Morbidly obese...need to change or life at risk, literally
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Same with weighing myself. Every day, no matter what happened. Patterns emerge.
Just keep good records and try to emotionally detach from the numbers. Pay more attention to your body and not to your self-defeating thoughts.0 -
thanks cmriverside. I am going to do that. i don't want to drive anyone crazy, but I have to make changes. going to track honestly. weight, measurements and intake/burned off. will help me see what is going on. not just tracking good days.0
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lanceavante wrote: »thanks cmriverside. I am going to do that. i don't want to drive anyone crazy, but I have to make changes. going to track honestly. weight, measurements and intake/burned off. will help me see what is going on. not just tracking good days.
What do you mean, you don't want to drive anyone crazy? You mean your family?
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i was thinking i didn't want to be annoying with all my numbers and daily updates here, but that is why I am here. for 1) to get support and 2) get myself accountability..
i have always fluctuated in bragging for my great day or week of effort-that became almost more important than the reason I was working to lose. but look where that has got me. wasted time and still 145 pound to lose; i have also been a dope and tracking or undertracking just so I could see where i could be in "5 weeks". i have never really been honest and perhaps here, in this chat I started, I can be that.
you inspired my to track everything, get a true sample. so I am doing that. hopefully, you or someone following will look and be, "lance. too much diet soda" or "good job, now DO IT AGAIN"". i know i have so far to go. each day will count.
i always rationalized, that a year long process deserved a day off. i cant wait to measure each week. i promise, i wont be deflated if things dont change daily, but knowing i have to report, will make me more cognizant than thinking "i have a week, so i'll eat crappy 2 days, then come back"
does that make sense?0 -
i am going to stinking track everything and share it; no apologies, bragging, complaining.
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You don't have to tell us, or even open your Diary to let us view it.
All of this is an inside job. If you think you want people to look at it and give feedback, that's fine too.
The thing with having good records is that you will know how much to eat. That's the biggest bonus.
You'll see us say on here, "He who eats the most and loses, wins," because that's the absolute truth. If you don't know exactly how much you need, it's easy to get into a binge/restrict cycle. "Oh, no. I ate too much. I will eat next to nothing for two days. Oh no, I'm starving, I need to eat all the pizza. And the wings and breadsticks, too."
The sustainable thing to do is find out how much you truly NEED to eat and then stay as close to that as possible. You can't know that without good records. The numbers you start with (as given in this thread or by this site) may need to be tweaked up or down depending on your particular activity. You need good records to know this. So it's more about a science experiment than a psychological game, ya know?1 -
I started dieting 27 months ago because I felt like hell. I had high blood pressure, high fasting glucose, and had headaches in the mornings and had a lot of gout problems. I was only 252 lbs (6'1"). I felt if I didn't change, I would for sure die early
I like to eat and have not ever tried doing a lot of small meals because that is very hard for me. I thought about trying to fast and researched it and found out there is a whole community out there that is doing that and has had success in losing weight and keeping it off.
In the last 27-months I've lost 54-lbs and probably more important, I've kept it off. I do a 20:4 IF schedule to lose and a 16:8 to maintain. Maintenance is easy. Losing is a little bit of work.
This works for me because I get to eat tell full each day (EXTREMELY important to me) and I also don't limit any food types. Once I start eating, I will be hungry for the rest of the day and it is then very hard for me to not eat to much if I start early. Fasting acts like an appetite suppressant for me and it is MUCH easier for me to skip meals than to eat small meals, and since I've save up my calories, I can eat tell full in the evenings.
It is all about calories and you can do it anywhere from grazing continuously to only eating one meal a day as long as you keep your calories in check but it has to be sustainable for you. If the grazing or many small meals has been hard for you to be consistent, you might try the fasting. It has done wonders for me. See Intermittent Fasting and OMAD forums.0 -
I agree with @blambo61 - BUT not everyone finds Intermittent Fasting or One Meal a Day to be their gig.
I also enjoy a couple larger meals inside a scheduled food "window" of hours (16:8). Some people have to eat every few hours due to blood sugar/insulin problems. To each their own. I can't stand a series of small meals, either - I eat half my calories between 8-11AM, and the other half before 4PM. Then the kitchen is closed.
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LilFoxtrot wrote: »Eating less will give you weight loss and exercise will give you fitness.
