sorry but 3 month plateau help please

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

Food isnt expensive in the UK if you choose it wisely - I earn well below average income but due to my age and not having any children I cant get help from the government I work 40 hours a week and study for 12 too. Food is my priority after paying rent, bills and running my car (which I actually need in order to get to work - public transport = more expensive!). Fun comes last if there is any spare cash.

You can eat healthily at sub 1500 cals if you know what you are doing,

To eat well on low cals you need tonnes of veg, fruit, lean meat (or quorn - branded or shop brand which is cheaper btw and lower fat), lentils, beans, nuts and even protein shakes if you struggle to get your daily protein from your food.

I spend around 30 pound a week to feed two adults and feed veggies to 5 guinea pigs and a rabbit - and that includes eggs, fruit, veg, nuts and everything above and we have more than enough and are actually overweight on that amount of money

Ive had a look in your diary and the thing that screams out to me is protein you were low and way low every day , id look into getting more protein and shakes are a great way of doing that!

Only a small thing, but try and cut down on your coffee.. it is HARD! I used to drink about 8 cups a day.. with milk AND sugar but have cut it out completely now and started to loose weight..

Maybe if you are cooking something that is quite high in calories for your family, just have a jacket potato with salad for yourself.. I always have a bag of salad and a jacket potato handy in case my partner has fish for dinner (which I cant stand)

Little things that might help



Good luck

Just a small note about your food diary, although you are still counting the calories, you could learn more about the food you eat if your values were recorded properly. For example, the Galaxy - Chocolate Pieces, only show calories but not the quantities of fat, carbs and protein.

I think that keeping track of the nutrients in your food will also help you figure out why you may not be loosing weight.

I know that personally, I loose weight when I eat a 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat diet - these settings can be changed under;
MY HOME > Goals > Change Goals > Custom (but try and do some research to find out what works best for you).
I try to stick to these limits more so than watching the calories. The wonderful thing with MFP is that when you have recorded your food accurately you will stick within your calorie limit even if you are only concentrating on where they are coming from.

you should be able to still eat what everyone in the family eats, just give yourself smaller portion sizes. Drink lots of water before each meal. see if that makes any differences.

I also agree, you need to be more accurate when diarising your food and making sure you choose the right ones/brands and the correct measures.

A few people have commented disagreeing about the cost of food in the UK. Please just keep in mind, even if it doesnt seem expensive to you, it could still be to the poster and her family. Not everyone is on the same page when it comes to finances!

x

I have removed all starch from my diet and although my weight loss is very slow, I am feeling much better in myself.
i have more energy and feel less lethargic. starches and whole grains just bloated me out and now I feel less bloated and my clothes feel extra comfortable.
I don't eat potatoes anymore, but I do eat sweet potatoe. they are much more healthier than the white grainy potatoes

I'm no expert but be careful how you are tagging things on #mfp food wise. I know sometimes if I type in chilli con carne, and I have made it at home, it might not be the same calorie content as say, marks and spencers chilli con carne, or the homemade chilli con carne someone else has made and has then inputted into the system.

To avoid this either make your own entry with the correct calorie intake or err on the side of caution and choose an option with a slightly higher level calorie amount.

I don't think you count your calories correctly. For instance you have three yorkshire puddings at only 53 calories or something, thats not right, they are about 58 calories each. You have a baked potato at only 100 calories when an average baked potato is 218 calories. You need to take more care when logging to make sure the calorie count is really accurate.

I'd agree with this. For example - I don't know what you're using for the 'coffee, 1 serving' but that seems too low - unless you take it black with no sugar? I drink it with 1 sugar & skimmed milk and that makes it 40 cals. I also saw Banana 50g - are you weighing portions, or did you just judge it to be that - 'cos that's not a lot of banana. A medium banana is nearer 100 cals and and a large one at least 120 cals, so did you just eat a bit of it?

Tracking accurately is a pain, there's so much nonsense in the stuff in the database - it's worth searching online for calorie values if you're not sure because most stuff is recorded sensibly somewhere. The database isn't a sensible source until you know what you're talking about and can search out a suitable option or enter it yourself manually.

I'm on the fence re. the cost of food in the UK. Processed food is definitely cheaper than buying raw ingredients, but I think if you decide beforehand what you want - sort out how much you need e.g. 2lb/1kilo mince for dinner will make 2-3 recipes for us (6 people), so I buy the larger quantity and split it into smaller portions at home - that's easier if you can buy it loose rather than pre-packed, so you either need a butcher, or a supermarket with a decent butchery counter. Or buy deals where it's 50% extra free, buy 2 packs & then when your home split it into 3 portions & freeze 2 of them etc. It's a bit more work, but you could maybe make it more fun by turning it into a game with your son - some maths and some home economics etc?

