Hey guys! A few days ago I was looking through a box of old photos and I saw a photo of me from when I was in the 7th grade. Around that time I weighed about 220 LBS. I thought to myself “I know I have always been over weight but I was tiny back then”. Currently I am 23 years old and weigh 360 LBS. Even though my entire family is 250+ LBS, today I decided that something needs to change. I would love to be my pre-high school weight again and shred these pounds. In July 2012, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes where I have to give myself insulin injections daily. I was informed that once I get below 280 LBS I will be removed for the injections. My health is important and this is also another reason why I would like to shred these pounds.

In high school I always was active. I played basketball and was a member of the swim team. You would think that since I was active and always exercised I would lose weight. However, that was not the case. I came out of school at 280 LBS. Since then I just kind of let myself go. I didn’t care. However, I have been trying to lose weight for the past 2-3 years but nothing is working.

For 1 entire year I was a faithful weight watchers member. I followed the program to the T, counted my points, wrote everything down and got a gym membership to start to exercise. I went into the program at 330 LBS and came out around 350. I was given over 50 points to eat throughout the day and a lot of times I could not eat all of those points. Especially since fruits were 0 points and vegetables were 1-2 points. I went into the program at 330 LBS and came out around 350. I finally got fed up with no results just gain, I quit.

I am a Zumba addict. I attend 1 ½ hour classes 2 days a week. I have been doing this since August 2011. I also have the in home DVD’s that I use. But again, no results, I added 10 pounds on since I started doing Zumba. I also attend a water aerobics class 1 time a week during this time.

I do admit that if I am not taking a class such as Zumba or water aerobics I usually do not go (I know this needs to change). My gym only has treadmills, bikes and weight equipment. I stray away from the treadmills because it hurts. I know the saying “no pain no gain”, but running at my weight hurts my feet/ankles and it is physically impossible for me to do. Therefore, I ride the bikes or walk around the track. Also, my appearance at the gym is slim because of motivation and lack of support.

NOW, I know you guys are wondering what I eat. Granted every day is different but I tried to outline it as best as I could. I am sure that this is where I need most help.

PS: please keep in mind that I am diabetic and must constantly eat throughout the day – I am also allergic to fish and beans

BREAKFAST (9am)
1 cinnamon raisin bagel
1 slice of kraft 2% cheese

OR

1 cup of cooked Quakers Old Fashion oatmeal mixed with cinnamon and 1 packet of splenda
2% milk

OR (my mom usually cooks this on weekends only)

2 medium sized pancakes
light syrup
2 sausage patties or 3 bacon strips
2% milk

SNACK (11am)
8 or 16 oz of Designer Weigh Strawberry protein shake mixed with 2% milk

LUNCH (at work anytime between 1pm-3pm)
Fruit (apple, orange peaches or grapes)
1 Michelina microwaveable macaroni
Pepsi, Water or Tea (unsweetened)

OR

Fruit (apple, orange peaches or grapes)
1 bag of lays chips or Doritos
Pepsi, Water or Tea (unsweetened)

OR

Tortilla chips with queso dip or salsa
Pepsi, Water or Tea (unsweetened)

OR

Salad (chicken ceaser)
Pepsi, Water or Tea (unsweetened)

OR

Turkey sandwich on wheat bread with light miracle whip and mustard

SNACK (5 pm)
This is usually whatever i can get my hands on right after work

DINNER (7pm - it is usually whatever my parents cook below are the most popular)
Salad (usually chicken ceaser)

OR

Grilled Hamburgers with onions and peppers

OR

Baked Chicken
corn or broccoli

OR

Soup (cheddar broccoli or chili)

Sooo… that pretty much it. As you can see I need HELP. I would like to start off small with weekly goals. I would like to try to lose 4-5 pounds a week. I just do not know how to do it. Any tips, advice, support, or information that I should know when trying to do this is greatly appreciated. Also, how can I adjust my diet to help me with this? I have tried calorie counting, (1200 and 1400) but didn’t see any progress with it. Also, what are some at home workouts that I can do (preferably before work), and are there any supplements that I can take to help me with my goals?

Thank you all for reading this terribly long posting.

