Can't figure out what I'm doing wrong!
Replies
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You're really eating lots of junk food. The problem isn't with the food itself. Just that it can't keep you full.
I saw you had peanut butter in your diary. Do you weigh it or measure it out in a spoon?
I find that I'm not hungry on what I eat - I don't need or want more. I just am hoping that by sticking to 1200ish a day with 10K steps, at least a pound or two would start to come off.
Hmm, I don't weight or measure it actually - always just been eyeballing it.
Using this as an example, you'll see how people underestimate how much they eat. Next time you eat it, eyeball it and then weigh it. I'm pretty sure you'll see you're eating about double of what you expect. Let us know.0 -
Thanks! That makes sense! But by eating back my calories, wouldn't that mean my weight loss would be even slower than it is right now, which is my concern?
I will definitely give it a try though - eat back 50% of my exercise calories and walk 15,000 steps a day instead of 10,000. Thanks!
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Is there a reason you're in a rush to lose the last few pounds? Speaking from my own experience, when you're down to only a relative handful of pounds to lose, patience is indeed a virtue.
As others have said, shoot for the less aggressive goal of 0.5 lbs a week and up your activity a bit.
Giving it time = less stress.
Good luck!0 -
You're really eating lots of junk food. The problem isn't with the food itself. Just that it can't keep you full.
I saw you had peanut butter in your diary. Do you weigh it or measure it out in a spoon?
I find that I'm not hungry on what I eat - I don't need or want more. I just am hoping that by sticking to 1200ish a day with 10K steps, at least a pound or two would start to come off.
Hmm, I don't weight or measure it actually - always just been eyeballing it.
One more point that I didn't see mentioned... If you don't have much to lose, you can set your weight loss goal to 2 lbs per week all you want, but MFP will not allow you to go below 1200 calories as a net goal. So if I set mine for 2 lbs, its says 1200, but that is actually the same as if I set it for 1 lb. Since you are lighter than me, chances are .5 lbs per week is all that MFP will allow based on this minimum, so if you are losing .5 lbs per week then you would be losing exactly what you should. Does that make any sense?0 -
You're really eating lots of junk food. The problem isn't with the food itself. Just that it can't keep you full.
I saw you had peanut butter in your diary. Do you weigh it or measure it out in a spoon?
Good call on the peanut butter!! I just measured it and it turns out I was eating 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 tablespoons each morning vs. the 1 1/2 I have been logging. That would account for an additional 80 or so calories a day.
Thanks for the idea!
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I found that eyeballing it doesn't work well. It's pretty easy to measure if you have a scale. Weigh the jar (I tare it out so I don't have to maths), then remove a spoonful and adjust until you have 32g removed from the jar.You're really eating lots of junk food. The problem isn't with the food itself. Just that it can't keep you full.
I saw you had peanut butter in your diary. Do you weigh it or measure it out in a spoon?
I find that I'm not hungry on what I eat - I don't need or want more. I just am hoping that by sticking to 1200ish a day with 10K steps, at least a pound or two would start to come off.
Hmm, I don't weight or measure it actually - always just been eyeballing it.
Just tried that and you were absolutely right - thanks!
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djprice_69 wrote: »For one week, try swapping out a processed snack with a veggie or fruit every other time. Next week, swap out processed junk for fresh fruit & veg for a snack two out of three times. If you over eat on processed foods by eyeballing them, the caloric impact can be huge. If you over-eat on veggies, the caloric impact is extremely small - you'll just be fuller, longer.
I shall definitely try that. I find in the late evening though that my junk food snack is literally what I've been looking forward to all day long, so to forgo it for veggies (when I'm still under my calorie limit) is pretty hard to do
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My only thoughts:
1) Can your food amount estimations be more accurate?
2) Do you eat back all of your exercise calories (try eating back only half)
3) Medical issue?
4) Any combo of the above.