I struggle with the protein/carbs balance, I eat a high carb diet and just can't seem to make the changes necessary. But I find that if I have a deficit I eat some cheese, or have a boiled egg & that pushes up the calories without carbs. There's also plenty info on here about doing some strength/weight training and not just cardio - cardio will not build muscle in the same way, and as muscle is leaner/denser than fat it burns more calories just existing as well as makes you lose inches. I'm no expert, but I'm definitely finding adding a strength/weight session to my exercise is making me feel fitter in a way cardio has never done.

Try the hundredpusups.com site - it has press ups, sit ups, dips, squats, pull ups you can do at home and how to do them starting from being utterly useless (I still can't do a full press-ups, but on my knees I'm getting through them well) - Not really full weight training, but something you can do at home, when you have a few spare minutes that will help your strength and toning, and something you can do with your son too - mine love to laugh at me and show me how much fitter/stronger/faster than me they are!

HTH

Marty,

You have a really great food budget and you could do excellent things with that amount!

Buying your dogs food in 20kg bags ordered into a local pet shop is cheaper than buying small bags and with a big dog like yours they wong be hanging around too long, same with the cat bigger bags = cheaper per gram. Also feeding your dog any food leftovers that arent fit to put in a tub for next days lunch is a great way to feed them too as long as its not too sugary or salty and giving the cat any meat leftovers.

As you have 4 people you have the advantage of being able to buy and use bigger packs before food goes off. Not putting fruitshoots, prepared fruits (even boxes of raisins), crisps, biscuits etc in your kids lunch boxes saves money , buying a big bag of raisins and putting a portion in a freezer bag is much cheaper, making your own dairylea dunkers with mini breadsticks and cheese spread is cheaper, Theres loads of ways to reduce costs and on your budget you should be able to eat great!

Frozen food shops (heron, farmfoods, fulton foods) are super cheap and things can be half the price of the supermarket, veg markets can be cheaper ( I get a bag with a cabbage, cauli, carrots, potato, swede, parsnips enough for me for a week for #1.50!). Going to your supermarket a few hours before closing can mean you get some real yellow sticker bargains! I dont eat meat but I found 500g packs of lean mice for 30p each so I bought 10 for my mother!

Im 57 and am not an exp17.8 pound total weight loss from 1/14 - 3/18. I'll start RPOA #3 this week. Thank you!!!ert on weight loss but i can tell you whats been working for me. I have been weighing myself every morning since January 14, 2012. I found my weight plateaus - hanging around the same weight for 3-4 days then it drops. Interesting thing is i seem to lose most of my weight during my sleep. Try not to be discouraged. Your body is telling you to adjust your daily foods and the frequency your eating them. Food is fuel so don't stop eating or go without for long periods of time. Keep your foods healthy and simple. I eat 1 serving regular oats with a scoop of protein powder every morning to kick start my metabolism for the day. I don't eat wheats or sugars and almost no dairy. I eat 8 oz of lean meats daily. I drink protein shakes and eat greens and veggies everydays. I eat every 3 hours or so and eat when im NOT hungry. If I wait til I'm hungry I've waited too long. We always hear "are you hungry"? But you don't have to be hungry to eat. Just keep putting the fuel (foods) into your body before your tank runs dry or you'll tend to overeat because of hunger. Never give up. It's your time to take care of you! Exercise is important but the way you nourish your body is the most important .. The fuel. Get enough sleep and drink your water too. Good luck and don't give up! You can do this!!

First, It looks like your calorie counting is off a bit. About 20% Here is a tip. If you are the only one who eats it. and you estimated do this: the bag of Low Carb Banana crisp says 230 for the whole bag but you eat it in three servings, make sure you logged those to equal 230. "They are good on a salad for crunch"

Second, You need to swap out most of your white starch carbs for Protein. that simple you will find that the Calories will be similar.

Third, use the Protein you are going to be ingesting by using a bit more weight at the gym. IF you don't want to lift try setting the elliptical on a high resistance high step then go at a slow steady pace.

Make sure you use the gym knowledge, the folks are there to help too. they may suggest a group time to come in or have a partner list that will help you stay on track.

good luck we know you WILL do it.

I looked at your diary, its good so it has to be your work out. I have found weight training along with cardio is a must. Try adding weights to your routine and extending how much you do to at LEAST a hour between both exercises. For every pound of muscle you gain you burn an extra 50-100 calories a day. I found that to be the key to maintain long term weight loss. If I have a bad week, 90% of the time I don't gain anything back because my metabolism has increased and I am "balanced".

I'd do at least 30 mins to an hour weight training and 30 cardio.
Just sayin