What am I doing wrong here?

I have been trying to lose weight really, really hard for the last few months, as I am very overweight.

I really have not lost all that much, and I cannot for the life of me figure out what I'm doing wrong. I was wondering if any of you had any insight...

I do a moderate work-out about 4-5 times per week for 1 hr and 15 minutes. I am easily bored so I tend to dance, go for walks, do the Jillian Michaels step, or some other aerobic activities. Here's a sample of what I *generally* eat. I eat like this 5-6 times per week.

Breakfast:
Coffee w/ skim milk & two sugars
Then I have one of the following: two eggs, two eggs and turkey bacon, grilled cheese, oatmeal, Cheerios, or a peanut butter sandwich. Most times it's two eggs, two eggs and turkey bacon or Cheerios (with skim milk)

Lunch:
I have either a Weight Watchers meal or Progresso Light soup. On rare occasion (like once every other week), I have leftovers.

Snack:
I have either fruit, yogurt, yogurt smoothie, or nuts.

Dinner:
I really love to cook, so it really, really varies here. Anyway, here's an example of some of the dinners we've had recently/are having recently that I can think of off of the top of my head:
-Linguini & crab in butter sauce
-Chicken with light bbq sauce and baked potato wedges
-Chicken taco salad with baked potatoes w/ cheese

I realize that some of these things are blatantly fatty (cheese on baked potatoes, for example). However, I don't feel like I'm eating enough fat for the amount that I weigh. I drink about 64 oz. of water per day. Aside from the coffee, I occasionally have about 4 oz. of orange juice in the morning, but aside from that, it's just water.

I'm willing to eat light/fat free versions of things, but I won't eat "fake" foods (fake butter, sugar, etc.).

TIA!

Re: What am I doing wrong here?

I lost A LOT of weight, and have kept it off for almost 12 years now.

Exercise is important for health, but 90% of weight loss is diet.


The biggest thing I can recommend it to weigh and measure everything that you eat. You may be eating healthy foods, but if you are eating too much of them, it won't matter. There are many sites like my fitnesspal, daily plate, etc, that will give you a calorie range and its very easy to input everything and see where you are. I think when I started my weight loss journey, I was most surprised by serving sizes - I ate A LOT of pasta, but the recommended serving is 1C, which is not much at all. Once you become aware of it, it gets easier.

Message edited 3/27/2012 4:43:35 PM.

Re: What am I doing wrong here?

Sounds like a lot of carbs and good fats (like nuts) but even good fats can be a setback, due to the high calorie count.

If you want to make a big impact relatively quickly, d switch it up to:

lean meats - chicken, or salmon

green, leafy veggies - all green veggies are good - string beans, kale, spinach, broccoli, etc

I'd do egg whites instead of whole eggs

I would avoid bread as much as possible.

The only carbs I would eat would be fruits.


No cheese and butter - if you want to add a taste to something, try using yummy spices.


Switch it up and see how your body responds. Miine loses quick when I do the above, but trust me, I know it's hard. I love to eat and am a carb fanatic.

Message edited 3/27/2012 5:01:51 PM.

Re: What am I doing wrong here?

Honestly both times I lost on weight watchers I did it differently. The first time I did it alone so I ate a lot of processed foods.

But, now Dh is doing it with me. So i am cooking better for everyone. We have been using the WW website, cookinglight.com and skinnytaste. I also didn't want to eat processed foods so i found Hungry girl and ww used a lot of those. So I stick to mostly Skinnytaste and cooking light.

These sites have really opened my eyes about how to eat and cook healthy. Without even realizing it I kind of went low carb. Not no.. but, much much lower. That really helped.

Try bulkin up the fiber. I HATE veggies but, some of those sites have found ways to slip them in. For instance, in your lean meatballs.. add a pack of spinach. Same with ziti or lasagna. You need alot less cheese if you add veggies. Most of the stuff i am cooking has minced veggies mixed in. I even made something with mushrooms ( gag) but, they were minced and I didn't taste them. (it was the sloppy joes from skinnytaste).

I love making soup. I found an awesome tomato cream one on cooking light.

Try swapping out your pasta for high fiber (not whole wheat .. yuck) but, the high fiber ones taste just like real pasta.

Also I have learned you can eat meat but, it has to be like 93% less fat. Then it's the same as chicken or turkey. I made recipe that usually uses sausage. Instead it called for mostly turkey meat and one or two links of sausage for a huge dish (feeds 9). That way you get the flavor but, are cutting the fat. And you can have cheese.. just use the lean stuff and use much less.

