20 years old and i could die...
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You have PCOS and you are 400 pounds which means the standard nutritional advice isn't going to cut it for you. A lot of women that have PCOS don't even understand how having it impacts your health and what you should eat. You need to get your nutritional information from a much better knowledgeable source than the internet, maybe a dietitian but if you don't want to go that route I've set some guidelines for you to follow.
Were you prescribed Metiformin? Most likely, but at 20 years old, your doctor feels you might not need it yet? Did you get an A1C test? Having PCOS and being 400 pounds is a very good combo for being a diabetic, or prediabetic at least. This means the very first thing you should do is go out and buy a Blood Glucose Monitoring Kit. The higher your glucose levels, the harder it is for your body to burn fat because it's constantly being flushed with insulin. Insulin stops the fat burning process. You need to test your glucose levels after your meals to see if it is within the range of normal to find out what works for you. Glucose should be under 100 after 4 hours of eating and under 120, 1 hour after a meal. Those are the idea numbers you want to shot for.
You should be eating an extremely low carb diet with a high fat and protein diet. When you test your glucose levels, you'll know how low you should be. I'm suggesting to start at 60 grams carb max a day as a base line. You will literally be eating globs of fat and protein. Stick with good fats like olive oil. Cook with it but not at high temperatures or it will lose it's nutritiional value and literally eat the fats left over in the pan with whatever protein that you've made. Also, 2k calories max is where you want to be at and I feel that, that might even be a little too high for you. This includes exercise calories. Do not eat exercise calories back.
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I agree with what others said. It's really about knowing why you have to make the change and focusing on your goals a little at a time. You've made a huge accomplishment just by joining and starting the weight loss journey. Find great motivation and friends to support you. Feel free to add me, if you'd like. I'm a busy mom of 5, work full time, go to school full time, and managed to lose over 60lbs in less than a year. I'm a also a personal trainer and Beach Body coach and love to motivate others! Best of luck and welcome to MFP!0
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Thank you everyone for the kind words and encouragement! I am at work right now so I don't have the time to reply to everyone of you right now but I have taken what you said to heart! I have a pool where I live and I loveeeeeee swimming. I can be out there for hours at a time. I will try the walking! 10 times around the building on the inside is a mile, i see coworkers walking it all the time! I have an hour lunch so i will start getting that in there!
A couple questions I have after reading yall's posts:
Why would I want to eat above my BMR?
Will I have saggy skin?
And what if I end up losing large amounts quick? I have heard that obese people tend to lose a lot quickly at first, will that hurt me if i do?
My husband is actually a weight lifter for the omega force and i have been thinking of getting him to help me train some with weights. Is that a bad idea for a girl?0 -
I have tried Metformin but it did nothing for me. So currently, I am not on any meds and I want to keep it that way. I believe that there are natural ways ( like losing weight) to help my PCOS. Dr's say its hard to lose weight with PCOS but it is not impossible. I do not let it limit me and I know I can do this without meds.0
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No, you are morbidly obese. You want to be eating under your BMR. Go to any doctor or dietitian and they will give you a calorie goal under your BMR. That BMR nonsense is for people not the morbidly obese category.
As for saggy skin, you will have some but you are young so the chances of it not being saggy after 2 years are good. Your age determines how fast the skin adheres back to your body. The younger you are, the better your chances. Old 70 year old men have saggy skin not because they are large, but because the skin fails to adhere back like a young individual.
Large people lose weight faster. Nothing wrong with that.
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Everyone has really great advice that I agree with!
My only other advice is in regard to the exercise videos; so what if you can only do the first 5 minutes? Do that, and every time you do it, you will be able to do another few minutes, and build up. Walks and all the other stuff is good advice too, but if you want to set a goal for yourself, slowly working towards completing one whole DVD is a great start. And when you do it the first time, do all the modified versions of activities... once you do that, try to finish one whole DVD doing it all the way.
It sucks being reminded that can't do it all right away, but doing 5 minutes is better then doing nothing!
