Please help me....In desperate need of expert advice
Replies
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Is the grapefruit in juice and you drained it off? That could account for quite a few calories. Even more if it's in syrup.0
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VintageFeline wrote: »sunshine12870 wrote: »OK so here is my first shock of tightening up my diary and being more accurate.
I had a tin of grapefruit Salad this morning,(you will see this in my diary a few times) I normally add it to my diary by what it says on the tin.
1 Tin = 172 calories (that's what I've always entered)
Today I put a bowl on my digital kitchen scales, emptied the contents of the tin and it came to 171 grams.
171g = 55 calories
So whereas I thought I was having 172 calories I've actually only been having 55.
I'm a bit shocked by this to say the least.
Something doesn't seem right there. That's too big a difference and way outwith legal tolerances. I don't know this product but is it a drained weight vs a non drained weight or something?
Exactly what I thought.....hence why I was so shocked.
Wish I could put a photo on here of the label so you can look at it, but doesn't appear to be a way to do that.0 -
OK on the tin it says.....
540g
Net Drained Weight
290g
So on the nutrion label I went by the per 100g Drained values which says -
Per 100g = 32 Calories
I had 171g = 55 Calories0 -
I went through the food database here on MFP to see what others were entering for grapefruit and it would appear to be right that 171g of grapefruit is around 55 calories.0
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CattOfTheGarage wrote: »Is the grapefruit in juice and you drained it off? That could account for quite a few calories. Even more if it's in syrup.
Yes it's in Grapefruit juice and I always drain all the juice off then just eat the grapefruit0 -
Good Morning! I actually do think I can help you. I believe it is a combination of things and it will take a bit to sort it all out. A. Stress and the stress hormone cortisol play a role B. Perimenopause plays a role C. For your weight and activity level 1200 calories is low - it is below your BMR, certainly below your TDEE. D. Expending more energy (calories) than you are taking in, certainly over a period of time causes your metabolism to decrease - it adapts to the energy/calorie level you are taking in E. If you upped your calories a bit and saw a gain on the scale that is normal - your metabolism is responding & is seeking balance F. Strength training needs to be a focus for you in that muscle is important to fat-loss, especially lifelong fat loss and maintenance (men naturally have more muscle than women is the primary reason they lose fat quicker/easier than women) G. Nutrition is very important. Not just how much we eat, but that we are eating to keep our bodies thriving from a health and metabolism standpoint H. I'm 5'4. Weighed 238 in 2011 at age 47 and I was 40+% bodyfat & wore a size 18; after my knee replacement I studied nutrition and exercise, changed my life, changed careers. I. I'm still 5'4. I'm 53 and my bodyfat is 28% & I can wear a size 10 any day of the week standing on the scale at 180. I'm healthy, I have energy, I don't stress over food, and I can maintain this for the rest of my life. I can lead you to several really good books to read on the subject and if you send me a Friend Request, I can easily remember to do that. I'm on my way to work and stopped in to write you because I saw your desperate "HELP!".
I will add: I've been a member at MFP since April 2011 under the User Name HarlanJen. I deactivated my account late last year, but missed the community so I'm back. I've met folks here that I never would have met otherwise and this is an awesome place to be - use the information wisely, choose your friends wisely and stay persistent and consistent and never ever stop learning and working toward vibrant health and energy. The rest will come along for the ride if you go for Health. Promise.
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This sounds like a thyroid issue which usually can easily be fixed with a prescription. Millions of people have underactive thyroids that can quickly cause weight gain. Malfunctioning thyroids usually happen very quickly without warning and the weight gain can happen rapidly. Please go to the doctor and have your thyroid checked.
Do NOT starve yourself and eat anything less than 1200 calories. You will harm your metabolism by doing so, which will only make things worse. Go to the doctor and have your thyroid checked.
Good luck!0 -
Lots of good advice from others, thought I'd offer a little tidbit.... mustard..... is a good naturala nti infalmatory. Might help with some of the pain. and is very low calorie0
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sunshine12870 wrote: »OK on the tin it says.....
540g
Net Drained Weight
290g
So on the nutrion label I went by the per 100g Drained values which says -
Per 100g = 32 Calories
I had 171g = 55 Calories
Is it this one?
