over a year and no weight loss

makemyfriendsfat

I didn't bother reading everyone else's responses but I read your whole original post. Have you had your thyroid checked and hormone levels? Since you had an infection, it could have thrown off other things in your body. Both of those things can really mess up your ability to loose weight even if you are doing everything right where you should be. There are natural meds you can take for those things if that ends up being whats wrong.

_Terrapin_

OP you have said you didn't know it wasn't normal to gain 65 pounds in 3 months? How about if you start there?

TheVirgoddess

I will try to use measuring cups for stuff that can fit (Corn, carrots etc). Unfortunately, even 15 dollars for a scale is way over budget for me. I know that's probably hard to believe but my finances are very very slim owing to me not being able to work for a long time, even now I'm only quazi employed. and my wife and I are JUST making ends meet. It sucks. but that one of the reasons I have been trying to get my weight back down, so I can apply for more laborious jobs and hopefully make some more money.

If you're willing to send me your name and address, I will buy and mail you a food scale.

I know it's hard to hear criticism and after what you've been through health wise, I imagine it's also hard to hear the easiest solution might actually be the solution.

Your weight gain was likely caused by being "bed ridden" for three months. If you're eating the same, and suddenly not moving, you're going to gain weight pretty quickly. We also don't know what or how much you ate in that time period - so no one on here is going to tell you if you weight gain is "normal" or not.

For most people, it really comes down to accurately weighing and logging food (there is a food logging tool on here, so you don't have to manually write it down). Now maybe you're not like most people - but there's only one way to find out! I'd also ask your doctor for a copy of your most recent blood work. There are different schools of thought on "normal" ranges for thyroid numbers, so I would arm yourself with that information and look into it a bit more.

Maybe it's already been recommended, but I'd take measurements of your body, too.

I'm sorry you've had such a rough go of things. I hope that you can find the solution. Good luck, hon.

MyOwnSunshine

are used ones still accurate, I would imagine they would lose calibration after awhile

I think they would be accurate enough. I've had mine for more than 3 years and it works well. I'd imagine, like most health and fitness equipment, that it is used heavily for the first week and then sits around collecting dust until January 1st of the next year.

Irvic

I've had my thyroid checked, though I've read there's more and less accurate ways of testing. Not sure which way was used. my hormones I'm not entirely sure. I know my vitamin levels haven't been checked but I kind of had to choose my battles with my doctors so it's still something I want to try to get done if I can.

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zericaaaaa

I will try to use measuring cups for stuff that can fit (Corn, carrots etc). Unfortunately, even 15 dollars for a scale is way over budget for me. I know that's probably hard to believe but my finances are very very slim owing to me not being able to work for a long time, even now I'm only quazi employed. and my wife and I are JUST making ends meet. It sucks. but that one of the reasons I have been trying to get my weight back down, so I can apply for more laborious jobs and hopefully make some more money.

If you're willing to send me your name and address, I will buy and mail you a food scale.

I know it's hard to hear criticism and after what you've been through health wise, I imagine it's also hard to hear the easiest solution might actually be the solution.

Your weight gain was likely caused by being "bed ridden" for three months. If you're eating the same, and suddenly not moving, you're going to gain weight pretty quickly. We also don't know what or how much you ate in that time period - so no one on here is going to tell you if you weight gain is "normal" or not.

For most people, it really comes down to accurately weighing and logging food (there is a food logging tool on here, so you don't have to manually write it down). Now maybe you're not like most people - but there's only one way to find out! I'd also ask your doctor for a copy of your most recent blood work. There are different schools of thought on "normal" ranges for thyroid numbers, so I would arm yourself with that information and look into it a bit more.

Maybe it's already been recommended, but I'd take measurements of your body, too.

I'm sorry you've had such a rough go of things. I hope that you can find the solution. Good luck, hon.

you are a very nice person! can you pay my rent too! haha no but seriously. I understand your frustrations, OP. I have noooooo money to afford a food scale at the moment, but I still do use measuring cups when I can. I always try to overestimate my portions and I have my calories set to a lower amount than what is recommended for my body so if I DO underestimate, it won't do much damage. I used to record my calories on paper but ever since using this website, I've noticed drastic positive results. another thing that has helped me has been using a heart rate monitor, my mother bought it for me last year on my birthday because I'd never be able to afford it haha butttt it has definitely opened my eyes to correctly logging my exercise. I hope you can find the answers you need

jnv7594

we try, my wife has been diligently blanching and freezing tomatoes from our garden for the past week, unfortunately anything we can't grow we have to buy which gets expensive.

Frozen veggies are a good and cheap option.

