Ok. I give up. I open my diary to your judgement.

12357

Replies

  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    half_moon wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    I feel mislead by the title of this thread... somehow I get the sense OP is not actually open to our judgement after all....

    No, I am sorry for the way I reacted. There have been a lot of frustrated tears lately and I am sorry I took it out on all of you.

    I am so, so impressed that you came back to say that. I know you felt backed into a corner by everyone's responses, and I know when you're already frustrated with your weight and feel like making a huge effort, to have everyone resoundingly say, "you should be doing this" can feel like they are ganging up on you. The reason everyone is saying the same thing is because it is overwhelmingly the most common cause of why people don't lose weight - they are simply eating more than they think, or burning less than they think.

    I think it is great you are asking for suggestions for food scales too. I really hope you will come back and update everyone in a week or so after you get that scale when you have an "aha" moment with the calories, and then once you get in the groove with weighing and logging everything, I can't wait to hear an update from you that the weight is starting to drop. Because it will. Logging and exercising are huge steps!. Logging accurately is the final piece of the puzzle.

    If you haven't taken the time to do so, definitely read some of the other links that were provided, there is a lot of helpful information in those.

    Good Luck!

  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    half_moon wrote: »
    VeryKatie wrote: »
    half_moon wrote: »
    I'm not sure what to change or what to do at this point, so I give up. I have made my diary open to the public and will lay out my current regime for you here.

    And I am begging you for your advice.

    Problem: I have been working out and cutting calories now for six weeks, and literally not one pound has fallen off. Prior to the exercise, I was cutting calories for two weeks. So in total, two months of crap for not one pound. I know not to go by the scale, but after two months, I will admit when I need to reevaluate.

    Exercise: I go to CrossFit on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. That's five days a week. I burn anywhere from 300 to 650 calories each WOD. We are running, doing bear crawls, lifting heavy weights, lifting small weights, jumping -- you get the idea. We are doing everything.

    Diet: Not on a diet perse-- but I count every calorie that I consume. I'm not exactly paleo, but I measure and make smart choices when I can. You can see for yourself. I am consistently in line or under my calorie goals for the day, depending on how many calories I burned in a workout. The occasional nieces birthday doesn't even phase me too much.

    My weight: like a stone, the scale is unmoving at around 172. It has been there since April. It will go down to 169 then the next day up to 174, never really impressing me.

    My body: I am pretty much still wearing the same clothes I was before. I feel great because of the exercise (yay!) but I will be honest with you, vanity is a big factor in my weight loss. Don't judge. I want to be smaller!

    My stats:
    Female
    5'5"
    172
    Lost weight two years ago-- went from 185 to 137 with MFP. I've done this... before!

    Hmmm.. this is what confuses me. You knew how to do it so why doesn't it work the same now... Some other things I can think of... there have been changes to MFP in the last two years... I would bet their database isn't as trustworthy as they were back then. Perhaps try being very choosy with which entries you use, eg. ones without * and that have lots of verifications... Compare them to the USDA database for a while until you get an idea of which you can trust. It won't be forever.

    Have you tried looking at your old entries from 2 years ago? Any insight there?

    If you had surgery, it could be your body is still under stress...

    I dunno. I'll defer to other people.

    This is what fuels most of my frustration. I am doing exactly (literally even same food, mostly) what I did last time. I dropped the weight steadily in six months. Only this time, I am eating more fresh foods, drinking more water, and working out more consistently since CrossFit is so fun for me. I feel hopeless and I am not prepared, as many here have pointed out, to make my food my life (or weighing food, ounces, etc). I get overwhelmed. It just wasn't this hard before. I watched what I ate, I made smart decisions, I logged. I worked out. Science was my friend.

    Now I just feel like everything is against me.

    To note, the surgery I had was to remove cervical cancer. I don't think that would necessarily hold me back in any way.


    You don't have to make food your life. Many people find that weighing just for awhile helps them get a better grip on portion sizes and are able to eyeball their foods more accurately.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    Everyone gets down sometimes. It happens.

    Use this as an opportunity to improve and stay focused.

    You'll be glad to have a food scale, believe me.

    IMO, it's actually fun to weigh food sometimes. Especially when you're trying to eek out as much as you can and get more bang for your buck.
  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
    edited June 2015
    half_moon wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    I feel mislead by the title of this thread... somehow I get the sense OP is not actually open to our judgement after all....

    No, I am sorry for the way I reacted. There have been a lot of frustrated tears lately and I am sorry I took it out on all of you.

