Joined January 24, 2012 and need HELP

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  • alyson820
    alyson820 Posts: 448 Member
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    Try taking a week off from the gym and up your calorie intake. It sounds counter intuitive, but your body might be too used to the deficit. You probably won't gain much in a week, and then stepping back into your usual swing will shock your body into losing weight again.
  • parsnips1980
    parsnips1980 Posts: 11
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    i might be way off....but i just glanced back at a few days and i'm wondering if maybe you aren't counting everything, and maybe not getting the amounts quite right. a few examples....when you have a subway veggie sub, you say no cheese, but what about sauce? (i get them all the time myself and can't imagine one without at least a bit of mustard!) on a salad you said that you had 2 tbsp of croutons, but i would estimate that as being about 4 croutons (if that's the case, what's the point? throw a few more on there!), and french fries...was there any ketchup involved? i know i had trouble at first with thinking about every little thing i ate (think sauces, extras, seasonings, drinks, etc) so at first i tried to over estimate to account for little things i might have forgotten. it might seem like not enough to worry about, but it all adds up! however this being said, i'm interested to know if this is the case or not because i seem to have hit this plateau myself over the last couple of weeks. good luck to you though!
  • artemis222
    artemis222 Posts: 390 Member
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    I'm not trying to be critical. I'm giving you an honest opinion. (Emphasis on opinion :P ) I have to work everyday on these problems, as well. So, I know how hard it is.

    I took a look through your food diary. You seem to be going over your macros by quite a bit everyday. And, while you don't go over on calories everyday, it looks like you do quite often. Not by much, though. I find that when I go over on my fats and sodium especially my weight goes crazy. You really need to cut the sodium first, I think. Its one of the easiest to cut, IMO. So, yeah, first thing that I would do is take a really good look at your food intake.

    Switch up your routine. Do strength AND cardio. You don't necessarily have to do more. Just different.
  • amykens
    amykens Posts: 14 Member
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    I started this road on January 3rd but did not join MFP until February. When I first started it seemed so easy, then as I became more active I started STARVING too. I had to tweak what and when I ate. I have to make sure to have a lot of protein in the morning and then with dinner and that seems to have worked. That way I don't have to always eat my exercise back, and I am not cranky hungry.
    Way to go on the 30lbs!! You look great, try some measurements and maybe you will see the difference there. You are building and toning; I bet you are just to close and can't see what others see.
  • tori_yates
    tori_yates Posts: 11 Member
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    I had a similar problem and became quite fed up. I ended up having a week off exercise and I ate and drank more than I usually did. Then I went back onto 1200 calories a day and within a week I had lost 3lb! The body is weird, I don't know how that happened but it worked and it seems to be what other people are saying too. Have a week off, see what happens!
  • uk_ja
    uk_ja Posts: 143 Member
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    I wanted to add that I am in the gym an average of 6 days a week from 45 minutes to an hour and half. I go over on my calories on some days, but not all that much. I should be seeing SOME movement.


    -/+ = Remaining Calories
    Sun 19 -150
    Sat 18 +233
    Fri 17 -331
    Thur 16 -220
    Wed 15 -430
    Tues 14 +1598
    Mon 13 +634

    So for the previous week if your calories goal was correct you over ate by 1334 calories.
    Carrying this on

    Sun 12 +203
    Sat 11 -995
    Fri 10 +433
    Thur 9 -689
    wed 8 +632
    Tues 7 +42
    Mon 6 -381

    This week you was -755

    I went back through your diary and there are more than just some days that you go over, it looks like you have MFP set up with a 2lb a week weight loss so you are right to eat back your calories but you need to really focus on your diet and become more consistent with your daily totals, going over by 1300 and being under by 755 hurts your weight loss and it explains the problems you are having.

