stuck at my weight forever I think! (long)

lynseya83 · October 2014

Maybe I'm just greedy...
I'm pretty short so to lose 0.5lb a week on mfp I've to net 1400calories/ day.
I do a fair bit of exercise also! Most days. My weight pretty much hovers around 147lb . I've been on and off mfp for a long time, but my diet stays the same and exercise the same sports on average. I've been trying to lose weight by reducing fat for probably the last year. Im Just not happy with the way I look, I've had to buy bigger sized clothes etc. Recently I've been going to the gym on my lunch hour and doing 30min hard interval training..... After two weeks of that as an extra in my exercise... Yep I'm still basically the same weight!
Exercise wise I've been doing the 30min in the gym about 3times a week, 2- 4hours volleyball a week, an hour of squash a week and an hour of body pump. Not got more time to add much else really!
Give or take a couple of pounds I'm generally the same weight!
The second problem... Netting 1400cal I'm proper starving! I'm basically over on my calories everyday- and that's with stomach rumbling hunger at some points.
I log everything ( bar water and black coffee) .
I work funny shifts, and can't eat outside my break times.
A typical day ( diary is open anyway) is
Breakfast- cereal or bulletproof coffee (I know not all people agree with the premise but thought I would give it a bash)
Lunch break at work at 11.30am - soup or a sandwich
Dinner break at work at 4.30pm the other half of the soup or some leftovers from dinner the night before.
Then by 9pm when I get home I'm starving . Actually hungry not needing water, have to eat something! But I've basically used all my calories by this point! Usually have an apple each day also, and sometimes chocolate which doesn't help the calories- but I'm doing a lifestyle change not a diet in my eyes.
I've had one beer this week which isn't much.
So then I eat dinner with my other half after my work and I've killed off any hope of losing weight! But I dont go to bed till midnight/ 1am and I'm sure not going to last from 4.30pm till 1am without eating!
I do like to have a sit down meal with my other half as it's when we spend our relaxing time together really!
I'm 5ft 1inch height wise. Diet wise I'm vegetarian.
I'm stuck! Help please!
Do I have to decide between me being satisfied hunger wise and being fat or hungry all the time to lose weight? Is that my only two options!
My goal was to bring my bmi to a middle of the road 22, and my body fat % to low to mid 20's . My scales say my fat is around 41% . I've never gotten it to below 40% regardless of what I do so it's highly unlikely I'm going to get it to a normal 25% . So disappointing really.

JimmyRabuf · October 2014

If you're doing all that exercise and not losing weight then maybe God didn't want you to be skinny.

johnson_jonno · October 2014

Stop making up these excuses. Try to increase your protein intake and consume lots of leafy veggies. This will result in lower density of calories and you are more likely to feel full on a lower number of calories. For breakfast, Quick oats with water will be ~150 cal and relatively filling. For lunch I will typically have a large salad with a can of tuna and 1/4 cup of couscous for lunch when I am aiming to loose weight. I understand you will not want to have the tuna, but try to find a substitute that you will happily consume. Looking at your diary, I would try to cut out the bread and butter you are consuming, and have a balanced macronutrient intake throughout the day. (No low carb, low fat etc diets.) As i'm sure you are aware, the diet industry has a 95% failure rate, so don;t buy any of their **** they try to sell you. To conclude, Eat lots of veggies, some protein and carbs (not much sugar) and if you can, 30 min of HIIT 4 days a week should help.

johnson_jonno · October 2014

If you're doing all that exercise and not losing weight then maybe God didn't want you to be skinny.

Or you are eating too much. I burn over 10 000 cal a week by cycling, and I am gaining at ~0.3 to 0.5 kg/week.

gothchiq · October 2014

Dang, some harsh comments.... ok. I think it would make sense to talk to a doctor. There's something that isn't working here, but to find out what that is, a physician will have to see if your body is working the way it's supposed to, or if there's an issue with correctly gauging intake, or with the types of food you're eating. Too hard to figure out on your own; enlist professional help.

