Weight Loss/Diet Tips

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I am currently trying to lose 30 pounds. I have lost a little over 30 pounds in the past 6 mos. I have hit an extremely frustrating point because my weight is fluctuating due to water& waste retention(sorry TMI lol), despite making sure that I exercise (running& other activities) at least 5 days/wk for 45 min-1 hour& drinking 25-30 oz of water daily. On top of that, I eat no more than 850-900 calories a day, but despite my efforts it is very hard for me to get BM :/ . Has anyone else experienced this& have any insight or advice for diet that can help alleviate this??

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  • LaurynDBee
    LaurynDBee Posts: 11 Member
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    Btw I am 144 (weight fluctuation up by 5.5 pounds since yesterday), I am not sure if weight& height would play into this
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Height and weight is important when setting a calorie goal. You need to eat an appropriate amount of calories (food) to lose weight and at the same time fuel your body. If you are eating no more than 850-900 calories a day, you are either eating way too little, or your tracking is way off. Eating too little will produce too little waste and can explain lack of BM; logging incorrectly can explain lack of weight loss (I don't know if you are saying that you have lost 30 pounds and are at a stall while wanting to lose another 30, or something else). Weight fluctuates. Accept that.

    You could drink more water - 50-70 ounces depending on temperature, activity level and what else you are eating/drinking.
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
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    If you are eating no more than 850-900 calories a day, you are either eating way too little, or your tracking is way off.

    +1

  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,120 Member
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    On top of that, I eat no more than 850-900 calories a day, but despite my efforts it is very hard for me to get BM :/ . Has anyone else experienced this& have any insight or advice for diet that can help alleviate this??

    Eat more ... eat at least 1200 cal/day.
    Drink lots of water.
    Eat fat.

  • JenniferNoll
    JenniferNoll Posts: 367 Member
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    Eating so little is going to just make you tired and cranky. Eat a minimum of 1200 calories a day to keep your body going so you can keep on going. If you can't poop, either have some Miralax or increase your fiber intake. Beans have a lot of fiber and are great protein too. They'll make you feel full, too!

    Seriously, you have to eat enough to keep your body going.
  • LaurynDBee
    LaurynDBee Posts: 11 Member
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    Eating so little is going to just make you tired and cranky. Eat a minimum of 1200 calories a day to keep your body going so you can keep on going. If you can't poop, either have some Miralax or increase your fiber intake. Beans have a lot of fiber and are great protein too. They'll make you feel full, too!

    Seriously, you have to eat enough to keep your body going.

    Thank you so much, that might explain my occasional mood swings as well :/.I am definitely going to try to up my calorie intake, for some I normally just don't eat above 850-900, but I'm definitely going to work on increasing.
  • LaurynDBee
    LaurynDBee Posts: 11 Member
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    If you are eating no more than 850-900 calories a day, you are either eating way too little, or your tracking is way off.

    +1

    I make sure that I track as accurately as possible. I normally don't eat a lot throughout the day. About 1-2 average sized meals& 1 small one & I might have a snack depending on if I'm hungry. 900 is a maximum. I'm going to try to increase my food intake w/ more greens/fibers& proteins
  • LaurynDBee
    LaurynDBee Posts: 11 Member
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    Height and weight is important when setting a calorie goal. You need to eat an appropriate amount of calories (food) to lose weight and at the same time fuel your body. If you are eating no more than 850-900 calories a day, you are either eating way too little, or your tracking is way off. Eating too little will produce too little waste and can explain lack of BM; logging incorrectly can explain lack of weight loss (I don't know if you are saying that you have lost 30 pounds and are at a stall while wanting to lose another 30, or something else). Weight fluctuates. Accept that.

    You could drink more water - 50-70 ounces depending on temperature, activity level and what else you are eating/drinking.

    & I am 5'3 as well. & By that I meant so far I have lost 30 pounds, but I would like to lose another 30& I'm going to drink more water as well to see if that may help. Thank you for the feedback!
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    Eating so little is going to just make you tired and cranky. Eat a minimum of 1200 calories a day to keep your body going so you can keep on going. If you can't poop, either have some Miralax or increase your fiber intake. Beans have a lot of fiber and are great protein too. They'll make you feel full, too!

    Seriously, you have to eat enough to keep your body going.

    Thank you so much, that might explain my occasional mood swings as well :/.I am definitely going to try to up my calorie intake, for some I normally just don't eat above 850-900, but I'm definitely going to work on increasing.

    the key to this tho is ensuring you are eating what you say you are...