Because in this case, it really is the drained weight, which would make your count correct...0 -
I wonder if you were logging the undrained weight?0
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I'm not sure why a pp said women don't gain muscle. Of course we do! Muscle weighs more than fat. I would conjecture that if you took on a long and hard paper route, you are probably converting some fat to muscle, so you would tend to gain--at least initially. It is better to consider if your body has changed. I'm an old, fat, injured runner. Didn't start running until age 51 (57 now), and I work with a very knowledgeable, gentle trainer, who helped me discover that I could run when I never thought I would again. My point: when I am seriously on a training program, I can tell my leg muscles are harder and larger. Even through the adipose! Another thing is to get a copy of "The First Twenty Minutes." It compiles, in very readable style, information from the most recent fitness and nutrition studies. It debunks a lot of the myths we think are true ( like running and walking makes you lose weight--not true for about 2/3 of regular people--but it does make us healthier). Most of the "truths" we bandy about are from old studies conducted on elite male athletes. The results have little to do with real people like you and me. I found it uplifting, and it gave me good, solid info to work with.
And finally ( whew!), see if you can find a water walking class. They are usually held in the dive tank at a pool, and involve wearing floats around either your waist or ankles. You "walk" in the deep water of the tank. Feels like you are doing nothing, but it uses2x the energy of land walking, strengthens your core massively, and is easy on your body. Take a class so you learn to do it properly, or you won't do it as well as you ought.
Keep up your good work, and pat yourself on the back big time for persistence.
Women DO gain muscle, but not by walking and eating in a calorie deficit - by eating at a surplus and engaging in a progressive lifting program - two things the OP made no mention of.9 -
VintageFeline wrote: »I wonder if you were logging the undrained weight?
Thats exactly what I was doing before today. Then when I Drained it and weighed found out I'm not having 172 calories I'm actually having 55. A lot less than I thought0 -
ladyreva78 wrote: »My fitbit actually overestimates by TDEE by roughly 300-400 calories/day (from what I gathered from my collected weight loss data) and I haven't figured out how to tweak it to make it more accurate. That's quite a bit over half my deficit wiped out through the calories adjustment. If on top of that I was sloppy with logging, it means no weight lost or even a weight gain.
I actually disconnected my FitBit (even though I love it and its reminders to get off my lazy *kitten*) and went back to manually logging the exercise calories using extremely conservatives values and I'm losing weight again. The HR reading don't correlate to calories burn very well for me. I'd probably need to do a stress-test to get better data, but those are bloody expensive around here.
I'm not saying this is what's causing you problems, but I would take those values with a grain of salt. Maybe start leaving some of the adjustment calories each day (100-200 for starters) and then readjust in a few weeks if it still doesn't give you the results you want.
This. I was so excited to use my fitbit and dumbfounded when my weight went up after I linked it to MFP. I now use it for tracking steps, time & heart rate. I don't link it to mfp now, and weight is steadily going down again. I would see if only eating back half of exercise calories (or less) has you heading in the right direction again.
Great effort!2 -
No it isn't. It is a matter of duration, intensity and conditioning.sunshine12870 wrote: »I'm lugging that around all day ... approx an extra 8 Stone {112 lbs} ...
That's like lifting 50kg at the gym, and keeping it lifted, never putting it down
Is it difficult? Yes. Is it rough on your joints and cardiovascular system? Yes.
Is it the same as lifting 110 lbs in the gym and never putting it down? No.
Don't believe me? Try it sometime.
It might be called a "Farmer's Walk", depending on how you do the lift and keep it lifted.
Heck, you can try it with 50 lbs or even 25 lbs, since you may not be able to lift 110 lbs.
But you made my point for me: your body CAN carry itself for a 45 minute walk in the rain.
However, a 45 minute walk is not the same level of effort as trying to hold 110 lbs for 45 minutes.
Not. Even. Close.
Getting out of a chair is not the same level of effort as deadlifting 110 lbs, not to mention 240 lbs.
I don't want you to be discouraged but you need to get out of the habit of rationalizing.
Rationalizing often leads to making excuses and feeling sorry for yourself.
Try to set reasonable goals and hold yourself accountable instead.
You will slip up (we all do) but just remind yourself of your goals and get back on track.
By the way, good job going for the walk! Getting some additional activity in is a great start!
If you can do that every day, you may start to see some progress.
A simple way to turn that activity into exercise, is to put some weight in a backpack to wear while walking.
Maybe 1 kg or so to start -even a pair of shoes- and add 1 kg every week or so.4 -
Muscle is more DENSE than fat.Muscle weighs more than fat
A pound of fat and a pound of muscle weigh exactly the same amount - 16 oz.
People, please stop with all of the rationalizing and misusing words to suit your purposes.
OP, you were given some good advice, some bad advice and more than enough encouragement / support / sympathy.
