Help! No weight loss after 3 years trying.

13

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    You have a lot of processed foods in your diary. I bet if you started making more stuff from scratch you would see better results. I know I feel a lot better overall if I eat homemade fries versus store-bought fries. You'll find that you won't have to eat as much of the whole food to feel full either, because you'll be giving your body better nutrients. Try to eat more leafy greens and vegetables, and less breads. Keep sugary foods out of the house, for a couple weeks to start just to see if that makes a difference. If you need carby foods try having oats, potatoes or rice. High-sodium meats also make me super bloated, which can mask any progress I've made because of the water retention. And if you can afford it, get a FitBit. Maybe you aren't burning as many calories as you think you are in a day, so what you are eating is keeping you at maintenance instead of weight loss.

    What would the difference be between homemade fried potatoes and fried potatoes that I paid someone else to prepare for me?

    When you make it yourself, you know exactly what you put in it. And I'm guessing most people who use processed foods don't weigh it, so first there's the margin of error from the manufacturer... then the extra 10 or 20% calories because a serving is often less than the amount of food you actually have per portion.

    This would be an argument for knowing what is in your food. It doesn't support the initial claim that food made in the home has more nutrients than food that is prepared outside of the home.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    You have a lot of processed foods in your diary. I bet if you started making more stuff from scratch you would see better results. I know I feel a lot better overall if I eat homemade fries versus store-bought fries. You'll find that you won't have to eat as much of the whole food to feel full either, because you'll be giving your body better nutrients. Try to eat more leafy greens and vegetables, and less breads. Keep sugary foods out of the house, for a couple weeks to start just to see if that makes a difference. If you need carby foods try having oats, potatoes or rice. High-sodium meats also make me super bloated, which can mask any progress I've made because of the water retention. And if you can afford it, get a FitBit. Maybe you aren't burning as many calories as you think you are in a day, so what you are eating is keeping you at maintenance instead of weight loss.

    What would the difference be between homemade fried potatoes and fried potatoes that I paid someone else to prepare for me?

    MSG for one. And less nutrients. It's like putting sub-par fuel in a sports car. It'll run, but not efficiently.
    Even if that made sense, how would "running inefficiently" cause someone to not lose weight? Wouldn't it mean they waste a bunch of fuel and thus need even more food than if they ate "good" fuel?

    If someone feels gross from eating poor food choices they may be too tired or weak to really push themselves in a workout, or they might have a more sedentary day and therefore not have the deficit they think they do.
    If someone's food choices make them feel gross then they should probably see a mental health professional about their eating disorder.
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
    edited March 2015
    Edit misread
  • runnrchic
    runnrchic Posts: 130 Member
    You have a lot of processed foods in your diary. I bet if you started making more stuff from scratch you would see better results. I know I feel a lot better overall if I eat homemade fries versus store-bought fries. You'll find that you won't have to eat as much of the whole food to feel full either, because you'll be giving your body better nutrients. Try to eat more leafy greens and vegetables, and less breads. Keep sugary foods out of the house, for a couple weeks to start just to see if that makes a difference. If you need carby foods try having oats, potatoes or rice. High-sodium meats also make me super bloated, which can mask any progress I've made because of the water retention. And if you can afford it, get a FitBit. Maybe you aren't burning as many calories as you think you are in a day, so what you are eating is keeping you at maintenance instead of weight loss.

    What would the difference be between homemade fried potatoes and fried potatoes that I paid someone else to prepare for me?

    From what I read it would make her feel better, possibly less lethargic...which is a reason to do it in my book.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    runnrchic wrote: »
    You have a lot of processed foods in your diary. I bet if you started making more stuff from scratch you would see better results. I know I feel a lot better overall if I eat homemade fries versus store-bought fries. You'll find that you won't have to eat as much of the whole food to feel full either, because you'll be giving your body better nutrients. Try to eat more leafy greens and vegetables, and less breads. Keep sugary foods out of the house, for a couple weeks to start just to see if that makes a difference. If you need carby foods try having oats, potatoes or rice. High-sodium meats also make me super bloated, which can mask any progress I've made because of the water retention. And if you can afford it, get a FitBit. Maybe you aren't burning as many calories as you think you are in a day, so what you are eating is keeping you at maintenance instead of weight loss.

