PLEASE HELP ME!

shannak612

Hi everyone! I could really use some help! I have been a member of MFP for quite some time but have never really used it faithfully until recently so I am still learning. Let me give you some back story of my life.

I am a 5'3 169lb woman age 25. I have struggled with my weight since I was 11 yrs old. When I was 6 I was diagnosed with cancer called Wilms Tumor. I had my left kidney removed and was on chemotherapy for a year. I lived in the hospital for 6 months and then did 6 months as an outpatient. I never wanted to eat and was skinny as a rail. My parents bribed me so I would eat and they didn't care what it was. I was eating ice cream for breakfast! so this is where my bad eating habits started. At 10 yrs old in 5th grade I started puberty. I was 4'8 60lbs. My doctors decided that I needed to be put on a growth hormone called Lupron which stopped puberty so I would get taller. I went into 6th grade at 120lbs.. and from there my weight climbed. By the time they stopped the growth hormone at the end of 7th grade I was 150lbs. I remained between 150-160 for my high school years Graduated in 2007. On June 17,2007 (fathers day) my mom had a brain aneurysm and put her in a semi vegetative state. This was devastating to me.. my mom was my rock and my best friend so this was a very hard thing to deal with and around easter of 2008 I was at 190lbs! I started working 9 hr days at home depot then another job as a grooming assistant and by the end of summer I was back down to 160lbs. I wasn't trying to lose the weight but I guess the combination of working many hours and eating once a day took care of that for me. In October of 2008 I got pregnant with my first son. I gained 17lbs while I was pregnant so at delivery I was 177lbs. 2 weeks after he was born I was down to 155lbs. I remained between 155-160 and then got pregnant with my 2nd son in February 2011.. when I gave birth to him in sept I was 183lbs.. I decided that I had enough and started trying to lose weight. I have tried every fad diet there is and soon began to realize that I cant stick to anything! My doctor put me on an appetite suppressant in April of this year and within a month I lost 15lbs.. but I realized that I wasn't eating like I should and stopped the medication.

SORRY THIS IS SO LONG!

ok, fast forward to where I am now.

I am back on the appetite suppressant but I am only using it now to teach me to eat properly. Instead of eating whatever I want 1-2 times a day I am now trying to eat healthier and smaller portions 3-4 times a day. I have completely cut fast food, soda, and junk food from my life. I mainly drink water.. about 5-6 16.9oz bottles a day.. and sometimes when I need flavor I will drink crystal light. I am trying to incorporate more fruits and vegetables in my meals but I only like a few of each and I have switched from white bread to whole grain and whole wheat but have tried to cut back on that also. My dinner meals consist of chicken, fish, tuna fish, shrimp, and sometimes either lean ground beef or ground turkey. I am cutting back on my pasta and if I do make pasta for dinner I use whole wheat noodles. I have tried working out at home since I have small children but I find that my motivation is no where to be found. I mean lets face it... the couch looks so much more comfortable! So we got a membership to the YMCA where they have babysitting services for free while you are there! We have had the membership for a week now and I have been 3 times. Starting Monday my plan is to go 3-6 days a week and do 30-60 minutes of cardio and 2x a week I am working with a personal trainer doing strength training for an hour each day. My problem here is I have no idea how many calories I should be eating a day. I want to lose weight at a healthy 1-2lbs a week. My goal right now is to lose 35lbs. I have calculated my BMR and TDEE on many different websites and the numbers never seem close to the other.. On one website I took my TDEE- %20 and the number came out to be lower then my BMR.. I am so confused on how all this works.. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!

yarwell

On one website I took my TDEE- %20 and the number came out to be lower then my BMR.. I am so confused on how all this works.. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!

If you are inactive (sedentary) then TDEE - 20% will be less than BMR on the predictors, it's a mathematical certainty. This isn't a problem, or if it is for you then eat at your BMR. On MFP the hamster wheel algorithm will reward you with more calories for exercise logged.

ellieb1047

I feel your pain on the weight gain and struggles to lose weight. Several years ago I found the Dr. Oz/Dr. Roizen video...and book "You on a Diet". They also have an audio CD for a walking routine that I put on my ipod. I know it is hard with little children to be able to stay on course. I had three children...but my youngest is now 17. I struggled all my life with weight... When I got married 25 years ago, I was 168 pounds. In 2010 I found myself up to 217 pounds. I had tried the Atkins (successfully until I stopped following it), and other things.

Basically what it comes down to is eating healthy and exercising everyday. In 2010 when I got the You on a Diet book and watched their video, I started following their suggestions. I ate right, walked 30 minutes everyday....and in 5 months I lost 30 pounds. I felt a lot better physically and mentally. Of course after a family vacation where we ate out every night, I started putting weight back on.

There is no easy fix to the weight issue. We just have to be so conscious of what we put in our mouths every minute. I haven't joined a gym because we live 8 miles out in the country. I find it easier to step out my front door and walk 30 minutes right away in the morning so it is done. (Eat the Frog...search on you tube for the video). Getting the exercise out of the way in the morning for me is the best thing.... Gives me a positive attitude toward making it through the day.

Sounds like you are doing a lot of positive things. We have to be patient. It isn't like we put on 30 pounds in a week or a month. It took time to put all the weight on. My goal is not be be my ideal weight, but to at least get to where I was when I got married. If I go below, then that is a bonus. I am 52 years old and realize that the weight is not so easy to shed anymore.

I do like the myfitnesspal app and have been tracking my calories on it. I feel great when I can finish lunch and have 800-900 calories left for supper!

Good luck.

bakingforlife

I think i would ask that personal trainer. 1-2 pounds aweek is really .ot slow 1/2 pound would be slower and allow for more cal

4legsRbetterthan2

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13

Try reading this, alot of people on here have followed it and had really good results.

mrmike10

Medifast. I've been on it 14 days now, lost 12 pounds; wife 6 pounds lost. Big loss at first, then smooth's out to 4 to 6 tenths a day. First few days are tough, but it has all smoothed out now. All this under doctors care with once a month visit. Under GOALS on MyFitnesspal.com, do not calculate using "custom," rather enter your weight and so forth in the "automatic" along with your "goal" weight you wish to attain, the system will calculate how many calories needed daily to attain "your" goal. Mike

shannak612

so according to MFP I should be eating 1350 calories a day to lose 1lb a week and that is at sedentary level. I do plan on working out and eating most of my exercise calories back.. will this work for me? 1350 is more than enough calories to keep my hunger satisfied.. I was doing fine on 1200 but I thought about it and decided that was too low!

5'3
169lbs
25 yrs old

diannethegeek

Sometimes when you're petite or sedentary TDEE - 20% is too aggressive for your body/lifestyle.

I ran your numbers through Scooby's calculator just to get a better idea of how far below your BMR we're talking.
BMR: 1562
TDEE: 1875
TDEE - 20%: 1500

I am not an expert, so talking to a nutritionist, trainer, doctor, etc. isn't a bad idea. However, I don't think those 62 extra calories are going to be a huge metabolic problem for you. You can either eat 1500 for a few weeks and see how you feel, adjusting as needed, or eat 1562 and lose the weight just a tiny bit slower.

These numbers were figured with a sedentary lifestyle. When you add exercise your TDEE goes up (and so does the TDEE - 20% number) but your BMR stays the same. Even setting your stats to 1-3 hours a week of light exercise brings the TDEE - 20% up to 1719, well over your BMR.