One massive hit in several weeks now and little to show for it..
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cmriverside wrote: »johncharles1962 wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »johncharles1962 wrote: »Congrats!
How accurate and consistent is your food logging?
I am not logging my meals, but trust me they are 3 small meals at most with plenty of mixed greens and veg and good quality lean meat with zero snacking, honestly I am strict with it apart from the small bit of 75% chocolate I have in the evening to help with the drinking cravings
I quit drinking years ago. I was already logging food at the time. I had been losing at the recommended rate and after I quit drinking I still lost at the recommended rate.
I would suggest that if you aren't losing and if you feel you have your profile set up accurately - then you need to log your food.
It's really easy to eat too much. Meat is really easy to have too much. I did not like how small my meat portions needed to be to stay within calories. Do you know how much (in ounces) your meat choices are? A tiny chicken tenderloin is about 100 calories, for instance. If you're having three of them and counting them as one serving, you're already over by a minimum of 200 calories. Beef and pork? The serving sizes are t.i.n.y.
I am keeping a close eye on my calorie intake and would say it is roughly 1600-1800, some days it has been less, have cut out meat apart from a little chicken and am mainly using fish and eggs.
Well, keep believing you're different if you like ::shrug::
I'm telling you that I lost weight while drinking (way too much alcohol) and I lost weight when I quit drinking. The difference is I was logging my food. With a food scale.
I did eat quite a bit more sugar when I quit drinking AND I ate at maintenance calories for almost a full year before I tried to lose again. The too-much-sugar tapered off after a couple months, so that was definitely a problem for me at first. I was just eating too much - but I knew it. I gave myself a few months to get healthy again.
You say, "roughly 1600-1800." Are you willing to log food accurately? Because your guess of 1800 could oh-so-easily actually be 2500. Here's a great thread for you: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
Wow!
Did I offend you for some reason?
8 -
If you are not going to try logging, and I can understand that you have made major changes so far, so it's understandable, you will have to accept that there is a certain amount of uncertainty that comes with that.
With regards to meditation. I was going through a particularly bad time when I started. I found a local Buddhist temple that was offering drop in classes through meetup.com. Many will offer meditation classes that focus on meditation and not so much on Buddhism. I found it to be a very open and supportive community.6 -
johncharles1962 wrote: »Wow!
Did I offend you for some reason?
People are just trying to explain that, regardless of how you FEEL about the amount you're eating, there is no way to be SURE of it unless you're logging your food. I would really recommend reading the thread that was linked earlier - there are some fascinating videos included that show how very easy it is to be eating way more calories than you think you are.
I understand if you feel that it would be just too much, on top of everything else that you have going on and all the other changes you've made. But if you can bring yourself to do it, even if just for a few days, it might help you to pinpoint any issues. (And if you are, in fact, under-eating then it'll show you that as well.) When I started weighing my food instead of guessing, I realised just how bad at eyeballing portions I really was and why I'd managed to put on so much weight over the years...
If you can't - or don't want to - weigh and log your intake, then I'm afraid you'll have to put up with the uncertainty that comes along with that as @nutmegoreo mentioned.
EDIT:
Check out these threads as well:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p19 -
johncharles1962 wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »johncharles1962 wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »johncharles1962 wrote: »Congrats!
How accurate and consistent is your food logging?
I am not logging my meals, but trust me they are 3 small meals at most with plenty of mixed greens and veg and good quality lean meat with zero snacking, honestly I am strict with it apart from the small bit of 75% chocolate I have in the evening to help with the drinking cravings
I quit drinking years ago. I was already logging food at the time. I had been losing at the recommended rate and after I quit drinking I still lost at the recommended rate.
I would suggest that if you aren't losing and if you feel you have your profile set up accurately - then you need to log your food.
It's really easy to eat too much. Meat is really easy to have too much. I did not like how small my meat portions needed to be to stay within calories. Do you know how much (in ounces) your meat choices are? A tiny chicken tenderloin is about 100 calories, for instance. If you're having three of them and counting them as one serving, you're already over by a minimum of 200 calories. Beef and pork? The serving sizes are t.i.n.y.
