New to dieting, new here, need help please.

chicknsun

I started by going to the local 'fat dr'. I have lost about 20 lbs in 2 months. I have about 40-60 lbs to go til I am close to ideal body size, I think. I have been taking adipex. I don't recommend it unless you have no other options. I'm jittery all the time. I have had some issues with the meds but I am so hungry if I don't take it. Very aggravating.

Anyway I have hypothyroid and SVT. I recently he an unknown allergic reaction to something probable environmental that caused my face to swell. Dr put me on prednisone which of course made my heart 'act up'. I haven't been to the gym while on the prednisone. Tomorrow is my last dose and Monday I will be going to the gym again.

My daily goals are 63g protein minimum and max of 120g carbs daily. I generally make about 40g of protein and 40-70g of carbs with max of 1000 calories a day. On days I go to the gym I do try to eat more calories but with not being able to workout I didn't want to gain any weight back. I have been having issues because I am not eating enough. I stay hungry even on the adipex. I have been borderline dehydrated the past few weeks even though I'm drinking around the 64oz of water I am required.

I need advice. I have always been a picky eater but my food choice has always been carbs. Potatoes, fries, chips, bread, pasta, rice... this has always been my main source of food. Now I'm doing reduced carbs. My normal food is no longer allowed. I am restricted on fruits because of the carbs in them (which I am just starting to attempt to eat for the first time in my life). So I am basically eating nuts, meat(hamburger, steak, and chicken - Like I said, picky eater), broccoli, and low carb meal replacement shakes and bars. I need to figure out how to eat healthier and stop with all the artificial sweeteners in the health foods. Where do I go at this point? The 'fat Dr' is just making money off of me. I foolishly allowed him to implant estrogen (25mg) and testosterone (175 mg) pellets in my body so I am stuck with those for the next 3 months. I think I have had every side effect that goes with them. I AM currently searching for a new doctor.

Anyone out there gone thru this? How do you get healthy without the use of the drugs and hormones without staying hungry all the time??? What am I supposed to be eating? What can i eat that will satisfy the hunger without packing calories or carbs on? I have read about keto diet but haven't tried yet. I have started reading the calorie in vs out diets and I think this is closest to what I'm doing.

Seriously looking for help and solid advice. Thanks for reading.

kimny72

You're hungry because you are losing weight aggressively fast and not eating enough food.

Have you ever tried to just use MFP - log your food accurately and consistently, hit your calorie goal, and be patient? Calories are what determines whether you lose weight or not. What you eat, your macro totals, water consumption, that's all personal preference based on what makes it easiest for you to hit your calorie goal.

With 40-60 lbs to lose, you should be expecting to lose 1-1.5lbs per week. Put your correct info into MFP, and it will give you a calorie goal. Get a food scale, use it for all solids as often as possible, and hit your calorie goal. That's really it.

Is your thyroid condition well-managed? If your thyroid #s are off, it can make it harder to lose weight. You may need to follow some dietary restrictions for your medical conditions - I'm not a doctor so I can't comment on that.

Pinned to the top of each board, there is a thread called "Most Helpful Posts". There is a ton of good info in those threads.

I'm so sorry you've been struggling. Take a deep breath, you can do this. It's not easy, but it's much simpler than we've all been led to believe. Good luck!

nutmegoreo

I have a jumbled mess of thoughts here, and I'm posting from my phone because my computer is being a jerk, so expect typos and a bit of a mess.

1) I am really surprised that a doc would prescribe you adipex with a heart condition. It is similar in effect as taking speed, which could make the SVT worse. Please do continue on your search for a new doctor.

2) Is there a reason you chose low carb? It's not necessary for weight loss. If you enjoy eating this way, that's different. Since you are having difficulties getting over 1000 calories, carbs would be an easy add in to get those numbers up and to make sure are getting enough in to keep you healthy (as much as possible).

3) As for hunger, different people find different things filling. Some people find fat filling, they do great on keto. Others (this is me) find protein and fats filling and then add lower calories veggies for bulk (increased fibre, increased bulk). So you may need to play with that a little more.

4) Your protein intake is likely too low to ensure your muscles and organs are protected. This is especially important when you are working on losing weight.

5) You didn't mention your fat target, but you need enough fat for proper hormone functioning as well as other body functions.

