This weight won't come off... HELP!

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Jojo0877
Jojo0877 Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
I've just opened up my diary to the community and I'm asking for you assistance. I have been STRUGGLING to get this weight off. I'm following "clean" eating which allows for 2 cheat meals during the week (the cheat meals are typically on Sat and Sun) and eating approx 1200 calories daily (recommended by MFP). I know that my "clean" eating has NOT been perfect but when I started the program the first 5 pounds or so fell off BUT it's taken me a month to lose 4 LBS. Can you wonderful members of MFP take a look at my food diary and offer some advice, pointers on where I'm potentially going wrong, etc..??? Any help would be appreciated!
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  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    A few suggestions:

    1. Eat more fresh foods......you think are you eating "clean" but you are still eating a lot of processed foods (hot dogs, packaged meat, etc). Eat more fruits and vegetables. They are good for you!!
    2. You probably need to eat more. 1200 is not a lot of calories. Search "Eat More Weigh Less" and then go to fat2fitradio.com. Do some research and see if a higher calorie goal wouldn't help you more.
    3. 4lbs in a month isn't anything to complain about. That's 1lb/week. That's really good. Be satisfied that you are losing. You didn't put the weight on quickly - it's not going to come off quickly either.

    Good luck!
  • ATLMel
    ATLMel Posts: 392 Member
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    Agree with above. Some days you only have 1 or 2 fresh foods. Try to substitute more fresh veggies over things like hot dogs and such.

    Also, you eat a lot of sugar. Ketchup is PACKED with sugar. If you want a topping for something like a hot dog, try diced tomatoes instead. Really pay attention to the kinds of calories you are getting as opposed to just the number of calories. Minimize the sugar and also think about upping your calories. 1200 is super low, especially if you're also working on your fitness by incorporating some cardio into it all.
  • Jojo0877
    Jojo0877 Posts: 5
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    Thanks to both of you for your advice.
    I swear the turkeydog thing isn't normal -- although it does look like it. I had a package (which I should have thrown out) and was eating 1 as a quick dinner!
    Question on the sugar.... The program I'm following talks about not eating any food over 5g Sugar per serving. I THOUGHT I've been adhering to this (I'm now a label freak and the bread, ketchup, etc -- all has said less than 5g/serving - so I assumed it was okay), I also thought I was getting MOST of my sugar grams from fruit (the banana in my smoothie and the apple) - would you recommend I switch to fruits with less sugar?
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    I personally don't think sugars from fruit are bad, but there are varying opinions on that. I do think you need more veggies. Lots more.
    And you are getting a lot of sugar from other foods - there's a stir fry listed for 11g of sugar, ketchup for 8g, Starbucks today for 73g (everyone needs a treat now and then though!). That's the stuff you need to pay attention to.

    You said you are following a program. What kind of program?
  • Jojo0877
    Jojo0877 Posts: 5
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    Jackie Warner's "this is why you're fat" :-) haha!!! I obviously haven't been following it correctly though. I feel stupid now... I was thinking if it's under 5g/serving it was okay... which IT IS but NOT if I have over 1 serving - which then doubles the amount of sugar I'm taking in (the stirfry and ketchup).

    There are more details to her program but these are the basics...
    5 days of clean eating (which I know I've been off on)
    All Whole Grain Carbs (where I've also cheated)
    Nothing over 5g/sugar per serving (because your body won't register it if it's under 5g's)
    2 servings of fruits
    2-3 servings of veggies
    Lean proteins
    2 Cheat Meals on the weekends (the cheat meals CANNOT exceed 1500 calories per meal)
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    Is there a reason that you aren't just doing MFP? Calories in, calories out? Can you see yourself following the "This is Why You're Fat" program for the rest of your life? I'm not trying to be snarky.....but people who seem to have the most success simply follow MFP. It's a lifestyle. It makes you accountable for your calories and you can tailor it to fit your needs (macro settings, etc). With gimmicky programs, you are learning to follow a set of rules that may or may not be accurate or helpful and then what happens when you are off the program? You go back to old habits and that can derail your success. Just some "food" for thought.
  • Jojo0877
    Jojo0877 Posts: 5
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    Not taken as snarky at all; I guess I thought I need a program to offer structure/guidelines. I've always thought of MFP as a tool to guage progress but not necessarily something that was going to point me in the right direction!
  • wilson1024
    wilson1024 Posts: 126 Member
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    Took me over 3 months to lose 20 lbs......... It just takes determination, time, and patience. Keep eating clean and exercise it will eventually happen :) Good Luck!
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    Not taken as snarky at all; I guess I thought I need a program to offer structure/guidelines. I've always thought of MFP as a tool to guage progress but not necessarily something that was going to point me in the right direction!