I agree with this. I love green beans, and eat them almost every day. You can get a decent sized bag of them frozen for around a dollar. Plus, they are better for you anyway because they don't have added salt or anything else. Just steam and eat.

occultllama

well, the diary is hand written and I don't have a scanner, so I'm not sure how I could get it on here. I'd be happy to transcribe some of the pages into a post though.


I wasn't weighing my food, at that point, I large portion of what I was eating was prepackaged (Instant oatmeal, chicken soup,) anything my wife made for dinner was generally weighted at some point, packaged meet was portioned by the pound etc.

here's an excerpt from the diary.

Feb 23, 2014

9:30 AM
-woke up
-felt crappy
- very hungry (hunger pains

10:30 AM
-Cut up half a cantaloupe (93 calories)
- hunger satisfied
-mood diminished
-feel very fatigued

12:00 PM
Ate other half of cantaloupe (93 calories)
- Hunger satisfied
-feeling ok

2:00 PM
-Sudden hunger pains (did not feel hungry before hand)

3:00 PM
- Ate Chicken and rice (About 650 calories)
-hunger satisfied
-feel fatigued

5:00 PM
Feeling very fatigued
-Mood greatly diminished
- Need nap

7:30 PM
Dinner - 12oz steak green beans carrots (about 800 calories)
-hunger satisfied
-mood = positive

9:30
Feeling fatigued
-hungry
-mood diminished
motivation diminished

10:00 pm
ate banana (105 calories)
stomach tension and heartburn
bananas causing heartburn apparently

Midnight
had oatmeal (180 calories)
sugar sifted out

1:30 AM
going to bed
feel fine

total calories 1816

miles walked today 2.5 miles



This is representative of my daily diet. Part of the problem though is that I was also sick at the time with a stomach occupying bacterial infection so different foods were doing different things to me, thats why you see the mood and energy recorded as well. Since I've gotten better, I changed my oatmeal to breakfast bars which have about 40 more calories. I do not have a lot of money so I've done the best I can with what I have.

Okay, I don't know why no one said anything, or if this is even abnormal but along with more health checks and 99% accurate logging of food I would be sorting out my eating/sleeping schedule.

You get up at 9:30 right? Get up, drink a glass of water, have a nice big, healthy breakfast (for example a bowl of oatmeal with healthy toppings). You need something with a bit of energy to start your day and keep you full(ish) until lunchtime.

1:30pm(ish), lunchtime, chicken and rice sounds pretty good! Maybe ditch a bit of rice and include some veges though?

5/6/7pm(ish), have dinner, again what you are eating doesn't seem too bad.

Of course you can have 2 or 3 snacks throughout the day, between meals, the cantaloupe and banana seem like good choices. But don't be eating a bowl of oatmeal with sugar on it before you go to bed, that's nuts, and will probably give you some difficulty in actually getting to sleep.

Someone already said something about protein, but maybe you want to adds some nuts to your diet. They aren't overly filling but they do give you a very large energy boost calorie wise.

Also I noticed you didn't log any fluids? Unless it is black coffee/tea/water drinks have calories too, make sure you log them to get an accurate estimate of calories. Your body needs water to function, make sure you are drinking 2 litres or approximately 8 glasses of water a day.

Regular food can help you with your fatigue, especially a proper breakfast.

I don't think I have anything else to add, invisible illnesses can be a b*tch to work through, keep up the hard work.

Jayma375

One thing I noticed from the one day's diary you provided was that you aren't eating any real food until 3pm when you have the chicken and rice. Try eating more earlier and less later in the day.

Also, how do you sleep? It's been documented in literature that we can have a problem if you aren't sleeping well or long enough. My doctor sent me for a sleep study and now I have to use a CPAP machine. It has made a difference.

Kalikel

I've had my thyroid checked, though I've read there's more and less accurate ways of testing. Not sure which way was used. my hormones I'm not entirely sure. I know my vitamin levels haven't been checked but I kind of had to choose my battles with my doctors so it's still something I want to try to get done if I can.

Get everything done. Get new doctors if you have to.

Don't take medical advice from strangers on the Internet. Don't take their word for it that you don't need a doctor, not even if they tell you that they're a nurse and that they're sure you don't need to see a doctor right now.

Nobody is qualified to give medical advice online.

See the doctor.

I'm stopping now because I've said it enough. If you don't do it, you'll be a fool.

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Kalikel

Here are Scooby's reasons why people don't lose weight:

1.You are eating more calories than you realize (75% of you)
2.You are over-reporting your exercise (15% of you)
3.You are not weighing your self accurately (9.9% of you)
4.You have a rare disease (0.1% of you

Not to question the authority of Scooby from the Internet, but where are the people who have other reasons?

TheVirgoddess

To the 2 posts above.