6) With the dehydration: how much sodium are you taking in? This will impact the water balance. You mentioned in your other post about passing out. Has the doctor completely electrolyte testing? Too much water without replacing electrolytes can lead to imbalances. How is your blood pressure?

7) I don't worry about the artificial sweeteners. I have yet to see any compelling studies that demonstrate human harm.

As for not feeling hungry, you likely will from time to time, but it shouldn't be constant (of course at 1000 calories, I'm not surprised you're hungry).

Does that help?

nutmegoreo

I highly recommend this thread for information. Inside it, there is also a link on setting up your macros (proteins, fats, and carbs).

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

kommodevaran

It's good of you to realise your doctor is a quack. Now on to more things to realise:

Fries and chips are mostly fat. Carbs don't make you fat. Fat doesn't make you fat. Too many calories make you fat.

Eating too little makes you hungry. You're not supposed to starve yourself to lose weight. You lose weight when you eat a little less than you burn, for a long time.

You are the one who ultimately decides what and how much to eat. If you allow someone to "allow" you to eat, you're giving up control that you need to have, and you will lose control when you can't stand feeling tied up anymore.

I suggest you stop the Adipex, the "health foods", the meal replacement shakes, the low carb, and eat food you like, but less. Exercise if you want to.

isabel_gets_healthy_25

The only way to lose weight is to reduce your calorie intake. The best way of doing this is by creating a small calorie deficit - this way you won't feel so hungry - no surprises you are hungry if only eating 1,000 calories a day, you're literally starving.

A lot of people don't like to hear/read this because it won't give you quick results, but the most important thing is that it's the only "diet" that will give you lasting results! My advice would be to use a TDEE calculator to work out your maintenance calories - from here you can subtract a few hundred calories to create your deficit which will mean you'll lose weight.

chicknsun

Thank you for all the information. I am trying to do this the proper way so it actually lasts. Not sure what Mfp means. I did buy a food scale and actually measure everything and enter it into the fitness app before I actually eat. I have even kept up with condiment packages on the app. I am seriously considering taking the food scale into resturaunts with me since I want to know how much everything I eat weighs so I can figure the calories more accurately. Not sure if a 3 oz chicken breast vs a 4 oz chicken breast will have a dramatic effect on my calories but I want to be accurate.

Thyroid is managed properly and meds checked every 6 months.

I was surprised by the dr putting me on the adipex. I stay spacey and jittery from this constantly. I am going to decrease the dosage until I can get off of them. I have had chest pain and pressure for the last couple of weeks and i honestly blame that on the adipex prednisone combo...to the point of going to the emergency room 2 times in the past month. The last time was from physical shaking spells and then passing out. Maybe not eating enough was a contributing factor but I seriously think my body does not like all the extra meds. That's easily fixed.

There are times that I get cravings. I miss the fast food and the fries and ice cream m n with all the candies and such mixed in. So I have allowed myself to eat a baked potato or even a small vanilla cone from fast food place. It actually satisfied me and I didn't go over on my food log. The portion control is also a new thing to me. Previously if I made ho nn emade speghetti we piled it up on the plate with the garlic bread and basically ate whatever we wanted no idea how bbad this was. I made my first speghetti since the new lifestyle change. I used 100% whole grain wheat noodles (carbs per serving were 38 with 7g of fiber or something close to that per 2 oz serving size). So i cooked the box of noodles and get my scale out. 2 oz of cooked noodles isnt very much food. (Now I know precooked weight not post cooked..lesson learned) when I saw the difference in an actual portion compared to what we would eat at a regular meal it was really eye opening. Now I can start eating better foods in the right portion size but I still have an issue with not wanting to go over 1000 calories because I am losing weight even if I miss going to the gym. The problem is I stay hungry. I crave the bad food. My fitness log says I need 1200 minimum calories a day. If I am at 600-700 calories a day i mentally think i had a great day..but i know this is probably very wrong. I was reading someone's post on here that said they were losing weight as 1900 calories a day.. is that really possible? I know before all of this my calories were probably 3000-5000 a day and most of that was from straight carbs with very little physical activity. I have never tried to lose weight and I am concerned that if I don't see the results quickly in will give up. Maybe that's why I eats such a low amount of calories..idk.