For people who are easily overwhelmed by changing their diets and the prospect of exercise most people would advise focusing on changing your eating habits first and getting into the habit of logging your food regularly. Then once you've been doing that for a while and it's second nature to you then you can add in exercise like walking or biking and build up as you like. You don't have to be a marathoner to lose weight, but exercise is still important health wise.
That's what my doctor recommended when I started: focus on the eating first.0 -
what is 20:4 or 16:8? see, so new!0
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Fasting hours : Eating window
So you fast for 20 (or 16 hours) and eat during the remaining four (or eight) hours.0 -
lanceavante wrote: »what is 20:4 or 16:8? see, so new!
20:4 is fasting 20-hrs and eating in a 4-hr window (start eating at dinner). 16:8 is fasting 16-hrs (including sleeping) and eating in an 8-hr window (start eating at lunch). There are a couple of people on the OMAD forums who went from high 300's down to 170-180s doing this and have kept it off. If your interested in this, you might want to read their experiences.0 -
To take it off and keep it off, you need to change your head. I've lost about 70 pounds and kept it off for several years, and have had to realize I need to weigh myself at least once a week, watch portions, and log my food probably for the rest of my life. That's a small price to pay for a longer and happier life in my opinion.
I'd be careful with the exercise given your history - and would clear exercise with your doctor before getting into anything vigorous.
For the thought reprogramming part, I highly recommend "The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like A Thin Person", by Dr. Judith Beck. It isn't a diet and will work with whatever approach someone takes to losing weight; it's a behavioral program based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The author's father was Aaron Beck, who invented CBT which is a respected and successful approach to changing behavior.
The central concept is, we sabotage our weight loss efforts through destructive thoughts; CBT is about recognizing these thoughts and responding to them.
Here's her website - it has useful daily tips, and free resources like checklists you can download:
http://diet.beckinstitute.org
http://diet.beckinstitute.org/category/daily-diet-tips/
http://diet.beckinstitute.org/resources/1 -
Lots of good ideas and methods given. All will work if you keep your calories in check. As you stated, sustainability is your's (and everyone else's) issue. Do what works for you, but do something!
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You’ve said several times you’re new and that’s great. You’re getting a lot of suggestions and help, there are some pretty knowledgeable folks on here but the best thing to do is educate yourself on this process. Stay away from stupid fad diets and learn the basics. No one starts out with everything figured out. Begin making changes one at a time and baby step your way into it. Within a few months, you will be in full swing and have a method figured out that fits your lifestyle and preferences.0
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Just one day. All you have to do is plan one day. 24 hours is ambitious enough when we're getting started.1
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Fourteen months ago, I was BMI 45 (Obesity Class 3) and finally got a wake-up call in the the form of "Chronic Venous Insufficiency". Basically, the veins in my legs collapsed under the strain of carrying too much me. My weight also put undue pressure on my lymphatic system, so when I got some sort of cut or bug-bite on my calf, I developed cellulitus and lymph edema. For almost three months, I had a weeping wound on my leg that took multiple courses of antibiotics to treat. And that leg is now very prone to infection and slow to heal. Which leaves me worried about building up a tolerance to antibiotics and has made me much more cautious about taking them 'to be on the safe side' for other conditions. (Example: I had some symptoms of a UTI, but they were in the process of running tests to be sure. Doc offered to prescribe an antibiotic, just in case. I told her, "If you think it's a UTI, by all means. But if it's only a precaution, I'm trying to avoid unnecessary antibiotics because I'm worried about building up an immunity." She agreed with me. And it turned out to not be an infection.)
Doc told me that there was no way to reverse the circulation issues, but that they could be controlled with compression stockings and weight loss. I found MFP because I couldn't afford Weight Watchers and the only other way I knew to lose weight was with those thick calorie-counter pocketbooks that I'd used back in the 80s and 90s. But it was 2016 and I had a feeling there was probably something online. MFP was on the first page of hits when I Googled "online calorie counter".
