HELP ME - WHAT AM I DOING WRONG??

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Tracie_Lord
Tracie_Lord Posts: 1,761 Member
edited March 2019 in Health and Weight Loss
Guys I need your help!

I am 38years old and 5'10 with a current weight of 199.75lbs

I started my journey Oct 2017 at 298.5lbs so have come a long way but it seems to have dramatically haltered in the last 6 months.

My diary is open so you can see my intake and training details, what do I need to do to step it up?

I have a session with my PT on Sunday to see what I can do to my gym programme to help but I'm not sure where I am going wrong with my intake??!!

Please feel free to criticise and tell me what I am doing wrong :/
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Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Tracie_Lord wrote: »
    Guys I need your help!

    I am 38years old and 5'10 with a current weight of 199.75lbs

    I started my journey Oct 2017 at 298.5lbs so have come a long way but it seems to have dramatically haltered in the last 6 months.

    My diary is open so you can see my intake and training details, what do I need to do to step it up?

    I have a session with my PT on Sunday to see what I can do to my gym programme to help but I'm not sure where I am going wrong with my intake??!!

    Please feel free to criticise and tell me what I am doing wrong :/

    your diary isn't open?

    when did you last have a diet break?
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,069 Member
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    Your diary isn't open (maybe it's just open to friends? you'd have to set it to public for forum users to see it)

    Have you recently started or increased your workouts at the gym, it's possible you're just retaining water, weight loss won't happen consistently every week and as you get closer to your goal weight loss slows down.

    Are you using a food scale to determine your calorie intake? and how are you determining your calorie burns?
  • Tracie_Lord
    Tracie_Lord Posts: 1,761 Member
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    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    Your diary isn't open (maybe it's just open to friends? you'd have to set it to public for forum users to see it)

    Have you recently started or increased your workouts at the gym, it's possible you're just retaining water, weight loss won't happen consistently every week and as you get closer to your goal weight loss slows down.

    Are you using a food scale to determine your calorie intake? and how are you determining your calorie burns?

    I think your right its open to friends I will change it now thanks

    Not recently started in gym no. Change programmes with my PT every 10-12 weeks. Yes I weigh all intake, I eat mostly clean and have 2-3 litres of water per day.

    I honestly feel lost. I am in a calorie deficit on rest days of about 400 and training days about 1000 on average so I cannot see why it has stalled so much.

    Concentrating this week on upping protein I think.
  • Tracie_Lord
    Tracie_Lord Posts: 1,761 Member
    edited March 2019
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    sorry it was only open to friends - I have changed to public now :)

    I don't 'diet' I try and eat clean 80% of the time and have a treat day min once a week. I never miss social events and honestly live a normal life with no restrictions
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Tracie_Lord wrote: »
    Guys I need your help!

    I am 38years old and 5'10 with a current weight of 199.75lbs

    I started my journey Oct 2017 at 298.5lbs so have come a long way but it seems to have dramatically haltered in the last 6 months.

    My diary is open so you can see my intake and training details, what do I need to do to step it up?

    I have a session with my PT on Sunday to see what I can do to my gym programme to help but I'm not sure where I am going wrong with my intake??!!

    Please feel free to criticise and tell me what I am doing wrong :/

    your diary isn't open?

    when did you last have a diet break?

  • Tracie_Lord
    Tracie_Lord Posts: 1,761 Member
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    6raham wrote: »
    Looking at the past couple of days of your diary I would say you need to up your calorie intact to 1200-1400 and then use that to increase your exercise, have you taken measurements or pictures of where you are now, find an exercise programme to do for 4 weeks and then take new pictures, spot the difference and if there is movement on the scale great. Congratulations on your lose so far that is amazing, focus on what you have done! Use that to continue loosing and remember there is nearly 100lbs less of you to carry now so you need to work harder to have the same effect.

