Sometimes I don't know why I try -- I've been struggling to lose even 3 pounds over the past two years. I am 50+ and have a heart condition. The beta blockers I take wreak havoc on my metabolism, slowing it to a crawl.

I tried doing the WW point system, I've tried simply counting calories. I have a great app on my iphone that tracks food so its simple to add food all day long. I've been keeping right around 1400-1600 calories a day PLUS exercising daily. At first I was doing the EA Fit program for the Nintendo Wii, but this is a hard workout for me with my heart issues and since I wasn't losing any weight after keeping at it for 3 weeks, I lost interest. So now, I've just been walking daily, depending on the weather.

Well, needless to say, I haven't dropped an ounce. How does one stay motivated with this lack of results? I've tried cutting back calories even more, but then by evening I am ravenous and end up craving (and eating) ice cream, my downfall.

Can anyone help with suggestions?

Here is my food for today:

Breakfast: 1 cup of raspberry soy yogurt
Lunch: 3 oz. low sodium turkey on whole wheat bread, 1 T of light mayo
1 cup of skim milk
Dinner: 1.5 cups of tuna casserole (tuna, light cream of mushroom soup/skim milk, egg noodles)

Evening snack: 1.5 cups chocolate ice cream
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I know the ice cream is NOT good, but I always feel like I need something sweet - I keep thinking about it and obsessing about it until I give in. I don't know how to get past this. The thought of NOT having a dessert or sweet snack in the evening is difficult to imagine. I feel like the dessert/snack is killing me.

Help??

Kris

Try eating small snacks inbetween your main meals which will help to keep your metabolism going... and you can have sweet treats if you factor them into your day but try looking for something with no sugar added or fat free... and have just one serving.

lol ice cream is my weakness too .. i swithched from cold stone cake batter to menchies cake batter ... its a very good subsitute you can taste the lightness in menchies yogart and it make me feel good knowing im not eating the rich cake batter from cold dtone

I think a bit more for breakfast would be an idea, how about some oatmeal? or cream of wheat with a cup of blueberries? these fill me up in the morning and keep my metabolism up.
Just an idea, good luck with it

First, that doesn't look like 1400-1600 calories to me. Are you sure about your numbers?

Second, ask your doctor how badly you need to be on beta blockers. I assume you have some kind of arrhythmia, but there are many causes of that. For example, you could be low on potassium. But do not stop any medication without consulting your doc.

Third, beta blockers do make it hard for you to exercise. Discuss with your doctor your plans for exercise and weight loss, and see what he or she recommends. You might even want to consult a dietitian to see if a personalized plan would help.

Jay

Hi Kris. We're here to help you. First of all I'd like to ask, where are your fruits and vegetables? I don't think you are getting any of the food that will fill you up. That 1.5 cups of ice cream are approximately 350- 450 calories if you are using a cheap or non-premium brand and a lot more for the premium brands. You could have an apple, a cup of baby carrot with low fat dip, a large green salad with low fat dressing, a cup of shredded cabbage and carrots with low fat dressing, and a lettuce and tomato sandwich on thin- sliced whole wheat bread for about the same amount of calories. And I mean all of that food. Those foods will fill you up way more than a large bowl of ice cream. I find that if I have to have something sweet at night I suck on a hard candy at about 20-25 calories. I know all about wanting ice cream at night. If I let myself go I could eat the whole tub. Pick one day, possibly on the weekend, where you let yourself have one decadent dessert and during the week substitute with a low-fat, low calorie alternative as some of the other posters have suggested. Good luck on your journey and keep up the walking.