Today, I'm overweight (BMI 28), haven't had a flare-up in almost a year, and I'm in much better shape than I used to be. I guess, for me, getting an obesity-related complication was the kick in the kitten I needed.5 -
estherdragonbat wrote: »Fourteen months ago, I was BMI 45 (Obesity Class 3) and finally got a wake-up call in the the form of "Chronic Venous Insufficiency". Basically, the veins in my legs collapsed under the strain of carrying too much me. My weight also put undue pressure on my lymphatic system, so when I got some sort of cut or bug-bite on my calf, I developed cellulitus and lymph edema. For almost three months, I had a weeping wound on my leg that took multiple courses of antibiotics to treat. And that leg is now very prone to infection and slow to heal. Which leaves me worried about building up a tolerance to antibiotics and has made me much more cautious about taking them 'to be on the safe side' for other conditions. (Example: I had some symptoms of a UTI, but they were in the process of running tests to be sure. Doc offered to prescribe an antibiotic, just in case. I told her, "If you think it's a UTI, by all means. But if it's only a precaution, I'm trying to avoid unnecessary antibiotics because I'm worried about building up an immunity." She agreed with me. And it turned out to not be an infection.)
Doc told me that there was no way to reverse the circulation issues, but that they could be controlled with compression stockings and weight loss. I found MFP because I couldn't afford Weight Watchers and the only other way I knew to lose weight was with those thick calorie-counter pocketbooks that I'd used back in the 80s and 90s. But it was 2016 and I had a feeling there was probably something online. MFP was on the first page of hits when I Googled "online calorie counter".
Today, I'm overweight (BMI 28), haven't had a flare-up in almost a year, and I'm in much better shape than I used to be. I guess, for me, getting an obesity-related complication was the kick in the kitten I needed.
Congrats on your great progress!0 -
@lanceavante - Calories are the #1 most important thing when it comes to weight loss.
Don't make "perfect" the enemy of "good" - set your calorie goal to a reasonable/sustainable deficit, log honestly, consistently and accurately, and dial in your macros and food choices as you go. Eat a reasonably balanced diet as best you can (within your calorie goal) and keep an eye on your macro percentages in your daily food diary. You can tweak it as you go, but don't get obsessive about hitting macro goals to the gram - unless you're a pre-contest bodybuilder walking a razor-thin line to eke out every last bit of muscle and leanness, it's majoring in the minors.
Here's probably the best thread on all of MFP for those starting out (read the first post over and over again): http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
If you want to play with setting up your macro percentages, the first post in this thread is golden: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets/p1
Too many people make this process entirely too difficult and complicated, and it's all completely unnecessary. Eat a reasonable number of calories comprised of foods you enjoy (or at least can live with over the long term), get some exercise (not essential for weight loss but it's good for you for a lot of reasons) and stick to it. Consistency and patience are the two most important factors for long-term success.3 -
I understand. I have struggled with weight loss through my adult life. I've lost 80 pounds at one time. I'm back up 30. I've lost and gained around 30 pounds more times than I can count. Fear of putting all 80 back one usually gets me going again. I'm only 5'3", so 80 pounds is really a lot on my frame. It's very hard. Genetics don't help. I truly believe we are predisposed to a certain body type. I am a volume eater. If it is something I like, I can eat very large volumes of it. Potato chips. Pasta. Bread. Cake. These things are hard for me to stop having just one more piece, one more serving, one more bowl. I eat when I feel anxiety. I eat when I'm sad. I eat when I am just craving. It's a lifetime battle. People who are naturally thin don't understand it. It's very, very hard.2
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AmySueDwyer wrote: »I understand. I have struggled with weight loss through my adult life. I've lost 80 pounds at one time. I'm back up 30. I've lost and gained around 30 pounds more times than I can count. Fear of putting all 80 back one usually gets me going again. I'm only 5'3", so 80 pounds is really a lot on my frame. It's very hard. Genetics don't help. I truly believe we are predisposed to a certain body type. I am a volume eater. If it is something I like, I can eat very large volumes of it. Potato chips. Pasta. Bread. Cake. These things are hard for me to stop having just one more piece, one more serving, one more bowl. I eat when I feel anxiety. I eat when I'm sad. I eat when I am just craving. It's a lifetime battle. People who are naturally thin don't understand it. It's very, very hard.
