Lifestyle change

lisenden

43 years old and getting over a serious bout of depression. Being bedridden for months on end and using food to improve my mood gained me 40 pounds, bringing me to 255. The good news is that this has finally impelled me to action--I think if I hadn't gained this last 40 I would have continued at my unhealthy weight, hiding from people (I've avoided weddings and other gatherings for years), and poor fitness.

I grew up with no portion control and being skinny, the latter giving way in my early thirties. I watched my mother yo yo diet and count calories and so have never considered 'dieting'. I believe that when diet is used as a verb, it is a set up for failure. 

Thus, I have researched what I plan to be a lifestyle change. Adding fibre while keeping calories to about 1750 most days seems the way to go. I've been reading up on Full Plate Living (all backed by proper research--I am a medical researcher so this is important to me!) and began on January 3rd. So far I've been lost 4 pounds, and what worries me is it seems too easy. I'm enjoying the food and I never feel hungry. I guess you could say I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I am also using an elliptical and free weights. I am in physio for a hip issue and hope to be allowed to walk soon. 

Anyways, greetings to all and I hope we all find the support we need here.

moto450

good for you! That's great to hear that it's working out well for you so far. I felt the same way at first, regarding thinking it was a little bit too easy. I think it really is a lot easier than we make it out to be. I went on for years overweight and it wasn't until I committed to it that I started losing weight fairly quickly. It really isn't all that bad once you're ready to be committed.

anyway, glad to have you on board! Good luck to you!

Hearts_2015

Great to have you, agree with you both... seemed to easy way back when I joined too. It's not always easy but it's always a simple process. OP sounds as if you're going in the right direction and dropping 4 lbs is a wonderful beginning!

I do understand when you mention depression and skipping all the wedding, family times... yes, I remember doing the same thing. Depression is tough, hopefully you'll gather some wonderful friends on here and realize that even if the darkness comes back you can keep moving ahead. Lots of support on this site

girlviernes

Good for you. What are the Full Plate Living principles.

I used to be quite anti calorie counting, but I've learned that with the right attitude it actually enables a very flexible and sustainable approach to weight loss.

lisenden

Thank you everyone for the welcome.

girlviernes, FPL recommends adding fibre to your diet as it fills you up and has numerous health benefits. They start with just getting you to add fibre to every meal. For example, I had oatmeal (already good on fibre), mash a banana for sweetness instead of sugar. Or craving pasta-add a tin of mushrooms to the sauce. The ideal is to get about 75% of the foods on your plate as good/high in fibre, although they admit that's the ideal and most people won't get to that point. I am at about 50% now for most meals, although occasionally I have a low fibre day. They give a lot of ideas on how to 'power up' a dish. The website is free. I did buy two of their books to support them, but you can get much of it by signing up to their site. You get an email a day for the first week, then weekly.