You can do it if you want it bad enough.
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ladyreva78 wrote: »My fitbit actually overestimates by TDEE by roughly 300-400 calories/day (from what I gathered from my collected weight loss data) and I haven't figured out how to tweak it to make it more accurate. That's quite a bit over half my deficit wiped out through the calories adjustment. If on top of that I was sloppy with logging, it means no weight lost or even a weight gain.
I actually disconnected my FitBit (even though I love it and its reminders to get off my lazy *kitten*) and went back to manually logging the exercise calories using extremely conservatives values and I'm losing weight again. The HR reading don't correlate to calories burn very well for me. I'd probably need to do a stress-test to get better data, but those are bloody expensive around here.
I'm not saying this is what's causing you problems, but I would take those values with a grain of salt. Maybe start leaving some of the adjustment calories each day (100-200 for starters) and then readjust in a few weeks if it still doesn't give you the results you want.
This. I was so excited to use my fitbit and dumbfounded when my weight went up after I linked it to MFP. I now use it for tracking steps, time & heart rate. I don't link it to mfp now, and weight is steadily going down again. I would see if only eating back half of exercise calories (or less) has you heading in the right direction again.
Great effort!
Except she doesn't knowingly eat her exercise calories back. The Fitbit burns are moot in this case.0 -
I concur with the vintage cat! Could be drained vs full weight.
When I was starting out I had a "rule" that I couldn't start eating till everything was weighed and entered into MFP.
It has long gone the way of the dodo bird but it both taught me some patience and caught a number of "uh-oh, I almost ate above my calories" situations!3 -
Muscleflex79 wrote: »I'm not sure why a pp said women don't gain muscle. Of course we do! Muscle weighs more than fat. I would conjecture that if you took on a long and hard paper route, you are probably converting some fat to muscle, so you would tend to gain--at least initially. It is better to consider if your body has changed. I'm an old, fat, injured runner. Didn't start running until age 51 (57 now), and I work with a very knowledgeable, gentle trainer, who helped me discover that I could run when I never thought I would again. My point: when I am seriously on a training program, I can tell my leg muscles are harder and larger. Even through the adipose! Another thing is to get a copy of "The First Twenty Minutes." It compiles, in very readable style, information from the most recent fitness and nutrition studies. It debunks a lot of the myths we think are true ( like running and walking makes you lose weight--not true for about 2/3 of regular people--but it does make us healthier). Most of the "truths" we bandy about are from old studies conducted on elite male athletes. The results have little to do with real people like you and me. I found it uplifting, and it gave me good, solid info to work with.
And finally ( whew!), see if you can find a water walking class. They are usually held in the dive tank at a pool, and involve wearing floats around either your waist or ankles. You "walk" in the deep water of the tank. Feels like you are doing nothing, but it uses2x the energy of land walking, strengthens your core massively, and is easy on your body. Take a class so you learn to do it properly, or you won't do it as well as you ought.
Keep up your good work, and pat yourself on the back big time for persistence.
Women DO gain muscle, but not by walking and eating in a calorie deficit - by eating at a surplus and engaging in a progressive lifting program - two things the OP made no mention of.
And sadly, we gain it slowly. A quarter pound of muscle gain per week is often said to be a stellar rate of progress for women, only to be achieved under optimal conditions of weight training and nutrition (and probably age). There's some potential for newbie gains in a deficit when obese, I understand, but not lots of pounds of muscle in a very short time.
One can gain muscle via strength-building progressive activities other than lifting (you'll find, for example, some long-time cyclists with quite muscular legs who don't lift, and I've gained some muscle by rowing regularly over more than a decade), but it's not nearly as rapid as weight training. A sufficiently inactive woman could sloooooowwwwllly gain some leg muscle by walking regularly and at length, for a while, at least. Not relevant in a short time, though.
