Frustrated and confused

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bloodewine
bloodewine Posts: 29 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been on diets my whole life, tried all of them that weren't obviously insane (no cabbage soup diet here!). 2.5 years ago, I got the lap band, and I lost about 70 pounds in a year. Since then, I have plateaued completely. Went back to the basics, started back with protein shakes every day, since I had gotten out of that habit. Joined MFP a couple weeks ago and was shocked at how many calories they were suggesting I eat (1560/day - way more than I have ever allowed myself to eat while counting calories). Tried it for a bit, but didn't see any significant changes. So I decreased my intake and have been aiming for 1000-1200 calorie total per day (about 500 calorie deficit over what MFP recommends). I run 3 miles 2-3x/week and do Wii Fit most other days for at least 400 calorie deficit according to the Wii (I know it's not always accurate, and neither is calorie counting, which is why I have the 500 calorie deficit in case I'm off). Anyway, I started losing weight (10 pounds in 2 weeks!) but now it's going back up. I suspect some of it must have been water weight, but I am just not sure what else I can do! I'm an ER veterinarian, so I'm on my feet much of the day, and I don't eat much at work because I'm so busy. Really bad at remembering to take care of myself when there are animals that need it more. Especially since I'm on medication for ADD which is a pretty potent appetite suppressant as a side effect, so I really don't notice that I'm hungry. I think my diary is open, and I know there are some things I could change - like stopping having a piece of candy for dessert, but I also don't want to be completely miserable, and I love chocolate! Lately, I've been having wine or a low calorie beer with dinner, but honestly, a lot of that has been because I am too far below even my calorie restriction level and I need to add some extra in. I'm open to any suggestions/recommendations, if anyone has an idea! Thank you in advance :)
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  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Can you open your diary?
  • bloodewine
    bloodewine Posts: 29 Member
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    done
  • bloodewine
    bloodewine Posts: 29 Member
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    Anyone out there have any ideas? :(
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    How much weight are you trying to lose? How tall are you? The less you have to lose, the harder it is.

    I would also recommend getting a food scale and weighing all your foods, its possible you are eating more than you think. But on the flip side, if your diary IS accurate and you are exercising that much, your body may be rebelling against you, because it NEEDS food (energy) to keep you moving that much (which is why its generally recommended to eat back at least half your exercise calories).

    I'm not sure, but the lap band itself kind of limits how much food you can eat, doesn't it?
  • jvt63
    jvt63 Posts: 89 Member
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    Hey there,

    Yes, first things first--height and weight? It really does take more time to lose those last few pounds.

    What I noticed is that it seems that a lot of packaged, prepared foods come up. While they my be fine in terms of fitting into your allotted calories, they do contain a lot of sodium--could the issue be water weight?

    If you're into it, maybe try cooking for the week one day a week--Sunday, maybe. Roast a *kitten*-ton of vegetables, and bake a few sweet potatoes. (Can you eat those foods?) You can eat them all week, and they take no time at all. You could bake chicken, too. No real "sweating in the kitchen" time involved. Just throw it in the "fire box" and wait.

    As for the chocolate--I eat it too, and I'm still losing. Do you like (can you eat) walnuts? I eat a half-ounce with a tablespoon of chocolate chips. So good!

    Anyway, hope this was helpful, but I'm sure you'll get lots of suggestions--use what makes sense to you. Good luck, and don't give up! :)

  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »
    How much weight are you trying to lose? How tall are you? The less you have to lose, the harder it is.

    I would also recommend getting a food scale and weighing all your foods, its possible you are eating more than you think. But on the flip side, if your diary IS accurate and you are exercising that much, your body may be rebelling against you, because it NEEDS food (energy) to keep you moving that much (which is why its generally recommended to eat back at least half your exercise calories).

    I'm not sure, but the lap band itself kind of limits how much food you can eat, doesn't it?

    That's what i thought.. We stayed with a friend who's wife had the lap band surgery and i was amazed at how little she ate. She didn't order anything when we went out to dinner, just ate a couple of fork fulls of her husbands food before she was "stuffed". I was surprised she hadn't withered away and died, eating like that for years....