I do know a friend who actually lost weight when she started eating a little more. I don't know why or how that worked, but maybe it would be worth a try to increase your calorie consuptions by maybe 100 - 200 daily? I'm thinking it had to do something with her being relatively active. You sound active too.
1. I am thinking now that they are not. Other than weighing chips and candies, I don't ever measure coffee cream, peanut butter, butter, etc.
2. I will try this!
3. No gallbladder and Thyroid removed for thyroid cancer (both not helpful for great metabolism )
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bennettinfinity wrote: »Thanks! That makes sense! But by eating back my calories, wouldn't that mean my weight loss would be even slower than it is right now, which is my concern?
I will definitely give it a try though - eat back 50% of my exercise calories and walk 15,000 steps a day instead of 10,000. Thanks!
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Is there a reason you're in a rush to lose the last few pounds? Speaking from my own experience, when you're down to only a relative handful of pounds to lose, patience is indeed a virtue.
As others have said, shoot for the less aggressive goal of 0.5 lbs a week and up your activity a bit.
Giving it time = less stress.
Good luck!
Thanks so much. The goal is pretty set in stone - I want to hit it by the end of the 2014.0 -
blankiefinder wrote: »You're really eating lots of junk food. The problem isn't with the food itself. Just that it can't keep you full.
I saw you had peanut butter in your diary. Do you weigh it or measure it out in a spoon?
I find that I'm not hungry on what I eat - I don't need or want more. I just am hoping that by sticking to 1200ish a day with 10K steps, at least a pound or two would start to come off.
Hmm, I don't weight or measure it actually - always just been eyeballing it.
One more point that I didn't see mentioned... If you don't have much to lose, you can set your weight loss goal to 2 lbs per week all you want, but MFP will not allow you to go below 1200 calories as a net goal. So if I set mine for 2 lbs, its says 1200, but that is actually the same as if I set it for 1 lb. Since you are lighter than me, chances are .5 lbs per week is all that MFP will allow based on this minimum, so if you are losing .5 lbs per week then you would be losing exactly what you should. Does that make any sense?
I'm not understanding this 2lbs/week vs 0.5lbs/week. Like you said - both 1200 calories. Hmmm...why is that?
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blankiefinder wrote: »You're really eating lots of junk food. The problem isn't with the food itself. Just that it can't keep you full.
I saw you had peanut butter in your diary. Do you weigh it or measure it out in a spoon?
I find that I'm not hungry on what I eat - I don't need or want more. I just am hoping that by sticking to 1200ish a day with 10K steps, at least a pound or two would start to come off.
Hmm, I don't weight or measure it actually - always just been eyeballing it.
One more point that I didn't see mentioned... If you don't have much to lose, you can set your weight loss goal to 2 lbs per week all you want, but MFP will not allow you to go below 1200 calories as a net goal. So if I set mine for 2 lbs, its says 1200, but that is actually the same as if I set it for 1 lb. Since you are lighter than me, chances are .5 lbs per week is all that MFP will allow based on this minimum, so if you are losing .5 lbs per week then you would be losing exactly what you should. Does that make any sense?
I'm not understanding this 2lbs/week vs 0.5lbs/week. Like you said - both 1200 calories. Hmmm...why is that?
Because it is unsafe to go below 1200 calories per day net. MFP does not support VLCDs (very low calorie diets). Therefore, for you, MFP will not allow you to set your calories any lower than what your body can sustain, rather than setting it for what you want. Every .5 lb is 250 calories per day. So if .5 lbs per week is 1200 calories, then for 2 lbs per week you would only be able to eat 450 calories per day, and that is not healthy!!
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blankiefinder wrote: »blankiefinder wrote: »You're really eating lots of junk food. The problem isn't with the food itself. Just that it can't keep you full.
I saw you had peanut butter in your diary. Do you weigh it or measure it out in a spoon?
I find that I'm not hungry on what I eat - I don't need or want more. I just am hoping that by sticking to 1200ish a day with 10K steps, at least a pound or two would start to come off.
