Super obese, why isn't the weight falling off me?

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1235789

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  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    eat a high carb low fat plant based (vegan) diet...consisting of fruits, veggies, brown rice, potatoes etc and the weight will come off...dont restrict your carbs that will give you the energy to get up and move a bit! you will get there it takes time but stick with it...and go with how your body is feeling instead of the lbs on the scale...eat a diet like i suggested and you will feel better...you can message me if you need any specific tips...good luck

    :huh:
  • LAT1963
    LAT1963 Posts: 1,375 Member
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    What is the diet given post-surgery patients? Can you try that diet for a few days?

    I ask because I was told by a surgeon who does these procedures that he believes it is the post-surgery diet, not the surgery, that makes the difference. So my thought is you can try that diet skipping the surgery and see what happens.

    You might also try a low carb diet to see if that makes a difference for your specific metabolism. From the low carb perspective, 40% is too many carbs. Try 20-30%.

    There's nothing to lose in trying a particular diet approach for 2 weeks to see if it works for you, except possibly fat. You want to be sure you have exhausted all possibilities before trying surgery.

    As for why the weight isn't melting off--the answer is you are not doing aerobic exercise.

    You may not have access to a lap pool, but do you have friends or friends of friends, or even a hotel nearby that might allow you to tread water for 20 minutes a day? You only need a small pool to tread water.

    Read about "target heart rate" and use that to gauge the intensity of your exercise, whatever kind of exercise might become available to you. The strain on your knee will go down as you lose weight and you may be able to start walking for exercise when your weight is lower.

    That is absolutely false. Losing weight has to do with how much you eat, period. For the OP, even walking around probably gets his/her heart rate right up there.

    The OP needs to follow a doctor's instructions.

    OP, best wishes to you on this journey. Whatever you decide to do, I hope you won't let the squabbling keep you off the forums. There are some great people here who have lost a lot of weight and who can give you the support you need.

    Whups. Unclear in my post--I meant the reason she's not losing at whatever her current diet (which is making no weight change for her either way), was lack of aerobic exercise. Thanks for catching my mistake.
  • asdowe13
    asdowe13 Posts: 1,951 Member
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    eat a high carb low fat plant based (vegan) diet...consisting of fruits, veggies, brown rice, potatoes etc and the weight will come off...dont restrict your carbs that will give you the energy to get up and move a bit! you will get there it takes time but stick with it...and go with how your body is feeling instead of the lbs on the scale...eat a diet like i suggested and you will feel better...you can message me if you need any specific tips...good luck

    Sense! This post makes none!
  • aliakynes
    aliakynes Posts: 352 Member
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    There are alternatives to surgery but you should be talking to your doctor about them. Ask for other options or find a doctor who will give you those options.
  • jeanstudies
    jeanstudies Posts: 81 Member
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    I appreciate everyone's posts, even though I am not the OP. Speaking of which, how can it be that everyone is putting in so much work to post so many thoughtful and helpful replies, and then the OP never returns (I know we can see if they read), replies, or opens their diary either?? I've seen lots of posts like these. Things that make you go hmmmmm.....
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
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    Here's some information that might help

    Log your food accurately and honestly. Go for 80% good choices the other 20% don't worry so much about. I eat lots of delicious food and have consistently lost. Keep it simple find a REASONABLE deficit:

    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide?hl=logging+step+guide

    Find an activity you enjoy doing - I found I love to ride my bike and lift heavy stuff :)

    Here are 2 more threads that will help take the time to read them:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here?hl=so+you're+new+here

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    People really need to stop posting these generic copy/paste messages on threads such as these.

    This is a person with 250 pounds or more to lose. 2 lb's a week on someone with that much to look is not "ideal". Any gastric doctor in the world would agree, such as his/hers, would expect much more per week.

    It's not really a chart to say how much to expect to lose, but a guideline to choose the best deficit when calculating a calorie goal. At least that's how I have always interpreted it to be.
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
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    Whups. Unclear in my post--I meant the reason she's not losing at whatever her current diet (which is making no weight change for her either way), was lack of aerobic exercise. Thanks for catching my mistake.

    You do not need exercise to lose weight. You can sit on the couch and drop 2+ pounds per week with the right diet. Moreover, if the OP can barely walk, trying to create a caloric deficit through cardio is an awful idea as any exercise she can manage to do will provide a trivial calorie burn.

    Should you exercise for your health? Of course, if at all possible. But for weight loss? No, that is NOT the reason the OP isn't losing weight. Honestly people all too often equate exercise with weight loss, but that's the wrong mentality (my opinion). You should be exercising whether you're trying to lose, maintain or even gain weight - it's not something you do only when you're trying to drop a few pounds, nor is the reason you're losing weight on a cut. Do cardio for your health and perhaps to give you a few more calories worth of food to eat, but that's it. The OP needs to fix her diet, establish a steady pattern of weight loss and then worry about introducing exercise and fine-tuning things. Lack of aerobic exercise is not the issue.
  • rochrok
    rochrok Posts: 8 Member
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    First, listen to your doctor. She/he knows your medical history and knows if you have issues needing treatment.

