New and really need help!

greyhoundluv
greyhoundluv Posts: 49
edited September 25 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone--I joined MFP on Feb. 20th, 2011 and have been tracking calories diligently ever since. I am 50 years old, 5'5" tall, and have struggled with steadily increasing weight especially as I have gone into menopause these past few years. I feel like I have no metabolism to speak of! I started out weighing 166.5 lbs. (the most I have ever been in my life) and have yo-yo dieted for at least the past 4 years. I would lose 3-6 pounds then the weight loss would stop, I would get frustrated, give up and go back to eating whatever I wanted. I weigh myself every day (which I know is not recommended, but it was literally the only thing I could do in the beginning to even try yet another weight loss program). Initially, I saw a good weight loss pattern, ultimately getting down to 163 by this past Sunday. Today, however, I am back up to 164 and I have really stuck to my program and have been drinking way more water and working out much more intensely and consistently. I also participate in a weight loss program in my gynecologist's office, and every week they weigh me and do a BIA (Body impedance analysis) which analyzes things like water content, fat vs. lean body mass. Last week, all my numbers went in the right direction--lost fat, gained lean body mass, water percentages increased, overall weight reflected loss. This morning, I went in to get measured and I went in the opposite direction--increased fat, lost lean mass, gained weight. And I cannot figure out what I am doing wrong!! I try to keep my calories at 1400, but when I work out I do eat up my workout calories. I can't figure out if I am eating too much or too little--I don't know whether to increase or decrease my calories! Can anyone take a look at what I am doing on my diet and help me figure this out? I am sorry for such a long post, and look forward to participating more in this community!!

Replies

  • chill0315
    chill0315 Posts: 19 Member
    Can you open up your diary so that we can look at it? I know for myself, I have to not look at the scale, I gauge on do I feel better and do I see a change in clothing and measurements. I retain alot of water also, so I understand that. I was not eating enough protein and had to increase my protein also. It is a hard journey, take it one day at a time and stay in the game.
  • vallejos6
    vallejos6 Posts: 146 Member
    If you could go and make your diary public, I'd be happy to look it over for you. Our stats are really similar right now, I'm 5'5" and weigh 161 (down from a high of 216 in Aug. 2009) and I'm an every day on the scale person too, but for me, it's more about keeping the routine of watching the scale than a need to know my weight everyday.

    In my diet, I really try to make every calorie count and focus on nutrient dense calories. I'm super lucky in that the rest of my family is totally on board and the two kids who are still at home (son, 16 and daughter, 23) join the hubby and I for our workout every night (we do Insanity from Beachbody- 6X a week).

    ~~Veronica

    Edited now that you opened your diary: As the poster below noted, yes, you're over on your fat calories everyday, but they are high quality fats and I doubt that's causing you much issue. Overall, the diet looks good to me, I'd start looking into the exercise and maybe up your intensity there. Are you doing any strength training? That would probably really help. I'm not doing a dedicated strength program, just concentrating on getting through Insanity, but that does have some built in strength/resistance training built in and I'm noticing a difference.
  • dababers
    dababers Posts: 135
    Took a peek. From what I can see, you are over on your fat intake pretty much every day. I also don't see any water intake logged. You're burning on average of 200 calories in exercise a day. It might be time to kick up your activity level and increase your water intake. Your sodium is not too bad, but watch it doesn't get too high. Just some thoughts.
  • crawfordfamily
    crawfordfamily Posts: 3
    Hey, I have learned from my support friends and experience to keep the weight loss going when you work out do not eat those extra calories. Do your very best to stay within your calories before the burned calories. I have lost 14 lbs since the first of the year but most of those have come off better since I was using this program and not eating my burned off calories. hope it helps.
  • larsonp
    larsonp Posts: 55 Member
    Greyhoundluv,
    The best advice I could possibly give you is not to get frustrated and give up.
    It sounds like you're doing all the right things. (And don't worry about small changes in weight from day to day.)

    If you want to weigh yourself every day, that's cool. I recommend putting your weight from the last 30 days into a program like excel and graphing a trendline. It can be hard to see your progress amidst the "noise" of day to day, or even week to week weights.
    The point is that you're going for long-term weight loss, and that means long-term diet change. Dieting for one month is not a lifestyle change. It may as well be a crash diet. . .
    You want a long-term AVERAGE calorie deficit, and you're doing exactly the right thing on that one, so keep it up!
    I've been tracking calories for about 10 months. Some days I'm right on target, other days, the urge to be festive and drink and party is too great, and I go WAYYYY over. But, I've lost well over 30 pounds. It also tends to come in spurts, for me. Some months, I'll lose 6-7 pounds, others none. (Holiday months are rough on me.)

