Breakdown of Her gün kalorimi sınırladığım halde zayıflamıyorum.
her
every
gün
day
kalori
calorie
sınırlamak
to limit / to restrict
Questions & Answers about Her gün kalorimi sınırladığım halde zayıflamıyorum.
How does sınırladığım halde translate to "even though I limit"?
This is the core structure for "even though" using a verb. It combines the verb sınırla (to limit) with the participle suffix -dık, the possessive ending -ım (my), and the word halde (in the state). Because of vowel harmony and consonant mutation, -dık + -ım becomes -dığım. Literally, it means "in the state of my limiting," which translates naturally to "even though I limit."
Why is kalorimi in the singular form when the English translation says "calories"?
In Turkish, general concepts or categories are often kept singular where English uses a plural. The word kalori acts as a general category here. Kalorimi is made of kalori + -m (my) + -i (accusative case, because it is the specific direct object of the verb). Saying kalorilerimi (my calories) would not be grammatically wrong, but the singular form sounds much more natural to native speakers.
Does sınırladığım mean this happened in the past, since -dık is usually for the past tense?
No, the -dık participle covers both the past and the present (unlike -ecek, which is strictly for the future). The time frame of the sentence is determined by context and the main verb. Because the main verb zayıflamıyorum is in the present continuous tense and we have the phrase her gün (every day), we know sınırladığım halde refers to a present, ongoing habit.