I am going to look at the links I see posted for me. Please understand I am taking your advice seriously and appreciate the help.

kommodevaran

chicknsun wrote: »

Thank you for all the information. I am trying to do this the proper way so it actually lasts. Not sure what Mfp means. I did buy a food scale and actually measure everything and enter it into the fitness app before I actually eat. I have even kept up with condiment packages on the app. I am seriously considering taking the food scale into resturaunts with me since I want to know how much everything I eat weighs so I can figure the calories more accurately. Not sure if a 3 oz chicken breast vs a 4 oz chicken breast will have a dramatic effect on my calories but I want to be accurate.

Thyroid is managed properly and meds checked every 6 months.

I was surprised by the dr putting me on the adipex. I stay spacey and jittery from this constantly. I am going to decrease the dosage until I can get off of them. I have had chest pain and pressure for the last couple of weeks and i honestly blame that on the adipex prednisone combo...to the point of going to the emergency room 2 times in the past month. The last time was from physical shaking spells and then passing out. Maybe not eating enough was a contributing factor but I seriously think my body does not like all the extra meds. That's easily fixed.

There are times that I get cravings. I miss the fast food and the fries and ice cream m n with all the candies and such mixed in. So I have allowed myself to eat a baked potato or even a small vanilla cone from fast food place. It actually satisfied me and I didn't go over on my food log. The portion control is also a new thing to me. Previously if I made ho nn emade speghetti we piled it up on the plate with the garlic bread and basically ate whatever we wanted no idea how bbad this was. I made my first speghetti since the new lifestyle change. I used 100% whole grain wheat noodles (carbs per serving were 38 with 7g of fiber or something close to that per 2 oz serving size). So i cooked the box of noodles and get my scale out. 2 oz of cooked noodles isnt very much food. (Now I know precooked weight not post cooked..lesson learned) when I saw the difference in an actual portion compared to what we would eat at a regular meal it was really eye opening. Now I can start eating better foods in the right portion size but I still have an issue with not wanting to go over 1000 calories because I am losing weight even if I miss going to the gym. The problem is I stay hungry. I crave the bad food. My fitness log says I need 1200 minimum calories a day. If I am at 600-700 calories a day i mentally think i had a great day..but i know this is probably very wrong. I was reading someone's post on here that said they were losing weight as 1900 calories a day.. is that really possible? I know before all of this my calories were probably 3000-5000 a day and most of that was from straight carbs with very little physical activity. I have never tried to lose weight and I am concerned that if I don't see the results quickly in will give up. Maybe that's why I eats such a low amount of calories..idk.

I am going to look at the links I see posted for me. Please understand I am taking your advice seriously and appreciate the help.

I get the impression you are indeed taking it seriously. That is very good. You will have to spend some effort, and channel your effort differently. You need a major shift in attitude and behavior, but not end up with extreme attitudes and behavior. You have been going from one extreme to another, and finding the balance is difficult, but necessary, and having found balance, is wonderful.

MFP is "myfitnesspal", the site you're on.

You don't have to take the scale with you to the restaurant. Using a food scale at home and eating most of your meals at home, should 1) outweigh any "damage" you can do eating out, and 2) teach you appropriate portion sizes. The challenge isn't really to understand what appropriate amounts of food is, but accepting it and not eat more anyway.

There are no bad (or good) foods. You get intolerable cravings for "bad" foods just because you call them bad. Food is just food. Food has different nutritional properties and your body requires a range of nutrients every day, and enough, but not too many, calories over time. I understand your ambivalence - you want to eat more, and you want to lose weight faster. You need discipline to eat less, but also to eat enough. Eating enough will give you strength to eat less and be patient with slow weightloss. Healthy weightloss is slow. Most men, and obese women, and active people, can lose weight on 1900 calories. If you're shorter, and just overweight, and not very active, you will have to eat less than that to lose weight. MFP gives you a your own, personal calorie target, based on your height, weight, sex and activity level.

nutmegoreo

I can understand wanting the rapid loss, but it comes with a price to your health. Given that you already have health issues, I'm concerned that you are going to make it worse. Here's another great thread to read:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10569458/why-eating-too-little-calories-is-a-bad-idea/p1

I'm 5'2" and middle aged. I can lose on 1700. It's slower, but every pound off is one less to carry around, and it's certainly better than gaining. I know it sucks to think of how long it might take, but doing it right and being healthy, you'll be in a much better place in 4 months. Plus you will be learning new habits along that way that will help you maintain. Which, unfortunately is the hard part.

