive moves in the right direction and give it time (several weeks/month, not just one or two weeks) to see the results.

    Good luck!!
  • blkericia
    blkericia Posts: 105 Member
    if you have the time to cook for your family you have time to meal prep. also exercise doesn't have to be an hr if you want it to work, you make it work, cut out that high process foods that will only slow down your process. having a baby doesn't mean you don't have the time, make the time if you want it bad enough,
    and remember stress can also make it hard so do your best to make time for yourself to relax,
  • SpicyBaconCake
    SpicyBaconCake Posts: 96 Member
    Baby steps have been working for me.
    I took two weeks to get over my soda addiction before I even tried to reduce calories.
    Then I spent a week concentrating on get a 30 minute walk in each day.
    Kept up my walking while I replacing my high calorie foods with better options. It doesn't take a total revamp usually, just the problem foods. I cannot have French fries on my plate at dinner, cause I know I ate a serving while cooking for my family, mashed potatoes too!
    The next week, I switched to daily intermittent fasting, same calories, same food, just in a smaller time window. I've never been one that was hungry upon waking and seriously dont like trying to eat every 3 hours, so it just suits me.
    And then last week, I started a simple bodyweight program for beginners I found on nerdfitness.com, m-w-f and warm up with a shortened walk.
    Of course, I am not saying this exact plan for yourself, but more the tackle one issue at a time. So many times I've tried to cut it all and do it all at once, slip once, and give up till I was back at a weight I hated. Now if I mess up in one part of my plan, my other good habits outweigh it in my head.
    Get yourself a food scale and some Tupperware to prepare for those all day excursions. Sandwiches and wraps won't need a microwave. I like to save our healthy leftovers for days I cook my family something that doesn't quite fit my own goals.
    Just don't give up, and good luck :drinker:
  • allyphoe
    allyphoe Posts: 618 Member
    The simple explanation for weight gain over a short period is water weight fluctuation. So my first vote would be to keep on keeping on, and see what results you get over a month.

    If you think you're undercounting calories (so eating more than you log), the easiest no-time-to-cook-and-measure solution is prepackaged items where one package is one serving. Frozen dinners aren't nutritionally perfect, but they're no worse than a sandwich and a bag of chips, and they're significantly more standardized than restaurant meals.

    If you want to see some scale movement, increasing your protein and fat and decreasing your carbs, while keeping the same number of total calories, is likely to cause some water weight loss. I personally do better with more protein and fat and less carb than you're eating, but macro balance is really a matter of personal preference.
  • PeterSedesse
    PeterSedesse Posts: 124
    another problem with prepped foods is the amount of salt, which means water retention.
  • anhampton2
    anhampton2 Posts: 6 Member
    Thanks! I never really saw cottage cheese as breakfast food but I love that and I love fruit so I may try that this week! And the tortillas sound good. I appreciate the advice!
  • anhampton2
    anhampton2 Posts: 6 Member
    That's a great suggestion, keeping healthy left overs for when the meals don't work for you. That's what I wish I would have done this weekend for our family functions this week because I felt like there was nothing healthy for me to eat! I just did super small portions to try and not completely ruin my day. I always felt wraps weren't that healthy because of the shell but I guess it depends on what wrap you get and what you put inside someone else suggested that so I will add that to my shopping list!r

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