I am keeping a close eye on my calorie intake and would say it is roughly 1600-1800, some days it has been less, have cut out meat apart from a little chicken and am mainly using fish and eggs.
Well, keep believing you're different if you like ::shrug::
I'm telling you that I lost weight while drinking (way too much alcohol) and I lost weight when I quit drinking. The difference is I was logging my food. With a food scale.
I did eat quite a bit more sugar when I quit drinking AND I ate at maintenance calories for almost a full year before I tried to lose again. The too-much-sugar tapered off after a couple months, so that was definitely a problem for me at first. I was just eating too much - but I knew it. I gave myself a few months to get healthy again.
You say, "roughly 1600-1800." Are you willing to log food accurately? Because your guess of 1800 could oh-so-easily actually be 2500. Here's a great thread for you: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
Wow!
Did I offend you for some reason?
Not at all.
I apologize. I forgot how super sensitive my emotions were when I was newly sober.
It will get better...we're just trying to help. In forums it's hard to tell tone and motivation. I'm just saying that logging food is the easier softer way. ::hug::14 -
Be aware that your subconscious mind wants you to quit exercising and go back to drinking and eating too much. That's why it's throwing tantrums, finding excuses, leads you towards diet foods and gym rat activities you secretly hate(?), makes you resist food logging, in general, not listen to the veterans, whom you, incidentally, asked for help. But you're here, you're asking questions, you're reading and learning and thinking, because what you really want is to lose weight and be healthier and stay sober, and you want that to be a good life, not a dreadful life so you can quit. So activate your prefrontal cortex, accept that you're eating too much, suck it up, buy a food scale and put it to good use. Feeling in control and making it fun, will make you so much more willing to do what it takes.11
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A lot of people turn to sugar when they give up drinking. Is that you?3
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johncharles1962 wrote: »Wow!
Did I offend you for some reason?
People are just trying to explain that, regardless of how you FEEL about the amount you're eating, there is no way to be SURE of it unless you're logging your food. I would really recommend reading the thread that was linked earlier - there are some fascinating videos included that show how very easy it is to be eating way more calories than you think you are.
I understand if you feel that it would be just too much, on top of everything else that you have going on and all the other changes you've made. But if you can bring yourself to do it, even if just for a few days, it might help you to pinpoint any issues. (And if you are, in fact, under-eating then it'll show you that as well.) When I started weighing my food instead of guessing, I realised just how bad at eyeballing portions I really was and why I'd managed to put on so much weight over the years...
If you can't - or don't want to - weigh and log your intake, then I'm afraid you'll have to put up with the uncertainty that comes along with that as @nutmegoreo mentioned.
EDIT:
Check out these threads as well:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1
No, I get that, and it's good advice, just the way it was said.0 -
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cmriverside wrote: »johncharles1962 wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »johncharles1962 wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »johncharles1962 wrote: »Congrats!
How accurate and consistent is your food logging?
I am not logging my meals, but trust me they are 3 small meals at most with plenty of mixed greens and veg and good quality lean meat with zero snacking, honestly I am strict with it apart from the small bit of 75% chocolate I have in the evening to help with the drinking cravings
I quit drinking years ago. I was already logging food at the time. I had been losing at the recommended rate and after I quit drinking I still lost at the recommended rate.
I would suggest that if you aren't losing and if you feel you have your profile set up accurately - then you need to log your food.
It's really easy to eat too much. Meat is really easy to have too much. I did not like how small my meat portions needed to be to stay within calories. Do you know how much (in ounces) your meat choices are? A tiny chicken tenderloin is about 100 calories, for instance. If you're having three of them and counting them as one serving, you're already over by a minimum of 200 calories. Beef and pork? The serving sizes are t.i.n.y.
