Mark from Georgia
 

I've been overweight for the length of my life. My family is average in weight. Obesity doesn't run in my family.

My weight problems began when I was born. I couldn't keep food down and they gave me "thickened" formula. I gained too much weight, too quickly, and my weight has been progressing since.

During my life, I've tried to stay active and eat well. However, my obesity continues to get worse.

I feel awful, my clothes don't fit, and I can't even sleep well at night.

I've tried to get professional medical help, but I'm not believed when I tell them that I try and that I actually follow a healthy lifestyle.

I don't know what to do anymore. Granted my lifestyle isn't perfect, but I don't "sin" too often.

My typical diet contains Fresh spinach salad at least one daily, usually lunch. My dinners are usually comprised of grilled chicken (or something similar), fresh vegetables/steamed vegetables, and skim milk/water. Breakfast is usually juice (often pomegranate or grape) along with fruit.

I don't have a sweet tooth and don't crave things that are "bad" for me.

I seldom "slip", with my last thing being eating a slice of pizza with my Dad about a month ago. Things like that don't happen often.
Oh, I did drink a glass of regular Pepsi at a friend's house a couple of weeks ago.

I try to stay active, but I admit with my weird schedule that I don't have a regular exercise time. However, I do things like park far away from places I go, so that I have to walk longer.

In my heart, I often wonder if I don't have a physical problem causing my weight. I've asked more than one doctor, but have been told that is an excuse and it is in my head.

I'm not looking to become a male model or looking to become a gigolo.
I merely want to feel better, be able to rest well at night, and have my clothes fit.

Any advice, help, or recommendations will considered and very much appreciated.

Thanks.

Hi Mark and :welcome:

Persistance not perfection wins the race and to me it sounds like your on your way. Your eating sounds pretty darn good but like you said, your exercise could be better and that may be the key for you. Also... you know you better than anyone, so if you feel like there could be some underlying problem then I would suggest seeing a new doctor and having some major blood work done.... it can't hurt ya know. But in the mean time, please surf the boards and enjoy... the support here is amazing.

:hug: and good luck !!

Leenie

First, :wel3fc:

GLAD YOUR HERE!!!

Second, oh my goodness, is that all you eat?!? Thats like... MAYBE 800 calories??? Your body is starving!!! It's storing fat. Someone your size needs to be eating at least 1500 calories. Are you drinking your 8 glasses of water? Another problem I see is your tiny breakfast. Eat a big breakfast!! I did the same thing. (You can check out my thread). When I kicked up my calorie intake I lost 4lbs that week! What's your exercise like?
The ladies here are very helpful and have been doing this longer than me, so they might have more advise. But that's what I would say.

My advice-Talk to another doctor. If what you discribe is truly all you are eating. You are not cheating and you are getting mild excersise...You should not have this kind of weight problem.

Before you do that though...try charting every bite if food that goes into your mouth for a few weeks. Also document your activities. There are several places on line to do that. Fit Day and Daily plate seem to be most popular. That way you will have a reference for your doctor to go off of. You may even find that you are eating more calories per day than you think and be able to make adjustments on your own.

Oh, to add to my post... you'll feel uncomfortable about eating more. I guarantee it. But think, what you're doing now isn't working, right? So what have you got to loose? Try new things! Figure out how your body works and what it responds to. Try eating 1800 calories a day this week and just see what happens.

:goodluck:

Again... :cheer::welcome::cheer:

Hi Mark! :)

:wel3fc:

This may be a long response, but I have a lot I'd like to respond to:

Ya know... Have any of these doctors that you've been to actually done any tests to rule out conditions that may cause weight gain or difficulty in losing? Or are they just saying "It's all in your head"?

If it's the latter, I'd keep going to doctors until I found one that would actually at least test for certain conditions.

That being said.

Weight loss is definitely possible. We just have to find the right key for our own individual success. It's not the same for everyone. (And if you go roaming around the site, it'll be one of the first things you'll notice, aside from the fact that we want everyone to succeed and support everyone to the best of our abilities. :))

I can only tell you what I see from your menu. It isn't enough food. Not for a man who is 6ft 1. Not in the least.

Are you following a specific program? Or just trying to choose healthier foods? For a week you may want to track your calories to see exactly what your intake is. Include everything, every condiment, and every snack (if there are any). At the very least, if you keep a food journal, you can show it to a physician or a nutritionist and get an expert opinion.

I'm a Weight Watchers member. But, I often recommend calorie counting for people, because it truly is very straight forward and cheap. And there are many sites online that can help you track food. Do keep on parking far from stores and things so that you have to walk more. It's a great way to get in more movement. You don't need a regular exercise time persay, but even 15 minutes a day of purposeful activity (like simple, but effective walking) would do a lot for you.

Have a look around the boards. Post wherever you're comfortable. We'd love to help you get past this hurdle.

You can do this! :cheer3:

I've been logging my diet for years. I've counted every calorie for years. Let's just say that I've always been a detail oriented person. (laugh)

Anyway, I can say with all honesty and no reticence that I've been doing the "right things", at least the "right things" that I've always been told are what I should do.

I don't even consider "cheating", because as I said, I don't crave foods, and because I feel bad and want to feel better.

As for increasing my caloric intake, I've considered it and have always been afraid that I'd make things worse. What is a good resource for researching a safe/healthy way to increase caloric intake?

As I said, I've talked to many doctors over the years, but they refuse to go beyond the "norm" on blood tests.

At their offices, they only see that during the checkup, I have normal BP, cholesterol, etc.
I ask could there be some intermittent metabolic problem? They say it's all me.

I'd like to see a specialist of some kind, but my insurance will only provide for one if referred from an internist, GP, etc. None have offered to refer me, even when I asked. They were all offended that I didn't think they "could handle it".

