What am I doing wrong? (Please help!)

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wrecked_willow
wrecked_willow Posts: 50
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello!

I am looking for some tips to help me lose weight. I think I might be doing something wrong because it has now been a month that I started these changes:

Before: No exercise at all and a desk job
Now: Still a desk job, but exercise 5 times a week (3 days of 30-45 minutes of cardio and 2 days of 20 minutes cardio + 25 minutes of weight lifting)

Before: about 3-4 cups of water a day
Now: about 8-9 cups of water a day

Before: about 3 cups of coffee a day
Now: only 1 cup of coffee a day (with milk only) and 1 cup of green tea or oolong tea each day

Before: not counting calories at all and probably eating around 2,500 calories a day (i was eating a LOT of cakes and candies)
Now: counting calories, eating maximum 1,500 calories a day

Before: sleeping around 5-6 hours a night
Now: sleeping 8 hours a night

What am I doing wrong? Maybe go see my diary too if it helps? Also, send me friend requests, I love to be surrounded and supported!

Please help!
Xo

EDIT:
1- I AM NOT PREGNANT, I TAKE PRE-NATAL VITAMINS BECAUSE WE ARE TRYING TO GET PREGNANT
2- I DIDN'T LOG EXERCISE THIS WEEK BECAUSE I WAS SICK AND RESTED ALL WEEK (GO SEE THE WEEK BEFORE)
3- THIS WEEK'S DIET WAS A LITTLE WONKY ALSO BECAUSE I WAS SICK (LOT OF CHICKEN SOUP, I KNOW)
4- I NOW TRACK SODIUM AS SOME PEOPLE SUGGESTED
5- I ALSO TRACK SUGAR (BUT I ALWAYS WAS)
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Replies

  • wrecked_willow
    wrecked_willow Posts: 50
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    I haven't lost ANY weight with this (I lost like 0.6lbs of water weight the first week, that is all)
  • wrecked_willow
    wrecked_willow Posts: 50
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    Anyone...?
  • soccermom004
    soccermom004 Posts: 444 Member
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    I would make the following suggestions. Track sodium. I would guess your sodium intake is very high because you have a lot of processed foods in your diet. I would add a lot more fresh fruits and veggies to your diet and try to limit the processed stuff to only one meal per day. As much as possible eat real fresh foods over processed. Calorie wise I think you're doing great but what you're eating may be holding you back.
  • wwww1199
    wwww1199 Posts: 271 Member
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    I would make the following suggestions. Track sodium. I would guess your sodium intake is very high because you have a lot of processed foods in your diet. I would add a lot more fresh fruits and veggies to your diet and try to limit the processed stuff to only one meal per day. As much as possible eat real fresh foods over processed. Calorie wise I think you're doing great but what you're eating may be holding you back.

    Agreed. My sodium was very high too. I'm trying to cut it down.
  • momofgilliam
    momofgilliam Posts: 6
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    I agree to check on your sodium...

    Also, perhaps you aren't eating enough for all of the calories you are burning. Check out this calculator:

    http://nutrition.about.com/library/bl_nutrition_guide.htm

    Good luck... it'll happen!
  • wrecked_willow
    wrecked_willow Posts: 50
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    Oh well for the sodium I don't really have the choice :S I have low blood pressure and my doc wants me to have ''a lot''... Well at least more than the recommended daily intake...
  • cpa8198
    cpa8198 Posts: 154 Member
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    I had the same problem in the beginning. I agree with the other posters... look at your diet. Also, if you can, try to break down your meals into smaller meals. And if you have to eat "bad", try to do it earlier in the day.

    As far as your workout, you may need to cut down on cardio a bit and lift more weights. Not necessarily heavier, just more reps.

    Good luck!

    PS. I also recommend the DVD series, "Mama Wants Her Body Back". It's a good combo of cardio, weights, and core.
  • marquesajen
    marquesajen Posts: 641
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    Are you logging your exercise here? If not, you might not be eating enough calories. For awhile I would burn many calories, so my net intake of calories for the day was quite low. Some people don't eat back their exercise cals, but if you're not seeing movement maybe you should try eating them back. also increase your intake of fresh veggies. You're getting a lot of vitamin C! Are you taking it for a specific reason? Just curious.
  • soccermom004
    soccermom004 Posts: 444 Member
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    I too have low blood pressure but I think you might be surprised just how much sodium you are getting with the foods you are eating. Just try it for a few days then ask your doctor how much you should be taking.
  • Shariet0630
    Shariet0630 Posts: 20
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    Agree, When I started to watch sodium and also added more fruits, I saw a diff pretty fast. Sodium retains a lot of water for some. Me up to 5 lbs diff. I try to stay under 1200 sodium per day. Also I am a coffee drinker and noticed that with my 8 glasses of water added to that. It was too much. I know that doesn't make sense, but found out that 4 glasses with coffee n tea if enough for me.
  • jabba11
    jabba11 Posts: 44 Member
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    You may be adding some muscle in place of the fat you have lost. Are you clothes fitting better? Do you take measurements??
  • swtpea9191
    swtpea9191 Posts: 12
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    Hmm I know I may get attacked on here for suggesting this.. but maybe cut your calories back just a bit? I take in 1200 and eat back whatever calories I burn. So I usually take in more like 1600 calories.. but I burn around 400-450 per day. I just lost 3.5 lbs this week and am pretty happy with that.