I am keeping a close eye on my calorie intake and would say it is roughly 1600-1800, some days it has been less, have cut out meat apart from a little chicken and am mainly using fish and eggs.
Well, keep believing you're different if you like ::shrug::
I'm telling you that I lost weight while drinking (way too much alcohol) and I lost weight when I quit drinking. The difference is I was logging my food. With a food scale.
I did eat quite a bit more sugar when I quit drinking AND I ate at maintenance calories for almost a full year before I tried to lose again. The too-much-sugar tapered off after a couple months, so that was definitely a problem for me at first. I was just eating too much - but I knew it. I gave myself a few months to get healthy again.
You say, "roughly 1600-1800." Are you willing to log food accurately? Because your guess of 1800 could oh-so-easily actually be 2500. Here's a great thread for you: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
Wow!
Did I offend you for some reason?
Not at all.
I apologize. I forgot how super sensitive my emotions were when I was newly sober.
It will get better...we're just trying to help. In forums it's hard to tell tone and motivation. I'm just saying that logging food is the easier softer way. ::hug::
That's OK
and I am not at all "super sensitive" 5 -
Alcohol kind of acts like an instant hit.
Body reform doesn’t work like that. It’s hourly and daily decisions towards health that you may not notice for months or never.
Vitality is hard to measure.
A lot of your reform goals are like “all or nothing”. Be assured that small slip ups won’t keep you from your goal of a healthier you.8 -
kommodevaran wrote: »
I don't thnk you can hear water retention, it's more in the muscles.johncharles1962 wrote: »nutmegoreo wrote: »johncharles1962 wrote: »L1zardQueen wrote: »Good job giving up alcohol! Are you trying to maintain your weight?
Trying to lose around 12lb and then maintain, and hopefully will have more muscle by then as well
How long ago did you start the exercise and weight training? When I started lifting, my scale weight stalled out for many weeks, just due to the water retention. It was frustrating to not see movement on the scale because I was used to losses being pretty regular. That was when I started losing in stalls and whooshes.
I would recommend logging a day or two, just to be certain that you are at a reasonable calorie intake. You want to be sure you are getting enough nutrition to fuel your body and your workouts, plus to make sure you aren't eating more than you think (it happens so easily). Some people can lose without logging, others have to log, particularly if they only have a little to lose.
Give it some more time and have a little more patience with it. Your body has gone through some really big changes. Good on you for not drinking anymore. Take some pictures, and use a measuring tape in a few places, to get an idea if things are changing. The scale doesn't tell the whole picture, and your eyes may not see changes in the mirror that you will notice when you hold two pictures up beside each other.
Very interesting again, now that has hit a nerve with me. I cannot help but feel I have been retaining water, don't ask me how, But I do hear that swooshing in my stomach after not really over drinking,
Boring food can make you feel that. You might even be short on some essential nutrients.plus if anything there has been that slight concern from me that I could have been under eating, seriously!.
And that's why people advice logging food, so that you can eat food you like, without exceeding your calorie target.I get the point about the logging of food etc, but if anyone had any idea what it has been giving up the alcohol alone will understand my patience and concentration have not been good, but I am just taking the postive from this and telling myself I have done 5 good things in one hit. I also wanted to try meditation or yoga as well, but too p***ed off at the moment to try it which is perverse because it is probably the best time to start, but bit by bit, taken a lot on as it is.
So so true about water retention. I am the *queen* of water retention, and I've never ever been able to hear it. It's a tightness feeling, not a swooshing sound. It doesn't make a sound.
0 -
OP - I’ve been in your shoes. It may sound woo, but it certainly can’t hurt — hypnosis. Just listen via headphones at night as you’re falling asleep. What’s the worst that could happen. Here’s a sample:
https://youtu.be/wjLM5edKpog. There are a gaziion options on YouTube. 1 -
Isn't that incredible, I now listen to that most nights I thought I was the only one, and it works quite well most of the time. I am deep down one of these people who would love to be living in rural Northumberland with nice cold weather outside and me all bolted up in front of a roaring fire, give me cold bleak Northern England any day 2
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Alcohol kind of acts like an instant hit.