    Anyway, Good luck, and remember that "water retention" and all such things are a very temporary weight. You need to look at long term.
  • JudyQ
    JudyQ Posts: 13 Member
    I have the best site and plan for you and we will help you. Go over to Diet Free Life by Robert Ferguson. We are on facebook too...a Diet Free Life is just what you need. After years of yo yo dieting - he teaches us to reset our metabolism and to eat in a way that causes you to lose weight. you can buy the Food Lovers Fat Loss program or just order the Diet Free Life book currently on the New York Times bestseller list and just get started. Many of us are on here just to keep tabs on our carb/protein/fat intakes. We don't have to count calories except for snacks and we eat every three hours! Check us out! www.my.dietfreelife.com..

    We care and we can help! JudyQ
  • greyhoundluv
    greyhoundluv Posts: 49
    Thank you soooo much for the posts thus far. I think my diet is public now, so anyone can take a look (please do!). I actually haven't been logging my water intake--I try to drink at least 60 to 70 oz. per day. I will start logging on the site. I also don't tend to write in my salad veggies, but everytime you see a salad dressing listed I usually had a salad consisting of romaine lettuce, celery, some black olives, red peppers, red onions, and the dressing (no, I don't drink balsamic vinagrette by the cupful!!:wink: ).
    I have also wondered if I am eating too much fat. By kicking up the workout--what would be a good calorie range to shoot for?
  • GooneyAngel
    GooneyAngel Posts: 90
    My personal advice is: Do not eat up your exercise calories. Only eat your BMR calories to lose. After a few weeks, I alos stopped losing. So, I took a day off and ate cookies and grilled buttery sliced beef sandwich with cheese! This "cheat day" worked for me. The next weigh in, about 2 days later, I had lost 1.5 lbs. Doing this sometimes "tricks" your body into burning more calories than it is used to. It is overfueld, so to speak, and wants to get rid of the extra. I know that lots of people do not recommend doing this, but, it worked for me. GL and do not give up!
  • jenblair82
    jenblair82 Posts: 6
    I agree with crawfordfamily, I try not to eat any of my calories back from exercise. If I am hungry and burned more than 500 calories working out, then I will add a healthy snack, but thats it! I know people are going to start saying that if you eat too few calories then you will go into starvation mode. I talked to a nutritionist at work and she said 1,200 calories is all you need to eat and your body will not go into starvation mode unless you eat less than that. Burning calories has nothing to do with it.

    I took a look at your diet and your choices are very healthy. My only suggestions would be to lower the fat and protein levels.I think they are too high for your age and activity level. Personally, if I was you, I would cut out a snack and exercise a little bit more. Maybe add a more intense workout just once a week. Good luck!
  • mdailous
    mdailous Posts: 9
    Question: Have you had a thyroid test, vitamin test or comprehensive metabolic panel performed recently? It's all standard blood work, but could indicate if anything is out of whack somewhere. As we get older, our bodies need "assistance" getting a lot of the vitamins and mineral we need. Sometimes, a multi-vitamin isn't enough as we might be deficient in one specific area. This is just a suggestion.

    I know as my mom has approached menopause, she started seeing a lot of the same things, and [if memory serves me correct], it turned out to be a thyroid problem. I've known other people that found out they had a mild allergy to something they were eating, which caused them to gain weight... just some additional thoughts and ideas.

    Also, remember the nutritional goals are merely general guidelines. I, myself, and over on my carbs/sugars/protein intake DAILY! But my goals and needs are different and can't be calculated in the general guidelines. Also, there are different types of carbs and sugars, some of which digest/absorb better in the body than others (good carbs/sugars vs. bad carbs/sugars). I know this is hotly debated, and everyone has their own beliefs, and I'm not trying to open up a can of worms... I'm just saying the nutritional goals are simply guidelines and you should adjust them (mentally) according to your personal goals.

