Getting really upset

135

Replies

  • morgansmom02
    morgansmom02 Posts: 1,131 Member
    I don't think you are doing too bad! Any changes you made are still good changes. From my personal experience, I would say eat less frozen dinners. I know it's hard. I used to eat 1-2 per day because I'm not a good cook and I'm never home with the time too cook. But I realized how much sodium is in them and that freezing food takes out a lot of good nutrients.

    Now I cook a crock pot meal at the beginning of the week and eat it throughout the week. It's so easy, a lot of the recipes are just dump and go! I can say I feel a lot better than I used to when I ate lean cuisine all the time, and frankly as bad of a cook I am, it even tastes better than Lean Cuisine!

    I see you like the lender's onion bagels... I used to eat those every day for breakfast before school as a kid! I love them :-) (Not quite healthy but I still eat them once in a while)

    Yes, crock pot meals are the way to go! Try skinnytaste.com. She has awesome crock pot recipes!!
  • rcpayton
    rcpayton Posts: 90
    I commend you for your weight loss journey. And it is just that...a journey. We learn about ourselves and try new things along the way...taking it all in as we work toward our goal. But, you really should keep an open mind when it comes to suggestions, new foods to try, new exercises, etc. If what you are doing isnt working, then try something new. Try eating clean for a few weeks, try a DVD instead of walking. Changing things up is a necessity as you go through this process.

    As the saying goes,"if you bite it, you write it".....even a little bite of cheese can be 100+ calories. For MFP or another plan to work for you, you have to commit to logging everything you put in your mouth, no matter how much time it takes. Weight loss is a matter of calories in versus calories out. If you are not entering hundreds of calories, no wonder you are frustrated about minimal weight loss! MFP is just a tool to help you on your journey....YOU have to commit to doing all of the hard work that goes with it but the reward IS worth it!

    Keep going and try some new ways of eating and excerising!
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
    I agree with those who say you need to eat more, and eat better! Log everything, even bites of your hubby's food, or even better, don't snitch his food! :tongue: Do you log your exercise? I didn't see any earned exercise calories at the bottom of your diary. If you are exercising and not logging it, and only showing 900-1000 calories a day, your net cals for the day are probably REALLY low.

    You should be netting at least 1200 per day, probably more. You gotta feed your body, especially if you are asking it to work hard with exercise. More protein rich foods, especially for breakfast!

    Search around the forums - there are quite a few topics with people's info on having great success with eating more calories. Sounds counter-intuitive, I know, but it works.
    No I don't exercise besides walking unless you count chasing a 1 year old around all day. I don't.get time to exercise

    What activity level and weight loss goals did you chose when you set up your MFP profile?

    You are definitely not sedentary if you are looking after a toddler, unless you do nothing with them other than sit on the sofa watching TV.

    Less is not better

    1 - Change your activity level
    2 - Change your settings to 1lb per week, and try to eat all of your calories.
  • mmm_e
    mmm_e Posts: 10
    I am not an expert, but I have some food for thought… :flowerforyou:

    I am guessing you have your activity level set to sedentary, and that you have selected “lose 2lbs per week”?

    Based on your earlier comment that you spend the day chasing around your little one I wouldn’t consider you sedentary (I am sedentary – I sit ALL day at a computer) – anyways, if you were to change your settings to “lightly active”, which may be more accurate (obviously I can’t say for sure) you will find you need to eat more, probably closer to a NET of 1,400 calories per day. We need to fuel our bodies properly to get results! Walking (which it sounds like you do) is also exercise; you should log it, and eat back at least some of what you have earned! – My first thought is that you probably need to eat more…

    In terms of food… a calorie is a calorie, while you have been eating a lot of processed foods that (other than water retention) it shouldn’t affect your actual weight loss - (notice I didn’t say health, I wouldn’t suggest it is the best way to go about it – I find when eating a “cleaner” diet I feel more energized, my skin is better… etc). Anyways, despite your food choices…. A calorie deficit should produce a loss… so something else is going on.... (1) eating too much, (2) eating too little, (3) medical condition?

