I REALLY need help.. 2 year anniversary and not where I want to be.

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  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
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    The only way to know what you're doing wrong is to know exactly what you're eating. You must log 100% accurately as much as possible. Weigh everything; use the correct brand names and/or barcodes; estimate anything you don't know as closely as possible - be honest with yourself.

    But if you haven't lost as much weight as you think you should have, you're eating more than you think you are or you need less than you thought you did.

    Log accurately for a month. See what happens with your weight. Adjust as needed.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    you are eating more than you think you are...
  • LaydieJo
    LaydieJo Posts: 6 Member
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    Firstly I think you need to stop being so hard on yourself and give yourself a break.
    The positive thing is that you have lost 10lb!! I started on here two years ago too and I have put probably 14lb on!!
    I wouldn't be looking to the past for a comparison just concentrate on what you are going to do differently tomorrow and beyond to make sure the weight you want to lose drops off!
    Perhaps doing the exercises you enjoy because you like them not because the app tells you it burns xxx calories may help.
    All the practical advise is useful, you haven't said what your reason for wanting to lose weight is?
    Jo
  • snowflakesav
    snowflakesav Posts: 644 Member
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    I noticed that your tracking didn't include beverages. Just curious about alcoholic beverages.

    The other things...thyroid, medications, sleep...should be explored with your dr.
  • angelexperiment
    angelexperiment Posts: 1,917 Member
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    Maybe you need a more accurate food scale. A regular scale. And consistent logging of foods and exercise. And maybe your calories intake needs to be adjusted bc maybe its too high? Possibly more exercise.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    edited May 2015
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    First thought is have you ever used your friend's scale before? If not then that weigh in can't really compare to your previous weigh ins. Kind of like saying I will be somewhere at 1pm. My watch says its 12:22 but your watch says its 12:25. I could be on time by my watch, but late by yours. They are not set to the same time. Scales are bad about that.

    Other than that, how are you determining a calorie intake goal? Could be that your activity level is wrong. Such as if you say 'lightly active' and MFP interprets that to mean you will burn X per day, but you're maybe burning a little less than MFP thinks. The key to 'fixing' that if you're not losing at a pace you think you should be is to adjust your calorie goal. Downward 100-200/day for example. Then be accurate, honest and check for results in 4-8 weeks.

    But if you're going to use a scale for monitoring progress it needs to be the same scale and weighins need to be consistent.

    Edited-I see you're aiming for 1200/day. Disregard my comment about lowering calorie intake. Aim for 100% (as much as humanly possible at least) accuracy for 2-3 months. Yes its frustrating to look so far out, but its easier to see 4-6 pounds than 2-3. If you track for a month and you're down 2-3, you will wonder if its normal fluctuations. But giving it more time, you can see a trend forming.
  • galaxyeyed
    galaxyeyed Posts: 98 Member
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    If weekends are just like your weekdays, why don't you log them? :p I also went back a bit and saw that you didn't log for like 2/3 of December. Holidays are full of yummy but calorie dense foods. If you spent almost a whole month not logging, you could have easily gained back some of the weight you lost.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
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    You're not logging all your food, so you don't really know how much you're eating. Saying it's the same as when I log doesn't cut it. You have to commit to this if you truly want to lose. Good news is you probably gained slower than five pounds a year . . .
  • Jaffsa
    Jaffsa Posts: 93 Member
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    LaydieJo wrote: »
    Firstly I think you need to stop being so hard on yourself and give yourself a break.
    The positive thing is that you have lost 10lb!! I started on here two years ago too and I have put probably 14lb on!!
    I wouldn't be looking to the past for a comparison just concentrate on what you are going to do differently tomorrow and beyond to make sure the weight you want to lose drops off!
    Perhaps doing the exercises you enjoy because you like them not because the app tells you it burns xxx calories may help.
    All the practical advise is useful, you haven't said what your reason for wanting to lose weight is?
    Jo

    Thank you!!
    I appreciate your response :)
    My reason for losing weight is to be happy with myself again. Its been so long since I've felt comfortable in my own skin. I've been there before! I know I can be there again!
  • Jaffsa
    Jaffsa Posts: 93 Member
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    snowflakesav wrote: »
    I noticed that your tracking didn't include beverages. Just curious about alcoholic beverages.

    The other things...thyroid, medications, sleep...should be explored with your dr.

