I'm at my wits end.

EmmaOnTrack

Emma - Yes, she's laying herself out there, but *kitten* pats and unicorn farts will not always get a point across.

Love that! You're right of course, but surely there's a happy medium somewhere? I don't imagine she came here expecting folks to blow wind up her bum, but given the obvious fragility exposed in her original post I think some may have found a slightly gentler approach may have resonated more.

Regardless, there is lots of very useful information and valid advice here, so hopefully the OP will understand it is given with the best intention, even if the delivery is a little confronting.

Happy days ya'll.

caminoslo

Thank you, I've opened it.

Get rid of the breads and carbs except for the fruits and vegetables. no cereal no yogurt watch the sugar.

EmmaOnTrack

Go see your doctor. It's not a wacky, new exciting idea, but it's the smart way to begin any weight loss journey.

If your at your wits' end and you've tried all the fitness gurus online, give doing the thing every expert advises you to do first a chance.

Or keep trying things that aren't decided based on you specifically by people who aren't qualified to help you.

Up to you! Good luck with whatever you do.

The problem with this is that I don't have a family doctor, I don't know who to see, and I haven't really got any money. One of the reasons I eat so much "bad" food is that it's cheaper.

Pop over to NZ and I'll feed ya the good stuff...for nothing.

vismal

Thank you, I've opened it.

Get rid of the breads and carbs except for the fruits and vegetables. no cereal no yogurt watch the sugar.

This has nothing to do with why she isn't losing weight. Calories in vs calories out > carbs. ALWAYS.

Kalikel

Go see your doctor. It's not a wacky, new exciting idea, but it's the smart way to begin any weight loss journey.

If your at your wits' end and you've tried all the fitness gurus online, give doing the thing every expert advises you to do first a chance.

Or keep trying things that aren't decided based on you specifically by people who aren't qualified to help you.

Up to you! Good luck with whatever you do.

The problem with this is that I don't have a family doctor, I don't know who to see, and I haven't really got any money. One of the reasons I eat so much "bad" food is that it's cheaper.

Most cities have free clinics. Some churches have doctors and nurses who see people occasionally, too. That's becoming more and more common. If you live out in the boonies and don't have a car and can't get to a free doctor, ask in a church or synagogue if they know of doctors who will see you. They probably do.

Anyone who has been sick will tell you that health is more important than anything. Taking chances with your life is a bad idea. Get a doctor and get yourself checked out every year. If you don't do that, little things can be missed until they're big things and it is too late.

Put your health first, every single time. Always.

Junk food is generally not cheaper. Starbucks and Boo Berry are much more expensive than fruits and veggies. If you look around, you should be able to buy fruits and veggies pretty cheap. A bag of frozen mixed veggies at my grocery store is $.99 and I don't even shop discount grocery stores. Buy cheaper meats in bulk.

And if you're all that broke, apply for food stamps. They hand them out like candy these days. I know it sucks being broke!! Lord, I have been there!! But try to do what you can to be healthy, KWIM?

Good luck.

FitOldMomma

Read this:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1454303-2-years-of-maintenance-130-pounds-lost

She 'gets it'.

It is probably the best post I've ever read about weight loss, but mostly about maintaining the loss.

Good luck.

Reader56

If you keep doing what you're doing, you'll keep getting what you're getting. So when someone suggests a change, see if you can put it on a list of things to try.

Here's my suggestion:

Stop trying to be xxxx lbs.

Instead, say I'm going to do this for 26 weeks.

What's that?

1. Log accurately everything that you eat. Every condiment. Everything. If you get pristine about nothing else, get pristine about logging. If you don't know where you are, there is no map to get you where you are going. Review your logs daily and weekly and use them to help you make changes.

2. Walk 3x a week for 30 minutes -- someplace nice. Make this walk a treat. Don't just go around your same old block. Go downtown. Go to the waterfront. Go hike an easy trail. It seems silly to drive 5 miles just to walk 1.5 miles, but it's not silly -- it's its own reward. It will help you look forward to the walk.