A big breakfast isn't necessary. It's discretionary. It won't prevent someone from losing weight if they don't eat breakfast. Look up intermittent fasting. Our body has energy reserves, glycogen, fat and food that's still being digested.

Sleep is important but it won't blunt fat from oxidizing if you don't get enough. You can see an increase in cortisol and Grehlin but you will still lose weight.

Agree. And eating three meals a day isn't necessary, either.

astartig

Honestly, what would it hurt to spend two weeks logging your food intake on here? If you are guesstimating calories like on your post with your example day it's very likely that you are over eating due to not really knowing how much you are consuming. You have already gone a year doing what you have been doing with no results, why keep doing it? Figure out how much you need to be eating to lose, weigh your food and log it on here and see what happens. It might surprise you.

What she said! it's amazing how much *about and *exact can differ. it doesn't take *that* many underestimated calories to keep you at a stall.

sunburntgalaxy

3:00 PM
- Ate Chicken and rice (About 650 calories)

Dinner - 12oz steak green beans carrots (about 800 calories)

Bold is your problem - you really have no idea just how many calories you're consuming - you're guessing.

Take a week or two and measure and weigh EVERYTHING that goes into your mouth. My guess is you'll be surprised at how inaccurate your guesses are. That's not a personal criticism - pretty much everyone does it.

I have to agree that your estimates could be way off - out of curiosity I looked up calories in a 12 oz steak and found a range between about 350 and 850 calories depending on cooking method, type of steak, etc. So how do you know 800 calories is correct - how did you determine that amount? If you didn't weigh and measure everything, and note cooking method (I don't cook steak and just quickly looked so I don't remember what they listed - grilling was one, something with cooked in butter which I think my dad would do) then how do you know it is about 800 calories?

I weigh and measure pretty much everything I eat (ie, 63 grams of tomato, 62 grams of sugar snap peas included in todays dinner) so I can have an accurate calorie count (well, as accurate as can be with the information available based on that food items weight).

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Snip8241

You don't know how many calories your are eating, you're using estimates. You're guessing so your not eating at a deficit so you don't lose weight. It's as simple as you're eating too much. These links will help

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1175494-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants?hl=guide+to+sexypants&page=1#posts-18361594

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

THIS THIS AND THIS!!!

If you don't know what you are eating...you don't know what you are eating.

jrodri0105

its all in your head. You won't take anyone's advice. If you aren't measuring your foods than you can easily overestimate your calories. Find a different doctors if you think its medical and not psychosomatic !

shabaity

Ok here's something that has been mentioned before but I'm looking at it slightly differently. Look at your log and how you are feeling during this and after specific meals, you don't seem to perk up any till after you've added protein in. The mood and the fatigue seem to be insulin resistance as basically your popping your blood sugar with the cantaloupe but not really giving yourself anything to sustain it long term. This is the way it was explained to me several years ago is that carbs are short term energy, proteins and fats which are broken down differently give you longer term energy. That and for some people (ie me) little meals just leave them hungry and cranky and you don't perk up till after you start eating the larger ones either.

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sakuya3834

I'm also concerned that no one has addressed the weight gain in the first place, does this mean it's normal to gain that much weight in that much time?

I'm not sure it's normal but it can happen. I went from 140-210 in 5 months at one point and have no metabolic issues.

juggernaut1974

One more question...

How can you afford 12oz steak every evening for dinner, if you can't drop 10 bucks for a food scale?

TheVirgoddess

Ok here's something that has been mentioned before but I'm looking at it slightly differently. Look at your log and how you are feeling during this and after specific meals, you don't seem to perk up any till after you've added protein in. The mood and the fatigue seem to be insulin resistance as basically your popping your blood sugar with the cantaloupe but not really giving yourself anything to sustain it long term. This is the way it was explained to me several years ago is that carbs are short term energy, proteins and fats which are broken down differently give you longer term energy. That and for some people (ie me) little meals just leave them hungry and cranky and you don't perk up till after you start eating the larger ones either.

I think it's kinda dangerous to internet diagnose someone based on a single day of eating/mood/energy level.

I am insulin resistant, I'd never tell someone that they are, too.

Anyway - OP, I'm serious about my offer of the food scale. If you're nervous about sending your personal info to me, I can send you the money via PayPal. Up to you.

shabaity

Ok here's something that has been mentioned before but I'm looking at it slightly differently. Look at your log and how you are feeling during this and after specific meals, you don't seem to perk up any till after you've added protein in. The mood and the fatigue seem to be insulin resistance as basically your popping your blood sugar with the cantaloupe but not really giving yourself anything to sustain it long term. This is the way it was explained to me several years ago is that carbs are short term energy, proteins and fats which are broken down differently give you longer term energy. That and for some people (ie me) little meals just leave them hungry and cranky and you don't perk up till after you start eating the larger ones either.