Body reform doesn’t work like that. It’s hourly and daily decisions towards health that you may not notice for months or never.
Vitality is hard to measure.
A lot of your reform goals are like “all or nothing”. Be assured that small slip ups won’t keep you from your goal of a healthier you.
Wise words and ones I use myself most of the time, one step or even 3 back is just fine if you have taken 4 forward.. bit by bit. I learnt that when I gave up smoking 15 years ago, don;t beat yourself if you make one little mistake.0 -
collectingblues wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »
I don't thnk you can hear water retention, it's more in the muscles.johncharles1962 wrote: »nutmegoreo wrote: »johncharles1962 wrote: »L1zardQueen wrote: »Good job giving up alcohol! Are you trying to maintain your weight?
Trying to lose around 12lb and then maintain, and hopefully will have more muscle by then as well
How long ago did you start the exercise and weight training? When I started lifting, my scale weight stalled out for many weeks, just due to the water retention. It was frustrating to not see movement on the scale because I was used to losses being pretty regular. That was when I started losing in stalls and whooshes.
I would recommend logging a day or two, just to be certain that you are at a reasonable calorie intake. You want to be sure you are getting enough nutrition to fuel your body and your workouts, plus to make sure you aren't eating more than you think (it happens so easily). Some people can lose without logging, others have to log, particularly if they only have a little to lose.
Give it some more time and have a little more patience with it. Your body has gone through some really big changes. Good on you for not drinking anymore. Take some pictures, and use a measuring tape in a few places, to get an idea if things are changing. The scale doesn't tell the whole picture, and your eyes may not see changes in the mirror that you will notice when you hold two pictures up beside each other.
Very interesting again, now that has hit a nerve with me. I cannot help but feel I have been retaining water, don't ask me how, But I do hear that swooshing in my stomach after not really over drinking,
Boring food can make you feel that. You might even be short on some essential nutrients.plus if anything there has been that slight concern from me that I could have been under eating, seriously!.
And that's why people advice logging food, so that you can eat food you like, without exceeding your calorie target.I get the point about the logging of food etc, but if anyone had any idea what it has been giving up the alcohol alone will understand my patience and concentration have not been good, but I am just taking the postive from this and telling myself I have done 5 good things in one hit. I also wanted to try meditation or yoga as well, but too p***ed off at the moment to try it which is perverse because it is probably the best time to start, but bit by bit, taken a lot on as it is.
So so true about water retention. I am the *queen* of water retention, and I've never ever been able to hear it. It's a tightness feeling, not a swooshing sound. It doesn't make a sound.
I just came back to mention this again, was reading about it last night because it hit a nerve.. Also never mentioned my stomach feels bloated and I am not very productive in the Loo department if you get my meaning. I just have this big feeling that suddenly stopping heavy drinking has it's effects, maybe bad effects to start with?0 -
johncharles1962 wrote: »collectingblues wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »
I don't thnk you can hear water retention, it's more in the muscles.johncharles1962 wrote: »nutmegoreo wrote: »johncharles1962 wrote: »L1zardQueen wrote: »Good job giving up alcohol! Are you trying to maintain your weight?
Trying to lose around 12lb and then maintain, and hopefully will have more muscle by then as well
How long ago did you start the exercise and weight training? When I started lifting, my scale weight stalled out for many weeks, just due to the water retention. It was frustrating to not see movement on the scale because I was used to losses being pretty regular. That was when I started losing in stalls and whooshes.
I would recommend logging a day or two, just to be certain that you are at a reasonable calorie intake. You want to be sure you are getting enough nutrition to fuel your body and your workouts, plus to make sure you aren't eating more than you think (it happens so easily). Some people can lose without logging, others have to log, particularly if they only have a little to lose.