3. Weigh and measure once in a while and keep up your tracking stats, but don't worry about it.

Now this assumes everything is already set up right. MFP knows you want to be 170 and lose 2 lbs a week. If not go http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_guided and set those up. It should take you 26 weeks to be around your goal, but it won't be a straight line -- and remember, your goal is the 26 weeks of #1 through #3 above. We're going to focus on getting good information about your diet and keeping you moving in a rewarding way. These are things we can control. We're not going to worry about what the scale says tomorrow, that is out of our control.

________________________________________________________________________________

This is one of the nicest, sincerest pieces of advice I've read - heartfelt and caring. What a nice guy. And I'm listening to it too.

jakichan

You're making assumptions about her BMR. I really wish MFP let us put in tested values for that.

Ninkyou

If you are not being 100% consistent with your food logging, you have no way of knowing if you are actually eating 1,000, or 1,200 or 15,000,000 calories a day. No way at all.


1. Set a REASONABLE goal for yourself. 1,200 cals might be enough for a small person under 5 feet who is bedridden, but certainly not anywhere near enough for a 216lb woman of average height (I'm assuming your're average) Find your TDEE and eat 20% fewer calories than that number.

2. Buy a kitchen scale, preferably digital. Use it for EVERY. LAST. CRUMB. of food that goes into your mouth.

3. Log every last one of those crumbs into your diary consistently, for at least two months.

If you stick to this, you'll HAVE to lose weight. Your body must obey the laws of science and thermogenics. If you eat fewer cals than you are expending, your body will have no choice but to let go of your fat.

If you do all this and you still do not lose weight, you may have a medical condition affecting your thyroid. See a doctor if all else fails.

All of this. You need to log accurately and consistently, and you need a reasonable and sustainable goal.

vismal

You're making assumptions about her BMR. I really wish MFP let us put in tested values for that.

The only assumptions being made about her BMR is that it isn't shockingly low. For her not to lose on a daily average of 1000 calories, her TDEE would need to be 1000 or less. This means her BMR would have to be even lower then that. Again, only 2 possible conclusions exist: 1 is that she has a metabolic disorder that makes her BMR and TDEE incredibly low, or she is eating more calories then she thinks.

pander101

You're making assumptions about her BMR. I really wish MFP let us put in tested values for that.

The only assumptions being made about her BMR is that it isn't shockingly low. For her not to lose on a daily average of 1000 calories, her TDEE would need to be 1000 or less. This means her BMR would have to be even lower then that. Again, only 2 possible conclusions exist: 1 is that she has a metabolic disorder that makes her BMR and TDEE incredibly low, or she is eating more calories then she thinks.

^^^ This!!!

caminoslo

Thank you, I've opened it.

Get rid of the breads and carbs except for the fruits and vegetables. no cereal no yogurt watch the sugar.

This has nothing to do with why she isn't losing weight. Calories in vs calories out > carbs. ALWAYS.

It had everything to do with why I was not lising weight this time last year. I was hiking in the hills 3 miles a day and still gaining. And then I did was what I suggested to her. And here I am a year later 4.5 inches less. She could try it

vismal

Thank you, I've opened it.

Get rid of the breads and carbs except for the fruits and vegetables. no cereal no yogurt watch the sugar.

This has nothing to do with why she isn't losing weight. Calories in vs calories out > carbs. ALWAYS.

It had everything to do with why I was not lising weight this time last year. I was hiking in the hills 3 miles a day and still gaining. And then I did was what I suggested to her. And here I am a year later 4.5 inches less. She could try it

Sorry but that was purely coincidence.Your body treats a gram of carbs as 4 calories. Doesn't matter if it's from bread, table sugar, or fruit. If you started restricting a large group of foods there is a good chance you also reduced your daily calories. That could be why you started losing weight. Again, if you believe in physics, then in the long run you will lose weight if you eat in a deficit. If you had some kind of gluten allergy then inflammation could have masked fat (and inches) lost. This simply means the scale didn't show the fat loss, not that it wasn't occurring.

maidentl

Thank you, I've opened it.

Get rid of the breads and carbs except for the fruits and vegetables. no cereal no yogurt watch the sugar.

This has nothing to do with why she isn't losing weight. Calories in vs calories out > carbs. ALWAYS.

Get rid of the bread and carbs and refined sugar. Why not try this?