    What would the difference be between homemade fried potatoes and fried potatoes that I paid someone else to prepare for me?

    From what I read it would make her feel better, possibly less lethargic...which is a reason to do it in my book.

    I still am not clear how the act of paying someone else to prepare food for you will result in lethargy or not feeling well.
  • runnrchic
    runnrchic Posts: 130 Member
    runnrchic wrote: »
    You have a lot of processed foods in your diary. I bet if you started making more stuff from scratch you would see better results. I know I feel a lot better overall if I eat homemade fries versus store-bought fries. You'll find that you won't have to eat as much of the whole food to feel full either, because you'll be giving your body better nutrients. Try to eat more leafy greens and vegetables, and less breads. Keep sugary foods out of the house, for a couple weeks to start just to see if that makes a difference. If you need carby foods try having oats, potatoes or rice. High-sodium meats also make me super bloated, which can mask any progress I've made because of the water retention. And if you can afford it, get a FitBit. Maybe you aren't burning as many calories as you think you are in a day, so what you are eating is keeping you at maintenance instead of weight loss.

    What would the difference be between homemade fried potatoes and fried potatoes that I paid someone else to prepare for me?

    From what I read it would make her feel better, possibly less lethargic...which is a reason to do it in my book.

    I still am not clear how the act of paying someone else to prepare food for you will result in lethargy or not feeling well.

    I don't know. I guess you will have to ask her that. I'm just stating what her reasoning was that she said in her post. Unless you want to start the debate of processed vs unprocessed which is what it seems like.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited March 2015
    You have a lot of processed foods in your diary. I bet if you started making more stuff from scratch you would see better results. I know I feel a lot better overall if I eat homemade fries versus store-bought fries. You'll find that you won't have to eat as much of the whole food to feel full either, because you'll be giving your body better nutrients. Try to eat more leafy greens and vegetables, and less breads. Keep sugary foods out of the house, for a couple weeks to start just to see if that makes a difference. If you need carby foods try having oats, potatoes or rice. High-sodium meats also make me super bloated, which can mask any progress I've made because of the water retention. And if you can afford it, get a FitBit. Maybe you aren't burning as many calories as you think you are in a day, so what you are eating is keeping you at maintenance instead of weight loss.

    What would the difference be between homemade fried potatoes and fried potatoes that I paid someone else to prepare for me?

    MSG for one. And less nutrients. It's like putting sub-par fuel in a sports car. It'll run, but not efficiently.
    Even if that made sense, how would "running inefficiently" cause someone to not lose weight? Wouldn't it mean they waste a bunch of fuel and thus need even more food than if they ate "good" fuel?

    If someone feels gross from eating poor food choices they may be too tired or weak to really push themselves in a workout, or they might have a more sedentary day and therefore not have the deficit they think they do.
    If someone's food choices make them feel gross then they should probably see a mental health professional about their eating disorder.

    I think I would feel gross if I ate sugar and fat laden nutritionally low empty calorie foods for days on end... let alone as an every day lifestyle choice like some people do.
    Let me add I am not against sugar, junk food or fat before anyone pounces :wink:

  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    runnrchic wrote: »
    You have a lot of processed foods in your diary. I bet if you started making more stuff from scratch you would see better results. I know I feel a lot better overall if I eat homemade fries versus store-bought fries. You'll find that you won't have to eat as much of the whole food to feel full either, because you'll be giving your body better nutrients. Try to eat more leafy greens and vegetables, and less breads. Keep sugary foods out of the house, for a couple weeks to start just to see if that makes a difference. If you need carby foods try having oats, potatoes or rice. High-sodium meats also make me super bloated, which can mask any progress I've made because of the water retention. And if you can afford it, get a FitBit. Maybe you aren't burning as many calories as you think you are in a day, so what you are eating is keeping you at maintenance instead of weight loss.

