Contradictions EVERYWHERE

lmkaks

I am a firm believer that no one loses weight by measuring every little thing that goes into your mouth - it is not sustainable, not practical and just not possible if you plan to lead any type of lifestyle outside of your home.

Your belief system governs what you can and cannot do...

I love your profile picture!

Simone_King

HA. and I shell say it again! HA! Think that and you will get no where fast.

For me it's moderation and drinking my water. I have, so far, lost 33 pounds.

And no, I don't measure everything that goes in my mouth.

SherryTeach

I also measure everything that goes in my mouth and I've been doing so for almost 200 days. It takes only a few minutes a day. I eat much better than I ever have in my life. I never allow myself to be hungry and everything I eat is delicious. To set up a program in any other way would not be sustainable. For example, today, I've had baked apples sprinkled with granola, blueberry yogurt, string cheese, a boiled egg, kale chips, a banana, half a grapefruit, sautéed asparagus, pork tenderloin roasted with Dijon mustard, caraway and celery seed, turkey sausage and pepper casserole with basmati rice. I still have calories left over for air popped popcorn and pumpkin custard.

lacurandera1

is this even serious/ I mean, OP's name is reallyfatslob. not to be mean, but idk anyone who would make their name that. obese or not.

Lesalala

Why are you trying to go on 500-900 calories a day? That may be why you're so pissed off.

I know I get really pissy when I go below 1600.

If you are morbidly obese, a 2000 calorie, even 3000 could provide meaningful results. Going down to 800 is something a person who has gastric bypass does.

RobynMWilson

I'm sure the 500-900 cals per day are REALLY adding to the pissed off mood and cravings.

I'd die on that amount of calories!

I'll add another contradiction. You can't starve yourself, period. And if it was a doctor who told you to do that, find another doctor!!

Are you exercising?

MochaMixAZ

is this even serious/ I mean, OP's name is reallyfatslob. not to be mean, but idk anyone who would make their name that. obese or not.

I think it is serious and very real. Self-esteem can play a whole lot into your screen name, what you post, and how you interact. Perhaps that's how the poster views themselves.

(and if it's not for real, what's the harm anyway?)

wheatfreejourney

I recently read a book called "Wheat Belly" by Dr. William Davis that essentially says that modern wheat is the cause of a lot of our problems today. By eliminating wheat from my diet I seldom have the cravings for food between meals that I did before. I am now going to monitor everything that I eat, so I can get to the weight that I want to be at. So far I have felt a lot better and seldom crave junk foods.

dittmarml

MFP has a section to set up a profile and enter weight, activity level, and goal weight to lose per week. If you have done so, then it's apparent from your post that you aren't following the guidelines that MFP spit out for you because it never sets intake at lower than 1200 cals. If you are morbidly obese it's got be closer to 1800 cals - maybe higher.

Eating at 500-900 calories a day is a waste of your time and crankiness. You can't sustain it because your body won't let you. That's every bit as unhealthy an approach to food as the one you've been using.

Several people here have given you good inputs.n You're right there's alot of confusing info out there but there are also plenty of people on this site who are succeeding. Many of them have generously opened their diaries so you can friend them and take a look. There are plenty of examples here about what and how to eat. There are also plenty of people here who will try to help you - as is already evident from the response to your post - should you choose to make a commitment to life changes and learning to take care of you and to live a better quality of life.

It is, as you point out in your final lines, entirely up to you.

CorvusCorax77

I am a firm believer that no one loses weight by measuring every little thing that goes into your mouth - it is not sustainable, not practical and just not possible if you plan to lead any type of lifestyle outside of your home.

Your belief system governs what you can and cannot do...

Word. I have tracked everything I ate in my MFP app for the past three years...

In that time I also worked a full time job, raised a child, had a relationship, went surfing and snowboarding, had a social life, went to concerts, travelled, went on bike rides, went out to pizza with my friends, hit PR's on weightlifting, sunbathed in bikinis, took my son backpacking, moved, got a puppy, celebrated holidays with my loved ones, made art and music.

I must have given up living life to lose that 10% of body fat. Clearly that was my only choice.

krzykatmomma60610

I think I would be equally irritated with all the contradictory opinions and advice as well. I wouldn't say though that this means you are not ready to make any lifestyle changes - it just means that you're being pulled in several different directions at once which can be exhausting. Ultimately, weight loss efforts are a lot of trial and error until we all figure out what works best for us. And this is about you and taking care of you...remember that no matter what kind of lifestyle change you make there's always going to be someone who thinks you should do things their way. Weight loss can and should include the foods we love, just in a smaller portion, or we would all find it difficult to adhere to any program.

