I don't understand whats going wrong!!!!

skinny91bum
skinny91bum Posts: 37
in Motivation and Support
I follow the diet and allowed kcal to the letter, i even write in how much condiments i put on my food, but i'm still gaining weight!!!! what the hell is happening, I'm about to give in has anyone got any idea about extra things i can do????

bearing in mind that i have a condtion in my hips that means that i can't work out very well, swimming is about the best thing i can do and about a 5-10 min walk on crutches

Much love SB xxx

Replies

  • Lolli1986
    Lolli1986 Posts: 500 Member
    i feel your pain... i couldn't walk more than a few hundred metres at a time without pain for a year and put on 10kgs. i've been trying to understand why i kept putting on weight (that is how i ended up here). for the first month that i was here i just tracked what i was eating so that i understood what my baseline behaviour was.... i was netting between my BMR and TDEE, which means i should have been losing.

    maybe open your diary so people can give some specific diet advice.
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    What do you have your activity level What is your daily activity goal? How long have you been eating at a deficit? And do you have any cheat meals or days? If so, tell us about them.

    Have you considered exercise such as weight lifting and boxing? Things that can be done mostly with your upper body? Check out Nick Scott - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_jz5CJnsng. He is paralyzed from the waist down. There are lots of things that can be done without the traditional form of cardio!
  • PrincessLou71186
    PrincessLou71186 Posts: 741 Member
    Are you eating back your exercise calories from swimming? If so, how are you measuring them? I swim for an average 2.5hrs a week for the last six weeks and 'thought' I was burning anywhere from 350 to 400 calories in each 30 minute session. Turns out is closer to 198 which I found out by using my HRM. This and all the over over-estimates at the gym have caused me to gain 4lb in a month. Might not seem a lot but it is, especially when I'm trying to lose 2lb a week,

    If you are using a HRM to track your calories burnt then the only other thing that I can think of is the most patronising thing to say but, are you reading the calories on the packaging right? :blushing:

    I have no other ideas, sorry.
  • skinny91bum
    skinny91bum Posts: 37
    I've opened my food diary, very big thing for me as i used to have a eating disorder, but I would like to know what people think.
  • srcantgiveup
    srcantgiveup Posts: 39 Member
    Hi there,
    Please don't give up. Just give it time. It will be an adjustment for your body that it may not like. I noticed that with me.
    Continue to do your log. be as active as you can and eat vegetables, fruit & protein when you are really hungry. Plus, increased your water. Whatever you do don't give up. This is not a sprint. This is a marathon, and you will probably need to view it that way too. Take it one day, one meal, one snack at a time. That is what I have had to start doing and don't give up..
    srcantgiveup
  • naomi8888
    naomi8888 Posts: 519 Member
    Hi, I had a look through and it seems like you could do with more fruit and veggies, more protein and less carbs (particularly sugar - maybe try tracking that). I used to fill up on lots of carbs and think it was all calories / calories out. However when I focused on the macros (I set them up to be 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat) I really started seeing results.

    Just a thought :smile:
  • skinny91bum
    skinny91bum Posts: 37
    So cutting down the carbs, can i edit that on here?
  • naomi8888
    naomi8888 Posts: 519 Member
    Yep, click on the "My Home" tab up the top, then "Goals" and you can change in there. For me 40/30/30 works but you should play around and see what works for you. Also less things from packets is a great tip (but I'm sure you've heard it many times)
  • castlerobber
    castlerobber Posts: 528 Member
    You're eating an awful lot of nutrition-less starch and sugar--crumpets, cake, pizza, chips, candy, etc. Try replacing most of that with green vegetables and protein, which have more nutrition and don't raise your blood sugar nearly so much.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Looking at the printable version of your food diary, a lot of the food entries your using don't include sodium. And the bbq chicken pizza and sausage you had yesterday are sure to have quite a bit. Excess sodium can cause fluid retention.

    Also, your protein is quite low. More protein will help you feel full longer and allow you to retain more of your lean muscle as you lose weight.

