Nothings Working.. Any advice Appreciated #gettingdesperate
JennypegMarie
Posts: 133 Member
Hi guys please, any general advice from anyone having a successful loss.
I am seriously getting desperate..
So, I am 5"4 and around 211lb. I have been on MFP for around 3 years. Around two yrs ago I lost around 12lb. Then I had a baby. Obviously used maintenance cals for pregnancy then dropped back to under pre-preg weight but I was quite poorly after birth. Then within a year -up to now. I've gained 24lbs. Now, I honestly have no clue where I'm going wrong. I logging, weighing & excercising as I can. I have chronic conditions that do impact on physical activity so Im baselining my cals as sedentary if not below. I know I've had a few days of a couple hundred over - But Im still not eating enough to gain this much. I will open my diary - today was a very bad day and I consumed a few hundred over. I know eating biscuits aint gonna help but as I've said it's been a very bad day I'm normally fairly good byt allow a snack.
Now, according to my TDEE I should be on around 1600. But no loss on this nor 1500, nor anything and now Im on 1200. I've stayed this weight a while & im debating whether to drop lower. I know its not advised but im obviously doing something wrong. Ive tried slimming world - 10 wks I lost 5lb abd it was pain staking i felt ill on that diet. Ive reverted to my diet where I first lost on here to no avail. I do some activity when I can, short walks, swimming, daily activity cleaning etc. Can anyone please advice me? Im staying pretty much within my marcos also... granted apart from today, I'm probably fairly over on my sugar! TIA!
I am seriously getting desperate..
So, I am 5"4 and around 211lb. I have been on MFP for around 3 years. Around two yrs ago I lost around 12lb. Then I had a baby. Obviously used maintenance cals for pregnancy then dropped back to under pre-preg weight but I was quite poorly after birth. Then within a year -up to now. I've gained 24lbs. Now, I honestly have no clue where I'm going wrong. I logging, weighing & excercising as I can. I have chronic conditions that do impact on physical activity so Im baselining my cals as sedentary if not below. I know I've had a few days of a couple hundred over - But Im still not eating enough to gain this much. I will open my diary - today was a very bad day and I consumed a few hundred over. I know eating biscuits aint gonna help but as I've said it's been a very bad day I'm normally fairly good byt allow a snack.
Now, according to my TDEE I should be on around 1600. But no loss on this nor 1500, nor anything and now Im on 1200. I've stayed this weight a while & im debating whether to drop lower. I know its not advised but im obviously doing something wrong. Ive tried slimming world - 10 wks I lost 5lb abd it was pain staking i felt ill on that diet. Ive reverted to my diet where I first lost on here to no avail. I do some activity when I can, short walks, swimming, daily activity cleaning etc. Can anyone please advice me? Im staying pretty much within my marcos also... granted apart from today, I'm probably fairly over on my sugar! TIA!
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Replies
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Well looking at your diary I see the following:
over goal frequently
days not logged at all
quick adds
not everything logged by weight
some things logged as "servings"...did you make those items using a food scale and the recipe builder here?
I suspect you are eating more than you think esp with those quick add entries, generic logs and missed days...
To use MFP successfully you have to log accurately and consistently everyday.
Have you tried "prelogging"....logging a day or two ahead?
as well if you are logging cleaning and eating back those calories...eh not such a good idea.
Log only purposeful exercise calories and try eating back 50% of those...they can be over estimated.15 -
Stef pretty much says it all ^1
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I started at about where you were and once i wasn't losing weight i looked honestly at my logging and started weighing EVERY SINGLE THING i ate. No more guessing serving sizes, no more estimating what this or that was. I used my scale in grams and log and weigh it all. Even my not so good days. I go out about 1 or 2x a weekend and eat what i want but i also bank calories throughout the week to be able to do this. I eat 1200 a day and walk as much as i can, and hardly ever do anything else (i can sometimes get 25 min on the elliptical about 3x a week) as my schedule isn't the best, i work 10 hours a day. I use a Jawbone and soon to be Fitbit Alta tracker and it adds calories back which i don't eat any back unless i'm having a glass of wine. Since i started doing this in the beginning of March I am down -12lbs.
Be truthful about what you eat and log it!4 -
Well looking at your diary I see the following:
over goal frequently
days not logged at all
quick adds
not everything logged by weight
some things logged as "servings"...did you make those items using a food scale and the recipe builder here?
I suspect you are eating more than you think esp with those quick add entries, generic logs and missed days...
