327 pounds need help please!

resectowoman

Hi Rugg, I don't know if you'll see this, but I wanted you to know that all is not hopeless and exercise and eating well do work. In 2005, I started at 336 (I'm 5'3"). Ten months later, eating well and working out diligently, I was down 93 pounds. One of the big things for me was making sure my food "needs" were met, in addition to the "good" stuff. To me, that meant starting out every morning with 2 Russell Stover's marshmallow/caramel eggs and then using the rest of my 1300 calories for the day (I was aiming for 1550) to eat a lot of protein and vegetables. I found out that my body responds well -- and my lifting was helped by -- a ton of protein. Because a lot of that is meat, I ate a pretty small quantity of food, but I was fine with that. Other people find they do better if they eat a ton of low-calorie food like fruits and vegetables to fill themselves. It really is personal. You are doing the right things. You have a realistic calorie goal and you are doing good cardio. Just experiment until you find out what foods work best for you. IF after a few months you find you aren't losing as much weight as "they" say (2 pounds a week) have your thyroid checked. Switching to water, instead of my beloved diet pepsi really helped me, but that may not be for everyone. Weight training was the most empowering thing I did in my life, but YMMV. The point I want to make is you are doing all the right things and your weight and health will improve. Ask questions and get a lot of advice. But, ultimately, trail and error will help you figure out what works best for you. Please be proud of yourself for making changes in your life!!!!

Annie_01

a_rugg2004 wrote: »

I do have a food scale and am weighing and measuring. I have been doing the 1688 calories a day for about 2-3 weeks. So I should give it more time just don't feel like I have lost anything.

You said that you don't feel as if you have lost...

Have you weighed to make sure? I started at 247 and it took almost 30lbs before I began to "feel" the weight loss.

If you don't have a scale some pharmacies have them so you could weigh...just make sure that you use the same scale every time that you weigh.

a_rugg2004

I have not weighed myself yet. Silly I know. I just don't want to get discouraged. I figured I would weigh myself once a month. I just figured my clothes would be getting slightly looser.

booksandchocolate12

a_rugg2004 wrote: »

I have not weighed myself yet. Silly I know. I just don't want to get discouraged.

Well, it seems like you're getting discouraged anyway, so I would get on the scale.

trina1049

You may be dropping inches but no pounds. This happens frequently. If you haven't already then take measurements and when the scale doesn't move check your measurements. 1200 calories at your present weight is not enough to fuel or nourish your body. Follow MFPs guidelines for calories.

emmyjo1981

I started my journey at 315 pounds so you can totally do this Your resting metabolic rate is probably somewhere between 2100 and 2400 calories a day, that is what your body burns on its own--just being alive. In order to drop the pounds, there has to be a caloric deficit. The greater the deficit, the more weight falls off...that said, don't get all crazy and do a 500 calorie a day diet to get results fast!

What has worked for me is this:

Varied caloric intake. I typically eat between 1200 and 1500 calories a day. Why? It allows more freedom in my diet, which helped me make lifelong changes instead of temporary ones that result in short term losses. I don't (usually) eat more if I work out, I just chalk that up to the deficit (aka the fat burning fund lol). My caloric intake has changed as I have lost weight, right now, at 218 1200-1500 works. I think at my heaviest, I was eating between 1600-1900. I didn't use MFP then, I did the old fashioned paper-and-pen journaling.

High protein intake. I generally aim for between 80-125 grams a day.

Low carb intake, because carbs love hanging out on my hips as much as I love eating them. I try to stay under 100 grams a day, usually it's a lot less...but I have found (from a lifetime of being overweight and dieting), for me anyway, the more RESTRICTIVE a diet plan is, the more likely I am to fail.

Water, water and more water. I don't like drinking my calories so I don't do the whole juicing thing or drink smoothies (I do like smoothies, so every now and then I have one). I really enjoy eating so, yep, I eat as many of my calories as possible.

Maximize your meals! It's possible to eat a large meal with low calories...and I won't walk away starving! The key is making the healthiest choices possible, for instance: 4.5 ounces of salmon is around 232 calories/33 grams of protein...pair that bad boy with a salad and low cal dressing, some steamed broccoli and BAM...big, healthy, FILLING meal. Nothing will thwart diet attempts like being hungry (and angry lol) all the time.

