New member here! Hello everyone. In my frustrating search for help online i came across this great forum.
Okay, so i desperately need some advice.
Right now i weigh 283, a year from now, i would like to weigh 160-170 ish. I am taking a trip to Europe with some friends, and i want to look really good. This trip has been a dream of mine forever, and i dont want anything (my weight) getting in the way of me having the time of my life.
So I have been eating healthy for 2 weeks.
Breakfast:
Cup of crispix with fat free milk, or piece of wheat toast, or 2 eggs
Lunch:
Turkey Sandwich very little light miricle whip and very little mustard, or a chicken salad sandwich (made healthy) and like 10 pretzels. Water to drink
Dinner:
A salad ( lot of lettuce, little bit of hard boiled egg, couple croutons, carrots, cucumber, little bit of dressing, and few pieces of grilled chicken) Diet sundrop to drink.
Snack:
few pieces of fruit(pineapple, grapes, cantaloupe, peach, something like that)
I am addicted to gatorade. For some reason it is the only drink that will satisfy my thirst. and my stomach is kinda sensative, and it aways seems to help, so i just have a couple sips through out the day.
I have also been going to the gym 4 days a week, for a half hour a day. I ride a bike for 15 minutes, and ellyptical macine for 15 minutes, i burn like 200 and some calories.
So this morning, i get on the scale..... 283.1.. I was soooo heart broken and disappointed..
What am i doing wrong? The only bad thing ive eaten the past two weeks was a few french fries and a grilled chicken and pineapple burger for my husbands birthday yesterday.
sorry for the long post... but i just need some advice and some motivation before i head over to mcdonalds and go on a double cheeseburger diet.
First off, good for you! You seem to be eating a fairly balanced diet and getting a great workout too. I wish I was doing that well right now. :)
How old are you? What's your average calorie intake for the day? How many ounces of Gatorade are you drinking? Have you measured your waist? Have you lost any inches?
Your routine sounds pretty good. You need to calculate your calorie deficit and get it between 500-1000 calories/day in order to lose the average and healthy 1-2 pounds a week. For instance, if you're burning 2500 calories/day, eating between 1500-2000 is great. Remember to NEVER go below 1200 on your calorie intake.
Have you been to a doctor lately? Do you have any medical issues that could be preventing the weight loss?
i am 21. I am fairly active throughout the day as well, I own a salon, so I am up doing hair and running around quite a bit.
hmm, i'm not sure about the gatorade, i will start keeping track of it, but like i said only a couple sips, like when i get home, or if my stomach is hurting.
I have not measured, but i will.
I feel a lot better, i have soooooo much more energy, but still very frustrated.
oh man... im gonna need some help here, how do i figure out how many calories i burn a day? I guess i need to figure out how many calories i am eating now...
Im a very healthy person, and no medical issues run in my family. I havnt been sick (no more than a cold when the seasons change) in years. And no health insurance, so no doctor for me.
Original Post by audobot:
ihow do i figure out how many calories i burn a day? I guess i need to figure out how many calories i am eating now...
You can do this by going to the logs under "My Account". Type in all the foods/beverages you consume over the next few days and also type in all your activities to get an idea for what you're burning each day. PM me if you need more help. I'm sure once you get a feel for your calorie deficit, you can pinpoint some of the problems and get this weight loss jump started.
ok so i eat 1300 calories a day, and burn 3208.
Is that good, bad, okay?
oh and underneath that it says i should reach my goal in Jan 2011???? what is up with that?
Wow! That is a HUGE deficit so you are eating WAY TOO LITTLE!! I would up the calorie intake to 1800-2000. I know this seems like a lot of food while dieting but your body is likely feeling starved (check out threads around here on starvation mode). Eat healthy, well-balanced meals and snacks. Get lots of water and fiber. Eat more protein for energy. You will start to lose but you need to rev up your metabolism. Also, eat a larger breakfast. You could easily do the eggs AND the cereal or toast. The carbs are good earlier in the day and the protein will give you energy. Start reading around on the forums, browse, ask questions. I'm no expert but that's how I'm learning these things.
I have found that eating 5 small meals a day is really working for me.
8am Breakfast: Special K + milk + fruit (berries.. banana... )
10am Snack: 200cal snack (ryvita + cream cheese)(yogurt + berries)(eggs)
12pm Lunch: Salad! Fill the bowl with veggies veggies veggies (skip the crutons)
3pm Snack: Low cal fruit bar - or an apple.
6pm Dinner: There are so many options - I try to eat protein and veggies and not have any carbs for dinner.
I find the less bad carbs (white bread... white rice.. pasta.. potatoes) in my diet the more weight I lose.
You have to drink lost of water - aim for 2L per day. If you go buy a 1L bottle... drink and make sure you refill and finish that before the day is done.
After dinner - no more food. Drink water... drink more water... and if you need a snack try something light or low cal like celery sticks.
For you sandwich - ditch the mayo... you and add extra mustard. There are VERY low calories in mustard so don't be shy with it. And its yummy!
Sounds like you are on the right path... sometimes the results don't come hard and fast and it discourages you from staying on track! Don't forget this is a marathon not a race... long steady good choices will always pay off in the long run.
As previously noted.....you are eating way too little. Not only will you not lose weight this way, but your organs will start eating themselves if you continue on this path. A small sedentary woman needs 1200 minimum. You are clearly neither of those things. If you are actually burning 3200+ calories per day, 2000 is the miminum intake I would recommend for you!
Hi ya there....I'm here to help you if I can 
First things first....when did you start this journey? Maybe it's too early to see results.
If you dont have a scale for food, you really should invest in one. I weigh all my food. The database here on this site is great in keeping track of everything you eat and all the exercise as well.
You need to make sure your account settings are set properly on this site to help guide you with your caloric intake/expenditures.
if you need help give me a shout. I'd love to help in any way I can!
~H~
this will be my 3rd week going to the gym and eating healthy. so the 18th of August is when i started.
Eating 5 meals a day is really not fit for my schedule. I am busy throughout the day and i can't stop in the middle of a haircut and be like.. ohh sorry gotta eat now. I have a hard enough time eating breakfast.
how would weighing my food benefit?
I feel like I eat too much now :( i ate more today though.... so i am trusting you guys....
I will not ditch my light miracle whip. i dont use much of it, and i absolutely cannot eat a sandwich without it.
I drink 3 bottles of water at the gym and throughout the rest of the day as well.
I used to eat one meal a day. dinner and that was it. So this is HUGE improvement, and im trying.
Good for you for trying!!!
You have the right attitude and you are up on your feet and doing all the right things. With a little tweak here and there you will find *your* formula that will work for you.
Hey
Just wanted to also say that if you have only started exercising for the first time now, then you could actually be building muscle. Muscle doe weigh more than fat so I would recommend taking your measurements...
I tend to opt for, Bust, under bust, waist, hips, thighs, upper arms. That way you could see a difference in your shape but not on the scale as you will build muscle
Hope that makes sense
xxx
I am not sure what others have posted entirely, but I did notice that you LOVE Gatorade. Gatorade is HIGH in SODIUM, which could lead to the fact that you aren't seeing a reduction on the scale. You should really NEVER need Gatorade (unless you're training extremely hard) and losing ALOT of sweat.
Have you tried vitamin water, or another LOWER sodium beverage?
..just a thought!
Dan-o
When I first started I didn't even step on a scale for 1 full month. If you give yourself that much time, you are sure to see progress, and you don't have the frustration of seeing the numbers stay the same when you know you are doing a good job! Good Luck! You can do it!