Sued0nim · October 2014

Sorry I couldn't follow that

But I looked at 3 days of your diary and you are not eating at a calorie deficit..so I don't get why you are surprised you're not losing weight

You're also using 230 calories on fats which I assume you add to your coffee? Why? Swap it for a bowl of porridge (oat so simple) made with water, add a banana and a tsp of honey and you've got the same calories and a full stomach

Swap the butter and mayo in your sandwich for light mayo and a lot more protein and salads

Start weighing and logging accurately

Stick to the calorie deficit and you'll lose weight

anditask · October 2014

I'm no expert, so just ignore if you like, but it sounds to me like your not eating enough. Your body may be seeing starvation mode, even though you hit your cal intake, as you say your always hungry. There is no magic number, we all have different metabolism, so it might be worth trying to increase your cal by say 500 for the week and see if this helps! You can try a couple of carb full days, to help you feel full longer, then gently cut back after a week or 2. If your feeling hungry, your bod is telling you it's not happy about the food intake, and traditionally, carbs will keep you fuller for longer. Yo do heaps of exercise, and the energy levels needed for squash etc will make your body scream for food, so help it out.

jenversuslife · October 2014

From a quick look at the past 2 or 3 days in your diary, you drink a lot of your calories: Relentlesa, Pepsi, Beer. Try switching to water (flavoured with fresh fruit or herbs, still or sparkling).

Your sandwich is very calorie dense but is obviously not making you feel full. Have you thought about reducing the calorie content of your sandwich slightly and having it with a big low cal salad? Protein also makes me feel fuller, so think about what fills you and make the right choices.

A trip to the dr may help, and also ensure you are weighing everything. I net under 1400 and always feel satisfied - it is possible!

Sued0nim · October 2014

OK I've gone back a week and you are consistently eating 3-400 calories over your target

You aren't losing weight and you're feeling hungry because you're not actually dieting

You don't need a doctor, you need to eat at a calorie defecit

Unless I am missing something

anditask · October 2014

One extra tip, get your doctor or local chemist to check your bmi, my scales lied to me for ages and it's not till I checked with someone else's that I realised ! Get a professional to make the weight height and bmi measurements then immediately check your own scales and note any difference.

amehh91 · October 2014

Fellow veggie here

I've only been at this about a month but I noticed in your diary you have a lot of bread - perhaps you could swap this for crispbreads, cracker breads or ryvita on occasions? I don't really understand the coffee thing but the butter intake is quite high. I also noticed treats and stuff in your snacks - what I try to do is log my whole day accurately without treats then if I have any left over after dinner I can decide what to do with it. It means sometimes I have a treat and sometimes I don't get one but that's okay.

Also with reference to your work shifts - could you have a more filling breakfast like porridge and water/skim milk and perhaps a slightly larger lunch at 11:30 to carry you through to dinner with your husband? Perhaps topping up with a snack at 4:30 like an apple or a couple of crispbreads.

Sometimes if I am really hungry I'll make a hot drink and the feeling usually passes. Also your drinks tend to be the full fat versions, can you swap/start swapping to the diet versions, if not change to water? I have drunk diet coke for years as my main drink and this week I am actively trying to cut down and have 1 can a day (this has been hit and miss!) and drink water the rest of the time - it is quite hard but will be worth it!

I don't think you need to be fitting in more exercise but I can't really offer an opinion because I'm a former exercise-phobe (working on trying to improve this!) so I don't know much about that's best exercise wise.

Hope this helps!

Madame_Goldbricker · October 2014

Yep looks like you're not in a calorie deficit.

You're looking too much at the exercise (numbers are never spot on for burns).

You don't need to exercise to lose weight (exercise for health).

You lose weight by STAYING in a caloric deficit.

Choose more dense foods to fill you up longer.

If you've just started a new exercise routine it's actually more likely for the scales to reflect a glycogen flux gain.

You need to get back in a deficit.

999tigger · October 2014

People should look at the diary and there is no calroie deficit. This is the thing that matters for weight loss no matter how mucch exercise you do.
Lots of stuff that could be cut out.
Eat more fruit, veg and proteins. Things that will make you feel fuller and also help by being more nutritious.