    Secondly, surgery is also a decision to make with a medical professional and counselor. Not from this forum

    Third, the links that were posted have amazing information. Maybe you will do things a little differently because of your weight, but as you lose, the education you will get from them is very valuable.

    Fourth, read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1103164-3-yrs-312lbs-lost-1yr-from-bodylift-and-maintenance

    Good luck to you.

    Pretty much this.

    If you are unhappy with your doc then get a second or third opinion. If they all recommend the same thing then it just may be better to listen to them.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    I think she was just saying that since the OP is basically eating at maintenance now....if she were to have some aerobic activity, that would create a deficit.
  • MeadowSong
    MeadowSong Posts: 171 Member
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    When I first got serious it took over a month to drop any weight. Some of us are just lucky. Hang in there--it WILL work.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    I don't think the original poster has replied back - but if you're still out there, reading replies:

    How long ago did you start restricting calories? You may just need to give it more time.

    1. Weigh your food with a food scale, log everything. Even condiments, cooking oils.
    2. Work to increase your activity. I'm not suggesting you run a marathon. But with what you are medically approved to do, do more. Maybe that means walking to your mailbox a few times a day. Whatever you start with, repeat it a few times each day and each week add a little more.
    3. Drink plenty of water, stay hydrated.

    Give it 4-5 weeks.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    What is the diet given post-surgery patients? Can you try that diet for a few days?

    I ask because I was told by a surgeon who does these procedures that he believes it is the post-surgery diet, not the surgery, that makes the difference. So my thought is you can try that diet skipping the surgery and see what happens.

    You might also try a low carb diet to see if that makes a difference for your specific metabolism. From the low carb perspective, 40% is too many carbs. Try 20-30%.

    There's nothing to lose in trying a particular diet approach for 2 weeks to see if it works for you, except possibly fat. You want to be sure you have exhausted all possibilities before trying surgery.

    As for why the weight isn't melting off--the answer is you are not doing aerobic exercise.

    You may not have access to a lap pool, but do you have friends or friends of friends, or even a hotel nearby that might allow you to tread water for 20 minutes a day? You only need a small pool to tread water.

    Read about "target heart rate" and use that to gauge the intensity of your exercise, whatever kind of exercise might become available to you. The strain on your knee will go down as you lose weight and you may be able to start walking for exercise when your weight is lower.

    That is absolutely false. Losing weight has to do with how much you eat, period. For the OP, even walking around probably gets his/her heart rate right up there.

    The OP needs to follow a doctor's instructions.

    OP, best wishes to you on this journey. Whatever you decide to do, I hope you won't let the squabbling keep you off the forums. There are some great people here who have lost a lot of weight and who can give you the support you need.

    Whups. Unclear in my post--I meant the reason she's not losing at whatever her current diet (which is making no weight change for her either way), was lack of aerobic exercise. Thanks for catching my mistake.

    That would still be false though.....
  • Velum_cado
    Velum_cado Posts: 1,608 Member
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    I am sorry to say that at your weight it could be a whole host of thinks. The fat could be putting pressure on and disrupting the function of your internal organs. And I wouldn't be surprised if you had a thyroid issue at the moment.

    As much as I hate to say it surgery may be the better option in your case. As it may alleviate some of the more extreme effects of all the weight you are carrying around. Hell even the ability to walk around would do you a tremendous amount of good right now. As if you are completely sedentary and your internal workings aren't moving right you may not even be burning 1800 a day anyway.

    I have every sympathy with you as my weight got pretty big myself not at the stage you where at. But enough. And Honestly I think you are beyond conventional methods of weight loss. It's time to consider more drastic solutions. As the longer you are sedentary the more your muscles will atrophy. And the more mobility you will lose. You need to realize that you need something that works now. You don't have time t o be patient and wait the process out.

    I hope I don't scare you and I sincerely wish you the best.
    NO.

    Seconding that "NO". OP, try weighing and measuring your food if you're not already. I wouldn't recommend surgery to anyone, certainly not at the first hurdle.
  • paulzli
    paulzli Posts: 72 Member
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    You're stuffing your face still. To maintain 440 lbs you'd need to eat around 2800 calories a day.

    Where did you get that number from? I'm 80 pounds less than the OP and I have to eat 3700 calories to maintain.