Age: 23
Gender: Female
Weight: 360 LBS
Height: 5’9
Medical Conditions: Type 2 diabetic
Medication: Metformin & Lantus Insulin Shots

Hi, JaimeNacole! I think the only thing that has really helped me to stay on track and motivated to lose weight this time around has been small weekly goals. I know if I think too far ahead and set my expectations too high, I'll get discouraged and quit; that almost happened last week when I started craving junk food again. Try starting with cutting back on soda and processed food. I used to live off that, microwavable meals, and delivery pizza. I cut that out and immediately started dropping pounds. It also made me less lethargic and more motivated to work out. Be careful with that Caesar salad; I went a couple months eating that and didn't realize the amount of fat and calories in it and it was slowing down my weightloss. Same thing with pancakes and tortilla chips. The sugar and sodium in them is really high. I try to have piece of fresh fruit and a vegetable for every meal and as a snack. I also have a gym membership, but am still too self conscious to be in there. I do go for Aqua Zumba, but I don't use the other equipment. I've never been a good runner and I'm ex-military. I do have a Tread Climber at home that I try to use at least 5 times a week. I'm a good walker Cutting down on carbs has really helped me. I get most of my carbs and sugar from fruit now. Bread/chips/waffles/crackers/potatoes are my kryptonite. I always thought because I don't eat poultry or red meat, I could afford to eat more starches. But that just caused me to steadily go from normal to overweight to now obese. So now I don't have any of that stuff except for maybe once every one or two weeks. I don't trust myself to have it more often 'cause I can easily live off sandwiches for months straight.

Have you checked out any of the challenges threads? I've joined a couple of them an they've really helped me to stay on track. Good luck!!

This sounds like a problem area to me - make a plan and have something healthy available. You may be undoing your hard work during this "snack" y overdoing it.

Your dinners sound well-rounded and appropriate for your needs. The rest of it could definitely use some work. Chips do not a lunch make. And processed pasta dishes probably aren't the best for everyday diabetes management either. Try a sandwich on whole-grain, more salads, soups or even leftovers from dinner. Eggs are a great option for breakfast. And a fruit/veggie goes well with breakfast too.

If you have really been accurately counting points and/or calories and exercising as regularly as you say and gaining weight (even with the complication of diabetes) for months upon months, my first thought would be there is something else going on health-wise. However, my guess is that if you carefully examine your habits, you might find some reasons for you haven't had much success yet. Good luck and keep tweaking the plan until it works!

And 4-5 pounds a week is unrealistic and unhealthy weight loss (except for maybe the very first week of loss, when water fluctuations make for dramatic losses).

Also, have you ever consulted a diabetes educator or nutritionist for help planning menus that are designed specifically for your needs?

Hey! Thanks for your replies. I will take into consideration of what was said. I do plan to cut back on many things. I know my current diet isn’t the best, and that is what I am starting on. I went grocery shopping today for “after work snacks” and stocked up on many of my favorite fruits and a few veggies. I will snack on those after work and see how things go. Also, I will cut back on processed foods and pastas. When calorie counting I used the “MyFitnessPal” app on the iPhone. I found it simple since I can scan bar-codes and input the quantity that I ate. I haven’t used the app in months, but I plan to start back since I am starting my journey (again). I am still browsing around the forum and trying to get use to where everything is at. I have not ran across the challenge thread yet. I plan to be involved within the community because I know it will motivate me to do better.

Absolutely, sounds like you have a plan! Post often!

jaime Nacole,

your story sounds so similar to mine, but I am twice your age. The only thing I can really add to what everyone elde has said, is that it sounds like you are choosing alot of bad foods and that you are not feeding your body with the right nutrients.

I used to think if I severely limited my calories, it would work; I have learned that your body will store fat if you dont feed it enough, and of the right things. my nutritionist says i should eat 25 grams of protein and 22 grams of carbs at each meal at least 5 times a day. I am not diabetic, however, so I am not sure about the carbs for you; I do know that if you will try to have 4 to 5 ounces of fish or chicken or lean meat, veggies and limited fruit at each meal, you will be giving your body what it needs.

I hate exercise!!! and my knees are shot, my ankles are mostly shot, and I am tired all the time. But I would love to be your support buddy and work with you on both of us losing this weight! I have a son your age , one 22 and a daughter 21 and I know this is a very exciting time in your life, so lets help each other get healthy!

I remember 2 years ago when I went to the gym 4 times a week religiously. I would run on the treadmill and do minor weight lifting (problem #1). I then went on a hike and surpassed all of my friends when just 3 months prior I was huffing, puffing and stopping every 2 minutes. Seniors were passing me! I then realized "Holy cow, my endurance has increased majorly but I have not lost a SINGLE POUND".... Then I realized my issue was I was not tracking calories. I would go home, eat whatever I wanted and expected that since I was "being mindful" of what I was eating and working out that it was enough. With the little weight loss, I gave up on the gym.

This past January, I decided enough was enough and I started to go to the gym again AND track calories using the app MyNetDiary (I prefer it over MFP)... I lost a whole pant size and 15 pounds!. Unfortunately, I started to think that I looked awesome and slowly gave up on everything. I stopped coming to the site, stopped tracking calories and stopped working out. Several months later here I am back to my original pant size and up 10 pounds =(.

