Need support of new friends....just call me frustrated

Mtalley1974

Hello all,

I started this "diet" 2 weeks ago. I am beginning my third week today and I am hoping for a new attitude, or at least an attitude adjustment, with the help of new friends. My husband and I began this diet together with the goal that we both wanted to lose a minimum of 30 lbs by June 12th. It seems that it should be feasible to lose 2 lbs a week over the 14 week period, and hit our target. I guess my frustration is somewhat selfish....so I don't blame anyone for calling me out on it. The first week my husband lost 6 lbs, I gained 1. Yes, I said GAINED. This second week, my husband lost nearly 9 lbs, and I lost a whopping 1 lb. I am so happy for my husband as he is really taking this seriously. We have dieted before I have lost, but he has not really lost, or lost very little weight. I know we both have a tremendous amount of weight to lose, both of us over 100lbs, but 30 lbs is our first major milestone set.

I can tell you that I have lost a significant amount of weight before, 70 lbs. Unfortunately, I gained nearly half of that back, and that was over a year ago. I am using the food tracker and I would say 6 out of 7 days a week I am under my calorie allowance. The exercise tracker I am probably on target 3 out of 5 days a week. I do have a new health condition - a pulmonary embolism - so I am not able to do a lot of activity like I would normally be able to, but I am trying to walk 3 - 5 days per week, 5 time a week being my target.

Does anyone have any suggestions for me? I am so happy for my husband, but also so upset with my results at the same time. Should I cut back more on my calories? Anyone have any exercise tips or ideas for someone that can't really exercise much? I am open to any ideas, suggestions, criticisms, etc.

Thanks a bunch!
Michelle

Kmit3654

Hi Michelle,

I am excited about the journey ahead and so glad my best friend got me onto this site. I would love to share this journey with others looking to live a healthier life also. If I have 1 tip that has worked for me so far it is drink plenty of water! A glass when you first get up- a glass before every meal and a glass if you think you are hungry then wait 15 minutes and see how you feel. Drop the juice, soft drinks, coffee's etc. The first day I used this site I didn't change anything but just recorded everything to get an idea of where I was going 'wrong'. I found I was consuming 4 DAYS worth of calories through drinks every day! I love fruit juice but it is basically just sugar. Since I have started to just drink water ( and maybe 1 cofee first thing in the morning- no sugar) and it has made a big difference. My skin is glowing and I feel full for longer. Good luck!

s1lence

Men lose faster than women (so I've been told), so try not to be competitive about it unless it's going to push you to exercise more and eat healthier foods. I don't have any suggestions on calories, but foods you should try to eat would be fresh and not processed. Drink lots of water to keep water weight down and keep your body happy and healthy. Some exercises that might help would be dancing, swimming, riding a bike, or even things like yoga/Pilates. Find something that you enjoy doing and make time for it when you feel the need to bump it up try adding weights to the exercises you do or speeding up.

I've seen some people suggest taking out all of this or all of that but I don't know how it would work for you. Try to eat right and eat small meals but do it healthily. You can lose that weight, give it time.

Oh and enjoy the ride

DestroyTheOpposition

I would say.... make sure you are taking measurements. The measurements show more of what is working than the weight does. Sure we all love to see that smaller number on the scale... but if you are dropping inches, thats just as good. The scale is just slower to follow. Like others say, drink plenty or water. Minimum 64oz a day. I bought two 32oz Nalgene bottles and fill them every morning. You finish those and you have your 8 glasses done. I drink a lot of coffee too! I don't think coffee hurts as long as you use sugar free sweetener (Truvia) and very little creamer. I use sugar free creamer. Best of luck to you and your hubby!

Mindmovesbody

Hi Michelle, I can hear how frustrated you are. I'm sorry! This is such a frustrating thing to begin with. I can tell you from experience, men ALWAYS lose faster and easier. It's annoying!! I have friends who are doing weight watchers together with their husbands and the men get so many more 'points' than my friends do. Men's metabolism is just better. That being said, let's focus on you!!! There a few things that I know are sure fire ways to help. Cut out fat!!! First and foremost. The average person only needs 14g of fat per day. Most people eat FAR more than that. Saturated fat is the most important thing to look at. We usually get 'incidental' fats from foods we eat ( cooking with olive oil for example). Your getting fats with oil but don't 'count' them normally. Water, water, water! Drink until you are ready to float away. This helps a lot! It actually helps you get rid of water weight and bloat and keeps the hunger away. By the way, I am sure you probably know all of this already if you lost 70 pounds! My father just had a stroke at 56 years old so we are totally changing our lifestyle as a family as vascular disease runs in our family. I am learning a lot than I never knew about eating. I never cared before either I guess. In any case, my dad cut almost All fats out and definitely all saturated fats and the extra weight is just falling off of him. Make your calories count. If you don't eat empty calories you can stuff your face until you are full with no guilt. My dad told me about something tonight that dr. Oz mentioned on a show one time, it's called glucomannan root. It's is supposed t help with fat cells somehow. I was planning on looking it up tonight! I'm not sure I can take it because I'm nursing my baby girl still but I figured it's worth looking into. In any case, I would just keep up your walking, watch your calories and drink lots of water. Don't feel guilty for being frustrated, it's perfectly normal. Above all, DO NOT GIVE UP!!!! If you lost 70 before you can do it again! And this site is VERY helpful!! I have found keeping an open diary is far better for my personality because my friends on here hold me accountable for everything I eat. If you want a supporter, add me. We can do this!!

LPCoder

One of the things to remember is that if you are taking any medications, they can slow the progress of weight loss, so choose your food wisely. Choose whole grains, non-processed foods. Avoid deli meats. Choose olive oil over vegetable oil. Use asiago cheese, bell peppers and cilantro to add flavor. With your heart condition, try 2-3 shorter and less strenuous walks instead of one longer workout. Choose fat-free milk products, and make your own yogurt sweetened/flavored with stevia. DO NOT use microwave dinners.

Hope that helps! Feel free to friend me!

marcenepea

Please add me as a friend if you would like. I understand some how you feel about the frustrations of watching your husband lose faster. My husband doesn't even have to diet and he loses alot faster then me. I'm happy he doesn't have the same problem as me. But it still angers me that I have to work so hard and he doesn't.

The key is to focus on you and do your best. I started my journey wanting to lose as fast as possible. Tonight I realized slower is alot easier and healthier. So I feel like I'm starting over.

Good luck in your new life.