Feel free to add me, I am on here a lot =]
Edit to add: The weights is a great thing! You might have some saggy skin, but it shouldn't be horrible since you are young. Plus, adding weights = adding muscle, which fills out the skin a little more! Also make sure you get lots of healthy oils and fats because those help with skin elasticity which helps with no sag =]0 -
My husband is actually a weight lifter for the omega force and i have been thinking of getting him to help me train some with weights. Is that a bad idea for a girl?
Nope, developing your muscular strength helps maintain your calorie burn at a higher level, it's a good idea.0 -
OK, first things first:
1) As someone else said, skip the DVDs for now. If you want to move more, take a walk in the morning before you go to work. Make sure you have good shoes. Start at 15 minutes of steady walking and work toward 30.
2) If you're not already, start logging absolutely everything you put in your mouth. To get a baseline, just eat what you eat. You'll need to measure, or weigh, or record off the package exactly how much of everything you're eating. Log it all.
3) After a couple of weeks of this, open your diary and ask for help. You'll get plenty of suggestions - folks here are not shy! LOL
4) I went to an online calculator (fitnessfrog.com) and entered your stats. Your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is 2648. That means you have to take in that many calories just to maintain your basic body functions (heart rate, metabolism, breathing, etc). As you lose weight it will come down but for right now, you need to eat AT LEAST that much.
Right now I'd shoot for a "target" of 2750 calories or thereabouts - if you exercise on top of that then you can eat a little more. That should give you a calorie deficit of between 350 and 500 a day depending upon how active you are (this is all guesswork, but it's a start.) Should start to see some weight loss, slow and steady.
Feel free to add me as a friend.
Everything she said ;-) awesome advice! Congratulations on taking the first steps to your good health. I agree with ditching the DVD's for now and just move. If you overwhelm yourself with trying to do everything at one time you'll give up and that is not an option. You are young and have a long life ahead of you.
I'm here to help if I can and feel free to add me as a friend as well.0 -
First up realise that you CAN do it, you WILL have bad days and it won't happen overnight. If you can accept those 3 things, IMO, you'll be just fine. Log everything you eat, don't worry about those DVDs right now you need to be walking, again IMO, 1-2 miles extra every day.
I'm adding you as a friend and listen to all the advice you can get. Good luck!
My thoughts exactly. I've been there in the past and lost 70lb (pre MFP) and I did most of that through walking everyday. DVD's are great, but strenuous, and right now you need to see some light at the end of the tunnel rather than feel like a failure. The first step is being here
I'm away for a week, but would love to be able to support you when I return. In the meantime, concentrate on reading up on IPOARM (In Place Of A Road Map) which I found really good. You probably shouldn't be restricting yourself to low or you are going to struggle.
Best of luck. In 12 weeks you could be well on the way to being a different you! :flowerforyou:0 -
You can do it! You are so young, when you do, you will look like you were never heavy.
Find friends, motivation, and support here. Find a plan that works for you, and stay with us.0 -
Wow, my heart goes out to you! My advice is to start moving. Walk as much as you can. Start there, everyone can walk. When you feel stronger then you can go onto exercise videos. There are tons of them on Youtube. There are exercises you can do in a chair if you want to start there, but do something. Begin by cutting out sweets or limiting them to one treat at the end of the day. Lots of us have open diaries. Eat more fruit and veggies, less bread and pasta and starchy stuff. Eat three meals a day and have some kind of healthy snack between meals. Tell MFP how much you want to lose a week, they will not go over 2 and then do your best to keep to the numbers at the bottom of your food diary (carbs, fats, protein etc). You can do it and with help from the friends you will find here, you can and WILL succeed. Add me if you would like. You're in my thoughts and prayers.0
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What everyone else said.
Also: YOU GOT THIS.
Small efforts repeated with consistency every day lead to great achievements gained slowly over time. 0 -
Good luck! You've taken the first step!
