Oh pinkstarz , please don't do this to yourself. I would urge you to go back and reread FBs entire post a couple of times. I only quoted the part I really wanted to comment on but she is dead on with everything she said.

Think of me as the ghost of Christmas future because you sound exactly like I did (back in the olden days ). VLCD may seem to be working initially but they are sooo not worth the long term effects. How do you think I ended up with my screen name? I know it's hard to think this far ahead right now - I know it was for me. I thought I just wanted to be thin, at any cost (and I didn't really believe anything negative could possibly happen to me anyway ) besides, I felt sooo IN CONTROL when I didn't eat (bet you know the feeling huh?) - but, believe it or not, one of these days you really are going to wake up and be over 50.

The part FB mentioned about damage to your metabolism? - If you starve yourself enough (and there is a really high probability that less than 1200 calories will make your body think it is starving even if you take a ton of vitamins) you're body will stop trusting you to feed it and will latch on to every shred you put in your mouth and store it as fat - even if you start hitting the gym with a vengance. (I think I used the example of getting fat on accidentally swallowed bits of toothpaste in another post). Because I had a nutritionally uneducated, unsypathetic doctor who told me I was going to stay fat because I was "at that age" and just wanted to give me a laundry list of perscriptions for all the things that were out of whack, I started "cutting back" on my own and was down to something like 500 calories a day and STILL GAINING! Granted not as fast as I did at 1500 calories but clothes were still "shrinking in the dryer" and I could NOT figure out why starving myself wasn't working any more. By the time I found a doctor who actually cared about something other than writing perscriptions, I was malnourished with internal organs that were really close to just quitting on me altogether.

Then, there's one other little side effect you don't hear too much about. I kind of think when you hit 50 you're going to want to still have your own teeth, right? Well, terrible nutrition kills them no matter how much you brush and floss and rinse becuase they don't get enough nutrients to survive (and dentists will look down their nose at you and accuse you of having "meth-mouth" even if you've never touched the stuff).


Does all that sound like something you would look forward to for your future? Do you really want to take the gamble that it might not happen to you?

One of the biggest turning points for me was finding 3FC - even having (finally) found a fantastic doctor, he couldn't give me the perspective that other women, and other people who've experienced the same struggles I go through can. And now you've found us - it can be the same for you if you let it. So, please, please take a deep breath; stop trying to think of all reasons (excuses? ) why a healthy way of eating and a patient approach won't work for you and spend a little time looking at some of the different forums that discuss different diets - you can find everything from structured programs to basic calorie counting - and see what you can find that might work for you.

This post really is bringing back traumatic dieting flash-backs. My early diets were all VLCDs, because that's what nearly "everyone," including my doctor was recommending. Even in the late 80's when "moderation" was emerging as the common dieting wisdom, I kept saying to myself,

I "know" starvation dieting is probably messing with my metabolism, but "I'm not that active," or "just this once...." Even the popular plans all start with a "kickstart" (more, I think because people will not stick with something that doesn't have dramatic early results, than because it's the healthiest way to go).

The fact is, when I was younger, I didn't CARE what I was doing to myself, I just wanted to become normal as fast as I could, all the while I was becoming more of a freak. That's what rapid, starvation diets do. They dangle a carrot, but it's a trick. That carrot never becomes yours, it might as well be a hallucination.

for AnAbsoluteDiva: WHat food plan are you following? I think that I have read a few posts by you and I am super interested in learning how you eat? Have you read a book to help you change your meal planning? I love the idea of whole, nutritious meal planning and I also love to cook. My Husband is a notorious fast food eater, which is pretty disgusting, but my toddler will eat anything that I make and the baby is just starting out. Please let me know of any book reccomendations. I love to read. Your posts have been soo insightful and helpful.

I wonder if anyone has ever considered that the obesity and diabetes epidemics that are all over the news may have actually been caused by so many years of following crappy advice from mis-informed doctors

P.S. to that long earlier post - The way I worded my experience with gaining left it sounding like I think 1500 calories is a huge amount of food - I gained weight on 1500 calories because it was all the wrong type of food. I am all the way back up to between 1400 and 1500 again but all good "clean" food and feel better than I ever have and the scale is still moving in the right direction for a change :-D

The doctor discussion is always one of my favorites. On another site that I belong there are several women that have easily 100lbs to lose that tell stories that their doctor specifically noted they were not concerned about their weight. Or there are the 200lb+ women that are simply told to stick to a 1200 calorie diet and no other advice.

The best thing I think a doctor can do is recommend someone to a dietician or a program like WW and insist that the patient come in say every 3months to have their numbers (cholesteral, weight, blood pressure) monitored. I think this is important because it shows that the doctor is vested in you making improvements and these type of tests can show improvement that may not be reflective on the scale.