Calories in vs. calories out? Usually. But not every person is the same. There are many success stories of people losing weight by dumping carbs and sugar (perhaps because they end up eating fewer calories)

Try it. It won't cost you anything.

Actually, yes, every person is the same. Every person has to take in less calories than they burn in order to lose weight. Some can achieve this by cutting carbs but it's not necessary unless there's a medical condition that calls for it.

Annie_01

Go see your doctor. It's not a wacky, new exciting idea, but it's the smart way to begin any weight loss journey.

If your at your wits' end and you've tried all the fitness gurus online, give doing the thing every expert advises you to do first a chance.

Or keep trying things that aren't decided based on you specifically by people who aren't qualified to help you.

Up to you! Good luck with whatever you do.

The problem with this is that I don't have a family doctor, I don't know who to see, and I haven't really got any money. One of the reasons I eat so much "bad" food is that it's cheaper.

Somewhere along the line...if you want to be successful at this...you have to find a way to get around all of these obstacles that you say you are facing...give up the excuses for failing.

When I started...I had 101 excuses...I now only have 21 left to go...the last 21lbs.

Yes...some food is expensive...find a cheaper alternative.

Yes...some days you would like to just eat and not think about how many calories it is...estimate...or eat and then start all over the next day.

I don't mean to be harsh but honestly...you will keep failing until you want it bad enough...to get rid of the excuses.

lemurcat12

If you keep doing what you're doing, you'll keep getting what you're getting. So when someone suggests a change, see if you can put it on a list of things to try.

Here's my suggestion:

Stop trying to be xxxx lbs.

Instead, say I'm going to do this for 26 weeks.

What's that?

1. Log accurately everything that you eat. Every condiment. Everything. If you get pristine about nothing else, get pristine about logging. If you don't know where you are, there is no map to get you where you are going. Review your logs daily and weekly and use them to help you make changes.

2. Walk 3x a week for 30 minutes -- someplace nice. Make this walk a treat. Don't just go around your same old block. Go downtown. Go to the waterfront. Go hike an easy trail. It seems silly to drive 5 miles just to walk 1.5 miles, but it's not silly -- it's its own reward. It will help you look forward to the walk.

3. Weigh and measure once in a while and keep up your tracking stats, but don't worry about it.

Now this assumes everything is already set up right. MFP knows you want to be 170 and lose 2 lbs a week. If not go http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_guided and set those up. It should take you 26 weeks to be around your goal, but it won't be a straight line -- and remember, your goal is the 26 weeks of #1 through #3 above. We're going to focus on getting good information about your diet and keeping you moving in a rewarding way. These are things we can control. We're not going to worry about what the scale says tomorrow, that is out of our control.

I think this is very good advice.

I'd also see a doctor. If you are confident that your logs are accurate, bring them. In fact, since it will take a while to get an appointment, probably, make sure you keep careful records while waiting and bring that.

DerekVTX

I am not sure why the OP originally posted this. She is comming across as defensive and shrugging off the advice. My advice to the OP is to listen to the great advice already given.

vismal

Thank you, I've opened it.

Get rid of the breads and carbs except for the fruits and vegetables. no cereal no yogurt watch the sugar.

This has nothing to do with why she isn't losing weight. Calories in vs calories out > carbs. ALWAYS.

Get rid of the bread and carbs and refined sugar. Why not try this?

Calories in vs. calories out? Usually. But not every person is the same. There are many success stories of people losing weight by dumping carbs and sugar (perhaps because they end up eating fewer calories)

Try it. It won't cost you anything.

Calories in calories out ALWAYS, not usually. Every person is the same in that they lose weight in a deficit. This is a LAW OF PHYSICS. If people lost weight through cutting carbs it wasn't probably because they ate fewer calories, it was ONLY because they ate fewer calories. The same goes for the guy who lost tons of weight eating nothing but McDonalds. It wasn't because his body works better eating fast food, it was because he reduced calories in to a point that they were less the calories out. Unless you have liposuction, this is simply how fat is lost in the long term.

funchords

and worst case scenario, take a picture of your food and then log it when you get home.

I did that very thing on Monday. It works.