First day, and cautiously optimistic

shellypaints · July 2014

So this is my first day, technically I've been a member for years I just never used MFP to lose weight. My goal is 100 lbs but I will break it down into two goals of 50 lbs each.

Over the last 10+ years I've gained over 70 lbs, while trying to maintain or lose weight. I had debilitating fatigue, joint pain, and have been tested for everything from chronic fatigue syndrome to rheumatoid arthritis. I have mostly done a decent job at portion control and not overeating and have eaten at a deficit for a portion of that time but still couldn't lose weight. I finally went to a Dr about my snoring at the urging of my husband and he diagnosed me with a severely deviated septum that was obstructing breathing causing severe obstructive sleep apnea and was affecting my breathing while awake as well. This was the result of having my nose broken at 16 by a baseball. Who would've thought something that simple so long ago would cause so many problems 30 years later?

So I am 8 weeks post surgery to repair the damage to my nose, I can breathe, the fatigue is gone, I still have some joint pain, but that could be from being overweight. My weight has yo-yo'd some between 228 down to 219 and back up to 226 and as of this morning it's 223 since my surgery. I have seen an endocrinologist to make sure I had no metabolic syndromes, and I've been given a clean bill of health to start exercising.

I don't believe in fad diets or buying into the latest you shouldn't eat ___ it causes ____, trend either. I don't believe demonizing food is healthy. I cook mostly from scratch, try to have a balance of foods to eat, and have always tended to focus on portions over forbidding or restricting certain foods. I don't and won't use artificial sweeteners, I limit the use of prepared boxed and canned foods, and overall try to use a whole food diet. I think we may be eating too many carbs and that our portions may still be too large which is why I am hoping that tracking using MFP will help with this.

So with all that said I plan to use a slow and steady approach to exercise and re-examine our food choices and track what I eat to achieve my goal. While I don't buy into the whole paleo ideology I am toying with the idea of implementing a modified version of the diet to increase protein and reduce carb consumption.

So that's where I'm at and I am looking forward to using the tools and support here to get where I need to be.

Reldano · July 2014

I am currently 231 lbs. and got this way partly due to medical disorder and snacking at night to stay awake I believe. There are not enough hours in the day to get everything done. Working full-time and coming home only to work more hours taking care of home and family can be stressful and fatiguing. It is nice to know someone with similar ideals about diets. Hope you are sleeping better. I can relate to the husband complaining about snoring. I have no medical excuse for that. I did not snore until I gained so much weight and my joints hurt as well. Here is to us all on this site and meeting with success!

shellypaints · July 2014

Sleep apnea has been found to cause weight gain, which makes the apnea worse, which causes more weight gain, etc etc etc.

Snoring can be a symptom of sleep apnea but you can have sleep apnea without snoring. I urge you to see a Dr that specializes in snoring and sleep apnea to verify if your snoring is related to sleep apnea or not. I did not know I had obstructive sleep apnea until I did a sleep study. The damage in my nose was discovered by an MRI which is what prompted the sleep study and surgery to fix the obstruction.

I sleep great now, not only do I wake up feeling rested and full of energy, I also find it easier to fall asleep at night.

editorgrrl · July 2014

Welcome! The Sexypants post should be required reading for all MFPers: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-Sexypants

_runnerbean_ · July 2014

Welcome! MFP is really helpful at sorting out portion sizes - when you have your plate on the scale it's easy to see how a portion is too big. The first week or so is hard as you have to log everything for the first time. It gets easier as you go as you start to repeat foods. Good luck !!

