Complete frustration!

Hey there!

I also (along with EVERYONE else, apparently) took a look at your diary and I have a few suggestions.

1. Yes, eating clean will definitely make a change. I would say it probably was a drastic change for your body just to lower your calorie intake and it (originally) didn't matter where those calories were coming from, it just mattered that you weren't eating as much as you used to. But now, your body has become accustomed to this calorie intake which mostly consists of packaged "healthy" food. I would ditch anything in a package and get the right nutrition from the right foods.

2. For your three big meals of the day, make sure 1/3 of your plate is clean, lean protein (turkey or chicken breast, fish, or tofu), 1/3 is a complex carb (brown rice, another whole grain like quinoa, or a sweet potato), and 1/3 is a fibrous carb like broccoli, or a spinach or kale salad. For your snacks, try to have a lean protein like cottage cheese or nonfat yogurt and a complex carb or fruit (earlier in the day).

3. You seem to really enjoy sweets (ME TOOOOO). I had to learn to limit my sweet tooth, though. Start by cutting down to one dessert or "sweet" a day (including the sugar you add to oatmeal...use a natural sweetener like honey instead). Then cut down to having a treat once or twice a week. You'll see MAJOR changes. And believe me, the cravings will cease.

4. Cut out anything white. White bread, white pasta, and white sugar (or brown sugar, for that matter). It provides your body with little to no nutritional benefits and it will continue to disregard it and store it as fat. Replace those empty calories with nutritious food your body can use as fuel and the fat will melt off.

5. DON'T QUIT. It's just a plateau. Everyone has them. You've got this. Keep up the good work. You're health is worth the time and energy you put into it.

Best of luck

As for me, when I eat carbs, I want MORE MORE MORE! And after 3 minutes, I've had 4 pieces of banana bread! And then I'm craving something else to eat 10 minutes later. I tried cutting carbs out completely, but I ended up feeling really lethargic.

So now I try and get my carbs from fruit and a few rice cakes, maybe ONE piece of banana bread. That's it.

I have a huge sweet tooth. To get over the hump of not having so many treats, I make sure to have strawberries, plums, juicy oranges, and other naturally sweet treats around. I found that I can have more volume of sweets this way, and since there are vitamins, minerals, and fiber in the fruit, it's not as bad as processed sugar. (Yes, extremists reading this, I know sugar is sugar but for my life, and probably a few others', it is a process to change a habit of having desserts and substituting fruits is part of the new healthier habit.)

Here's a few other treats I have:
Good Earth Original tea. It tastes like it has sugar, but has none. Add a splash of milk and it's a creamy dessert.
Sugar free Jello with sugar free Cool Whip (but make sure to really measure both in a measuring cup.)
Peppermint tea with a drop of honey and milk (notice my trend in tea; it takes a long time for me to drink since it's hot, and by the time I finish it my craving for the Butterfinger ice cream that my boyfriend is eating has passed.)
Medjool dates with an almond tucked inside (fiber/almond power pack, once you start getting lower on sugars, a date is such a treat!)
Frozen bananas, they taste like ice cream to be now! I've heard of people freezing them as slices and dipping them in sugar-free chocolate syrup (this satisfies the repetitive motion of eating as well as the choc/banana sweetness)

Even more important, though, is that when I look at your diary, I don't see a lot of food. You had a third of a package of broccoli/chicken/pasta? Was that three bites? I'd totally feel under-satisfied after that. Yes you're meeting your calories, but I think your body isn't getting what it needs, hence cravings. Since yesterday I was trying to resist the banana bread, I had a ton of broccoli and a grilled turkey burger patty for lunch. I was so full and satisfied after that I didn't even go over to the fridge and stare at the banana bread in longing. When my body is then full and busy digesting all of that fiber, I don't even think of sweets.

The really most important thing is that you haven't given up. One day at a time.

I can't answer anything regarding your intake levels, if you answer Sheboss's questions, he no doubt will, however. But I can tell you what is working for me, after nearly a year long plateau (last year).

First, I took 2 months off from counting or eating at a deficit. Still tried to eat healthy, but pretty much ate whatever I wanted. I did not work out during these 2 months, and I cut out all stimulants. The idea was to reset my metabolism and give my adrenal glands a break.