My current doctor (I love this guy) is probably marginally overweight (by height and weight charts). He's in his early 70's I would guess, and not obviously fat, just a bit stocky. I suspect that it isn't something he's dealt with all of his life, but rather some middle aged spread that he's been struggling to get rid of for the past few years. I doubt it's more than 20 lbs, so I wouldn't exactly call him fat. Although who knows, maybe he's struggled with weight all of his life, or someone in his life has. Whatever reason, he's the perfect blend (for me) of attentive, supportive, and sympathetic.

At my first appointment with him shortly after we moved to WI, his approach to my weight was a lot different than any other doctor I've ever had (until I would later meet my neurologist and my ENT - maybe there's something about WI, or at least Wausau doctors). Anyway, unlike doctors I'd had before, he was understanding and pragmatic about the issue of weight loss.

He talked about how difficult lasting weight loss is, and he'd rather see me focus on eating better and exercising more without focusing on the scale to guage my progress. His opinion (and mine too) is that scale-focused weight loss often backfires. As soon as watching the scale stops being rewarding, the "diet" tends to be abandoned, and the weight regained.

When I come in with weight loss, he isn't excited about the number of pounds lost. At first, I was sort of disappointed with that, but then I noticed what he DOES do. He barely nods at my report of the number of lbs lost, but then he asks me about how I'm feeling and what I'm doing and he gives much stronger positive feedback about my answers. Walking further, with knees hurting alot less? (Good, good) Biking and swimming (wonderful) Eating a lot more fish (Great, but watch the fatty fish because of the mercury). Don't need the asthma medication since stopping the NSAID (that's great, you should probably avoid aspirin and OTC NSAIDS too). And when he reviews my bloodwork, he's very happy about the positive changes (Keep it up).

I really think he's the first doctor I've ever had who was not concerned with the number, but on the results/progress to my health and fitness.

I so agree that doctors often have little background in nutrition. One doctor I saw while I was in college, gave me the Mayo Clinic diet (a one page xerox of a mimeographed sheet - yes, it had been floating around that long), and not really from the Mayo Clinic, a horrible diet of eggs, bacon, grapefuit, steak, and lettuce.

If your insurance covers a visit to a dietician (even if it has to be recommended by a physician first), or if you can pay for it yourself or work out a payment plan, or call the health department to research free or inexpensive ways to see a dietician (some communities have health fairs and free screenings periodically), I can't recommend it enough.

Hey Jermsgirl, have you checked out our Whole Foods forum?

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=209

Here's a thread that specifically lists book recommendations:

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=91330

Hey Pinkstarzmutiny:

I am fairly new here to posting on 3fatchicks and your story resonated with me since we are about the same height and I started rehauling my lifestyle at your current weight. I was about 200 pounds after giving birth to each of my three kids.

I started on this journey 38 days ago and have lost over 10 pounds by just counting calories and eating real, whole foods.

I too used to lead a fairly sedentary lifestyle (well, my only activity was chasing after three kids under the ago of five). I started by taking leisurely walks in the morning with the stroller before it got too hot. To get myself motivated, I thought to myself, "I will do this for my kids - they will love the fresh air and scenery." I pack a little healthy snack and a sippy cup for them to eat during it. My kids love it and now look forward to their walks. I have just started incorporating running solo in the evenings as I am feeling great and "lighter".

I eat about 1200 calories a day but I give myself an allowance of 1500 calories a day on my calorie tracker so I don't feel like I've "failed" if I go over a bit and have been averaging 1258. I weigh-in every Friday and if I have lost weight, I give myself a solid 1500 calories on one weekend day. I think I gained a couple of pounds one week after starting daily exercise but within the next week I was down 3.5 so it was just water retention. I also keep track on my calories on my-calorie-counter.com but there are many other sites out there.

I know firsthand how hard it is to carry baby weight. Treat your body well and it will respond and do something that will last for the long haul. Your baby will also benefit from your found knowledge of real/whole foods. You can also incorporate your "cravings" for steak and latin foods by incorporating spices and smaller portions. You shouldn't have to give up the foods you normally love. Learning to revamp recipes will keep you satisfied and be something you can maintain for a lifetime. For example, I make taco filling from ground turkey breast, black beans, olive oil and spices (fill corn tortillas or mix filling with eggbeaters). I put a bit of the mixture to the side for my girls before I add the spices and they enjoy it to!

At every meal/snack, make sure you add some solid protein to keep you satiated longer. For example, if I ate a banana, I would also add a light string cheese. It really, really works!!!

I used to want to see quick results in the past by starving my poor body but something finally clicked. I don't know if its because I am a mother now and want to be a good example/role model for a lifetime. The added bonus, the weight is coming off much quicker than I imagined it would. My body is responding to the healthy changes!!!

Best of luck to you - treat your body well and it will respond!!!

Michelle