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My diet isn't working :[

I've been on a diet for the past 3 weeks, and I have not lost a single pound.
What I have been eating for breakfast was a bowl of cheerios with non-fat milk, and then a Kashi cereal bar...for lunch, I had a reduced-fat peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat, an apple, and 24 Special K wheat thins (or a few pieces of watermelon or strawberries) for dinner, I will eat whatever..sometimes I just get a bowl of Special K cereal with non-fat milk or low-fat milk, and some more fruit and some nuts... also, I drink water all day..like I drink a lot of water..and if any other drink I would drink would only be low-fat 1% milk... I don't drink diet cola or fruit juices (and if I do, it'd only be once a week but ONLY a serving or two... I wouldn't go overboard) now for my workouts, 2-3x a week I go to the gym and I do a 10-15minute cardio workout for my arms and legs and back..and I guess stomach..and then I'd hop on the bike for 30minutes..do 5 or so miles...then I would hop on the treadmill and walk about 3-3.5mph for about 20-40 minutes.... and then for the days that I don't go to the gym I just take a 30-minute non-stop walk outside.....and sometimes I'll go up and downstairs or do some jumping jacks (but I avoid those a lot because they aren't cardio)
My main focuses are:
I want to burn my belly and face fat (I have a small double chin, and chubby cheeks...and I have a big stomach)
What are the fastest ways I could achieve my goal if I want to lose 10 pounds in about 6 weeks?
I am only eating 1400-1800 calories per day (On those sites it says I need about 2400 a day to maintain my weight, but I want to LOSE weight.)
I am 17 years old, 5'5" and 173 lbs. Thank you.
4 Responses
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649848 tn?1534633700
COMMUNITY LEADER
I knew I was good for something.......... lol

Some say "a calorie is a calorie"; I say "not all calories are equal"' some help (protein and complex carbs), some hinder (the wrong fats (or too many of the right ones) and simple carbs).

My supervisor at work eats candy bars on a regular basis (drooling)....... if I ate like he does, I'd weigh a ton......... the thing is, he works out WAY more than I do AND he doesn't have a thyroid issue holding him back.  I was like that all of my life (before the whacky thyroid)...........
Helpful - 0
168348 tn?1379357075
Great info Barb .. now I know why when I really cut back it's the calorie count eating the right foods to work, not the wrong ones.

C~
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649848 tn?1534633700
COMMUNITY LEADER
If you've calculated your requirements to be 2400 and are only eating 1400-1800, you aren't eating enough calories.  If you don't take in enough calories, your body will hold onto existing fat, because it thinks there won't be enough food - this is called "starvation mode".  Your body needs a certain number of calories/day just to function - that's to maintain heart rate, kidney, lung, digestive, brain and other organ functions.

To lose weight, you only need to cut calorie intake by 500.  You can do this by either cutting 500 calories/day from your diet or using an extra 500 calories/day through exercise; OR the easiest way is to cut 250 calories/day and use an extra 250 calories/day. This would net you a loss of 1 pound/week.  To lose 2 pounds/week, you would cut 500 calories/day and use (exercise) an extra 500 calories/day for a total of 1000.  Cutting 500 calories/day would be safe for you, and would still leave you eating about 1900 calories/day

I don't  mean to be unkind, but in addition, you might look at some different choices for food.  There are better cereals for weight loss than Special K, and if you check the labels on your cereal bars, you'll probably find that they either have quite a bit of fat, or sugar.  While nuts are very good for you, you have to be careful, because they are chock full of fat, and while it's the "good" kind, it's still possible to overdo, and some nuts have a lot more calories than others; again, read the labels.

I see very little protein in your diet, except for the milk, peanut butter and nuts.  Don't you eat any meats, cheeses, etc?  Lean meats, chicken and fish are excellent choices for dieting because the protein helps you fill up faster and it takes longer for the body to break down, so it keeps you feeling fuller longer.  

I also don't see any veggies in  your diet.  Veggies are full of fiber (complex carbs), which, like protein, fills you up faster and keeps you feeling fuller longer.  While fruits are nutritious, they tend to have a lot of sugar, with only small amounts of fiber.  Even though the sugar in fruit is "natural", it's still sugar (simple carb) and is metabolized quickly, so if it's not used up right away, it will turn to fat.

There's no way to "spot lose" (such as only from belly or face), however, over all reduction should reduce those areas, as well.

I'd recommend that you try using a food diary to track your calories, protein, fiber, carbs, etc. to make sure you are getting adequate amounts.  Med Help has an excellent food diary and it would be helpful for you to have everything in one place, where you can see it at glance, as opposed to relying on your memory to track calories; sometimes they add up a lot quicker than we think.  Like that fat free peanut butter -- check the calorie and sugar contents; if fat is removed from a food, manufacturers tend to add more sugar for flavor; likewise if sugar is removed, fat is often added for flavor.  
Helpful - 0
1620257 tn?1306321772
I have no idea. If you're being completely honest about what you're eating and the exercise that you're doing then certainly you should be losing weight.

Really doesn't give me and hope for slimming down in the next 3 and a half weeks for my holiday, I've always found it VERY difficult to lose weight too :(
Helpful - 0
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