Diary Open 75days - Need some Tips!

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KNMD
KNMD Posts: 28 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been religiously following MFP and tracking since January 2. And only 7lbs lost over 75 days. Frustrated, I took the "starvation mode" to heart and three weeks ago, I changed my settings to 1lb. per week and bumped my calories up from 1200 to 1610. I'm now getting in about 1400 - 1500 calories a day, but it's so much food that I'm often feeling stuffed and lethargic. And I gained 3 lbs over the last 2 weeks, which has really bummed me out after losing 4lbs the first week at the new level.

I do light, unrecorded exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, then I record activities of heavy exercise or which go beyond that normal time frame. I have lost ~3in total, which has kept me motivated.

1. I love to cook, so 90-95% of my meals are home-made, but I may use processed/restaurant estimates for the meals in the tracker
2. I brew my own beer, so there's no artificial preservatives in my beer tracking, yay healthy beer!
3. I eat a mostly-vegan diet with occasional cake, cookie, or pie, but no blatant cheese/milk/fish/eggs.

Please, please, please, take a look and make some suggestions, like:
a. different foods I can work into the routine to get better nutrition
b. recipes for higher protien/lower carbs
c. suggestions on things which i should reduce or eliminate (besides the beer :) )
d. if I'm still in "starvation" zone and how I can increase my calories without too much more volume?

BTW: I had my thyroid checked in December and it was 3.6, normal according to my doctor. <-- is this normal? I'm having doubts at 75 days of commitment!

Anyone else having this issue?

Replies

  • asherby85
    asherby85 Posts: 20
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    I don't know much about eating vegan ....but... I notice that on almost everyday you go over on sugars. I think you need to look into limiting your sugar intake and that might help you.
  • JmeJinxx
    JmeJinxx Posts: 210 Member
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    I think it's important that you create the recipes you cook, instead of looking for estimates in the database. That will help you get the real info whether better or worse and you can adjust your diet accordingly! I know it's a pain to manually input all your ingredients but it's a lot more accurate than just searching the database for a similar recipe.

    I'm sure someone will post the LOG ALL THE THINGS meme, haha.
  • honestlysweet
    honestlysweet Posts: 221 Member
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    Hi. There is a place on here where you can input your own recipes and put in each ingredient and servings etc. Then you put in one serving for your diary and it will calculate it for you. This may help you.
  • pstaceyca
    pstaceyca Posts: 306 Member
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    I looked over your diary and I understand you are eating vegan or vegetarian but you need way more protein than you are eating. You could try incorporating some nuts, beans, legumes or soy in your diet. Also I agree with a comment above you need to eat less sugar and more fruits and vegeatables. You are eating alot of pancake, cake and chips that are just not a healthy choice. I have a diet outline given to me by my trainer if you are interested, inbox me and I will send it to you. All the best to you. :)
  • newlook4me
    newlook4me Posts: 4 Member
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    You are not logging your water intake. Try two glasses of ice cold water before each meal and snack. It will fill you up and you won't eat as much. Also, you'll have the added benefit of flushing out your system. Try cutting back on the sugar. Sugar turns into fat if you don't burn it off. I know you mentioned not giving up beer, but it adds alot of calories that you could use eating instead of drinking.
    Good luck!
  • KNMD
    KNMD Posts: 28 Member
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    I'm glad I asked. Thanks for taking the time to look at my diary and provide suggestions. I had a good think about it and made a grocery list.

    CARBS
    Yep, I'm probably eating too many empty carbs like the pancakes. I get lazy on the weekends and instead of making my breakfast, I give in and have pancakes with my husband. And i should have something healthier that's ready to go for when I'm running late and need to fill up, because that's when I succumb to the donuts. I'm going to look into making my own granola bars, maybe that will be the better quick breakfast.

    I also eat a lot of rice. So I bought some Quinoa to see if I like it. It has more protien and nutrition than regular rice. I also got wild rice and an interesting "Antient Grains" mix, all with a higher protien to Carb ratio.

    SUGAR
    Really good point. I just looked at the last 90days of sugar intake, and I noticed that I'm not very consistent, probably because I'm not paying attention. So I'm going to go look at the days where I'm under 40, between 40 and 50, and 50 and 60 and see if there are common themes that I can hone in. I have a sneaking suspicion that the dried cranberries and the soy yogurt, which I like to eat on a regular basis, are creating a really high starting point that can't absorb the occasional splurges.

    RECIPES
    And yes, I also got lazy using the recipe generator, it's so difficult to make adjustments to represent substitutions or changes use to use that I stopped using it and started using approximations. Why can't i edit an ingredient the same way I edit a diary entry?!?! I'm gonna post it to their technical support board. I bet I'm not the only home cook that hates the recipe calculator.

