Doctor says I need meds.....and no carbs

sassiebritches

So I went to the doctor....told him of my troubles, aching, hurting joints, cold, fatigue, insomnia, headaches, plantars Fischiatis, weight troubles (270 lbs) and he said......your depressed....but we will do your bloodwork and check the thyroid, but you are depressed and you need to lose weight (DUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH) He said he wants me to start a low/no carb diet and he wants me to eat no more than 1500 cals and not less then 1200, but NEVER EVER EVER SHOULD I EAT ANY EXERCISE CALS..........So, my pantry is full of carbs and I don't have a clue how to eat carb free. Does anyone have a diary that is low carb or an online cookbook?????????HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.........

MrsNeuman

http://www.atkins.com/Program/ProgramOverview.aspx

This site will tell you everything you've ever needed to know about low carb Read over the overview of why and how it works then start with phase one on there, and the look and recipes and stuff, and you can search for them back which phase you're in. I'm on day 10 of my low carb eating, and after the first "hell week" of sugar/carb cravings (you'll experience withdrawal symptoms just like any other addiction) they will go away and you won't need them anymore- you're totally satisfied and full with what you're eating. It's AMAZING how much energy you have- no more brain fog, and the best part- you'll see weight loss right away! It's going to be hard for the first week, but I guarantee you after that, you will feel better than you have in a long time!

Good luck!

maletac

actually im doing this... its not that bad... try and get all of your calories from proteins.. sliced turkey . chicken breast. can of tuna. all lean meats.. then theres protein shakes... milk is OKAY but i personally go with soy... uhhmmm eggs arent to bad but your cholesteral shoots through the roof

sassiebritches

Thanks you guys, gonna head for that site and get started.......let ya know how it goes

weaklink109

actually im doing this... its not that bad... try and get all of your calories from proteins.. sliced turkey . chicken breast. can of tuna. all lean meats.. then theres protein shakes... milk is OKAY but i personally go with soy... uhhmmm eggs arent to bad but your cholesteral shoots through the roof

Uh, I was about to ask you if you meant to say "get all your calories from carbs" and your edit came through between when I read the post and hit quote, so you changed it so it made sense.:noway: :laugh: :laugh:

As for soy, since Sassie is female, I would be very careful about consuming soy products, due to concerns expressed about how the body reacts to soy as it would the hormone estrogen.

As far as eggs, the protein is in the egg WHITE, but the FAT and cholesterol is in the yolk, so when I do an omelette, or cook eggs, I use one whole egg and the whites of 3 others.

BTW, Sassie, what meds did your doctor tell you that you need?

Good luck

leanmass24

If you dont want the cholesterol from the eggs get egg beaters. they are just the egg whites, but they taste like they have the yellows in them somewhat. they taste better than plain egg whites anyway. I found it hard to stay low carb. I did lose 40lbs the first time I did it though. That was for 2 months of low carb. I felt drained all the time when I was on it. That was the downfall. Also make sure you drink plenty of water to help with the digestion of all that protein. Good luck with it. make sure to get rid of all the "bad food" before you start that way you wont be tempted. If you are craving something sweet for dessert I found that reddiwhip and sugar free jello does wonders.

edit: i disagree with milk comment. stay away from milk(dairy) completely. It is usually has like 13 grams of sugar(carbs) per serving.

sassiebritches

The doctor said that he wants to see what my blood work looks like. He is testing for arthritis and thyroid issues, if those are not the problem he says then that I am a healthy 37 year old woman that just needs to lose weight. He mentioned alot of the symptoms I am having are alot like depression, I am not buying that....but I am not the doctor. I don't feel depressed, but hey....maybe so. He wants me to work on the weight loss and then we will come back to the depression issue if the tests he took are negative for the others....so I am gonna try the 1500 calorie - low/no carb diet as he directed and see what happens.

dgroulx

A lot of times depression leads to weight gain. It also makes it hard to lose the weight. This is because of a nasty hormone called cortisol. There is no magic remedy to reduce cortisol levels. My doctor just started me on Wellbutrin. Many SSRI anti-depressants cause weight gain. Wellbutrin does not act on serotonin which makes it a little different. Most people lose about 4 pounds when they start on it. Depression does not necessarily mean you sit and cry and wish you were dead. Being upset over your weight long term can cause it.