    Wow! Good for you!
    Apology accepted.
    I truly hope things improve for you!

    ETA-I love my Cuisinart digital food scale from BB&B.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    Ninkyou wrote: »
    half_moon wrote: »
    ....Any scales you guys can recommend?

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NX47YP4?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=A3FUY11FKEN472

    had over 4,000 reviews and highly rated.

    Yup. that's the one I got, but in silver
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    And OP - good for you! <3
  • tsalagi82
    tsalagi82 Posts: 76 Member
    yopeeps025 wrote: »
    half_moon wrote: »
    malibu927 wrote: »
    It's pretty clear you're eating more than you think. Log everything (there are several meals and an entire day missing from what I went through). Weigh everything (I see weights for a few items, but not much). Eating out, if it fits into your calories, is fine but you seem to do it a lot (higher sodium can lead to water weight masking weight loss). Once you tighten up on those things, you should start to lose.

    How is that clear that I am not logging when I am literally logging everything I consume?

    I pretty much only eat out at Chik fil A. If it is the sodium, I will watch that more. I drink SO much water every day though.

    high sodium levels will mask weight loss on the scale for a little while. For me it actually does for more than 3 days.

    Same here! The scale has gone up SEVERAL pounds for me, but takes several more days for the water retention to go away.
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
    And OP - good for you! <3

    +1
  • LeslieB042812
    LeslieB042812 Posts: 1,799 Member
    Ninkyou wrote: »
    half_moon wrote: »
    ....Any scales you guys can recommend?

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NX47YP4?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=A3FUY11FKEN472

    had over 4,000 reviews and highly rated.

    I have two of these (bought a second one for the office) and LOVE them! Super easy to use with the tare function. I just put my plate on and tare it after each item. For things like grapefruit and steak that might have peels or bones, I weigh the whole thing and then weigh the garbage when I go to clean my plate and subtract that. I keep a pad by the scale to jot the weight down if I don't want to enter it right away in MFP (e.g. if I'm eating with my family and don't want to make them wait). It seriously only takes minutes out of the day.

    And, can I chime in with "you are awesome!"? Way to own your own feelings and open yourself up to feedback, even when it's tough to hear. :smiley:

    It is really discouraging to have to lose again, especially when it's not going the way you expect, but you can do it!
  • Angelfire365
    Angelfire365 Posts: 803 Member
    auddii wrote: »
    half_moon wrote: »
    While I don't really see anything wrong with what you're eating - I do not see a lot of weighed food. Or rather, your weighing is really inconsistent.

    You do eat out a lot, but I do, too and I've lost a lot of weight, so I don't think that will hold you back.

    Do you scan barcodes, or do you use generic entries?

    When is the last time you had a physical?

    I had surgery in February, and have been to the doctor several times since then for check ups. I scan barcodes when available, and I ALWAYS over estimate what I am eating. If I don't finish my meal, I don't change my log. I do my best to make up for variances.

    I just give up. It shouldn't be this hard. If I have to weigh every bite I put in my mouth and resign myself to never eating out of the house, it isn't worth it. I could have laid around on my *kitten* all summer and still be here. *kitten* ridiculous.

    Did they test thyroid function and/or insulin levels?

    Weighing your food helps a lot though. I weigh everything at home, and guesstimate high when I'm out. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it's a huge eye opener. My scale gets a lot of credit for the 83 pounds I've lost.

    Here's a really good example how easy it is to over-eat without realizing it.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjKPIcI51lU&amp;list=FLxRg_80KHM-BdcHvV7nkgfg&amp;index=1

    Holy *kitten*!!!! I know CICO, and I do weigh and measure almost everything I eat, but over 1000 cal difference??? I'm totally watching this every time I feel I'm slipping. Thank you for this video, this blows my mind.

    Glad you came back and found some useful information in the thread. We are trying to help, we just wanted to make sure you realize that logging accurately is more difficult than some people think (but once you realize how to do it, it's not that difficult or time consuming).

    @auddii -> Not sure what you're referring to; I'm not the OP? Have we met in a previous conversation? Although I am quite glad I found some useful information in this thread as well! Lol.
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
    OdesAngel wrote: »
    And OP - good for you! <3

    +1

    +2

    OP - I know that wasn't easy. I commend you. Here, have a peep.

    12427123-large.jpg
  • half_moon
    half_moon Posts: 807 Member
    OdesAngel wrote: »
    And OP - good for you! <3

    +1

    +2

    OP - I know that wasn't easy. I commend you. Here, have a peep.