    PROTEIN
    I hadn't thought too much about protein, but I looked, and I'm always way under. So I bought some mixed nuts I'm going to toast for adding to my salads at lunch and to my saute pan at dinner. I also got some tofu to make a scrambler out of, and I picked up some veggie sausages to try. I usually really dislike the "wish-it-were-meat" substitutes because they make them taste like meat... But I haven't tried "wish-it-were-overly-seasoned-meat" which may not taste like meat. So I'll give these the college try.

    (also, see Quinoa in carbs above)

    WATER
    I also haven't tracked water because I drink so much. But it did make me think about my routine to make sure that that's true. I use 8oz glasses at home and a 24oz water bottle at work that I refill every 1.5-2 hours, so that mean:
    I drink 2 cups when I wake up, 2-4 cups between breakfast and lunch, 1 cup with lunch, 2-4 cups between lunch and dinner, and 1 cup with dinner, and another 2 cups before bead. And I drink lots of green tea throughout the day since my office is soooo cold. I appreciate the comment, it did make me think about the quantity and I feel pretty good about my intake.

    BEER
    Yep, beer isn't going away. I don't eat meat, dairy (no ice cream, butter, or whipped toppings), I limit my bread, my sweets, and even cut back on sweet potatoes! I even cut out soda and, for the most part, mixed drinks. You have to enjoy life to make it worth living and beer is just one of those things for me. Like how some can't live without chocolate, I can't give up my stouts. :)

    One thing I'd really like further feedback on is the volume issue. How do you get to 1600 calories without eating crap like donuts, and cakes, and cookies? Anyone willing to share a day in their diary with me?
  • pstaceyca
    pstaceyca Posts: 306 Member
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    The nuts and protein will up your calories.
  • jonski1968
    jonski1968 Posts: 4,498 Member
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    I looked over your diary and I understand you are eating vegan or vegetarian but you need way more protein than you are eating. You could try incorporating some nuts, beans, legumes or soy in your diet. Also I agree with a comment above you need to eat less sugar and more fruits and vegeatables. You are eating alot of pancake, cake and chips that are just not a healthy choice. I have a diet outline given to me by my trainer if you are interested, inbox me and I will send it to you. All the best to you. :)

    Totally agree with the above..
  • pstaceyca
    pstaceyca Posts: 306 Member
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    You might want to get some hummus as well, it is a healthy choice and a great snack with veggies or rice crackers. If you like hummus that is. LOL
  • tabulator32
    tabulator32 Posts: 701 Member
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    If I had to choose just one thing (and I agree with all the suggestions here so far) I would have to insist you start drinking the minimum eight glasses of water each day. Staying hydrated makes all the difference in the world.

    Not tea. Not soda. Not lemonade...just water.

    When you are dehydrated, you lose energy and feel lethargic (as you described in your post) and your body does not filter and remove toxins and debris as efficiently as it would if you were hydrated properly.

    Eight 8-oz. cups of water each day, preferably some of it right before each meal.

    Just my two cents.
  • leojsivad
    leojsivad Posts: 124 Member
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    WAY too much sugar intake.

    You need a lot more protein. I see on most days you don't break above 40 protein.


    I saw one day where you had cake for breakfast.

    Just a helpful tip, eat healthy during the week. On the weekend, have ONE thing you have been craving. Whether it be cake, pie, or a cookie, its up to you, but let yourself have one thing.

    You need to up your healthy lean protein intake, and stay away from refined carbs.


    Take care!
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    Too much sugar.

    And some of things you have recorded which show sugar as zero (fruit salad, home-made cupcake) DO have sugar, so the true amount is even higher!
  • kriskaryl
    kriskaryl Posts: 120 Member
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    WAY too much sugar intake.

    You need a lot more protein. I see on most days you don't break above 40 protein.


    I saw one day where you had cake for breakfast.

    Just a helpful tip, eat healthy during the week. On the weekend, have ONE thing you have been craving. Whether it be cake, pie, or a cookie, its up to you, but let yourself have one thing.

    You need to up your healthy lean protein intake, and stay away from refined carbs.


    Take care!

    I completely agree that you need more protein. Get it by adding beans, legumes, protein shakes...yes, there are very delicious options out there and with a blender and a few flavors, you can create your own favorites. The cakes, pies, and other sweets aren't ding you any favors. Cut back on your sugars, way back. Consider them as an occasional treat, not a meal. Opting for whole grains will help keep your blood sugar levels consistent and you won't have lows and spikes, craving more carbs. Good luck and we'll look forward to seeing how you do in the next 75 days. Don't give up!
  • megmanning
    megmanning Posts: 20
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    Not only are you always over on sugar, more days than not you are over on fat. Not all calories are created equally. I would much rather go over on protein and fiber than fat and sugar. Sugar is hard to avoid because most foods have it naturally, but fat is easily avoided. Good luck!

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