What am I doing wrong?

BrieGoorts · April 2012

I exercise at least 60 minutes every day, and I do anything from vigorous cleaning, walking, elliptical, and kinect/wii active games. The past 2 weeks I've been REALLY focusing on watching my sodium levels because thats what i thought my problem was before. After the first week of being below my net calorie intake AND being below my sodium levels I lost almost 2lbs. Now just this last week, I was below my calorie amount, watched my sodium levels, and drank plenty of water (minus yesterday) and when I weighed myself I gained almost 4 lbs!! 4lbs in one week!! This is bull****, I'm exhausted emotionally from trying to do this. And it's not like I'm anywhere close to my goal weight, I have 33lbs to loose. I've tried so hard, switching to healthier options, eating foods with much less sodium then I did before.
Before, I was always a good 1000mg OVER my sodium levels, and have worked so hard to make it so that I'm under my sodium and in 2 weeks I've gone no where, in fact gotten worse..
I'm completely discourage and starting to get to the point of being so emotionally upset that I want to just give up. I've been on this site 100 days shy of a year and have nothing to show for it..
I think my diary is set to public so any feedback would be great please...
And just keep in mind that its only been the last 2 weeks that I've started really watching my sodium, the before entries were when I didn't know sodium had such an effect...

coconutty420 · April 2012

if you have been trying to keep sodium low then perhaps it is time to look at your other nutrients? i see that your carbs are way high...mayb have one or two meals a day that are lower in carbs? i have found that limiting myself to under 50 a day is the only way my body loses. and maybe incorporate more whole foods into your meals? maybe have a salad everyday for lunch...loaded with veggies and protien...but nothing out of a package. avoiding processed foods with reduce your sodium levels quickly! you would be shocked by where they cram sodium now-a-days!

miss_september · April 2012

I don't consider myself an expert, but looking at your diary I can only suggest that you need to work in more veggies and some fruits throughout the day. Also, you go over on your fat goal fairly frequently...maybe paying more attention to fat might help. I've also heard a lot of other people on the site suggesting getting your thyroid checked if you aren't getting results, maybe there is something medical that is causing the problems.

Sorry I can't be more helpful, I wish you all the best, and don't give up yet! =-)

BrieGoorts · April 2012

My Carb allowance is what MFP set for me, so even though I'm under it every day the last 2 weeks I need to reduce it even more myself? Why would MFP set me up for failure then if that's the case?

deksgrl · April 2012

MFP is just a tool. It can't narrow down exact one size fits all for everyone. You have to do your own research and find out what works for you.

How did you arrive at your number of calories needed? Did you let MFP set it? Is it set for losing 2 pounds per week? If so, try to cut it back to 1 pound per week.

Regarding sodium, I was reading on here that Potassium is an important component to dealing with sodium. Most people don't get enough.

BrieGoorts · April 2012

I've always been set to the goal of "lose 1 pound per week" so this is the calorie intake that was designated.
so I should completely ignore what MFP sets because its probably wrong? And try to teach myself whats proper for me?

InIt2WinIt · April 2012

It might be that you gained 4lbs of muscle hun! Don't freak out just yet, it could be a good gain -- if you cut your calories significantly and you are exercising like that, I'm certain it's muscle that you gained and not bad weight -- keep up the good work, you seem to be on the right track!!

Emily

Hatedabears · April 2012

Sounds like you are in a bad place. Keep exercising. Eat more fruit and veggies and be proud of the small steps you are taking and quit worrying about the scale. Do clothes fit better, do you have more energy, are you in better shape than when you started??

Specialkayrina · April 2012

I would try lowering your carbs, that's what works for me.

jimmie25 · April 2012

try upping your calories? the more u exercise, the more fuel u need in order to keep ur body working the way it needs to.

badapdos · April 2012

It looks like you only drank 4 cups of water yesterday! That's half of what you should be drinking! The more water you drink, the more you will pee out, and the less your body will retain. Sounds weird, but it works. And as everyone else said too, lower your carbs and fats

Shayztar · April 2012

I've always been set to the goal of "lose 1 pound per week" so this is the calorie intake that was designated.
so I should completely ignore what MFP sets because its probably wrong? And try to teach myself whats proper for me?

It's worth considering. You can try calculating your BMR, then calculate your TDEE and times it by 7 to get calories per week. One pound is approx 3500 calories. That means you can take your TDEE x 7 then reduce that by 3500. Divide by 7 again and that might be closer to your true caloric intake required to lose 1 lbs per week.

Try this link: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/

A lot of people suggest not eating below your BMR. Some people think that eating below BMR messes up metabolism. Eating more to lose weight is confusing because of what we've learned growing up. But that's how so many yo-yo dieters exist. Still don't beleive me? Check out the groups section. There are lots of groups dedicated to people who eat more to lose more.

Good luck!

cmriverside · April 2012

Cutting back Sodium is only going to make a couple pounds difference, and only temporarily. You can get the same effect by just increasing your water intake. The lower Sodium only causes less fluid retention. It's not a long-term weight loss solution. Keep it to 1500 mg daily and you'll be fine. But, as the above poster stated, you have to balance your Sodium with sufficient Potassium. The way to do that is to incorporate more fruits and veggies.