    12427123-large.jpg


    How much does the peep weigh?? HOW MUCH? :'(
  • DuckReconMajor
    DuckReconMajor Posts: 434 Member
    edited June 2015
    Ninkyou wrote: »
    half_moon wrote: »
    ....Any scales you guys can recommend?

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NX47YP4?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=A3FUY11FKEN472

    had over 4,000 reviews and highly rated.

    Yep I have this one and it's great. Before I got this one, I had a Wal-Mart one that you had to set to grams, by an annoyingly hard to press button UNDER the scale, EVERY time you turned it on. Urgh.
    half_moon wrote: »
    OdesAngel wrote: »
    And OP - good for you! <3

    +1

    +2

    OP - I know that wasn't easy. I commend you. Here, have a peep.

    12427123-large.jpg


    How much does the peep weigh?? HOW MUCH? :'(

    ~ 3 kitten souls
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    half_moon wrote: »
    I'm not sure what to change or what to do at this point, so I give up. I have made my diary open to the public and will lay out my current regime for you here.

    And I am begging you for your advice.

    Problem: I have been working out and cutting calories now for six weeks, and literally not one pound has fallen off. Prior to the exercise, I was cutting calories for two weeks. So in total, two months of crap for not one pound. I know not to go by the scale, but after two months, I will admit when I need to reevaluate.

    Exercise: I go to CrossFit on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. That's five days a week. I burn anywhere from 300 to 650 calories each WOD. We are running, doing bear crawls, lifting heavy weights, lifting small weights, jumping -- you get the idea. We are doing everything.

    Diet: Not on a diet perse-- but I count every calorie that I consume. I'm not exactly paleo, but I measure and make smart choices when I can. You can see for yourself. I am consistently in line or under my calorie goals for the day, depending on how many calories I burned in a workout. The occasional nieces birthday doesn't even phase me too much.

    My weight: like a stone, the scale is unmoving at around 172. It has been there since April. It will go down to 169 then the next day up to 174, never really impressing me.

    My body: I am pretty much still wearing the same clothes I was before. I feel great because of the exercise (yay!) but I will be honest with you, vanity is a big factor in my weight loss. Don't judge. I want to be smaller!

    My stats:
    Female
    5'5"
    172
    Lost weight two years ago-- went from 185 to 137 with MFP. I've done this *kitten* before!

    You said you measure everything you eat. That's the problem. You need to use a food scale and weigh all solid foods.
  • Ang108
    Ang108 Posts: 1,708 Member
    OP, I think it's just the other way around. Most people who don't weigh/measure their food and log accordingly get frustrated if they don't lose. In their frustration they try all the time to come up with reasons for their lack of loss. That takes a lot of time, energy, alters one's mood ( which in return influences, even if it is just a little bit, our hormones and that can negatively influence weight loss ).
    I am willing to bet that the time you spend today writing your posts, could have been the time you could have used to weight your food for a whole month.
    I eat two large meals a day and for each meal it takes me a minute or less to weight my food. That's less than fifteen minutes a week and much less than many of the people here spend worrying about and second guessing their diet.
    Also, once you log, it is much, much easier to find flaws and even easier to correct them so you will lose weight. The really neat thing is that once you weigh and log, you still have almost 24 hours in each day, you don't have to worry about weight loss and food.
    I realize that you have some health concerns and I would like to suggest that you work with them. When I had cervical cancer I was put on HRT which caused me to gain some weight ( less than ten pounds ) but kept me still in my normal weight range at age 41. Ten years later I had thyroid cancer, had my ovaries ( which had kept me from going through early traumatic menopause ) removed and went into dramatic menopause at age 51.
    Self pity eating caused me to gain a lot of weight. My weight increased further when I was diagnosed four years ago with rampant systemic Lupus, because again I ate all my emotions. I started to " diet " in January 2013 also refusing to make weighing & logging of food my life. I have all my life eaten a natural diet and thought that I was doing ok.
    I am now close to 70 and am under five feet tall. This means that 1200 calories a day with a .5 pound loss are accurate for me. When I started to log accurately ( convinced that I was doing ok ) I was surprised that on average I ate 1800-2000 calories. Yes, it was all healthy, whole food. But eating daily double portions of brown rice, no matter how healthy, also makes fat.
    The first three month here were difficult and twice I was close to quitting, because people were mean and nasty I thought. I still think that often people could say what they have to say in a more compassionate way...but that's just me. I got the message. Started to weigh and measure everything and in a little over two years I have lost 65 pounds at a pretty consistent .5 pound loss a week.
    Today I no longer feel that weighing and measuring my food is an intrusion on my lifestyle. It is just the opposite, it makes my life easier and worry free, because I see that I am on the right path. And the few times thing were out of balance it only took about 15 minutes checking out my food log to figure out where I went wrong.
    You have to find your own way in terms of calories as well as kinds of food that help you to stay on course to achieve sustainable weight loss.
    For me it was cutting down to 1200 calories ( for you it's probably more because you are 40 years younger than I and you are taller ). I avoid certain foods, because they make me lethargic and when I am lethargic ( directly connected to not having a thyroid ) I don't want to do certain things. like exercise, cooking etc. You will have to figure out what works for you and what works not so much. And if you need help, there are always people who help you through rough patches.
    I really hope that things will get easier for you and less frustrating.
    Good Luck !
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    half_moon wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    I feel mislead by the title of this thread... somehow I get the sense OP is not actually open to our judgement after all....

