Need some help please :)

kardeamad

I am seriously struggling

I have been at this now since August and have lost a whopping 6lbs :sad:

When I first started I was the 'eat 700 calories but not losing weight' person. I was terrified to eat as I could not face more weight.

Came on here upped the calories and the water, put weight on (which was expected). I added my exercise calories and ate them back, no weight loss.

Stopped adding exercise calories, ate an average of 1500 calories lost 6lbs.

I have been browsing this group and just used the calories calculators but I am confuddled as to what I am. Am I sedentary? Should I be adding my walking calories or up it to lightly active?

I have a kind of desk job (I run my own business). I am sat on my backside for maybe 5 hours a day, then up picking and packing orders for about 2 hours. I then haul my mail sacks to the post office.

I walk the dogs twice a day for around 5 miles, average speed using HRM and other bits of kit is 2.8mph unless I am going up really big hills when it drops.

I have heart problems (back at the hospital today for more tests), circulation problems (32 years of smoking has narrowed my arteries) and fibromyalgia - walking is the only thing I can do without causing serious issues. I cannot lift my arms above my shoulders or do repetitive movements so my beloved swimming is out. Oh I am going through the change too :drinker:

I am 42, female, weigh 203lbs, large frame (I was tested when I joined the military), goal weight is approx 150lbs which was my healthy weight for most of my adult life.

Fruit & veg - I don't like the vast majority of it. I have added what I do like to my daily diet.

Caffeine - kicked it last August

Smoking - kicked that last August too

Fish - can't stand it, again have added what I do like.

(I try/re-try new foods every 3 months or so. I am aware my taste buds will change - but OMG how do people eat tomatoes!!!!!! I am a creature of habit too - if I find something new I like I will eat it over and over and over and over and over...................)

rosied915

Wow~you've got a LOT going on so let's try to sort things out, OK?

Let's look at what you have to work with first:

You are a 42 y/o female going through menopause. (I did too, so I hear ya)
You have Fibromyalgia.
You have heart disease.
You are a business owner.
You are previous VLC dieter.

The "stress" being put on your body by any ONE of these things can alter your ability to maintain a healthy weight, let alone dealing with ALL of them at one time.

Eating at VLC (Very Low Calorie) was probably the worst thing you could have done given your other problems~ it basically added insult to injury.

I have MS and know that you MUST eat a healthy selection of foods as well as a healthy AMOUNT of food to have the best possible experience with the disease.

The first thing that I think you should focus on is HEALING your metabolism from the VLC eating. Starving your body is just another thing your body has had to battle~ it is tired, possibly "injured" and needs to HEAL.

Your exercise looks VERY GOOD for your circumstances and I would keep that up and add things as you start to feel rejuvenated~ and that WILL happen as you start to eat more over a period of time.

Next, LOSE THE SCALE, repeat LOSE THE SCALE! Try to look at this as a "Project" and part of that project is to stay off the scale~ see if you can STAY OFF for at least 6-8 WEEKS.

I am a recovering SCALE-AHOLIC and I just conquered that little addiction by staying off the scale for 8 weeks!! When I finally got on it, it registered a GAIN and I felt absolutely NOTHING~ the scale had lost it's power over me.

I think you're going to amazed at the changes in your overall health once you start eating well (and enough). You can check out my diary if you want~ it's not perfect by any means but maybe you'll get some ideas.

I'll give the floor to my fellow Eaters now~ feel free to PM if you want to talk more.

Good Luck~ you can do this!!

kardeamad

:flowerforyou:

thank you honey x

I wasn't a VLC dieter, that was how I lived. My mum was an alcoholic so there was never food in the house - the only meal I got as a child was a school dinner. As I got older it switched from just eating lunch to just eating dinner. As an adult I lived on caffeine, nicotine and stress:blushing:

I now believe that the low calorie lifestyle may have caused the fibro to surface. I was climbing mountains and only eating say 1200 calories a day (max). After 18 months or so of doing this activity my body literally stopped working - I believe I totally exhausted my muscles.

I shall check out your diary thank you - I have got up to 2000+ calories a day but I really dont feel physically comfortable eating that much constantly (it still sounds incredibly stupid to be overweight and struggling to eat more)


My motto before last year was that scales are for fishes - I didnt have any in the house. The more I am seeing doctors though the worse I have become. I am so bad now I will not eat or drink in public..............EVERYTHING that is wrong with me has been put down to being overweight - when I gently point out the problems started when I was a very healthy weight I get a lot of spluttering and 'ahems'. I just told them today when my weight was frowned upon that I ate 2 full cream cakes, 3 grab bags of M&Ms, Fish & chips washed down with 4 pints of ale - its easier for them to accept that diet when given by someone overweight :glasses:

kardeamad

swingkid1975

Welcome to the group. First, make sure you read the stickies at the top of the group. Since you were low cal for so long it would probably be best to do a full reset (eating at TDEE) for 6-8 weeks. I know that seems like an impossible amount of food, and if you can't do it all at once, work your way up to it. Forget about lowfat anything. Eat the real stuff. You may gain a little weight in the beginning. DON'T PANIC. There's a stickie about upping your calories and what to expect. Please read it. Once you've been eating at TDEE for 6-8 weeks than you can start your cut and eat at TDEE - 15%.

In order to figure out how much to be eating use the calculator at http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ and plug in your numbers. I would have done it for you, but I was missing your height. You need age, weight, height in order to compute. Any of the regulars can run those numbers for you.

Activity-wise between the walking and your job you are moderately active. You can do this, we are all here for you.

josephinabonetto

I think the advice about scrapping the scales has merit. I have not done a full metabolism reset (I might) but I ate my 15% cut for the first time last week (a calorie increase for me) and gained 1.5 lb. I continued eating at my cut and this week I lost 1.5 lb. I didn't need to step on the scales to know I had lost weight though, my rings were loose and that gave it away. Scales have a negative effect on my morale if I weigh more than once a week. If I had believed the scales last week i would have been demotivated. I knew I hadn't eaten enough over what I would normally to gain a 1 lb, let alone 1.5 lb, so I persevered.

So far my body is supporting the EM2WL/Metabolism Repair regime. I havenn't ruled out doing a full reset, I will see how I get on next week but I was a 1200 cal a day dieter before this.

kardeamad

Welcome to the group. First, make sure you read the stickies at the top of the group. Since you were low cal for so long it would probably be best to do a full reset (eating at TDEE) for 6-8 weeks. I know that seems like an impossible amount of food, and if you can't do it all at once, work your way up to it. Forget about lowfat anything. Eat the real stuff. You may gain a little weight in the beginning. DON'T PANIC. There's a stickie about upping your calories and what to expect. Please read it. Once you've been eating at TDEE for 6-8 weeks than you can start your cut and eat at TDEE - 15%.

In order to figure out how much to be eating use the calculator at http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ and plug in your numbers. I would have done it for you, but I was missing your height. You need age, weight, height in order to compute. Any of the regulars can run those numbers for you.

Activity-wise between the walking and your job you are moderately active. You can do this, we are all here for you.

I'm 5'4

Moderately active? Wow I have me pinned as sedentary :laugh:

I had seen the scooby site but as I was unsure on how to class my lifestyle I thought I'd better ask.

I have to have low fat with my heart issues, I just watch the labels on those for sugar content.

I have tried different foods to up the calories rather than the quantity but have yet to find any I like (or can eat)

It seems a massive amount of food to eat to me but I shall give it my best shot.

:flowerforyou:

2500+ a day :huh: oh my