Being honest.. what approach should I take?
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Lorilynn_37
Posts: 87 Member
Ok so I hit my lowest weight of 174 six weeks ago. I'm 5'2 37 years old and started at 192.
So I've lost 18 pounds since June so a long 6 months in.
I'm sedentary a stay at home wife. I've come to realize I'm lazy! I have kids but their 19&15 so I can't say I get excersice by chasing my kids lol.
I've definitely hit a plateau it's been over 6 weeks.
My calories a day 1320.
I do well staying in my calorie range each day.
I lost the first few pounds pretty rapidly because I cut out sodas back in June. Wow it sure made a difference 3 sodas a day = insane amount of calories.
I do know I spend a lot of my calories a day on bread products.
Knowing what little I've told..
what approach and changes would you start making?!
Ask me any questions at all.
Would I see a difference if I forced myself to burn some calories? ( I know your saying duh) but it's part of my depression I tend to be lazy and watch tv a lot.
Please be nice! I'm looking for ideas not criticism..
I have a lot of flaws!! I take a lot of meds for depression and see a therapist. I fall into deep depressions sometimes. Making weight loss a lot harder sometimes..
My diary is closed due to more embarrassment of my bread and pasta addiction but I stay in range. Maybe 2 days a week going over by at most 100 cals
Thank you all in advance!
So I've lost 18 pounds since June so a long 6 months in.
I'm sedentary a stay at home wife. I've come to realize I'm lazy! I have kids but their 19&15 so I can't say I get excersice by chasing my kids lol.
I've definitely hit a plateau it's been over 6 weeks.
My calories a day 1320.
I do well staying in my calorie range each day.
I lost the first few pounds pretty rapidly because I cut out sodas back in June. Wow it sure made a difference 3 sodas a day = insane amount of calories.
I do know I spend a lot of my calories a day on bread products.
Knowing what little I've told..
what approach and changes would you start making?!
Ask me any questions at all.
Would I see a difference if I forced myself to burn some calories? ( I know your saying duh) but it's part of my depression I tend to be lazy and watch tv a lot.
Please be nice! I'm looking for ideas not criticism..
I have a lot of flaws!! I take a lot of meds for depression and see a therapist. I fall into deep depressions sometimes. Making weight loss a lot harder sometimes..
My diary is closed due to more embarrassment of my bread and pasta addiction but I stay in range. Maybe 2 days a week going over by at most 100 cals
Thank you all in advance!
1
Replies
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I'd stop being sedentary. Exercise would likely help break your plateau and ease symptoms of depression. And it's very very rare to stay healthy as you age without exercise.14
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The best approach is accuracy. Over time, you'll find which foods to eat to keep you feeling full. I also agree that adding some movement to your day will be helpful, but if you're not being accurate measuring your calories, it's always going to be an uphill battle for you. Look over this chart and see if it helps:
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I'd stop being sedentary. Exercise would likely help break your plateau and ease symptoms of depression. And it's very very rare to stay healthy as you age without exercise.
With depression it's hard to sometimes "want " to exercise. Should I force myself out of the house and to a gym? Maybe once I'm there I will do better. I'm so very aware of my depression being a huge problem and prob causing this. Ugh it sucks! I always have good intentions and then fail.
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I'd be curious what you protein intake is at in grams, on average?
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I would go with walking - outside...it's less exercisy than most, plus the sunshine will help offset the depression and if you find some scenic areas near you it could actual become your new fun thing to do - go see how that cute little pond looks today, or if that big tree has lost all it's leaves, etc...watching the world change while also getting some movement and sunlight...18
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Lorilynn_37 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I'd stop being sedentary. Exercise would likely help break your plateau and ease symptoms of depression. And it's very very rare to stay healthy as you age without exercise.
With depression it's hard to sometimes "want " to exercise. Should I force myself out of the house and to a gym? Maybe once I'm there I will do better. I'm so very aware of my depression being a huge problem and prob causing this. Ugh it sucks! I always have good intentions and then fail.
I also suffer from depression and don't always "want" to do things that are good for me. I don't always want to take a shower. I don't always want to cook a meal. I don't always want to do my laundry. But I do these things anyway because I need to. I view exercise much the same way.
I won't say that it will necessarily ease your depression because it doesn't for everyone. But getting up 4 times a week and going for a 20 minute walk, or a half hour gym session, or picking up a body weight training program, and making yourself stick to it will probably help your health. It may help your mood. And it may help your weight. You just gotta do it.
I also agree with double-checking the accuracy of your logging. Making sure you aren't skipping logging anything or forgetting about things like drinks, veggies, cooking oils, etc. Sometimes people miss things. And if you can, a food scale is a cheap tool that I found faster and easier and more accurate than using measuring cups/spoons to portion out my meals. It's worth looking into.12 -
A lot of folks here would recommend tightening your logging by using a food scale if you don't have one. One can certainly lose weight without any exercise if they are truly eating at a deficit.
Having said that going for a walk has greatly improved my quality of life in several ways, one being my mood has improved and I live near a national park and I realized how much I've been missing in natural beauty by not getting outdoors.
I started walking just 15 min then increased each week after a month I was able to walk my 1st 5k race and now I'm addicted.5 -
Lorilynn_37 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I'd stop being sedentary. Exercise would likely help break your plateau and ease symptoms of depression. And it's very very rare to stay healthy as you age without exercise.
With depression it's hard to sometimes "want " to exercise. Should I force myself out of the house and to a gym? Maybe once I'm there I will do better. I'm so very aware of my depression being a huge problem and prob causing this. Ugh it sucks! I always have good intentions and then fail.