MzBug

I was on Wellbutrin a few years ago. Neither I or my boyfriend noticed any difference in my mental state. I was just exhausted from working long hours under incredible stress. I had a horrible time trying to sleep and developed restless leg syndrome. Even sitting down during the day I would feel an unpleasant sensation in my legs and was not able to stay still. When I went for a walk my legs still would not allow me to be still. The doc wouldn't give me anything to assist in getting rest and my problems compunded. The doc doubled the dose and then I was like a mexican jumping bean 24/7. I would kick my boyfriend all night long in bed. I weaned myself off it over a period of 3 weeks. I stopped kicking in the night, I could sit still during meetings at work, and went back to sleeping 4-5 hours a night instead of 2-3 while on the Wellbutrin. I eventually left that job and my sleeping got better and I felt better.

sjsd

You don't want to go Carb Free. That's not the way to do it. You want to limit your carbs and up your protein. I lost 100 lbs on a low carb diet. Cut out the breads, and processed foods. It's not easy but if you are serious you need to do that.

Stick with these carbs in portion sizes .

Oatmeal
yams
brown rice
banana
apple
white rice

If you stick with the above, and only eat them in portions sizes you will be OK. Measure everything that goes into your mouth. Eat simply. One protein, one carb and salad at each meal. Get Pure Protein bars for when you need a small snack.

Stay away from bread, processed foods, and frozen meals. (Too much salt). cut out salt, sugar, and oils. It's tough to do, but if you are serious, you will see the weight come off. It took me four months to lose 50 pounds and the rest came off in one year. WITHOUT EXERCISE. I went from 210 pounds to 108. I've kept it off for over 9 years and have just started an exercise program and have never felt better. I'm 52 now and so thankful I did this.

If you go on anti depressants, it will be harder. The one antidepressant that tends not to put weight on people is Celexa.
Hope this helps.

pickledlilly

You don't want to go Carb Free. That's not the way to do it. You want to limit your carbs and up your protein. I lost 100 lbs on a low carb diet. Cut out the breads, and processed foods. It's not easy but if you are serious you need to do that.

Stick with these carbs in portion sizes .

Oatmeal
yams
brown rice
banana
apple
white rice

If you stick with the above, and only eat them in portions sizes you will be OK. Measure everything that goes into your mouth. Eat simply. One protein, one carb and salad at each meal. Get Pure Protein bars for when you need a small snack.

Stay away from bread, processed foods, and frozen meals. (Too much salt). cut out salt, sugar, and oils. It's tough to do, but if you are serious, you will see the weight come off. It took me four months to lose 50 pounds and the rest came off in one year. WITHOUT EXERCISE. I went from 210 pounds to 108. I've kept it off for over 9 years and have just started an exercise program and have never felt better. I'm 52 now and so thankful I did this.

If you go on anti depressants, it will be harder. The one antidepressant that tends not to put weight on people is Celexa.
Hope this helps.

I agree with this. If you don't have good carbs you feel very low on energy. I've found the main thing is to weigh everything. I was amazed at how much I was eating before.

