Could it be any easier!

Options
2dopedesigns
2dopedesigns Posts: 16
in Getting Started
Hi guys my name is Matt , Im new...... this MFP rocks!!! Cant believe how easy this is....... Im not sure who could possibly have a problem doing this! I mean at first it might be hard to find the right combination of foods to eat and stay within your goal, but im going by what it suggested and I am in awe of what I can eat! Wow!

Ill be honest too. The reason I started this journey is that I have peripheral neuropathy which has caused numbness in my feet and I have learned that I am closing in on becoming diabetic at the age of 30 weighing it at 290 pounds. The numbness in my feet has set in over the course of two years but I finally reached a point where I was scared it was going to spread through from my toes to my entire feet.

I went to doctor and they told me the #1 thing I can do for the numbness and to keep it from spreading is to control my eating. It keeps the inflammation down that occurs in your feet. Since starting my diet I do not drink anything but water. I also dont eat any red meats, Alot of cooked chicken and fish. Never fried. I also realized I need to weigh and measure everything. If someone tells you they know how to lose weight and they are not weighing and measuring they probably aren't doing it right.

I am only a week in but I have lost a pound already and can tell that my body is changing . My feet no longer break out in crazy sensations like they use too. I no longer sweat alot because im drinking alot of water. And I finally realize why dieting never worked before, all the food I thought was healthy was really not healthy. I may be at the beginning of my journey but I must say that my first pound will be my most important. Alot of people think the goal pound is the most important but to me the fact that I know I am even moving towards my goal finally is a bigger deal.

I now walk through the grocery store in awe of how people load their carts up with what I call "instant death". When my friends buy fast food the sight of the menu makes me cringe. I now understand the harm we do to our bodies on a daily basis all just for convenience. Our society has become lazy. It is far to easy to pop a tv dinner in the microwave then it is to stand in the kitchen and cook for thirty mins. It is time for us to motivate one another to take care of our bodies and take back control of our will power to eat what we need to eat and not what society has drugged our bodies to feel we must eat.

I have only been here for a week but I encourage any other new person reading this to make your health a focus. This website and program tells a story. A story of many individuals who have succeeded and a few who have failed. When I look through the forum every once in a while I run into a personal post from months or years ago, however their weight widget shows no loss even now..... I feel sad when I see that. When I see that I feel sorry that maybe this post wasn't here for those people to read. But for all of you that have posted on this forum and will respond to this post in the future I want you to realize that your posts and your comments were here for me to read when I needed support. I don't know any of you but I love you all for sharing your success as well as your struggles. It keeps me motivated and so it does countless others.
«134

Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Options
    Yes, with the right tools, managing weight is surprisingly easy!

    I can see your diary, and I think you may want to even out those calories from day to day, and balance your diet a bit more, unless you're happy and satisfied as it is, of course.
  • JenniDaisy
    JenniDaisy Posts: 526 Member
    Options
    Yes, but you're only eating 1200 and change a day.
    Are you under 5ft?
    Over Middle age, 50+?
    In a coma?

    Up yo' intake.
  • 2dopedesigns
    2dopedesigns Posts: 16
    Options
    I updated the post..... I try to eat more but I just dont want to go over anywhere on anything.... I try to always hit atleast the 1200 mark otherwise it wont let me finish my diary, Im 30 and weigh 289 and im 6 feet tall.
  • sakuya3834
    sakuya3834 Posts: 116 Member
    Options
    I updated the post..... I try to eat more but I just dont want to go over anywhere on anything.... I try to always hit atleast the 1200 mark otherwise it wont let me finish my diary, Im 30 and weigh 289 and im 6 feet tall.

    As a man you should really never go below 1500, but even 1500 would be too low for your stats.
  • JenniDaisy
    JenniDaisy Posts: 526 Member
    Options
    Well If you're completely sedentary, I've just calculated your BMR (which is just what you need to keep your heart beating/ hair growing etc.) is 2312.

    That is the minimum, MINIMUM, you should be eating.
  • 2dopedesigns
    2dopedesigns Posts: 16
    Options
    lol, I dont know what to say they say only eat 1800 or so in the suggestions...... I would love more input...
  • cw106
    cw106 Posts: 952 Member
    Options
    lol, I dont know what to say they say only eat 1800 or so in the suggestions...... I would love more input...

    who is. "they" ? doctor or medical specialist?

    any exercise plannned?

    you are in a great place having seen your doc and become calorie aware and joining mfp to log food and exercise.

    just make sure you visit docs regularly to ensure all your new stats are correct for your weight loss situation.
    i started heavy too at 235 and ate way below recommended for 2 months initially.
    good luck.

    fr sent.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,090 Member
    Options
    Look I am the first to defend 1200 calories for SOME people.

    6 foot tall, 30 year old men are NOT those people.

    Your daily allowance should be much more than that. Enter your details into MFP, don't put a loss rate of 2lb week unless you are very obese and don't put sedentary unless you really are sedentary. I guarantee your amount will come out as far more than 1200 - and that is before eating back any exercise calories.

    A couple of other points

    * don't be sad about old posters whose tickers have not moved. MFP is not for everyone and they may well have met their goals another way and just don't log into here any more.

    * not getting the big deal about microwave dinners and 'lazy people not cooking'
    If people like microwave meals ( I eat one now and then) and are still meeting their goals, what is the problem?

