Open Diary...what am I doing wrong?

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  • Krys_140
    Krys_140 Posts: 648 Member
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    Given the amount of exercise you're doing, I think you may be eating too few calories. The processed foods aren't doing you any favors, either.

    Perhaps a small increase in calories (1,450 vs. 1,350-ish) and some more whole/fresh foods? Make the transition to higher calories gradual (add a little bit over the course of a week), and do the same with the fresh foods. Don't want to shock your digestive system into retaliating! :)

    Good luck, and congratulations on sticking with this for so long. That shows great determination on your part. You'll get there!!!

    Edited to add: I forgot to mention that logging everything you eat is as important as what you put in your mouth. It's hard for me to gauge how many calories/macros I'm eating on a daily basis unless I'm logging it. Try logging (faithfully) daily for a week before making any other changes, and see what happens!
  • piesbd
    piesbd Posts: 196 Member
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    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!!

    this....

    i saw a lot of processed foods, high in sodium. I would recommend you reduce that and eat more lean meats, veg/fruit.

    good kuck!
  • me083167
    me083167 Posts: 4
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    I literally have to plan my meals the night before. I have an active 6 year old and a hubby to feed and if I don't plan ahead I go off snacking or eating boxed processed stuff and I don't lose weight. 2 weeks I didn't lose anything, so the next two weeks I cooked, An Example is I cooked up a package of chicken and beef for shish kabobs and mixed in with fresh veges - we ate that for 3 days - one meal each day.

    You have to plan ahead when your life is so busy.
  • Laurie1267
    Laurie1267 Posts: 169 Member
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    I looked over your diary for a long period of time and there are significant breaks in logging. Also check your entries - there were brownies that were not recording the sugars. You are over in sugars pretty consistently and pretty high sodium levels. There is weight gain right there.

    Keep logging every day and check your macros daily as well.

    Good luck to you!
    Laurie
  • themedalist
    themedalist Posts: 3,214 Member
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    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.

    A million times THIS!!! It took me 11 months to lose 38 pounds and in the last month I've lost an additional 6 pounds and achieved my goal weight. And the difference? Although my diet had included a reasonable number of fruits and veggies before, in the last month I've infused my diet with fruits and veggies (especially leafy green veggies...spinach salad every day) and regularly get 10+ a days.

    Fruits and veggies are packed with nutrients. If you aren't getting enough nutritious food, your body won't be performing optimally and weight loss can stall. My food diary is open if you want to take a look.
  • MCsAngel2
    MCsAngel2 Posts: 49 Member
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    Based on what I can see in your diary, it's WHAT you're eating, not how much you're eating. I think your carbs (of which sugar is a part) are too high - you should aim for under 100g net carbs per day (total carbs minus total fiber - you can switch from tracking sugar to fiber instead). If it works for you, you can safely drop your daily carbs down to under 40. I do low carb and it does seem to be highly effective for women in particular.

    Also, up your protein....MFP's settings for protein are too low, try to get at least 75-100g protein per day. It will also keep you feeling full longer than carbs will (as will healthy fats...so don't be afraid of those).
  • pxlkitty4
    pxlkitty4 Posts: 4 Member
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    Based on what I can see in your diary, it's WHAT you're eating, not how much you're eating. I think your carbs (of which sugar is a part) are too high - you should aim for under 100g net carbs per day (total carbs minus total fiber - you can switch from tracking sugar to fiber instead). If it works for you, you can safely drop your daily carbs down to under 40. I do low carb and it does seem to be highly effective for women in particular.

    Also, up your protein....MFP's settings for protein are too low, try to get at least 75-100g protein per day. It will also keep you feeling full longer than carbs will (as will healthy fats...so don't be afraid of those).

    Yes, I completely agree with this. You need to customize settings... Go to "my home", "goals", and then edit. I had to change mine to ~75 grams carbs per day... The protein and fat adjusted accordingly (I aim for 1300 calories each day).
  • benegesserit
    benegesserit Posts: 19
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    You might try a low-carb approach (around 50 gm/day); keep sugar very low (<10 or 15 gm/day), as well as cutting out all grain, bread products, chips, stuff like that, for just a few weeks or so to see what happens.
  • pinkwhisk
    pinkwhisk Posts: 41
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    high carbs and low nutrient food? Try to increase your lean protein intake and drop the processed foods
  • pinkwhisk
    pinkwhisk Posts: 41
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    Based on what I can see in your diary, it's WHAT you're eating, not how much you're eating. I think your carbs (of which sugar is a part) are too high - you should aim for under 100g net carbs per day (total carbs minus total fiber - you can switch from tracking sugar to fiber instead). If it works for you, you can safely drop your daily carbs down to under 40. I do low carb and it does seem to be highly effective for women in particular.