    Hi there- thank you for responding!
    I rarely drink alcohol and all other beverages I have are 0 calories (tea, water). I hardly ever drink soda and when I do, its diet coke (1 glass).

    And I have discussed those issues with my doctor. Thyroid and sleep normal. However, I'm convinced the medication I'm on (not going to specify- but lets just say, some women take it every day... ha) isnt helping my situation, but my doctor "assures" me its not.
  • Jaffsa
    Jaffsa Posts: 93 Member
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    StaciMarie1974 wrote: »
    First thought is have you ever used your friend's scale before? If not then that weigh in can't really compare to your previous weigh ins. Kind of like saying I will be somewhere at 1pm. My watch says its 12:22 but your watch says its 12:25. I could be on time by my watch, but late by yours. They are not set to the same time. Scales are bad about that.

    Other than that, how are you determining a calorie intake goal? Could be that your activity level is wrong. Such as if you say 'lightly active' and MFP interprets that to mean you will burn X per day, but you're maybe burning a little less than MFP thinks. The key to 'fixing' that if you're not losing at a pace you think you should be is to adjust your calorie goal. Downward 100-200/day for example. Then be accurate, honest and check for results in 4-8 weeks.

    But if you're going to use a scale for monitoring progress it needs to be the same scale and weighins need to be consistent.

    Edited-I see you're aiming for 1200/day. Disregard my comment about lowering calorie intake. Aim for 100% (as much as humanly possible at least) accuracy for 2-3 months. Yes its frustrating to look so far out, but its easier to see 4-6 pounds than 2-3. If you track for a month and you're down 2-3, you will wonder if its normal fluctuations. But giving it more time, you can see a trend forming.


    Thank you for taking the time to write all this out! I appreciate it!
    I hear you about the scale- I suppose I jumped to conclusions too fast.

    I was thinking about my activity level setting actually- Its currently set at sedentary because I do have a desk job (ugh!)- but I work out twice a day and I move around quite a bit.. but I wanted to be safe and stick with "sedentary".

    Thanks again!
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,595 Member
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    Your before/after pic is way more than 10lbs.
    Different scales cannot be compared to each other.
    Having data allows you to derive conclusions. Not logging means you don't have data.

    As an outside observer i hear two distinct "warning" signs in your narrative:
    #1) I am not getting on a scale because weight loss is not arbitrated by a scale.
    Technically true; but, often this is a warning sign that weight loss is not progressing as it should yet the individual isn't quite ready to confront the issue head on.

    #2) I am not logging on Xday. Xday is very similar to Zday.
    Again, i am in no way implying that you're saying this in bad faith; but, again, it is normally an issue worth probing as in most cases the reality doesn't 100% match the statement.
    If the days were so similar... you would just be able to cut and paste...

    Take a break and come back to it re-invigorated when you're ready to put your ducks in order.
    Or, if you are ready now, put your ALL your ducks in order for a full month... and let's compare real notes with real data in 30 days or so!
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
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    One things that helped me was a fitness tracker. I bought a BodyMedia arm band and it pulls in the food diary from MFP. It also syncs the exercise to MFP, but it gives me too many calories that day.

    The fitness tracker keeps me honest. It shows how many calories I've burned and how much I've eaten and let's me know where that is in relation to the deficit I've set up (it also does exercise intensity, sleep, steps). When I was losing, I wanted a pound per week, which was a 500 calorie/day deficit. When you log food accurately, those numbers don't lie.

    It showed me where I was. There are tons of good ones on the market now.

    I also fear the scale. I know better, and I take measurements as well. But it really takes a lot of mental power to get me to weigh-in each week. I know at 44, that I'm in better shape than I was at 30. I can see it, I can feel it. But there's something about that dang scale that does a number on my psyche and my self-esteem. But I do it. Every week. To hold myself accountable and keep myself on track.

    You need to figure out what will work for you. There have been tons of good suggestions here. It is possible. I'm 5'3 and was 190 when I started. I'm 115-120 now.
  • Numberwang22
    Numberwang22 Posts: 213 Member
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    I would also suggest getting a cheap step tracker that synchs with MFP if you don't have one. I found fitbit to be most accurate, and you can wear all the time. Not all walks are equal in effort and the tracker will adjust calories accordingly. You might not be burning the same level of calories now than when you used your HRM...

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