I just don't know anymore...
AskTracyAnnK28
Posts: 2,817 Member
I can definitely use some motivation and support right now.
In the past 3 weeks my weight has been all over the place. I keep seeing here that we need to weigh, measure and log. "If you're not losing weight at a deficit then you're doing something wrong" and "plateaus don't exist". So I weigh everything. And I mean everything (ketchup, butter, milk, salad dressing, any small condiment I use and everything I put into my mouth).
Because of this I won't eat anything I didn't prepare myself. Over the past few weeks I've declined invitations to go out, missed birthday dinners with both my parents, happy hours with co-workers and even cancelled several dates because I was too afraid to eat or drink anything I can't log accurately. The upcoming holidays have me in a complete panic.
I feel lonely and like I'm missing out on living life because I want to lose weight. Right now I'm sitting here eating a piece of string cheese in my little cubicle while my colleagues are out to lunch at a Mexican restaurant for someone's birthday.
So - any support would be kindly appreciated. I need to lose another 20 pounds but I'm afraid I'll go completely mental if I keep this up.
PS - I'm 5'7, current weight 174 pounds and wear a size 8
In the past 3 weeks my weight has been all over the place. I keep seeing here that we need to weigh, measure and log. "If you're not losing weight at a deficit then you're doing something wrong" and "plateaus don't exist". So I weigh everything. And I mean everything (ketchup, butter, milk, salad dressing, any small condiment I use and everything I put into my mouth).
Because of this I won't eat anything I didn't prepare myself. Over the past few weeks I've declined invitations to go out, missed birthday dinners with both my parents, happy hours with co-workers and even cancelled several dates because I was too afraid to eat or drink anything I can't log accurately. The upcoming holidays have me in a complete panic.
I feel lonely and like I'm missing out on living life because I want to lose weight. Right now I'm sitting here eating a piece of string cheese in my little cubicle while my colleagues are out to lunch at a Mexican restaurant for someone's birthday.
So - any support would be kindly appreciated. I need to lose another 20 pounds but I'm afraid I'll go completely mental if I keep this up.
PS - I'm 5'7, current weight 174 pounds and wear a size 8
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Honey I've lost 58 pounds so far (since April). I'm a huge proponent of weighing and measuring your food - when you can. We go out to eat regularly (at least twice a week) - and I'm still losing. I just eat smaller portions.
There is no reason to be miserable trying to lose weight, IMO. If I was miserable, there is no way I could have made it this far.
I'd like to help you, can you open your diary?0 -
A lot of restaurants post their nutritional information online now, you can do your research before going out and have your meal planned out ahead of time. I always round up a little too on the calories.
I personally cannot be that strict on myself, or I'll give up. There's no way I'd avoid my friends and family outings because I'm afraid of gaining weight. My health is important, but so are my loved ones.0 -
My diary is open now.
Chain restaurants have nutricional information online, but 'mom & pop' places don't.
Oh - and I forgot to mention I have Hashimoto's Disease and take .75 synthoid every morning. Also, I've been in 'recovery' from anorexia since 2002 and I guess I'm nervous that all this 'accountability' is edging me towards disordered eating. I have a son in college and too many bills to pay and can't afford to go back into counselling.0 -
I hate to hear that you are depriving yourself of anything "good" in life. Just remember to keep your portions under control and you'll be fine, as far as eating out.
You certainly don't have to log every single thing you eat or drink. It helps alot with accountability, yes, and if you are determined to lose the last 20 you'll probably need to be accurate but that doesn't mean you can't adjust your calorie intake throughout the day so that you can enjoy times with friends and co-workers. If you need to take food to a party so know you'll have something there you can eat and feel good about, then do it. Most hostesses welcome an additional app at their get togethers. Remember to enjoy the ride and keep up the great work!!
Oh, if you do go out to eat and overdo it, just get on the treadmill for an extra half hour...0 -
tracyannk28 wrote: »My diary is open now.
Chain restaurants have nutricional information online, but 'mom & pop' places don't.
Oh - and I forgot to mention I have Hashimoto's Disease and take .75 synthoid every morning. Also, I've been in 'recovery' from anorexia since 2002 and I guess I'm nervous that all this 'accountability' is edging me towards disordered eating. I have a son in college and too many bills to pay and can't afford to go back into counselling.