Its no surprise you arent losing plys other things like eating back calories etc all measured in an inaccurateway looks like they all add up to no weight loss.

BenjaminS_Fitness · October 2014

You don't need a doctor or chemist to check your bmi, it's nothing medical you are eating too much.
i've checked your diary it does not look like you are even trying to get in a caloric deficit. you are making poor food choices, and you constantly overeat.
Also why are you changing your daily goal every day? you should set a goal and stick to it and adjust if it is really necessary.

Also anditask i don't want to attack you personally, but telling someone who overeats this ****ing often that she does not eat enough and her body may be in starvation mode is ridiculous and irresponsible especially without knowledge of that subject. have you even checked her diary? it got poor choices and bad macros written all over it. She does not even try as it seems. and always eat what you want/when you feel hungry would make most of us obese.

PashCaline · October 2014

I'm sorry that you are doing so much effort and not getting results that you would like.
Remember to add any exercises you are doing on MFP, and you might see the deficit. Because you exercise it is normal to be more hungry.
Also, don't let yourself starve. You should eat when your hunger is medium. Make medium hunger your friend. Eat what you really fancy with your mouth not your head and savour every mouthful. Take your time and Stop when you are satisfied (not full with stomach), when you are not interested to eat any more. Again with your mouth not your head and stomach. You will have pleasure of eating the food that you love but in smaller amounts. Variety of foods is healthy.
If you feel like eating because of emotions, have a little break and focus on your breathing. Then go back to your activities. If you really need food to calm down, have one or 2 square of chocolates and touch smell let them melt very slowly in your mouth and go back to your breathing.
I found for me that life is now, I savour the food I like not because I've been told this and that. And I feel I would stick better to a small deficit on my diet.
Also more we diet more our weight will be higher unfortunately.
I wish you all the best

BenjaminS_Fitness · October 2014

I'm sorry that you are doing so much effort and not getting results that you would like.

do y'all even check her diary?

TheProudDadLife · October 2014

Yep looks like you're not in a calorie deficit.

You're looking too much at the exercise (numbers are never spot on for burns).

You don't need to exercise to lose weight (exercise for health).

You lose weight by STAYING in a caloric deficit.

Choose more dense foods to fill you up longer.

If you've just started a new exercise routine it's actually more likely for the scales to reflect a glycogen flux gain.

You need to get back in a deficit.

JustFindingMe · October 2014

I agree, you are eating too many calories. :flowerforyou:

It takes practice...and a lot of hit and miss but you will start to feel more in control of your weight and hunger once you master the art of eating high protein/nutrition with fewer calories. Eating this way will insure you stay full longer and not so likely to be starving by the time you get home and anxious.

Reading and searching the forum posts for high protein ideas and experimenting will get you going.

SunnyDuckling · October 2014

I've only gone back a week or so in your diary, but you do seem to eat a lot of your calories from bread and butter. Are you able to use less butter? I'm curious how thickly you spread it on so that you're using 40 grams for two slices of bread?

For a vegetarian, you don't seem to eat very many vegetables or pulses. The Quorn foods are a good substitute for meats, but they shouldn't form the entirety of your diet. As a former vego, I fell into the trap of not eating properly because I didn't know what to make when I didn't have a meat substitute. Vegetables are your friend! Find some that you love and eat them for energy and filling foods.

BenjaminS_Fitness · October 2014

I agree, you are eating too many calories. :flowerforyou:

It takes practice...and a lot of hit and miss but you will start to feel more in control of your weight and hunger once you master the art of eating high protein/nutrition with fewer calories. Eating this way will insure you stay full longer and not so likely to be starving by the time you get home and anxious.