    Also I would try cutting back (not sure what you are eating) on too many flours or carbs. Yes, carbs are good for us, don't cut them out.. but maybe limit them a bit? Maybe try to eat more "clean". Meaning, lean meats, fruits, veggies, and whole wheat grains. This should help tremendously. Some people can't lose when eating too much gluten.. not sure if that could be your problem or not. You still need carbs.. but fruits and veggies have them. Maybe switch your carbs to those and add some oatmeal and whole wheat grains.

    Another thing I would try is eating every 3-4 hours. Even if it's just a snack of 1 oz of almonds.. or an apple.. its better to eat often. Have you had your thyroid checked? It's probably not that, but just a thought.

    Also, if you are really working out (not sure if you are or not) but chances are you won't see results on the scale at times, but your clothes will fit better and you will look better. Muscle weighs more than fat.. remember that it's very true. So maybe you lost 5 lbs of fat and gained 5 lbs of muscle so you would'nt show a loss, but you really DID lose it and look better.

    I would do take your measurements today. Log them in. Then start going by those, not so much the scale. Also places like Walmart have scales that also measure your body fat. Only like 39 bucks or so. That way you can maybe see if the lbs aren't going down but your body fat is.. due to working out. and THAT is what really matters.

    good luck! hang in there you can do it. you may also want to try spiking your cals. either make sure you have ONE splurge meal a week to spike it.. or mix them up like 1200 one day and 1400 the next.
  • hklaquadra
    hklaquadra Posts: 48
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    I looked at your diary and I don't see the sodium being tracked so that part is hard to tell. And I agree, you are eating a lot of processed foods.

    But I also noticed you are taking pre-natal vitamins, soooooo ..... could it be that you are losing YOUR weight but gaining BABY weight?
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
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    I'd listen to your doctor, low sodium diets aren't for everyone.

    But you could also research other ways to increase blood pressure and discuss them with your doctor too.

    Fluid retention or not, if you are maintaining a caloric deficit you will eventually lose adipose tissue. It may be slow and fluctuating due to fluid but it will happen.

    So the important thing is to try to be as accurate as you can. Weigh your foods, read your labels, log everything. When you exercise, use an HRM instead of relying on mfp or the machine readouts to see how many cals you burned. Eat at least half of them back.

    Also read this: http://body-improvements.com/resources/eat/

    Hope that helps!
  • kirstyg1980
    kirstyg1980 Posts: 302
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    Oh well for the sodium I don't really have the choice :S I have low blood pressure and my doc wants me to have ''a lot''... Well at least more than the recommended daily intake...

    Change to home cooked foods rather than processed packaged or out of jars and use sea salt so much better for you than processed salt - just look at the ingredients that go into ordinary table salt

    That way you will still get plenty of sodium but you will be eating clean
  • sazzet
    sazzet Posts: 56 Member
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    I thought I would never lose weight till i started the GI diet. It is all about healthy eating. It is not only counting calories. It is what you eat. I lost 11 pounds in a month without exercise. I know that is wrong but I will start the exercise soon. It is the first time i connect the type of food i eat with calorie counting. I drink 3 cups of instant coffee a day with skimmed milk and a tsp of honey. I eat healthy food all day long and never let myself get hungry. I drink the 8 cups of water and more sometime. I haven't eaten white flour or white sugar for a month now. I don't have cravings anymore. I get my sugar from fruits. Go for those low glycemic foods. They will keep your metabolism working.
  • deninevi
    deninevi Posts: 934 Member
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    I think you need to eat more. I'm as tall as you and when I was on 1500-1600 cals my weight didn't move for a long time. Now I'm doing 1800-2000 cals, lift heavy things 3 times a week and do kettlebell workouts the other 2 days and I loose weight. Up your cals. with 100 to 200 a day and see how thing go for 2 weeks. If that doesn't work, adjust again. Good luck to you.
  • wrecked_willow
    wrecked_willow Posts: 50
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    Are you logging your exercise here? If not, you might not be eating enough calories. For awhile I would burn many calories, so my net intake of calories for the day was quite low. Some people don't eat back their exercise cals, but if you're not seeing movement maybe you should try eating them back. also increase your intake of fresh veggies. You're getting a lot of vitamin C! Are you taking it for a specific reason? Just curious.

    This week only I took Vitamin C supplements because I was battling a cold! :)
  • raisingbabyk
    raisingbabyk Posts: 442 Member
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    I noticed you don't log your exercise calories which means your not eating them back. You are probably eating too little for the amount of work your body needs to fuel itself after exercise.

    Check out this thread:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/501511-great-read-on-plateau-ing?error_user_id=9724272&error_username=raisingbabyk&hl=plateau
  • livestar
    livestar Posts: 140 Member
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    track sugar also. There are a lot of hidden sugars, esp in processed foods, so track both sodium and sugar. I hadn't been making ANY progress until I started tracking these.

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