    i would suggest you keep the same routine but really focus on keeping you diet at you calories goal of 1200 + Exercise. When you manage this it should restart your weight loss.
  • nytdreamer80
    nytdreamer80 Posts: 123 Member
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    Thank you everybody. I know sodium is an issue I am really having trouble getting in control. Seems to be in everything I eat. I guess looking back at my diary I am not as consistent as I would have thought to be. I guess I just feel I am doing so much better with my food choices then before ( eating fast food sometimes up to 2 times per day). I just got back from the gym and I did strength training, and 30 minutes of cardio. I did 10 min on treadmill at 15 incline, 5 min on the arc, and 15 on bike. I never do the bike bc it doesn't burn many calories but i was just trying something different.
    Any more advice???? Critical or not, I just want to begin to LOSE again.
  • nytdreamer80
    nytdreamer80 Posts: 123 Member
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    Anyone?
  • StephTheBookworm
    StephTheBookworm Posts: 177 Member
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    I 100% understand your frustration. I don't have any advice except to maybe talk to your doctor or a trainer, but just wanted to let you know you're not alone!! This is a tough, journey.
  • jbholla
    jbholla Posts: 8 Member
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    I had to get over a "hump" and then I didn't eat my exercise calories. I think it was when my stomach finally shrank a little and also when I had little successes, it boosted my confindence and my will power. I do exercise to eat, though that may sound weird, but it sure does help me. I was given 1200 calories a day and that isn't very many, but with exercise and staying under my calorie count on most days, it has given me success. Sodium is in things you wouldn't imagine and so are sugars, I have been really enlightened! Good luck to you!
  • crikee15
    crikee15 Posts: 155 Member
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    After browsing through your diary, I agree with what was said earlier: you need to up your water intake and lower the amount of sodium you consume. I would also take a look at your macros, because MFP's default for protein is very low. Many people on this site recommend 1g protein per lb of body weight, but that can be a little extreme depending on how much you actually weigh. I would suggest you try to set a higher protein goal and cut down (if not cut out) the amount of processed/fast food because it seems like the majority of your carbs come from there. I also recommend incorporating vegetables and/or fruits into your diet (preferably with each meal); you barely eat any and when you do they're miniscule amounts and covered with sauce. I don't know what your life or schedule is like, but I always find that it's easier to control what I eat and try to get the right nutrients if I plan out my meals ahead of time. Good luck!
  • nytdreamer80
    nytdreamer80 Posts: 123 Member
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    Thank you for taking the time to read through my diary. I agree, I do need more fruits and veggies. How do I reset the amounts ( protiens, cafbs, ect?). What should they be set at??
  • adamb83
    adamb83 Posts: 719 Member
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    1) Drink at least 8 servings of water every day ESPECIALLY if you are working out.
    2) Watch sodium, fat, and sugar - not just calories.
    3) Add 2 days of strength training to your weekly workouts (you HAVE to build lean muscle - lean muscle burns calories more consistently throughout the day, so helps you burn fat quicker while working out and when at rest too)
    4) Change up your routine - doing the same thing every day is the worst thing you could do for weight loss. Your body adapts, so even if you're burning the calories, your body no longer feels challenged - it knows what to expect, so it stores up the calories it anticpates needing, to burn at the time of your exercise.. and that's it. Like I said, add two days (apart - like Mondays and Thursdays) of strength training, and try not to do the same cardio every day.

    Good Luck!
  • nytdreamer80
    nytdreamer80 Posts: 123 Member
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    1) Drink at least 8 servings of water every day ESPECIALLY if you are working out.
    2) Watch sodium, fat, and sugar - not just calories.
    3) Add 2 days of strength training to your weekly workouts (you HAVE to build lean muscle - lean muscle burns calories more consistently throughout the day, so helps you burn fat quicker while working out and when at rest too)
    4) Change up your routine - doing the same thing every day is the worst thing you could do for weight loss. Your body adapts, so even if you're burning the calories, your body no longer feels challenged - it knows what to expect, so it stores up the calories it anticpates needing, to burn at the time of your exercise.. and that's it. Like I said, add two days (apart - like Mondays and Thursdays) of strength training, and try not to do the same cardio every day.

    Good Luck!
    Thank you! Do you think something as simple as switching up from the stair stepper to elliptical will work.?? Or get off the cardio machines al together for a bit ?
  • cmacohio1975
    cmacohio1975 Posts: 74 Member
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    I peeked at your food diary- you seem to be way over on your sugar and sodium every day, even though your calorie intake is on target. Good luck- 30 lbs is quite an achievement. I joined Jan 21st and have only lost 5 lbs so far... 40 more to go lol.
  • crikee15
    crikee15 Posts: 155 Member
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    Thank you for taking the time to read through my diary. I agree, I do need more fruits and veggies. How do I reset the amounts ( protiens, cafbs, ect?). What should they be set at??

    Under "My Home" there's a tab for "Goals", click it and change your goals, you can reset your macros but also other nutrients to reflect what you want to accomplish. I would put your protein at the very least at 25%-30%, but I think the MFP default is like 15%? I can't remember what the original settings are, but you can always increase it a little and when you feel comfortable with it increase it some more.
  • adamb83
    adamb83 Posts: 719 Member
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    Thank you! Do you think something as simple as switching up from the stair stepper to elliptical will work.?? Or get off the cardio machines al together for a bit ?

    ---Yes, switching up machines is a good start. You can also do completely different workouts on the same machine, if necessary.

    For exmaple: On the treadmill, one day could be a 30-minute jog at a low incline, and another day you could do the same 30 minutes, but slow down the speed and boost the incline up to 10 or 12. This way, you're doing cardio but you're also working different muscles - one day you're more focused on aerobic/endurance training, the next you're focused on muscle toning (legs).

    I also suggest speed intervals for blasting calories and changing things up - one minute run, one minute walk, one minute run, one minute walk, for about 20-30 minutes. Run as fast as you can, then walk at a steady pace. It's insanely effective.

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