    OP invest in a food scale, eat what mfp tells you to, to lose weight. Measure, weigh and log accurately every single thing that passes your lips, then reasess in a month. That all i got :)
  • bloodewine
    bloodewine Posts: 29 Member
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    I'm 31 years old, 5'5", and 240lbs. Supposedly, for my height, I'm supposed to be around 140lbs, but I would be ecstatic at 180lbs. So I still have a lot to lose. The lap band affects how much I can eat in one sitting, which is also one of the reasons don't eat much during the day when I'm at work. I can't just eat my full lunch in 5 minutes between patients like I used to before the band. When I try, I get so full and uncomfortable that I usually end up vomiting at least half of it back up. And that's not good either, for a whole host of reasons. :( And yet despite this, I still have been plateaued around 240lbs for over a year now.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    Try stepping away from the prepackaged foods if you can.... (1) they really arent that great for you and are usually loaded with sodium (which can make you retain water and therefore, weight) and (2) youll have more control over what you eat, so adding in more nutritious calories is easier (if its needed- though at your current weight i would say you are eating more than you THINK you are)

    the only way to be CERTAIN is with a food scale and weighing/logging EVERYTHING

    because you wont be able to eat much in a sitting, you might want to lay off the exercise- which could actually be doing more harm than good at this point)- and keep it lighter just for overall cardiac health and not on weight reduction. Work on sorting out the calorie issue and once you have that squared away, work on adding back in exercise if you want.



  • annied1961
    annied1961 Posts: 48
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    Hi there: May I suggest protein shakes.
    I pack up my lunch pail with 1 or 2, some grapes
    or cheese and crackers.
    Quick and easy snackers!
    These can be popped in my mouth-Beauty!!!
  • bloodewine
    bloodewine Posts: 29 Member
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    It's funny because I usually eat pre-packaged foods because they're easy and because I know I can log them accurately. Whereas food I cook myself, I might forget to put an ingredient into the recipe and then it's not accurate anymore. But I do have a food scale that I haven't been using, guess I could try that again.

    @callsitlikeiseeit‌ - I'm at a loss as to how the exercise could be making things worse. If I'm not losing weight with the exercise, how is stopping going to help? Yes, theoretically, I could be breaking down more muscle than fat, but that should still translate into weight loss, which I'm not seeing. And I try to get weight training in to ensure I maintain muscle mass.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    bloodewine wrote: »
    It's funny because I usually eat pre-packaged foods because they're easy and because I know I can log them accurately. Whereas food I cook myself, I might forget to put an ingredient into the recipe and then it's not accurate anymore. But I do have a food scale that I haven't been using, guess I could try that again.

    @callsitlikeiseeit‌ - I'm at a loss as to how the exercise could be making things worse. If I'm not losing weight with the exercise, how is stopping going to help? Yes, theoretically, I could be breaking down more muscle than fat, but that should still translate into weight loss, which I'm not seeing. And I try to get weight training in to ensure I maintain muscle mass.

    You lose weight in the kitchen, not with exercise. Exercise is good for you, and has loads of benefits, but for all intents and purposes (on MFP)- the only thing exercise does is give you EXTRA calories to eat. Therefore, the exercise would interfere with your calorie deficit, and make it different than what MFP is suggesting. Which is also why i think you might be eating more than you THINK. at 1000/1200 calories you should lose weight. its science. ESPECIALLY with all the exercise (barring any medical conditions). But you're not. So, if it were ME, I'd work on getting my DIET (aka calorie intake) right, and get your numbers to start to go down, THEN add back in exercise and eat back a percentage to keep fueling your body FOR those workouts.

    Think of your body like a car. You have to put gas in your car to make it go. the more you go, the more gas it needs. The more you exercise, the more fuel (food) your body needs.

    I eat anywhere from 1200-1500 calories a day and lose (fairly consistently) up to 2-3 pounds a week. I'm 223 right now- started at 250 in jan. i work out every day but i also eat back at least half (most of the time) my exercise calories). On days where i dont work out, i dont eat as much (my body doesn't need that extra fuel). but since i like to eat... i like to workout ;) LOL!
  • bloodewine
    bloodewine Posts: 29 Member
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    I just found my food scale and used it to make a meal I eat pretty frequently. Turns out my estimation was actually pretty good without weighing food (only off by 20 calories for the whole meal).

