I'm new and need help!

Arrista

Hi all!

I'm 31, soon to be 32 (Jan 28th). I'm 5'6", work in a call center and do ALOT of knitting. I currently weigh about 210lbs, although until the start of 2012 I had weighed about 187.5lbs. There had been a few fluctuations and have tried loosing weight, but nothing really stuck and I'd always go back to 187.5 lbs. In college I was down to 160lbs and I'd like to at least get back to that... really I should likely be looking to be between 140lbs and 150lbs. I'd really like some help/support here and have a few questions to start right off the bat...

1) I suffer from an underactive Thyroid which is what seems to have added alot of weight. I'm taking meds for it, but they don't seem to be helping with the weight loss. Suggestions?

2) I also suffer from migrains, have for 15 years or so. My Dr. has me on vitamins and a blood pressure meds (I don't have a blood pressure issue, but they help with migrain prevention). The issue is that I live in Southern Ontario which can have very unstable weather and I work in an enviroment with florecent lighting. What I'm getting at is this time of year in perticular I still get migrains a fair bit and I don't want to work out when I get the feeling that I'm getting one (which is most days). Anyone have this issue or any suggestions how to counteract this?

3) Has anyone found a difference in motivation between setting your ultimate goal vs. setting you goal in small incriments?

4) Will you be my friend on here? I know there are alot of posts for this, but I'm new to the community and wanted to ask the questions above as well.

Thanks so much for your help in advance!!! Looking forward to meeting people and the new me !

Arrista

Anyone?

FitBeto

But nah for real, I will help!

sammie190489

Hey!

Feel free to add me!

What diet are you doing? I've was on mine for two months and lost 25lbs - Doing NO excercise at all I might add!!!

I found that having an overall goal was easier for me than having an incremental one, purely because it made me stick to it (Until a family bereavement which has meant I've had a month off ) But back to it now!!

stephdeeable

I don't really have any advice about the medical things, but as for your third question,...when I first started it was all about "losing 150 pounds!", and sometimes it just seemed so far off and so hard to obtain that it could be discouraging. 2 pounds a week doesn't feel like a lot when I was focusing on this huge goal. Now I am making smaller goals and it really helps a lot with my motivation and attitude. I am currently concentrating on 10 pounds at a time. Just got out of the 290's, and now I'm working on the 280's. I would recommend something more like that, because 10 pounds feels much more attainable than 150, and it is a great boost everytime I meet that goal.

Feel free to add me as a friend as well!

Good luck with your migraine issue as well...I only get them when it turns to spring, and again when it turns to fall, I couldn't imagine having to deal with that all year long!

tbetts23

Hey. Add me:flowerforyou:
I have the thyroid thing going on as well. Weight loss is doable. I've been at it since Feb. 50# lost is so close I can taste it. the best advise I can give you is to get your blood work done regularily to make sure your meds are right. It's a long road but you can do it.

Arrista

Thanks so much all! I appreciate it... I think I'll start out with 10lbs inccriments and see how it works!

Arrista

Sammie, I'm not really doing any diet. I'm on my second go at this, I orrigonally signed up and then didn't use MFP after that so at the moment I'm just trying to make better choices on what I eat and tracking as accurately as possible to figure out where I'm going to need to make changes.

I've tried the GI diet, and it wasn't bad but I'm sooooo not a diet person! I have the GI Diet book and a weightwatchers cookbook at home so I'll be trying to add those recipies into my cooking routine. I tend more to read a diet book for the information and take the info with a grain of salt (I don't belive in cutting one thing out because it's 'bad') and then pull what I think will work or is a common and healthy thread that I see in several books. Ex. Eating fresh unproccessed food and whole grains, not drinking calories (I LOVE POP :frown: ) and tracking what you eat, then go from there. Maybe I'm way off base with this, but I want a healthy lifestyle that I can maintain over the long haul.

Does that make sense?

Marcieb21

Hi. I work at a call center too! I feel that because I am sitting all day for my job it has made it a little more difficult for me to lose weight then previous times when I had different jobs(restaurants etc.) But it is possible.
Feel free to add me!

cici1028

Feel free to add me for support/motivation.

When I first started, it was hard to look at the big picture and how many pounds I had to go. Definitely set small goals and you'll get there!

jennfranklin

Feel free to add me!

llangstraat

Feel free to add me and I will support you in anyway I can. I also suffer from Migraines and at the suggestion of my doctor after trying a gazillion other things, started taking 750-1000 mg of Magnesium daily and it has helped tremendously! If you decide to try Magnesium though, purchase a quality brand from your local health food store or research it on the internet. Not all Magnesium is the same.