MichelleV1990 · July 2014

Hello, Shelly! I just picked up my CPAP today, and will be trying it out for the first time tonight. I'm so looking forward to having my first good night's sleep in years! It's a comfort to know that it can also affect my weight. I'm praying that my determination, along with a modified diet, exercise, and my new best buddy, the CPAP, I'll be posting my success story next year. Feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like. I make a great cheerleader! :happy:

_HeartsOnFire_ · July 2014

wrenegade64 · July 2014

My goodness. Needless to say, you have been through a few trials and tribulations. I am oober proud of you for diving head first onto the journey to better health. I have been a member here for a while also and am working on getting back on serious track. I also suffer from sleep apnea and have to use a c-pap machine. Keep after it and by all means feel free to add me as a friend here. ROCK ON!!!

shellypaints · July 2014

Hello, Shelly! I just picked up my CPAP today, and will be trying it out for the first time tonight. I'm so looking forward to having my first good night's sleep in years! It's a comfort to know that it can also affect my weight. I'm praying that my determination, along with a modified diet, exercise, and my new best buddy, the CPAP, I'll be posting my success story next year. Feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like. I make a great cheerleader! :happy:

Awesome! Don't be surprised if it takes a week or two to adjust to your CPAP. It took my husband almost a month to get used to his CPAP. It is a relief to know that you weren't crazy that even with having a calorie deficit deficit you weren't losing weight. I don't know how many times I was told I wasn't measuring or tracking my food right or told I was flat out lying about what I was eating because if I really was doing it right I'd be losing weight. :huh: I did WW and JennyCraig and the Jorge Cruise 8 minutes/3 hour diet, SouthBeach and strict calorie counting under the direction of a nutritionist. I never lost more than 20 lbs (WW), and eventually gained the small loss back or just stayed at a plateau before gaining a little more here and there. Exercising always left me feeling worse and eventually I'd be so worn out I'd get sick with bronchitis or worse. I was an athlete once upon a time, so I knew that eventually exercise is supposed to make you feel better - well when you're oxygen deprived to begin with exercising just makes it worse.

I say I am cautiously optimistic because I haven't tried to formally exercise in years and I don't want to try too much too soon. But just having the energy to clean my house and do everyday chores everyday has been the biggest victory for me so far.

I haven't figured out the friend request yet. I'm working on that.

MichelleV1990 · July 2014

Hello, Shelly! I just picked up my CPAP today, and will be trying it out for the first time tonight. I'm so looking forward to having my first good night's sleep in years! It's a comfort to know that it can also affect my weight. I'm praying that my determination, along with a modified diet, exercise, and my new best buddy, the CPAP, I'll be posting my success story next year. Feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like. I make a great cheerleader! :happy:

Awesome! Don't be surprised if it takes a week or two to adjust to your CPAP. It took my husband almost a month to get used to his CPAP. It is a relief to know that you weren't crazy that even with having a calorie deficit deficit you weren't losing weight. I don't know how many times I was told I wasn't measuring or tracking my food right or told I was flat out lying about what I was eating because if I really was doing it right I'd be losing weight. :huh: I did WW and JennyCraig and the Jorge Cruise 8 minutes/3 hour diet, SouthBeach and strict calorie counting under the direction of a nutritionist. I never lost more than 20 lbs (WW), and eventually gained the small loss back or just stayed at a plateau before gaining a little more here and there. Exercising always left me feeling worse and eventually I'd be so worn out I'd get sick with bronchitis or worse. I was an athlete once upon a time, so I knew that eventually exercise is supposed to make you feel better - well when you're oxygen deprived to begin with exercising just makes it worse.

I say I am cautiously optimistic because I haven't tried to formally exercise in years and I don't want to try too much too soon. But just having the energy to clean my house and do everyday chores everyday has been the biggest victory for me so far.

I haven't figured out the friend request yet. I'm working on that.

Well, my first night on the CPAP went pretty darned good. I don't have the nose mask that the doctor ordered because the medical supplier was out of it and will send it to me when it comes in. I got up to use the restroom once, and the headgear came undone once. Other than that, I everything was smooth sailing. Now I feel a little tired because I'm not used to getting that much sleep. :laugh: I'm sure I'll get used to that soon enough. Were you tired too, at first after your surgery?

As far as the exercise goes, anything we do, no matter if it's baby steps, has to be better than what we were doing! With my added arthritic problem, I'm breaking into things slowly by getting into the pool. My goal is to loosen my hip up enough so I can start walking again. I used to walk for half an hour every day; plus would use Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home exercise videos. I had gotten up to 5 miles a day on that one. You should check them out, because they really work. I was so out of shape at first, that I barely made it through the warm up, and it was also an extra challenge because of my CMT. As I said, in the end, I did the whole 5 miles, plus, my balance during exercising improved. I wear foot braces, and will never be able to run and jump, so Leslie's exercise videos were perfect for me.

