What am I doing wrong?

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officiallymrswhite
officiallymrswhite Posts: 423 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Monday will be my next weigh in and so far it's not looking too promising. It will be weigh in number 3 without losing anything. Very discouraging. I workout and I track everything. I am not sure why I have not lost anything. Someone said that I may be eating too little but I need some suggestions on what to eat. I feel like I am under all the time because I don't want to go over in another category. I made my food diary public. I would LOVE feedback. I am really feeling unmotivated and lost:frown:

Replies

  • xraychick77
    xraychick77 Posts: 1,775 Member
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    its not that you are eating too little..that is a BIG diet myth.

    there could be many factors. the macros arent important when losing weight.

    all you need to do is eat heatlhy foods and work out.

    but remember that our bodies hate being out of balance and always works for homeostasis. meaning it adapts...especially when we first start working out..you'll lose fast, because for the first time you've changed something in your life and shocked your body. that is why its important to always change up your routine, even eating habits every few months..or other wise your body adapts and wont lose anymore.
  • jamielise2
    jamielise2 Posts: 432 Member
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    Actually, when I'm not losing I eat more for a couple of days and then cut back again. That seems to help. If you need help making your calories, try greek yogurt - the Chobani is REALLY high in protein and low in carbs, also fat free. I almost always go over on protein, and work on keeping my carbs and fat under. So if in doubt, go high protein and low fat for awhile.
  • MizzCNyle
    MizzCNyle Posts: 40
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    I try to leave at least less then 100 calories..... my 1st week I have lost 4.1 lb.
  • advocatus
    advocatus Posts: 8
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    You should not eat less that 1200 calories a day. That is not a myth, you can look it up. If you eat too little, your body may believe it is starving and will store instead of burn.
  • kappyblu
    kappyblu Posts: 654 Member
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    Make sure you are getting plenty of water, and plenty of rest. With all due respect to the other poster, I disagree with the not eating enough statement. I think you could probably eat more. When you log in those exercise calories MFP recommends you should most of them back. Some of your days look like you are getting only around 1000 calories a day and it is probably not enough. Try eating your daily calorie allowance every day and get the water and sleep and see what happens after a week or so. Good luck!! :smile:
  • hyde1977
    hyde1977 Posts: 476 Member
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    I took a look at your diary and you seem to be eatting enough....however, I cannot see the sodium intake which could be part of the issue. Also, if you are tracking your water, you don't have enough.....

    8 glasses is the average recommended....I don't know what your weight is, but to get what you need a minimum of water take your weight and divide it by 2.....that is the total amount of OZs you need....take that number and divide by 8 and that is how many cups of water you need daily. Of course when you work out, you need to increase that as well. When I started my minimum was 13, 8oz cups....when I increased the water intake and lowered my sodium I started to see 1-2 pounds each week which is ultimately what you want......

    Just make sure you are getting as close to 1200 calories per day and increase your protein in the items that you are eatting. Protein is the one category that is really low and your body needs it and it will help! Hopefully!

    Don't get discouraged....it takes time, there is no quick weight loss!!!! :-) You are on the right path so just keep going!!! You can do it!!!!
  • hyde1977
    hyde1977 Posts: 476 Member
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    I took a look at your diary and you seem to be eatting enough....however, I cannot see the sodium intake which could be part of the issue. Also, if you are tracking your water, you don't have enough.....

    8 glasses is the average recommended....I don't know what your weight is, but to get what you need a minimum of water take your weight and divide it by 2.....that is the total amount of OZs you need....take that number and divide by 8 and that is how many cups of water you need daily. Of course when you work out, you need to increase that as well. When I started my minimum was 13, 8oz cups....when I increased the water intake and lowered my sodium I started to see 1-2 pounds each week which is ultimately what you want......

    Just make sure you are getting as close to 1200 calories per day and increase your protein in the items that you are eatting. Protein is the one category that is really low and your body needs it and it will help! Hopefully!

    Don't get discouraged....it takes time, there is no quick weight loss!!!! :-) You are on the right path so just keep going!!! You can do it!!!!
  • DBabbit
    DBabbit Posts: 173 Member
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    What I'm seeing is too long between meals, and not enough fiber. Oat bran helps, and you can add between 1.5 - 2 TBS to a serving of fat free, reduced sugar yogurt daily. Lower your carb intake too, and increase your protein. That should help you drop weight.
  • SheilaSisco
    SheilaSisco Posts: 722 Member
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    Starvation mode is NO MYTH... it's been proven too many times by too many people. Some VERY good advice I was given was not to worry too much about anything but calories in the beginning. If you think too much about it and try to balance EVERYTHING out at once, you'll go insane. To be honest, I'm often over my fats and sodium and almost always over my protein and I'm still losing weight as a moderately fast pace. So... just look at calories and don't worry about the rest and make sure you're NETTING 1200 or more calories a day. Everything else will fall in line eventually.