    What would the difference be between homemade fried potatoes and fried potatoes that I paid someone else to prepare for me?

    From what I read it would make her feel better, possibly less lethargic...which is a reason to do it in my book.

    I still am not clear how the act of paying someone else to prepare food for you will result in lethargy or not feeling well.

    Take away shops tend to use more salt and fat, and their portion sizes are usually larger than what we would have at home. That's my interpretation...

  • Whitezombiegirl
    Whitezombiegirl Posts: 1,042 Member
    I picked up on the entry for malt loaf. 187 for 4 slices- maybe 187 per slice is more accurate- so maybe thats another area to look at. Malt loaf is really high in calories- as are the pork pies. Melton Mowbray are my weakness too. I was tempted to buy a slice of gala pie yesterday- but at 462 cals per slice- i backed away slowly....:(
  • Ttec72
    Ttec72 Posts: 21 Member
    brookesdsu wrote: »
    Ttec72 wrote: »
    brookesdsu wrote: »
    I was curious about the skimmed milk issue, so I looked it up. Based on what I found, semi-skimmed milk has 155 calories for 300 mls. (For those of us in the US, semi-skimmed milk is equal to 2% milk.) I looked in the MFP database and I think the entry you are using is just simply wrong. AND, this means that you are consuming more than double the calories you think you are in just this one item each time you consume it. :(

    So which is correct, the database entry for semi-skimmed milk or the matching bottle details?

    Should I assume that they are both wrong and make allowance in my head?

    If the details on the product and the database entry match you must be correct (I'm being serious, not sarcastic). :) Must be a different product than what I was reading about.

    Thanks for confirming and taking the time to look it up, very helpful.
  • Ttec72
    Ttec72 Posts: 21 Member
    I picked up on the entry for malt loaf. 187 for 4 slices- maybe 187 per slice is more accurate- so maybe thats another area to look at. Malt loaf is really high in calories- as are the pork pies. Melton Mowbray are my weakness too. I was tempted to buy a slice of gala pie yesterday- but at 462 cals per slice- i backed away slowly....:(

    Malt loaf is tasty though, love pork pies, didn't realise a slice of gala pie was that many calories!
  • Keep checking the calorie details on the package with the database entries on MFP. A lot of the products are Americanised and the calories can be lower/higher here in the UK. Be sure to select the brand you are using (eg: Tesco Semi-Skimmed Milk) and measure your serving then cross reference the calories the package says with the database. If the calories are inaccurate, change the database entry or create your own.
    I can't tell you how many entries I've had to create myself because of database inaccuracies! It seems like a lot of effort but eventually you'll be selecting entries you know are accurate if you consume similar items every day (like milk).
    Just don't lose hope - tighten up your logging and keep up with staying active. You can do it!
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    So boils down to you're not logging your food properly

    Fix that :)
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    So boils down to you're not logging your food properly

    Fix that :)

    Simples :)

  • softblondechick
    softblondechick Posts: 1,275 Member
    Trying is not the same as committing.
  • abiceant
    abiceant Posts: 1
    I just started this and from what I've heard, its best balance out what you consume and how much you workout. So if your doing 5k daily then yes control what you eat , but your proportion sizes have to balance out. For example for a body builder he or she would have to eat large proportions to balance out their workouts
  • isulo_kura
    isulo_kura Posts: 818 Member
    So OP despite all the great advice about your inaccurate logging. I don't think you're still getting it. You have for your breakfast today logged 2 rashers of bacon. So a rasher can be many sizes and many types. Is it back bacon or streaky bacon. How much does it weigh? As people have said numerous times on this thread weigh all your sold foods and measure liquids then pick accurate appropriate entries from the database. if you don't do this your food diary is just guess work
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Looking back a couple of months, there were often times you weren't even logging, therefore you're inconsistent. Additionally, lots of generic entries, don't use these they aren't accurate. If you want to really lose, eat in a deficit.
  • mokaiba
    mokaiba Posts: 141 Member
    edited March 2015
    Ttec72 wrote: »
    Hi All,

    This is my first post here, so be kind, and apologies if I have posted in the wrong place. Way back in 2012 I was not happy with my weight and body image, and having been inspired by a work colleagues progress, decided to do something about it.

