Open Diary...what am I doing wrong?

Hopingforchange
Hopingforchange Posts: 108
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been trying to lose 15 pounds for over a year. I have not even tracked the gains that I have had since I started since I seem to keep losing and gaining the same pounds.

I am 42, so the metabolism is definitely slowing down, and I have a desk job where I am sitting ALL day long. I try to move around as much as possible.

I am working out twice per day on most days. I either do morning and evening on the treadmill (30-40 minutes) either walk/run intervals, or walking at 3.5 with incline between 5 and 7.

I have just this past week starting to weight train at the gym MWF on my lunch hour. On these days, I usually only do one treadmill workout.

So, does ANYONE have any input. I am completely frustrated.
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Replies

  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,474 Member
    you need to get up and get going more,, on your breaks, get up and go walking!,,,do the stairs, GET FOCUSED, YOU CAN DO IT!
  • soonernick
    soonernick Posts: 63 Member
    Don't over think what you are doing. If something has not been working, then try something else. Take up a new sport or find something challenging and beat it.
  • healthynursein2015
    healthynursein2015 Posts: 16 Member
    hows your eating? make sure you are eating enough calories., also in the begining with weight training you might gain just a few pounds , but dont let that stop you it will level out when your body adjust and you start building muscle. muscle burns more calories. so keep it up. sounds like you are doing great. But do make sure you are eating enough calories , my health coach at work has me eating 6 small meals/snacks a day , to keep my metabolisum going all day. so you dont have the high and low dips. good luck! And keep going !
  • velsbree
    velsbree Posts: 69
    add more activity, make sure you get your heart rate up. You can try DVD's and see which ones you find fun Zumba is a lot of fun, give it a shot
  • vaca2013
    vaca2013 Posts: 2 Member
    Wow . This sounds exactly like my story. Diet after diet, year after year. Trying something new that seems to be very effective for me. I am 55 and relatively sedentary also so my metabolism is also at low tide. A friend of mine gave me a book that you might want to Google and read excerpts from to check it out. It is on weight loss/building muscle. I have been losing weight in the past but also lose muscle at the same time. The book is The Four Hour Body. This book is made up of scientific studies throughout the years, a compilation of recent studies. It works!! I'm on my second week and I feel great. I am losing about 2-3 pounds a week and losing inches.
    Basically, it says, high lean protein, unrefined carbs, no dairy, 8+ glasses of water and minimal exercise. It does go into body building techniques later in the book, but the main message is there.
  • Hopingforchange
    Hopingforchange Posts: 108
    Thanks to those that responded. Not sure how much more I can do. I am already exercising an hour per day. I have a full time job, a husband and 2 kids. I also have housework, etc to squeeze in. My heart rate is definitely getting up. I do not really get any "breaks" at work, just the hour for lunch. I am eating six small meals per day and drinking at least 8 glasses of water.
  • columbus27
    columbus27 Posts: 178 Member
    Move all of your sweats and processed foods to your cheat day/meal. Get some of those glad lock containers cook and freeze your meals. Get a scale if you don't have one. Go to this website http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ and read and watch videos for a few days and regroup.
  • Smuterella
    Smuterella Posts: 1,623 Member
    too much cardio I think, you don't need to do an hour a day of cardio if you don't want to. Weight loss is more about diet than exercise.
  • amy1612
    amy1612 Posts: 1,356 Member
    You eat quite a lot of processed foods, maybe try replacing brownies, etc, with nuts, fruit and such. Theres a lot of crappy ingredients and fake sugars in low fat foods.

    You could also try maong your own, I mix ground almonds with an egg, some good quality ground cocoa, vanilla paste and sometimes a teaspooon of unrefined brown sugar. Bake in the oven for 10-15 mins, is very rich.
  • budru21
    budru21 Posts: 127
    I read over the past week from your diary and would say you aren't eating enough LEAN protein, too much fat, and too few calories. You eat way too much processed junk. If you are doing as much cardio as you are saying, you aren't eating enough to support that. Your body will not want to release any fat, for fear of starving to death. You are losing WEIGHT..not fat. Weight is muscle, which is the furnace for burning the fat. I would recommend eating more whole foods, lean protein, less processed fats (cheese, candy for example), more veggies, and increasing CLEAN calories by a few hundred. Get your carbs from veggies, your fats from nuts and oils, and your protein from lean sources like egg whites, chicken, turkey, etc. Also, get rid of the sauces and extras....BBQ sauce for example offers no nutrition, but 50 plus empty, useless, sugar filled calories. Just a start...hope it helps. Keep at it. One day at a time!!
  • bearsmom82
    bearsmom82 Posts: 72 Member
    I'm working mom as well, so I know how hard it is to fit in the exercise and to eat well. That said, I'm worried that you might have too many processed foods in your diet. I saw where you were well above daily sodium limit - and that can really work against you by making your body retain water.