Then, as of January 4th of this year, I dropped calories to 1200 and bought a Fitbit to measure my actual energy expenditure. It was much less than I thought, and I burn much less than MFP or the machines say I do when I exercise.

I began to be extremely strict about my logging, weighing and measuring every single bite. No cheat days, no cheat meals. I do allow myself to eat at maintenance once in a very great while, and for 1 week, every three months. AT maintenance, logged, weighed, measured. It's controlled.

I changed my protein and carbs so that protein is at 30% and carbs are at 40%. My #1 goal is to reach my protein level and my #2 goal is to be at my calories and my #3 goal is to not go over my carbs. Lots of veggies help keep me full. Everything else falls into place.

And I increased my workout difficulty. I chose the most difficult thing for me (running) and started doing it. Intervals at first, because I wasn't able to actually run a city block even. But I could run for 30 seconds, so I'd run 30 seconds, walk 30 seconds, run 30 seconds, etc. for as long as I could manage. Eventually, I started actually running, running. A short distance, then next time, a longer one. And I lift weights. Squats, lunges, bench presses, curls, etc. My schedule is Run/Lift/Run/Lift/Run/Lift/Rest.

This is what has worked for me and I've lost an average of 3/4 pound a week since Jan 4. It's lower than 1 pound because I dont' have a whole lot to lose and my TDEE is not that high - only 15 pounds more to go.

Hopefully this helps you some. Good luck!

I would also add that maybe you need to change up your excerise or increase the intensity. Trying pushing a little bit more. Good luck to you. I know how frustrating it can be.

I'll add to the chorus; looks like a lot of processed high sugar & high sodium foods. I also don't see a lot of green veg, or fresh fruit. You may be able to get away with not eating 5 servings a day, but you should up the amount you eat. The fiber in fresh fruits and veg combined with water will help food "pass" trough your system faster. I'm in menopause and I find that 2 things are absolutely necessary for me to lose 1) I must work out at least 3 -4 times a week and 2) I have to eat fresh fruit and veg at least 3 servings a day. I also limit dairy, gluten and soy.

Hey there!

I also (along with EVERYONE else, apparently) took a look at your diary and I have a few suggestions.

1. Yes, eating clean will definitely make a change. I would say it probably was a drastic change for your body just to lower your calorie intake and it (originally) didn't matter where those calories were coming from, it just mattered that you weren't eating as much as you used to. But now, your body has become accustomed to this calorie intake which mostly consists of packaged "healthy" food. I would ditch anything in a package and get the right nutrition from the right foods.

4. Cut out anything white. White bread, white pasta, and white sugar (or brown sugar, for that matter). It provides your body with little to no nutritional benefits and it will continue to disregard it and store it as fat. Replace those empty calories with nutritious food your body can use as fuel and the fat will melt off.

I agree with everything in this post, but most especially #1 and #4: they've worked for me. The white thing you *can* have is yogurt... plain... if you want it sweetened, eat it with fruit... sometimes I have mine with honey, but not much... My skinny mom went off *all* processed foods (that includes Lean Cuisine, cans of soup, etc.) and here she is, 60 and a healthy size 6, with unending energy. I reduced my processed foods in June and *boom*, instant change in my weight and, just as good, my skin: I stopped breaking out so much. White bread - in the form of locally made olive oil ciabatta bread - is a tremendous treat reserved for when I have company for dinner. I only have white rice when I'm out for my beloved sushi. Otherwise, stick to brown stuff, which definitely will start tasting more interesting than white stuff fairly quickly. This doesn't mean I've given up chocolate entirely... or sugars in general (I love wine and cocktails) but *smart* carbs are tremendous.

This doesn't mean I wouldn't love some sorbet, frozen lemonade, etc. - and I've had some this summer - but I've focused on making sure my nutrients are all in check, and when I've made sure I've had enough water, iron, protein, calcium, etc., I'm too full to really want anything else (except maybe a frozen cocktail!) I wasn't necessarily eating too many calories to maintain my weight on an average day before, but what I was eating wasn't real food.

You need to eat back your exercise calories. You are under your calorie target by several hundred calories a day (over the last week). There is a reason why MFP automatically adds exercise calories to your total daily calorie target.