    Thanks for the pep talk I appreciate it :)

    Calorie wise I literally eat fruit when I am not hungry to up my calories. Yes I want the losses but I want the nutrition too. I try and eat clean 80% of the time and sometimes it means my calories are very low. Yeah I have lots of photos and I am proud of where I've come from but I really want to push on hahaha

    PT on Sunday for update in programme and aim this week to increase protein and somehow maybe calories too :)

    Thanks for the help :)
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,069 Member
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    Tracie_Lord wrote: »
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    Your diary isn't open (maybe it's just open to friends? you'd have to set it to public for forum users to see it)

    Have you recently started or increased your workouts at the gym, it's possible you're just retaining water, weight loss won't happen consistently every week and as you get closer to your goal weight loss slows down.

    Are you using a food scale to determine your calorie intake? and how are you determining your calorie burns?

    I think your right its open to friends I will change it now thanks

    Not recently started in gym no. Change programmes with my PT every 10-12 weeks. Yes I weigh all intake, I eat mostly clean and have 2-3 litres of water per day.

    I honestly feel lost. I am in a calorie deficit on rest days of about 400 and training days about 1000 on average so I cannot see why it has stalled so much.

    Concentrating this week on upping protein I think.

    Have you recently changed the gym programme?

    You say you weigh everything but Tangerine 1 fruit, 2 medium bananas, 1 teaspoon of oil, some things in ounces, some things in grams.

    Also have you taken a diet break since you've started losing weight, being in a deficit for a long period of time, your body can adapt to lower intakes and weight loss will become slower as a result (see adaptive thermogenesis)
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10604863/of-refeeds-and-diet-breaks/p1

    If you're truly eating 1000-1200 calories per day (which is not great given your stats by the way), then you should be seeing loss, have you lost anything in the last 6 weeks at all or do you just mean it's slowed down?

  • Tracie_Lord
    Tracie_Lord Posts: 1,761 Member
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Tracie_Lord wrote: »
    sorry it was only open to friends - I have changed to public now :)

    I don't 'diet' I try and eat clean 80% of the time and have a treat day min once a week. I never miss social events and honestly live a normal life with no restrictions
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Tracie_Lord wrote: »
    Guys I need your help!

    I am 38years old and 5'10 with a current weight of 199.75lbs

    I started my journey Oct 2017 at 298.5lbs so have come a long way but it seems to have dramatically haltered in the last 6 months.

    My diary is open so you can see my intake and training details, what do I need to do to step it up?

    I have a session with my PT on Sunday to see what I can do to my gym programme to help but I'm not sure where I am going wrong with my intake??!!

    Please feel free to criticise and tell me what I am doing wrong :/

    your diary isn't open?

    when did you last have a diet break?

    from the looks of your diary you're not weighing your food? you're probably just eating a bit more than you think.

    I wonder what makes you say that??

    I 100% weigh my food, the only time I don't is when a meal is prepared by a restaurant
  • Tracie_Lord
    Tracie_Lord Posts: 1,761 Member
    Options
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    Tracie_Lord wrote: »
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    Your diary isn't open (maybe it's just open to friends? you'd have to set it to public for forum users to see it)

    Have you recently started or increased your workouts at the gym, it's possible you're just retaining water, weight loss won't happen consistently every week and as you get closer to your goal weight loss slows down.

    Are you using a food scale to determine your calorie intake? and how are you determining your calorie burns?

    I think your right its open to friends I will change it now thanks

    Not recently started in gym no. Change programmes with my PT every 10-12 weeks. Yes I weigh all intake, I eat mostly clean and have 2-3 litres of water per day.

    I honestly feel lost. I am in a calorie deficit on rest days of about 400 and training days about 1000 on average so I cannot see why it has stalled so much.

    Concentrating this week on upping protein I think.

    Have you recently changed the gym programme?

    You say you weigh everything but Tangerine 1 fruit, 2 medium bananas, 1 teaspoon of oil, some things in ounces, some things in grams.