Reading and searching the forum posts for high protein ideas and experimenting will get you going.

true.
the problem is that a lot of people want to eat the same food on a cut then they eat on a bulk only in smaller quantities, which simply does not keep them full.

lynseya83 · October 2014

Thanks for all the answers.
I was never doubting that I'm eating too many calories- what I was more trying to get at was how I could eat 300/ 400 less without being hungry since I'm already quite peckish after a day of work then 2hours of volleyball for example!
I do over estimate what I put in to mfp to err on the side of caution. For example when I scanned the loaf of bread the other day it said x calories per slice- but I'm case I hadn't managed to cut 'a tenth' of the loaf exactly I put in 2.5slices. Just to err on the side of caution - I would rather over estimate than under estimate.
Also, when you see 2portions of soup and two slices of bread for lunch, I had put a wee note to myself on the page that that was actually lunch and dinner - not all for lunch.
The reason the goals changed a few times was just that I was playing around with ' lose a lb a week vs lose 0.5lb vs maintain' to see what the difference between the figures really is.
Calorie wise, I would have thought that soup plus a slice of bread and butter would be similar to portion of cous cous with protein ( eg quorn or cottage cheese etc)? Not a massive difference to kill off 400calories a day anyway.
Cheers guys!

lynseya83 · October 2014

I'm not losing size either- put on some dress trousers last night that I haven had on for a month or two and they are exactly the same. Just seems a bit of a pain that I'm eating say 1800caloriesa day on average, doing say 6hours of fun sports exercise a week and now an extra 3interval training sessions, I pretty blooming hungry and tired if I don't have that many calories and im supposed to eat only 1400 to lose weight! Murder!

karenj_m · October 2014

Hi Lynseya

It looks like its the "type" of foods you are eating...for instance can you find a lower calorie bread (wheat, rye or something else) for example. You waste a lot of calories that you could be eating on stuff like "i can't believe its not butter"....you could eat a monster salad with 1 chopped up Quom on top for protein...instead of that particular butter substitute.

You are a vegetarian, but where are your vegetables? I eat a monster salad with some kind of protein on top everyday for lunch because I can eat a huge portion and its still only around 200 calories. Also, I always eat veggies for supper with a protein.

I know you're in the UK, so different foods of course...but spend a few hours with a printout of your current diary numbers and go to the store to find substitues for those high calories "toppings"....like using "SALSA" on top of your Quom fillets.

This will give you MORE calories to EAT FOOD, and you won't be hungry. Reach out to other vegetarians here on message boards for ideas.

PS: your protein seems quite low ....try to aim for a 40/40/20 (P/C/F) to hold onto your existing muscle while you are in deficient. This will also give you a good starting range with enough carbs for energy.You can adjust the ranges as needed.

rosebette · October 2014

I would agree with the others that you are not eating at a deficit. I also noticed some of the foods you have in your diary -- over 100 calories of butter on one day, over 200 on a butter substittute on another. I also noticed you logged a pepsi, which would be OK if you had the calories to drink it. That being said, your major problem is that you are hungry all the time; however, if you chose different foods that were nutrition-dense and bulky, you could eat more food, but be less hungry. I'm your size, 5'1.5", and around your goal weight. I hover between 118-120 lbs. I also net 1200 a day eating back exercise calories (sometimes I eat even less because this is my busy time). I'm not a vegetarian, but not a heavy meat-eater. You might take a look at my diary and see what I'm eating. Yesterday was pretty typical, and you can go back to earlier in the week (I was at a conference Thursday and Friday). As you can see, there's quite a lot of food for the number of calories I log. I tend to bring a lot of portable fruit wherever I go so I can eat when I get 5 minute breaks here and there during my day (I teach).

Liftng4Lis · October 2014

You're not eating at a deficit, its that simple

CupcakeCrusoe · October 2014

Thank you for opening your diary, this makes it easier.

I took a peek, and it looks like you're setting yourself up with the condiments and drinks. Some days as many as ~600 calories goes to drinks and oil/butter/mayo alone! No wonder you're hungry!

Find spicy/crunchy/sweet fruits and veg to use for condiments, and drink water. This will allow you to cut down on calories, and will keep you a lot fuller than your drinks and condiments do now.

