Hey! Need some advice please!

SueInAz

To easily add more calories on the days you feel you can't possibly eat 1200 calories cut out anything labeled "low fat" or "low calorie". They add extra sugar to make up for the fat anyway. Add oil or butter to your veggies and other foods. Use mayonnaise on your sandwiches and add a slice of cheese. Use creamy salad dressings and add cheese or nuts to your salads. Eat your apples with peanut butter and your raw veggies with hummus.

ETA: Sorry, started this, got interrupted, finally sent it and I'm now waayyy behind the conversation.

Eating under 1200 on a regular basis is not a good idea because while starvation mode is basically a myth (at least as people here talk about it) you can slow down your metabolism if you chronically under-eat. What that entails is you getting tired more easily, feeling sluggish and generally unwell.

Wheelhouse15

OP, I think you may have misunderstood what your doctor actually said. I think he or she was saying that you have a cycle of binging on carbs after severe caloric restriction. You should watch Secret Eaters, there are quite a few people that claim the same thing, i.e they aren't eating enough so they are gaining weight, but when they are closely observed that are actually WAY understating their intake.

Log everything and eat in a reasonable deficit and see what happens.

MrsTesterman1618

Tips?

Here's your number one tip: it starts and stops with honesty.

Quit lying to yourself.

Without this, you will fail. You will continue to fail.

Honesty.

You are overeating.

If you can't be honest and admit that, then you are done here.





[/quote]


I guess what I should have said was not that because I overeat on a daily basis instead of saying "not that I overeat "
I'm sorry if this post sounded to you or to others like I'm excusing myself of blame for my weight. That absolutely was not my intention. I do have an issue with not eating hardly anything for days the turning around and pigging out usually on crud food. I guess it just didn't start seriously affecting my weight until a few years ago. When I had gone to the doctor and described my normal eating habits she seemed more concerned with the no eating days then the "garbage disposal eat whatever is quick easy and tasty" days. She had said word for word "When you don't eat hardly anything for days your body goes into starvation mode, so when you have the days where you eat and pig out everything starts storing as fat because your body thinks you are starving" She didn't go over to much of a diet plan with me she just told me 1200 calories a day no more pop raw fruits are good like apple's and oranges and veggies are a free bee white meat is okay and 2 portions of red meat a week. She stressed that I had to consume at least 1200 calories a day or my body would go into starvation mode and I wouldn't lose the weight. Which seemed simple enough.

I'm managing my overeating days well. I've found that chewing gum helps if im still hungry after a better meal choice, because it keeps my mouth busy. It's the not really wanting to eat or having time to eat days I'm struggling with. I'm not falling hundreds of calories below but still enough below that it worries me.
I know that my weight is my fault because of my eating habits. I know that i had to make a change and I've started those changes I just want to make sure I do it right and something that will last again I'm sorry if it sounded like I was excusing myself

yopeeps025

MrsTesterman1618 wrote: »

Tips?

Here's your number one tip: it starts and stops with honesty.

Quit lying to yourself.

Without this, you will fail. You will continue to fail.

Honesty.

You are overeating.

If you can't be honest and admit that, then you are done here.

I guess what I should have said was not that because I overeat on a daily basis instead of saying "not that I overeat "
I'm sorry if this post sounded to you or to others like I'm excusing myself of blame for my weight. That absolutely was not my intention. I do have an issue with not eating hardly anything for days the turning around and pigging out usually on crud food. I guess it just didn't start seriously affecting my weight until a few years ago. When I had gone to the doctor and described my normal eating habits she seemed more concerned with the no eating days then the "garbage disposal eat whatever is quick easy and tasty" days. She had said word for word "When you don't eat hardly anything for days your body goes into starvation mode, so when you have the days where you eat and pig out everything starts storing as fat because your body thinks you are starving" She didn't go over to much of a diet plan with me she just told me 1200 calories a day no more pop raw fruits are good like apple's and oranges and veggies are a free bee white meat is okay and 2 portions of red meat a week. She stressed that I had to consume at least 1200 calories a day or my body would go into starvation mode and I wouldn't lose the weight. Which seemed simple enough.

I'm managing my overeating days well. I've found that chewing gum helps if im still hungry after a better meal choice, because it keeps my mouth busy. It's the not really wanting to eat or having time to eat days I'm struggling with. I'm not falling hundreds of calories below but still enough below that it worries me.
I know that my weight is my fault because of my eating habits. I know that i had to make a change and I've started those changes I just want to make sure I do it right and something that will last again I'm sorry if it sounded like I was excusing myself[/quote]

sexypants links has all the info you need then. Also stop having your doctor who is not a specialist in nutrition telling you how to eat.

riffraff2112

lots of good advice here. I'll second, third and forth the notion that starvation mode is a myth. I told myself the same thing but it turned out I was eating more than I thought I was and definitely needed to cut back on the calories.
And not all doctors know much about nutrition. They really do not. They are brilliant people but most of what they know is how to diagnose and prescribe.
Eating consistently and nutritiously will help you feel fuller, longer and may provide better nutrients and make you feel better but if weight loss is your goal, you really just have to monitor your calories closely and go on a modest deficit.

