Doing things right (i think) and not really losing weight
Replies
-
This is going to suck, but it's time to take a break from eating restaurant food for awhile. Restaurants that post their calorie information aren't accurate, especially for restaurants like Chipotle that have people assembling the food in front of you. There's no way each scoop of beans or handful of cheese is exactly what their calculator says it should be. The restaurant food is going to be your biggest source of inaccuracy in your diary.
Yes, this!5 -
This is going to suck, but it's time to take a break from eating restaurant food for awhile. Restaurants that post their calorie information aren't accurate, especially for restaurants like Chipotle that have people assembling the food in front of you. There's no way each scoop of beans or handful of cheese is exactly what their calculator says it should be. The restaurant food is going to be your biggest source of inaccuracy in your diary.
Yes, this!
I think you are right, i need to cook my own food more.8 -
This is going to suck, but it's time to take a break from eating restaurant food for awhile. Restaurants that post their calorie information aren't accurate, especially for restaurants like Chipotle that have people assembling the food in front of you. There's no way each scoop of beans or handful of cheese is exactly what their calculator says it should be. The restaurant food is going to be your biggest source of inaccuracy in your diary.
Yes, this!
On the rare chance I go out, I give myself a 25% overage over what the website and mfp says. So far, so good. That might help.8 -
psychod787 wrote: »This is going to suck, but it's time to take a break from eating restaurant food for awhile. Restaurants that post their calorie information aren't accurate, especially for restaurants like Chipotle that have people assembling the food in front of you. There's no way each scoop of beans or handful of cheese is exactly what their calculator says it should be. The restaurant food is going to be your biggest source of inaccuracy in your diary.
Yes, this!
On the rare chance I go out, I give myself a 25% overage over what the website and mfp says. So far, so good. That might help.
I think I need to make all my meals for a month or so and see how that goes.9 -
psychod787 wrote: »This is going to suck, but it's time to take a break from eating restaurant food for awhile. Restaurants that post their calorie information aren't accurate, especially for restaurants like Chipotle that have people assembling the food in front of you. There's no way each scoop of beans or handful of cheese is exactly what their calculator says it should be. The restaurant food is going to be your biggest source of inaccuracy in your diary.
Yes, this!
On the rare chance I go out, I give myself a 25% overage over what the website and mfp says. So far, so good. That might help.
I think I need to make all my meals for a month or so and see how that goes.
Do that....with a food scale and measure everything. If you have done that accurately (that's the key), you should be posting a month or so from now carrying 10 pounds less (at least) if you're sitting at 2500 calories. (Which in reality, again if you're measuring and logging correctly, might not be enough).7 -
psychod787 wrote: »This is going to suck, but it's time to take a break from eating restaurant food for awhile. Restaurants that post their calorie information aren't accurate, especially for restaurants like Chipotle that have people assembling the food in front of you. There's no way each scoop of beans or handful of cheese is exactly what their calculator says it should be. The restaurant food is going to be your biggest source of inaccuracy in your diary.
Yes, this!
On the rare chance I go out, I give myself a 25% overage over what the website and mfp says. So far, so good. That might help.
I think I need to make all my meals for a month or so and see how that goes.
The one (hopefully?) silver lining is that things like burrito bowls are super easy to meal prep, so you could keep eating the same things for not a lot of extra effort.11 -
If all else fails try the diet break. I worked for me after a stall of about 2 months. I had been dieting for a year and just quit losing. I went to maintenance calories for a week then back on track and it started dropping again albeit a bit slower. No idea why it worked. I suspect just having that break made me doubly determined to get back on it and really work hard. Maybe my body needed a jolt... I don't know. Lots of threads on here about the diet break.6
-
This is going to suck, but it's time to take a break from eating restaurant food for awhile. Restaurants that post their calorie information aren't accurate, especially for restaurants like Chipotle that have people assembling the food in front of you. There's no way each scoop of beans or handful of cheese is exactly what their calculator says it should be. The restaurant food is going to be your biggest source of inaccuracy in your diary.
Yes, this!
