HELP ME! I AM DESPERATE! 😳😭

summerrnicoleex
summerrnicoleex Posts: 1 Member
edited December 25 in Getting Started
I'm desperate and don't know where to begin.. Please somebody help me. I am 5'11 and I weigh 540 NEED to loose weight it's causing more pain on my back and legs. I do have a severe back injury so excersize is very limited to none because I'm in pain all the time. What's some things I can do to loose weight? What kinda food can I eat? What can I drink?

Replies

  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    I second harper. Just get your daily calorie goal and a digital food scale. Start weighing and measuring everything you eat and drink. You do not need to exercise to lose weight--you just need a calorie deficit. Exercise can lift your mood and general wellbeing. For things that you can do you'll need to ask your doctor. Also, I'd advise you to take your measurements and keep a weekly journal. This will show you a different type of progress as you go along. When weight loss stalls (and it will eventually) you can pull out your tape measure and see how far you've come. Also read the success threads on MFP. Those can lift you up when you're down. They are all just normal people, if they can do it, you can too.
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,301 Member
    You've some good advice here. I agree with everything. Please try to take things one day at a time. Even if once the suggested 3 days of normal intake are established you find you do not immediately come within at your "MFP suggested calorific level" every day but you are below the average of your previously "normal intake" this will be beneficial as a progression.

    Try not to look at your ultimate goal all the time. See your achievements on daily, weekly, monthly levels, as you find clothes fit less shugly for example not only as scales show losses. You can do this, there will be progress to a more healthy you. You will not be where you are today in 6 weeks, 12 weeks from now.

    Some research into the elderly saw postural and calorific benefits if the person, sat up rather than slumped, stood up at regular intervals, then moving as upright as possible, as in going to the bathroom. Simple changes like this do use more calories and will start to get the muscles used to working better. You will progress.

    Another thing, please don't over do things all at once trying to be physical even when you can. Since we have had our restrictions, UK, I've been out in our garden daily, not taking rest days so many jobs to do. I thought I'd been active enough to take it! My downfall came the night before last when I had a series of extreem cramps in my upper legs. I ignored more minor events. More fluids immedidately, keeping/getting warm and then rest gave me a very good night last night. The last thing we need is not taking rest days when you are able to do more than you can now.

    All the best and take great care of yourself.
  • geert1904
    geert1904 Posts: 1 Member
    Awareness of what you eat is going to help you a lot. So measuring everything and checking how many calories it generates will show you what stuff to minimize and what you can eat in big amounts. A well dressed pizza for instance can get easy up to more than 1500 calories. That is almost the amount for a full day of what you can have.
    So my advice, measure measure and pinpoint the big calorie bom's and try to avoid them.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,142 Member
    geert1904 wrote: »
    Awareness of what you eat is going to help you a lot. So measuring everything and checking how many calories it generates will show you what stuff to minimize and what you can eat in big amounts. A well dressed pizza for instance can get easy up to more than 1500 calories. That is almost the amount for a full day of what you can have.
    So my advice, measure measure and pinpoint the big calorie bom's and try to avoid them.

    Most of your advice is sound except assuming that 1500 calories is a almost a full day for OP, that would likely be around half of OP's calorie goal at her current stats.

  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    edited May 2020
    summerrnicoleex wrote: »
    I'm desperate and don't know where to begin.. Please somebody help me. I am 5'11 and I weigh 540 NEED to loose weight it's causing more pain on my back and legs. I do have a severe back injury so excersize is very limited to none because I'm in pain all the time. What's some things I can do to loose weight? What kinda food can I eat? What can I drink?

    I'll echo everyone else. Just start by tracking what you currently eat. Try to track it before you eat it. Sometimes, just seeing the calorie count entered into your diary is enough to change your mind about eating it.

    This thread is great for beginners, if you want to give it a read...