Message edited 3/27/2012 5:54:11 PM.

Re: What am I doing wrong here?

Sounds like you may need some more fiber?

As general diet rules go (for me):

Stay away from sugar...it's the devil
Limit carbs as much as possible
Fiber, fiber, fiber!
Eat as many whole foods as possible- avoid processed foods
Lots of fruits and veggies

I lost a lot of weight eating this way. I also lost some additional pounds after becoming Vegan.

Re: What am I doing wrong here?

Are you counting any of your calories or just winging it? Go to any calorie counting website and they will tell you what you should eat and help you monitor your macronutrients. Some people do well just guessing but you'll do much better if you know what your calories are and where they are coming from. good luck

Re: What am I doing wrong here?

Message edited 3/27/2012 7:44:18 PM.

Re: What am I doing wrong here?

Posted by JAAMS

Posted by genericalias

Are you counting any of your calories or just winging it? Go to any calorie counting website and they will tell you what you should eat and help you monitor your macronutrients. Some people do well just guessing but you'll do much better if you know what your calories are and where they are coming from. good luck

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I'm going to incorporate some more fiber and check out recipes from ST and such. I'm going to try cutting out the sugar in my morning coffee too.

Could you recommend a couple of these websites? I have tried some of them, and I've been having some difficulties. Like I said, I am very, very overweight, and I think that is skewing things. Like one site said I should be eating 2500 calories a day to lose weight, which just seems like way too many to me. Other ones tell me that I can only lose like 4 lbs in the next 6 weeks, which again is too low for what I weigh. Any suggestions? TIA!

Re: What am I doing wrong here?

Posted by JAAMS

Posted by genericalias

Are you counting any of your calories or just winging it? Go to any calorie counting website and they will tell you what you should eat and help you monitor your macronutrients. Some people do well just guessing but you'll do much better if you know what your calories are and where they are coming from. good luck

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I'm going to incorporate some more fiber and check out recipes from ST and such. I'm going to try cutting out the sugar in my morning coffee too.

Could you recommend a couple of these websites? I have tried some of them, and I've been having some difficulties. Like I said, I am very, very overweight, and I think that is skewing things. Like one site said I should be eating 2500 calories a day to lose weight, which just seems like way too many to me. Other ones tell me that I can only lose like 4 lbs in the next 6 weeks, which again is too low for what I weigh. Any suggestions? TIA!

Re: What am I doing wrong here?

Posted by MrsG823

Posted by JAAMS

Posted by genericalias

Are you counting any of your calories or just winging it? Go to any calorie counting website and they will tell you what you should eat and help you monitor your macronutrients. Some people do well just guessing but you'll do much better if you know what your calories are and where they are coming from. good luck

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I'm going to incorporate some more fiber and check out recipes from ST and such. I'm going to try cutting out the sugar in my morning coffee too.

Could you recommend a couple of these websites? I have tried some of them, and I've been having some difficulties. Like I said, I am very, very overweight, and I think that is skewing things. Like one site said I should be eating 2500 calories a day to lose weight, which just seems like way too many to me. Other ones tell me that I can only lose like 4 lbs in the next 6 weeks, which again is too low for what I weigh. Any suggestions? TIA!

Unfortunately the calorie counts on most websites are skewed. I would suggest keeping a food diary for a few days. Get a realistic idea of what you are actually eating. Weigh out your food so you have an accurate diary but do not change anything. Once you see what you are actually eat you can begin to make small changes. I would start by cutting your intake down by 200-400 calories a day. At the same time you can start to make better food choices. I like fitday.com or myfitnesspal for tracking calories and macronutrients. I think the carbohydrate requirements for these trackers is a bit on the higher side so do not feel like you must follow the guide lines strictly. Every one is different so I suggest listening to your body.
Personally I am not a fan of processed food or low fat or fat free products. Do not feel like you cannot have food you really enjoy while trying to lose weight if you do this you are setting yourself up for failure. That being said I strongly suggest you try to eliminate processed foods from your diet. Packaged foods and canned soups tend to be very high in sodium and rather lacking in taste.
Try eating protein and carbohydrates together at each meal/snack it will help you feel full longer.

Re: What am I doing wrong here?

To clarify-I wasn't saying that she should do a complete overhaul, I suggested using those methods to measure and track and see the suggested macros.

Re: What am I doing wrong here?