Looking at your diary, I think you're way too low for your calorie intake, if you only need to lose around 20 pounds. We're the same weight, but I'm a lot shorter and I'm at 1370 calories a day. How many pounds per week do you have your weight loss goal set to?
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I only give it a good 60-75% effort. that's the best I can sustain long-term and I dont do anything I can't do for the rest of my life.
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My goal is set to 2 pounds. I originally had my calories at 1330 daily, but stopped losing. knowing that if you're eating at a deficit you're supposed to lose, I dropped it to 1200 which has been a struggle. Maybe because of my thyroid 1300 is maintenance for me? I had a physical last week and my doctor told me that people with thyroid disease always struggle to lose weight.
Last Wednesday my weight was 167.4, Saturday it was 178, this morning and yesterday it was 174.6...So I don't even know what my real weight is lololol0 -
Weighing and measuring is a very helpful tool for weight loss....but you can still go out to eat and enjoy life while losing weight. You're eating 1200 calories per day, so you have a pretty large deficit. Eating that little per day, you have room for some higher calorie days. Going out to have Mexican for someone's birthday is fine. It's a part of life. You have to learn how to do both if you want to be able to maintain your weight after you're finished losing. Go out, log what you eat as best as you can and move on. If you're really concerned, order something lower calorie, or save half for the next day. You could have gone out for Mexican, ordered fajitas, and had a well balanced meal...and possibly lunch for tomorrow. You're going to have to find some kind of balance.0
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Yes! I need to find a balance. I really want to lose this weight and I know I can do it, but it's been very emotionally taxing these past few weeks.0
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tracyannk28 wrote: »My goal is set to 2 pounds. I originally had my calories at 1330 daily, but stopped losing. knowing that if you're eating at a deficit you're supposed to lose, I dropped it to 1200 which has been a struggle. Maybe because of my thyroid 1300 is maintenance for me? I had a physical last week and my doctor told me that people with thyroid disease always struggle to lose weight.
Last Wednesday my weight was 167.4, Saturday it was 178, this morning and yesterday it was 174.6...So I don't even know what my real weight is lololol
Well are you weighing at the same time of day, each time? That's pretty crucial. I can "gain" 5 pounds in a day, easy. It's not an actual weight gain though.
Do you exercise at all?0 -
Yeah - I weigh first thing in the morning after I use the restroom, in the same place wearing nothing but a worried look on my face lolol
And no - I don't work out at all. These days my schedule just doesn't allow it. But from what I see all over the message boards here is that you need to eat at a deficit to lose and exercise isn't necessary.
Anyway, I think I'm just looking for a kick in the *kitten* and next time I'm invited out I'm going to make myself go and have fun.0 -
you cant be on a plateau if you dont ever exercise. sorry darlin
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You nailed it right there! Next time your asked to go out, do it. Or initiate it yourself. My weight has been all over the place for the last few days and quite frankly as I read on these boards daily, many other people are experiencing the same thing. Could it be the change in weather, seasons, tides, alignment of the stars? Who the hell knows?
The bottom line is, do what works for you and makes you feel good. I'm not saying to go hit the local buffet line, but obviously your here, so you have a pretty good idea of what you can and can't eat within your goal. So take it easy on yourself and enjoy a night/day out. As long a you pick it up the next meal or the next day, it's not going to derail you. UNLESS YOU LET IT. You own it, so make it work for you not against you.0 -
shadowloss wrote: »You nailed it right there! Next time your asked to go out, do it. Or initiate it yourself. My weight has been all over the place for the last few days and quite frankly as I read on these boards daily, many other people are experiencing the same thing. Could it be the change in weather, seasons, tides, alignment of the stars? Who the hell knows?
Thank you! Yeah - that's exactly what I'm going to do
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I am sorry to hear that working out doesn't fit into your schedule. I've found that some cardio a) makes me emotionally feel good and b) gives me some extra calories that I can 'play with' later that allows me to more easily go out to a restaurant or have a few glasses of wine socially. Even if you don't 'have to' exercise to lose weight, I think it's a lot more fun than just controlling your diet, since exercise gives you those natural feel-good chemicals.