    * likewise shopping carts full of 'instant death', now that is just melodramatic and silly.
    I'm sure my cart contains plenty of instant death items - but, meh, I'm 50 years old and within healthy weight range, any death from such things is proving rather slower than instant :laugh:

    * no reason not to eat red meat - I'm not sure what you are trying to achieve with that one.

    * " if someone tells you they know how to lose weight and they are not weighing and measuring, they probably aren't doing it right"
    I have had success with weighing and measuring - but I still disagree with that statement. If someone is steadily losing weight, regardless of weighing and measuring, then they probably ARE doing it right.

    Anyway, good luck with your goals - but you do need to eat more and perhaps be a bit less zealous about it all :flowerforyou:
  • 2dopedesigns
    2dopedesigns Posts: 16
    Options
    120 pounds doesn't qualify for very obese? I also filled it out in a truthful manner , I work out the house and do not exercise. I sit infront of a pc for about 14 hours a day. But in all my post has been taken the wrong way......... Im glad for everyone and there contribution to the boards..... Thats it.:smile:
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
    Options
    I understand the excitement when you just start, but remember you need to be in this for the long haul. 1200 calories for a 6 foot 30 year old male isn't going to cut that.

    Once you get into the habits for the most part yes it is pretty easy, unless you make it difficult. Labeling foods or what people have in their shopping carts as instant death, good or bad, or whatever... well that usually puts you on a slippery slope. Food is food, not good or bad.

    While you have this excitement is a good time to start developing good habits, like logging accurately, here's a good link to help with that:

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

    Once you get the basic logging handled, then start looking at macros: protein, fat, and carbs. Find an activity you enjoy and do that.

    Here's 2 more links that will help read them and then reread 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

    Use this excited time it comes and goes, but if you use it to develop good habits, it will help. Good luck to you.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,090 Member
    Options
    120 pounds isn't obese at all is it? For a 6 foot tall man?

    I think in metric so not sure of pounds but that seems really light to me.
    Or have I missed your point?

    What has been taken the wrong way?
    Even if you are sedentary 1200 is far too small an amount for a 6 ft tall 30 year old man.
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
    Options
    120 pounds doesn't qualify for very obese? I also filled it out in a truthful manner , I work out the house and do not exercise. I sit infront of a pc for about 14 hours a day. But in all my post has been taken the wrong way......... Im glad for everyone and there contribution to the boards..... Thats it.:smile:

    When I started I couldn't exercise at all, I could stand for 5 minutes about once an hour. I'm also older than you, and I lost weight with not moving at all around 1400 calories. Now that I have learned more, get more exercise and my health has improved I eat 1600-1900 calories and dessert every night.
  • JenniDaisy
    JenniDaisy Posts: 526 Member
    Options
    120 pounds doesn't qualify for very obese? I also filled it out in a truthful manner , I work out the house and do not exercise. I sit infront of a pc for about 14 hours a day. But in all my post has been taken the wrong way......... Im glad for everyone and there contribution to the boards..... Thats it.:smile:

    http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

    Have a look at this, it will give you more of an idea about how much you should be eating and your macro percentages.
    Read some of the forum stickies, get as much information as you can.

    Put it this way, as your weight goes down so do the calories you can eat. Are you going to go down to 900, 800 calories a day?
  • 2dopedesigns
    2dopedesigns Posts: 16
    Options
    by they I meant my fitness pal..... this is in response to a earlier reply
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,090 Member
    Options
    by they I meant my fitness pal..... this is in response to a earlier reply

    Ok,so MFP gave you a daily amount of 1800 calories.

    Why are you trying to eat at 1200 then and not at 1800??
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
    Options
    by they I meant my fitness pal..... this is in response to a earlier reply

    MFP gave you a goal of 1870 from what your diary says, that is what you should be eating. That has your deficit built into it
  • 2dopedesigns
    2dopedesigns Posts: 16
    Options
    Well to be honest Im not really hungry. I eat when Im supposed to and it just says when you get over 1200 calories you are doing ok. I dont feel weak or anything like that I just dont feel a need to force myself to eat more. I could eat more but I would place myself over in categories such as sodium. I also notice that you choose not to track your sodium..... is sodium not important?

    I could pile a burrito and some chips to bring up my calories but since it says over 1200 is fine I just work around that.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Options
    Yes, with the right tools, managing weight is surprisingly easy!

    Provided you use it right.

    Do you really believe that the people in this tread are ganging up with MFP trying to mislead you?
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
    Options
    Well to be honest Im not really hungry. I eat when Im supposed to and it just says when you get over 1200 calories you are doing ok. I dont feel weak or anything like that I just dont feel a need to force myself to eat more. I could eat more but I would place myself over in categories such as sodium. I also notice that you choose not to track your sodium..... is sodium not important?

    I don't track sodium as I don't have a medical condition that would require me to worry about it, just like I don't track sugar. I focus on my calorie goal, getting my protein, fats, and fiber... the rest I don't focus on.

    The minimum 1200 calories is for a sedentary 5 foot female (maybe)

    I'm 5'6 female have gone through menopause and eat more than you.
  • 2dopedesigns
    2dopedesigns Posts: 16
    Options
    And just so we can be on the same page . some one tell me how im not using it right? I follow it to a t and log my foods...... It says im in a healthy range........... and considering I am pre diabetic I need to track sugars and what not. Tracking 6 things is harder then 4 not impossible but more difficult.

Categories