Don't know why anyone would woo this, this is 95% likely the source of the problem. Even if the portion of each ingredient is only 20% higher than they are estimating then that burrito could be 1400 calories instead of 1000.11 -
cbohling1987 wrote: »This is going to suck, but it's time to take a break from eating restaurant food for awhile. Restaurants that post their calorie information aren't accurate, especially for restaurants like Chipotle that have people assembling the food in front of you. There's no way each scoop of beans or handful of cheese is exactly what their calculator says it should be. The restaurant food is going to be your biggest source of inaccuracy in your diary.
Yes, this!
Don't know why anyone would woo this, this is 95% likely the source of the problem. Even if the portion of each ingredient is only 20% higher than they are estimating then that burrito could be 1400 calories instead of 1000.
Because someone is misunderstanding the term "woo" for the 56,000,861st time.
14 -
How long have you been stalling?2
-
I didn't read all the comments, and I hate to say this, but when I'm "doing everything right and not losing" I am not being honest with myself and I'm not really doing everything right. This not meant to be mean, but sometimes I find I need a reality check. And never think of this as a "diet" it's a lifestyle change. Best of luck to you
7 -
psychod787 wrote: »This is going to suck, but it's time to take a break from eating restaurant food for awhile. Restaurants that post their calorie information aren't accurate, especially for restaurants like Chipotle that have people assembling the food in front of you. There's no way each scoop of beans or handful of cheese is exactly what their calculator says it should be. The restaurant food is going to be your biggest source of inaccuracy in your diary.
Yes, this!
On the rare chance I go out, I give myself a 25% overage over what the website and mfp says. So far, so good. That might help.
I think I need to make all my meals for a month or so and see how that goes.
Please don't do this. Or at least not as strictly as I think it sounds. I go out at least once a week. Whether lunch or dinner. I (or my wife) make most of my meals, but not all of them and I do think life is too short to take it to the extreme of ALL meals.
If that's not what you meant, then I apologize. I just think some leeway needs to be had instead of trying to be too perfect, getting sick of it and throwing in the towel.10 -
I have to agree with the folks who say cook your own food. It looks like almost everything you eat is pre-packaged, factory made, frozen, canned, or from a big chain. If you have to eat out, go to a mom n pop place. They are less likely to have ingredients shipped to them from the main factory that they then assemble in the kitchen. Places like Denny's don't serve real food anymore.
The upside is real food tastes better. You won't be able to stand the chain restaurant stuff after cooking at home. You can use real butter and not have to eat the butter flavored grease they pour on the griddle.
I also suggest more vegetables, more fiber. I myself have trouble getting veggies in my diet, so I know it can be hard. But when I do I can eat a nicoise salad the size of a dinner plate with arugula, vinaigrette, 3 hard boiled eggs and a whole can of tuna that altogether barely breaks 300 cal and I'm stuffed. Chinese broccoli steamed and then tossed in oyster sauce is also easy.
Maybe instead of powerbars for breakfast you can make a smoothie. assemble everything the night before, blend in the morning and take it with you. Oatmeal in a jar may work too. It will force you to eat more slowly and your tummy will be more satisfied. Start with one thing, when that becomes routine and easy, add another.
Lastly, consider intermittent fasting. I fast 14 or more hours a day. My calories are set for .5 lbs loss a week but in a month I've lost 10. of course i'm at the start of my journey... Good luck to you!14 -
mannygee28 wrote: »I have to agree with the folks who say cook your own food. It looks like almost everything you eat is pre-packaged, factory made, frozen, canned, or from a big chain. If you have to eat out, go to a mom n pop place. They are less likely to have ingredients shipped to them from the main factory that they then assemble in the kitchen. Places like Denny's don't serve real food anymore.
The upside is real food tastes better. You won't be able to stand the chain restaurant stuff after cooking at home. You can use real butter and not have to eat the butter flavored grease they pour on the griddle.
I also suggest more vegetables, more fiber. I myself have trouble getting veggies in my diet, so I know it can be hard. But when I do I can eat a nicoise salad the size of a dinner plate with arugula, vinaigrette, 3 hard boiled eggs and a whole can of tuna that altogether barely breaks 300 cal and I'm stuffed. Chinese broccoli steamed and then tossed in oyster sauce is also easy.
Maybe instead of powerbars for breakfast you can make a smoothie. assemble everything the night before, blend in the morning and take it with you. Oatmeal in a jar may work too. It will force you to eat more slowly and your tummy will be more satisfied. Start with one thing, when that becomes routine and easy, add another.