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
  • dejavuohlala
    dejavuohlala Posts: 1,761 Member
    I agree with majority of what is said above. You can do this but you
    Need to take one day at a time, friends some of us do tbh at you have support each day, have an open diary so that we can guide you on
    Choices day by day. You
    Must enter all
    Your food and drinks into the diary so that you can see what is good and what is not so good.
    Put all your data into MFP so that you get a good idea of the calories allowance for the day and that will
    Be your guide. I’m looking and wishing you success. Take care
  • nixonshaun
    nixonshaun Posts: 17 Member
    edited May 2020
    I started my weight loss and health journey by working with a nutritionist and found it to be helpful and not as intimidating as i thought it would be. I met with Lisa Prince (a nutritionist), of course i live in the area and could drop in and meet with her, though she does do remote services via phone, Zoom, Skype etc. Lisa has a great approach, in that we first setup MyFitnessPal as Breakfast, AM Snack, Lunch, PM Snack, Dinner and Evening Snack. Then Lisa had me enter everything i ate in those categories for two weeks. We weighed at the first session and took measurements. We looked at making small changes to my diet. Things that would be sustainable over time, a new healthier diet that i could live with, rather than a weight loss plan that could result in the weight coming back. Lisa mentioned she had clients who had tried weight loss plans like Keto, and some of them found it to be something they could not do ongoing and ended up gaining the weight back.
    Over time we developed a safe, healthy diet that works for me and doesn't interfere with my blood thinners. Through all of this, Lisa recommended 150 minutes of exercise for me, the type that would get my heart rate up and put me in a fat burning mode. Not just constant pace cardio.
    This is probably the first time in years, i am excited to have my annual physical, as i want to see the lab results and see if all my numbers are in the normal range.
    I have worked with Lisa for a year now and still check in with her once per month. I am on a maintenance plan right now and am keeping my weight fairly constant, with small fluctuations up and down. I do want to lose another 15-20 and am in conversations with her about proceeding.
    I have found most people on this forum, knowledgeable, kind and willing to help and very supportive.
    There is also a lot of differences in opinion on MFP. My doctor recommended Lisa and I am thankful for it. I would highly recommend, speaking with your doctor, seeing if there is a nutritionist in your area he would feel comfortable referring you to and go from there.

    [Edited by MFP Staff]
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,311 Member
    edited May 2020
    There is no need to change everything at once! From where you are today, to where you CAN get to be, in a few years from today, there will be many steps, stages, and goals along the way!

    You didn't get here in a day! I think we would all be pulling an "the emperor has no clothes" if we pretend that managing your weight is not going to be a significant part of your future self care.

    But you know what? After many years of neglect, truly and effectively managing my weight has become an incredibly rewarding part of my self care! Explicitly: the rewards far outweigh the investment! <no pun>

    So, for now, just start by getting a handle on logging what you eat before you eat it!

    Coming from someone who uses a food scale several years into maintenance... a food scale is not YET necessary unless you WANT to start using one right away.

    In fact, I don't think that aiming for anything less than 3K calories right now, before you even have an adequate idea on how to use MFP, would make much sense for you.

    Once you've been doing this for a few weeks, and once you start getting some indication what your level of intake may be translating into in terms of weight level change, only then would I consider moving the goal post maybe a bit more... but only if doing so was sustainable!

    For now, just log what you're eating... before you eat it. And ask yourself: "do I really need to eat this and in this quantity right now?" "Is this a good value for the Calories I am about to spend on it as compared to something else that I could eat for fewer calories and would provide a similar benefit?"

    The goal is not to be miserable, or fight for every minute of the day. The goal is to make things as easy as possible... while respecting your caloric goals the vast majority of the time!

    Doing so will get you where you need to go!

    There is a larger loser forum group. It may be worth joining and saying hi to everyone there!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    There is a larger loser forum group. It may be worth joining and saying hi to everyone there!

    Great idea! Here is the group. Lots of people who can understand your unique issues. :)

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/133315-larger-losers
  • maggiec0116
    maggiec0116 Posts: 4 Member
    there's some really good advice here so i'm not going to offer anything huge, but i have a small piece of advice that has really helped me so i figured i'd share it here too since i didn't see it yet!

    IF you choose to weigh yourself every day (i do) make sure you do it at the same time every day in the same outfit/naked (i weigh right when i wake up) and record it in a journal or something. BUT! don't put too much into the individual days! it can be really discouraging to see that you've gained a pound in a day, but a lot of times that's because of what you ate yesterday or bloating or honestly for no good reason at all. Instead, average your weights for the day so you have a weekly average. It will be much easier to see your actual changes and it really helps mentally, because I've given up several times after a bad weigh-in
    :) good luck!
This discussion has been closed.

Categories