    For the exercise - along with your workouts (good for you girl!) try to incorporate walking into more daily activities. For my regular routine, I always walk to one bus stop farther away than necessary. Also, when you use the washroom at work, go to the facility 2 or 3 floors up from your office. And avoid elevators - use the stairs whenever you can. Small things, but over months, they really add up.

    Finally, I recommend the FitBit - it shows your steps, mileage and calorie burn. For me, it was an incredible incentive to walk more. Now I park at the far end of the parking lot (to the kids' dismay) to get more steps in.

    Don't get discouraged. The tried and true "eat less, excercise more" WILL work for you!
  • wants2travel
    wants2travel Posts: 32 Member
    On the days you are tracking, I think you are eating too much processed food. I don't see many fruits or vegetables or lean protein. Although you are within your calories, you are eating alot of food with empty calories (brownies, pop chips, etc.). You won't lose the weight until you change your eating habits. You are doing more than enough exercise.
  • vicmonster
    vicmonster Posts: 297 Member
    I'm no expert but have experienced that 1200 calories a day is not good for the body. Even if you're small, I'm 5'1", 110lbs and it wasn't healthy or enough for me. Look up the group forum on MFP for Eat More to Weigh Less, there's a lot of good information and links to tools that will help you select the right amount of calories for you. Good luck!
  • momma3sweetgirls
    momma3sweetgirls Posts: 743 Member
    Your calorie goal seems a little low. With just 15 pounds to lose your setting should be at 1/2 lb loss a week which gives you more calories to consume. You body starts to fight you on the 'home stretch' so to speak, so you need to change your strategy. You are also working out more and starting weight training so you definitely should increase your calories (quality calories of course!). You may need to experiment for a while to find the right balance of exercise and calories consumed. Good luck.
  • SGT_Reg
    SGT_Reg Posts: 186 Member
    You eat quite a lot of processed foods, maybe try replacing brownies, etc, with nuts, fruit and such. Theres a lot of crappy ingredients and fake sugars in low fat foods.

    You could also try maong your own, I mix ground almonds with an egg, some good quality ground cocoa, vanilla paste and sometimes a teaspooon of unrefined brown sugar. Bake in the oven for 10-15 mins, is very rich.

    This ^. And along with eating less processed foods, your sodium should come down a bit. Good luck!
  • Lar349
    Lar349 Posts: 29 Member
    Do u look different? X
  • ChristineS_51
    ChristineS_51 Posts: 872 Member
    Watch your sodium - maybe have potato rather than bread, still a carb, but no additives.
    Eat more fresh food, less processed food.

    Get some exercise early in the morning, even if it is just a quick5-10 min walk or ride on stationary bike. Kick your metabolism along :-)
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I agree with those that say 1200 might not be enough. With 15 pounds to go, you should have your weekly goal set to a half pound a week, so your daily calorie deficit might be too high for the amount of weight you want to lose.
  • findingmyhappyplace
    findingmyhappyplace Posts: 75 Member
    Too much cardio, not enough food. Search the forums for 'Eat More to Weigh Less'.
  • smsgreaves
    smsgreaves Posts: 57 Member
    Try to mix up your training. Get off the treadmill and try a cross trainer, bike, boxing, swimming, etc etc. You can use the same 40 minutes you would have used on the treadmill, doesn't have to be extra. Keep your body guessing!! And as for getting off processed foods, easier said than done with work, hubby, kids, housework etc. I totally understand!! I'm still fairly new to this and still eat way too much ready to go stuff, but I am also very time-poor. Hope you see some progress again soon, hang in there!
  • flyingwrite
    flyingwrite Posts: 264
    I would try increasing your calories. With only 15 pounds to lose, your settings should be to lose no more than .5 pound a week. I weight train three times a week and do cardio as well. Have you taken your measurements? This is where I've seen the biggest difference. I'm to the point now where I don't care about the scale. Eat to fuel your body. The weight training will make a huge difference, but it will take a couple of months of consistency to really see the difference. But don't be discouraged. It WILL happen!
  • Rosie010
    Rosie010 Posts: 2 Member
    Hi, looking at diary it seems like there are a lot of fattie processed foods. I think you should really up your fruit intake, and avoid preprepared things as its harder to measure their calorific and nutritional values. I can see that your inputting very small quantities of these fattie food - like cheese, but you may actually be surprised by the unaccounted calories your consuming - for example, you've said your only have 0.07oz of cheese, which is a really tiny amount - why not just avoid it all together.
    Weight training is a great idea and you'll no doubt see a difference - but to speed this up you need to increase your lean protein intake - lots of lean meat, fat free cottage cheese and natural yogurt. And as I said above fruit, fruit, fruit.
  • UticaBoy51
    UticaBoy51 Posts: 344 Member
    Maybe it is the calories late that is slowing you down. Try doing the bulk of your calories for Breakfast and go down from there. The rule I heard that made sense to me was, Breakfast like a king, Lunch like a queen and dinner like a pauper (sp?). Anyway, good luck and keep going. I am finding this to be hard as hell but worth it.
  • Miss_dannii
    Miss_dannii Posts: 1,351 Member
    Make sure you're 100% honest with your diary, that's all I'll say. I don't even trust what's in the database, I work out calories myself cos they can be totally wrong sometimes
    x
  • tabulator32
    tabulator32 Posts: 701 Member
    Eat more. Move more.