    Is it possible that you have really underestimated your intake? (bits of food off of hubby’s plate, a little snack here or there) – these things can add up and put you over… based on how low your daily totals are you would have to be WAYYYY underestimating – BUT try to log every little thing and see how it goes.

    Another thing (sorry this is a bit of a ramble) – have you talked to your doctor? – medical issues, such as an underactive thyroid can inhibit weight loss…. I would suggest talking to an expert.

    Finally, good luck to you! Don’t get discouraged – if you keep striving to make positive changes to your lifestyle you WILL see results.
    Also… MEASURE… I tend to lose inches before the scale registers a change!

    I hope that has something helpful in it, and hopefully I didn't say anything that is way off base... those are just soem things I have picked up along my journey
  • LJC44
    LJC44 Posts: 221
    I think breakfast is very important. Try not to ever skip it! I do not care if others think that advice is bad!!!!! I believe it truly helps!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    I think breakfast is very important. Try not to ever skip it! I do not care if others think that advice is bad!!!!! I believe it truly helps!

    It's not bad advice, but it won't make you lose or not lose. The fact is, it doesn't matter when you eat as your body will metabolize the calories the same, even right before breakfast. What it does with many people, is prevent them from making poor diet decisions where they would go to work and have a donut.

    If you research interim fasting, it has actually shown that extended periods of time without food can lead to quicker fat reductions.
  • LJC44
    LJC44 Posts: 221
    I think breakfast is very important. Try not to ever skip it! I do not care if others think that advice is bad!!!!! I believe it truly helps!

    It's not bad advice, but it won't make you lose or not lose. The fact is, it doesn't matter when you eat as your body will metabolize the calories the same, even right before breakfast. What it does with many people, is prevent them from making poor diet decisions where they would go to work and have a donut.

    If you research interim fasting, it has actually shown that extended periods of time without food can lead to quicker fat reductions.

    It is my opinion. I am going with what worked for me. I lost 60 lbs from eating every 2- 4 hours and exercising. I have always had my biggest meal at breakfast. If it does not work for others than something else will. Thank you for not tearing me apart like others have ":)
  • LJC44
    LJC44 Posts: 221
    I think breakfast is very important. Try not to ever skip it! I do not care if others think that advice is bad!!!!! I believe it truly helps!

    It's not bad advice, but it won't make you lose or not lose. The fact is, it doesn't matter when you eat as your body will metabolize the calories the same, even right before breakfast. What it does with many people, is prevent them from making poor diet decisions where they would go to work and have a donut.

    If you research interim fasting, it has actually shown that extended periods of time without food can lead to quicker fat reductions.

    It is my opinion. I am going with what worked for me. I lost 60 lbs from eating every 2- 4 hours and exercising. I have always had my biggest meal at breakfast. If it does not work for others than something else will. Thank you for not tearing me apart like others have ":)

    I guess I gave that advice because I was trying to explain not to skip meals. To each their own!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    I think breakfast is very important. Try not to ever skip it! I do not care if others think that advice is bad!!!!! I believe it truly helps!

    It's not bad advice, but it won't make you lose or not lose. The fact is, it doesn't matter when you eat as your body will metabolize the calories the same, even right before breakfast. What it does with many people, is prevent them from making poor diet decisions where they would go to work and have a donut.

    If you research interim fasting, it has actually shown that extended periods of time without food can lead to quicker fat reductions.

    It is my opinion. I am going with what worked for me. I lost 60 lbs from eating every 2- 4 hours and exercising. I have always had my biggest meal at breakfast. If it does not work for others than something else will. Thank you for not tearing me apart like others have ":)

    Oh trust me, until I started doing IF, i was eating breakfast every morning and I lost some weight and cut from 18% body fat to 12% body fat. Now, I have stagnated, I am trying something new.
  • LJC44
    LJC44 Posts: 221
    I think breakfast is very important. Try not to ever skip it! I do not care if others think that advice is bad!!!!! I believe it truly helps!

    It's not bad advice, but it won't make you lose or not lose. The fact is, it doesn't matter when you eat as your body will metabolize the calories the same, even right before breakfast. What it does with many people, is prevent them from making poor diet decisions where they would go to work and have a donut.

    If you research interim fasting, it has actually shown that extended periods of time without food can lead to quicker fat reductions.

