Sick of being fat
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amandavgomez wrote: »Aaron_K123 wrote: »amandavgomez wrote: »I just want to eat like a normal person. Realisticly, I'm not going to "work out". I'm tired, I have to many other things to do, and I'm often in pain from a bad back.
I can try to move every hour, get at least 10000 steps a day and make healthier choices when I eat. That's all I got time for. My diet has to match my families diet. I'm not buying and preparing special meals for just me. I'm to the point where I eat to get rid of the pain in my stomach or head, or sometimes because I'm bored. I hate dealing with food, I don't even care if I drank a protein shake for every meal and never ate food again. I'd still gain another 40+ lbs by next year. And frankly, I'm sick of being fat. Sick of feeling like crap. Sick of trying to find time for the gym. It's not as simple as having a calorie deficit. I stopped eating what they gave me for my calories burned over a week ago. Most days I have a deficit.
Well....life is about priorities. Right now it sounds to me like you don't consider your health to be a priority and as a result it is suffering. So either you can start considering it a priority and stop doing other things to make time to prepare healthy meals or portions and get some exercise or you can choose to continue as you have been. If you choose to continue I'm not sure why you are expecting your health to improve however if your current habits have gotten you where you are.
Sounds like your unsatisfied with your health so you are going to have to either start prioritizing it or just accept your current level of health or fitness.
There isn't an easy fix, you have to work for this. If you come out of the gate saying you cannot expend any effort then Im not sure what you are expecting to change.
I haven't just come out of the gate. I've been trying to lose weight actively for about 3 years now. When I started I was 180 lbs. I had a different job and worked out every day at the gym. A few things have changed and i gained back what i had lost plus some (40lbs). I rarely drink anything but water. I eat the recommended serving size for everything. When i eat out i opt for fruit or salad when its available. I rarely eat fries, chips, or fatty meats. I eat half of my food not all of it. My 13 yr old eats more then I do.
I had MFP app years ago and deleted it because it did not help me. I just started using it again. I have tried so many different things and keep gaining. Most of the foods i eat come in a package. I scan it and eat what the package says a serving is. I don't get how MFP can't accurately count calories this way but ok. People say I need a scale, it's the only way. Fine. I will get one. That is actually something I have never tried yet and because I've tried for so long and am willing to try most anything I will try this method.
I've made many changes to my life in attempts to be healthier and thinner. I've spent more money then i care to admit. There are things I can't do and things I refuse to do. I'm not doing anything extreme or crazy. If the only way is aerobics at the gym everyday, not going to happen right now. I work nights, have kids, and must get my sleep to function. I'm not willing to give up the few hours I get to spend with my family each evening to hit the gym. Also not giving up any sleep for it either. That doesn't mean it's not important to me. It just means I need a plan that doesn't include a gym right now.
A few things.......
1) The fact that you are eating less than a 13 year old doesnt really say much.
When my son was 13 he ate easily double what I ate and was not over weight whereas I was. At that time, he was already taller than me and was very active - played sport, biked, walked to school, played football in lunch breaks - all things I did not do.
And he was going through rapid growth stage of puberty as well as growing taller - obviously I was not.
2) Eating the recomended serving sizes is all well and good - but how many of them per day did you eat?
and anyway they are not individualised for your needs -a commercial recomended serving size does not differentiate between a 6 ft tall young active male and a shorter older less active female.
3) Nobody is saying go extreme or crazy. Nobody is saying you have to go to a gym.
But you do have to eat at a calorie deficit - and the only way to know you are doing this is to plug your numbers into an app like MFP and then meticulously weigh and measure everything you consume.
You cannot do that without a food scale.
As I said before do this meticulously for 1 month and then if you are still not getting results open your diary (I think it is already open as somebody mentioned before taking a peek into it) and accept constructive criticism from those experienced and successful at this.
Bottom Line - Nothing will change unless you make it change.
You are not a special snowflake with no metabolism (and your doctor has cleared you of medical issues) - it is not impossible for you to lose weight.