Let's say that I'm disenchanted with doctors at this point.

I really wonder if I don't have something "wrong" with me, but on the other hand I am afraid that it may simply be me. I've never been ambivalent about myself or my choices except on this one thing.

Okay, here are a couple more tidbits for you to consider.......

Consider, I have chronic allergies/sinus problems. These began, again, with birth. These tend to be plant related, but have always haunted me and often make me feel pretty miserable. However, nothing life-threatening (to my knowledge)

Consider, I had the "food" problem at birth. All they did was pour "special, high calorie" formula in me. I gained too much weight then and was pronounced fine. They never bothered to find the cause of that problem then. I've had my weight problems from that point forward.

My gut and logic tell me that the fact the allergies and "food" problem at birth occurring together mean something.

I did see an allergy specialist once. I asked if perhaps I had food allergies that could be lending to my weight. The guy did a cursory check and told me that I had typical plant related allergies and to take anti-histamines. He said that he didn't think I had food allergies since I've never had hives, convulsions, etc. So convulsions are necessary before its decided that you have food allergies? He didn't perform any tests. I think the guy was a quack. This was the guy for whom my insurance recommended and paid.

I don't know. I'm just plain tired.

Oh, thanks for the replies. You seem like a nice supportive group.

Ahh. Okay. Wasn't clear from the original post. But, it's great that you do.

I don't know of any prescribed chart or formula, except plain old "trial & error". Same with reaching maintenance. Add 200 calories for a couple of weeks to note the results. Add 200 calories more for a couple of weeks to note the results. Subtract 100 calories for a couple of weeks to note the results... etc etc. I wish I could be of more help in that regard.

This disturbs me. The fact that so many doctors find it easy to completely dismiss what could be a potential issue without even trying to test for anything. Stand up for yourself. "Doctor, I've been at this for years. Years. Here's my food journal & calorie intake. Here's what I've been doing physically. I've gone to X number of doctors and they all say "it's in my head". It's not in my head. Please, humor me. Test me for things that could be contributing to this situation, even if you don't believe they are the cause for it. I just need to know."

Don't give up.

:yes: Farie is so good!

I'm obviously not in the medical field, so I could be getting this all wrong, BUT... It's been explained to me that our bodies are so well created that they are able to survive famines and drouts (sp?) by storing fat and water. Your body think's there is a famine right now because you're eating so little. It's storing fat to keep you alive. When people start drinking water they loose water weight. Same with food.

You can look up a calorie intake calcuator. With your info I found that you need to eat 3500 calories to maintain. Drop 500 to lose weight, and drop 1000 to loose even more - BUT NO MORE THAN THAT. For now, go in slow increments like Farie said.

What your doing now isn't working. You have to try new things. It's good that your so detail oriented. It will help you to figure out exactly what works and what doesn't. Isn't it Einstein that said "the definiation of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." Stop being crazy! :dizzy:
:lol:

Maybe your frustrated and tired of all this because you're hungry! :p You'll get this figured out.

:welcome3:

Hi!

I agree, you need to up your calories if that menu is typical for you. I'd honestly shoot for around 1800 to start with. Go with that for a couple months and see how your body responds. You can change to more or less calories after you've given your body a couple of months at your target caloric intake.

Also, get a new doctor! Ask them to run blood tests and specifically check out your thyroid. I know doctors are hard to come by and can be a royal PITA but they are there to serve YOU not just rush you out the door.

Good luck and post often! Great support is to be found here at 3FC. :D

Welcome Mark
 

Hi Mark,

It's always nice to have another man about the house, LOL.

Your story deserves respect; I join the others who have suggested that you take your diet log to another professional until you get satisfaction. Have you considered a dietitian? Perhaps if you worked with a dietitian for a period you, conceivably, could find the problem. But at least you would have a professional on your side to help you bring your case more firmly to a medical doctor for more tests.

For me, weight loss would not have been possible without exercise. It does more than just contribute to the caloric balance. You might want to consider trying a more organized approach to exercise. It worked for me to start by walking, initially for only 10 minutes. Then more. Then for a mile. Then I bought $85 walking shoes to be sure I wasn't hurting my body. Then a pedometer. Then a gym membership and weights.

Whatever path you take, I wish you well. It's a BIG deal that you've reached out to this board. Methinks you're on your way to something.

Okay, I think I will try upping my caloric intake as so many have suggested.

Just by 200 calories.....

Any recommendations on food?

Keep in mind that I like having low cholesterol, etc.

Also, I'm going to keep looking for a better doctor. I think I'll go to the AMA website and check out specialists. My insurance won't pay for it, since it's not a referral, but I have to do something.

As to exercise, I agree. I need a "standardized" program. Unfortunately, I have a rather unusual schedule and just don't have regular hours from day-to day. That's why I've always just tried to walk in my daily life as much as possible. Granted lately, I often feel as if I'm going to fall over, but I push myself onward.

Guys, thanks again for the encouragement.

You may not believe it, but in your few responses to my post, you've made me feel much better than any doctor in the past 20 or so years. What does that tell you?

Nuts, avocado, olives, whole grains, fruit. Usual good things, just a little more of them to fill in the 200 calories.

That's my suggestion. But, there may be some more expert opinions to weigh in on the matter shortly.

Protein. Have some eggs for breakfast and snack on yogurt one day. Have a sandwich with lean meat another day for lunch. Add some whole wheat pasta or brown rice with your chicken. A protein shake with fruit for breakfast is very filling and tasty, too. Can of tuna with your salad would be good too. I dont see very many starches in your diet either, have at least one serving of whole wheat bread/pasta/rice a day. Experiment!

I think that's a great way to go. I think it's easy to think you'll add the good fats later, after you've lost weight, and then you're too scared to.