One month and fighting to keep going.

blessedbirdie

Just wanting to talk I guess. My Holistic Dr asked me to do this weight loss program he has. Lots of protein bars and shakes. Eating 5 times a day. Exercising doing a high intensity interval training thing 3 times a week then balance ball or whatever I want the other days.

My thing is I miss real food so bad.Feel I eat so many supplements. I get 2 proteins at breakfast One has to be a bar or shake.. Protein bar or shake snack. Protein bar or shake and another protein for lunch with 1 cup veggie of choice. Protein bar or shake snack. Dinner with a protein, veggie and a little fruit. 1400 calories a day with limit of sodium 2000. I have high blood pressure.

I feel so heavy in my stomach eating all this protein. I drink half my body weight (155 ozs) in water a day too. Lots of supplements. Daily vit., DHEA, Vit D (they found I was very low) Thyroid supplement (I am hypothyroid and take Cytomel) and Omega 3 with my regular Calcium and B Complex. Also a diet pill called Irvina? I have to take fiber supplement too to keep bowels working even with all this water.

I know losing 14 lbs in 4 weeks is great. I started at 316. How do I get over this feeling of being deprived? I worry about all the protein although dr says it is what I need.

I guess I need professional counseling as to why I want to fight what is good for me. I am 52 and been overweight all my life. Was raised by mom who fed us fatty casseroles and grandpa who fed us sugar and junk. How do I go on and beat this deadly lifestyle I have lead and keep going on the right path?

Thanks for reading this, Roberta

lsand

I would just eat real healthy foods(fruits, vegetables, lean meats, dairy) and take a daily vitamin:)
I need the taste, smell, texture of real food or else I feel I'm being cheated or punished.

Edestiny7

Have you considered going to a nutritionist or registered dietitian? Because of kidney stone I have, I must limit my protein because protein is hard on the kidneys. I would be concerned about your kidneys with the amount of protein you are taking in. And I really do not think you should feel deprived of food.

emmalouisegrant

I dont normally reply to posts but feel quite strongly about your post. My personal opinion is that after many years struggling with my weight the only way that i have lost weight and kept it off is by getting a healthy apprach to my food, diet and exercise. I HAVE NOT undergone a faddy diet to loose this weight because for me its important to undergo a whole lifestyle change and eat this way forever. 14 lbs is great, but realistically will you countine this diet for much longer...I suspect not and when you do stop i would of thought that the weight will creep back on before it goes down.

MFP has allowed me to treat myself to a little of what i fancy everyday and so i have found it easy to maintain my diet, there is very simple science behind weight loss which is at the core of MFP, do not eat more calories than you burn. the site has educated me as to which foods will keep my fuller for longer, the best times of day to eat (for me) and what foods may make me happy but use all my calories for the day and don't keep my body going.

My message to you would be to ditch the faddy diet programmes and meal replacements and re-educate yourself into healthy normal food, this lifestyle change is what will help you in the future not protein shakes and bars. I may sound like i am being a bit rude but just feel very strongly about the subject being that after struggling for years i reliased that all i had to do was eat less, exercise more and think about the food groups i was eating! EASY!

MaryTheIceCube

May I ask who the little one on your photo is? It looks/sounds as though you may have family around you who care about you and your wellbeing very much. It may help a little to think of them when you feel like giving in and giving up. Do you have anyone in your family you can talk to frankly and honestly about how you feel? It sounds as though you've done an amazing job so far of following your doctor's orders, and of course long-lived habits are the hardest to break. Do you feel better (about your body or about yourself in general) since you started your new, healthier lifestyle? If so, let that be a motivating factor for you to keep going even when you'd rather just go back to what's familiar and what's comfortable. It's not easy but it's also not impossible! Hang in there, keep going, for YOU, and if you'd like a friend to vent/chat to now and again, please don't hesitate in adding me as a friend on here and sending me an email anytime. Best wishes!

pixieE

Hi Roberta, and welcome to MFP!

Wow thats ALOT of protein!!!! But i guess if you're told by someone in the know that its what you need then its best to take their advice.

I can't offer any advice unfortunatly but i can offer support, just think though, by the time you can eat normal regular food again it's all going to taste so good and you'll be so greatful of it.
I think many of us gain weight because we take food for granted and don't appreciate it enough. We just shove it in our mouths to releive hunger, stress, upset, depression, anger etc but once that food is taken away from you you realise just how good it actually was!