IF has worked great for volume eaters. I do that and eat tell full every day which makes the diet sustainable for me. I've been at it for 27-months and am just a couple of lbs off all -time low since starting (sw 252, cw 198). Whatever works and isn't harmful! I have gained 10-lbs a couple of times but when I hit an upper limit, I just shorten my IF schedule from 16:8 (maintenance) to 20:4 (for losing) and I lose eating ad libitum and without counting. It is not a bad way to go IMO! I also found if I do 16:8 with just a low carb salad, my woe will not result in much increase in weight and I can maintain for a long time eating ad libitum which is sustainable for me! I now operate in a 5-lb window and if it does creep back up, i go to 20:4 tell I get where I want then I go back to the 16:8 schedule still eating ad libitum in the evenings.0 -
I was one of those struggling people, losing and gaining for decades. I believed I was destined to be fat. I'm also the same height as you. I believed something was wrong with me, because I could eat so much. I also believed something was wrong with food.AmySueDwyer wrote: »I understand. I have struggled with weight loss through my adult life. I've lost 80 pounds at one time. I'm back up 30. I've lost and gained around 30 pounds more times than I can count. Fear of putting all 80 back one usually gets me going again. I'm only 5'3", so 80 pounds is really a lot on my frame. It's very hard. Genetics don't help. I truly believe we are predisposed to a certain body type. I am a volume eater. If it is something I like, I can eat very large volumes of it. Potato chips. Pasta. Bread. Cake. These things are hard for me to stop having just one more piece, one more serving, one more bowl. I eat when I feel anxiety. I eat when I'm sad. I eat when I am just craving. It's a lifetime battle. People who are naturally thin don't understand it. It's very, very hard.
Then I got real information and learnt that I could use common sense on this area too, and that things are like they're supposed to be. MFP is a valuable source for balanced and neutral information, people in here thoroughly and patiently explain how it works. Weight is regulated by calories in and out, nothing else. Most people like to eat, and we are equipped with excess appetite to be able to store energy to use when food access is scarce. Food is good, and modern man made food is everywhere, all the time, and made to be irresistible. The way we look at food, makes not eating too much, really difficult. Most people need to set boundaries, in order to not eat too much.
Now I've maintained a healthy weight for three years. I eat anything I want, but I don't routinely overeat anymore. I stick mostly to meals, meals that I have planned to my liking and portioned to my needs. I give in to some cravings outside meals, but I mostly tell myself no, and that's okay, because I know I can have it if I really want it, I just have to wait. It's challenging, but not hard.
You would see me eat chocolate cake and wonder why I'm not fat.2 -
lanceavante wrote: »i'll try guys. 2100 is a good goal? and you said 30% fats (olive oil, butter, peanut butter). i have a ton to learn. are eggs fats, or protein, and is the old idea of no more than 4 a week right?
Reading a lot of your comments i think you are overthinking things too much, start by just concentrating in staying within allocated calories for the day when you are in the swing of it properly you can start worrying about how much fat etc you should have. This can be looked at the end of your day and give insight into where you are going over recommended amount also as you get close or go over things like salt levels mfp will tell you when you record that food. One step at a time or you will become overwhelmed.1 -
I was up to an estimated 400 pounds at one time. Buried the needle on a scale that went to 390. Did all the diets, which led me to that weight. I dropped 70 pounds to get to 330. Took 2.5 years. I am 6'1". Cut back calories. Still, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol. Meds! My daughter told me about MyFitnesspal. I started in July of 2016. I do go over my calorie count frequently but not drastically and I don't beat myself up about it. It's a lifestyle change, not a diet per se. I am now 270. Down 60 pounds. And I bought a cheap fitness tracker and try to do 10,000 steps every day. I usually walk about 3 miles at 3 mph. I eat whatever I want, but in moderation. My goal is to get to 230 pounds. Some will say that a year and a half to lose 60 pounds is not great, but that is the way I have to do it. Maybe it can work for you.0
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I wouldn't worry about exercise too much. Walking now and then would be great (if you can eventually progress to 10k steps or something, that'd be super) but it's not necessary for weight loss. I started at a similar weight (330 peak, I believe) and down to 210ish now.
I wouldn't worry so much about macros other than ensuring you are getting adequate protein. You need dietary fat in the 20-30% range, but that generally takes care of itself for most people. You don't need to get everything right, just get calories right and adjust the rest as you go.1 -
Remember that you don't have to change your whole life around in a day... Make small changes over time and look at each change as simply adding to your momentum
Best wishes2 -
I realize...I have been poisoning myself.