I always lost weight when I was on WW. Every time I joined (3x total) I lost weight. I never stick to ANYTHING bc I really feel like I have an eating problem. I AM ALWAYS STARVING! I eat more then DH in a sitting and I'm still looking for something else.

BUT when I did WW I always lost.

Last summer I lost 14 lbs over 3 months by cutting carbs to ONLY fruits & vegetables and the occasional plain oatmeal with a fresh apple and cinnamon 6 days a week and sunday I ate whatever I wanted.

Try cutting the carbs like a PP said. They really make a difference. Within a week, you really don't miss them much.

Re: What am I doing wrong here?

I'm not one to bash WW or soup but I would recommend having a more filling lunch a few days a week, maybe a salad with a protein and vegetables. This keeps me much more satisfied through the afternoon than a soup or pre-packaged meal.

I know you love to cook--have you considered trying healthier recipes? I LOVE America's Test Kitchen Light & Healthy 2011 (just ordered 2012). You can cook but these are just lighter and healthier ways to do it.

http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Test-Kitchen-Light-Healthy/dp/1933615702

Re: What am I doing wrong here?

I would up your fiber and protein, lower your carb intake too.

Make small changes as well: Instead of the sugar in your coffee, use something like Stevia or Truvia.

Switch to whole grain/whole wheat pasta (I like the whole grain better).

Like another poster said, green leafy veggies, egg whites instead of a whole egg. IF I want to feel like I'm eating a "regular" egg, I will make two egg white omlette with one whole egg.

I am currently having a LOVE affair with Trader Joe Greek Yogurt with Fiber. It's a 5.5 oz cup and I add usually a 1/4 serving or 1/2 serving of Kashi Go Lean cereal to it for breakfast, and it totally keeps me full. I generally am not looking to snack mid morning.

I'm also very overweight, and started WW (again) the beginning of the year and I'm down already almost 30lbs.

Re: What am I doing wrong here?

MyFitnesspal app helped me in conjunction with running and weight training

Re: What am I doing wrong here?

Re: What am I doing wrong here?

Lower your carb intake. When i lost a lot of weight I *maybe* ate carbs once a day.

Dont eat the weight watchers meals or soup, even though they are better than other options there is so much sodium you are probably retaining water.

You should also be eating more fruits and veggies.

Re: What am I doing wrong here?

i would also say portion size would help you out. measure and weigh everything.
eat from a smaller plate.
the steak in the pic you made the other day is falling off the plate.
do you have time to do a ww meeting? i lost weight on just those meetings support alone.
good luck xoxo

Re: What am I doing wrong here?

I was having trouble losing weight (I don't have lots to lose) and started working with a nutritionist a month ago. It's been great and I've never felt better! Here are the guidelines:

- watch your portion sizes (you'll be surprised!), keep it to:

4 oz poultry
3 oz red meat
5 oz fish

- limit the sauces and butter or substitute for low fat. For example, I switched tomato sauce brands and its fine.
- Use seasonings instead. I must have 15 different types now! lol!
- lots of green veggies to start, then you work back in the startchy ones like squash
- lots and lots of water
- vitamins (fish oil and vitamin c)
- protein shake (isopure) and mix with almond milk
- eat 5x per day (bfast, shake, lunch, shake, dinner)
- start with low sugar fruits like berries or an apple
- limit the carbs to one serving a day (in the beginning it was none)
- try as hard as possible not to eat processed foods

So for example, here's what I ate yesterday:

breakfast: 2 eggs and 1 slice ezeckiel bread
am snack: edamame and shake
lunch: grilled chicken tandoori (homemade) with green beans
snack: shake
dinner: japanese - green salad with avocado and kani salad wrapped in salmon

I also have a huge sweet tooth so I eat dark (like 70%+) dark chocolate. It kills the craving and the chocolate is so rich that you don't need a whole candy bar. I bought a big one and broke it into .5 oz pieces, placed into baggies and put in the freezer. that way i eat it slowly and if I really want more, I have it. Last night I had 1 oz.

today for brekkie, I'm having oatmeal (not instant) with fresh peanut butter mixed in with wheat germ.

My suggestions:
I would try to avoid carbs at dinner time if you could. Try eating poultry/fish/meat with lots of veggies instead. Nix the canned soup and frozen dinner. Swap regular yogurt for non fat greek yogurt (high protein) or cottage cheese. swap the skim milk for unsweetened almond milk (less sugar and less calories) and swap the cheerios for kashi high protein cereal.

I'm happy to share some of the menus the nutritionist gave me if you'd like. Just FM me!