stuck at my weight forever I think! (long)

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  • lynseya83
    lynseya83 Posts: 84 Member
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    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
    karenj_m Posts: 215
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    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
    rosebette Posts: 1,659 Member
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    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
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    You're not eating at a deficit, its that simple
  • CupcakeCrusoe
    CupcakeCrusoe Posts: 1,373 Member
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    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
    cavia Posts: 457 Member
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    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
    LeslieTSUK Posts: 215 Member
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    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
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    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
    lynseya83 Posts: 84 Member
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    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
    ikkinr20 Posts: 27 Member
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    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.
  • lynseya83
    lynseya83 Posts: 84 Member
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    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"?)

    My weght lways bounces around 10st 6 to 10st 9lb really. It can do that overnight then back to its status quo! And this whole year my bodydat % has been min 41.3% to max 41.5% ( home scales with bf ) . Not much in it really!
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
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    A couple of my favorite cold weather soups are super-easy and very filling. I hate to even call them recipes...

    You can make a very easy black bean soup with a couple of 15 oz cans of black beans (drained), some jarred salsa (16 oz jar), and 1 cup vegetable broth/water. Simmer on the stove for 15 minutes or so, and then use an immersion blender to break up the beans a bit. I usually top with fresh salsa and a bit of sour cream/cheese/plain yogurt.

    The other is a lentil soup using fresh lentils, jarred salsa (again), water, and some vegetables--you can use whatever is in the crisper, but I like carrots, onions, and green peppers. Chop up the vegetables and saute them in a pan with a bit of olive oil. Add 2 cups dried lentil beans, 1 16 oz jar salsa, and 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 45 minutes. I like to serve this one with a bit of brown rice, but my son likes to make it into dip for nacho chips by adding cheese and sour cream.
  • MamaRiss
    MamaRiss Posts: 481 Member
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    Until you get serious, and get accurate you will not see the results you desire. Erring on the side of caution does you no good, it is cutting into a space that could be filled by something that will keep you satisfied and provide the nutrients you need. Get yourself a digital scale, and weigh your bread, weigh your protiens, all of you vegetables and condiments. When you get accurate, you will see what fits in to your day, and what doesn't. You don't need Mayonaise, salad creme, and butter on one sandwich, pick one and stick with it. Get more protien in your diet, you need that to keep your muscles to make it through your exercise. I've lived in Europe for 3 years, I know every single food item sold in stores has nutritional info based on 100g portions, iwhen you get yourself a scale, it is easy to log accurately and lose the weight
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    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.

    All of this...plus 40g of butter on 2 slices of bread is a smidge excessive!
  • Cortneyrenee04
    Cortneyrenee04 Posts: 1,117 Member
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    I agree with the others- you should look for more filling foods and you can stick to your goals better.

    As for overestimating- sure, I do that some times too. But logging 2.5 times the amount (with your bread) will throw you way off. At the end of the week it however long it takes you to eat something, it evens out. So your portions don't have to be 100% equal - does that make sense? You could be eating less than you think and end up hungry. (When I make things like bread/cake or whatever, I make a gentle mark to divide portions out so when I go to slice it, they're more or less equal.)
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    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.

    Her diary is consistently over her goal. If she was eating too little, she'd still be losing weight.
  • wkay99
    wkay99 Posts: 29 Member
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    I'm short too, much older than you, not a vegetarian; but, I can really relate to your slowness in seeing change. I signed up for MFP in 2010 and decided to give logging food a try. From then until Friday, 10/3/2014 I struggled with discouragement over the fact that the scale didn't change enough. I tried measurements to encourage me but found that didn't seem to work either. Finally on Friday I went shopping for new slacks. I expected to be able to wear a size 14 comfortably but came home with size 12. What a day! Some things I learned that, I hope will help you:

    1. All of our bodies are different and they change as we get older.
    2. Use MFP to see what you're doing. My problem was portion size, but I didn't realize that until I got honest and weighted/measured every bite for originally what I thought would be a few weeks to better judge my portions. It was a real pain at first, but it was very eye-opening. I recommend getting rid of the "estimating" and/or "overestimating" - at least for a while. (Any yes, if portion control is an issue you will be hungry, but as your body adjusts so will your hunger).
    3. Choices are tough. For example, I liked a soda but found switching to diet soda only took a little effort. I like butter and bacon and found it impossible to find a substitute with the same taste. So I still use them both but very moderately.
    4. Rawl vegis, especially leafy green ones, will make you feel fuller.
    5. Protein will keep you less hungry longer - so be sure to include beans, cheese, eggs, yogurt or cottage cheese on or with your salad/vegis.
    6. The measurement comment also applies to exercise. Take a look around for a better means to measure what you are actually doing so that your logging is consistent and honest. Then reevaulate.
    7. We don't always see ourselves or our progress . Ask your health professionally if you really need to lose weight or if the changes you see are just normal growing up changes. If your health professionally says you do need to lose the weight, remember - you didn't get here in one day, it may take time.
  • BenjaminS_Fitness
    BenjaminS_Fitness Posts: 70 Member
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    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!
    the problem is that you are trying to eat very calorie dense food on a low calorie diet, which is simply retarded. try to eat stuff with low calories where you can eat a lot, without getting to many calories in. if i can get full on 2000 calories as190lb male who works out hard 7 days a week with daily cardio ontop of that during my cutting phase. I ate that when i started working out as i was fat myself.

    every tried a diet around salads, fresh fruits (pineapple, melon) , cottage cheese/greek yoghurt with honey/fruits, beans, potatos. some healthy fats in form of nuts/olive oil (just to name some of many things you can eat) instead of 20-30grams of fat every ****ing meal? i honestly don't know how you eat mayonnaise, mac'n'cheese, cheddar (for 20grams of fat in one meal) pasta sauces with 20+ grams of fat and claim you are dieting.

    Also your fat on most days is higher than mine on 4000 calories in offseason. you gotta be ****ing kidding me.
  • lynseya83
    lynseya83 Posts: 84 Member
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    Righto! Think I get the picture there BenjaminS_fit!

    And so delicately put! ;-)
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    Righto! Think I get the picture there BenjaminS_fit!

    And so delicately put! ;-)

    :laugh:

    We're very similar. I weigh about the same as you do, and by the time I started MFP seriously I was already small enough that I needed to know how the hell people eat so little?!? In my case I lowered my weight loss goal from 1 lb to .5 lb but I see you do not have that option now. All I can say is keep trying new recipes and definitely weigh weigh weigh everything! When you do this seriously if you're lucky you might find 2-300 calories you could EASILY cut back or do without, and instead spend them on real food that is satisfying *to you*

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1296011-calorie-counting-101

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