Strength gain doesn't require muscle mass gain, either, among those new to the appropriate levels of activity to start gaining it.2 -
Assuming 17s 2lb means 240lb, the following calculator says at 1200 calories and sedentary you should be losing somewhere around 1.5 lb per week. Given your stats maintenance is around 2000 calories. As your weight goes down or you change your activity level, the calories needed to lose/maintain will change.
http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html
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I'm not sure why a pp said women don't gain muscle. Of course we do! Muscle weighs more than fat. I would conjecture that if you took on a long and hard paper route, you are probably converting some fat to muscle, so you would tend to gain--at least initially. It is better to consider if your body has changed. I'm an old, fat, injured runner. Didn't start running until age 51 (57 now), and I work with a very knowledgeable, gentle trainer, who helped me discover that I could run when I never thought I would again. My point: when I am seriously on a training program, I can tell my leg muscles are harder and larger. Even through the adipose! Another thing is to get a copy of "The First Twenty Minutes." It compiles, in very readable style, information from the most recent fitness and nutrition studies. It debunks a lot of the myths we think are true ( like running and walking makes you lose weight--not true for about 2/3 of regular people--but it does make us healthier). Most of the "truths" we bandy about are from old studies conducted on elite male athletes. The results have little to do with real people like you and me. I found it uplifting, and it gave me good, solid info to work with.
And finally ( whew!), see if you can find a water walking class. They are usually held in the dive tank at a pool, and involve wearing floats around either your waist or ankles. You "walk" in the deep water of the tank. Feels like you are doing nothing, but it uses2x the energy of land walking, strengthens your core massively, and is easy on your body. Take a class so you learn to do it properly, or you won't do it as well as you ought.
Keep up your good work, and pat yourself on the back big time for persistence.
Women gain muscle like everyone else, in a surplus of calories. There are newbie gains, but a paper route isn't going to do it. What is likely happening here is water retention in the muscles.
Fat does NOT convert into muscle. They're 2 different things entirely.
Of course walking/running doesn't solely cause fat loss. A calorie deficit does. Cardio is for cardiovascular health and can be used in conjunction with a calorie deficit to create a larger deficit.2 -
You know a few people have mentioned about my muscles, sore muscles, fluid retention in muscles, etc etc.
I know absolutely nothing about all this all I do know is....
The ache in my leg muscles especially my calves verges somewhere between uncomfortable and painful, (I've been putting this down to VitD and B12 deficiency along with feeling weak and tired all the time) it's tight and feels like a spasm or a knot that just won't release.
Best way to describe how my legs feel is -dull, achy, heavy, tight and sore.
It's been like this for weeks now, not getting any better if anything getting worse, but I've just kept walking every day regardless believing it will at some point ease off/get better, the constant ache in my legs is unbearable at times. Surely that can't be right from just fast pace walking.
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Assuming 17s 2lb means 240lb, the following calculator says at 1200 calories and sedentary you should be losing somewhere around 1.5 lb per week. Given your stats maintenance is around 2000 calories. As your weight goes down or you change your activity level, the calories needed to lose/maintain will change.
http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html
Yip I'm 17st 2lbs (240lbs) I was eating 1200 calories, not sedentary, exercising every day and not losing 1.5lbs in a month never mind in a week.
If maintenance is 2000 calories for me and I was no where near that.....still begs the question why a woman my size hasn't been dropping weight for quite some time now.0 -
Did you build up on the distances that you walk or did you just go from 0 to 60? Do you do any pre or post walk stretches? Maybe you are trying to walk faster and longer than what your legs are ready for.
Even with walking you should pace yourself...gradually add distance...then start trying to pick up a little speed.1 -
If you tighten up your diary/weighing as you have been!, and give it a few more weeks (talking 4 or more) and don't see changes, then it definitely would be in your best interest to sit down with your Dr and have a talk. If they don't seem invested in helping you or finding out what the issue is, go to a different Dr (hopefully an option).
As long as your bones are in good shape, the VitD deficiency shouldn't be causing that - I've been put on Vitamin D plenty of times and never because my bones hurt. You may want to talk to your Dr about that too, they are the medical professional that can actually see you and your legs.
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Definitely talk to your doctor about the leg pain. I had something similar when I was taking statins; the pain stopped me from exercising. When I stopped taking them, it gradually went away and I'm pain-free now.0
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Hang in there! When I start to feel defeated I have to remember that this is a long term lifestyle change, and that if I eat healthy and exercise regularly eventually my weight will fall into line. If you quit then there is no chance it will get better.0
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sunshine12870 wrote: »OK so here is my first shock of tightening up my diary and being more accurate.
I had a tin of grapefruit Salad this morning,(you will see this in my diary a few times) I normally add it to my diary by what it says on the tin.
1 Tin = 172 calories (that's what I've always entered)
Today I put a bowl on my digital kitchen scales, emptied the contents of the tin and it came to 171 grams.
171g = 55 calories
So whereas I thought I was having 172 calories I've actually only been having 55.
I'm a bit shocked by this to say the least.
