I am new here. I developed a health issue years ago, which caused considerable weight gain, and have not found a way to take it off. Many diets have failed. I have been on strict diets as long as 6 months and could not take off even 1 lb. I refuse to believe that nothing can be done. My doctor advises me to keep trying with diet and exercise, but it does get frustrating. I need to lose 50 lbs.
I am now trying to completely eliminate all starchy carbs such as bread, pasta, potatoes, sugar, all yeast products, etc. I keep those things at a minimum now but I need to try eliminating them completely. I find I can do it for 2 weeks then lose my motivation and momentum.
I thought joining a forum might help because I can talk to others who really understand this and maybe I can find ways to really stick to this . Also maybe there are others who have have this crazy dilema of nothing working.
Last edited by carblover46; 11-03-2011 at 03:37 PM.
Welcome!
What you're trying to do sounds a lot like the BFC plan (Belly Fat Cure). We limit sugars to 15 grams per day (read the labels, sugar is everywhere!) and we limit carbs to 6 servings per day (each serving is up to 20 grams.) It's very easy to figure out, and you can eat lots of proteins and complex carbs like veggies (not corn, peas, carrots, potatoes). Most of us use Stevia to replace sugars and artificial sugars which aren't allowed. There are even breads available that are very low carb/low sugar, but I find it easier just to not eat bread products. The best part of the plan is when you cut off sugar and art. sugar, you don't have cravings for those types of foods.
Welcome to the forum! I'm new to this site as well.
If you are unable to lose weight with diet and exercise alone, have you asked your doctor to run a blood test for your thyroid? You may have hypothyroidism, which makes it difficult for some people to lose weight.
There's a section on this forum dedicated to keto (low/no carb) diets that you can browse. I personally could never subscribe to such a diet, since I know I would not be able to keep it up for very long. That said, there are many other people out there who are happy on a keto diet.
If you are comfortable with it, could you maybe explain your dilemma a little more? Were you exercising at all during your dieting, and if so, how often? What sort of exercises did you do, and are there certain ones that you are unable to do because of your health issue? Did you count your calories to see how much you were taking in? How "extreme" was your diet in terms of kcal/day?
I'm not a doctor by any means, but maybe if some of us understood what was going on with your failed attempts at weight loss, we could offer advice to make your next one successful. Never give up in your quest to become active and healthy. I know it's easy to get discouraged when the scale refuses to budge. Keep the course, educate yourself whenever you are able, and you will achieve your goals. 8)
Just remember, your body really can't maintain its weight if you don't feed it enough to do so. Even if you have to eat less than some others, you are ultimately in control, and you can lose the weight. It might be harder depending on your medical problems, but fat needs fuel no matter what. Best of luck!
For those who asked for more health details , you may be sorry you asked, but here goes. It's extensive but I will try to be brief.
Thank you for the responses. Yes, I am hypothyroid but I take synthroid to keep it at a normal TSH level. I was a thin , healthy, active , person when something just hit me about 20 yrs ago. One day I was functioning, the next day I wasn't. Severe fatigue, hypothyroid with unheard of TSH levels,(250..normal 0-5), low grade fevers every day for years, soreness, weakness, etc.
Saw about 30 differrent health proffesionals and had every test ever made. Switched to Alternative medicine and saw many of those proffesionals and had many treatment plans and vitamin supplemants. No one could determine what was wrong. I kept getting progressively worse and whatever it was (maybe viral)started to attack my organs and I guess it became an autoimmune situation. My thyroid stopped funcrtioning, my spleen was enlarged, and I developed liver disease..steato hepatitis ..which is a fatty liver. I was not metabolizing fat at all and kept gaining weight whether I ate or not. Oh, and pre diabetes.
I eventually had to have a liver transplant (2 yrs ago) and am doing well now. My energy returned after going on the ZONE diet. That reallly is good for health and was recommended by my doctor. Before that I couldn't walk 20 ft without needing a rest and being out of breath. Now I am walking 1 mile in the park every day and going to 3 exercise classes each week.
My health is returning but the weight is stuck to me like gorilla glue and I am determined to get it off. Having tried so many food plans, I am now on a quest with this no carb idea. I absolutely love carbs so this is difficult but I must do this last ditch effort. So thats my story.
Thanks for the suggestion to look at the low carb thread. Just read one and got some ideas. I need to go shopping tomorrow and buy all the things I can eat and snack on. I will continue to read the other threads. These people are succeeding on this so I will try their suggestions.
Some are like me. Tried many other diets with no success. I really love carbs so this will be a challenge.
WebWoman.... thanks for your response. I haven't heard of the BFC plan but what you describe is what I am trying to do. I have cut out all bread, pasta, sugar, and basically yeast products, except for the traces in everything as you mentioned. I use truvia for sugar which I believe is natural. I do not use artifucial sweetners.
So, I am on my 3rd day and miss the carbs and am experiencing carb withdrawal but I have kept to it. Hope it gets easier. I need to get through the 2 week point where I have failed before.
Thanks for the encouragement. Is there a specific plan for the BFC plan.?
Need Motivation