Hmm, I don't weight or measure it actually - always just been eyeballing it.
One more point that I didn't see mentioned... If you don't have much to lose, you can set your weight loss goal to 2 lbs per week all you want, but MFP will not allow you to go below 1200 calories as a net goal. So if I set mine for 2 lbs, its says 1200, but that is actually the same as if I set it for 1 lb. Since you are lighter than me, chances are .5 lbs per week is all that MFP will allow based on this minimum, so if you are losing .5 lbs per week then you would be losing exactly what you should. Does that make any sense?
I'm not understanding this 2lbs/week vs 0.5lbs/week. Like you said - both 1200 calories. Hmmm...why is that?
Because it is unsafe to go below 1200 calories per day net. MFP does not support VLCDs (very low calorie diets). Therefore, for you, MFP will not allow you to set your calories any lower than what your body can sustain, rather than setting it for what you want. Every .5 lb is 250 calories per day. So if .5 lbs per week is 1200 calories, then for 2 lbs per week you would only be able to eat 450 calories per day, and that is not healthy!!
Very interesting! But if one changes their weekly goal to 0.5 lbs, it automatically ups the daily calories to 1350 or 1400, so that would mean eating more which in turn would probably mean needing to exercise even more to burn off those additional daily calories, no?
My only other thoughts on why weight doesn't change is:
1. I've often wondered on the sedentary vs. lightly active setting as well and which is better to use. I currently use sedentary - other than my 10,000 steps a day, I'm pretty much sedentary so it seems the correct usage. But I'm not sure?
2. Also often wondered on sleep patterns and if they have an affect. Usually go to sleep around 2:30am and wake around 9am. Maybe I need more sleep? I don't know if sleeping late at night makes a difference.
3. Often wonder if lack of thyroid has a direct impact.
Thank you all for all of your advice - so interesting and appreciated! 0 -
Well if you set it at .5 and it says 1350, then you could set it for 1200 and you would lose about .8 lbs per week.
Personally if you are pretty much sedentary, then I would definitely set it at sedentary. Are you logging those steps for calories?
As for sleep, I survive on less, not that it's ideal!! I'm a night owl, and at least one kid has morning practice every morning except Thursday when I can sleep in until 8!! My husband does the 4:20 AM's, and I do the 5 and 6 AM drop offs.
I'm hypothyroid, but at least I do have one
As long as your thyroid levels are good, you should be able to drop, to a point, but it might make it harder if you are trying to go lower than you should. 0 -
eat more protein and less processed stuff? eat a big lunch and a small dinner with no carbs at dinnertime.
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You may want to shake up your workout routine a little. The body can get used to doing the same thing, and burn fewer calories. You can try a couch to 5k program. I used this one:
http://running.about.com/od/getstartedwithrunning/ht/getstarted.htm
and it helped me get over plantar fascitis, and made it so that running didn't hurt. (I'm still pretty slow, though
).
You can increase the intensity of your walks with music. Start with songs that are 120 beats per minute, and then try faster or slower ones until you are getting the right intensity to really feel the workout. Check your pulse, or use a heart rate monitor to see if you are in the fat burning zone, or just make sure that you can talk, but not sing, during your workout.
Resistance training can help change your body composition so you have more lean mass (and yes, you can build muscle in a calorie deficit. It just takes more time and effort - and protein). I'm on day 10 (over about 2 weeks) of the 30 Day Shred, and I've lost 7 lbs and 3 inches off my waist, as well as seeing increases in strength and aerobic fitness. 30DS can give you a basic idea of what a weight training program looks like. You can find the first two workouts on Youtube. I think there is a MyFitnessPal group for 30DS for more info. If you don't have any weights, you can try filling water bottles with water or sand. Wear supportive shoes, and modify the high impact moves if you have joint issues.
Good work with the exercise so far, and good luck . 0 -
Fantastic ideas, all. Thanks so much for your input 0
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