MrsTesterman1618

riffraff2112 wrote: »

lots of good advice here. I'll second, third and forth the notion that starvation mode is a myth. I told myself the same thing but it turned out I was eating more than I thought I was and definitely needed to cut back on the calories.
And not all doctors know much about nutrition. They really do not. They are brilliant people but most of what they know is how to diagnose and prescribe.
Eating consistently and nutritiously will help you feel fuller, longer and may provide better nutrients and make you feel better but if weight loss is your goal, you really just have to monitor your calories closely and go on a modest deficit.

When I actually started taking the time to look at the calories of what I was eating in depth. I realized that it didn't even matter that I had only had 2 large meals and a few snacks on my binge days because the calories I consumed in that one day alone were so through the roof. So the "starvation mode" thing made sense because yes I hadn't eaten for 3 or 4 days but here I am taking in a whole week worth of calories in 1 day and if it's just storing then of course my weight would be remain the same. And now looking at it with the idea of "starvation mode" being a myth it's still stands the same. So I've done really well making better decisions but even still I was reminded the other night that I have to be careful. My family wanted to go out and eat the other night at a Mexican place and I had convinced them to pick somewhere I could at least get a salad. So they picked applebees and I had ordered the grilled chicken ceasar salad thinking that it was a much better decision. Well I went to put in the calories and their grilled chicken salad has 800. I couldn't believe it and I thought to myself how many times have I done that? Just wow. So I've been monitoring better instead of just assuming that it was better for me I feel like I'm investigating everything I eat on binge days now.

I've gotten some good advice here so I can consume more calories on the other days which I'm greatful for. I had thought about going to see maybe a dietitian to possibly make a meal plan so that it's mapped out in black and white for me.

SueInAz

MrsTesterman1618 wrote: »

So they picked applebees and I had ordered the grilled chicken ceasar salad thinking that it was a much better decision. Well I went to put in the calories and their grilled chicken salad has 800. I couldn't believe it and I thought to myself how many times have I done that? Just wow.

I've gotten some good advice here so I can consume more calories on the other days which I'm greatful for. I had thought about going to see maybe a dietitian to possibly make a meal plan so that it's mapped out in black and white for me.

Yeah, with all of the stuff they add to their salads the calories can be pretty over the top. All of the restaurants like Applebee's are like that, though. I have a tendency to find something on their "XX calorie menu" and try to cut down the calories even further. A 6 ounce sirloin with double steamed veggies is a pretty good option at most restaurants of that class.

Seeing a dietician is not a bad idea, really. You could probably look around on the internet and find something that fits your needs without needing to pay a dietician to help you out, though. If you have friends here on MFP you could also look at their diaries and see what they're eating that would fit your needs and tastes.

DaniCanadian

Weight loss is very simple, especially when you're starting out. Calories in vs calories out. You're over eating in some way or another because if you are taking in less than 1200 a day you would be losing. Make sure you track everything, including beverages. It's very easy to eat 1200 a day even with healthy, lower calorie food. I suggest finding healthy foods you love and sticking to those. When you get bored, find some new ones. The average 150 lb woman used around 1600-1700 Cals per day just to exist, that doesn't count activity. So as you are bigger, use 1800 Cals per day as a base rate and minus 250 Cals per day. So start out by eating 1550 per day. When you notice the weight loss slowing down, minus another 100 per day and continue. Never eat below 1200! Your body needs fuel to work properly. Last, add in weight training 2 or 3 times per week. Muscle uses more calories throughout the day which will up your metabolic rate. Hopefully this helps! Everything I've suggested I've actually done myself and I've lost 40 lbs over the last 2 years. It's slow but it's stayed off and it's a lifestyle I can stick to. Good luck :-)

MrsTesterman1618

I just decided that I'll kind of shop around for restaurants that would have a friendlier menu for me and decide what it is I'll order before I get there next time. That way I don't have another oops moment lol.
If I found something like that on the Internet do you think they'd kind of have a shopping plan to go with it?

Katiebear_81

You mean for a menu plan? Loads of menu plans will have shopping lists Alternately, it's not hard to make the list, and it keeps you cognizant of what you're eating. If you make a plan for the week once, then you just have to make a few more and you can draw from what you already know

MrsTesterman1618

Awesome. Now if I can find some I don't need a membership to view that would be great! Thank you!

SueInAz

MrsTesterman1618 wrote: »

Awesome. Now if I can find some I don't need a membership to view that would be great! Thank you!

A lot of them have free trials. If they look really good they might even be worth a few bucks to get what they have for a few months. Once you get into a routine, you can just keep using your favorites over and over again and won't even need to keep the service.