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Well you've come to the right place, so much support, nutrition advice, and people in the same boat as you
Take every week as it comes, log everything you eat, and move a lot more. Also drink lots and lots and lots of water
Good luck on your journey.....will be worth it in the end!!!0 -
I haven't read all the posts, but here are a few thoughts.
First, I hear that Jillian is hard. You don't want to start hard. When I started exercising again, a few months ago, I found this 20-min cardio video on YouTube that I decided was just too hard. I barely made 10 minutes before I quit. 6 weeks later, I tried it again, and decided it was very easy. A good workout, but not challenging.
So yes, start slow. Find some routine that is not too hard, something you can stick to. For me, it was a simple strength routine of wall squats, planks, and some other simple things that I don't remember now, doing that 3-4 times a week. Also, I tried to walk more. After a couple of weeks, I started a bit harder strength routine, trying to keep up with walking (which was hard, since it rains all the time here and with 3 kids and 30 min from a gym I can't afford... you know). Anyhow, after a month of that, I increased intensity again, and by the time I finished the 10 week program I was doing (it's from the book Move It, Mom that I got on Amazon), I was in really great shape! I started counting calories during the last month and really saw results.
Make sure you eat enough, eat healthy. Start out slow with exercise and increase as you can. Your stamina will improve, and in a couple of months, if you are consistent, you'll be ready for Jillian! Good luck!0 -
If you're going to refuse Metaformin. You need to buy a blood glucose kit and follow the steps I mentioned above. You should also understand that if you are not a Type 2 diabetic yet, the average time to become one is 3 years after being diagnosed as insulin resistant or prediabetic. Some people manage to do it in 1 or 2 years. Time is not on your side so a high deficit is the way you want to go.
I didn't mention exercise because that should be a no brainer. At least 1 hour a day, 5 days a week is where you want to be at.
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I added you as a friend.
I started at almost the same weight as you 403.8 (horrifying!), and the same size clothes 32/5X. It's been just over 3 months for me, and I am down almost 32lbs so it is possible.
Join groups on the forums of people with the same amount of weight to lose as you, add friends who are in the same boat/have been in the same boat, log EVERY morsel that goes into your mouth (even if it puts you over), and take your baby steps towards exercise.
Don't think of it as a diet, it's a lifestyle change. There is no 6 month cure, the weight took years to put on and it will take years to take off and you can't go back to how things used to be. Start being conscientious of what you are eating/drinking, and then make changes. Start walking wherever you can, join a gym, start swimming (great if you have joint pain as it's low impact), and don't let bad days make you throw in the towel. It's not a race it's a marathon.0 -
bump0
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when I started, at about 300 pounds, my back and knees would hurt just from walking down the block, is was so discouraging. I kept at it and slowly but surely, it got easier, I could walk farther, and now... a year later... I can run 2.4 miles without stopping.
you can do this, it just takes patience. do not feel like you have to go right for crazy Jillian Michaels harcore work your-*kitten*-off fitness routines. if you do a little more this week than you were able to do last week... that's success, even if it's just 5 minutes.
having said that, changes in your diet are the primary way the pounds will come off. exercise helps, but in theory, you can sit on the couch all day and still lose if you are consuming the right amount of calories. Exercise has so many other benefits though, plus, once you get past it being uncomfortable, it feels good!0 -
There's honestly so much advice me or anyone on here could give you because we've all had many different experiences... so I'm going to send you a request. Hopefully there you can ask as many questions as you'd like and of course you'd have a little more support. 0
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Hey!
I've been there myself, at a weight I thought was way too big to overcome. I tried what I thought was every diet out there and even considered surgery!