    Hmm...I think (and this could just be me personally) that MFP offers all the structure needed. A calorie goal to meet daily. Macros to customize to your needs (low carb, watching sugar, sodium, etc). Like I said, it's about teaching yourself how to live life while watching what you eat - in a realistic way. I like that with MFP I can eat whatever I want. If I want to use my calories on a hamburger and fries, I can. But that also teaches me that having something super high in calories limits what I can eat the rest of the day. It's a way to learn about making good choices, while still being able to indulge now and then.
  • dlf88
    dlf88 Posts: 13 Member
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    add 250 calories to your diet and increase exercise
  • GreenEyedLady1
    GreenEyedLady1 Posts: 67
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    what is your current weight?

    if you have as much to lose as it says on your page, i can pretty much guarantee you are not eating enough calories if you are only eating 1200 calories a day. also, as others have mentioned, eat more veggies, more protein and some good fats to help you feel fuller longer.
  • MtnKat
    MtnKat Posts: 714
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    What about eating a little more often (6 times rather than 3 or 4) to rev up your metabolism? Just add a small snack in there and see how that goes.
  • suziecue66
    suziecue66 Posts: 1,312 Member
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    Maybe you are under-estimating calories and going a bit overboard on cheat days. Perhaps one cheat day will suffice?
  • TinaTH
    TinaTH Posts: 1
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    What is MFP?
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    What is MFP?

    My Fitness Pal
  • Jojo0877
    Jojo0877 Posts: 5
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    I don't think I'm underestimating my calories, I'm label checking and weighing everything I make. Although up until this post I would have sworn that a serving of ketchup was 2 tablespoons.... OOPPS!!!

    I'll definitely try adding smaller (veggies and fruit) snacks into my diet.
    I'm not ready to up my calories just yet... I'm (surprisingly) not hungry on the 1200 I'm eating.
  • megmanning
    megmanning Posts: 20
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    I agree with the posts about fruits and veggies. However, I noticed that you don't drink enough water. It is vital to get all the water you need. I know it seems counter-intuitive that drinking more will help you lose weight, but in the beginning that is all I did. I lost my first 10 pounds strictly by drinking at least 68 ounces of water daily. We need water to flush us out. Best of luck in your journey!
  • rcclcruiser
    rcclcruiser Posts: 98 Member
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    Mine won't come off either and I exercise a lot (like I always have), eat strawberries, blueberries, bananas, healthy homemade salads, high fiber beans, and tuna. I am about ready to burn my scale! However, I am never sick and just had a lipid panel done to test for cholesterol, diabetes, triglycerides, etc. and everything looks great. Don't let the scale tell you how healthy you are. It always takes its own sweet time in moving down, especially at my age. Just enjoy how good you are feeling because you are now having a healthy lifestyle!
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,239 Member
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    What about eating a little more often (6 times rather than 3 or 4) to rev up your metabolism? Just add a small snack in there and see how that goes.

    This will do nothing. Meal frequency has zero effect on metabolism. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/529002-a-compliation-on-meal-frequency

    It is highly likely you need to eat more than 1200 calories especially if you are not eating your exercise calories.
  • Bakerchk
    Bakerchk Posts: 424 Member
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    Fairly embarassing to admit but I'm 212 and 5'2

    Don't be embarassed! We are all here to help. I saw some awesome suggestions above. I can say personally, I lost quite a bit of weight eating 1200 calories, and then I started to gain. I bumped it up to 1400 and I feel much better. More energized and I stopped gaining. I'm still at a plateau but that's okay. I try to eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies and I pay attention to all aspects of anything packaged. I look at sodium, sugar, carb, calories, etc. I try to stay under or at my goal for all of these. It sounds like a lot of work, but you'll get used to it, and you will learn which foods you can eat. I cut out so many of my favorite foods, but to be honest, I don't miss them. Best of luck to you! And if you want support feel free to add me.

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