You can lose weight by cutting back on certain things in the short-term, but the way to maintain a healthy weight is by giving your body all the nutrients it needs to function well. That means lots of vegetables and lean protein.

bizgirl26 · April 2012

When I look at your diary it seems like you start the day off right but eat a lot of your calories at night and your choices might not be the best because I am thinking you are probably really hungry at night. Maybe try to eat more protein at breakfast and lunch. Hang in there, it takes longer for some

BethTucker · April 2012

I noticed that you are drinking alcohol every day. Even though it isn't very much, alcohol can help you to retain water plus there are empty calories there that are processed by your body as sugar and toxins. I also noticed that you don't have many fruits and very few vegetables listed. Increasing these will go a long way at helping you to drop the weight you want. Finally, the only thing that worked for me was a food scale. It helps me to know exactly how much I am eating, it keeps me honest, and I highly recommend it.

BrieGoorts · April 2012

I can't be happy with the small steps Ive taken though. Yes clothes do fit a little better, But I hate how I look when I see myself in a mirror, I don't have more energy at all, I'm exhausted all the time, and I guess I'm in a little better shape then I was before...
It's just, I've put so much emotional energy into this, and I feel like I'm getting no where and nothing I do works. I don't want counting calories, carbs, sodium and fats to control my life.

AZKristi · April 2012

I noticed that you frequently drank rum and diet coke after dinner this week. In my experience, the scale doesn't budge or I gain when I consume alcohol, even if I am well below my caloric limits. Also, what are you calling one drink? shot glasses range in volume from 1 oz to 3 oz. Rum has 70 calories per ounce, so make sure you use a reliable measuring device.

psuLemon · April 2012

I've always been set to the goal of "lose 1 pound per week" so this is the calorie intake that was designated.
so I should completely ignore what MFP sets because its probably wrong? And try to teach myself whats proper for me?

It's worth considering. You can try calculating your BMR, then calculate your TDEE and times it by 7 to get calories per week. One pound is approx 3500 calories. That means you can take your TDEE x 7 then reduce that by 3500. Divide by 7 again and that might be closer to your true caloric intake required to lose 1 lbs per week.

Try this link: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/

A lot of people suggest not eating below your BMR. Some people think that eating below BMR messes up metabolism. Eating more to lose weight is confusing because of what we've learned growing up. But that's how so many yo-yo dieters exist. Still don't beleive me? Check out the groups section. There are lots of groups dedicated to people who eat more to lose more. Good luck!

This.

Set goal at 1 lb per week, eat 50-75% of your exercise calories, try 40% carbs, 40% protein and 20% fats and relax. Stress can prevent weight loss just as much as under eating or over eating.

And your weight gain is all water. You would have to eat 14000 calories above your TDEE to gain 4 lbs of fat.

deksgrl · April 2012

With 33 pounds to lose, I think 1 pound a week is very reasonable. I wouldn't say MFP is "wrong". It is just that there can be a lot of factors going on.

-you could be underestimating the number of calories you are eating. (if you aren't measuring, this is likely)
-you could be overestimating the number of calories you are burning. (unless you are using a heart rate monitor, this is an estimate)

Have you also gone to the doctor and ruled out any potential health issues that would prevent you from losing?

LeslieMDoyle · April 2012

if you have been trying to keep sodium low then perhaps it is time to look at your other nutrients? i see that your carbs are way high...mayb have one or two meals a day that are lower in carbs? i have found that limiting myself to under 50 a day is the only way my body loses. and maybe incorporate more whole foods into your meals? maybe have a salad everyday for lunch...loaded with veggies and protien...but nothing out of a package. avoiding processed foods with reduce your sodium levels quickly! you would be shocked by where they cram sodium now-a-days!

This is kind of what I've been doing. It's been easier to incorporate than I anticipated. But I live alone and don't have to worry about cooking to please others. I have a salad of baby greens or spinach, tuna, avocado,and almond slices for lunch. I have a piece of fruit in the morning and a raw vegetable in the afternoon. I drink Shakeology (meal replacement-type beverage) for breakfast. And dinner is a lean piece of meat cooked with veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, carrots, or fresh green beans). I've all but removed carbs from my diet recently. I just started here at the beginning of March and adjusted to this type of diet about three weeks ago. And I'm donw 8.8...and counting.

Of course, I have 100 lbs to lose. But I don't work out for 60 mins a day either. I walk/run for lunch five days of the week. And I do a dance/aerobics DVD for 25-45 mins 3-5 nights of the week. But so far, I'm seeing results that I'm happy with.

I sure hope you can find the right mix of nutrients/calories/workouts, etc. I feel your frustration in your words. Just keep tweaking things and stick with it. Don't throw in the towel just yet. Whether or not the weight is coming off, you're still doing good things for your body!

mkgk03 · April 2012

I wish I could see your previous weigh-ins.

There's a few things you can do to shake things up a little as a way to "shock" the scale:
1. Drink 6-8 glasses of water a day. I don't see a lot of water intake on your food diary, so just track it so you're completely sure of how many oz you're drinking. I measure my oz using water bottles.
2. Try measuring every single thing you eat and making sure the calories that MFP uses are the same that are on the packaging of your foods.
3. Try a different work out this week, but do it towards the beginning of your "weigh-in week." As in, if you weigh-in on Sundays, do a different work out on Monday or Tuesday. Try not to work out the day before you weigh in, as to avoid retaining water as much as possible.
4. Try getting in 5-8 servings of vegetables per day. As much as I'm an advocate for fruit, try avoiding it for a week and see what happens with the vegetables.
5. Take a couple rest days. Studies show that calorie intake has a bigger effect on weight loss than exercise does. I have always heard doctors say it's 80% calorie intake, 20% exercise. It seems to me that you focus more on the exercise part than the calories part.
6. Don't eat any exercise calories for a week.
7. Only count the weight on your weigh-in day, and don't look at the numbers in between. So, as I said, if you weigh-in on Sundays, only count those weigh-ins towards your ticker updates.

What am I doing wrong?

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