This is great! Well done. You will also find that on MFP there are many, many different items, with many different units of measure or wrong measurements, since users are the ones that put them in there. If you have a smart phone, you can scan the UPC code on the package too, this helps a lot. I found that after awhile, I got much better at guessing what the calories ought to be, then when something doesn't make sense, do some more research. You can usually google the food name and the word "nutrition" and you'll find some good info.
Just rambling here. You can do your own calculating as well. Each gram of Carbs = 4 calories, Protein = 4 calories and Fat = 9 calories. Look on the label at only these three things, then add them up. You'll notice right away you can eat twice as much Protein and Carbs as Fat. I see these macronutrients this way (this isn't really scientific). Carbs are fuel for your day, for moving around, Protein builds and maintains your body, and fat is the grease that allows your body to function efficiently.
Keep up the good work; it's a journey
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I wouldn't do high protein low carb- just do adequate protein and adequate carb. When you do high carb low protein is where you run into trouble.
But I do 50% carbs, 25% protein, and 25% fat and everything is going great! I also do weight training 3 times a week, I highly recommend that! Use those muscles so your body will use up fat stores for energy.0 -
sunshine12870 wrote: »Heartisalonelyhunter wrote: »sunshine12870 wrote: »Are you taking any meds. that cause weight gain? I know if I just count calories, it will take me forever to lose just 1 lb. I have to exercise hard to really lose weight. It's always been that way. Being in pain isn't helping you either cuz you are limited as to what you do. Can you bike? Running has been the best thing for me, but I'm thinking that's out of the question for you. How about looking into getting a personal trainer? Maybe they could help you out a bit.
Have to have a B12 injection every 10 weeks for the rest of my life because of that deficiency.
I take a very strong prescription VitD supplement to try to counteract that deficiency.
Pain killers when the pain is literally unbearable.
Apart from that no other meds, I try not to take anything if I can help it.
Can't afford a bike but when I join the gym in March I can use theirs and they will have personal trainers there
Hi. What D supplement are you taking? Many people complain that prescription D2 makes them gain weight. Switch to D3 (which is OTC, cheaper and much more easily absorbed by the body).
Many Dr's just prescribe D2 because of $. I had a deficiency that I fixed entirely through taking OTC D3
I'm on Fultium D3 800u capsules. So all good on that one
800? That's not enough to cure a severe deficiency. I had to take 4000iu daily plus increase my intake of D- rich foods like full fat dairy to bring it back up.
Who is telling you to take these amounts and what were your levels? I also have had a B12 defiency which again I rectified by taking 5000mcg each day. I was told my 2 doctors that it's more effective to take it daily rather than be injected because your body can only absorb a certain amount at a time.
Sorry for all the questions but it's no wonder you're exhausted if you really have a D deficiency and are trying to rectify it with such a low amount.0 -
Heartisalonelyhunter wrote: »sunshine12870 wrote: »Heartisalonelyhunter wrote: »sunshine12870 wrote: »Are you taking any meds. that cause weight gain? I know if I just count calories, it will take me forever to lose just 1 lb. I have to exercise hard to really lose weight. It's always been that way. Being in pain isn't helping you either cuz you are limited as to what you do. Can you bike? Running has been the best thing for me, but I'm thinking that's out of the question for you. How about looking into getting a personal trainer? Maybe they could help you out a bit.
Have to have a B12 injection every 10 weeks for the rest of my life because of that deficiency.
I take a very strong prescription VitD supplement to try to counteract that deficiency.
Pain killers when the pain is literally unbearable.
Apart from that no other meds, I try not to take anything if I can help it.
Can't afford a bike but when I join the gym in March I can use theirs and they will have personal trainers there
Hi. What D supplement are you taking? Many people complain that prescription D2 makes them gain weight. Switch to D3 (which is OTC, cheaper and much more easily absorbed by the body).
Many Dr's just prescribe D2 because of $. I had a deficiency that I fixed entirely through taking OTC D3
I'm on Fultium D3 800u capsules. So all good on that one
800? That's not enough to cure a severe deficiency. I had to take 4000iu daily plus increase my intake of D- rich foods like full fat dairy to bring it back up.
Who is telling you to take these amounts and what were your levels? I also have had a B12 defiency which again I rectified by taking 5000mcg each day. I was told my 2 doctors that it's more effective to take it daily rather than be injected because your body can only absorb a certain amount at a time.
Sorry for all the questions but it's no wonder you're exhausted if you really have a D deficiency and are trying to rectify it with such a low amount.
Yeah I take 5000 IU
And it's over the counter, not prescription (but it was recommended by my doctor)0
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