If I open my diary to the general public

HiKaren
HiKaren Posts: 1,306 Member
edited December 25 in Motivation and Support
I'm going to open my diary up to the general MFP public... If anyone would like to take a peek, and let me know why I have gained about 8 lbs in the last 6 months. That would really help.

I have tried this "Eating Back My Exercise Calories" for 6 1/2 months.... And Im slowly gaining weight here.

It heartbreaking to see everyones ticker moving except for mine. In fact... I reset my ticker.... Starting my weight right now... And I'm NOT including anything I lost from last year. I am still down 21 lbs from last year. I was on Nutrisystems last year, and lost 35... So Im up 14 lbs now... And I'm a bit depressed from it. But I don't give up... I do have a hold of the special muscle.. The one in your brain... The WILL... The power of the WILL. That muscle is pretty toned right now. And if I have the right formula for me, I don't doubt one second, I will be back at my goal...

I'm ready to say... "Karen, no matter how many purposeful exercise calories you burn, you are only going to consume 1250 to 1450 per day." Thats what I did last year to lose weight. I ate 1250 to 1450 sometimes 1600 ish... No matter what exercise, and I lost weight. This eating more to lose does work for some people, thats really good, but I don't think its working for me...

For the last 6 1/2 months on MFP I've been ranging on the intake based on my calories burned for the day. Some days 1750 ish.... Some days 2000 ish... Some days 1600 ish.... I also notice that my "Net" is alot of the times not even at 1200.... I just don't get it. Maybe if I started here in Jan 2011 instead of Nutrisystems,where I had 1250-1450 per day, maybe my metabolism would be used to "Eating More" to lose... Instead of eating more, then weighing more... Oh Boy.....

Any suggestions?

Replies

  • mistyladidah
    mistyladidah Posts: 210 Member
    Hi! Sorry you're having issues!

    My first thought is that it looks like you eat a lot of refined carbs, and not much protein. I would try putting some meat on your afternoon bagel if you have one and eat some eggs or something with breakfast. I feel like I eat a ton of carbs but try to balance them with meat and fiber. Lately I've really been trying to focus on getting all my nutrients as effectively as possible, and it seems like that's keeping me within most of my goals... pretty cool! It does look like you get lots of good veggies and fruit though... I'm jealous! Good luck!
  • HiKaren
    HiKaren Posts: 1,306 Member
    :smile: Wow thanks Misty.... On my sandwich at lunch today I had 3 oz of lean roast beef... At breakfast today, with that bagel 1 oz of cream cheese... But your right... I have slacked on the protein at breakfast time... And I do have at least two different types of high protein shakes at home... I'm having one for breakfast tomorrow.

    Edit : Ooops I had the bagel w/ cream cheese yesterday for breakfast..
  • BeantownSooner
    BeantownSooner Posts: 254
    Honestly, if the old way was working for you then I'd go back to it. If it wasn't broken no need to fix it right. Go back to that for a couple months and see what happens. If you find that you're stalling after that then add a 100 calories at a time to get your metabolism moving again.

    The other changes that I would suggest is you don't eat breakfast at all. I believe it's the most critical meal of the day and helps get you started. It doesn't have to be a ton either. Couple eggs/egg whites, 1c fruit, 1/2 whole wheat english muffin or bagel. The other thing I noticed if you have a lot of Brand names logged. Try to add more whole foods, i.e. things with one ingredient such as chicken breast, broccoli, etc. Last thing I notice is you are a carb heavy eater and much of that is likely due to the processed foods. It doesn't mean they're all bad but if you can get a better mix of whole vs. processed it could help. Try to shoot for a mix of 50% of calories from carbs, 30% from protein and 20% from fat. Even better would be 40/40/20.

    Hope that helps.
  • thejonperry
    thejonperry Posts: 51
    One idea maybe when you are eating your last calories, try not to eat after 9 or 10pm.
    Also, try eating more foods you like during the day even if they are "bad" then you may feel like not eating more in the evening hours. Just some ideas.

    Best of luck to you.

    Feel free to add me to friend list If you'd like.

    -Jon
  • 916lude
    916lude Posts: 305
    I would switch my bagels out with eggs in the morning. It looks like a lot of the protein you're getting is from processed stuff. A lot of the items in your diary are processed foods. I suggest in general that you eat a bit cleaner. Cook whole chickens and turkeys and use those in place of the deli meats. Also are you using an accurate HRM? An accurate reading is important if you're eating all of your cals back. Really try to get the protein in for breakfast. It should keep you fuller for longer in the day
  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
    Do you have a heart rate monitor to get calories burned? I am just wondering as some of the amounts look pretty high. Not saying it can't be done just want to make sure that isn't what is slowing you down.