    Also have you taken a diet break since you've started losing weight, being in a deficit for a long period of time, your body can adapt to lower intakes and weight loss will become slower as a result (see adaptive thermogenesis)
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10604863/of-refeeds-and-diet-breaks/p1

    If you're truly eating 1000-1200 calories per day (which is not great given your stats by the way), then you should be seeing loss, have you lost anything in the last 6 weeks at all or do you just mean it's slowed down?

    Correct - I have a convertor on my phone for weight. So I find the appropriate, MFP is US and my scales are UK so different measures.

    I have a PT and switch my routines every 10-12 weeks or more so if my stats deem so.

    Also I eat clean so I cannot scan the items in when it is fruit and or meat. I do tend to 'choose' the highest calorific one to compensate

    What do you suggest I do? When you say not great given my stats what do you mean?
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,299 Member
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    I wonder if you are using the guided set up? I also wonder if you are often leaving too many calories on the table at the end of the day. Are you eating your exercise calories back too, I fear not. I looked to see a recommended weight for a 5'10" female and it can be between 129 and 174 lb. so you could be getting close to where your body might like to be.

    May I suggest you use the guided set up and aim to loose 0.5 of a lb may be 1 lb a week, because you are close to a good weight and it is always harder when you get close. Probably eat back a proportion of the exercise calories you earn too. I've seen it recommended not to restrict for protracted periods because it is difficult to achieve adequate nutrition in a restriction. Your PT will be able to suggest lifting or something to help with you muscle profile. Lifting is outside my area of knowledge. You could also ask a general question on general calorific intake for a second opinion too though PT's are not necessarily expert in the dietary side.

    Finally, congratulations on your achievements this far. I'm sure you will get to where you feel comfortable but not at the 2 lb a week it is often suggested is achievable.
  • Tracie_Lord
    Tracie_Lord Posts: 1,761 Member
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    Fuzzipeg wrote: »
    I wonder if you are using the guided set up? I also wonder if you are often leaving too many calories on the table at the end of the day. Are you eating your exercise calories back too, I fear not. I looked to see a recommended weight for a 5'10" female and it can be between 129 and 174 lb. so you could be getting close to where your body might like to be.

    May I suggest you use the guided set up and aim to loose 0.5 of a lb may be 1 lb a week, because you are close to a good weight and it is always harder when you get close. Probably eat back a proportion of the exercise calories you earn too. I've seen it recommended not to restrict for protracted periods because it is difficult to achieve adequate nutrition in a restriction. Your PT will be able to suggest lifting or something to help with you muscle profile. Lifting is outside my area of knowledge. You could also ask a general question on general calorific intake for a second opinion too though PT's are not necessarily expert in the dietary side.

    Finally, congratulations on your achievements this far. I'm sure you will get to where you feel comfortable but not at the 2 lb a week it is often suggested is achievable.

    Thanks so much for your help :)

    Yes I think my PT may just tell me I am doing the right thing nutritionally as they always do hahaha

    Aim is defo to increase calories this week and see if I can move on.

    I guess my main issue is I lost almost 100lbs in 11 months through alot of hard work and for the past 6 I have hovered up and down the same 10 which is a frustration.

    I most definitely still have it to lose for sure which is why I get frustrated I think.
  • Tracie_Lord
    Tracie_Lord Posts: 1,761 Member
    Options
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    Tracie_Lord wrote: »
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    Tracie_Lord wrote: »
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    Tracie_Lord wrote: »
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    Your diary isn't open (maybe it's just open to friends? you'd have to set it to public for forum users to see it)

    Have you recently started or increased your workouts at the gym, it's possible you're just retaining water, weight loss won't happen consistently every week and as you get closer to your goal weight loss slows down.

    Are you using a food scale to determine your calorie intake? and how are you determining your calorie burns?

    I think your right its open to friends I will change it now thanks

    Not recently started in gym no. Change programmes with my PT every 10-12 weeks. Yes I weigh all intake, I eat mostly clean and have 2-3 litres of water per day.