Lately, when I go to a restaurant, I've been ordering appetizers as my entree. I scan the menu for anything that resembles a chunk of meat, which is often on the appetizer menu, and order it with the carbs and cheese removed, along with a salad with no dressing or cheese or bacon. Chicken wings aren't that bad if they're your main meal, and a lot of chain places recently have been selling Asian-style high protein fish appetizers. Soups can be good too - chili is VERY filling because of the beans and, without cheese, can be a low calorie dinner.0 -
Oh - totally. I'm a big fan of having a small appitizer as my meal. I'm a pescaterian (no land animals) but a lot of places have ahi tuna as an app - which is super yummy.0
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tracyannk28 wrote: »Oh - totally. I'm a big fan of having a small appitizer as my meal. I'm a pescaterian (no land animals) but a lot of places have ahi tuna as an app - which is super yummy.
Well you're in luck, because a lot of the fish/seafood dishes at restaurants are the "healthy" or low calorie options. I'm also a pescaterian and a lot of times I end up with the lower calorie foods by default.
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The normal/functional/rational side of my brain says "of course - order smaller portions, don't eat the bread, have salad with dressing on the side. It'll be great!" Then the other side of my brain is all "well how could you log in 6 oz. of tuna when you didn't put it on a scale? What was the tuna prepared with? Olive Oil? If so, how much? and what about the salad dressing? how much was in that? how can you be sure?" and after that I start getting a headache lololol
I need to let the other side of my brain know that it's ok to eat out and not obsess of over every ounce of food that touches my lips and that people do actually lose weight by simply making healthy choices and using portion control.0 -
I have hypo and take .75 of levothyroxine, I've lost 28 lbs in 4 months. However, prior to having hypo (diagnosed in my third trimester) I lost 40 lbs in 4 months, so I definitely can relate that it is harder to lose with a wonky thyroid. I would DEFinitely go get your blood work done again and check specifically for your thyroid levels. I also noticed you said it has been emotionally draining for you, when my thyroid was not regulated I was an emotional mess! I hope this helps! On a less serious note, go out and have fun with your friends you know what foods are good and which are bad, even if the mom and pop places aren't on there you can find similar foods or log each item individually.0
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You're losing weight to ENJOY life more, not have a miserable existance! Life is meant to be celebrated while being healthy. I really enjoy eating out at mom and pop places, so I understand. I try to order like you said, "'of course - order smaller portions, don't eat the bread, have salad with dressing on the side. It'll be great!" and I estimate what I log and estimate on the high side of calories. You have a new lifestyle and people will start to learn and respect that.0
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It's superhard with a wonky thyroid. I had bloodwork done last Monday and it came out ok, but the doctor ordered an ultrasound because he thought he felt a lump. So the ultrasound came out decent - he said my thyroid was 'irratated' but he didn't need to increase the synthroid.
I was rocking and rolling pretty well with this up until 3 weeks ago and I felt something in my brain just click off and I think I had a momentary lapse of the crazy. It's time to get my head on straight and know that I can do this without having a complete mental breakdown.0 -
I had to stop logging all my food all the time... it was driving me nuts. I can't imagine what kind of monkey brain I would have if I was measuring everything...0
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Add me as a friend. We have similar stats and I have health issues I battle too. We can do this!0
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OP - think of this as your new way of life; you're going to eat healthy forever, not just until you drop 20 pounds. So within the perimeter of "forever" - you will go out to eat sometimes and you will have fun. Right? LOL - just don't go crazy with your food portions/choices.0
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It didn't compute to me either. But I feel like I've been bombarded with so much information lately that I don't think I can deal with anything else tweaking my brain.
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tracyannk28 wrote: »It's superhard with a wonky thyroid. I had bloodwork done last Monday and it came out ok, but the doctor ordered an ultrasound because he thought he felt a lump. So the ultrasound came out decent - he said my thyroid was 'irratated' but he didn't need to increase the synthroid.
I was rocking and rolling pretty well with this up until 3 weeks ago and I felt something in my brain just click off and I think I had a momentary lapse of the crazy. It's time to get my head on straight and know that I can do this without having a complete mental breakdown.
Well as you know, the thyroid is such a huge part of every single system in your body, I assume even it being irritated could do some damage. This just happened on Monday so I would give it some time, keep logging, keep making good choices, live a little and then if you are still having the problem go back to your doctor. I had to go to my doctor several times before it was regulated, 3 months so far without any crazy, yay! I definitely related to what you said about the click in your brain, it sounds nuts but when you've gone through it... I just wouldn't wish it on anyone.0 -
TOO MANY CARBS!!! Is what my trainer tells me!! And if he read your diary he'd tell you to get off the frozen stuff and eat some greens and more proteins.0
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