    It is my opinion. I am going with what worked for me. I lost 60 lbs from eating every 2- 4 hours and exercising. I have always had my biggest meal at breakfast. If it does not work for others than something else will. Thank you for not tearing me apart like others have ":)

    Oh trust me, until I started doing IF, i was eating breakfast every morning and I lost some weight and cut from 18% body fat to 12% body fat. Now, I have stagnated, I am trying something new.

    I am kind of in the same boat!
  • Meaganandcheese
    Meaganandcheese Posts: 525 Member
    Well if you don't want to change what you're eating or the activity you're getting, then you should make sure you're tracking everything accurately. Track the bites and snacks from whatever your husband eats, don't guess. Track your water intake. Make sure you're getting the 1200calorie minimum, not just guessing that you are.

    Remember that you have to make changes to see change.
  • christy92694
    christy92694 Posts: 1
    It took me 3 months for the weight to start coming off for me and I started at 215 too. I mean I lost zero pounds in 3 months. I was working out vigorously 6 days a week and keeping my calories in check. I wanted to quit so bad but kept with it. Eventually your body will start to drop the pounds. I've lost 36 pounds so far. You can do it. Don't lose faith.
  • BlueInkDot
    BlueInkDot Posts: 702 Member
    I looked at your food diary and it looks like you are eating a lot of frozen dinners for dinner.

    Those frozen dinners look like they have a lot of carbs (50+) and they are loaded with sodium. You might want to think about dumping those and having a meal with a lean meat and some veggies.

    I would up your calories to 1,400, drink more water and try to stay away from the carbs and sodium at night. You also might want to try a new type of cardio for a few weeks. Perhaps do some interval training where you walk for a minute than jog for a minute. Shake things up.

    Also, take a week off from the scale, don't let it frustrate you. In a week you will see progress!

    The good news is that you are down over 20 pounds already so congrats, don't get frustrated.

    I agree 100% with this post.

    Sodium is a killer, and water will save you!

    Whole foods are ALWAYS better than frozen foods! (Both in health and in taste - sooo gooood)

    I am a big supporter in "do it right and don't look at the scale." If you judge your progress by how you FEEL rather than the NUMBERS, then you are sure to do it right.

    And most of all: DO. NOT. GIVE. UP. Just because your numbers are not where you want them to be does NOT mean you failed. If you are always willing to try again tomorrow then you have already succeeded. It is only when you give up that you fail.

    Don't worry, hun, we're all here for you. You can do it. :)
  • atx7
    atx7 Posts: 41 Member
    .even a little bite of cheese can be 100+ calories.

    Exactly what variety of cheese packs 100+ calories in a "little bite"?
  • neverlost
    neverlost Posts: 121 Member
    I didn't read all the posts here but I did glance at your diary. For one, you shouldn't really be eating less than 1200 calories and two, and more important, you need to NET at least 1200. If you are exercising and eating under 1200, your net calories are not enough to sustain your body's daily needs. Please net 1200-1300 or so for a week and see how that works for you.

    By the way, I wouldn't blame it on what you eat as a calorie is a calorie, though I recommend keeping your carbs under 150 max a day.
  • missprincessgina
    missprincessgina Posts: 446 Member
    Hey there. Just wanted to tell you to stay strong and keep up the good work. I went from a size 14/16 to a size 6 about 12 years ago and have kept it off all these years. If I can do it, so can you.

    I checked out your diary and noticed the same things that many people were saying about the high sodium processed foods in your diet. I can't imagine what its like to be a young busy Mom so frozen foods are probably easier. Here is a list of some of my favorite go to foods for maintaining a healthy weight:

    apples
    steamed broccoli
    steamed sweet peppers
    carrots & cauliflower roasted with olive oil
    Amy's organic frozen vegan pizza
    hummus
    chick peas (you can throw these in soups & salads, even wraps)
    GNC go lean 25 protein shake powder
    Berries
    natural PB or almond butter

    I buy my groceries and try to clean and chop or cut up all the fruit and veggies at once, that way I can throw them into meal quickly. I think you're doing a good job tracking and staying within your caloric range. I personally eat more calories than 1200 (approx 1500 or 1600 sometimes) and I try to fit in more "whole foods".
  • bushidowoman
    bushidowoman Posts: 1,599 Member
    You have gotten lots of good advice already. I'll just say I agree with eating MORE and shaking up your exercise routine. Personally, my body did not change on a 1400 cal diet, and walking also never improved my results. But once I started challenging myself with heavy dumbbells and increased my calorie intake to 1600-2000 cals...then I got the results I was looking for!

