Hey all! I posted in the introductions section- then I was able to figure out this may be the place for me.
So , ok, here's the deal. I need to lose about 145 pounds. Not because I want cute clothes or my husband is a neanderthal. I am developing type 2 diabetes, in the last three months I've developed high blood pressure, and other "warning signs". I feel like crap and I have no energy. I watched my mom live this way for as long as I can remember. She died of a heart attack 5 months ago - no warning really.
So, I don't even know where to start. I know what good nutrition is, I cook very healthy meals for my family, I try to watch portions and count calories. I've tried atkins and lost 15 pounds with that - it took a year.
Please, give me an idea other than surgery. My dr's only suggestion was what I've already found out doesn't work.
There are a lot of different plans out there, and support for most of them here on the boards, so feel free to look around and join in.
Speaking personally, I believe in just eating healthful foods and exercising. I recommend books and videos (available on YouTube) by Michael Pollan. He has fantastic information on nutrition. By healthful foods, I mean whole foods... lots of fresh fruit and veggies... and avoiding processed foods and all the boatload of chemicals they use in most of the stuff found in the supermarkets.
But as I said, there are lots of "diets" out there and support here for most of them. So whatever you choose, I am sure you can find support here in the forum.
Welcome and congratulations on starting your journey!!! I'm sorry you're having health difficulties and recent loss. I think it's great you're feeling empowered to take this journey on.
Regarding ideas for weight loss, I'll start out with a little preamble. I grew up in a home where I'd say the diet was pretty healthy. Soda was only for birthdays and christmas. We weren't given junk food and didn't eat processed food. Every meal was made from scratch with whole foods and I'm talking we were practically on speaking terms with our meat and veggies. Meals were served with water and dessert was ONLY for special occasions. That being said, I grew up an obese child and my mom, who eats only fish, fruit, nuts and veggies and was the purveyor of this healthy diet, has severe weight problems.
So what happened? For us, the problem wasn't really that there was a problem with WHAT we were eating, the problem was with HOW MUCH we were eating. When I began this journey, I started out with what I'll call "the serving size diet" or what other people might call calorie counting. I was absolutely SHOCKED by what constituted a serving size. Like for example, how little a 3/4 cup of cereal actually is or a cup of rice or 4 oz of chicken or a serving of my favourite macadamia nuts (200 calories for 8 nuts!!!) or even a SINGLE banana (100+ calories) to someone like me who really enjoys food. I didn't think I ate badly but I realized I had little to no awareness of what serving sizes were and that even when foods looked "small" in portion, they could still be calorie-laden.
I transitioned from my strict serving-size diet after a couple of months to your run of the mill calorie counting. My weapons of choice were my cup measurements and my food scale (I even have a smaller one, for travel). I started trying out new ways to make larger meals for less calories, for example using veggies to extend my carbs (e.g. cauliflower in rice) or measuring out things like oil and dressing with measuring spoons as it's really hard to guestimate calories of those things. Let me give an example. My dad will happily eat a pre-meal 30-calorie green salad with 250 calories (only 2 tablespoons) of olive oil drizzled on it. To him, he's eaten a 30-calorie green salad and pats himself on the back but there is that matter of the extras.
Anyway, that's my own story and my own experience. Calorie counting has worked for me and given me the freedom to still eat what I want and how I want. I've not really cut out any foods but I have learned lessons such as that I'd rather chew my calories than drink them. The truth though is that with weight loss there are so many different paths to success. The best one is the one you will stick to that will allow you be honest and accountable without making you feel deprived. Good luck on your journey and with picking your path to success. Know that you can totally do this!
Thanks to you both
The books sound great. I'm going to go check them out. They sound like they may be exactly what I need. My husband and children ALL have a huge collection of food allergies so I have to cook from scratch anyway.
We eat tons of veggies, but I'm sure there are better ways to prepare them.
I also grew up in a house with good nutrition, but man are the servings BIG. I am looking for a diet that lets me eat what my kids are eating. I need to teach them to eat correctly if I'm going to break this cycle.
No fears about picky eaters around here, so wish me luck.
I noticed your tickers - Great Job
I found that very strict calorie counting (meaning that I counted every morsel that went into my mouth, not that I was strict about hitting a particular target) was the thing that I needed to do well. I agree with what has been said about portion size -- it is amazing how that affects things.
I had to learn how to be hungry and not be afraid of it. I am still learning. I've had a bit of a stall lately and I know it is because I have big lunches because I'm afraid of not being able to eat again for 8+ hours. I have an erratic work schedule and sometimes that's what happens.
The other thing that helped me is to cut grains and sugars out of my snacking. I used to have a bagel and cream cheese for a snack or a bowl of ice cream after dinner, but now I have a piece of fruit or a string cheese or a cappuccino. I also personally found that artificial sweeteners just increased my cravings for sugar and that cutting out sweets pretty much entirely was better for me.
I eat about 1800 calories a day and exercise away at least 400 calories. This is easier for me than just eating 1400 calories a day. When I keep to that, I lose weight. Any more than that and I don't, but at this point, it is ok to lose a little bit, then maintain, then lose a little bit more.
Hi Norasmother Welcome to 3FC's. I'm sure you'll find lots of support and information here as I have in the short time I've been a member.
I also have a lot of weight to lose and have struggled to find what works for me. Atkins worked for me, but it was difficult to stay on because I had to modify it for my kids. I would basically have to make separate dinners because I didn't want to restrict their carbs too much since they are a lot more active than I am. They also don't care for cabbage and cauliflower and a lot of my meals included these. After a little over a year of doing that and then stalling for a couple of months, I decided it was time for a change. Now I am doing Weight Watchers Pointsplus. Now I'm back to my portion control issues which is how I ended up over 300 pounds. I love to eat and have a difficult time stopping once I get started. I missed cereal and oatmeal, but now my carb cravings are back since I started eating those things. I'm not giving up on the Weight Watchers. The scale finally started moving again after changing up my diet. At first it was great, I could actually enjoy some of the things I hadn't had in over a year! But now that the cravings are back I'm finding it hard to not overeat. I blew it over Thanksgiving, but luckily only gained a pound.
Anyway, this has been my journey so far. I'm still trying to find out what works for me. I'm determined to lose the weight no matter what it takes. I know it can be done. I've seen some wonderful success stories from people on this website. Very encouraging!
I don't have the answer as to what plan is right for you, but I know you can do it. Just don't give up. Some days it seemed like my weight was coming off so slowly, but now that I look back and see that a year and a half ago I was 336 pounds and today I'm at 258! It really adds up over time. I could have so easily given up and look at what I would have missed out on. I've really come pretty far. People are REALLY noticing my weight loss now and friends are wanting to know exactly what I've been doing lol. Just find something that you can stick to whether it's counting calories, points, carbs, etc. Just stick with it and you will be amazed at what a difference a year will make. The year will go by no matter what so you might as well go for it! You'll feel better and look better. My doctors are very happy with my progress.
Counting calories is a very good start. It gives you lots of feedback info, and you can go from there. Starting is the hard part! You will have lots of support here... so welcome.
Welcome! Great job on thinking that you want to start losing weight and getting healthier. I believe it is the first step and the one that can motivate you to change.
Have you thought of joining Weight watchers in your area. I know for me at least, the meetings were a great wealth of support and I learned so much about healthy choices, and portion control.
I realize it can be expensive for some, so you can always check their online site for healthy tips and recipes.
Counting calories is another great way to keep yourself in check. Find out how many calories a day you should be eating to lose weight.
Exercise combined with changing your dietary habits can shed the weight faster. Start by walking and build up from there. Best of luck!
Hi! I'm just starting out, too, so I don't know all that much about how to lose weight. I was just diagnosed with diabetes, however, and I can tell you with all my heart that you do NOT want to make the step from pre-diabetes to the actual disease. So great job for recognizing that you have a chance right now to make decisions that will very strongly and very positively affect your health for the rest of your life!
If your health insurance would cover it, I would suggest you ask doctor to prescribe seeing a dietician. They can teach you a lot about carbs and calories and how to control them both. I would also recommend using a tool like MyPlate on Livestrong.com that lets you enter what you are eating and which will calculate those numbers for you.
It sounds like you are already eating the right kinds of food, so maybe its just a matter of watching portion sizes and getting some exercise every day. I look forward to hearing more about how you are doing ---- the very best of luck to you!
Last edited by WinterStorm; 11-27-2012 at 09:39 AM.
I'm using a combination of calorie counting and the full plate diet http://www.fullplatediet.org/. I like it because it mostly involves increasing your fiber to a point that you don't want to eat more of the high calorie stuff, and it makes it easy for me to quickly modify what the rest of my family is eating to suit my plan. Everyone else in my family is a healthy weight, except my youngest who is under weight, so I don't want to limit their calorie/fat/carb intake any more than it is already.
Another thing I'm doing that i've found great for gettin motivated and getting started is a thing called Superbetter. It's helped me organize my thoughts and goals, and given me something concrete to work towards every day. Here's the TED talk that explains it http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgoni...s_of_life.html , and here's the site https://www.superbetter.com/
Another thing I'm doing that i've found great for gettin motivated and getting started is a thing called Superbetter. It's helped me organize my thoughts and goals, and given me something concrete to work towards every day. Here's the TED talk that explains it http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgoni...s_of_life.html , and here's the site https://www.superbetter.com/
Thanks for the link, scoutycat. I just watched jane's TED talk, and it was great. At first, I didn't think I was going to get much out of it because I've never been a "gamer," but a few minutes into it, I started to recognize what she was really talking about. Great concept for building quality of life! I'm off to look at the superbetter site. Thanks again!
I've been unable to log in for a few days. Thanks for so much information.
I started Eat to Live on Sunday. It seems like a really good fit for my family. They can have what I have as a side dish or as a main dish with a few additions. Cooking everything from scratch is no big deal, I've had to do that for years because of my husband's gatrointestinal problems.
My biggest success always came from cutting carbs and calorie counting. The first week or two of eating low-carb is extremely difficult, but after that your body starts to run off of protein and fat. Eating low-carb also means eating a larger amount of GOOD fat (avocado, olive oil, etc.). Eating the extra good fat teaches your body to use fat as fuel instead of carbs. My first two weeks of doing low carb I lost 6 pounds. Exercise is also key. Even if it's only a little bit every day, it's better than nothing! I've lost 50 pounds overall, and still have 80ish to go. I understand what it feels like to need to lose a lot, and even being more than 1/3 of the way done I still feel like I have so much more to get through. It's a daily process, and it's more about making healthy life changes as opposed to just losing weight. It has to be a lifestyle change. Good luck!
I seriously need some help getting started
Welcome to 3FC's. I'm sure you'll find lots of support and information here as I have in the short time I've been a member.