If you stick to this site, count your calories, watch your sodium intake and cut out things like soda, replace it with water, you will lose so much weight so quickly, it will put you in the right state of mind to lose that weight! I used to drink A LOT of soda and eat takeouts, I travel a lot so I used to get quick, easy food, like McDonalds, KFC, etc. The first week I gave soda up and takeouts, I lost 10LBS! If I feel like some fast food, I get a Subway, jam packed with lettuce, onions, jalapenos, green pepper and turkey breast, with sweet onion sauce (only 800 calories in a 12 inch sub, so you could split it into 2 meals)
As other members have said, take your time with it, slow changes, be patient, cut out soda, watch your sodium intake, and the weight will fall off. Hope this helps, and feel free to add me as a friend, my food diary is open to friends!0 -
Track everything. Weigh and measure whatever you eat. Start small and work your way up. If you can only walk for 5 minutes at a time do that. You can eat, basically whatever you like, just account for it in your daily calorie goals. At 400+ it's difficult, but it's not impossible. Take your time, get comfortable with your changes, and you'll do well.0
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Feel free to add me as a friend! Good luck on your weight loss journey.
FOOD: I've given up all fast food with the exception of Subway. I only go to the other fast food joints if my family is going one and I try to stick with the healthiest possible foods. I have been trying to cut down on the junk food. I haven't completely cut it out but don't live off it anymore. I try to stay between 1200-1600 calories per day. Well, I try anyway.
EXERCISE: I usually walk to and from work. That isn't much of a feat for me since I live around the corner from where I work. Since the weather has been getting warmer, I've been going on bike rides and rollerblading. Walks are good, too. I have a stationary bike in my living room that I like to use when I don't feel like being outside or it gets too cold out.
ETC: I like to praise myself more than I should when I lose weight, even if it's just 0.2 lb or something small like that.0 -
1) Exercise: Just walk. 30 minutes every other day to start if you can manage it.
2) Eating: Journal everything you eat for 2 weeks (don't log or count cals, just journal the precise words, no numbers in a book to try to get an accurate idea of your current eating habits with no self-consciousness that could lead to changing. Just simply write like --a bag of doritos snack size, or a double double, or a shake from mcdonalds--chocolate, just the words being precise regarding sizes/measures/flavors/etc). THEN log it on MFP AFTER the two weeks are up and see what your average cal intake is. What it really truly is with no neurotic adjustments due to knowing it's gonna get logged.
3) During those 2 weeks read up on TDEE, Scooby, etc. and make your numbers off of what your current cal intake ends up being.
That's where you start. At the beginning.0 -
1) Exercise: Just walk. 30 minutes every other day to start if you can manage it.
2) Eating: Journal everything you eat for 2 weeks (don't log or count cals, just journal the precise words, no numbers in a book to try to get an accurate idea of your current eating habits with no self-consciousness that could lead to changing. Just simply write like --a bag of doritos snack size, or a double double, or a shake from mcdonalds--chocolate, just the words being precise regarding sizes/measures/flavors/etc). THEN log it on MFP AFTER the two weeks are up and see what your average cal intake is. What it really truly is with no neurotic adjustments due to knowing it's gonna get logged.
3) During those 2 weeks read up on TDEE, Scooby, etc. and make your numbers off of what your current cal intake ends up being.
That's where you start. At the beginning.
^ Absolutely this. Just start by getting an idea of where you are and then start eating less and moving more. These are some other things that I hope will help you but do this after the above:
Add some strength training to help body composition. Also, get 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass and 0.35 grams of fat per pound of total body weight. I'd also suggest this approach, and ditching any specific diet:
1. Commit. You have to want to lose weight and be willing to change your current behavior to accomplish that. The world is full of quick weight loss gimmicks because many people do not want to commit. They want the success but aren't willing to put in the work.
2. Spend time calculating your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) and working out a reasonable deficit to achieve a steady weight loss. This needs to be a an amount that you can actually achieve day in and day out for a long time. There is no sense in setting it low only to find yourself suffering through it for a few days and then binging next week.
3. Buy a digital kitchen scale and a good variety of measuring cups and spoons. Weigh all solids and measure any liquids that have any calories and that go into your body. And record it all.
