Doesn't seem like anything is working :(

mparkes

I have been "watching what I eat" for a few months now. I don't eat ANY fast food. The only meats I eat are ground turkey and boneless skinless chicken breasts. I only consume between 1200-1400 calories per day. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I work out my with personal trainer. I only recently started with him a couple weeks ago. Here's a look at my daily eating habits--

Breakfast: 1 cup coffee (always with 3 tbsp creamer), banana OR activia yogurt
Mid morning snack (10:30am ish): Fiber One bar
Lunch: Spinach salad with balsamic vinegarette dressing OR turkey sandwich
Mid afternoon snack: One laughing cow wedge of cheese with low fat triscuts
Dinner: Something with ground turkey or chicken breasts. Usually my FI grills the meat and we have baked potato and steamed veggies on the side.

I go to school every day from 9am-12pm and I work from 2pm-7pm every day except Tuesdays and Thursdays which I have personal training at 4. So most days are jam packed from 8am-7pm

I'm starting to get very frustrated because I'm approaching the 3 month mark and will need to start getting dress fittings in about 8 weeks and I still need to lose about 20 pounds.

Any suggestions?!

maribeth721

How do you know you are only eating 1200-1400 calories? I know you put an example of your diet up here - but have you actually looked up how many calories are in specific foods? If you are eating too little or too much, both can do harm. I use my fitness pal and I track every single thing I eat. The app and the website are free, I highl recommend it. One suggestion I do have is to change things up in terms of the carbs you eat, like instead of eating a regular potato, eat a sweet potato instead. I only eat whole grains if I can help it. Do you do any cardio with your personal trainer or is it just lifting and strength training? I would definitely try and incorporate cardio a few days a week along with working with your trainer if possible. I know having a busy schedule is hard. I go to the gym at 5:30am because it's really the only time I have to go. Also - make sure you are drinking enough water! Try the app and add some cardio. I hope that helps. Good luck!

mparkes

Yes actually I use MyFitnessPal app on my android phone to keep track of the calories. Sorry, I forgot that detail.

maribeth721

Oh ok - one thing I know I had an issue with was not being accurate with my portions or when I was entering in recipes really putting in the exact amount I was using. When I started really paying attention and focusing on that, I noticed a difference. I also do my best to really stick to things like sweet potatoes and whole grains. Do you eat more on the days you work out? That may make a difference too. Sometimes on days I work out I feel like I really struggle to get enough calories in.

mparkes

I try my best to eat the same amount each day. So, no I don't eat more when I work out because I want to burn more calories. Is that the wrong way of doing it?

angelsong21

Are you eating 1200-1400 calories per day or NETTING 1200-1400 calories per day?  If you are only eating 1200 kcal and then working out with a personal training, you are not eating enough and therefore not losing weight.  I would try to make sure you are NETTING the proper amount of calories for your current weight/height ratio and your weight loss goals.

karenmruff

I don't have anything to add on the nutrition side of things, but I wanted to suggest trying a workout video on the days you can't make it to the gym.  I was really bad at working out regularly when I had to go out again at the end of a long day, but now I work out every day.  If you are already working with a trainer two days a week, even a short video to get some activity on off days could make a difference.  I've used Jillian Michaels DVDs, but there are a lot of different suggestions on the boards.  They're pretty cheap from amazon and/or available on netflix.

karenmruff

Also, I forgot to say:  don't be surprised if it takes more than a couple of weeks of working out before you see scale/waistline changes.  You might start to build in muscle before you lose fat, which can make it seem like you are going the wrong direction.

Good luck!

rodeogrl87

Cardio: walking, running, swimming, something