But you have to make changes, it wont just happen by magic.
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melaniedscott wrote: »...My husband decided he was going to actively help this time around on my weightloss journey and he's found he isn't eating some of the crap he used to because he doesn't want to log it...and that says SO much...
OMG, hilarious! That is SO me! Sometimes, if it's too much of a hassle to log, I'll just skip the snack altogether or opt for something quick and easy to log off my frequent foods list. (The frequent foods list has mostly nutritious snacks, like fruits, vegetables, small portions of nuts, etc.)
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Ok. I've made a list of things I need so I can eat healthy foods while on the road. Since I travel often and never know what kind of hotel I'll be staying in, what ammenities they will provide, I'll need-
Scale
Peeler
Cutting board
Large cooler
Spoon
Fork
Knife
Tupperware
Then all I have to do is buy groceries, yogurts, veggies, fruits, and ice. It'll be a pain transporting it but I won't have to eat out, that will save me tons of money and calories. I read tons of posts in the health and nutrition forum and now have a list of good for me foods to buy too. I feel a lot less hopeless, thank you everybody!16 -
You'll note that I recommended V8 juice, protein bars and microwave popcorn, none of which require a cooler, implements, or a scale. I've had to stick to a restricted diet while on the road too, which is why I suggested these realistic alternatives. My other recommendation which requires no planning or tools, is to eat half of what is offered. This is also very easy to log on MFP even without a scale.
My best wishes to you for increasing health and vitality.5 -
amandavgomez wrote: »Ok. I've made a list of things I need so I can eat healthy foods while on the road. Since I travel often and never know what kind of hotel I'll be staying in, what ammenities they will provide, I'll need-
Scale
Peeler
Cutting board
Large cooler
Spoon
Fork
Knife
Tupperware
Then all I have to do is buy groceries, yogurts, veggies, fruits, and ice. It'll be a pain transporting it but I won't have to eat out, that will save me tons of money and calories. I read tons of posts in the health and nutrition forum and now have a list of good for me foods to buy too. I feel a lot less hopeless, thank you everybody!
Glad to hear it!
I noticed a lot of Mountain Dew in your diary. I love love love ice cream. But these calories do not fill me up and so are counter-productive to my weight loss goals. I eat a lot less ice cream these days, and in much smaller serving sizes. I suggest you rethink your consumption of empty calorie foods like Mountain Dew. If it's the caffeine you're after, you can get it in other forms for far less calories.4 -
amandavgomez wrote: »I just want to eat like a normal person. Realisticly, I'm not going to "work out". I'm tired, I have to many other things to do, and I'm often in pain from a bad back.
I can try to move every hour, get at least 10000 steps a day and make healthier choices when I eat. That's all I got time for. My diet has to match my families diet. I'm not buying and preparing special meals for just me. I'm to the point where I eat to get rid of the pain in my stomach or head, or sometimes because I'm bored. I hate dealing with food, I don't even care if I drank a protein shake for every meal and never ate food again. I'd still gain another 40+ lbs by next year. And frankly, I'm sick of being fat. Sick of feeling like crap. Sick of trying to find time for the gym. It's not as simple as having a calorie deficit. I stopped eating what they gave me for my calories burned over a week ago. Most days I have a deficit.
I and many other posters here eat the same as our families. My SO has larger portions (he's a foot taller). I eat more protein and veggies and less carbs because protein and veggies fill me up better.
I think 10,000 steps is a great place to start. You don't actually need to exercise to lose weight - you can create a calorie deficit simply in what you eat. I exercise because I feel better, sleep better, and am more energetic and productive when I do it regularly. (I'd also be miserable without the extra exercise calories, but this is not true for everyone, especially for people who do not use a food scale and are actually eating more than they think.)