    Also, up your protein....MFP's settings for protein are too low, try to get at least 75-100g protein per day. It will also keep you feeling full longer than carbs will (as will healthy fats...so don't be afraid of those).

    totally agree
  • RuthSweetTooth
    RuthSweetTooth Posts: 461 Member
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    Try the 5:30 rule a weight loss pro posted here before .. . . five fruits and vegetables minimum . . . . . You are pretty short, so I think your calories are about right, just don't get it lower than 1200. You could try 1200 for a week or so. . . . although that's not a whole lot, believe it or not, that's how much people get on Nutrisystem if I remember correctly. Also, at least five days a week you should do about 30 minutes of easy exercise like walking. I don't think your frequency of exercise was enough. You don't need to exercise as long as an hour. The weight training is a very good idea. It will make a difference.

    Fruits and vegetables often take fewer calories to digest than they contain. On some days I saw three fruits. Try making that just two fruits and the rest veggies.

    As someone mentioned before, calories are more important to weight loss than exercise. I once lost 40 pounds without any exercise. Now at 52, it definitely takes exercise too. Exercise is very helpful to fighting off major diseases including diabetes. It's a good thing you are exercising.

    Thanks for opening your diary and we hope the advice is helpful.

    Ruth
  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
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    sodium. period. you are eating a lot of packaged stuff vs. fresh stuff. packaged meat, chips, bread, etc. ridiculous amounts of packaged stuff. you aren't logging every day either..... but when you do I think just about every single thing you're eating is a packaged food. very little veggies. no fresh cooked meat. why is that? I think you've fallen into the 'low calorie must mean it's healthy' trap, which isn't the case. it looks as if (from your diary) you should be undernourished.

    Also, did you take into consideration that you're not losing because you're not feeding your body enough food - or the right type of fuel??
  • jenbridges
    jenbridges Posts: 213 Member
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    When I looked, I saw a lot of days with no logging. What did you eat on those days? That may have hurt. Also, on the days you did log, you go over on sodium often (not always very much). Maybe you are retaining water? And it seems like you go over on sugar a lot too. Maybe cut down on that as well. Good luck to you! :flowerforyou:
  • micervera
    micervera Posts: 114 Member
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    I am also on the home stretch & after reading what a lot of members have suggested I think I'm going to follow it. I am starting to think the the processed foods are not good and I know it's hard with a family & full time job. I would know how you feel cause I too am in the same boat. It looks we'll have to rearrange some things and experiment to see if this will work.
  • mermx
    mermx Posts: 976
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    2 things sugar & sodium.

    If you don`t burn the sugar it will store as fat.

    Too much sodium will retain water

    cut them both back and you will be fine ;-)
  • Kathy53925
    Kathy53925 Posts: 241 Member
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    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.


    Exactly my thought...sodium is way high. Too much bread. Try to add fruits and veggies. if you have to eat processed meats, try to find lower sodium. If you are working out alot, then increase your food a bit, but keep it good, healthy foods.
  • Linda_Darlene
    Linda_Darlene Posts: 453 Member
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    My 'good weeks' are when I eat at my BMR and don't eat back all my calories. Just keep it up. You will see results before you know it!
  • MrsFolk
    MrsFolk Posts: 205
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    Cut out the majority (or all) of the processed foods, lower your sodium and move more. It's all about trial and error and finding what works for you but make sure that all of your food decisons are healthy ones. Lifting weights is a great fat blaster, incorporate it into your routine. Good luck!
  • ajz2010
    ajz2010 Posts: 23 Member
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    You are eating almost all processed food, not lean meats and fruits and veggies. And eating one banana a day isn't enough! You are also not logging consistenly, and who knows, the days you don't log could be what is keeping you from losing the weight. If you REALLY want to do this, you have to be dedicated, you have to be consistent and you have to make a lifestyle change..... you can't say "what am I doing wrong - why I am not losing weight" when you haven't given it 100% effort. Good luck to you!
  • MamaKatel
    MamaKatel Posts: 180
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    I looked at your diary and I see a lot of carbs. I would try and do more low carb and you'll prob. start to see the weight come off!

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