    The first thing I tried was increasing my fitness level, after some research I discovered the Couch to 5K programme approved by the NHS, so I started running a couple of times a week and within a short time I was running 5K on a regular basis.

    At the same time I kept an eye on what I was eating, using the advice on many of these posts 'eat less, do more' assuming weight loss would follow. It didn't.

    Over the years I have tried all sorts of activities, running was causing me pain from a previous knee injury, joining a gym, cross trainer (lower impact), lifting weights etc. without any results.

    I started this journey weighing in at 100Kg, which is where I am now. Obviously I am very frustrated not seeing any results after more than 3 years after exercising regularly and eating well, during which time I have been sporadically logging my foods, however for the past 4 or 5 weeks I have been logging every day, most days under my calorie goal, and I still have not lost any weight.

    I was hoping someone may have an idea why my weight loss hasn't happened.

    I do weigh all my food, and also log everything I eat, even if it's not that good for me. I have turned my diary on to 'Public', so you should be able to see all the entries.

    Any help would be much appreciated.

    Tony

    lower carbs, increase protein. I see too many 30-40g protein days.
  • mokaiba
    mokaiba Posts: 141 Member
    edited March 2015
    herrspoons wrote: »
    You're kidding yourself. It's that simple.

    At 100kg you need to be about 1800 Kcal net a day to lose 1.5 pounds a week.

    Suck it up and drop your calorie intake.

    this bugs me, sorry. but a kcal is higher than a cal.

    1 cal = 1 food calorie
    1 kcal = 1000 food calories

    side note,
    1 kJ (kilojoule) = unit of energy (roughly 5kJ = 1 food cal)
  • lilig81
    lilig81 Posts: 20 Member
    A question though, how do you weigh and then log liquid items that are not water?

    If you're in the UK which I'm guessing you are by what you are eating, you can go to argos and get yourself a weighing jug for 13 squid! I take it with me everywhere - well within reason! I believe the make is hanson and it does kgs/lbs and liquid measures of oil, milk and water!!! great little buy

    From looking at your diary on Wednesday last week I noticed that you had the pasta bake sauce but didn't log the amount of pasta that you ate - little mistakes like that will cost you - but you really need to be more accurate with your calculating - if you're going to round up - make it higher not lower - eg. 46 grms become 50grms not 45!!! that way you know you're eating a deficit. and don't eat your exercise calories if you're just walking the dog :) you need your heart rate to go up for it to be classed as exercise - or at least that's how I do it!

  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    Ttec72 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    How consistent have you been and are you now? If there's one thing I've noticed with some of the people I work with who have this issue it is that they'll do pretty good say Monday through Thursday...and decent on Friday...and pretty much blow it up on the weekend and they aren't losing weight.

    They aren't gaining weight, but they aren't losing weight either...and in many instanced I have noticed that it comes down to this consistency factor. Usually if I can get them and keep them on track consistently for a few weeks, voila...and that's usually when they see the light.

    It's easy to tell ourselves, "hey...I've been pretty good all week, I'm just going to let it all hang out on the weekend." But often, this is the difference between steadily losing weight and just maintaining or losing/gaining those same 5 Lbs or whatever.

    I'm kinda the opposite, being what I thought was good and then not eating enough at the weekend. I work 11 hour days, five days a week, so when the weekend comes around I want to be out and about and end up missing meals.