    I notice you have the same mid-day snack, including a serving of a protein supplement. On days where you're planning on consuming protein from meats and nuts and things like that, you might want to fore-go the protein supplement. Over-all, though, I'd say your diet is fairly good. There's no indication of water consumption, and that does play a big role in weight loss. A common misconception, though, is simply drinking water is enough... it's not. Water not only hydrates the body, but depending on what's in it, the body will utilize it more, or less, efficiently. Personally, I add electrolytes, potassium and sodium supplements to my water. For me, this is needed as I'm a profuse sweater and I workout vigorously 5-6 times a week. You're needs may vary.

    Increasing the amount of Cardio will have an impact, and I'd say it's a definite start. How are you calculating your calorie burn? Do you use a heart rate monitor or is it the HRM that's included on the cardio machine (treadmill, elliptical, cycle, etc). If it's what's on the cardio machine, it's not accurate. I found mine was way off... and it was over what I thought I was burning. If this is the case for you, head over to Walmart or K-Mart and pick up an inexpensive watch that includes a HRM feature. I doubt you need a chest strap, a simple watch would do... just take your heart rate frequently during your exercise... you may be surprised. :)

    Good luck in your journey. MyFitnessPal is an excellent resource for gaining support, advise and assistance from it's vast community.
  • greyhoundluv
    greyhoundluv Posts: 49
    Thanks again, very helpful suggestions. I am going to try really hard not to eat back my workout calories. I also was wondering what is the best way to figure out what my percentages should be for fat/protein/carbs?? I have tried to decrease carbs but tend to worry less about fat and protein, but I am not sure if that is the best approach.
    Workouts are tricky for me. I have chronic back and neck pain, so I have had to be very careful about increasing the intensity and type of workout I do. I have been fairly successful doing interval training on the elliptical for about 30 minutes. I mentioned earlier that I am starting to do kettlebell (resistance) training with a personal trainer but he is progressing me very slowly and carefully because of the pain. I am also seeing a physical therapist once a week trying to get the pain to decrease with myofascial release therapy, and so far it seems to be helping a lot. So I think I am going in the right direction with the workout, I just can't do it as intensely or as long as I did when I was younger :grumble: (boy do I sound like an old lady or what??).
  • greyhoundluv
    greyhoundluv Posts: 49
    Thank you so much for this reply, and others as well! I have had thyroid tests, nutrition testing, and I am waiting for the results of a neurotransmitter test. I have been taking Zoloft for many years, and I think that may have something to do with my steady weight gain over the years also. My Thyroid testing was normal, my hormones are out of whack which I would expect, but what I did not expect is that I am extremely low in testosterone, so my doctor started me on a testosterone medication. She believes that this deficit has caused a lot of muscle loss, which I agree with--it has also decreased my energy levels in a major way, which has also negatively impacted my workouts (along with the pain I mentioned in an earlier post).

    I have a question about the HRM mentioned here--I do go by the calories on my machine (elliptical or treadmill) as calories burned, but usually notice a really big discrepancy in that amount vs. the amounts here on MFP. I add my height, weight, age, etc. on my elliptical so I assume that is more accurate. I will do a search of the site for this, but is there a way to use the HRM to figure out calories? I do have one but rarely use it.
    Question: Have you had a thyroid test, vitamin test or comprehensive metabolic panel performed recently? It's all standard blood work, but could indicate if anything is out of whack somewhere. As we get older, our bodies need "assistance" getting a lot of the vitamins and mineral we need. Sometimes, a multi-vitamin isn't enough as we might be deficient in one specific area. This is just a suggestion.

    I know as my mom has approached menopause, she started seeing a lot of the same things, and [if memory serves me correct], it turned out to be a thyroid problem. I've known other people that found out they had a mild allergy to something they were eating, which caused them to gain weight... just some additional thoughts and ideas.

    Also, remember the nutritional goals are merely general guidelines. I, myself, and over on my carbs/sugars/protein intake DAILY! But my goals and needs are different and can't be calculated in the general guidelines. Also, there are different types of carbs and sugars, some of which digest/absorb better in the body than others (good carbs/sugars vs. bad carbs/sugars). I know this is hotly debated, and everyone has their own beliefs, and I'm not trying to open up a can of worms... I'm just saying the nutritional goals are simply guidelines and you should adjust them (mentally) according to your personal goals.

    I notice you have the same mid-day snack, including a serving of a protein supplement. On days where you're planning on consuming protein from meats and nuts and things like that, you might want to fore-go the protein supplement. Over-all, though, I'd say your diet is fairly good. There's no indication of water consumption, and that does play a big role in weight loss. A common misconception, though, is simply drinking water is enough... it's not. Water not only hydrates the body, but depending on what's in it, the body will utilize it more, or less, efficiently. Personally, I add electrolytes, potassium and sodium supplements to my water. For me, this is needed as I'm a profuse sweater and I workout vigorously 5-6 times a week. You're needs may vary.