To use MFP successfully you have to log accurately and consistently everyday.
Have you tried "prelogging"....logging a day or two ahead?
as well if you are logging cleaning and eating back those calories...eh not such a good idea.
Log only purposeful exercise calories and try eating back 50% of those...they can be over estimated.
Thanks for your imput SezxyStef.
I agree maybe I could be overlooking those genetic a bit this is only if I'm rushing and cannot find what Im looking for.
Overgoaling & missing days - again yes time is difficult. Do you think 1200 or below or do you think try clean it up a bit 1st? Thanks for your input.0 -
It sounds like your metabolism if off. In order to start dropping pounds you need to make sure you walk as much as possible, 20 or less grams of sugar per day {that adds up VERY quickly}, and less than 50 g carbs per day. You can do this and you will feel great!0
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joyflowerfarm wrote: »It sounds like your metabolism if off. In order to start dropping pounds you need to make sure you walk as much as possible, 20 or less grams of sugar per day {that adds up VERY quickly}, and less than 50 g carbs per day. You can do this and you will feel great!
What ?
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I kinda have to agree with them, but I feel your pain. I've been on here a similar amount of time. Initially I lost 40lbs in about 4 months eating at 1200 calories, but that wasn't sustainable (especially when I added exercise). I've been losing and gaining the same 10lbs now for like 1.5 years. But, I know my logging is crap. I'm inconsistent, and I have many days where I don't finish my food diary. I'm losing those 10lbs now, but I did have to bust out my food scale to do it. I really hate weighing everything, but it does work.0
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jackslovely wrote: »I started at about where you were and once i wasn't losing weight i looked honestly at my logging and started weighing EVERY SINGLE THING i ate. No more guessing serving sizes, no more estimating what this or that was. I used my scale in grams and log and weigh it all. Even my not so good days. I go out about 1 or 2x a weekend and eat what i want but i also bank calories throughout the week to be able to do this. I eat 1200 a day and walk as much as i can, and hardly ever do anything else (i can sometimes get 25 min on the elliptical about 3x a week) as my schedule isn't the best, i work 10 hours a day. I use a Jawbone and soon to be Fitbit Alta tracker and it adds calories back which i don't eat any back unless i'm having a glass of wine. Since i started doing this in the beginning of March I am down -12lbs.
Be truthful about what you eat and log it!
Hi Jackslovely. Thats great well done!, yes I think as Stef's said. Im probably not logging correctly. I'm going to clean up my logging. Do you think 1200 cals is about right?1 -
joyflowerfarm wrote: »It sounds like your metabolism if off. In order to start dropping pounds you need to make sure you walk as much as possible, 20 or less grams of sugar per day {that adds up VERY quickly}, and less than 50 g carbs per day. You can do this and you will feel great!
Many people who use this app/service have lost weight by eating more than 50g of carbs a day.
Please share your sources.3 -
joyflowerfarm wrote: »It sounds like your metabolism if off. In order to start dropping pounds you need to make sure you walk as much as possible, 20 or less grams of sugar per day {that adds up VERY quickly}, and less than 50 g carbs per day. You can do this and you will feel great!
^
Absolutely NOT this.6 -
JennypegMarie wrote: »Well looking at your diary I see the following:
over goal frequently
days not logged at all
quick adds
not everything logged by weight
some things logged as "servings"...did you make those items using a food scale and the recipe builder here?
I suspect you are eating more than you think esp with those quick add entries, generic logs and missed days...
To use MFP successfully you have to log accurately and consistently everyday.
Have you tried "prelogging"....logging a day or two ahead?
as well if you are logging cleaning and eating back those calories...eh not such a good idea.
Log only purposeful exercise calories and try eating back 50% of those...they can be over estimated.
Thanks for your imput SezxyStef.
I agree maybe I could be overlooking those genetic a bit this is only if I'm rushing and cannot find what Im looking for.
Overgoaling & missing days - again yes time is difficult. Do you think 1200 or below or do you think try clean it up a bit 1st? Thanks for your input.
I would never suggest under 1200...
Clean up the logging and then see.
as well remember once you find a correct entry it can be found under "recent foods" tab or if you can't find one make it...3 -
joyflowerfarm wrote: »It sounds like your metabolism if off. In order to start dropping pounds you need to make sure you walk as much as possible, 20 or less grams of sugar per day {that adds up VERY quickly}, and less than 50 g carbs per day. You can do this and you will feel great!