I've had to make a lot of accommodations for my back - there are things I avoid in the gym and things I add to my routine at home for it. I don't want to derail this thread with that - if you want a robust discussion on back issues, maybe start a new thread dedicated to that?2 -
amandavgomez wrote: »Ok. I've made a list of things I need so I can eat healthy foods while on the road. Since I travel often and never know what kind of hotel I'll be staying in, what ammenities they will provide, I'll need-
Scale
Peeler
Cutting board
Large cooler
Spoon
Fork
Knife
Tupperware
Then all I have to do is buy groceries, yogurts, veggies, fruits, and ice. It'll be a pain transporting it but I won't have to eat out, that will save me tons of money and calories. I read tons of posts in the health and nutrition forum and now have a list of good for me foods to buy too. I feel a lot less hopeless, thank you everybody!
Great list! Grocery stores that have a prepped food counter provide plastic utensils, so you may not need to take your own. Most stores sell "baby carrots" that are already peeled. Don't know if you check luggage, but travelling with a knife isn't as easy as it used to be. Could you use zip lock instead of Tupperware?
Best to you!1 -
amandavgomez wrote: »Ok. I've made a list of things I need so I can eat healthy foods while on the road. Since I travel often and never know what kind of hotel I'll be staying in, what ammenities they will provide, I'll need-
Scale
Peeler
Cutting board
Large cooler
Spoon
Fork
Knife
Tupperware
Then all I have to do is buy groceries, yogurts, veggies, fruits, and ice. It'll be a pain transporting it but I won't have to eat out, that will save me tons of money and calories. I read tons of posts in the health and nutrition forum and now have a list of good for me foods to buy too. I feel a lot less hopeless, thank you everybody!
Good, I wish you the best of luck and hope you start to see improvements in your health. It is possible to lose the weight, you can do it.2 -
When/if you decide to incorporate exercise back into your routine make sure to check out Fitnessblender on YouTube. Lots of different types of workouts (for free), many need no equipment (you can usually tell by the title of the video which ones don't need weights) and are pretty quick.
All you need is something to view them on (laptop, iPad, phone..) and a little floor space. Perfect for traveling and when you can't get to the gym.
It isn't essential to weight loss to work out but I find it helps me feel more healthy & happy when I exercise regularly, especially if I do it first thing when I wake up the rest of my day is better.
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Here's the thing... You literally won't gain fat if you are truly eating at a deficit. So if you are gaining 40 lbs a year, you ARE eating too many calories. You mentioned you don't use a food scale. I guarantee THAT is your problem.
40lb = 40X3500 = 140000 calories/365 days = 384 calories/day over maintenance. That's not a huge number of extra calories each day but over the period of a year it adds up.
When I had 75+ pounds to lose, accuracy didn't matter. Now that I'm maybe 15 pounds from my final goal, weight loss has come to a stop. Which means I need to be more scrupulous about weighing and measuring everything.0 -
courtneyfabulous wrote: »Stress from long hours, night shifts, etc is an uphill battle... you may want to consider a new job with normal hours
Yes, stress Will keep the weight on...I was freaked out and felt trapped in my stressful job. It was so on my mind 24/7 that even when I could sleep, I didn't, exhausted...I was taken from that job on a stretcher. Just a severe panic attack (I have a beautiful daughter n husband) and thought...SCREW THIS. I didn't go back! Two wks notice from the hospital. We can have less money for a min - I'll basket-weave but nothing is worth sacrificing my health. Nor yours! What do you love? Find ANY job with less stress and maybe no travel. IF you cannot see your way to do that? Use meditations on YouTube...check your thyroid. Make sure you're getting magnesium and iodine and eat CLEAN. Bless you0 -
Griffindoorknob wrote: »courtneyfabulous wrote: »Stress from long hours, night shifts, etc is an uphill battle... you may want to consider a new job with normal hours
Yes, stress Will keep the weight on...I was freaked out and felt trapped in my stressful job. It was so on my mind 24/7 that even when I could sleep, I didn't, exhausted...I was taken from that job on a stretcher. Just a severe panic attack (I have a beautiful daughter n husband) and thought...SCREW THIS. I didn't go back! Two wks notice from the hospital. We can have less money for a min - I'll basket-weave but nothing is worth sacrificing my health. Nor yours! What do you love? Find ANY job with less stress and maybe no travel. IF you cannot see your way to do that? Use meditations on YouTube...check your thyroid. Make sure you're getting magnesium and iodine and eat CLEAN. Bless you
Well I love my job. I love to travel. I like meeting new people. I sit a lot and on the road I work a lot but overall I don't stress about work.