Is there any kind of activity you think you might *like* to do? I've never had luck forcing myself to do exercises that I hate.
Maybe forcing yourself to the gym isn't a good option, but doing a YouTube exercise video at home would be fun. Maybe doing a video wouldn't be fun, but walking around the neighborhood with a family member or friend would be fun. I have no idea what you like, but maybe you could brainstorm a list of things to try. Include things you've never tried and try them, seeing what you like. I thought I would hate spin class, but I loved it. I thought I would love yoga, but I got really bored with it after the first few classes. Experiment!
(I know depression can really make it hard to want to exercise so be patient with yourself! It looks like you're already making some good progress.)2 -
Have you considered putting on and watching some exercise DVDs? You might kill two birds with one stone that way - you still get in some television (of a sort) AND exercise, both at the same time. I don't recommend anything extreme at the outset, like P90X, but I'm sure you could find some 10 or 20 minute workout DVDs to kickstart your metabolism a little1
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I'd stop being sedentary. Exercise would likely help break your plateau and ease symptoms of depression. And it's very very rare to stay healthy as you age without exercise.
This. When my bouts of depression hit, it's hard to want to move, and I want ALL of the sweets. However, even just some gentle movement really feels nice and I'm happy I made myself do it. Workout videos at home are my go to when I don't feel like leaving the house.2 -
You might want to have your thyroid checked. I was also struggling with depression and weight-loss plateau. Neither issue was brand new, but they had gotten worse, and I thought I was just being lazy. It turned out my thyroid was low. I've had it tested regularly over the years (due to depression, it's common to rule out thyroid problems) and it had always been normal before.
I see this suggestion in the helpful flowchart posted above, but thought I'd add my personal experience. Good luck!2 -
"but it's part of my depression I tend to be lazy and watch tv a lot."
Definitely force yourself to get some sort of exercise, even if you don't want to. It does help.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/depression-and-exercise/art-20046495
I'd combine that with some of the other suggestions, like being extra diligent with measuring & tracking, & getting your thyroid & other metabolic tests done.
You can do this - forcing myself to go out when I was dealing with depression made a huge difference. If I just stayed home, feeling bad about not going out & doing what I needed to do only fed the monster. Good luck.
ETA: don't think exercise has to be at the gym. Do a video, go for a walk (if weather is bad, do mall walking or something like that), take a dance class, go bowling with the family - anything that gets you moving should help.
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I'd stop being sedentary. Exercise would likely help break your plateau and ease symptoms of depression. And it's very very rare to stay healthy as you age without exercise.
This. Your kids are basically grown and you don't work- think of the work outs you could have! The thought being able to dedicate hours more per day to marathon training as a SAHM of tiny time dominators is dream material. Jealous, so jealous lol4 -
Your kids are at an age when they are practically grown-up--it's time for you to make/take time for you. Go for a walk, take up a hobby, volunteer--do something that gets you up and out of the house. In addition to getting you moving more, it can help ease some of the symptoms of depression. Are you currently being treated for your depression? I'm not necessarily advocating taking medication, but talking to a therapist can even do wonders in some cases.4
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The thing that gets me up and moving is getting up and moving!
I am very lazy myself. I have not been diagnosed with depression but I do have anxiety issues and I can only speak for myself. Up until a few years ago, I would get home from work and usually fall onto the couch to watch TV or sit at my desk to play video games and not move until bedtime. I still do that once in a while, but I now force myself to go for a walk when I get home.
For me, my laziness was a habit that needed to be broken. After I get home from a walk, I usually don't want to sit down. I'll want to get some chores done around the house, or do some cooking or baking, or I just walk around the house until I get tired. Sometimes I do want to sit and play games, and thats OK.
Once I got used to walks, I felt so good that I would seek out new forms of exercise get that feel-good feeling again. Walking longer gave me the energy and confidence to start jogging, try out dance and kickboxing, YouTube fitness videos, and start light bodyweight strength training. I still have my ups and downs with struggling against inertia, but it's all about taking that first step!3 -
It doesn't matter what you eat as long as you are eating within your calorie range. It would appear you are eating at maintenance since you aren't losing weight. I would reiterate that a food scale is necessary to ensure you aren't eating more than you think you are.
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Thank you all!! You give great advice.
I do use a electric food scale and I'm pretty consistent on my logging.
I do need to get moving it would help with the lose and the depression. I'm going to check on some dvds or YouTube things. Thanks for that advice..
Someone mentions thyroid issues, I've had it checked twice. But my mom had to have it checked so many times before they detected a problem because the numbers finally dipped once.
I will make sure to mention this at my next appt.
Funny but not to funny story..
I have a 2 yr old lil min pin dog. Who sleeps with me watches tv with me and even has to go into the bathroom with me..
If I leave her she freaks so I always say she's suffers from the same thing I do..
She's over weight because she eats and we sit on the couch watching our favorite shows together..
I think we should start coming out of the dark house and go on walks together! We could both use the exercise.. I may have to drag her but we will do this !!19 -
Congrats on your weight loss so far! As a start, try to move while you are watching tv. Get up and do knee lifts or jumping jacks. Start by doing them during the commercials. You'll probably find it will make you feel better and you'll move more!3
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Can you get a step tracker? You may be less likely to sit and be sedentary if you have a low step count staring at you from an app. I know seeing that low number keeps me moving more during my days off.3
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Depression can certainly be crippling and isolating. Taking those first steps to get out can be overwhelming. Start with a small goal, 5 minutes three times a week. You might be surprised how much it helps to be outside.1
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