    Increasing the amount of Cardio will have an impact, and I'd say it's a definite start. How are you calculating your calorie burn? Do you use a heart rate monitor or is it the HRM that's included on the cardio machine (treadmill, elliptical, cycle, etc). If it's what's on the cardio machine, it's not accurate. I found mine was way off... and it was over what I thought I was burning. If this is the case for you, head over to Walmart or K-Mart and pick up an inexpensive watch that includes a HRM feature. I doubt you need a chest strap, a simple watch would do... just take your heart rate frequently during your exercise... you may be surprised. :)

    Good luck in your journey. MyFitnessPal is an excellent resource for gaining support, advise and assistance from it's vast community.
  • mdailous
    mdailous Posts: 9
    Yes, there is a calculation based on the average heart rate over a given time. I had to figure this out when I got my Garmin Forerunner 305 with the chest strap HRM and realized (after the purchase) that it's not usable on a treadmill without the (optional) foot pod. Gotta love marketing. I ended up ordering the foot pod, and while I waited, I was able to use the Garmin to at least track my heart rate during my treadmill runs. Using that, I'd run the numbers through the equation, subtracting out my BMR for the same given time, and viola... I had a very good estimate of how many calories I actually burned. Many people don't subtract their BMR for the given time, and cardio machines definitely don't take any of that into account. Additionally, as you continue to exercise, the amount the calories burned for the same exercise decreases, so as time goes on, you need to change your cardio routine (I increase the incline on my treadmill).

    Anyway, the formula I use is based on a paper published in the Journal of Sports Science (March 2005) titled "Prediction of energy expenditure from heart rate monitoring during submaximal exercise." by Keytel LR, Goedecke JH, Noakes TD, Hiiloskorpi H, Laukkanen R, van der Merwe L, Lambert EV. If you're into this material, it can be viewed at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15966347. Basically, the calculations would be as follows:

    Using VO2max
    Men: C/min = (-59.3954 + (-36.3781 + 0.271 x age + 0.394 x weight + 0.404 x VO2max + 0.634 x HR))/4.184
    Women: C/min = (-59.3954 + (0.274 x age + 0.103 x weight + 0.380 x VO2max + 0.450 x HR)) / 4.184

    Without VO2max
    Men: C/min = (-55.0969 + 0.6309 x HR + 0.1988 x weight + 0.2017 x age) / 4.184
    Women: C/min = (-20.4022 + 0.4472 x HR - 0.1263 x weight + 0.074 x age) / 4.184

    Note: all weight is in kg. Also, be sure to subtract your BMR for the given time frame to get as close to accurate an estimate as possible. :)

    Now, if you don't want to do your own calculations (and I can't blame you LOL), there's an online calculator at http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/heart-rate-based-calorie-burn-calculator.aspx that does a really good job. Just fill in the field and click a button. :)

    I noticed you mentioned your doctor thinks you're also muscle wasting? If this is true, you should also include some strength building exercises into your routines to restore some of the lost muscle. Doing so, would also increase your calorie burn (carrying more muscle means burning more calories ;) ).

    Now, having said all this, one important thing to remember is the calorie calculations are only estimates for whatever device you use. They give a rough estimate, and some are closer than others.
    Thank you so much for this reply, and others as well! I have had thyroid tests, nutrition testing, and I am waiting for the results of a neurotransmitter test. I have been taking Zoloft for many years, and I think that may have something to do with my steady weight gain over the years also. My Thyroid testing was normal, my hormones are out of whack which I would expect, but what I did not expect is that I am extremely low in testosterone, so my doctor started me on a testosterone medication. She believes that this deficit has caused a lot of muscle loss, which I agree with--it has also decreased my energy levels in a major way, which has also negatively impacted my workouts (along with the pain I mentioned in an earlier post).

    I have a question about the HRM mentioned here--I do go by the calories on my machine (elliptical or treadmill) as calories burned, but usually notice a really big discrepancy in that amount vs. the amounts here on MFP. I add my height, weight, age, etc. on my elliptical so I assume that is more accurate. I will do a search of the site for this, but is there a way to use the HRM to figure out calories? I do have one but rarely use it.
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