Help....a bit discouraged :(

Seems like we are all on the same boat! On your food diary you should add sodium and fiber and track those. I agree about the processed meats and salted nuts. I am going crazy myself trying to find better things to eat. That being said it does take time and money to eat healthy and what works for one may not work for you. You must drink 8-10 (8 oz) cups/bottles of water every day. More if you are working out hard and sweating a lot. Increasing your fiber and water will get things moving again! In fact, I have experienced such good results in that department where before I was a little sluggish that I feel so much better and certainly not bloated! Just plan on spending more time in the grocery store looking at labels on the foods you do not purchase fresh. You will be surprised at what you see...or at least I was! MFP is a great resource. Go to the Community Forum and look for recipe ideas (some are just plan strange but I always pickup a few good tips!). Good luck to you!:flowerforyou:

I agree with the 1000 cals, its too low.. but also dont go by the scale.. use your clothes as a guide line. When you gain muscle it will show up as weight gain. Dont get discouraged by the scale.. I wish ppl would throw there scales away.. i recommended to weigh once a month, i think that weekly weighing is bad for your self image. Or at least do it 2 times a month..

It would be discouraging, but it's not your fault -- it's bad advice that you've been given. I would seriously consider finding a new trainer or doing it on your own, because any trainer telling you to eat 1000 calories/day and then workout to burn hundreds more doesn't know what he's doing. You need to feed your body; that's the most important thing (and important for keeping things moving along in the washroom, too).

Up your calories, drink lots of water, and be patient. You have to be prepared for the possibility of a bit of a gain when you first increase your calories, but it'll even out soon enough.

Good luck.

:noway:
You're starving yourself.
You're not drinking anywhere near enough water.
You're eating next to no fruit and vegetables.
You're eating way too much sodium.

Your trainer is WRONG. The guy is a dinosaur. Sorry, but there's no other way of putting this. 1000 kcal per day was the industry standard thirty years ago, when folks generally didn't know balanced nutrition from Adam.

The packaged meats and cheese you're having are packed with sodium and other preservatives, the kind of chemical goodness that makes you retain water. Just as bad: the salted cashews! Nuts are terrific, but they should be raw, unsalted and unoiled. In other words, right now you're getting a lot of salt and chemical crap and very little that will allow your body to function properly.

You should be eating an absolute minimum of 1200 kcal per day, predominantly fresh produce and protein. Yes, it takes planning and time to cook from fresh, but believe me, it will be worth it!

THIS THIS THIS ^^^ If you continue eating this way you are gonna be in for a world of hurt one day.

I feel for you but being a trainer that is not enough calories. Unless your trainer has a nutrition certificate he should not be telling you what or how to eat. You need to go see a nutritionist. You need to keep your food in my fitness pal for two weeks and print your reports when you go otherwise you will waste your money on your first appointment. They like to give you advice based on the foods you eat. What did you tell your trainer your goals were, starting weight, how many hours in the six days, what do you do at the gym with him,cardio, strength.....I think his could be a good trainer he just might not be a good fit for you and your goals.

Thanks everyone for the replies and support. This is my first time trying to lose weight. I am 185 currently and 5'2. Would like to get down (and not in a miraculous amount of time) to 135. Sometimes you do not know who to trust and all kinds of advise gets you more confused. I appreciate everyone's help!

I'm taller and older than you, but otherwise your situation seems fairly similar to mine a year and a half ago. I had about the same amount of weight to lose and it was also my first serious effort to lose weight. I hadn't made even a token effort to lose weight since my teens, and I didn't need to do it then.

Six days a week of cardio on a base calorie budget of only 1000 calories a day seems awfully aggressive to me, especially for a woman in her 40s who may have gained the weight in the first place because of a lowered metabolic rate due to age related muscle loss. Do you strength train? That was the key for me, along with a moderate calorie deficit and a moderate cardio exercise program. Maybe you're just not logging it, but if you really aren't doing any strength training, then that's another good reason to fire your trainer. I used the resistance machines at the gym, which I know isn't the most effective option. But the low learning curve made it the easiest option for me.

A word of warning about new exercise programs: in the short term, water retained by sore muscles as part of the recovery process may make it appear that you are plateauing, or even gaining, when you have actually lost fat. That may be at least part of the reason your weight is up this week (possibly along with sodium and/or time of the month issues).

For what it's worth, my recommendation would be to set up MFP for a 1 pound/week loss, swap 3 of the 6 elliptical sessions for strength training sessions, and eat back at least 2/3rds of the exercise calories.

I started around your weight and am 5'2" also!! I have been doing MFP for 8 weeks and have been losing a little weight per week. However, I have lost 10 inches and almost 5% body fat!!! I only work out 3-4 times per week (goal is 4) and my trainer has me on 1200 calories a day. (Protein at 40%, fat 30%, and carb 30%). Hope this helps!! Please be patient and give it some time. Also, if you are working out 6x per week, you are most likely gaining muscle which weighs more than fat, but it burnes ALOT more calories than fat! Good luck!!

You're not going because your body is using up ALL the food you're giving it. I agree with everyone else, up your calories!!

I agree with the 1000 cals, its too low.. but also dont go by the scale.. use your clothes as a guide line. When you gain muscle it will show up as weight gain. Dont get discouraged by the scale.. I wish ppl would throw there scales away.. i recommended to weigh once a month, i think that weekly weighing is bad for your self image. Or at least do it 2 times a month..

Totally agree with this. I weigh in on the first of every month. Your body fluctuates so much, especially with being a woman, that daily and/or weekly weigh ins are not necessarily the best move for everyone. Go by how you feel vs. what the scale says.

And, most definately, kick the trainer out the door!!!!!

That is not enough food for someone who works out 6x a week. I don't think it's enough food for people who don't work out, either. If I were you, I would get a new trainer.

Yes, that trainer is not steering you in the right direction. Your body need so much more fuel when you are extremely active (workout 5+ days a week). Please, please, please up your calories or you will continue to gain.