Fiber is your FRIEND! Work a healthy amount of fiber into your diet, not only will it help you feel fuller....you won't have "bathroom issues" from all the protein.

Last but not least....don't weigh more than once a week I know it is soooo tempting...but just don't do it.

Annie_01

a_rugg2004 wrote: »

I have not weighed myself yet. Silly I know. I just don't want to get discouraged. I figured I would weigh myself once a month. I just figured my clothes would be getting slightly looser.

I would weigh. It is an indicator if what you are doing is working. It might take a while for it to start showing up in your clothing...at least it did for me. It took me several pounds to drop a size.

a_rugg2004

Thank you so much to everyone! I never thought I would get such a great response. It's so encouraging to get motivation and advice from complete strangers. I am so very grateful!

kbmnurse

1200cal is not nearly enough with your stats. If you starve yourself you are setting yourself up for failure. Please continue with 1688. You are going to see results, remember it did take you a week to put the weight on? Don't expect it to be gone without hard work. You can and will do this, God speed.

Kaylinerst3663

I know you are measuring success by your clothing, but if you are starting on the heavier end of things, that isn't the best indicator of weight loss. I have lost 25 lbs since February and I have not had any real noticeable changes (at least to myself) in how clothing fits on me. Use a scale and use measuring tape as well as feeling how your clothes look. The changes are sometimes evident in lots of little ways and not necessarily the one you expect.

Also look up some of the previous threads about people and how much weight it takes to change a clothing size... When heavier it can sometimes take 30-40 lbs of weight loss to change a size, compared to 5-10 (or even less) for a smaller size.

PAV8888

Hi OP!

First of all there is no way (unless you have a metabolic related illness) that at your current weight you are not losing by eating 1700 Cal. You will NOT necessarily notice that you are losing weight right away. That is why you should both take periodic measurements and weight yourself.

If you think you will get discouraged by the inevitable weight fluctuations, or lack of scale movement, (hormones, salt, exercise can all add pounds that take days to go away), plug your numbers in either www.trendweight.com or www.weightgrapher.com and look at your trendline instead of your daily number.

If you are not using a kitchen scale, it is very unlikely that your caloric intake measurement is accurate. I have even found packaged food that either weight more, or less, than what it says on the package (not a problem is a 35 Cal yogurt weights 5g less; a bit of a problem when the 88g 370Cal ice cream is actually 95g)... not to mention that when you add up the macros the calories items supposedly contain sometimes don't quite add up right! So there is only a certain level of accuracy you can achieve; but, if you don't measure you are definitely not achieving it.

You are not in a sprint. With the amount of weight you have to lose you will be at it for a while. There is no reason to be starting your calories too low leaving you little room to maneuver later on as you get lighter. if you log accurately you are likely going to find yourself losing weight while still eating quite a bit. Depending on your activity level, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see you losing weight while still eating 2000 Cal!

Best of luck on your journey to better health!

Mr_Knight

a_rugg2004 wrote: »

I do have a food scale and am weighing and measuring. I have been doing the 1688 calories a day for about 2-3 weeks. So I should give it more time just don't feel like I have lost anything.

With the amount you have to lose, at 1700/day you should be seeing weight results by now. Logging is easier in theory than in practice - my suggestion is to open your diary as lots of us here have tons of logging experience and if there is something wrong, it can be caught and fixed right away.

If you're not weighing yourself, I strongly suggest you start. I know, it can be tough...but you can do it!

Good luck!

:drinker:

ETA: With what you have to lose, 1200 is perfectly safe medically. But it may be hard to stay there psychologically. You'll have to find the balance that works best for you. But for now, it's ok to keep it simple - make sure you're hitting the 1700 you intend to hit first, and then fine tune once the basics are in place.

JordisTSM

Hi Op. I started here at 366lbs in January, have been eating around the 1700 mark, and am now 319lbs. If I wasn't weighing myself regularly, I would have given up months ago as I have only just gone down a dress size.

I would encourage you to get on that scale, chances are you have lost, and that will likely motivate you to keep going.

In the unlikely even that you haven't lost any weight, open up your diary and post again. There are many people here who can help to fine-tune things.

Good luck!