PLEASE!

I would suggest you get off the meal replacement shakes. Not enough protein and too much sugar. If this is not something you plan on doing for ever I would not "diet" like this.

Try eating food instead. By eating food you will feel much more full as you should get more fibre and protein. Also this does not look like nearly enough calories.

Hey there, I'm slow to see changes on the scale as well, i've heard of people losing alot in their first week (due to water weight) but my body obviously doesn't hold much water weight. Give it another week and see if the scales go down. From your examples of your meals I'd say your on the right track.

My stats are the same as yours, 5'5 & 204lb. I thought i'd be quick to see results as well because I am a bit on the bigger side, but thats not the case with me. (Last time I used this site, I lost 12lbs in 6wks ~ didnt start noticing until around the 2nd week when I lost 5lbs)

I am not a nutrition expert; however, I noticed that you have consumed no vegetables. You really need to add those. Also, instead of eating a carnation instant breakfast for lunch, try eating a salad with protein (like grilled chicken, tuna, hard boiled egg). You will feel more full and get a better variety of nutrients. And make sure you are eating enough calories... it seems counterintuitive, but it is imperative that you not have too big of a calorie deficit. So, add in some veggies and hopefully you will see results quicker, but remember, it won't happen overnite. good luck!!!

I agree with the above and might also add: It looks like you are not eating enough...I know there's a big debate about eating back calories exercised off and not eating them back...I am not going to get into that debate-but exercise aside, it looks like you're really not eating much. You have to give your body adequate energy.

Also it's not going to happen overnight-not even over seven nights. It's a process and sometimes it can take a while to see results. Don't give up!

Try doing something like 1/2 peanut butter sandwich, a serving of baby carrots and an apple in place of one of the shakes. It's more substantial, is packed with nutrients and will keep you feeling full.

If you like the Carnation Instant Breakfasts and they're easy for you, try the Carnation Instant Breakfasts No Sugar Added and drop down to one a day. I drink those for breakfast sometimes with skim milk and an apple and it keeps me full for hours. Perhaps a little more "roughage" would do you some good, too. Fruits and veggies work wonders to fill you up...raw or steamed or even grilled, they can be so delicious.

Also, add some cardio to your day. Try a program like C25K or even just some fast paced walking to start.

AND, lastly, while you may not be dropping pounds, you may be dropping inches. Be patient. It takes time. You didn't put the weight on in a short amount of time and it's not going to come off that way either...

You have to understand that losing weight is not about being on a diet...it's about changing your lifestyle so that everyday you're making good choices about what you put in your body and how you decide to exercise it. You can add me for support if you like!

Good luck! :drinker:

Hiya - feel free to add me as a friend as I am also in this for the long haul!

I also thought that it would melt off once I stopped all the bad stuff but to be honest it took a couple of weeks for things to get moving and then it hasn't been fast - but slow and steady is the way I want to go so I am happy. I think at first your body goes into shock and hangs on to everything it can - you are changing the way you have been for a lifetime sadly it is not going to change over night.

So instead of being discouraged think - well I have stopped the creep up the scale, I have started to make some awsome changes, I have taken the first step towards being in control and the person I want to be . . . I am awsome bring on the next week, month, year - cos you can and will do this as long as you remember that there is no magic wand - if there were we would all be super models and not to beat yourself up but recognise and celebrate your achievements x

Hi hun

Ok so let's look at the foods you've been eating...

Bfast: carnation instant bfast - Try just having some muesli with a few bran flakes. Full of fibre but not too calorific (small portions)!

Snack: rice cake with hummus (ok)

Lunch: carnation instant bfast - You need to really look at getting more veg and meat (chicken, not red meat) in your diet. You may hate the taste of veg but you can get your carbs from veg without them being heavy carbs and so your body will use them for energy but wont have an overload of them so some gets stored as fat. You will also find after a week or so that you will start liking veg!

Snack: grapefruit (fine but passionfruit or watermelon have less carbs)

Dinner: banana and grilled chicken sandwich - Bananas are FULL of carbs, 30g average!! So if you are going to eat a banana I'd suggest doing this straight after a workout when your body can process and use the carbs much quicker. Bread again is full of carbs so best to avoid this. If you 'need' bread in your diet then I'd suggest wholemal pitta breads instead or just treat yourself to bread once every 2-3 days and NOT after 7pm when your body wont have time to process it before bed.

Drinks: water only, almost a gallon per day ok ... Green tea is also good to have as it encourages weight loss.

To just (try to) lay it out simple lol:

Carbs = sugar. Everything we eat is converted into energy. Sugar is energy. So let's say, for example, we needed 1 cup of sugar every hour to keep going in our daily routine. If you have a potato, which is, let's say, 3 cups of sugar - your body dosn't need all of it so instead of distributing it around your body to use, it will simply store it as fat. This is why it is good for you to avoid foods that are carb heavy as you're basically giving your body more than it needs to get through the day.

Protein - This helps to keep your muscles working and developing and also fills you up. This is why it is good to try and make 50% of your daily intake Protein.

Fat - We also need this to go about our daily routine, but less of it. If you have one meal with your full allowance of fat, again your body wont need it and will store it.

Try to keep your split:

50% Protein
30% Carbs
20% fat each day...

...And try to split it out across the day, so you aren't having loads of carbs one meal, loads of fat the next and so on, try to have the same split on your plate too. Protein shakes are a good way to get your protein if you aren't a big meat fan (I'm not so I use them as my snacks).

You can track these percentages in My Fitness Pal. Go to 'Goals - Change Goals - Custom' then in there put in the calories you are sticking to and then change the percentages underneath. This will change the grams allowed for each accordingly.
Also, if you have the mobile app, you can go to 'Home - Daily' This will show your goals versus what you have eaten so you can try to stick to those amounts. You'll know when you're naughty cause the amounts turn red! ...You'll soon see the difference one banana makes to your daily carb allowance! If you then press the little pie chart in the blue bar, it will show you're percentage split for the day, you can then adjust your diet to suit.

Raspberries are a great fruit to have as very low in carbs and taste great blended into protein shakes!

And bear with it, it takes time for your body to adjust... You've been eating too many carbs to see dramatic loss in the first week, try to even it out more so your body is using more than you're putting in.

Feel free to add me as a friend too and I'll push you aswell

Nat xxx

Try to keep your split:

50% Protein
30% Carbs
20% fat each day...

Way too much info in your post that was not needed to address the OP's question and there is no need for this ratio to lose weight.

As long as your cals are below maintenance you should lose. I actually think this ratio has too much protein and not enough fat. Carbs can be higher or lower, not a big deal. My macros are set at 45% carbs, 25% protein, and 30% fat, and that worked for me. But like I said the macros don't have a lot to do with weight loss, just make sure you at least get enough protein to ensure that your loss is mostly fat, instead of a large % of lean muscle.