You WILL get there hun and this feeling of deprivation won't last forever, take each day as it comes and try to focus on feeling healthier x

MsElphaba

Roberta,

What you are describing is the reason most "diets" fail. They are too restrictive and cumbersome, leaving you feeling deprived and that your life revolves around your "diet."

How long does your Dr expect you be on this plan? What is the plan after that? I think you can achieve longer lasting results, maybe not as quickly, by watching portions, eating nutritious foods, and moderate exercise. I'm proof! And you know what? I still have some of those favorite casseroles from time to time.

I obviously have no idea what your relationship with this Dr is, what your health situation is, and I am in no way a Dr myself. I understand a holistic approach, but shakes and supplements don't seem very holistic to me.

This is a great site full of awesome support. I hope whatever path you take, you achieve your goals.

L

KrissyD70

Wow! You have done great! I think losing weight requires a certain change in thinking and it may be that you are not there. I was also raised on junk and continued to eat that way as an adult. But when I had a motivation that was for me, my mind just clicked and I am motivated (for the most part LOL). I think you feel as though this has been forced upon you. I think for your health it would be worth sticking to but maybe you could make some adjustments. Maybe you could have a free day where you eat what you want, within reason of course, or maybe a free meal. Talk to your doctor maybe about what adjustments could be made. Good luck!

acstein

Hi Roberta,

It's difficult to see major change, and this is major change, as a good thing. No one can make you feel better about it, but we can support you as you struggle with motivation. One thing I found that works for me is to write out my goals and motivations for the day. I do this everyday and carry it with me. For instance, today my goals were to drink 12-16 glasses of water, eat all my exercise calories, and support someone struggling to stick with it. My motivations then became I need to exercise to complete my goal of eating exercise calories and since I would want some to help me with that little morale boost, I should do it to. For me, creating a pass/fail situation motivates me to do it. I do not like failing. Sometimes creating a reward system for yourself may work too. Something like, If I do strength training 4 days a week, then I can take the 5th day and do a long walk with the dogs instead of going to the smelly gym.

While you have made many big changes in a short amount of time, try not to get overwhelmed with it all and focus on one thing at time, one day at time. You can do it as long as you allow yourself the opportunity!!! Good luck and, for what it's worth, I have faith in you!

TrainingWithTonya

Honestly, I would worry about that much protein effecting your kidneys and at your weight, I would think that 1400 calories is too low. I would tell him that you can't handle all those shakes and bars. Obviously, if you are feeling this way mentally about them, then it isn't the right program for you. Besides, the GI symptoms show that they don't agree with you. You might mention that you want to add more fiber to your diet so that you can have a normal bowel movement. Too many doctors are anti-carb and forget that you have to have them for the bowel benefits if nothing else.

Did he mention anything about your heart rate while working out? Just FYI: people with high blood pressure should workout under 70% of their maximum. There are numerous ways to determine the maximum heart rate, but the current standard without clinical testing is to use 220 - your age. They are currently doing research as to how that formula might need to change, but until it is actually proven that something else is better, that is what I use for my clients. At 52 years old, your maximum heart rate would be 168 beats per minute. 70% of that would be about 118 beats per minute. Don't go over that while working out. Exercise will increase your blood pressure while you are working out but will decrease it over time. When you have high blood pressure, raising your blood pressure while exercising can put it so high that it becomes dangerous. Thats why you have to work in the low end of your zone, so that you don't get your blood pressure too high. Eventually, over a long period of time, you will see benefits from the exercise of a lower overall blood pressure.

Life_is_Good

A doctor recommending bars & shakes as a supplement for food? Doesn't sound right. Go to your regular physician for prescriptions for your medical needs & get his recommendations on diet and diet counseling.

bigkev2663

I agree with Emmalou and she said everything I was feeling....Good luck!

missjo113

everyone talks about losing weight has to be a lifestyle change and I totally agree... so you'll have to ask yourself, are you going to eat protien bars and shakes for the rest of your life?

Dom_m

Roberta,

I tend to agree with a lot of what's said here already, especially MrsEJr's comments.