    We are all different, and different things are going to work differently for different people. You just gotta keep trying. You CAN do this. You can do anything that you want bad enough! I understand that it's challenging to work out with wee ones under foot; I've struggled with it for years. But I have a 1yo, 3yo, 5yo, 8yo, and 11yo in the house (and an 18yo, but she does her own thing :wink:), and I've figured out a way to make exercise part of my daily routine. Don't give up! If one exercise doesn't show you some results after a couple months, try something else. If a particular time of day doesn't work out, try something else. If you can't find the time to exercise without the baby getting under foot, find a way to incorporate the baby into your exercises! (My baby loves it when I squat, lunge, press and curl using her as my weight. :laugh: ) But keep at it until you've found your groove!

    C'mon mama, get up, shake it off, make your game plan, and get back in the game!
    And feel free to add me as a friend. I log in daily and do my best to encourage my friends. :flowerforyou:
  • bhalter
    bhalter Posts: 582 Member
    Like others have said, try upping your calories. I hit a plateau and was stuck at the same weight for an entire month - was eating 1390/day and exercising (and eating exercise calories back). I finally upped mine to 1600/day and began losing steadily week after week.

    (Don't pay attention to my ticker because I got sick last month and unfortunately had a set back where I gained everything back, but I've re-started this week and have been doing great so far!)
  • UticaBoy51
    UticaBoy51 Posts: 344 Member
    I am experiencing the exact same thing right now... STUCK! Stay the course, don't give up.
  • AubreysMommy30
    AubreysMommy30 Posts: 64 Member
    Oh, and make sure you are eating something every 2-4 hours :) (not sure how often you eat).

    Good luck to you!

    Meal frequency has no impact on weight loss. It's a myth that has been disproved. You can eat 1 meal or 10 meals and your body will metabolize food the same.


    Lets put things in perspective.

    Based on your age and weight with an estimated 5'5 for height, your BMR is around 1700 calories. This means, this is the amount of calories for basic bodily functions or aka your metabolism; i.e - organ function, breathing. Essentially, this is how many calories you would burn if you slept for 24 hours. Now lets say, you have a desk job (or a student) and you work out 3 days a week where you burn 300 calories a day. With this information we can figure out your TDEE (or the amount of calories you burn off every day including all activities).

    TDEE = BMR * lifestyle factor + exercise

    TDEE = 1700 * 1.2 + 300 = 2340 <-- based on exercise this could go up or down.

    For your situation, i would recommend at most 1.5 lbs per week. Which means...


    caloric needs = 2340 - 750 = 1590.

    This really means, you should be eating 1600 calories a day.



    Also, keep in mind your body has stress mechanism (which a calorie deficit is stress on your body) that will prevent your body from losing fat if it's malnourished. Under eating to your bodies caloric needs, is malnourishment. Also, lets say you are working out more and burning more calories, than your deficit is growing even more which means your body is fighting weight loss. And when you do lose weight, it's going to be from muscle and not fat. And as you lose more muscle, the slower your metabolism will be and the harder it will be to lose weight.

    Also, with exercise, if you haven't started lifting weights, then you should. Weight lifting provides a lot more benefits for people compared to cardio. Cardio burns more during exercise, but ST burns more overall. After doing ST, your body will work to repair muscle which means, you still burn calories after you are doing working out.

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

    Thanks for the very informative and detailed post. It was very helpful :)
  • PHATmommy68
    PHATmommy68 Posts: 112
    Does your walking challenge you? Can you carry on a normal conversation, or do you feel winded when you do?

    I used to use a treadmill. The more I walked the more I increased the speed, I also used the incline (somewhat). Now I use Leslie Sansone walking DVDs (not better .... just a nice change from the treadmill). The music is fast enough to know that I'm walking at a good pace.