I like the V8 Splash I think it is, it has fruit. But regular V8, eee. I like baby carrots. I love cucumber too but hate the peel. I love eating salads but only with ranch dressing so I need something to keep my ranch and salads cool. I love fruit yogurts, I know they aren't actually the best but i love them. The only protein bar I've been able to swallow is Quest PB&J. I know, I'm such a finicky eater. I would rather just starve then eat something I don't like though. I love Mt Dew. Used to drink like a 24 pack a week or faster. No joke. I will drink some if there's no bottled water because they have a boil order here right now and at home I drink it to get rid of migraines. I think i get headaches when i need caffine or sugar.1 -
Have you tried Diet Mt. Dew? It's good. You can save a bunch of calories drinking this.2
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Try the Builders Bar by Clif - way better than those awful quest bars. Best one is chocolate mint, tastes like thin mint Girl Scout cookies
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Ah! A sweet tooth. I'm pretty sure if you find single serve ranch dressing packs it will keep better than you think. I bet you will like the drinkable fruity yogurts.1
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For ranch dressing, one of my favourites, try the Bolthouse. It is yogurt based and comes in at 25-30 cals per 15ml.
I found switching to that, rather than a low fat, much easier. I also love their cilantro avocado.
Cheers, h.3 -
amandavgomez wrote: »Ok. I've made a list of things I need so I can eat healthy foods while on the road. Since I travel often and never know what kind of hotel I'll be staying in, what ammenities they will provide, I'll need-
Scale
Peeler
Cutting board
Large cooler
Spoon
Fork
Knife
Tupperware
Then all I have to do is buy groceries, yogurts, veggies, fruits, and ice. It'll be a pain transporting it but I won't have to eat out, that will save me tons of money and calories. I read tons of posts in the health and nutrition forum and now have a list of good for me foods to buy too. I feel a lot less hopeless, thank you everybody!
You should only need a small cooler - is that what we in Australia call an esky??
I think getting a travel set of the implements you list and keeping them in the cooler is a workable plan - except, as someone said, a knife may not be allowed on flights.
One of those cheap disposable plastic knives might be though, you know the ones you get in picnic sets - and they are good enough to cut fruit and veggies.
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No fad diets, supplements, fancy containers.
Walking, more veg and fruit and protein such as lean chicken, tuna, eggs. Walking. Walking. I cut out breads because they just make me more hungry. Complex carbs stuck with me better. Steel cut oats. Walking...
Tried smoothies for a week, but when I checked my logging, the morning smoothie was taking a third of my calories for the day and I was starving by noon, ready to eat a limb off by bedtime. They work for some, but me.
A food scale helped me see my portions were way off..... that really got my weight loss started.
I'm the smallest I've been since about age 12. I'm 60 now. I wish I had found MFP and my friends here, years ago. But really, I needed to be sick of being fat first. I think you've got the first step in hand. Now to just figure out which foods and activities work for YOU!
Good luck. I'm in maintenance now, but you can add me as a friend if you'd like. I'm on here everyday.1 -
I've found green smoothies with chia seeds a miracle, blood pressure is down to normal, weight is falling off at a nice steady rate. I aim for 17000 steps a day and I eat boiled eggs and fruit as snacks instead of chocolate and crisps. I do weigh what I eat too and meals could be healthier but one step at a time for me or id give up I love my pizza and red meat too much.
started at 127kg drinking daily and not moving. now I'm sober and half way to my desired weight, I've managed to not join a gym too...
I know you can do it if you stay focused and know this is a life change not a diet 1
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