    I would say definitely cut the carbs some and get more protein in. Aim for about 20 grams per meal. Agree with above to get rid of the deli meats and cook your own. You will feel much better not having all that sodium.
  • Mellie289
    Mellie289 Posts: 1,191 Member
    If you really are eating under your TDEE and gaining weight, perhaps your metabolism is slow. You might get your thyroid levels checked to make sure it's not a metabolic inbalance. I had hypothyroid and it really slowed my metabolism down (but it has an easy fix).

    Otherwise, I agree with what others have said for protein. I'm a big believer in eating a balanced amount of protein and carbs for each meal as outlined in The Zone. It has helped me to lose weight without feeling hungry all the time.
  • HiKaren
    HiKaren Posts: 1,306 Member
    I have a fitbit that syncs with my MFP acct... On the phone app, you can see how much of that is purposeful exercise, and how much is from my regular daily activity... Its the fitbit......

    Thank you for the suggestions everyone.. I am considering every one of them, and I thank you for commenting. :smile:
  • sehrler
    sehrler Posts: 89 Member
    Well, here are a couple observations, you can just substitute them and barely change your diet but save a lot of calories/sugar and up your protein:

    Swap Chobani greek yogurt for your Zoi - Greek Yogurt - Strawberry Cream, 6 Oz. you can save 60 cals, 11g sugar and add 7g protein.

    Swap some blackberries, blueberries and raspberries for the grapes. That would save 84 cals and 19g sugar. Grapes, as many fruits are really high in sugar. I used to eat grapes and watermelon every day and found that swapping the berries for them works better, so much less sugar.

    Lunch: whole wheat bread (2 slices) vs everything bagel would be half the cals (saving 140) and 24 less carbs.

    Right there, you’re not losing any foods but saving 284 cals and over 30g sugar and raising your protein.

    If you do this with enough items (I see a lot of breads/bagels, maybe cut that down?) you can really make a huge difference. I try to swap higher protein/lower sugar and carb items when I can, and usually I don’t even notice a difference. I used to NEVER consider a meal without at least one or 2 side dishes of pasta or potatoes etc., now I don’t miss them and if I eat them, just have a few bites. I actually like the meat/veggies better than the carb rich sides.
  • sehrler
    sehrler Posts: 89 Member
    Also, maybe instead of showing your iron intake (unless you really need to watch that for some reason) I suggest making that your sugar...you will be shocked how much sugar you're consuming! I know I am, and I put it there and now at least I think twice before eating some foods.
  • HiKaren
    HiKaren Posts: 1,306 Member
    Oh Wow.... Yes those are good ideas.... And you found me out about the sugar..... I know my sugar is way too high... I love that yogurt. But your right... I could swap out a few things that would make a difference. And Im changing my diary setup to show sugar on there... It might be frightening to see whats its going to say for today... So tomorrow I can start out making better choices including watching my sugars. I Know... I know... I love those bagels... Just because I have the calories available... doesn't mean I should be eating those giant bagels.. I had one today... But I included two in one day, not too long ago...

    Thanks everybody for input.... It helps to get others opinions... :smile: Gonna show my sugars now... Today might be scarey because of that sweetheart yogurt this morning.... Okie Dokie.
  • KellyC115
    KellyC115 Posts: 8 Member
    If you have a Kroger grocery, there is a delicious Kroger brand yogurt called Carbmaster. It only has 4 grams of carbs, 8 grams of protein, and 3 grams of sugar. Pretty tasty :)
  • selig0730
    selig0730 Posts: 509 Member
    im 6 foot male, weighs 190 pounds, my daily calories is 1960, i work 9-10 hours a day, 5 days a week. im not sure how much you weigh or how tall you are but im guessing you are shorter and not sure what kind of job you have, i think you are eating too many calories, if i were you its ok to eat all or some of your workout calories but i wouldnt eat your fitbit calories. if i were you i would eat 1400 calories and then only eat your workout calories not your fitbit calories, try that for 2 weeks if you dont lose any weight then drop down to 1300 calories, and see if that helps, if that doesnt help then stay at 1300 but dont eat any workout calories, you dont want to go below 1200 cause then its not healthy for you. you can add me if you want hope this helps out :)
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