Need Some Motivation

mommacoll4

Hello,

Although I am not new to dieting, I'm new to this forum and need some motivation.

I have once again started a new diet. I'm a 50 yo female and have started a new, low carb diet recommended by a weight loss doctor. He has given me the following criteria:

- drink 5-6 glasses of water a day
- walk 30 minutes 5 times a week
- watch my carbs - when I asked him approximately how many he said keep it below 50-70
- take a probiotic, specifically VSL
- watch my fruit intake

That is all - I don't have to count calories, track, etc.

I have been heavy for years and years and have done numerous weight loss regimens so am familiar with what has carbs, what doesn't, etc. etc. I have several health "issues" including no thyroid due to thyroid cancer (thus about 50 pound weight gain and barely a metabolism) and svt which limits meds he can give me for weight loss.

I have been on this regimen for 2 weeks and have only lost a few pounds. Considering I have been extremely careful and have had no "cheats" as far as bread, pasta, etc, and only have about 1/2-1 cup of strawberries (I do measure them out) and 1/4 - 1/2 cup of blueberries each day as my only fruits, and 1 ounce (again, I measure them) of almonds each day, this is frustrating me. I have walked a minimum of 30 minutes 6 times a week, have worked with a personal trainer doing weights. I also make my meals from scratch, have protein at each meal, and am increasing my vegetables. Breakfast is hard for me so I don't have vegetables at breakfast but I do try at lunch and definitely at dinner. Because of the low carb I'm not really that hungry but I do feel I'm getting at least 1200 calories each day. I'm starting to track to try to determine how many calories to make sure I'm not in "starvation" mode.

I feel as if I'm doing everything "right". Maybe it's not right, but the number on the scale is what motivates me, not how I'm feeling or what/how I'm eating, and not seeing movement on the scale is frustrating. In fact, this morning the scale went up!

Any suggestions or motivation that you could provide would be appreciated!!

tiptoethruthetulips

How many is a few pounds?

mommacoll4

As of this morning it was 2.5 -- if I was in week 3 or 4 or 5 I would be elated, but in the first several weeks I expect the weight to come off faster, especially with the low carb eating

tiggerlove

I don't believe in diet, I believe in eating right, exercise. It's all about portion control and there is nothing wrong with cheating, like I was told by my coach years ago if you crave something and keep ignoring it when you do finally eat it your going to go over board so I have one cheat day every 2 wks. As for the scale it can sometimes really make you feel like giving up so I listen to how my clothes fit, the ones that didn't fit before but now I can put them on and I don't have to suck in my stomach to button them etc. Regular exercise is a must weather it be walking. Low impact cardio and nothing wrong with a little weight lifting IMO. You have to find out what works for you thru trial and error. It's not easy but, if u stick with it you will be amazed in the end and don't let anyone say you can't. believe in yourself.

mbaker566

@tiggerlo has wise words

loriio

I actually had to increase the number of calories I was getting each day. I had dropped it a little low and with my increased activity, my body freaked out and started hanging on to the weight. @tiggerlove is right about focusing more on how things fit. I've stopped paying attention to the scale and focused on how things fit and the muscle definition I'm starting to get.
Best of luck.

editorgrrl

mommacoll4 wrote: »

I have several health "issues" including no thyroid due to thyroid cancer (thus about 50 pound weight gain and barely a metabolism) and svt which limits meds he can give me for weight loss.

I feel as if I'm doing everything "right". Maybe it's not right, but the number on the scale is what motivates me, not how I'm feeling or what/how I'm eating, and not seeing movement on the scale is frustrating. In fact, this morning the scale went up!

Weight loss is not linear. Some weeks you do everything right but maintain—or even gain. Others you lose a whole lot in a "whoosh." Just look for a downward trend. A healthy, sustainable loss is .5 lb. per week for every 25 lbs. you're overweight.

I have Hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid disease). I lost the weight and have maintained for a year by following the advice in the Sexypants post: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1