    Do you end up missing drinks as well? :) Those have calories, too
  • Ttec72
    Ttec72 Posts: 21 Member
    Ravachu wrote: »
    Keep checking the calorie details on the package with the database entries on MFP. A lot of the products are Americanised and the calories can be lower/higher here in the UK. Be sure to select the brand you are using (eg: Tesco Semi-Skimmed Milk) and measure your serving then cross reference the calories the package says with the database. If the calories are inaccurate, change the database entry or create your own.
    I can't tell you how many entries I've had to create myself because of database inaccuracies! It seems like a lot of effort but eventually you'll be selecting entries you know are accurate if you consume similar items every day (like milk).
    Just don't lose hope - tighten up your logging and keep up with staying active. You can do it!

    Thanks for the advice about creating foods, didn't realise you could do that, and for the positive thoughts. :smiley:
  • Ttec72
    Ttec72 Posts: 21 Member
    isulo_kura wrote: »
    So OP despite all the great advice about your inaccurate logging. I don't think you're still getting it. You have for your breakfast today logged 2 rashers of bacon. So a rasher can be many sizes and many types. Is it back bacon or streaky bacon. How much does it weigh? As people have said numerous times on this thread weigh all your sold foods and measure liquids then pick accurate appropriate entries from the database. if you don't do this your food diary is just guess work

    Agreed I did not get the best start this morning, was very rushed with my chores before getting out the door (we are having some new furniture today), when I get home this evening, I will weigh the next two rashers of bacon from the same packet and adjust this mornings data and also select the correct type. I think I will also add 25% to make sure I over-estimate the calorie intake.

    Thanks for the critique, it is what I need. :smile:
  • Ttec72
    Ttec72 Posts: 21 Member
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    Looking back a couple of months, there were often times you weren't even logging, therefore you're inconsistent. Additionally, lots of generic entries, don't use these they aren't accurate. If you want to really lose, eat in a deficit.

    My original post does say that logging foods was sporadic at best in the past, but I have been making a concious effort to log as accurately as possible (which I haven't achieved yet) on as many days as possible.

    What I'm learning is that the database entries are probably wrong and coupled with my poor measuring, this is where the problem is.
  • Ttec72
    Ttec72 Posts: 21 Member
    mokaiba wrote: »
    Ttec72 wrote: »
    Hi All,

    This is my first post here, so be kind, and apologies if I have posted in the wrong place. Way back in 2012 I was not happy with my weight and body image, and having been inspired by a work colleagues progress, decided to do something about it.

    The first thing I tried was increasing my fitness level, after some research I discovered the Couch to 5K programme approved by the NHS, so I started running a couple of times a week and within a short time I was running 5K on a regular basis.

    At the same time I kept an eye on what I was eating, using the advice on many of these posts 'eat less, do more' assuming weight loss would follow. It didn't.

    Over the years I have tried all sorts of activities, running was causing me pain from a previous knee injury, joining a gym, cross trainer (lower impact), lifting weights etc. without any results.

    I started this journey weighing in at 100Kg, which is where I am now. Obviously I am very frustrated not seeing any results after more than 3 years after exercising regularly and eating well, during which time I have been sporadically logging my foods, however for the past 4 or 5 weeks I have been logging every day, most days under my calorie goal, and I still have not lost any weight.

    I was hoping someone may have an idea why my weight loss hasn't happened.

    I do weigh all my food, and also log everything I eat, even if it's not that good for me. I have turned my diary on to 'Public', so you should be able to see all the entries.

    Any help would be much appreciated.

    Tony

    lower carbs, increase protein. I see too many 30-40g protein days.

    Agreed, I have noticed recently (now I have some consistent logging over a few weeks) that my protein levels are usually low and carbs are high. Yesterday I changed the goal setting for carbs from 50% to 25%, which then increases my protein requirements, effectively setting a lower carb diet goal.

    Now we have some lighter evenings I can get cycling more often, so my exercise levels will increase (I rarely run anymore as it causes knee pain, from a previous injury).
  • Ttec72
    Ttec72 Posts: 21 Member
    lilig81 wrote: »
    A question though, how do you weigh and then log liquid items that are not water?