4. Find an exercise program that you can stick with consistently over time. If it's only walking right now, then okay. But make sure you do it every day then but do not think that it every needs to be more than 1 hour a day. I sometimes hit 2 hours (split between weights and cardio) but I'm well into this and am not risking burn out by doing so. As you increase your physical capacity then increase your exercise until you are strength training at least 3 times a week and doing some sort of cardio 2 or 3 times a week (again, walking is fine). Cardio is not strictly necessary to lose weight but it will improve your cardiovascular health and it will help you by allowing you to eat a bit more. Strength training also is not strictly necessary to lose weight but it will help you retain what muscle mass you have. You won't notice the difference immediately but as you get close to your goal weight you will be very happy you did it.
5. And speaking of goal weight, don't worry about this so much. It will change as the weight comes off anyway. If it motivates you though, then have one but definitely be open to moving it down, reasonably, as the weight comes off and your view of things change.
6. BE CONSISTENT. No plan is worth a damn thing if you don't stick with it.
7. Be Patient. Weight loss isn't linear and you will have weeks where you do everything right and nothing happens. You're not alone here. It's happened to all of us.
8. Be willing to reevaluate if you do hit a plateau for a couple of months. The problem could be any one of the above issues. If it's not then talk to your M.D.
9. Have fun. Find ways to get your exercise in that you really enjoy. If you hate getting out of bed in the morning then that morning run is going to suck. Don't do this to yourself.
10. Dont' be unreasonable with your diet. Allow yourself to eat some of the foods that you always have, just in true 1 serving size portions. Some people are better than others with this. If you do have a true "trigger food" then you need to avoid it, at least for a while, but if you constantly deny your cravings, by eating yogurt rather than ice cream for example, you're going to eventually binge. At least most people will. The idea here isn't to punish yourself but to teach yourself how to eat proper portions and balance your diet. Many of us find success while still eating pizza, hamburgers, ice cream, beer, french fries, donuts and pop tarts. We just don't eat them all the time and when we do we have a portion. Not a box or a carton.
11. Forgive yourself for bad days. You will have them. We all do. Just make sure that you get right back on track rather than beating yourself up for a week and then releasing your stress about it in a box of donuts.0 -
First forget about loosing weight. You need to change your eating habits. I know this because I am a seventy year old, still overweight dude. I have had every diet possible. I did millionaires diet, lost sixty pounds eating nothing but steak for four months. Then promptly gained eighty. I did a thousand calories a day for months and lost ninety pounds, only to re-gaine a hundred. I did a hot dog diet. Ate nothing but hot dogs for a week. Lost thirty five pounds due to the ensuing vomitus sick. I don't remember the re-gain but it was impressive. I did a medically supervised diet after my heart attack twenty years ago, lost sixty pounds. It took two years but I regained it all plus a bit. I read Doctor Oz book and lost about twenty pounds. Gained it all back quickly.
My inescapable conclusion over a lifetime of trying is simply that dieting does not work. Actually if you carefully read the Doctor Oz book, and several others closely you will find between the lines that what is actually needed it a perminant, non-radical change of eating habits. I believe that this will work. I do not weigh myself. I don't know what I actually weigh but my pants fit better and my very arthritic knees are less painfull.
I am using the food diary provided in this program to first record what I actually ate, found some glaring problems to work on and I have gradually reduced my calorie intake to 1900 per day. I honestly write everything and am careful that if I error I add MORE than I actually ate. Not a goal but a compromise when conflict comes between what I think and what I KNOW.
Take my word or leave it. It's up to you. (_!_) ..... But unlike secret wiight loss programs, wonderful new, new, new ideas and supposed clinical research and the latest best seller on how to sculpt your six pack and watch your weight magically evaporate into the upper atmospheric ozone to join the dark matter that Einstein called the ether.I have NOTHING to sell you. You don't get my address or phone number.
