At My Wits End

Hey i can tell you one thing you have to stick with something for a longer period of time. Don't keep changing your routine or you will never see results. You have to try something give it a few this could be 2 or 3 weeks even....If that doesn't work then tweek it and try something else to see if that works....It took me a few tries to figure out howto shed my stomach fat but i finally got it....Hope this helps...

I think you should try and drink the 2L of water a day. It helps fill you up, gives you energy, and is good for your complexion and hair Also, try and eat as many fruits and vegetables as you can, less calories for how big they are.
I'm not an expert or anything, I've only been on here a week, but I try and eat 3 meals a day of around 350 cal, and 2 snacks around 150 cal each. This only puts me at 1350 for the day, and I set my self a max of 1500. I noticed your daily goal is set was set at over 2000 for one day. Did you set that or did MFP?
You mentioned you are fussy, what kinds of foods do you like and dislike?

Manda

I was told by a trainer to watch your sugars, carbs and sodium. You do eat a lot of processed foods and your body just doesn't know how to deal with those the same way it deals with whole foods. I see what you said about being a fussy eater. Sometimes that can be changed. My son was a very fussy eater but wanted to become a chef. He now eats things I wouldn't even consider eating ( and I am not a fussy eater) Picky eating is all a state of mind.

That being said, your food preferences are what they are. Do you eat salad? Instead of pre packaged meals, make a large salad and have some chicken with it. If you get greek yogurt, get plain greek yogurt and add some fruit to it. Don't buy the sweetened flavoured stuff.

It is possible to eat well on a restricted budget, you just need to be selective. It will take you some time to grocery shop at first but you are better shopping around the perimeter of the store. That is where the healthier choices are. Stay away from things that come in a box.

Good luck.. I know this isn't easy but it is doable.

your diet needs a major over haul. no one here started out knowing anything or every thing either so dont fret over that. do some reading on nutrition and use several sources. the less packaged goods the better (imo)

your carbs are high. MFP guidelines for the macros are way out of whack. they love carbs and dislke protein for some unstated reason.

hang in there...it gets easier with some time and persistence

Hey

First off good on you for giving this a go - losing weight isn't as easy as everyone makes out sometimes, especially if you're not overly fond of different or new foods!

Anyway here's my two cents: first off I'd knock as much of the processed food on the head as possible. Whilst technically *yes* it may be reduced sodium/whatever - it's still pumped with a myriad of chemicals, and been through multiple chemical processes to turn it into the food item that ends up on your plate. I work in a department where new food products are conceptualised and produced and tested... and what goes into making that chicken burger or kiev would certainly put you off if you saw it in action!

Budget wise it's really easy to recreate these things at home - and it'll no doubt taste a million times better and save you money (and trees from the cardboard packaging!). Turkey/chicken mince is SO cheap, and it's easy to make your own burgers. You could make a batch and freeze them, that way it's EXACTLY the same as using the stuff you buy premade. Kievs are also easy - if you make a slit in a whole chicken breast and put some herb butter in and then breadcrumb it using home breadcrumbs (you can do wholegrain which is even better) and bake it, it's way more nutritious and tasty!

Anyway, that aside (sorry to go off on one) - give yourself time! As others said, water is key - that 2 litres really does make the difference I find. I struggled at first but now think nothing of chugging back a 750ml bottle near enough in one go. Stick in some fruits and veg - frozen is just as good (and cheaper probably) as buying fresh, and is a good source of natural fibre to keep things regular haha.

Good luck!

I was told by a trainer to watch your sugars, carbs and sodium. You do eat a lot of processed foods and your body just doesn't know how to deal with those the same way it deals with whole foods. I see what you said about being a fussy eater. Sometimes that can be changed. My son was a very fussy eater but wanted to become a chef. He now eats things I wouldn't even consider eating ( and I am not a fussy eater) Picky eating is all a state of mind.

That being said, your food preferences are what they are. Do you eat salad? Instead of pre packaged meals, make a large salad and have some chicken with it. If you get greek yogurt, get plain greek yogurt and add some fruit to it. Don't buy the sweetened flavoured stuff.

It is possible to eat well on a restricted budget, you just need to be selective. It will take you some time to grocery shop at first but you are better shopping around the perimeter of the store. That is where the healthier choices are. Stay away from things that come in a box.

Good luck.. I know this isn't easy but it is doable.

This is wonderful advice. I just started my "lifestyle change" and I didn't even realize that we, now, do 90% of our grocery shopping around the perimeter of the store until I read this. Once you start the change and realize how great the foods taste it's like you've always shopped this way. You can get a lot of great recipes from everyone here!