    I went back two weeks on your diary and half of your days are not even logged. Aside from that, the only thing I noticed was, on the days you logged, your sodium was occasionally high.

    Eat more. Move more.

    Keep the momentum.
  • inkandsheep
    inkandsheep Posts: 101 Member
    I have a similar amount to lose as you do and I've lost 11 pounds since April. I am younger than you (29) but also have a desk job. I don't do huge amounts of exercise although I try to walk whenever I can.

    I agree with others re: processed foods.
    Try to incorporate more whole foods into your diet - fresh fruit and veg, wholegrains (quinoa and brown rice are great), beans and legumes. I definitely noticed that when I made the change from eating whatever I wanted as long as it was within my calorie limit to eating foods that are actually good for me, I started losing more weight and feeling amazing. I'm not perfect, I still have some processed foods and treats (like a cupcake today...) but I really try to think of what I eat and what will be good for me.
  • katehad
    katehad Posts: 4
    Hey! Good job on staying focused. I work a desk job too...about every half hour or so I get up and do a "lap" around the floor just to stretch my legs and also clear my head. I also do Pilates (AeroPilates machine) for 80-90 minutes a day.

    I would work on incorporating more fruits,veggies and protein packed foods while using less processed foods. Do you have a food scale? If not I recommend you buy one. I got mine, the biggest loser one, at Bed Bath and Beyond for a little over $20. I bought mine about two months ago and weigh everything I eat. If you are like me you just assumed/eyeball the serving sizes, the scale really helps me see what an actual serving size is and makes sure that's what I am eating.

    Finally, drink water lots of water ( I average 16 cups a day) and log everything you eat even if it puts you over your calorie goal. You won't be able to change your eating habits unless they are right there for you to see.

    It's an attainable goal so stay focused you can do this :)
  • lkcuts
    lkcuts Posts: 224
    Yep I went back to June on your Diary and it looks like you don't log consistantly, you can't keep control of what goes in your mouth every day. switch out the candy (should be an occasional treat) and bring a boiled egg or if you like crab for instance they have crab sticks which are great high protein low cals ( dip in your own mix of cocktail sauce) log that too. I saw lots of processed snacks and foods.I read they have high fructose sugar ,msg and sodium that makes you hungrier. I look at the lables now on everything canned or processed if High frutose sugar is the top ingredient, I don't buy it. Fresh is the way to go. I just discovered the miracle noodle and use it once in awhile in a stir fry. the noodles have zero everything fills you up and adhere to the flavors you put in the stir fry. You get lots of veggies and the flavor is great. Basic food.. Meat,veggies and fruit. Good luck!
  • charlena48
    charlena48 Posts: 192 Member
    An hour of exercise a day is great! Switch up your food. Eat a lot of raw vegetables and make sure you are getting enough calories. Big thing for me - if I don't eat enough, I don't lose. I eat every few hours - many small things all day long. I eat breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner and I ususally have some calories left and have popcorn in the evening. I don't go over my calorie limit to eat it though. Feel free to add me as a friend. Good luck.
  • vegannlg
    vegannlg Posts: 170 Member
    Do u look different? X
    ^^^THIS! Good question. I just slipped into a size smaller even though the scale has not moved in 2 months. With the addition of weights, TAKE YOUR MEASUREMENTS. Ditch the scale for a while to reduce stress. Switch to whole grains, say bye bye to Sarah Lee, LOG EVERY DAY if you can (you sound really busy), go as "clean" on your diet as you can, and see how it goes for a while.

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