Give it some more time and have a little more patience with it. Your body has gone through some really big changes. Good on you for not drinking anymore. Take some pictures, and use a measuring tape in a few places, to get an idea if things are changing. The scale doesn't tell the whole picture, and your eyes may not see changes in the mirror that you will notice when you hold two pictures up beside each other.
Very interesting again, now that has hit a nerve with me. I cannot help but feel I have been retaining water, don't ask me how, But I do hear that swooshing in my stomach after not really over drinking,
Boring food can make you feel that. You might even be short on some essential nutrients.plus if anything there has been that slight concern from me that I could have been under eating, seriously!.
And that's why people advice logging food, so that you can eat food you like, without exceeding your calorie target.I get the point about the logging of food etc, but if anyone had any idea what it has been giving up the alcohol alone will understand my patience and concentration have not been good, but I am just taking the postive from this and telling myself I have done 5 good things in one hit. I also wanted to try meditation or yoga as well, but too p***ed off at the moment to try it which is perverse because it is probably the best time to start, but bit by bit, taken a lot on as it is.
So so true about water retention. I am the *queen* of water retention, and I've never ever been able to hear it. It's a tightness feeling, not a swooshing sound. It doesn't make a sound.
I just came back to mention this again, was reading about it last night because it hit a nerve.. Also never mentioned my stomach feels bloated and I am not very productive in the Loo department if you get my meaning. I just have this big feeling that suddenly stopping heavy drinking has it's effects, maybe bad effects to start with?
It does have some effects, but you said you have several weeks sober? Have you seen a doctor since you quit drinking? It might ease your mind.1 -
johncharles1962 wrote: »collectingblues wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »
I don't thnk you can hear water retention, it's more in the muscles.johncharles1962 wrote: »nutmegoreo wrote: »johncharles1962 wrote: »L1zardQueen wrote: »Good job giving up alcohol! Are you trying to maintain your weight?
Trying to lose around 12lb and then maintain, and hopefully will have more muscle by then as well
How long ago did you start the exercise and weight training? When I started lifting, my scale weight stalled out for many weeks, just due to the water retention. It was frustrating to not see movement on the scale because I was used to losses being pretty regular. That was when I started losing in stalls and whooshes.
I would recommend logging a day or two, just to be certain that you are at a reasonable calorie intake. You want to be sure you are getting enough nutrition to fuel your body and your workouts, plus to make sure you aren't eating more than you think (it happens so easily). Some people can lose without logging, others have to log, particularly if they only have a little to lose.
Give it some more time and have a little more patience with it. Your body has gone through some really big changes. Good on you for not drinking anymore. Take some pictures, and use a measuring tape in a few places, to get an idea if things are changing. The scale doesn't tell the whole picture, and your eyes may not see changes in the mirror that you will notice when you hold two pictures up beside each other.
Very interesting again, now that has hit a nerve with me. I cannot help but feel I have been retaining water, don't ask me how, But I do hear that swooshing in my stomach after not really over drinking,
Boring food can make you feel that. You might even be short on some essential nutrients.plus if anything there has been that slight concern from me that I could have been under eating, seriously!.
And that's why people advice logging food, so that you can eat food you like, without exceeding your calorie target.I get the point about the logging of food etc, but if anyone had any idea what it has been giving up the alcohol alone will understand my patience and concentration have not been good, but I am just taking the postive from this and telling myself I have done 5 good things in one hit. I also wanted to try meditation or yoga as well, but too p***ed off at the moment to try it which is perverse because it is probably the best time to start, but bit by bit, taken a lot on as it is.
So so true about water retention. I am the *queen* of water retention, and I've never ever been able to hear it. It's a tightness feeling, not a swooshing sound. It doesn't make a sound.
I just came back to mention this again, was reading about it last night because it hit a nerve.. Also never mentioned my stomach feels bloated and I am not very productive in the Loo department if you get my meaning. I just have this big feeling that suddenly stopping heavy drinking has it's effects, maybe bad effects to start with?