I guess what I am trying to say (after that giant long me-me rant---sorry!) is that counting calories works wonders for most people. Since you have a smartphone, it will make things even easier. The calories in vs calories out really does make a difference. However, if you do this religiously (weighing and measuring are very important, none of the eye-balling stuff!) and you still are not losing weight, I would seek medical attention as that could be a clear sign that something else is wrong.

Good luck and I hope to see you around here lots!!!!

Good Morning! I have been up today doing a little calorie/carb research and I decided to go with the plan below. I will track using the MyFitnessPal website/app. My name on there is JaimeNacole. Please feel free to add me, that way we can look at each other “journals” and support one another.

Daily Calories – 1800
Daily Carbs – 180g
Daily Protein – 135g

I calculated the calories from the website fat2fitradio, and then subtracted 200 calories from it.

The Carbs and Protein came from various articles/forum posts.

Candeka: Your story sounds a lot like mine. My endurance level isn’t a problem. It’s just the extra pounds. You mentioned calories in vs calories out. Do you know an efficient (non-expensive) way to calculate calories burned? I know you’re supposed to technically eat less calories than you burn and 1 pound is 3,500 calories. But, I have no idea how many calories I am putting out.

Thingirltrapped: Sure! I am all for support buddies! I feel that is where my motivation is shot. As I said in the original post, my entire family is 250+ pounds, but there isn’t any motivation to lose weight from anyone. I feel in their death trap and now it’s time for me to adventure on my own and climb my way out. I wouldn’t necessarily say I hate exercise, it’s just not the most enjoyable thing in the world. I like dance and swimming is practically my life. That is why I migrated to Zumba and Water Aerobics. Do you use MyFitnessPal? Feel free to add me on there!

I, unfortunately, am stuck with a "dumb" phone for now, but I do track through sparkpeople. I think your new plan sounds good, although I am a little worried about the carbs(diabetics usually try to avoid those, I thought). I love dancing and swimming too! really wish there was a ymca around me, but I live in a very small town, so I think I will just keep walking and gradually build in some dance videos or something. I am doing Weight watchers, which really works for me, so I will stick with that. please pm me anytime.

Two things that jumped out to me:

1) Not enough calories for your body weight.

2) Too many carbs for a diabetic. Adding lean protein to every meal would be a wise idea too.

Flip through South Beach Diet. When I was diagnosed (oral meds), my doctor suggested that I follow Phase II.

Religiously check your sugar as you change your diet. Notify your doctor if you have even one episode of hypoglycemia. Don't eat to keep up with your insulin dose. Have your doctor change it.

Good luck!

Oh also - if your weight gain at WW was before you were diagnosed - you should probably blame diabetes, not WW. Unexplained weight gain can happen. Most people only think of unexplained weight loss - but that doesn't hold true for everyone.

Just getting your diabetes controlled will help your weight loss efforts immensely!

Hello I started losing weight at 380lbs I know how you feel. Without even having to look at your diet I would say cut out all processed packaged foods and eat a diet of lean meat veggies and fruit and healthy carbs like ezekiel bread or wraps quinoa in place of rice and sweet potatoes occasionally and the weight should fall off of you.

Don't fry your meat or veggies bake grill or steam them and use herbs and spices instead of butters and fats to flavor them. If you do need to fry something use olive oil coconut oil or some other healthy fat but sparingly. Or eat your veggies and fruit raw.

I try to only have the healthy carbs once a day but some days I have it a few times a day and I still lose.

I'd suggest learning all you can about nutrition and a healthy diet because that is really what makes up most of the weight loss working out is great and you should stick to it but your diet is really what needs the biggest tweaking. Youtube has alot of great recipes using protein powder to make tastey foods that feel like your cheating like chocolate muffins and protein pancakes things like that also sometimes if I'm craving pizza I make a tortilla pizza and its a life saver and really makes sure you control your portions.

Sorry if I sound kind of all over the place but most importantly center your diet around lean protein veggies fruit and limited healthy carbs and you should do great since you are diabetic also keep the fruit to a minimum only a few a day maybe and berries have less effect on blood sugar than most fruits so those are good ones to have.

Hope that helps some you will have to decide for yourself though how you want your diet to be but cutting out all processed foods will help you a great deal.

I'd cut out all sodas and sugary drinks as well. Those have no nutritional value whatsoever.

Also if you are having salads make sure you are having a light salad dressing and dont use too much. Also don't add high fat cheese or croutons to them salads can be as bad as a big mac depending on what you put in them.

Also I'd suggest cutting out chips and crackers those are very easy to overeat very quickly and I noticed whenever I have any my weight loss stalls and they have little if any at all nutritional value as well.