    As far as exercise goes, I continue to give myself that 500 calorie deficit when everything is added together. So theoretically, even if I am over-estimating how many calories I'm burning/eating, I'm still eating several hundred less than what MFP recommends. And I'm not really one for mindless eating - too busy for that. This is why I am confused. I am wondering if I should just cut my calories even more - when I lost the 70lbs after surgery, I was definitely eating less than 1000cal/d due to initially only being able to eat liquids, then only eating very,very small meals as I worked back to eating real food.
  • jvt63
    jvt63 Posts: 89 Member
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    Bariatric surgery may cause some metabolic funkiness that none of us, however well-intentioned, may be able to identify. Best, maybe, not to go below 1,000 calories without getting your doctor's input and consent.

    This kind of issue can be so frustrating. One week after I went off Depo-Provera, I started gaining weight and losing my hair. My doctor told me I was eating too much and the hair loss was from stress. I knew it was not true, and I pursued answers elsewhere. If your doc dismisses your questions, don't give up. Dig in, and find a doctor who will work with you. Good luck, and please keep us posted.
  • SwankyTomato
    SwankyTomato Posts: 442 Member
    edited March 2015
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    I have to comment on your picture jvt63. I love those planters for the veggies.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    bloodewine wrote: »
    It's funny because I usually eat pre-packaged foods because they're easy and because I know I can log them accurately. Whereas food I cook myself, I might forget to put an ingredient into the recipe and then it's not accurate anymore. But I do have a food scale that I haven't been using, guess I could try that again.

    @callsitlikeiseeit‌ - I'm at a loss as to how the exercise could be making things worse. If I'm not losing weight with the exercise, how is stopping going to help? Yes, theoretically, I could be breaking down more muscle than fat, but that should still translate into weight loss, which I'm not seeing. And I try to get weight training in to ensure I maintain muscle mass.

    I advise to be careful or prepackaged foods because their content in grams is usually more than what the package says. I weigh any 100 calorie packs of anything.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    bloodewine wrote: »
    I just found my food scale and used it to make a meal I eat pretty frequently. Turns out my estimation was actually pretty good without weighing food (only off by 20 calories for the whole meal).

    As far as exercise goes, I continue to give myself that 500 calorie deficit when everything is added together. So theoretically, even if I am over-estimating how many calories I'm burning/eating, I'm still eating several hundred less than what MFP recommends. And I'm not really one for mindless eating - too busy for that. This is why I am confused. I am wondering if I should just cut my calories even more - when I lost the 70lbs after surgery, I was definitely eating less than 1000cal/d due to initially only being able to eat liquids, then only eating very,very small meals as I worked back to eating real food.

    Have you consulted with the weight loss surgery doctor?
  • bloodewine
    bloodewine Posts: 29 Member
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    I've moved cross country since the surgery and no longer have access to her. I've been considering trying to find one out here to consult with.
  • mikejay777
    mikejay777 Posts: 3 Member
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    I recommend doing some strength training. Building muscle will cause your body to use more calories throughout the day and help your overall health. I didn't take the time to read all of the posts but I have heard that having too much time between meals can cause your body to go into fat storing mode. I don't know your calorie timing but intermittent fasting is not usually a good way to keep losing weight.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    mikejay777 wrote: »
    I recommend doing some strength training. Building muscle will cause your body to use more calories throughout the day and help your overall health. I didn't take the time to read all of the posts but I have heard that having too much time between meals can cause your body to go into fat storing mode. I don't know your calorie timing but intermittent fasting is not usually a good way to keep losing weight.

    Rest assured, the highlighted part is completely untrue :smile:
  • WeddedBliss1992
    WeddedBliss1992 Posts: 414 Member
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    jvt63 wrote: »
    Bariatric surgery may cause some metabolic funkiness that none of us, however well-intentioned, may be able to identify. Best, maybe, not to go below 1,000 calories without getting your doctor's input and consent.

    This kind of issue can be so frustrating. One week after I went off Depo-Provera, I started gaining weight and losing my hair. My doctor told me I was eating too much and the hair loss was from stress. I knew it was not true, and I pursued answers elsewhere. If your doc dismisses your questions, don't give up. Dig in, and find a doctor who will work with you. Good luck, and please keep us posted.

    my meds are making me gain weight (close to 20 lbs in a month) and my dr tells me it isn't true. it's so frustrating... dr's don't always know what they are talking about.

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