Please don't listen to this. ^^^
Log EVERYTHING. Already stated, but "servings" and quick adds and not logging at all definitely throws it off. Don't go under 1200 calories. Just be honest and diligent with your logging and really focus on that. Log every single thing for a month. If you lose, great! If you don't, then you have an entire accurate month to reflect on and adjust accordingly based on that.1 -
JennypegMarie wrote: »jackslovely wrote: »I started at about where you were and once i wasn't losing weight i looked honestly at my logging and started weighing EVERY SINGLE THING i ate. No more guessing serving sizes, no more estimating what this or that was. I used my scale in grams and log and weigh it all. Even my not so good days. I go out about 1 or 2x a weekend and eat what i want but i also bank calories throughout the week to be able to do this. I eat 1200 a day and walk as much as i can, and hardly ever do anything else (i can sometimes get 25 min on the elliptical about 3x a week) as my schedule isn't the best, i work 10 hours a day. I use a Jawbone and soon to be Fitbit Alta tracker and it adds calories back which i don't eat any back unless i'm having a glass of wine. Since i started doing this in the beginning of March I am down -12lbs.
Be truthful about what you eat and log it!
Hi Jackslovely. Thats great well done!, yes I think as Stef's said. Im probably not logging correctly. I'm going to clean up my logging. Do you think 1200 cals is about right?
If you get yourself a scale, log everything correctly, only log real exercise (and only eat back half), you can go with whatever MFP tells you as far as calories are concerned.
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OP....just clean up your logging... 1200 is crazy low. I am 5'3-4" 34yo @75lbs and am eating around 1600 per day. Start by weighing EVERYTHING that you eat (only use measuring cups for liquids...skip the spoons for butter/nut butter/mayo and weigh it. Measuring can be waaaaaay off when it comes to food. Weigh all the way. You can lose weight with exercise, but cardio gives us more calories to eat and strength training ensures that we keep more muscle mass as we lose weight.joyflowerfarm wrote: »It sounds like your metabolism if off. In order to start dropping pounds you need to make sure you walk as much as possible, 20 or less grams of sugar per day {that adds up VERY quickly}, and less than 50 g carbs per day. You can do this and you will feel great!
Um. Nooooope. It's clearly a logging issue. And sugar and carbs? BAH...it's all about calories. I eat more than 20g sugar and 50g carbs and am losing just fine. I agree with the above, please share legitimate sources to back your claim @joyflowerfarm .0 -
joyflowerfarm wrote: »It sounds like your metabolism if off. In order to start dropping pounds you need to make sure you walk as much as possible, 20 or less grams of sugar per day {that adds up VERY quickly}, and less than 50 g carbs per day. You can do this and you will feel great!
No.2 -
If you can, I also advise getting a heart rate monitor so you're honest with yourself for the exercise calories too. I find the inexpensive machines or the calorie estimate on here to be off too much to be considered reliable.1
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Overestimate the calories you are consuming. If you search for food you have eaten, and multiple results pop up, choose the one that has more calories, just to be safe.
Move away from bread and pastries and discover veggies you like to eat. I have hated veggies forever, but I recently discovered that I love certain kinds lightly oiled and roasted in the oven at high temperature.
Finally, if you're like me, then you tend to eat more calories at night. One way to combat this is to have a few pre-planned snacks or small meals that are less than 350 calories. Eat one of these and then call it a night. Brushing teeth shortly after the last meal also helps convince the body that you are done eating for the day. Good luck!1 -
Pretty much what everyone said above. And pay attention to your ratio of carbs, fat and protein and make sure your nutritional requirements are being met (not popular on here, but essential for complete health, which is one of the primary goals of weight loss, no?). Also exercise for real, not just casually. Figure out how many calories you need to burn combined with calorie reduction and hit that number.
Also, fitbit and polar have scales that will work in conjunction with activity/exercise tracking and food logging to help figure out what you're burning vs. what you're taking in and make recommendations based on that data, which is personalized for you. But both require accurate food logging. Consider investing in such a system (tracker + scale).
Good luck.1 -
JennypegMarie wrote: »Well looking at your diary I see the following:
over goal frequently
days not logged at all
quick adds
not everything logged by weight
some things logged as "servings"...did you make those items using a food scale and the recipe builder here?
I suspect you are eating more than you think esp with those quick add entries, generic logs and missed days...
To use MFP successfully you have to log accurately and consistently everyday.
Have you tried "prelogging"....logging a day or two ahead?
as well if you are logging cleaning and eating back those calories...eh not such a good idea.