Lastly, consider intermittent fasting. I fast 14 or more hours a day. My calories are set for .5 lbs loss a week but in a month I've lost 10. of course i'm at the start of my journey... Good luck to you!
A lot of this is just about changing the source of calories, but what OP needs is to reintroduce a deficit (which is totally possible even with food from Denny's or food that isn't "real," whatever that means).
Canned and frozen food is completely compatible with a calorie deficit, OP doesn't need to over-complicate things.14 -
I have been working on losing weight for almost a year, I have lost over 60lb but things are stalling out. I only eat around 2500 calories a day and go to the gym every day (most of the time). My weight keeps going up and down and seems to hover between 390 and 398. I do rather well about sticking to my calories but I don't know why I am not losing more weight.
Some stats: I am 32 years old, 6'4 with a large frame. The things I am trying right now are drinking more water, getting more sleep and working out harder.
Am I eating too much? am I not eating enough? the 2500 calories a day were calculated by my fitness pal.
Help?
Simply put - you are eating more than you think you are.
I'm 47, hypothyroid, 6'4" and 221 and eat ~2400 kcals/day and I'm currently on a cut.
Restaurants tend to overfeed you and the portions/calories are likely well above the 20% margin of error. They also use a higher amount of salt.
Focus on reviewing your diet and weigh out everything for a few weeks. Start cooking at home more and see if that helps. Caloric intake is typically the issue in these cases.4 -
A lot of this is just about changing the source of calories, but what OP needs is to reintroduce a deficit (which is totally possible even with food from Denny's or food that isn't "real," whatever that means).
Canned and frozen food is completely compatible with a calorie deficit, OP doesn't need to over-complicate things.
By "real food" i mean "acquired raw (or as close to raw as possible) and prepared for consumption by human hands in a manner similar to great grandmama." So you don't have to grind your own wheat to make flour, but if you want pancakes it's better to mix up your own batter from scratch than get a mix out of a box because the stuff in the box always has preservatives or trans fats, or some other artificial additive that you (and great grandmama) wouldn't add to your pancakes prepped in your kitchen.
frozen raw green beans contain only raw green beans in the package, no salt no bht, no nothing. frozen chicken pot pie will sneak you stuff like cellulose and polysorbate. Canned chickpeas and tomatoes can be found without preservatives, but personally I don't trust canned beans because they probably don't soak them overnight in the factory. Other canned foods like green beans and carrots are cooked down to mush and I admit to being personally suspicious of them.
Source of calories matters, quality of food matters. Cooking at home, as several have suggested, gives OP control over the quality and quantity of food he consumes. Nobody suggested he cook everything from scratch starting NOW, and I specifically suggested simple options and that he change one single solitary thing at at time.20 -
mannygee28 wrote: »A lot of this is just about changing the source of calories, but what OP needs is to reintroduce a deficit (which is totally possible even with food from Denny's or food that isn't "real," whatever that means).
Canned and frozen food is completely compatible with a calorie deficit, OP doesn't need to over-complicate things.
By "real food" i mean "acquired raw (or as close to raw as possible) and prepared for consumption by human hands in a manner similar to great grandmama." So you don't have to grind your own wheat to make flour, but if you want pancakes it's better to mix up your own batter from scratch than get a mix out of a box because the stuff in the box always has preservatives or trans fats, or some other artificial additive that you (and great grandmama) wouldn't add to your pancakes prepped in your kitchen.
frozen raw green beans contain only raw green beans in the package, no salt no bht, no nothing. frozen chicken pot pie will sneak you stuff like cellulose and polysorbate. Canned chickpeas and tomatoes can be found without preservatives, but personally I don't trust canned beans because they probably don't soak them overnight in the factory. Other canned foods like green beans and carrots are cooked down to mush and I admit to being personally suspicious of them.
Source of calories matters, quality of food matters. Cooking at home, as several have suggested, gives OP control over the quality and quantity of food he consumes. Nobody suggested he cook everything from scratch starting NOW, and I specifically suggested simple options and that he change one single solitary thing at at time.
Okay, but you're talking about a lot of things that are personally important to you (soaking beans overnight, no preservatives in pancake batter, a mushy texture) and confusing those with things that are meaningful for weight loss. They're not.