    And there's a lot of junkie foods in there. I love pizza and cake and all that stuff, too, but it seems to be something you have frequently. There's not a lot of fruits and vegetables, either.
  • skinny91bum
    skinny91bum Posts: 37
    I'm a total sugar fix junky and i love things that are easy to make mainly because i don't have much time with work and things but I do need to be utting more effort in :embarassed: xx
  • KPainter70
    KPainter70 Posts: 152
    Give up the processed foods and eat food you've prepared yourself so you can control what goes into it. All that processed stuff is loaded with sodium and sugar and carbs. If you don't have time, prepare things in large batches and then portion them out so you can grab and go when you need to.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    There's ways to make really delicious, nutritious and easy meals. What I like to do is cook up a pile of boneless, skinless chicken breast in advance, then at mealtime, I slice up a breast and heat it up with mixed frozen vegetables and some kind of sauce or marinade, then have it over a serving of pasta or rice. IE, an "Oriental Blend" veggie mix, some Thai peanut sauce, and microwave Jasmine rice. Or "Italian Blend" veggies, lemon garlic marinade, Parmesan cheese and penne pasta.

    Crock pots are great, too.
  • kaned_ferret
    kaned_ferret Posts: 618 Member
    Apologies if I missed it somewhere, but how long have you been at it, and what are your stats (height, starting/current weight, goal weight)?

    Is cycling an option? It's good cardio but low impact.
  • theartichoke
    theartichoke Posts: 816 Member
    Coming from an eating disorder to an open food food diary is a major accomplishment and I applaud your courage. I'm at the opposite end, having to learn how to eat from being a life long compulsive over-eater. Have you considered seeing a nutritionist? A referral from your doctor will usually get insurance to pay for it. If you don't have insurance the 50 ish dollars it would cost is a small expense compared to what you can learn. Please, talk to someone who is a professional. You can also search the "Groups" onMFP and find wonderful support from ladies who have made it back to complete health and groups who have to modify exercise because of physical limitations. I wish you the best on your journey.
  • Lolli1986
    Lolli1986 Posts: 500 Member
    Yeah, well done for opening up your food diary after an ED.

    in terms of exercises you could do, i found out that standing and punching for 2mins + at a time can get the heart rate pumping nice and high! i also now use light arm weights. these are things that i do on days where i feel i need to exercise, but know that i need to give my operation site a rest.

    i've also been told about something called 'chairobics' and i have heard of bed yoga, haha. love innovative people.

    there is also an 'injury support' group where i found a lot of my mfpals, and they are who i got some of these ideas from. the support and ideas of people in a similar situation has been the most helpful thing for me. :)
  • Tospecial
    Tospecial Posts: 3
    Drink plenty of water and get yourself some hand weights..
    :smile:
  • autumnk921
    autumnk921 Posts: 1,374 Member
    You sound like me....You must not like water b/c I didn't see any in your diary...I hate water & I am addicted to sweets!! I now drink close to 8 cups/day but I use something like crystal light or even kool-aid but I only put enough to flavor it so I can get myself used to a drink that is not sweet & hopefully one day I will drink plain water...YAY!!

    My sweets now that is different....I cut out chocolate - now only my protein shakes are chocolate so I get my chocolate fix but in a good way (b/c my protein was very low like yours every day)...Also, I have been eating yogurt whips - which are very high in sugar but I figured since it's yogurt it's good for me but it's not b/c of the sugar....I have to cut that out completely b/c I have very little control when those things are in my house...lol

    So hopefully those 2 things will help you with water & chocolate & protein....Good luck & feel free to add me & we can get through this sweet tooth together!! :happy:
  • skinny91bum
    skinny91bum Posts: 37
    I can't stand water. I must drink around 4 cans of cream soda a day
  • barb213
    barb213 Posts: 3
    If you have time listen to cutthefatpodcast (one word). Exercise is not the most important item to lose weight. It is what you eat. You need to understand what is making you fat (it is not the lack of exercise). Your first step is to determine if you are ready to lose weight. Then you need to understand why. YOU must read and understand.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I never liked water - still don't - but I drink about 96 oz a day. Usually flavored with Crystal Light or something similar, but very diluted.

    But - some tough love here - "I don't like it" isn't a good excuse. Get over it. I'm sure you don't like scrubbing the toilet or paying bills, either, but you do it because it's something you have to do as a responsible adult person. Properly fueling and hydrating your body is no different. I still enjoy soda every day, but I feel much better drinking something other than fizzy drinks for most of the day. My skin is looks loads better, too.

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