Can you explain the whole "if you don't perk up then eat protein" suggestions? How is that supposed to be an indicator?
Can we attribute everyone's mood and fatigue to insulin resistance?
Your body will not just burn through all carbs right away leaving people angry. That's anecdotal evidence at best.

Indeed it likely is anecdotal at best, though having seen it in every single diabetic I know, including my pre-diabetic self, I'm inclined to believe it. The best explanation I was given was that insulin resistance ie type 2 diabetes causes the body to metabolize differently, particularly glucose but this can also affect medications, and that as a (pre-) type 2 to always pair carbs with proteins to ensure that you don't get the rapid dip that can occur. The full explanation was a bunch of medical jargon that I've never been interested enough to remember all of. And no I wouldn't say they are just that it sounds similar to what I've seen and that in this case a full panel of blood work is a good idea particularly with previous medical issues possibly covering up something else.

Edited to answer something else.

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shabaity

Ok here's something that has been mentioned before but I'm looking at it slightly differently. Look at your log and how you are feeling during this and after specific meals, you don't seem to perk up any till after you've added protein in. The mood and the fatigue seem to be insulin resistance as basically your popping your blood sugar with the cantaloupe but not really giving yourself anything to sustain it long term. This is the way it was explained to me several years ago is that carbs are short term energy, proteins and fats which are broken down differently give you longer term energy. That and for some people (ie me) little meals just leave them hungry and cranky and you don't perk up till after you start eating the larger ones either.

Can you explain the whole "if you don't perk up then eat protein" suggestions? How is that supposed to be an indicator?
Can we attribute everyone's mood and fatigue to insulin resistance?
Your body will not just burn through all carbs right away leaving people angry. That's anecdotal evidence at best.

Indeed it likely is anecdotal at best, though having seen it in every single diabetic I know, including my pre-diabetic self, I'm inclined to believe it. The best explanation I was given was that insulin resistance ie type 2 diabetes causes the body to metabolize differently, particularly glucose but this can also affect medications, and that as a (pre-) type 2 to always pair carbs with proteins to ensure that you don't get the rapid dip that can occur. The full explanation was a bunch of medical jargon that I've never been interested enough to remember all of. And no I wouldn't say they are just that it sounds similar to what I've seen and that in this case a full panel of blood work is a good idea particularly with previous medical issues possibly covering up something else.

Edited to answer something else.

As you said, anecdotal at best. I know plenty of diabetics that don't have that situation. You should remember the medical jargon if that's what's you're going to go by. The explanation was lack luster.

You're basically diagnosing the OP with diabetes. Did you consider he's eating more than he thinks?

Also, he didn't state he's on medications.

Nope, that was just a remembered portion of that conversation that always follows along with the rest of it, for reasons. When you grow up around diabetics it really does become medical jargon after a while the advice given to grandfather is different than my mother received, my uncle different, my grandmother's both got different advice, and what I was given was different again, the only thing that stayed the same was the protein carb pairing and that was not explained until 4 years ago when I was diagnosed and to be honest at that point I was just doing a happy dance that I hadn't inherited my grandmother's thyroid issues. So honestly what I'm hoping get's pulled from this is "Ok the body is still acting weird this is also affecting mood. Perhaps there is something else that was covered up by the previous problem." Get a full panel done, to be safe. If its nothing, which I hope, then you know for sure. Yes OP should be watching his counts I don't disagree, I count mine everyday its the only way I've ever safely lost weight.

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tinallen863

I'm 52 and know the ropes, please take my word for it: MEASURE AND WEIGH! Don't trust your eyes. Also, give up the packaged bars and swap it for fresh fruit. This will change everything. You can do it! You can get a scale pretty cheap but I use measuring cups and spoons the most.

Maitria

OP, this isn't to pick on you, just to illustrate how easily we make mistakes in logging. Your math is wrong from the journal entry you posted. You shorted yourself by 105 calories. You ate 1921, if your estimations were perfect.

You don't have to buy a food scale to get started. You can use measuring cups and spoons.

It makes sense to me that you gained the weight in three months-you were sick and moving a lot less. Movement throughout the days makes a pretty big difference even without actual exercise.

Since you are in a financially tight spot, the most helpful advice truly is to try being more precise with your measuring or weighing and logging. It's much cheaper than a doctor's appointment. It's also cheaper than buying a frozen meal for every meal. (If you make a few food swaps like buying oatmeal-not in the packets but in the can or carton-instead of breakfast bars, you'll easily save the money you need to buy a scale or measuring set.)