[peachcake]

I have been dieting for a few months, got back into my work out routine about 3 weeks ago. Have been walking the dog for 30 min (very quick pace) 5 days a week, going to the gym 3-4 times a week doing 30 minutes of cardio then 25-30 minutes on light but high rep weights where my heart rate stays high. I have lost NO WEIGHT. In fact, gaines about a pound. I am SO TIRED OF IT! I am thinking of trying slimquick, I don't know. People say "just stay motivated" and "it's as simple as intake versus output". But I KNOW I burn more than I take in as I keep a food journal diligentley. It's just so frustrating.

[starbucksfreak]

I compleatly understand.... You could be on a plateau...or something..Change things up a little or something..it can be frustrating but you will get there.

[JayEll]

Hey peachcake, sorry to hear your feeling grrrrr about your progress!

When you say you journal your food, what does that mean exactly? Do you list calories for everything you eat? Do you measure and/or weigh everything? It's easy to underestimate...

Anyway, you could list what you typically eat in a day, and maybe we could make suggestions. Be blunt! List it all!

Also, how old are you, roughly, like an age range (20-30, etc). Maybe we can figure out where things stand.

Jay

[mandalinn82]

Yes, please give us more information! What are you eating, and how much, and how closely are you journaling and tracking it? Are you eating whole foods?

[peachcake]

Well the journal is what I eat, not how much or calorie counting.
I'm 29 years old, have always been pretty active and always been chubby. Since I got an office job 2 years ago I ganied weight though.
A typical day of food fod me is this:
Breakfast: Service of low-fat cottage cheese, serving of fruit (if I eat canned fruit, I always buy light and rinse it well with water before I eat it, maybe a piece of whole wheat toast with butter or margerine on it sparingly.
Lunch: Sandwich, two pieces of cheddar cheese, whole wheat bread and light ham, mustard, never any mayo.
Dinner: Chicken breast broccoli or some kind of veggie, I put a little bit of margerine or butter but hardly any.
Snacks throughout the day usually consist of a granola bar (special K) and a string cheese. I drink water mostly, occassionally a diet pepsi, I drink a small glass of 100% orange juice with breakfast.

This varies here and there, I occassionally go out to eat. And while I occassionally have a cheeseburger at a local deli I will get cottage cheese instead of fries. But I have cut out fast food (except Subway) completely. And I have cut down my fettucine alfredo down to about once every other month (one thing I am NOT willing to lose).

[mandalinn82]

Have you ever considered using a program like FitDay to track your calorie intake? Without knowing brands or exact amounts, your menu as posted could be moderate calorie, or it could be way higher than you think.

For example, two regular slices of cheddar cheese could be 200 calories by itself. Whole wheat bread can be up to 100 calories a slice. "A little bit" of margarine could be a teaspoon, or a tablespoon...so it's really hard to tell!

It might be good to really track your calories for a few days, to establish what you're eating now. You can still eat too much of healthy foods, and that'll stall your losses

[peachcake]

I have tried calorie counting in the past and get so tired of it because I don't have the time to measure the EXACT amount of anything. I would say on any given thing I use a teaspoon of margerine or butter. I don't make a lot of money so programs that cost are out of the question. I know, "make time" I can't. I am too busy living alone I am constantly cleaning up after my abundance of animals, doing volunteer work, not to mention my paid job. I have looked into what general idea of what the calories I eat is, it's between about 1500-1900 a day during the week. I tend to get a little sloppy on the weekends. Aside from that though, even if I had stuck to my poor diet that I was on (and not gaining or losing weight) you think just adding a good amount of exercise in I would see a pound every couple weeks or so off. Calorie counting daily just isn't something I can work with.

[mandalinn82]

I'm not suggesting you do it daily, particularly if what you eat during the day is about the same (the same sorts of meals, the same sorts of snacks). But a week of diligent measuring and counting, while a definite time investment for that particular week, can have lots of benefits:

1. You know EXACTLY how much you are eating daily, so you know where to start from if you need to adjust to get the scale moving.
2. You know from experience what a tsp or a tbsp or a half cup portion looks like, since you've measured and seen them in the recent past. I know, personally, that even going a month or so without measuring is catastrophic for me...my eyeball wants to allow myself bigger portions. When I first started, I was eyeballing as "half a teaspoon" something closer to "a teaspoon and a half". I don't measure everything every day, but I do measure every once in a while to make sure my eyeball is as well calibrated as can be. Not measuring is, in my experience, a fast track to portion distortion.
3. You'll know exactly how "sloppy" you get on the weekends. Let's say, with your diligent exercise, you're burning 1500 calories a week. That, alone, is enough to conceivably lose one lb every two weeks. But if you are eating an extra 750 calories between Saturday and Sunday (only an extra 375 calories per day...that is two extra pieces of pizza, or one average Pina Colada), that will reduce you down to 1 lb every four weeks.

You may not have time to do it forever, but trying it for a week might really help!

[peachcake]

That's a good thought. I do my best to try and stay away from generally fatty foods. I WILL NOT eat anything fried. I don't eat candy generally, every once in awhile I'll have a mini candy bar if I am craving. I'll try out the counting for a week and see where I'm at. THe problem is... if I want to stay full I don't really see what to cut out. I eat when I'm hungry until I'm full (not stuffed). And if I eat any less I get pissy and my stomach gets queasy.

[mandalinn82]

At that point it becomes an issue of creative replacement...replacing the sandwich bread, for example, with a low calorie, high-fiber tortilla, which will keep you full for less calories than the bread, or adding more veggies into your plan, which will give you lots of fullness, fiber, and food for fewer calories.

No one likes being hungry (me especially!).

[walking2lose]

I totally agree with Amanda - measure everything and count online so you know calories. I have used fitday for a year, but I just switched over to dailyplate.com. Both are great. Good luck!

[Tamsie]

I agree with Amanda and Claire...

However, I don't use the online sites to track my calories - having to input fats, proteins and carbs for custom foods became more pain than it was worth to me.

I have a small notebook that I carry in my purse. I weigh/ measure what I'm taking to work in the morning.. jot it down in my notebook and either use the calories off the packaging or look online at one of the tracking site suggests for the calorie amount.

At some point during the day - I add up my calories. After awhile, you'll start to remember how many calories are in an medium size apple and it becomes a lot easier.

Something I struggle with.... you don't have to be PERFECT, as in down to the single calorie tracked perfect... get it down to a range that you stay in. Tracking some, having an idea of SOME is better than NOTHING.

Try it out for a few days if only to get an idea of how many calories you are actually taking in. You may find that you can make it as simple as you need to, to work for YOU.

[peachcake]

Thanks Tam I think that's the way I will do it. I have a little notebook I keep in my purse anyway, I usually fill out my food journal in the evening, so I will keep track of what I'm eating and the calories in it and add it to my journal and add it up every night. Thanks for the help!