Cooking your own food at home can be a useful tool for weight loss because you can better understand and log exactly how many calories you're eating. Eating pancakes exactly the way your great-grandmother may have made them . . . it's a nice thing to be able to do if you personally value it, but it's irrelevant for weight loss purposes.
If someone finds they enjoy canned carrots and they log them accurately, there's no problem with including them in their diet. They can still reach a deficit while eating canned carrots and pancakes from a mix.18 -
Drop your calories4
-
Maybe it was none of my business, but I did something I have done for myself. I used Kevin Hall's NIH body weight planner. I back tracked you from 450lbs to 390 using the age and height you gave us. I used a 1.5 activity modifier that means you have a sedentary job with little activity outside at all. I did not add any exercise to help reduce weight. I used 300 days to get from 450 to 390. It gave me your maintainance to be about 4200 calories a day to maintain 390lbs. I am not saying it is perfect, but for me has been really really close. It takes into account metabolic slow down as you lose weight. It's up to you what you do for your own weight loss journey, but I will tell you I nearly destroyed myself losing too quickly. It may take me years to recover if I can at all. I would advise listening to people here that have far more experience with Weight loss and the biggest issue of weight loss maintenance. Learn the skills now to lose weight and maintain. They are different and the same all at once. Best wishes!6
-
You maybe doing everything right, but have you been checking your macros for salt and sugar? Those tend to creep up on you fast. Also, you indicated it's been a month since you've been stagnant in losing weight. When ever this happens, it maybe that you've maxed out and things are out of wack metabolically (BMR). To jump start things again, try adjusting your daily calorie to a deficit of 10-20% to even things out. I am only making this suggestion, because you said you are doing everything right. Assuming your sodium and sugar macros are good. Good luck!12
-
Good luck man!!!! Cooking your own meals will be a challenge at first but I think you'll find it not only more cost effective but in the end more satisfying.3
-
psychod787 wrote: »This is going to suck, but it's time to take a break from eating restaurant food for awhile. Restaurants that post their calorie information aren't accurate, especially for restaurants like Chipotle that have people assembling the food in front of you. There's no way each scoop of beans or handful of cheese is exactly what their calculator says it should be. The restaurant food is going to be your biggest source of inaccuracy in your diary.
Yes, this!
On the rare chance I go out, I give myself a 25% overage over what the website and mfp says. So far, so good. That might help.
I think I need to make all my meals for a month or so and see how that goes.
Yes! By cooking your own foods, you can be more accurate on your calorie count. Also you can knock down the sodium intake.4 -
concordancia wrote: »Have you changed your physical routine lately. Ironically, either answer could cause a problem.
I have been rather consistent that is what is the weird part.
If you have been doing the same thing for a long time, your muscles slowly figure out how to do it more efficiently. Try changing up your workout as you tighten up your logging.5 -
psychod787 wrote: »This is going to suck, but it's time to take a break from eating restaurant food for awhile. Restaurants that post their calorie information aren't accurate, especially for restaurants like Chipotle that have people assembling the food in front of you. There's no way each scoop of beans or handful of cheese is exactly what their calculator says it should be. The restaurant food is going to be your biggest source of inaccuracy in your diary.
Yes, this!
On the rare chance I go out, I give myself a 25% overage over what the website and mfp says. So far, so good. That might help.
I think I need to make all my meals for a month or so and see how that goes.
Yes! By cooking your own foods, you can be more accurate on your calorie count. Also you can knock down the sodium intake.
