Need Help! Not sure which plan to follow..

CTMike1980mfp

So I am in a bind, a life threatening one. Weighing in at 407 LBS this morning, getting bloodwork back from my lab work with a glucose level of 129, and trying to count calories today but am always hungry I am really ready to go back to Atkins/Low Carb like I did in 2005 when I lost 80lbs in 8 months. My only concern is if Atkins/Low Carb is sustainable long-term? I can't keep yo yo dieting like this, being over 400 lbs and practically a diabetic. I really feel that low carb/low sugar is what will work for me, as long as I am 100% committed. I just feel like I am running out of time to figure this out. Any help or advice would be much much appreciated. Thank you so much.

janejellyroll

If you did Atkins/low carbohydrate in 2005 and didn't find it sustainable, then it may not be sustainable this time around either.

What makes you feel that low carbohydrate/low sugar is better for you than other methods? If you start there and share what works, maybe we can help you figure something out.

maybe1pe

did your doctor make any diet suggestions because of being borderline diabetic?

if not you could specifically ask for recommendations.

you could also do moderate carbs and just cut back on what you're currently eating to start losing weight.

would definitely recommend talking to your dr. tho considering there are medical considerations to make.

GottaBurnEmAll

janejellyroll wrote: »

If you did Atkins/low carbohydrate in 2005 and didn't find it sustainable, then it may not be sustainable this time around either.

What makes you feel that low carbohydrate/low sugar is better for you than other methods? If you start there and share what works, maybe we can help you figure something out.

^This.

If you're so hungry all of the time, are you trying to lose weight too quickly? Weight you lose in a sustainable manner and keep off is better than weight you lose quickly and then put back on because you're so hungry you lose control and start eating everything in sight.

Are you eating enough protein? While what people find to be filling varies on an individual level, most everyone finds protein in combination with either carbs, fat, fiber, starch or some combination of all of those is filling. Emphasize protein in your meals and snacks.

Do you need volume too feel satiated? Some people do. Low calorie vegetables can be eaten in volume along with protein, and a little fat for lasting fullness for some people.

Spliner1969

CICO is sustainable in my opinion. It's simple math. Atkins, LCHF, Keto, etc. is not really sustainable forever, not to mention they still don't work unless you're in a calorie deficit anyway. So why not just use a calorie deficit and change the things you eat to lower calorie versions? If you're hungry all the time and trying to do CICO then you're eating the wrong things. Again, my opinion only.

cmriverside

Moderate carbs works for a lot of people. Since too many carbs can lead to over-eating for a lot of us, cutting down or cutting out some carb-high foods makes eating fewer calories more manageable.

So why don't you set your carbs at a moderate level ( like 40% C - 30% F - 30% P, or even out to 30/50/20 ) and try that for a couple months.

I do pretty well on the 40/30/30 split myself, and it allows for a piece of fruit or bread or pasta or a tiny treat in my daily life - which keeps me from hurting other people in the world.

Momepro

Start by logging food and excercise everyday, including getting a kitchen scale to weigh amounts, and journaling how you feel before abd after eating, (physically as well as emotionally). Do this for at least a couple weeks. Considering the time of year, I'd personally do it through the New Year ti establish a baseline eating pattern. Once you know what you're eating, how much, when, why and how you feel afterwards , THEN you can start figuring out what changes will work for you.
For example:
Do you eat drive through alot? What do you usually get? Could you still be not hungry with one less taco, or by skipping the fries?
Do you eat chips while watching tv? Are you hungry, or just keeping hands and mouth busy? What about popcorn instead of Doritos? Or crochet and gum?
Where do you park your car? Is it possible to park a bit farther away, and force yourself to walk a few more steps?

megs_1985

Momepro wrote: »

Start by logging food and excercise everyday, including getting a kitchen scale to weigh amounts, and journaling how you feel before abd after eating, (physically as well as emotionally). Do this for at least a couple weeks. Considering the time of year, I'd personally do it through the New Year ti establish a baseline eating pattern. Once you know what you're eating, how much, when, why and how you feel afterwards , THEN you can start figuring out what changes will work for you.
For example:
Do you eat drive through alot? What do you usually get? Could you still be not hungry with one less taco, or by skipping the fries?
Do you eat chips while watching tv? Are you hungry, or just keeping hands and mouth busy? What about popcorn instead of Doritos? Or crochet and gum?
Where do you park your car? Is it possible to park a bit farther away, and force yourself to walk a few more steps?