    How do you measure your intake? do you use a scale for your solids and log everything accurately and consistently?
  • H_Ock12
    H_Ock12 Posts: 1,152 Member
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    Fish Oil, Flaxseed, Chia Seeds, Fiber Rich foods should help with your BMs. You can always add in some Miralax if you really need to get things going (it's very quick acting). If I drop below 1000 calories/day, I go DAYS without one, so you may not be eating enough for your body to produce enough waste to make you regular.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    no way that you are eating 900 calories a day and not losing weight ...anyway, at a minimum you should be netting 1200 calories a day with exercise...

    do you use a food scale?
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
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    I am currently trying to lose 30 pounds. I have lost a little over 30 pounds in the past 6 mos. I have hit an extremely frustrating point because my weight is fluctuating due to water& waste retention(sorry TMI lol), despite making sure that I exercise (running& other activities) at least 5 days/wk for 45 min-1 hour& drinking 25-30 oz of water daily. On top of that, I eat no more than 850-900 calories a day, but despite my efforts it is very hard for me to get BM :/ . Has anyone else experienced this& have any insight or advice for diet that can help alleviate this??

    If you are really eating only 850-900 calories per day, eating more will likely alleviate it. Especially if you are eating low fat. Fat helps move things along.
  • LaurynDBee
    LaurynDBee Posts: 11 Member
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    SezxyStef wrote: »
    Eating so little is going to just make you tired and cranky. Eat a minimum of 1200 calories a day to keep your body going so you can keep on going. If you can't poop, either have some Miralax or increase your fiber intake. Beans have a lot of fiber and are great protein too. They'll make you feel full, too!

    Seriously, you have to eat enough to keep your body going.

    Thank you so much, that might explain my occasional mood swings as well :/.I am definitely going to try to up my calorie intake, for some I normally just don't eat above 850-900, but I'm definitely going to work on increasing.

    the key to this tho is ensuring you are eating what you say you are...

    How do you measure your intake? do you use a scale for your solids and log everything accurately and consistently?

    I usually read the nutrition facts on whatever I'm eating and based off of that I'll log in how many calories I'm consuming& I'll add about 20-30 calories just to be safe, I don't really pay much attention to carbs so idk if that might also play a role in this dilemma I'm having :/
  • LaurynDBee
    LaurynDBee Posts: 11 Member
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    Would you recommend I use a food scale as an alternative to the nutrition label to maybe see if I get a different reading on my caloric intake?
  • LaurynDBee
    LaurynDBee Posts: 11 Member
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    ndj1979 wrote: »
    no way that you are eating 900 calories a day and not losing weight ...anyway, at a minimum you should be netting 1200 calories a day with exercise...

    do you use a food scale?

    I really don't eat that often throughout the day& I get full very fast.No, I don't use a food scale. I log my caloric intake based of the nutrition labels of the food that I eat. I lose weight, but I think I may be retaining weight due to my lack of BM as well as water weight, I honestly don't know why I have this issue, but it's very frustrating. Would you recommend I use a food scale as opposed to the nutrition labels?
  • LaurynDBee
    LaurynDBee Posts: 11 Member
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    Fish Oil, Flaxseed, Chia Seeds, Fiber Rich foods should help with your BMs. You can always add in some Miralax if you really need to get things going (it's very quick acting). If I drop below 1000 calories/day, I go DAYS without one, so you may not be eating enough for your body to produce enough waste to make you regular.

    Okay, thank you so much! I will definitely try all of those as soon as possible& that may be the reason why I'm having this issue :/
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,120 Member
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    Would you recommend I use a food scale as an alternative to the nutrition label to maybe see if I get a different reading on my caloric intake?

    Yes!
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    Would you recommend I use a food scale as an alternative to the nutrition label to maybe see if I get a different reading on my caloric intake?

    You should be using both. The nutrition label tells you how much is in a given amount of the food. The food scale tells you how much you ate so you know how your serving size compares to the serving size on the label.
  • LaurynDBee
    LaurynDBee Posts: 11 Member
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    Would you recommend I use a food scale as an alternative to the nutrition label to maybe see if I get a different reading on my caloric intake?

    You should be using both. The nutrition label tells you how much is in a given amount of the food. The food scale tells you how much you ate so you know how your serving size compares to the serving size on the label.

    Thank you, I'll definitely try it out!