And sugar intake.5 -
I don't disagree with my esteemed MFPeops that by making appropriate choices people can ensure that they meet their dietary needs while feeling more satiated
I can assure you though that (based on my n=1) neither a slightly elevated sodium consumption nor 120+ grams of sugar a day stopped me from losing weight. And while most of that sugar came from apples and yogurt and such, some of it came from the 72* ice cream cones that partially fueled my first 365 days on MFP [McDonald's (66), Dairy Queen (3), Burger King (2), gelato waffle cone (1)]
* since I visually assign a multiplier from 0.9 to 2 based on the perceived size of the Mcdonald's cone as per my recall of three in restaurant weighed reference cones, 72 was closer to 7612 -
I don't disagree with my esteemed MFPeops that by making appropriate choices people can ensure that they meet their diatery needs while feeling more satiated
I can assure you though that (based on my n=1) neither a slightly elevated sodium consumption nor 120+ grams of sugar a day stopped me from losing weight. And while most of that sugar came from apples and yogurt and such, some of it came from the 72* ice cream cones that parially fueled my first 365 days on MFP [McDonald's (66), Dairy Queen (3), Burger King (2), gelato waffle cone (1)]
* since I visually assign a multiplier from 0.9 to 2 based on the perceived size of the mcdonald's cone as per my recall of three in restaurant weighed reference cones, 72 was closer to 76
PAV8888...... is it ok to say I have a science man crush on you.....6 -
Now, I have to admit that I see a few too many quick adds. And I am also wondering a bit as to whether you are feeling at all hungry? I am sort of not seeing the "bulk" that comes from things such as vegetables, and fruits, and OMK*, am I going to say salad?--isn't that already included in vegetables?
*(Oh my **KITTENS**)
But seriously man: why would you not down a lb of baby tomatoes and a lb of cucumbers with your 3 slices of pizza? I mean even if you add 2oz of pickled hot peppers, for some heat, and throw 150g of egg whites on top to make it more of meal salad and you're still at under 250 Cal. Under 175 without the egg whites. Or spoon a bit of 0% greek yogurt or balsamic vinegar or a mix of both! And you can eat it all that WITH your pizza! And be GROANING when you finish eating! (OK: 2lbs of tomatoes. I'm easy!)
Your macros are actually not too bad for the calories. I checked out your Feb 2 to March 3, then excluded march 3 as you only marked 3 slices of pizza for the day so I have to assume that it was a partial log.
Your average calories are 2430 (your macros multiply out to 2051 only. is the rest alcohol? or un-marked and guessed?) 178 Carb, 92 fat, 128g protein, 58g sugar, and 18g fiber.
My only "complaint" other than the missing entries/inaccuracies is that as a guy your fiber should be closer to 38g
Given your size I would aim for at least 160g protein. I would leave my fats where they are and I would bump up my carbs to an actual accounted for 275 to 300g. This would push your intake to close to, hopefully accurately counted, 2575 to 2675 Cal a day. **
**I note that other people might chose to increase their fats and protein as opposed to carbs in order to achieve better satiety.
OOPSIES: I forgot you're 6.4. So even 210lbs puts you in the normal weight range. So your protein can/should climb to between 168g and 210g. Which would leave about 250 for carbs if you don't increase your calories via activity etc.
I would also look at my general activity level. If your job is sedentary I would try to schedule extra bathroom breaks or in any case ensure some movement each and every hour if at all possible. even if it is only for a few minutes.8 -
I can't view your diary at this time for some strange reason, but if all else fails, someone suggested a diet break. I am not sure what the literature says about it, but in the weightlifting community, people state it works for beating plateau. I still think you are probably under eating and I would advice, if you can afford it, to work with an online scientific based coach. I think as pav8888 states, in crease your protein if you can. I think the usda states 0.8 to 1 gm per kilo of bw as a minimum. I run closer to 1.1 per pound of bw, I lift heavy and honestly love my lean meats and eggs. Set your fat to at least .30gm per kilo of bw, and fill the remainder with carbs. This is all up to you. He also advices to eat more whole foods. I would agree.4
-
-
psychod787 wrote: »This is going to suck, but it's time to take a break from eating restaurant food for awhile. Restaurants that post their calorie information aren't accurate, especially for restaurants like Chipotle that have people assembling the food in front of you. There's no way each scoop of beans or handful of cheese is exactly what their calculator says it should be. The restaurant food is going to be your biggest source of inaccuracy in your diary.
Yes, this!
On the rare chance I go out, I give myself a 25% overage over what the website and mfp says. So far, so good. That might help.
I think I need to make all my meals for a month or so and see how that goes.
Yes! By cooking your own foods, you can be more accurate on your calorie count. Also you can knock down the sodium intake.
It will also give the OP a better idea of what size portions he needs and perhaps realize if the chain food portions are actually larger than what he was previously logging.6
https://youtu.be/carD3hvum64
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 426 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions