[Shy Moment]

All the years ( at least 6 of them ) being constantly sick have really taken their toll. The weight came and there was little I could do about it because of the meds. Really need some advice before I decide what might be the best way for me to take all this weight off. The doc has finaly said the meds are out of my system ( for now that is ) and I can try to lose the weight.

Thank you for all your advice.

[Newmala]

First, I'm glad to hear that you are better after all these years. Second, good for you for wanting to lose weight. Motivation is key.
I'm not sure about how I feel about Jenny Craig or any of those other diets. Being able to eat what you want when you want seems to be most important because you dont get discouraged if you eat something that is not on the plan.
Psshhh I wish I could forget to eat! It's probably a good thing you have this magical power because then you arent eating all the time when you are not hungry. Eating six times a day will be a little tough but if you make them light and healthy meals you will be fine and you will stay satiated.
Exercise is also key. All I did was eat smaller portions, eliminate all the bad junk (not completely, I get goodies once a week) and I started walking thirty minutes a day. Then i pumped up the walking to 45 minutes and then to an hour.
You dont need to count calories, I dont. Just know that you arent going overboard. If walking is not your thing, join a gym. But I found walking to be relaxing.

You'll do great! I'm excited for you.

[Kery]

First, welcome here (I'm not sure I've read another of your posts here yet).

I'm not too familiar myself with medication-induced weight gain (I guess you could call it this way?) but if the doctor says that nothing remains that would prevent you from losing the weight, technicalkly speaking, any healthy meal plan could probably work. On the other hand, I'm not sure of what your former condition was, so here's to hope I'm not mistaken.

If you don't like counting calories, maybe Weight Watchers or a similar system could work? As far as I know, what you need to count with that system is 'points' (e.g. 1 apple = 1 point, etc.), up to a total of... depends on your current weight. I have some of the documents for the program, but they're all in French, and I haven't even read them all yet *a-hem* so it's a little hard to tell precisely. However, the gist of it is that points system. (You can do it without going to WW meetings, by the way.)

Another 'plan' that could work would be Sugar Busters/plans related to watching your glycemic index, since usually they don't demand you to count plenty of calories.

It also depends, I'd say, on your own 'personality' regarding all of this. Some people need a plan that will tell them exactly what to eat on a given day, some prefer to have much flexibility... so you need to take that into account as well. Anyway, if you're not sure, maybe you could also check the various WW, SB, Atkins... sections of the 3FC forums. I'm sure that nobody there would mind answering a few more precise questions if need be.

And whatever you decide on in the end, I hope it will go well for you, and 'work as intended'.

[50lbs2go]

Originally Posted by Shy Moment

I am suppose to eat at least 6 times a day because of what the medical conditions have done to my system.

I am not real good with counting calories and makeing sure I make something for myself to eat this many times a day. Part of the problem is I am generaly not hungry. Please don't yell when I say I forget to eat, my husband yells enough about that. " Do you forget to breath, how on earth do you forget to eat" lol

I totally understand when you say you are not hungry and that you forget to eat. i used to be just like that. you would think that i would be skinny because i didn't eat a lot, but no. I too don't like counting calories or even portion. what has worked for me is the south beach diet. you should look into it exercise helped too, it sped up my metabolism and made me hungry and and now i eat 6 times a day, just good things and i've lost weight. who would have thought that the more you ate the more you lost good luck with whatever you choose.

[maalisse]

Originally Posted by Shy Moment

After 6 years of being very sick and put on every medication on earth. I have turned out 80lbs bigger than I have ever been in my life.

I can relate. My weight gain is due to medication, too. The only thing I can advise is to be patient: it took me a long time for my metabolism to recover from my meds (doesn't help that I'm going to be permanently on some that hamper metabolism X_X), and it's only through exercise and time that I've been able to get my metabolism to something like what it was before I got sick. The first month or two were really slow in terms of weight loss, until my body got back into the swing of things. Your results may vary, of course!

As for a program, I personally like calorie counting because I find it flexible and rewarding, plus I like to micromanage things. I've heard good things about places like Weightwatchers, though. Did your doctor have any recommendations?

Congrats on your clean bill of health, btw. That's awesome.

[JayEll]

Shy Moment,

I'm glad to hear that you now have a clean bill of health! Whew! It sounds like a very long haul...

As you can see from the other posters, there are a lot of ways to go, and some people like one way while someone else likes another. So, here are some questions that might help you figure out what to start with.

What kinds of foods do you like?
Would you like things structured or more loose?
Do you have the money for a pre-packaged diet plan?
Do you like to cook?
Do you cook for your family as well as for yourself?
What kinds of physical activities do you enjoy? (e.g., swimming, walking, yoga, etc.)

If you post your answers, we might be able to make more suggestions. It's up to you, of course.

Consumer Reports just came out with an evaluation of diet plans--it's in the news. If you go to http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18496858/ you can read a summary.

Also, 3FC has reviews of books and diet plans. Go to the main page for the site. This might give you some ideas about what to try.

Our many members have found that just about any plan can work for some folks--but also it's good to think about how to eat after weight loss. Some plans sort of leave you on your own once you're done, while others have a maintenance program to follow.

Good luck!
Jay

[carolr3639]

When I read your post I thought about my own illness and experience with taking prednisone long term. I have had sarcoidosis (lung ) for 30 yr but ignored it for about 25 yr. Then 2 yr ago I got real bad with high blood calcium and have been on prednisone since. I had lost 30lb that yr and looked good for the first time in 20yr. I was devastated when they put me back on the meds. But it was that or dialysis. I also have 10 children. So weight loss is a struggle but I know that God is in charge.

[sfdora]

I've been on prednisone for seven months. I'm presently taking 60mgs every other day. I didn't have the same experience as you. I told my doctor that I didn't want to develop diabetes. So, he put me on a low-carb diet. Since you have to eat many small meals, I wonder if the low-carb diet would be good for you. I hope that you find a plan that works for you. I've lost 29 lbs so far. My cardiologist told me I need to lose the extra weight. Now I'm not now on blood pressure pills anymore.

Good Luck
SFdora

[luey]

I thought I'd hate counting calories, but it was something I really needed to do in order to figure out how many calories are in certain foods. For instance, I never realized that pickles have almost no calories, but yogurt has quite a few. I'd always thought of yogurt as a healthy food (I also used to equate healthy with low calorie).

Anyway, you might want to start out counting for a month or so just to get used to how much food and what types of foods you can have.