    Try foods that are high in healthy calories in small amounts like almonds, peanut butter, greek yogurt, things like that. I've been doing tuna melts which are really yummy... (2 slices of low calorie bread, a slice of cheese, half a can of tuna mixed with 1 tbs olive oil mayo and cooked with spray butter as opposed to real butter) it's great for a lunch or a snack.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    Okay. I disagree with the person who said that not eating enough is a myth and doesn't affect weight loss. I disagree with this because I've gone through weight gain when I wasn't eating enough more than once in my journey. If I drop my calories too low - my body freaks out and slowly gains weight back (I don't let it get a chance now - but at one point I was gaining .5lbs a week -- as soon as I started eating more .. BOOM off the weight came!).

    So, I truly believe in the "eat to lose" theory.

    I know for my body when it doesn't get enough food - it doesn't like to drop any weight.
  • srp2011
    srp2011 Posts: 1,829 Member
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    Looking at your diary, I'm not surprised you're not losing, Yes, your calories are withing range, but there is a real shortage of fruits, vegetables and lean proteins in your diet and a lot of empty fillers. One day you were on target on fat but way below on carbs and protein, which suggests what you are eating is way out of whack. Try eating some protein with each meal, large servings of veggies at each meal, several fruit snacks, and some whole grains in moderation. Cut out processed/packaged foods and snacks as much as possible. That will get you moving,
  • bjohs
    bjohs Posts: 1,225 Member
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    Your food diary looks great! Water intake is also very good. Exercise level, hard to tell but appears to be consistent. The only suggestion I can make is to possibly change up your exercise. If you have been doing the same workout(s), your body may have become efficient at burning calories. If you aren't doing circuit training, give it a try for a couple weeks. If you run, start adding short sprints for about 10-15 seconds and then go back to jogging for another 45-50 seconds. Repeat during the course of your run. It sounds like your body has become a well-nourished machine that is humming right along. Now it's just time to rev the engine a little bit. :)
  • CallejaFairey
    CallejaFairey Posts: 391 Member
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    yup...i agree with the people saying eat more. you def need to eat more, and you also do not seem to be getting enough protien. i wouldn't worry too much about the others, because you seem to be fine on them, but since your protien always seems to be so low, i would worry about that one. really...what is the most important factor in weight loss is the cals. you could eat crappy food that fits in your cals and will lose weight. it's not healthy of course (and i don't recommend it at all!!!!), but it is doable. and all those gimic type diets where you cut stuff out of your diet are unrealistic, better to lose weight eating stuff you will want to eat once you get to the maintaining weight. just remember, it may take a few weeks once you change your habits to see a loss again. so whatever you change, stick with it awhile.
  • tjwolf13
    tjwolf13 Posts: 14
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    I know a lot of people don't like hearing this, but I think you're not eating enough. I looked through your food diary, and I saw a number of days where youe were under 1000 calories. Other days you had worked out enough that you should have eaten more and you still ended up a few hundred calories or more under. It sounds like the opposite of what people think they should be doing but you need to eat enough calories so that your body does not go into starvation mode and start storing all the fat it can get. I am struggling with this myself at times. Some days I want to eat less so I can maybe lose quicker than I have been, but I keep reminding myself even if I do lose weight quickly now by doing that I will screw up my metabolism and will have a harder time later. Other people may find another problem, but that is what I saw. Just keep trying and don't give up!
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    I really don't think you're eating enough. You have days when you have 200-300 calories left over for the day (and you're under 1200).

    Here's something I've learned - if you're doing something in this journey and it isn't working... don't be afraid to try something else. Weight loss isn't a one size fits all kind of thing. What works for one - may not work for another. When trying something new - give your body at least a week (possibly 2) to see how it reacts to what you've changed. I know for me - it takes 3-4 days for me to see a definite change when I switch things up.

    You'd be surprised to find that a lot of women have to eat far more than 1200 calories to lose weight - especially when you're working out.

    I eat between 2200-2500 and am now maintaining 144lbs. I was stuck at 150lbs - upp'ed my calories from 2000 and dropped 5lbs in a week.

    Eat to lose. I know it sounds weird but it is true.
  • ladylu11
    ladylu11 Posts: 631 Member
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    under no circumstances am I a health or fitness expert. But, I do watch the Biggest Loser EVERY season! and every time a contestant stops losing weight and they are doing all of their workouts, Bob and Jillian have found that they were NOT eating enough.
  • barbiex3
    barbiex3 Posts: 1,036 Member
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    you're probably not doing anything wrong, I haven't lost any weight in the past month. I've gained some, then lost the weight i gained. I think you should not become unmotivated. You did not gain the weight overnight, so why would you expect to lose it overnight? If you really want to make a LIFE LONG change, it will take work. You should not focus on the instant gratification of your dieting and exercise, it will not come. You will not always see results right away. Your body is going through changes at a level you cannot see or measure. Just wait, soon you will see results. Do not let numbers on a scale be your motivation or lack of motivation. You must not get discouraged because a piece of metal shows you a number. You are bigger than that! Just focus on your goal, and you need to know YOU ARE DOING NOTHING WRONG. You have made a great decision to move in the right direction!! If you stick with it, in a year from now, you will be living life at your goal weight & maintaing a healthy diet & being a role model to everyone. This is a journey not a destination!

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