Arrista

Llangstraat, Thanks for the magnesium tip, I'm deffinately going to try it! May I ask, do you do any working out or at least streching or anything during a migrain or just wait for it to pass?

vcferlita1

I used to get really bad migraines too. Turns out it was my BP. I work in a CC too, so I'm pretty sedantary which doesn't help my weight loss. Hard to get moving though. Good luck.

ambsnic17

Hi there!! I was reading your post and I can def relate to some things you are experiencing. I have a thyroid that is boarder-line underactive. I'm not on any medication or anything. When I first started my weight loss in August of this year, I was doing weight watchers (WW) and then saw the commericial for the insanity workouts. So I started doing both together. WW didn't seem to really be working for me, so I asked around and decided to stop WW and start MFP. Since being on here I have lost 7 lbs, doesn't seem like a lot, but it is to me since I wasn't really seeing the weight loss through WW. I also suffer from migraines. Light, noise, any movement, talking makes it worse and I def don't feel like doing ANYTHING. My migraines start b/c of stress/tension. I have found though that excersicing and eating better have helped my migraines except for my "lady time" every month. I personally find it easier to set small goals of 5lb. increments b/c I'm the kinda person if I don't reach my goal (or even look like I'm not) then I could give up easily, so the 5lb. goal is def do-able for me. I want to lose a total of 40-50lbs. So when I think of that, I always tell myself that I'll never get there, but the 5lb. I can do that!

Feel free to add me if you'd like
Good luck,
Amber

TennisQtpye

Feel free to add me

Captain_Tightpants

With migraines and thyroid issues you might want to see a proper licensed nutritionist. If you don't, I would definitely suggest taking it easy at first - small to moderate calorie deficit and not too crazy on the exercise... at least until you know how your body is going to react to it. You don't want to risk messing up your thyroid more or triggering more migraines.

Steve Troutman's site is the very best info you'll get anywhere: http://body-improvements.com/resources/eat/

Jeffersz

I started getting migraines which I'd never had before, turned out it was my blood pressure. Low calories/fat/cholesterol and high fiber/protein have worked well for me, 17lbs in 8 weeks with very little change in activity, and the BP looks great with no headaches!

Don't overwealm yourself, pick reasonable milestone goals and stick to the plan no matter what. When you see those goals get met, you'll be super glad you did.

Feel free to add me if you wish!

-Jeff

ShainsMommy

Hello,
Please feel free to add me as a friend.
At such a young age, i have battled with knee problems for a good part of my life. I was supposed to have surgery quite a few years ago and i never followed through with it, Anyway, that has caused me to be very limited at times on my workouts.

You CAN lose weight just eating healthy.

So many people use the word "diet"...but diets are usually for a certain period of time, and then they stop. "eating healthy" is a complete change.

There are 2 pieces of advice I would like to share with you

#1. You should tr your best to eat about every 3 hours. After 4 hours, your body goes into "starvation mode", and it will store calories, thinking it will need to use them later. Usually..if i have gone without a meal for quite some time, i will eat something like a salad, or something lower in calories, so if your body DOES try to store them...there wont be very many bad calories, or a large amount of calories for your body to store.

#2. If you stick to a pretty regular "healthy eating" schedule..you can easily lose anywhere between 15-30 pounds in the very first month! But dont be discouraged when you drastically slow down after that. Dont lose motivation!

Feel free to add me as a friend

raelorien

Feel free to add me.

wildfirediva

Try to get a good estimate of your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). Don't set you calories too low. (They should ultimately be below your TDEE and at or really close to your BMR). [There are several on line calculators but remember they may be off by a bit, but it is a good place to start.]

Monitor and track your nutrition closely (good quality calories, consistently) . Really make that your focus for the 1st month or 2. Clean it up (plenty of clean eating websites). Try to get at least 80-100g of protein a day and plenty of water. Track your migraine triggers and add a good multi-vitamin supplement.
In this same 1-2month period STEP AWAY FROM THE SCALE. Try to limit it to once a week (if not less). Your weight fluctuates daily and while it can encourage it can also discourage. (After all your goal should be getting healthy, weight loss with come with it.)

Make daily efforts to increase your activity. I often work in an Emergency Dispatch center (lots of sitting). I keep water at my desk and do my best to move during breaks (when I can take them.). During my lunch (usually 30 min) I pack my lunch (which only takes about 15ish min to eat and I walk the rest. Make efforts to park further in parking lots and take your cart all the way back to the store instead of just leaving it in the lot.
I do a lot of squats, lunges and resistance exercises in front of the tv at home. I also have resistance bands on my chair at work and get a little in here and there.

Feel free to add me. My nutritional regime at the moment is Clean Keto. I have not dropped that many lbs since on MFP but I have dropped several inches and fit into clothes much better (lots less muffin top).

One day at a time.