    No, I am sorry for the way I reacted. There have been a lot of frustrated tears lately and I am sorry I took it out on all of you.

    I am so, so impressed that you came back to say that. I know you felt backed into a corner by everyone's responses, and I know when you're already frustrated with your weight and feel like making a huge effort, to have everyone resoundingly say, "you should be doing this" can feel like they are ganging up on you. The reason everyone is saying the same thing is because it is overwhelmingly the most common cause of why people don't lose weight - they are simply eating more than they think, or burning less than they think.

    I think it is great you are asking for suggestions for food scales too. I really hope you will come back and update everyone in a week or so after you get that scale when you have an "aha" moment with the calories, and then once you get in the groove with weighing and logging everything, I can't wait to hear an update from you that the weight is starting to drop. Because it will. Logging and exercising are huge steps!. Logging accurately is the final piece of the puzzle.

    If you haven't taken the time to do so, definitely read some of the other links that were provided, there is a lot of helpful information in those.

    Good Luck!

    Co-sign :heart:
    half_moon wrote: »
    OdesAngel wrote: »
    And OP - good for you! <3

    +1

    +2

    OP - I know that wasn't easy. I commend you. Here, have a peep.

    12427123-large.jpg


    How much does the peep weigh?? HOW MUCH? :'(

    LOL.
  • lemonsnowdrop
    lemonsnowdrop Posts: 1,298 Member
    OP, I really wish you luck and hope you are successful. It takes a lot to apologize and change your mindset, and I know it can be hard to be told you're doing something wrong. I commend you for taking our advise and giving it another shot; please don't give up. It's worth it, I swear it's worth it, and we will be here with you every step of the way, rooting you on, if you so choose. If you are dedicated and work hard for it, if will happen. Feel free to add me as a friend; I'm in your corner!
  • This content has been removed.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    shell1005 wrote: »
    half_moon wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    I feel mislead by the title of this thread... somehow I get the sense OP is not actually open to our judgement after all....

    No, I am sorry for the way I reacted. There have been a lot of frustrated tears lately and I am sorry I took it out on all of you.

    You rock OP. Frustration can often make us the ragey not best version of ourselves. It takes a much bigger person than most to come back and admit that, so you be awesome.

    Hugs.

    +1
  • shireeniebeanie
    shireeniebeanie Posts: 293 Member
    edited June 2015
    It happens to all of us.

    (sigh) Slacking on the weighing/measuring probably accounts for some of my stall lately. That and deciding I didn't give a **** for a few weeks, basically eating at maintenance.

    It's perfectly all right to take a break now and then if you need to get refocused!
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    i didnt want to participate in this thread, because it was thread number 9999999999 were it is/was obvious that Op had to start weighing its food.
    And that OP didn't want to, was disappointed/angry/frustrated. And it would be a yes/no game again.

    But seeing this that the OP comes back, willing to try the advice well.....RESPECT!!!!!
    I am sure you are going to succeed OP. We all wish you luck for sure.
    It feels good to the people and posters here to see that some people have the guts to make the changes in their life to make it all happen. And are willing to learn.
    It gives the members the spirit to go on and support the people with their questions.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    half_moon wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    I feel mislead by the title of this thread... somehow I get the sense OP is not actually open to our judgement after all....

    No, I am sorry for the way I reacted. There have been a lot of frustrated tears lately and I am sorry I took it out on all of you.

    latest?cb=20140723014314

    Yay, OP! Days like this on MFP make me happy.