Hang in there, kiddo...we've got this!!

shellypaints · July 2014

So I had a follow up with the Endocrinologist.:frown: I am possibly glucose intolerant. She wants me on a diet plan like Ideal Protein and has put me on metformin? for glucose intolerance. After reading about IP I'm not enthusiastic at all about it. So I need to look at something that is rigidly structured that will be faster than a pound a week.

So I don't know if I need to track calories, grams or both. This was not the news I was hoping for. :frown:

MichelleV1990 · July 2014

If the medicine works for you, will you be able to go off the special diet she wants you on? I'll have to look up IP and see what all that entails. Good luck to you!

RodaRose · July 2014

So I had a follow up with the Endocrinologist.:frown: I am possibly glucose intolerant. She wants me on a diet plan like Ideal Protein and has put me on metformin? for glucose intolerance. After reading about IP I'm not enthusiastic at all about it. So I need to look at something that is rigidly structured that will be faster than a pound a week.

So I don't know if I need to track calories, grams or both. This was not the news I was hoping for. :frown:

Run! Please find another endocrinologist.

The Ideal Protein plan is an intense version of the Atkins plan.
You can do that yourself with real food without buying crappy FOOD PRODUCTS.
Is the doctor selling the stuff out of her office?

queenbea77 · July 2014

Shellypaints - check out IIFYM which explains the macros (protein, carbs & fat) what they do for you & why they are important. I also agree with you about not excluding certain food groups (ie Atkins) - it works for many people, just not me which is why I like IIFYM. I have a set number of macros & calories I need to meet each day which helps me focus on making smart food choices.

HeartsOnFire - thanks for the excellent post. You've provided everything new members need to know & old members need refreshers on

veephil31 · July 2014

Welcome and good luck to you!

shellypaints · July 2014

So I had a follow up with the Endocrinologist.:frown: I am possibly glucose intolerant. She wants me on a diet plan like Ideal Protein and has put me on metformin? for glucose intolerance. After reading about IP I'm not enthusiastic at all about it. So I need to look at something that is rigidly structured that will be faster than a pound a week.

So I don't know if I need to track calories, grams or both. This was not the news I was hoping for. :frown:

Run! Please find another endocrinologist.

The Ideal Protein plan is an intense version of the Atkins plan.
You can do that yourself with real food without buying crappy FOOD PRODUCTS.
Is the doctor selling the stuff out of her office?

She doesn't require it and it was suggested that I do that or another diet. She isn't the one that does the orientation or monitoring that is another person. Many of the endocrinologists offer it or an other diet through their offices here. Her goal is for me to lose the weight so that I am no longer at risk for Type II Diabetes. Since she doesn't know how long I've been pre-diabetic her position is the sooner the better.

I think a slower plan will work and that the results becoming permanent are more important.

shellypaints · July 2014

Shellypaints - check out IIFYM which explains the macros (protein, carbs & fat) what they do for you & why they are important. I also agree with you about not excluding certain food groups (ie Atkins) - it works for many people, just not me which is why I like IIFYM. I have a set number of macros & calories I need to meet each day which helps me focus on making smart food choices.

HeartsOnFire - thanks for the excellent post. You've provided everything new members need to know & old members need refreshers on

Where do I find IIFYM and what is it?

RodaRose · July 2014

Shellypaints - check out IIFYM which explains the macros (protein, carbs & fat) what they do for you & why they are important. I also agree with you about not excluding certain food groups (ie Atkins) - it works for many people, just not me which is why I like IIFYM. I have a set number of macros & calories I need to meet each day which helps me focus on making smart food choices.

HeartsOnFire - thanks for the excellent post. You've provided everything new members need to know & old members need refreshers on

Where do I find IIFYM and what is it?

If It Fits My Macros

First day, and cautiously optimistic

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