    I honestly feel lost. I am in a calorie deficit on rest days of about 400 and training days about 1000 on average so I cannot see why it has stalled so much.

    Concentrating this week on upping protein I think.

    Have you recently changed the gym programme?

    You say you weigh everything but Tangerine 1 fruit, 2 medium bananas, 1 teaspoon of oil, some things in ounces, some things in grams.

    Also have you taken a diet break since you've started losing weight, being in a deficit for a long period of time, your body can adapt to lower intakes and weight loss will become slower as a result (see adaptive thermogenesis)
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10604863/of-refeeds-and-diet-breaks/p1

    If you're truly eating 1000-1200 calories per day (which is not great given your stats by the way), then you should be seeing loss, have you lost anything in the last 6 weeks at all or do you just mean it's slowed down?

    Correct - I have a convertor on my phone for weight. So I find the appropriate, MFP is US and my scales are UK so different measures.

    I have a PT and switch my routines every 10-12 weeks or more so if my stats deem so.

    Also I eat clean so I cannot scan the items in when it is fruit and or meat. I do tend to 'choose' the highest calorific one to compensate

    What do you suggest I do? When you say not great given my stats what do you mean?

    I know you said about every 10-12 weeks, but when was the last time you changed your routine was it recently? You also haven't answered if you'd lost any weight or if it's just slowed down. which is really the most important question.

    For Fruit and Meat I tend to use Tesco entries and verify them against their website the first time I use them. I don't personally weigh all my foods unless I find my weight loss stalling, because this is usually down to portion creep. However, you can also use the USDA entries and verify them (https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/)

    When I am talking about your stats - I mean that you're still eating in a massive deficit, the way you were when you first started to lose weight, you're no longer obese, you're about 25lbs above the healthy weight range, which means you should only be aiming to lose around 0.5-1lb per week which is a deficit of only 250-500 calories.

    Because you're quite tall, you have a BMR of around 1700 calories (that's how many you calories your body needs at rest) even if you're sedentary you're talking a maintenance of about 2125 + any exercise calories. Even if you're not exercising you're currently in a 1000 calorie deficit per day and that's way too aggressive at this point. You risk losing muscle, hormonal imbalances and malnutrition. If you're exercising on top of this, you're creating an even bigger deficit and long term that can cause gallstones, organ damage, etc.


    Thanks so much

    I may try that with supermarket websites that's a great help.

    My programme was probably last changed up start of Feb. I am still losing I suppose but its very sporadic, like 4lb gain last week and 6.5lbs loss this week. I'd much prefer the 0.5 each week as you say.

    Another helpful member suggested I try and snack on nuts instead of fruit to up to calories.

    Defo plan this week is to up protein and up calories somehow.

    Thanks again I really appreciate the help and insight :blush:

    You're very welcome, weight loss is sporadic, I suppose you've probably been spoiled a little up to now if this is the first time you're seeing water weight affect the scale or a couple of weeks without loss, this is probably because you've started out at such a high weight. The closer you get the more you'll see weight loss masked by water weight swings.

    If you're not used to them a trend weight app can be helpful - Libra for android or Happy Scale for iphone.

    I weigh daily for this very reason, my weights this week have been all over the place due to various dietary influences:

    Sat: 235.6lbs (this has been about average weight since I got back from holidays)
    Sun: 239.2lbs (had a "feck it" food day on Saturday so had extra food in system and ate more carbs/sodium than normal)
    Mon: 237.8lbs (water retention starting to ease off)
    Tues: 235.4lbs (back to where I started)
    Weds: 231.2lbs (a little dehydrated and didn't eat many carbs on Tuesday)
    Thurs:232.5lbs (didn't eat a lot Weds as was travelling for work)
    Fri: 234.2lbs (water weight off, plenty of hydration)

    So over the week although there's as much 8lbs variance between my weights this week, the trend actually put me at losing around a pound this week, which is exactly what I'm expecting to lose.

    I actually use Happy Scale and yes I agree watching trends help loads :)

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