One chubby guy to another "It is not easy, nothing worth while is, but I believe it is doable over time. What is important is actual healthy eating. Cut excess fats, sugars (in any form) and anything in excess. This is the way to normalcy and true , lasting , healthy, bringing yourself back to what God intended you to be. Do well friend, percivere,, live long and prosper my young friend.0 -
1. Keep a journal. It will help you identify your issues. You can also use this for the first two weeks to record what you eat without the calorie counts as another poster suggested. This is an excellent idea so that you have a starting point.
2. Eat more fiber, veggies, whole grains, whatever.
3. Eat more protein. This one is hard for me. I have decided to go the smoothie route with a scoop of protein powder and a banana which I need more potassium as well so that works out.
4. The scale should be used as a measure of progress not failure. If you are up one week and haven't gone over on calories or skimped on exercise, congrats you have retained water or gained some muscle.
5. Eat what you like in moderation and what you need in abundance (veggies, your protein source, foods with fiber) . Lucky you if they are the same, then eat what you like in abundance.
6. Don't try to lose too fast, it just leads to problems like slingshotting your way back to the weight you were plus more than when you started. This doesn't really apply to your situation right now. But, it is something to keep in mind after you have lost a significant amount of weight.
7. Do what works for you. If someone says you need to ditch diet sodas but they don't cause issues for you, ignore them. If someone says Duuuuuuuuuuuuude, I lost like 7 pounds a week from standing on my head, well that might not work for you.
8. Log, log, log. it's the only way to find out your true calorie and exercise needs.
9. Google 1 pound of fat. Look at that anytime you are tempted to say "I only lost 1 pound this week."
10. Have a victory everyday. Either eat below your calorie goal by a little or get moving a little or log what you ate/exercised. Just keep piling those victories up and eventually you will be at goal and it will feel like it was easy.0 -
I'm 5'3 and when I first started getting serious about losing weight I was 401lbs. While I haven't been on MFP the whole time I can happy say I'm down 30lbs. It's been a long time to get that weight off but its been slow and steady. I tried the dvd workouts too and all they did was make me frustrated because I couldn't even begin to keep up.
Watching how much I'm eating and trying to get a little exercise in really helped me. I wasn't jumping all in because I knew from past experiences that it wouldn't work for me. Small changes were really key for me. For instance, instead of soda I bought drink mixes and from there I started drinking plain water. Just being more active then I was being was key too. Even just a few days a week (maybe on your days off?) will help get you going.
Feel free to friend me! 0 -
There are tons of things to get you well on your way towards your goal but the one thing you will need to remember is that it took time to put it on so it can take time to burn it off.
You will first want to do minor exercise, I suggest walking, dancing and yoga. They have their own levels of difficulty but are great ways to start. You will also need to lower your weight via diet and I would suggest eating low carb, moderate/high protein and fat. Cut out as many high sodium and high refined sugars (breads, cakes, cookies, puddings, jello's etc) as you can, decreasing the level little by little is much easier than cold turkey in my opinion.
Also surround yourself with people that are going to motivate you, inspire you and who are also willing to do some of this stuff with you (your hubby will be a great choice for this, who is a better support than your other half?)
Best of luck darlin'! You will get there!0 -
Hi there
Basic theory - move more, eat less. You can get super technical if you like, with the TDEEs and the BMRs and whatsit, but it boils down to move more, eat less...
So as others have said - start tracking your food. Work out your average calorie intake. Then start to whittle it down. You want your lifestyle changes to be sustainable and longlasting, so launching straight into all salad, all the time diet is not likely to work - you might do it for a day or a week, but then you'll give up. But small gradual changes are easier to assimilate than big drastic ones.
Food wise - try to shift your diet so the majority of your food is plants, grains, dairy and meat (if you eat meat). The less processed, the better. The less ingredients listed on the label, the better - and you want those ingredients to not just be unpronounceable chemicals.
Exercise wise - just move. Walk, dance, swim. Stand up and sit down 10 times quickly. Just get that body moving, your heart beating faster. Half an hour a day is good, and you don't have to do it all at once - 6 x 5 minute sessions is better than nothing at all.
Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't panic if you have bad days. The biggest step is the first one.0
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