A Little Bit Of Guidance...Please?

sotellmedarling

First a little background info, I've been on MFP for about 7 weeks. When I first started I was about 227-229. The first week and a half I don't really count because my family had a financial crisis and we weren't really hitting that 1200 mark consistently (I made sure that I wasn't working out on days that my body just didn't have the fuel for it). I lost about 3-4 pounds so I started my weight here as 225. Since then, I've been going up and down between 222 and 225. Last week I was about 222 and this week I'm back up to 224 again.

And, yes. I have been measuring my inches every few weeks and paying attention to my clothes. There's been minimal change there as well.

A little more info. I'm 24 (25 in exactly 3 months). I have hypothyroidism and insulin resistance. Possibly on the way to genetic cholesterol issues. I take Synthroid, Metformin and Niacin as prescribed by my doctor. I try to get at least 30 minutes of activity 5 days a week, as also suggested by my doctor. I'll completely admit that I could be eating way healthier foods and maybe that's part of the issue - but that is a step I want to ease into and have mini monthly goals planned for the rest of the year to introduce diet changes such as more clean foods, more fiber, more of this, less of that, and so on. Oh and definitely less sodium! Although I drink plenty of water. I drink water more than anything else and drink 8 cups a day easily. Sometimes closer to 10 depending on what my body is telling me, how much I've sweat, urine color, etc.

Basically, I want to get some advice before going into another month here at MFP. I feel like although I've got the beginning grip on things, there must be some stuff I'm missing or that I need a push in the right direction. Maybe my calories are factored too high because of my health issues/metabolism/medicines? Maybe they are factored too low for my activity level (I'm a full time student and I think I teeter between sedentary and moderate) or some other reason?

I don't have a HRM or food scale although I am budgeting for them within the next week or two. On the HRM, I'm not sure what kind to get. There's so many choices and I am an easily overwhelmed person. When I go into Wal-Mart, all I see is the watch one where you have to place your finger to it, but I don't want to spend 30-50 dollars only to have inaccurate information. So any advice on this would be much appreciated. Even brands/where to find them if you have suggestions there would be awesome!

Also, the TDEE thing greatly confuses me. I'm not sure how much I can trust the formulas since they don't factor things like thyroid problems into them. Right now I'm at 1680 net. Sometimes I eat my calories back, but I've been a bit fearful of eating them back too much since I don't have an HRM and I don't trust that MFP is giving me an accurate account of how many calories I am actually losing (yes, I guess I have trust issues).

Anyways, I'd love to hear any tips, suggestions, bits of helpful information, etc. My diary is public if anyone wants to take a look (just please be gentle as I know I'm not where I should be yet and I am trying - I ask nicely because I'm not thick-skinned, a result of endless years of bullying).

Maybe I'm just one of those people that it will take a little bit longer to see noticeable results. If that's the case, I understand. It's discouraging and hard to work through, but this post is by no means me whining that I haven't lost 10 pounds already or anything like that lol.

Jbarbo01

I feel a lot of empathy for your situation, your conditions will make weight loss a real challenge. I have PCOS which is caused by insulin resistance, so I know what youre going through and truly how hard it is to lose weight with these type of conditions. That said, I can tell you that the foods you are often eating are dangerous and hindering your weight loss. Someone with insulin resistance cannot eat processed carbs like other people and still lose weight as quickly even calorie restricted. I allow myself cheats sometimes, but doritos, hot dogs, white bread, and fruity pebbles are like vacation foods. Foods that you eat once a year, or never if you can help it.

If you really want to lose weight, youre going to need to push yourself. Im sure youve heard it before but coming from someone who deals with the same conditions, it may mean more. Youve got to start having your diet be at least 80% clean foods AND sticking to your calorie count. To understand clean eating, its just eating foods in their whole form.This is a list of great foods for everyone but especially for those who are IR and hypothyroid:

sweet potatoes, all green leafy veggies, quinoa, brown rice, organic meat free of preservatives, salmon, shrimp, all fresh or frozen fruit with no added sugar, unsweetened low fat greek yogurt, organic honey, avocados, nuts, 100% whole grain bread, beans, carrots, peas, organic corn to name a few.

Also, I keep my carbs at 40% of my daily intake and try not to eat more than 150 per day if I dont exercise. This may help you, as processed carbs spike insulin levels that lead to weight gain. Your insulin levels are crucial to control if you are IR.

No processed crap, up your exercise intensity (HIIT), and youll see the pounds drop I guarantee it. Message me if you want any more help, ive lost about 15 lbs in 3 months after implementing this type of eating.

Amandatorie

I agree with everything said aove by Jbarbo1. You really have to work on your eating. You seem to be regularly eating foods that should be once-in-a-blue-moon type of foods.

While making small changes one at a time is great, to be honest you are starting off with a very poor diet so you are not likely going to see many results until after you've made a LOT of these small changes...and by then you may be so discouraged by the lack of progress that you've given up.

Again, I agree with all of the previous suggestions. So as to not get overwhelmed, there are some basic rules you can stick to. Stop eating anything that comes in a bag or a box. And buy all of your groceries (except spices or the occasional sauce or condiment) on the edges of the grocery store. Don't even go down any of the isles. You can get all your fruits and veggies on the one side, all your meats along the back, and all your dairy along the other side, and also some whole-grain bread from the bakery section. When you're eating carbs, make sure they're whole grain. All your carbs, and all your sugar, should be coming from fruits and veggies, or whole-grain options.

Honestly, a lot of things won't taste very good at first because you're used to such terrible artificial stuff. But if you stick with it, your taste buds will adjust and you'll realize how delicious real foods are, and the thought of eating the processed stuff will gross you out.