I was continuously going to the doctors with all sorts of aches and pains and she was very polite in saying I was fat. I feel a lot better now I've lost some weight but it's still a struggle. I just love rubbish food.

dumb_blondes_rock

I seem to cheat all the time, but I try to keep my carbs at about 100(if i eat less I get the passy-outy feeling) and my protein at 100 or more. In the morning I have my coffee with vanilla carmel sugarfree sweetner, either turkey bacon or turkey sausage(20 calories a slice) or turkey sausage(130 for 2) and a four egg white or 1/2 cup egg beater omlette with whatever veggies i want in it(spinach, mushrooms, onion, and bellpeppers) and a medifast protein shake. then for lunch i have a south beach diet bar and a medifast protein shake.Sometime My friends want to go out for lunch and I wilI order 2 chicken tacos and eat only one of the tacos and eat the meat of the other. For dinner I TRY to stick with a lean meat and veggies , or I make something like homemade spagetti sauce with zucchini noodles and italian turkey sausage. Do not, I repeat do NOT buy store bought spagetti. I add absolutely no sugar in my sauce, and it tastes great. Store boughts are filled with sugar. Sometimes it's eating at mcdonalds, where I get chicken nuggets and take the crust off, and TRY to order 2 side salads. (I ordered fries yesterday and they weren't as good as I remember, so I wasted all that fat and calories) But always stick with lean meats. Turkey fish and chicken seems so boring, but i've been dong it since march and been fine and havent felt bored with it. You can google low carb recipies and find tons of good ideas for all three meals or even desserts. . I try to stay away from milk products, becaseu they have a lot of calories and carbs.

Not to say anything bad about your doctor, but hes not a nutritionist, so I would go see one and see what they think about your calories. 1200 and 1500 sounds like a good numbers though .And also, I wouldn't let hm put you on any meds until you faithfully start to work out and diet, because sometimes thats all you need to kick your body into order. They are so quick to push drugs that they don't even want to give your body time to adjust to this new lifestyle change. Plus you don't want to be stuck on a pill the rest of your life if it really isn't neccisary. Now, I'm not saying eveyone on pills doesn't need them, my mom and sis are both bipolar and will HAVE to be on meds to be stable, but I do think most people don't need them.

Nina74

hi Sassie:

I, like you, went to my doctor (embarassingly to say, a couple of years ago) because I had fatigue, etc. Part of it was my allergies were out of control (my joints will swell when my allergies get really bad).

It was my first meeting with my doc and before he suggested what I would consider "normal" approaches....i.e. diet, exercise, Weight Watchers, etc...the things doctors normal suggest, before he even really took my history he was trying to get me to sign up for lap band surgery, gastic bypass, consider Meridia, consider Medifast (shakes, controlled diet), etc. He gave me presciptions for restless leg syndrom to help me sleep (because I complained about fatigue, I don't have RLS!) I took one look at him and walked out. What doctor really has my best interest at heart when he is suggest quick and easy fixes, but doesn't fix the problem? I was about your size at the time.

After the last couple of years and being laid off from one job and leaving another, I am in a happier place where i am not so stressed like before. I felt like I was always burning the candle at both ends and was, without admitting it to myself, depressed.

I mention all of this because take advice- even doctor's advice- with a grain of salt. I think cutting ALL carbs is a bad idea. Eating a diet full of complex carbs, but you can limit the portion sizes and amounts, plus plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, is very health.

I hope you find what works for you!

Barneystinson

The amount of carbohydrate you take in on a daily basis and your relative energy level is basically...relative to YOU and only YOU.

I can eat 15 net carbs / daily and still be literally bouncing off the walls with energy. There isn't really a magic number of carbs we should eat each day. It's trial and error. If you are looking into a low carb diet to put you into ketosis, I'd recommend starting with Atkins as another poster suggested. Atkins starts you really low in terms of carbohydrate intake, then gradually builds you up to a maintenance level. From there you can decide if that's working for you or no.

If you do start with Atkins, keep in mind it's a low carb, moderate protein, high fat diet contrary to what many posters may suggest about "lean" proteins only.

noneya2010

I do best eating lower carbs, although I do eat a lot of eggs each week -- almost daily, including yolks. My cholesterol is right at the very bottom of the range - it's almost low. I don't know that eggs are such a bad culprit as they are portrayed to be. Maybe if you have cholesterol issues already, but if not, don't be afraid to eat eggs, including yolks.