    Arm movements & light handweights also help keep my heart rate up.



    I agree, Leslie Sansone is awesome and she really gets you moving! If its any consolation, I once weighed 235 and lost 70 pounds with Leslie Sansone. It takes time but you can do it! Drink plenty of water!!! You can do this! Don't be discouraged!!!
  • mvandommelen
    mvandommelen Posts: 71
    I didnt start to lose until I controlled all my carbs! I try to stay under 150 daily and that helped!!
  • TeutonicKnight
    TeutonicKnight Posts: 367 Member
    My twin sister and I did the 4 Hour Body for Lent last year. While I lost 27lbs, (I went from 206 to 179) she lost 33 pounds (216 to 183lbs). in 40 days we accomplished that!

    You get one cheat day a week to spike your metabolism. We just followed his (Timothy Ferriss) eating habits and simple exercises, we did not do the vitamin supplements.

    I can e-mail you the cheat sheet and cookbook that myself and some other 4 Hour Body fans put together. Trust me, it will work and it is not that hard to do. I plan on doing it again in the summer.

    Good luck! I am here for you! I can post more info on here if you would like.
  • Danardeener
    Danardeener Posts: 255
    1200 and I try calorie fluctuations sometimes to see if it will help but it doesn't

    I am 5'6" 155 lbs., and I was at 1210 daily calories. I was losing in the beginning but then stalled for awhile. I recently discovered that 1200 calores is too low for me. Now I have bumped my calories up to 1400. Don't know the results yet but I will report back at the end of the week. Try googling a daily caloric calculator, plug in your stats, and you will see what I mean. Then adjust accordingly.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    This is going to be for the rest of your life, please prove you want it by not wanting to give up after 4 weeks. Chin up. It didnt show up overnight, it wont go away overnight. It took me almost 3 years to lose almost 100 pounds and I started only about 40-45 pounds more than you.
  • tigertown11
    tigertown11 Posts: 310
    I agree. From what I have seen on MFP; you MUST eat back those exercise calories to a minimum of 1200 calories.
  • ojell
    ojell Posts: 748 Member
    I agree with the others about eating more. I was exercising HARD for like 3 wks and sticking close to the 1200 cals...didn't lose ANYTHING! Then I ate more and bam! Lost 4 lbs in one wkend! Crazy I know, but give it a whirl.
  • EllieMo
    EllieMo Posts: 131 Member
    You know. I checked out your diary and you are allotted 1200 calories but on avg you you eat 800-1000 calories a day. I don't think you are eating enough. I believe it is hurting your metabolism.
    And it looks like I don't eat my calories but I do. I use those for cushion if I take a bite if my husbands dinner, or have a bite of cheese or a piece of lunch meat or anything that I happen to eat that is hard to log

    And this might be the problem - those little bites of cheese or meat or your husband's dinner are probably a lot higher in calories than you realise - cheese in particular is very high in fat and calories. You are probably in reality eating much more than 1200 calories a day without realising it.

    My advice would be, either cut out those little bites - have some planned snacks that you log in your diary instead. And those hard to log things - search hard enough and you will find something that matches.

    Above all else - log everything you eat!!!
  • Nicola1944
    Nicola1944 Posts: 290 Member
    I want to lose weight so bad but it's just not coming off. And im working my butt off and eating so good a.s walking everyday. I just feel like at 215 pounds the weight should be coming off easier than this. They say if you lower your calories and exercise it should come off... So why isnt it for me. Why has my weight loss been stuck at a stand still for a month now. This is seriously making me want to fall off the wagon.

    Hello, Sorry about how your feeling! Try not to be too upset (easier said than done, i know!!)

    You could try zig-zagging your calories to break the plateau. This sites quite good, it tells you what cals you should be eating per day and then also offers a zigzagging plan - http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm (this will give you the same ammount of calories per week, but varies them per day!)

    Hope this helps!

    x
  • EllieMo
    EllieMo Posts: 131 Member
    Oh, and until you do start logging everything and know exactly how many calories you really are consuming, I suggest you ignore the advice of anyone who has said "eat more". You need to know accurately what basis you are starting from before you can assess whether you need to increase or decrease.
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