Log only purposeful exercise calories and try eating back 50% of those...they can be over estimated.
Thanks for your imput SezxyStef.
I agree maybe I could be overlooking those genetic a bit this is only if I'm rushing and cannot find what Im looking for.
Overgoaling & missing days - again yes time is difficult. Do you think 1200 or below or do you think try clean it up a bit 1st? Thanks for your input.
Start by cleaning up your logging. Get an accurate sense of what you're eating. Hit 1500-1600 calories, and if you still don't lose, then start to drop it down. You want to eat as much as possible while still losing weight so you can get proper nutrition and retain muscle mass.1 -
For weight loss, there is no reason to pay attention to macro ratios, just calories....of course, increasing protein and fats does help manage hunger... If one has 70% carb and the rest fat and protein, they'll still lose weight. It's all about calories.
Why? I eat those foods and am losing just fine... Also, isn't it better to chose the accurate entries based on the packaging of the food that is eaten instead of guessing?Overestimate the calories you are consuming. If you search for food you have eaten, and multiple results pop up, choose the one that has more calories, just to be safe.
Move away from bread and pastries and discover veggies you like to eat. I have hated veggies forever, but I recently discovered that I love certain kinds lightly oiled and roasted in the oven at high temperature.
Finally, if you're like me, then you tend to eat more calories at night. One way to combat this is to have a few pre-planned snacks or small meals that are less than 350 calories. Eat one of these and then call it a night. Brushing teeth shortly after the last meal also helps convince the body that you are done eating for the day. Good luck!
Pre planning, now that's what I agree with.
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Thank you guys for your input. I will take this advice on board, you're all awesome thank you
I will report back with my results!1 -
Agreed with others... Tighten your logging.
For your goal, just see what MFP tells you. Personally, I wouldn't start with losing 2 pounds a week though, I think it's excessive and the best way to get burned out, especially if you don't have extra calories from exercise. I was 213 pounds when I started and picked the 1 pound a week setting, and it wasn't honestly that hard.
Can you walk though? If so, do that. Walking is great.
And ignore all the advice about limiting carbs. You don't have to, but it's something you should consider if you tend to be hungry (I actually kinda agree with the 'move away from bread and pastries' comment as I always end up being hungry if I have even 200 calories of bread - and forget pastries and their 300-800 calories - and my goal is 1800).1 -
Agreed with others... Tighten your logging.
For your goal, just see what MFP tells you. Personally, I wouldn't start with losing 2 pounds a week though, I think it's excessive and the best way to get burned out, especially if you don't have extra calories from exercise. I was 213 pounds when I started and picked the 1 pound a week setting, and it wasn't honestly that hard.
Can you walk though? If so, do that. Walking is great.
And ignore all the advice about limiting carbs. You don't have to, but it's something you should consider if you tend to be hungry (I actually kinda agree with the 'move away from bread and pastries' comment as I always end up being hungry if I have even 200 calories of bread - and forget pastries and their 300-800 calories - and my goal is 1800).
Thank you so much. My walking is limited hence, why I do some swimming And other bits as i can.
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cerise_noir wrote: »For weight loss, there is no reason to pay attention to macro ratios, just calories....of course, increasing protein and fats does help manage hunger... If one has 70% carb and the rest fat and protein, they'll still lose weight. It's all about calories.
Why? I eat those foods and am losing just fine... Also, isn't it better to chose the accurate entries based on the packaging of the food that is eaten instead of guessing?Overestimate the calories you are consuming. If you search for food you have eaten, and multiple results pop up, choose the one that has more calories, just to be safe.
Move away from bread and pastries and discover veggies you like to eat. I have hated veggies forever, but I recently discovered that I love certain kinds lightly oiled and roasted in the oven at high temperature.
Finally, if you're like me, then you tend to eat more calories at night. One way to combat this is to have a few pre-planned snacks or small meals that are less than 350 calories. Eat one of these and then call it a night. Brushing teeth shortly after the last meal also helps convince the body that you are done eating for the day. Good luck!
Pre planning, now that's what I agree with.
I understand that losing weight is calories in vs. calories out. It's great that you are losing weight, but my advice was to OP. You don't always have a package and oftentimes DO have to guess. I also advised moving away from bread and pastries because, not only are these things not filling, but the sugar within causes your body to crave more. They also tend to be calorie dense.
For OP, I would recommend looking at fullness factors for food. Just google "Satiety Index" and you should find what I'm talking about. This tells you what kind of food will be more filling per calorie. Hope this helps.
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