chicknsun

Thanks for the link. Interesting read. I'm still learning. My Mfp says 1200 calories a day to lose 1-2 lb a week. Without exercise I am losing 1-5 lbs a week or so. Today I hit exactly 20lbs gone since June 22. So Aug 22 will be 2 months. I have so much weight to lose. I will increase up to 1500 calories on days I workout. The cravings are bad at times and other times I'm perfectly content. I just can't justify piling calories on if my only activity will be sitting on the couch or doing laundry. (Still waiting for the effects of the prednisone to wear off so my heart does it explode). I can maybe make it to the gym Saturday depending on my energy level by then. I need to workout or I am just wasting all this time and effort anyway. Calories will increase when energy consumption is needed. Just getting all the extra meds out of my system is taking forever. Only took half of adipex today. Hopefully i can go ahead a stop taking that as well. I have been feeling bad since Drs put me on all this junk.

Thanks. It's a major life style change and learning curve. I will get there. All of this is so new. I know I've got lots to learn..I have the rest of my life to figure it all out.. lol. It's not a temporary thing. I am going to get healthy. That is the big goal..weight when it really comes down to it is just a number.

nutmegoreo

There is a lot to learn in this process and it takes time as well as patience. Patience has never been my strong suit, so I seem to keep needing lessons in it. Weight loss is a thorough teacher on patience.

Some days you just aren't hungry. Many people look at the week as a whole. So for example, if your daily target is 1200, that is 8400, and if one day is lower, then the next day is higher and that's okay. It all evens out. But if you are working out, you should add some more too it. So, lets say you are working out 3 times per week, 1500 on those days, and 1200 on the others, your weekly target is 9300. Spread that out through your week as you would like. Of course, that 1500 is going to be depending on your workout intensity. Swimming will burn more calories than weights. Alternatively, aim for a range: between 8400 and 9300.

Another question would be whether or not 1200 is appropriate for you. Depending on height and weight, it might be too little.

Something else that you may not yet be thinking about, but can have a big impact on the emotional aspect of losing weight is the frustrating fact of scale fluctuations. So many things can influence it. Here's another thread to read:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10683010/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-fluctuations/p1

kommodevaran

chicknsun wrote: »

Thanks for the link. Interesting read. I'm still learning. My Mfp says 1200 calories a day to lose 1-2 lb a week. Without exercise I am losing 1-5 lbs a week or so. Today I hit exactly 20lbs gone since June 22. So Aug 22 will be 2 months. I have so much weight to lose. I will increase up to 1500 calories on days I workout. The cravings are bad at times and other times I'm perfectly content. I just can't justify piling calories on if my only activity will be sitting on the couch or doing laundry. (Still waiting for the effects of the prednisone to wear off so my heart does it explode). I can maybe make it to the gym Saturday depending on my energy level by then. I need to workout or I am just wasting all this time and effort anyway. Calories will increase when energy consumption is needed. Just getting all the extra meds out of my system is taking forever. Only took half of adipex today. Hopefully i can go ahead a stop taking that as well. I have been feeling bad since Drs put me on all this junk.

Thanks. It's a major life style change and learning curve. I will get there. All of this is so new. I know I've got lots to learn..I have the rest of my life to figure it all out.. lol. It's not a temporary thing. I am going to get healthy. That is the big goal..weight when it really comes down to it is just a number.

You get different calorie targets based on the rate of loss you pick. You're also expected to eat back exercise calories. You've had a weekly loss of 2.85 pounds, thus, a daily deficit of around 1295. That's a lot. No wonder you've been hungry. Don't go from denying yourself food to forcing yourself to exercise. You invest time and effort in learning to take good care of yourself. Exercise can be a part of that, but not exercise from fear or as punishment, or if you're tired and really could use a lie-in instead.

chicknsun

Update.. I have gotten better at calculating my calories daily. I have reduced my carbs to less than 50g per day. This is a really big deal since before I started all I was eating was carbs (not literally of course). I have hit my protein requirements for 2 days in a row now and been under 50g carbs. My energy level has increased and I have completely stopped the adipex. Those things were making me miserable. I also increased my water intake and have reduced artificially sweeteners. I stopped adding the sugar free drink mixes to my water. My calories a are getting closer to the 1200 instead of refusing to eat after 800 calories. Learning a lot from you guys. Thanks for helping me on my journey.