Thoughts aren't facts. You're looking for a way to justify a continued behavior, it seems, and to stop focusing on the idea that you need to stop drinking... Which I know is hard. But that doesn't mean that you should grasp at straws as to why stopping drinking messed everything up.
Water retention is different from constipation. (Which, thanks to celiac, I'm also all too familiar with.) Still never heard a swooshing sound with constipation. So sure, you might have some bowel/digestive issues at play. But those are separate from water retention.2 -
Drastically changing your eating habits, particularly if you're eating a lot more fiber than in the past will definitely take a toll on your digestive system. THAT is probably the problem, not the sudden removal of alcohol in your diet.
I also understand not wanting to log, but watch the video posted showing the difference between using a scale and estimating. It's a great teaching tool.
Also, if you aren't losing weight then you aren't eating too little. It doesn't work that way.7 -
cmriverside wrote: »johncharles1962 wrote: »collectingblues wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »
I don't thnk you can hear water retention, it's more in the muscles.johncharles1962 wrote: »nutmegoreo wrote: »johncharles1962 wrote: »L1zardQueen wrote: »Good job giving up alcohol! Are you trying to maintain your weight?
Trying to lose around 12lb and then maintain, and hopefully will have more muscle by then as well
How long ago did you start the exercise and weight training? When I started lifting, my scale weight stalled out for many weeks, just due to the water retention. It was frustrating to not see movement on the scale because I was used to losses being pretty regular. That was when I started losing in stalls and whooshes.
I would recommend logging a day or two, just to be certain that you are at a reasonable calorie intake. You want to be sure you are getting enough nutrition to fuel your body and your workouts, plus to make sure you aren't eating more than you think (it happens so easily). Some people can lose without logging, others have to log, particularly if they only have a little to lose.
Give it some more time and have a little more patience with it. Your body has gone through some really big changes. Good on you for not drinking anymore. Take some pictures, and use a measuring tape in a few places, to get an idea if things are changing. The scale doesn't tell the whole picture, and your eyes may not see changes in the mirror that you will notice when you hold two pictures up beside each other.
Very interesting again, now that has hit a nerve with me. I cannot help but feel I have been retaining water, don't ask me how, But I do hear that swooshing in my stomach after not really over drinking,
Boring food can make you feel that. You might even be short on some essential nutrients.plus if anything there has been that slight concern from me that I could have been under eating, seriously!.
And that's why people advice logging food, so that you can eat food you like, without exceeding your calorie target.I get the point about the logging of food etc, but if anyone had any idea what it has been giving up the alcohol alone will understand my patience and concentration have not been good, but I am just taking the postive from this and telling myself I have done 5 good things in one hit. I also wanted to try meditation or yoga as well, but too p***ed off at the moment to try it which is perverse because it is probably the best time to start, but bit by bit, taken a lot on as it is.
So so true about water retention. I am the *queen* of water retention, and I've never ever been able to hear it. It's a tightness feeling, not a swooshing sound. It doesn't make a sound.
I just came back to mention this again, was reading about it last night because it hit a nerve.. Also never mentioned my stomach feels bloated and I am not very productive in the Loo department if you get my meaning. I just have this big feeling that suddenly stopping heavy drinking has it's effects, maybe bad effects to start with?
It does have some effects, but you said you have several weeks sober? Have you seen a doctor since you quit drinking? It might ease your mind.
It was an open surgery this morning and I did consider it just to play it on the safe side, but work got in the way.0 -
Drastically changing your eating habits, particularly if you're eating a lot more fiber than in the past will definitely take a toll on your digestive system. THAT is probably the problem, not the sudden removal of alcohol in your diet.
I also understand not wanting to log, but watch the video posted showing the difference between using a scale and estimating. It's a great teaching tool.
Also, if you aren't losing weight then you aren't eating too little. It doesn't work that way.
Thought I would mention the "eating too little bit", I have seen a bloke on here take a lot of stick because he was "eating too little" and would not have it, so he was told
I am just a little cautious on here because some people do like to get a little over emotive for such silly things0
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