Search the message boards for a "Recipe Website" thread. I was on it a couple days ago and now I can't find it for you but it had wonderful ideas on it and I ended up starting my own little cookbook of my favorite recipes from the different websites. I wrote a couple down.

Www.skinnytaste.com
www.food.com
www.allrecipes.com
www.simplyrecipes.com
www.honeywhatscooking.com
www.momvsfood.blogspot.com

Good Luck and God Bless :bigsmile:

There's a lot of great advice on here and a lot of great people willing to help. When you find the right groove you will know it. Your body will let you know. You will feel great. If you're feeling sluggish and tired you are doing something wrong. Keep some notes about what you eat and and drink and how it makes you feel.

It's very common that when someone is carrying too much weight they can suffer from sleep apnea. If that is the case with you, it is a very vicious cycle. You'll wake up tired and stay tired. Then it's almost impossible to advance. You might want to check it out just in case. There are things you can do that do not cost anything.

You'll get there. Once you get that ball rolling it will be easy.

You are doing ok calorie-wise, and that's good because you are learning to control your overeating. But what you are eating, not so great. Where are the fruit and veggies? Where is the water?

You are still eating a lot of processed, salty foods.

I understand you are a picky eater, but no human being comes into the world not liking food that humans are meant to eat. I mean really, think about it. That you may prefer processed, salty foods over wholesome, natural foods just means that you have an acquired taste, is all. Just like you learned to like some things, you can learn to like others. You can learn to like fruit and veggies, for example.

Some food you may just have to stop eating for a while. Like peanut butter, butter, and garlic bread, stuff like that. I have found certain foods to hinder my weight loss no matter how little of it I eat LOL. For you, for example, I notice every time you have butter you have 100 calories worth! Salted butter is only 34 calories a teaspoon, so you are choosing to have quite a bit each time. Either reduce how much of it you're having or stop eating it. For me, for example, creamy peanut butter is only 94 calories a tablespoon, but I'm a pig when it comes to peanut butter, I just can't stop at one or even 2 tablespoons. So I rarely eat it now.

You MUST drink water. I cannot stress this enough. It's just overall a good thing to do. It helps you lose weight, helps your skin, helps your organs and other insides to function, keeps your bowels healthy and moving regularly, flushes excess salt out, everything.

Exercise...I don't think you are moving enough. It's great that you are walking, but you are moving so slowly. 2mph on your walks? Maybe bump it up a bit. Try walking just 1 mile in 20 minutes. That's 3mph. And stop counting things like cleaning and food preparation as exercise. Do you break a sweat while preparing your meals? Is it really a workout? The swimming you did was AWESOME though. Maybe try to do that on a more regular basis? and if you can swim like that, then walking faster should be no problem for you.

I know groceries are high, but if you buy a turkey breast or turkey even better, or chicken all of it can be seperated and made into numerous meals Turkey one day, turkey salad the next , turkey soups same with chicken. you add potato veggies or rice and you can have several meals. A Cost up front , but when its broke down ,cost wise its actually cheaper to cook than buying $3 and $4 frozen pre packaged meals. Lean hamburger can be made several ways. Chuck roast makes great veggie soup starter or even a beef bone. Fresh veggies should last you if its only you eating them. If you are worried about spoilage, fresh green beans can be frozen along with peppers to add to your food dishes later.
While you are out of work, check with your social services about some food help,,there is no shame in getting a little help when you need it.. Good luck

Eat less than your TDEE and you will lose weight. How quickly this happens is very individual.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/538381-in-place-of-a-road-map

Don't be discourage, take a look at your food journal. Do you burn more that you are putting in your body? a friend told me, if you drink a class of water with lemon in the morning it will jump start your metabolism.

All i can tell you is what seems to be working for me. And its real real simple. I stay at or below MFP recommended calorie intake for my goals. I indicate that I do zero exersize each week so that MFP took into consideration the least active i would be when calculating my recommended calorie intake each day. MFP spit out the recommended daily amount and all i am doing is eating all the same foods i've always eaten, but staying within the calories each day.

Works for me wonderfully so far! Bottom line, you can try all these different options and ideas. However the simple truth of our systems is this, it takes calories to gain weight! Burn more than you take in and you lose weight. But don't starve yourself so that your system kicks into starvation mode. Follow the recommended calories on MFP, at least that works for me.

Oh, and last but most important. Believe! Stick with it! And hold this as YOUR priority above all else, for YOU.

Have a wonderful journey, its not an easy one but stay positive !