I would make one recommendation to you. Read. Don't read **** on MSN or YahooAnswers or something. Get online and read about weight loss, about macronutrients, and health and nutrition... not from newspapers or magazines from from serious institutions (even Wikipedia is good, but government departments, especially elite sports agencies are better). You'll have to make up your own mind what you think is legit and what you think is crap, but don't believe it just because someone says it. That goes for your doctor too. All these supplements you're on sound ridiculous. Eat real food - especially vegetables, grains, nuts, legumes... things that grow in the ground. Eat them as close to their natural state as possible. Bars and shakes are really only useful if you exercise so much that getting enough calories requires more food than you can fit in your stomach, or if you have a really restrictive diet for some other reason.

The key to a healthy change is consistency. If you don't think you can do what you're doing for the rest of your life, then something's wrong. Good luck!

girlruns

That seems like A LOT of protein. I'm not a doctor, but I didn't think you needed that much protein unless you were doing some major muscle building or training. I agree with other posters that it seems strange to have a holistic doctor recommend shakes and bars. If you are missing "real" food, it is probably because you need it! We spend so much time giving into cravings because we want to, that sometimes we forget that cravings can be our body telling us something! If you got some fiber in the form of fruits and veggies, you would probably feel better and have things flowing more smoothly. I've been out of produce at my house for a few days now, and I can tell that I'm a little more bloated than usual, besides the fact that I'm missing all of these nummy foods!! Talk to your Dr. about your feelings, and if he insists on you sticking with this, see if you can get a second opinion. But no matter what you do, try and stay happy so you can make this lifestyle change stick for you! Good luck!

blessedbirdie

Wow this was my first post and gee what a great bunch of people. I got a lot from what you all said. I do NOT want to eat bars and drink shakes the rest of my life. I want to learn to eat healthy and calorie conscious. I need to learn to cook differently along with behavior patterns I need to break. I believe I will stay with this dr plan for another month. Just so I lose enough to make me feel better as I am already physically.

Then I want to join weight watchers. I believe it is a good program and I can learn a lot from it from what I have read. Are there many on here doing weight watchers? I know they have a web site for support too. Thanks for all the support. After reading and crying a bit I feel much better and know I can continue on for awhile longer. I have so much to lose and so much to gain by losing. Roberta

lee112780

Wow this was my first post and gee what a great bunch of people. I got a lot from what you all said. I do NOT want to eat bars and drink shakes the rest of my life. I want to learn to eat healthy and calorie conscious. I need to learn to cook differently along with behavior patterns I need to break. I believe I will stay with this dr plan for another month. Just so I lose enough to make me feel better as I am already physically.

Then I want to join weight watchers. I believe it is a good program and I can learn a lot from it from what I have read. Are there many on here doing weight watchers? I know they have a web site for support too. Thanks for all the support. After reading and crying a bit I feel much better and know I can continue on for awhile longer. I have so much to lose and so much to gain by losing. Roberta

I know it's hard. My mom is a little older than you and has diabetes. She did Metafast for a few months, which is a lot of soups and shakes. It sucks! However, she lost like 40 lbs. But the weight isn't coming off anymore. The plan now is to slowly bring more real foods back, and increase exercise.
I think no matter what kind of program you do, if YOU have the drive, it will work, I beleive that 100%. I have been on weight watchers soo many times, and sometimes it worked and I lost weight, others it didn't at all, and I lost a lot of $. But it wasn't WW that wasn't working, it was ME. So, I say if you are under doc supervision and you can stick it out a bit longer, do so, and explain the doc next time you see them what you explained to us. I am sure it is in the plan for u to slowly bring back real foods. Another thing, you have a lot of drive to be able to do something so hard, keep it up!

MzBug

When you get your bars and shakes do you pay the doctors office? or get them somewhere else? Look the product up on the internet and do some research. See if there are any side effects of this diet. Talk to some of the patients in the waiting room, see if they are using the products.

I used to go to a chiropractor who's wife was a naturopath, he was selling a line of diet products for her from his office. He tried to get me to buy some every time I went. I quit going to him. Soon there were news blurbs and articles in the paper about how bad those products were and they were pulled from the market. Most of their patients had purchased the stuff (it wasn't cheap either). He and his wife were making a killing selling it.