This^^^

Start small.
1) find your baseline - track just what you do now, don't change anything, meanwhile run your numbers (https://tdeecalculator.net/), write down some ideas for exercise (things you can do 3-5 times a week and enjoy or think you want to try), find some new recipes you want to try and save them, maybe make a rough meal plan, read about nutrition (from reputable sources), recruit support

2) start small - use MFP to start having a calorie deficit and tracking, at 407 you can lose a lot of weight fast but it will slow as you lose more, start doing any exercise you can, 10 minute walk or 20 minute light weights, split it up if you can't go long so you do some in the morning and some later, slowly increase the time you spend exercising, find friends or family to do activities with

3) you'll falter, you'll have a bad day but remember the next meal is just a few hours A away and you can jump right back in, some people focus on weekly calories instead of daily so if one day is bad you have six more to make up for it

It's a journey not a race. Don't do any fad diets. Moderate carbs, protein to reduce muscle loss, and find foods that keep you full longer. Experiment and take baby steps. You can do it!! Find you why! Write it down!! Maybe you have kids you want to be around for or have an event or just want to be able to walk a mile whatever is write it down and keep it mind. When you're struggling remember your why.

steveko89

Momepro wrote: »

Start by logging food and excercise everyday, including getting a kitchen scale to weigh amounts, and journaling how you feel before abd after eating, (physically as well as emotionally). Do this for at least a couple weeks. Considering the time of year, I'd personally do it through the New Year ti establish a baseline eating pattern. Once you know what you're eating, how much, when, why and how you feel afterwards , THEN you can start figuring out what changes will work for you.
For example:
Do you eat drive through alot? What do you usually get? Could you still be not hungry with one less taco, or by skipping the fries?
Do you eat chips while watching tv? Are you hungry, or just keeping hands and mouth busy? What about popcorn instead of Doritos? Or crochet and gum?
Where do you park your car? Is it possible to park a bit farther away, and force yourself to walk a few more steps?

These are all really good points, what @Momepro described is effectively how I started using MFP almost 6 years ago. At first it really opened my eyes to just how many calories I was eating of the portions and allegedly "healthy" choices I thought I was making (lookin' at you Subway). Try to look at this exercise objectively, assessing what and how much you're choosing to eat, why, and what small, sustainable changes can you make to improve you calorie intake and macro distribution.

GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

If you're so hungry all of the time, are you trying to lose weight too quickly?

I'm curious where you got your target for counting calories and how much of a deficit that target is from your current intake. I was curious so I made a guess that that the 1980 in your username is your birth year and used TDEECalculator.net to determine the TDEE for a sedentary 37 year old, 407lb, 5'10" (average height) male.

https://tdeecalculator.net/result.php?s=imperial&g=male&age=37&lbs=407&in=70&act=1.2&f=1

Results linked above, which came back at 3,333 cal/day. Assuming that's accurate, 2 lbs/week loss rate puts you at around 2300 calories. Even at that level you might still feel hungry at first given that it's less than what your body is accustomed to consuming.

kommodevaran

MFP promotes healthy weightloss, so the calorie number it spits out, should be appropriate, provided you entered your stats correctly. So what is your calorie target set to, and have you adjusted the number manually? If you're hungry on MFP's suggested calories, you have to eat more balanced. This means more real food and more variety, less junk food. If you get in all the nutrition you need, the sensations of hunger you feel, will be tolerable and not a sign of starvation. And even if you eat the most perfectly balanced diet, and even if you feel full all the time, you will experience cravings from time to time.

Low carb can be sustainable long term if you do it right; Atkins is a short term approach. Composing a diet to provide a calorie deficit is easy - the challenge is following it. Any diet/approach will work if you're 100% committed - all diets will fail if you're not 100% committed.

How do you feel about being 100% committed to feeding yourself regularly and reliably? To stick to the allowance MFP gave you, every day? To permanently stop routinely overeating? To find other outlets for emotions, and other ways to pass time?

DaintyWhisper

Stick to your MFP calorie recommendation. I found it to be very accurate for me. I feel like I see a lot of people wondering why they stopped losing weight without trying to accurately track their calories first. I don't know specifics about your medical concerns, so I can't advise on that. If you haven't been told one way or another, I would just track calories to start.

Make better food choices. This doesn't mean no "bad" food ever. You'll find that certain foods will satisfy you for longer. Most of the time, it's real food. Rice, beans, chicken, meat, veggies, etc. Those should make up most of your daily calories. While it's okay to enjoy donuts, cookies, and chips (everyday, if you'd like) those foods shouldn't account for half of your daily calories. Plan your meals and predetermine what you're going to eat that day and how much.

Get. A. Scale. And weigh everything you consume. Be the master of reading nutrition labels and calculating servings. Become obsessed. Scales are much more accurate than trying to figure out what 3/4 a cup of cereal is. Most nutrition labels have grams/ounces and those measurements never falter. 56 grams of cereal will always be 56 grams. But 3/4 cup of cereal (56g) could be over 75 grams and you'd be eating a third more than you thought. Be sure you find the MFP food entry that matches the nutrition label of the food you're eating.

Those are the things that have worked for me and are things I still do today. I wish you a ton of success!