    I hope that you are able to continue losing weight. I know it can be frustrating at times, and yes, we've all been there before. It takes a lot of commitment and a lot of patience. You will get there!
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
    Ninkyou wrote: »
    half_moon wrote: »
    ....Any scales you guys can recommend?

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NX47YP4?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=A3FUY11FKEN472

    had over 4,000 reviews and highly rated.

    This is the one I have.
    half_moon wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    I feel mislead by the title of this thread... somehow I get the sense OP is not actually open to our judgement after all....

    No, I am sorry for the way I reacted. There have been a lot of frustrated tears lately and I am sorry I took it out on all of you.

    Very big of you. I wish you all the luck.
  • slaite1
    slaite1 Posts: 1,307 Member
    half_moon wrote: »
    OdesAngel wrote: »
    And OP - good for you! <3

    +1

    +2

    OP - I know that wasn't easy. I commend you. Here, have a peep.

    12427123-large.jpg


    How much does the peep weigh?? HOW MUCH? :'(

    You came back, accepted advice, apologized AND made me laugh. Best OP ever. <3 best of luck
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    half_moon wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    I feel mislead by the title of this thread... somehow I get the sense OP is not actually open to our judgement after all....

    No, I am sorry for the way I reacted. There have been a lot of frustrated tears lately and I am sorry I took it out on all of you.

    Woah.

    That's a bit of awesome sauce.

    :drinker:
  • emdeesea
    emdeesea Posts: 1,823 Member
    OP you're awesome.

    I also feel you. About 10 years ago I lost about 60 pounds by just "eating less." I didn't count calories and it came off over about 9 months.

    Fast forward to now and I'm struggling to lose even 2 stinking pounds a month. So yeah. I get the frustration. But I was also 10 years younger then.

    Invest in a food scale. Trust me when I say it makes a world of difference and not hard at all to use.

    You got this!
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    OdesAngel wrote: »
    And OP - good for you! <3

    +1

    + another!
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    HalfMoon I used to be firmly in the camp of "ppffftt I'm never going to be one of those people who weigh everything they eat"

    But here I am doing just that, and I've become a well oiled machine lol It takes but minutes a day, and takes out the huge errors and unknowns of guestimating.
    I've learnt to ignore the disapproving looks and head shaking of my husband and family when I'm weighing stuff, because it's helped me lose all of my weight.
    It's worked for me and most everyone here, and will for you too :+1:
  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
    I've had 3 kids, so I've lost this weight now 3 times (though for mostly medical reasons, I was up the highest with the last one.)

    I think every time you lose the same weight, it's a little more frustrating. It's because you haven't really progressed, you know? At least in your (my) head. "Oh, here we go AGAIN."

    It's so, so, SO much less frustrating to keep it off. I promise.
  • onyxgirl17
    onyxgirl17 Posts: 1,722 Member
    edited July 2015
    half_moon wrote: »
    While I don't really see anything wrong with what you're eating - I do not see a lot of weighed food. Or rather, your weighing is really inconsistent.

    You do eat out a lot, but I do, too and I've lost a lot of weight, so I don't think that will hold you back.

    Do you scan barcodes, or do you use generic entries?

    When is the last time you had a physical?

    I had surgery in February, and have been to the doctor several times since then for check ups. I scan barcodes when available, and I ALWAYS over estimate what I am eating. If I don't finish my meal, I don't change my log. I do my best to make up for variances.

    I just give up. It shouldn't be this hard. If I have to weigh every bite I put in my mouth and resign myself to never eating out of the house, it isn't worth it. I could have laid around on my *kitten* all summer and still be here. *kitten* ridiculous.

    Did they test thyroid function and/or insulin levels?

    Weighing your food helps a lot though. I weigh everything at home, and guesstimate high when I'm out. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it's a huge eye opener. My scale gets a lot of credit for the 83 pounds I've lost.

    Here's a really good example how easy it is to over-eat without realizing it.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjKPIcI51lU&amp;list=FLxRg_80KHM-BdcHvV7nkgfg&amp;index=1

    This is a good video and quite eye-opening. I do want to point out that calorically dense foods were chosen for this demonstration. Peanut Butter, dressing, syrup, butter, cream, granola, and pie are very easy to be way off on the calories without weighing since the calorie density of the food is very high. For this reason, if I'm not weighing, I try to choose less calorie dense foods. This way there will be less of a caloric error difference.
This discussion has been closed.