I tracked my food for 2 days. I didn't change anything, just ate like normal. I thought I would be near 3000 calories .
Here is what i found as averages over 2 days (i'll put the MFP goals in front it):
calories a day (should be 2200/day): 2 days (4800+3150)=7950/2 =3975/day
carbs (should be 220 ish--40%): 2 days (449+352)=901/2 =451/day
protein (should be 165 ish--30%) 2 days (153+106)=259/2 =130/day
fat (should be 73ish--30%) 2 days (281+148)=430/2 =215/day
fiber (should be 40ish) 2 days (25+20)=45/2 =23/day
sodium (should be 2300) 2 days (10,200+5729)=15,929 =7965/day
water (should be 100 oz) 2 days (8 oz+8 oz)=16/2 =8/day
diet soda 2 days (164 oz+136 oz)=300/2 =150/day
well, i guess it took an honest look at this. I am humiliated and enlightened. some simple changes look to be potentially life altering.
I HAD NO IDEA.....i weigh 350 lbs; and ALL of it in in my belly. It is ugly and draws attention and i have kids who never say a word, but I know are aware...and I have a wife who deserves a physically fit husband--not the biggest guy in the room.
I have been so blessed with pretty good health; great attitude and don't smoke or drink. ALL OF THAT COULD CHANGE OVERNIGHT. i HAVE TO START MY CHANGES TOMORROW.
I have talked about this before, but never looked at it this way. I am not going to worry about macros, just calories for now; except for fat.
I have always talked with such bravado about my efforts to change, but never looked at the true starting point. Well, day 1 tomorrow.
Monday is the new year, but looks like i don't have a free day to waste. I am stunned at this.3 -
Some of what you have listed are minimum goals, not maximums. (Protein, for one. And water really means liquids; it doesn't have to mean only water.) Diet soda won't hurt you and can be included in the water total, as can coffee and tea—unless caffeine is something else you're trying to reduce.
Are you on a sodium restriction for medical reasons? Because going over that is probably okay if you aren't.
As for the rest, baby steps. Focus on one or two things at a time and as those get easier, add more. Rome wasn't built in a day. You didn't reach your current weight in a week. These things take time.1 -
lanceavante wrote: »I realize...I have been poisoning myself.
I tracked my food for 2 days. I didn't change anything, just ate like normal. I thought I would be near 3000 calories .
Here is what i found as averages over 2 days (i'll put the MFP goals in front it):
calories a day (should be 2200/day): 2 days (4800+3150)=7950/2 =3975/day
carbs (should be 220 ish--40%): 2 days (449+352)=901/2 =451/day
protein (should be 165 ish--30%) 2 days (153+106)=259/2 =130/day
fat (should be 73ish--30%) 2 days (281+148)=430/2 =215/day
fiber (should be 40ish) 2 days (25+20)=45/2 =23/day
sodium (should be 2300) 2 days (10,200+5729)=15,929 =7965/day
water (should be 100 oz) 2 days (8 oz+8 oz)=16/2 =8/day
diet soda 2 days (164 oz+136 oz)=300/2 =150/day
well, i guess it took an honest look at this. I am humiliated and enlightened. some simple changes look to be potentially life altering.
I HAD NO IDEA.....i weigh 350 lbs; and ALL of it in in my belly. It is ugly and draws attention and i have kids who never say a word, but I know are aware...and I have a wife who deserves a physically fit husband--not the biggest guy in the room.
I have been so blessed with pretty good health; great attitude and don't smoke or drink. ALL OF THAT COULD CHANGE OVERNIGHT. i HAVE TO START MY CHANGES TOMORROW.
I have talked about this before, but never looked at it this way. I am not going to worry about macros, just calories for now; except for fat.
I have always talked with such bravado about my efforts to change, but never looked at the true starting point. Well, day 1 tomorrow.
Monday is the new year, but looks like i don't have a free day to waste. I am stunned at this.
It is so awesome that you did this! A lot of newbies come here and don’t know what they were doing wrong to get where they got. The fact that you are looking at it this way is so inspiring and awesome. Knowledge is power! Now you know what to do and how little things can add up.
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thanks so much. i have a long way to go0
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