Fell off the wagon.... up 25 lbs, time to get back on. Need advice
Sigh... I gained a bunch of weight with my back to back pregnancies and getting diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I am 5'4 and last year I was trying to lose the baby weight. I think I was around the 150 mark, and my goal weight is 120-130. I stopped taking my thyroid meds and it was a downward spiral after that. I became kinda depressed, ate all the time, lazy, etc... it doesnt help that hypo causes weight gain in itself as well. I think I fell off the wagon because I wasnt seeing results. I was working out and eating right for months and barely lost anything.
Well, I had to go to the doctor yesterday and I am up to 175!!!!!! That means I have gained almost 30 pounds since falling off the wagon. I now weigh more than I did the day I delivered my son at 9 months pregnant!!! We have been trying to conceive for a few months with no results, i am almost positive its the extra weight. So we are putting TTC on hold so I can get healthy again.
I need advice! Whats the best way to start? I was thinking something like south beach or even a meal replacement shakes (for 2 meals a day) for the first 2 weeks just to get me started and then after that just do calorie counting etc... But I know my problems is I hate to cook, I never have time to cook. So I need easy food.
What are good things to eat that are easy (quick) to make?? All that comes to mind is chicken and veggies, and I know that will make me sooo hungry. I also dont have time to snack all day either. Its best if I just eat 3 meals a day. I cant be in the kitchen all day with 2 toddlers. Please help me. How should I get back on the wagon??
I think the first step is getting your hyperthyroidism under control. Why did you stop taking your medication?
I want to ask the same thing!
I have a 3 year old and a 5 month old, plus I work part time. I know it can be very very difficult, but you have to find what works for you. Every person will have something different that works for them. Advice is great, but not everything is going to be great for you personally.
The first step to get ME back on track, was to stop allowing myself to make excuses. People busier than me do it every day, so I figured if I really wanted this, I'd figure out a way to do it. I have made changes in my eating several times since I started 9 weeks ago. It's about finding a balance and you don't always figure that out from day 1. '
Just start, doesn't matter how or what you do, just any start will snowball and get you going!
I need advice! Whats the best way to start? I was thinking something like south beach or even a meal replacement shakes (for 2 meals a day) for the first 2 weeks just to get me started and then after that just do calorie counting etc... But I know my problems is I hate to cook, I never have time to cook. So I need easy food.
What are good things to eat that are easy (quick) to make?? All that comes to mind is chicken and veggies, and I know that will make me sooo hungry. I also dont have time to snack all day either. Its best if I just eat 3 meals a day. I cant be in the kitchen all day with 2 toddlers. Please help me. How should I get back on the wagon??
First of all, back!... but sorry you had to come back! I know the feeling!
I wouldn't do something like south beach or anything else for the first two weeks & then switch to something like calorie counting. You can do that, but I wouldn't. Too much aggravation, IMHO.
So DECIDE what kind of diet you want to do ... something you can do long term, because this is FOR LIFE. Don't look at it as a "diet", something you will be on for awhile & then get off of when you've lost the desired amount of weight. DO IT FOR LIFE. Therefore it should be something you can MAINTAIN - FOREVER. If you want to do South Beach, then fine. Can you go low-carb forever? If you can't, ditch the south beach/atkins idea of a diet. Calorie counting? It's easy, free, and allows you to eat whatever foods you like.
Weight watchers? I've never really done it (I did the points system for awhile, it didn't work for me) but many people swear by it.
The point is, there are HUNDREDS of different ways to "diet" - they all have ONE THING in common: eating less calories. Losing weight is all about creating a CALORIE DEFICIT.
You can do that with almost any diet. But is it a diet you can live with... forever? That's the most important thing. Sometimes it takes trying more than one thing. So it's perfectly ok to do south beach, and then go to calorie counting. But why not just DO south beach, or DO calorie counting, or DO I.F. (intermittent fasting) or whatever diet you choose?
There's a lot more to life than broiled chicken & steamed veggies. I've lost 39 lb eating a variety of foods... pizza, cheeseburgers, and yes, even desserts. My basic diet is chicken, turkey, pork, shrimp, tuna... veggies such as tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, greens. I drink a lot of water cause I'm thirsty all the time (dry mouth due to certain meds) but I also enjoy a Diet Mtn Dew once per day, coffee in the mornings, and occasionally sweet tea with my dinner.