Imagine- 100 cal in what, a tablespoon of mayo? There's ~100 cal in a banana, or in almost two apples. Swap out the oils, swap in fruits and veg. I promise you'll stay fuller, and you'll be able to eat more for your calorie allotment.

cavia · October 2014

Thanks for all the answers.
I was never doubting that I'm eating too many calories- what I was more trying to get at was how I could eat 300/ 400 less without being hungry since I'm already quite peckish after a day of work then 2hours of volleyball for example!
I do over estimate what I put in to mfp to err on the side of caution. For example when I scanned the loaf of bread the other day it said x calories per slice- but I'm case I hadn't managed to cut 'a tenth' of the loaf exactly I put in 2.5slices. Just to err on the side of caution - I would rather over estimate than under estimate.
Also, when you see 2portions of soup and two slices of bread for lunch, I had put a wee note to myself on the page that that was actually lunch and dinner - not all for lunch.
The reason the goals changed a few times was just that I was playing around with ' lose a lb a week vs lose 0.5lb vs maintain' to see what the difference between the figures really is.
Calorie wise, I would have thought that soup plus a slice of bread and butter would be similar to portion of cous cous with protein ( eg quorn or cottage cheese etc)? Not a massive difference to kill off 400calories a day anyway.
Cheers guys!

It doesn't look like you are measuring much if anything on a digital food scale. You're already logging what I'd consider maintenance calories. Add in the error factor from guesstimating portions and there is your answer as to why you aren't losing weight.

If you eat less than you burn you are going to feel hunger at some point in the day. That's just how dieting works. Figure out how to best manage your hunger (ie, where is it least likely to sabotage you? for me, it's the afternoon hours) Get a food scale and weigh all your solids and use a measuring cup only for liquids. Once you accurately rein in your calories to 1400, you should see the scale begin to move downward.

LeslieTSUK · October 2014

I don't do calories but carbs, as for bread, being wheat based, I find when having bread it actually makes me feel mad hungry through out the day, where as, if I have oatmeal pitta breads and stuff them with my fave foods, and make sure i weigh them accurately, 2 of them at lunch and thats me feeling full till same time next day.

I tend to have 1 with meat and 1 with fish, now since your a veggie, fish be ok but instead of meat have low fat chease, melt it over some peppers and carrots and other things.

Rice and potatoes good too, and very very filling

But really watch the drinks, and only have sugary stuff when actually doing your work outs, then it gives you a quick energy boost in your work out to burn instantly, and stick to low/no sugar stuff rest of time.

See how you go with that.

But if your still mad hungry, then eat low sugar high carb so you get a good steady release of energy instead of glucose spikes.

WalkingAlong · October 2014

Did I read that's it's been two weeks since you added the gym and you've lost possibly 1-2 lbs? ("Weight is the same, give or take a few pounds"?) That's good progress. It takes a while to see real change.

Following 'net calories' makes it hard. There is nothing dangerous with skipping the 'eating back' and instead picking a hard calorie target that considers your overall activity level or considers added exercise a bonus toward your weight loss (not toward your dinner). People usually overestimate workout burns and underestimate intake. Why have both errors counting in, if it's not working?

lynseya83 · October 2014

Cheers guys!

The sugary drinks yesterday weren't the norm I must say! *excuses*
I was at a party and I was doing driving duties and I'm quite sure the d.Pepsi someone got me was full fat! I added it as such just in case!

Love salads! Getting cold here in Scotland that's why I've moved from them to my winter choice of soup! I'll just ditch the bread with my soup next week and see how I get on! Bread without butter isn't worth it! Lol

Basically I'm just a greedy so and so then! ;-)

I do nice veg curries and stews with quorn etc on my days off! Been working lots lately so it's been pasta and easy things to microwave in work. Don't buy any oven or micro meals at all though!

Dedication.... On the bike at the gym while writing this!

ikkinr20 · October 2014

I saw another reply that mentioned this, but you could be eating too few calories. You can gain weight from that as well. I would take it as a sign, because your stomach grumbles at you. But I also agree that you probably need to to exchange some of your fat calories for better foods that will help you feel full. Since you go to a gym, stop by and talk to a trainer, or better yet, a nutritionist if they have one and see what they have to say.

stuck at my weight forever I think! (long)

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