    I did a simple tdee calculation and set it to sedentary,

    Let me guess. You looked at the BMR not the TDEE and used Mifflin-St Jeor instead of the Harris Benedict Formula, which is better suited for obese or overweight people....
  • Krizzle4Rizzle
    Krizzle4Rizzle Posts: 2,704 Member
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    I'm not sure if I missed it somewhere but how long as the OP been logging?
  • ANonAMouse3
    ANonAMouse3 Posts: 9
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    Read up about PCOS. I have it and it is very hard to lose weight. (I don't have any thyroid problems). It is VERY possible that you have that. Most overweight people that have a hard time losing the weight will find out that they have this. If you look at they symptoms of it, you may see a lot that you do have - and maybe a few that you do not have - if you have most, you probably have it. I know I do not have all of the symptoms either.
    You may just need the doctor to check you out better (check thyroid, but also check for PCOS). And I'm with you... I don't want that operation either. Yikes!
    :smile:

    Good Luck!
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
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    Do you weigh and measure your food? If not, you don't really know how much you're eating, and 1800 cals in your head could easily surpass 3000 calories in reality.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
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    You're stuffing your face still. To maintain 440 lbs you'd need to eat around 2800 calories a day.

    Where did you get that number from? I'm 80 pounds less than the OP and I have to eat 3700 calories to maintain.

    I did a simple tdee calculation and set it to sedentary,

    Im not sure what calculator youre using but that seems about 1500 calories off.

    All that matters is to be 440 lbs and claim to not be losing at 1800 cals a day is flat out BS.

    I'm 6'1 185 and lose at 2350.

    No, it's not.

    But people really need to stop judging on this forum because they do not know the medical issues that are impacting a persons metabolism. Does she has cushings or graves or hyperthydroidism? Does she have a metabolic disorder?

    The answer is you don't know.

    Just because YOU lose at 2350 doesn't mean someone else will.

    .
    .
    .

    No one is judging anyone.

    It's pretty simple… OP claims to be eating 1800 calories but if they aren't using a food scale, they are likely overeating which is why they aren't losing weight.

    Considering OP is 440 lbs, I guarantee he/she has been tested for endocrine disorders such as diabetes, insulin resistance, hypo/hyperthyroidism. Therefore, if OP has any of these conditions they likely would've been picked up by now. And if in fact OP does have any of the conditions, they should've included that in their original post.
  • Maitria
    Maitria Posts: 439 Member
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    eat a high carb low fat plant based (vegan) diet...consisting of fruits, veggies, brown rice, potatoes etc and the weight will come off...dont restrict your carbs that will give you the energy to get up and move a bit! you will get there it takes time but stick with it...and go with how your body is feeling instead of the lbs on the scale...eat a diet like i suggested and you will feel better...you can message me if you need any specific tips...good luck

    As a vegan who loves my carbs, I have to disagree with this. Besides, all the energy in the world won't help if your knee hurts too much to use it. Why not get a second opinion from another doctor, hopefully a specialist? No one here is in the place to tell you whether or not surgery is right for you or why you aren't losing. How frustrating though-I wish you well.

    Edit: Do you have health insurance? Your doctor might be able to get you approved for aquatic PT.
  • Clovergirl143
    Clovergirl143 Posts: 61 Member
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    I started at 374, and I had this SAME problem for probably the first 3 months! I started walking (it was painful at first since I was used to being almost completely sedentary) and doing sit ups a little more each day. It took probably 3 months of me eating healthier food AND exercising before the scale really started to move. Don't give up! We didn't gain the weight overnight and we're not going to lose it overnight either. But the important thing is that you find something you CAN do, even if it's small amounts a day, and DO IT. Consistently!

    I started at 374 over a year ago. I could barely walk half a mile in half an hour, and it was painful, I had blisters on my feet, and I was BEAT for the day. I started doing sit ups every day, starting at 2 a day, then 4, etc. A bit over a year later and I can walk a 5k in just over an hour with NO pain, NO blisters, and have energy left over! I can do 100 sit ups a day easy. I can do 30 modified push ups, and even started being able to do push ups on my toes! Right now I'm doing Turbo Fire and drinking Shakeology.

    My point is that you can't expect to be running marathons right off the bat. Start small and BE CONSISTENT. Soon your strength and endurance will grow and you'll be able to do more.

    I agree with making sure you are measuring everything you eat. Serving sizes can be tricky! One of my favorite examples of this is frozen Swai fillets. The serving size is a 4 oz fillet. You would assume that means 1 fillet. It's NOT! Each of those fillets are AT LEAST 2 servings, sometimes 2.5! It's tough getting used to measuring everything, but it's definitely worth it! ALSO! If you have a craving (say, for a cookie or something) have the dang cookie, but take out ONE and put the rest away! This satisfies your craving, and you don't end up eating the whole thing (TRUST ME on this one...I am a recovering emotional eater, and this is the only thing that saved me from binge eating when junk food was around!)

    I wish you the best of luck on your journey, and I'd love to help support you if you wouldn't mind a friend! :)

    Amanda

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