YOU CAN DO THIS. You just need to find the right "diet" for you.
Ive been back on my meds since January. It took about 6 weeks, but I finally feel much much better. Especially the last 2 months. Untreated hypo has the same symptoms as depression, so I felt awful the whole time I was off my meds. I stopped taking it for a stupid reason. My prescription ran out and I was too lazy to go get my blood drawn to get a new one. I kept putting it off. After a few weeks, my levels were out of control and the depression settled in. Untreated hypo gives you the same symptoms as depression. Tired, sad, lazy, not caring about things, weight gain, etc... Once that happened I just didnt care and never went to get my meds.
We have always said we wanted 3 kids, but my DH said we couldnt try until I got myself together. So I dragged myself up to the doctor and 6 weeks later I finally felt like me again. Amazing what one little pill does. My levels (and mood) have been perfect since the end of February.
Once I felt better, we started trying to get pregnant. So weight loss wasnt a priority. I was in the mindset, that I knew the pregnancy was going to make me fat anyways, so why bother losing any beforehand. But its been 4 months and no luck. Ive gotten so big my sweatpants feel tight. I decided I want to take a TTC break for 2 months to lose weight.... I just dont know where to begin...
Hi! I didnt see the other post! Thanks you all for responding. Its hard to figure out what to do since we know we want to be pregnant pretty soon. When im pregnant I eat healthy, but I dont calorie count in the slightest.
So what I want to do now is spend the next 2 months doing everything I can to lose weight. Exercise, eat low calorie, etc. Hopefully lose around 20 or so pounds during that time and then we will start TTCing again. I will continue to do the weight loss until the day I get a positive PG test. Once Im pregnant, I wont do the hardcore exercising and low calories. Then once the baby comes, get back to major weight loss. Does that make sense?
My friend just started the (and I dont want seller spammers in my thread) replacement shakes. The "cake" ones, and has been trying to get me to try it. It sounds like a good idea, but Im still not sure. Ive tried south beach before, but the no carb thing was really difficult as I live on pasta and bread as it is...
I know calorie counting is the way to go,but thats what I was doing when I fell off the wagon and I never lost any weight. I was weighing food, and plugging it into myfitness pal and staying everyday betweeen 1200-1400. I was also working out at least 4-5 hours a week. In 3 months I lost 7 pounds. Just didnt seem like much considering all the hard work
I understand that planning the gaps between kids is important. But isn't being healthy for the pregnancy even more important? Maybe this is your body warning you that it isn't the right time just yet.
You say you live on pasta and bread. There's a great place to make changes. Salads are quick and easy. With some chicken or other protein thrown in. You have to WANT to do this for it to be successful. And you have to want to stay healthy. Being lax about meds and ignoring significant weight gain don't indicate the desire to stay healthy.
The biggest change is in your head. I think we all know that. We just have to put it into practice. I hope you figure out what plan works best for you in the short term and for life Good luck.
[QUOTE=violet826;4343781]Ive tried south beach before, but the no carb thing was really difficult as I live on pasta and bread as it is...
QUOTE]
If you live on pasta and bread as it is, I would definitely suggest you go low carb as obviously carbs have something to do with your weight gain. Simple carbs like that create cravings and have way too much sugar in them to be healthy. Start thinking differently about meals and substitute proteins and green veggies for the bread and pasta. I wish you luck, but no one said losing weight was easy.
With all the shortcuts available in supermarkets these days, cooking has become so easy. Take some mixed greens, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, grape tomatoes, beansprouts, and a little dressing -- voila, you have a nutritious salad with absolutely no chopping required. Put some onion and tomato slices topped with shredded cheese on a piece of flatbread, grill it, and you have a great lunch sandwich. Toss some precooked shrimp and frozen spinach in pasta with bottled tomato sauce and you have a full meal. Most of the stuff I cook these days takes just a few minutes.
Fell off the wagon.... up 25 lbs, time to get back on. Need advice
back!... but sorry you had to come back! I know the feeling! 