    If you're in the UK which I'm guessing you are by what you are eating, you can go to argos and get yourself a weighing jug for 13 squid! I take it with me everywhere - well within reason! I believe the make is hanson and it does kgs/lbs and liquid measures of oil, milk and water!!! great little buy

    From looking at your diary on Wednesday last week I noticed that you had the pasta bake sauce but didn't log the amount of pasta that you ate - little mistakes like that will cost you - but you really need to be more accurate with your calculating - if you're going to round up - make it higher not lower - eg. 46 grms become 50grms not 45!!! that way you know you're eating a deficit. and don't eat your exercise calories if you're just walking the dog :) you need your heart rate to go up for it to be classed as exercise - or at least that's how I do it!

    The reason for my question was to do with logging accuracy for liquids, weighing or measuring? The specific gravity of milk (taking the example from before) is 1.05, which means that 300ml of milk actually weighs 315g, while this is only a small error for this liquid, the specific gravity is different for other liquids, so the error could be significant.

    In terms of the pasta bake, clearly I have made an assumption that the database entry is correct for the whole meal, logging that only. Something I am learning to rectify.

    Great tip about not eating exercise calories for lower levels of activity, I had been eating back my exercise calories every time, following the advice on MFP. I take a walk every at lunch (when I am in the office), I won't eat these calories back from now on, however, I am off out on the bike this evening, so will eat a proportion of those calories back.

    Thanks for your help :smile:
  • Ttec72
    Ttec72 Posts: 21 Member
    JaneiR36 wrote: »
    Ttec72 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    How consistent have you been and are you now? If there's one thing I've noticed with some of the people I work with who have this issue it is that they'll do pretty good say Monday through Thursday...and decent on Friday...and pretty much blow it up on the weekend and they aren't losing weight.

    They aren't gaining weight, but they aren't losing weight either...and in many instanced I have noticed that it comes down to this consistency factor. Usually if I can get them and keep them on track consistently for a few weeks, voila...and that's usually when they see the light.

    It's easy to tell ourselves, "hey...I've been pretty good all week, I'm just going to let it all hang out on the weekend." But often, this is the difference between steadily losing weight and just maintaining or losing/gaining those same 5 Lbs or whatever.

    I'm kinda the opposite, being what I thought was good and then not eating enough at the weekend. I work 11 hour days, five days a week, so when the weekend comes around I want to be out and about and end up missing meals.

    Do you end up missing drinks as well? :) Those have calories, too

    I do miss drinks, all sense of normality (I've never been normal) seems to disappear when the weekend arrives, missing drinks and food.

    I very rarely drink alcohol, having to drive for a living restricts this, most of my drinks will be tea or coffee, however, I have also started to reduce these and swapping them for water or weak squash. It is a good point about logging everything.
  • jaimecondo
    jaimecondo Posts: 3 Member
    Your diet is all wrong, way to much processed food in your diet. if you cut that out and add more veggies, fruit and healthy carbs you will lose. Instead of the sugar cereal for breakfast eat plain oatmeal with fresh fruit. Instead of the processed meat make fish or lean chicken or pork.
  • SwankyTomato
    SwankyTomato Posts: 442 Member
    Ttec72 wrote: »
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    Looking back a couple of months, there were often times you weren't even logging, therefore you're inconsistent. Additionally, lots of generic entries, don't use these they aren't accurate. If you want to really lose, eat in a deficit.

    My original post does say that logging foods was sporadic at best in the past, but I have been making a concious effort to log as accurately as possible (which I haven't achieved yet) on as many days as possible.

    What I'm learning is that the database entries are probably wrong and coupled with my poor measuring, this is where the problem is.

    Oh yea, I call it tweaking.

    What is really hard when you eat out, you have no idea how many actual calories are in something.

    Just keep at it and eventually you will begin to get better. If that does not help, maybe lowering your calorie goal a smidge might help.


This discussion has been closed.