The only thing I would encourage you to do in the meantime is to increase the number of calories that you're eating because eating too few calories can slow down your metabolism plus I would worry about the impact that it could have on your health. I think that this might be playing an impact on your overall mood levels as well.

JosieJo2000

Losing weight, in my mind, is ALL about sustainability. 800 cals is not sustainable. Start gradually or you'll feel deprived and of course cranky. I started by just cutting out most of the takeaway junk. But I still made homemade fries and cakes. Then I cut out drinking calories - so no juice or soda. Just plain or sparkling water, maybe with a bit of fresh lemon or lime. That was fine, I could sustain that. As time went by those things became habit and easy. And as time has gone by I've been able to add new habits. I rarely eat sugary things now, and I've cut my fat right down. But I didn't do it overnight, I would have quit if that had been the case. As the others have said, you can go to 2000 or a bit more and still lose weight. Look at Michael Moore, he's started walking 30 mins a day but still eats ice-cream and drinks soda. Because he was so overweight the weight has intially come off very quickly without much effort on his part. It gets a little trickier as you get smaller, but by then you are more motivated and enjoying the results. I still enjoy treats though and I don't feel deprived. If I want a bit of cake, I can have it.

I eat about 1600 calories a day and try to exercise for 30-60 mins per day. I do exercises I enjoy. Today I feel like swimming, so I'll go for a swim. Yesterday I was up early and the weather was perfect for a walk/jog so I did that. Some days I cycle, some days I take a group fitness class. I do resistance exercises / weights in front of the TV because that is sustainable. I know you think logging calories is a waste of time, but I found it to be hugely beneficial in educating myself. A 2 egg omlette with a piece of ham and low fat cheese is less calories than the Vegemite sandwich I used to have. Vegetarian cocktail spring rolls are only 38 calories each. It is teaching me the right choices to make. Sometimes what we think is the lower-cal option actually isn't. You don't have to log for the rest of your life if you don't want to - that's up to you. But maybe give it a go to see how much you should really be eating in a day and what sorts of food are best.

But please, cut the 500-800 malarky or you'll end up in a bell tower. You need more food!

Lesalala

I agree that a 2000 calorie a day diet should be well sufficient for someone who is obese to lose weight. Also get up and move! Even, if it's just walking daily, you have to start burning calories as well as watching what you are taking in. The advantage to being large, is you burn more calories with less effort then a smaller person. Take advantage of that. The fact that most people don't realize, is that most obese people have a nutritional deficiency. This is because the types of foods you are choosing are high in fat and calories and low in nutrition. Find some high protein snacks that you actually enjoy, such as almonds or yogurt which can help you stay fuller longer, because they aren't full of sugar that burns off quickly and the protein actually helps you burn fat (if you get up and move!) It isn't rocket science, so stop researching so much and do the work. Less calories in and more out= weight loss

parmoute

If you're focused on which individual foods are good and which are bad, you are going to drive yourself insane, even if you do eat more calories first! Several people have linked you to the roadmap -- read it, then read it again. Individual foods are only good or bad if they fit (or don't fit) into the plan you've made for yourself for that day or that week. It's all about the big picture (they're called *macro*nutrients for a reason: think big picture).

What does your "big picture" look like? Have you even thought about it yet, or are you doing this because you "know you should"? It sounds like you might be doing this to get someone off your back, which is even worse. The people on MFP who have been most successful -- whether they measure everything they eat or not -- are the people who have made some sort of commitment to themselves to set their bodies right through consistency and discipline, not by beating it in to submission.

If you don't know why you're doing it, if you don't have anything to motivate you to stick with it, and you don't have anything you would like to gain from doing all the work required, then that's where you need to start, not with the pros and cons of eating bananas.

maryarodriguez1422

Do some research on the internet.....you will find that most nutritionists will tell you that if you don't eat enough in a day, your body kicks into starvation mode. The body "holds" on to the weight you want to lose. No-one should be on the amount of calories you are imposing on yourself. Why do you think Lindora clinics no longer put clients on 500-600 calories a day? It is too dangerous and damaging to the body. Plus blood sugars drop and hence, the pi$$y moods and cravings.

I thought I couldn't afford vitamins either. But Costco has very reasonably priced vitamins and you don't need to by a dozen bottles of a dozen different vitamins. I buy Kirklands Pre-Natal Vitamins (no, not pregnant) because they are the best for an all-in-one vitamin. I think I paid $16 for 600 tabs. I wish you luck and hope you reconsider your calorie intake. I would like to lose 60 lbs, and will be limiting myself to 1200 calories per day.

cbirdso

I am a firm believer that no one loses weight by measuring every little thing that goes into your mouth - it is not sustainable, not practical and just not possible if you plan to lead any type of lifestyle outside of your home.

Sorry, but this is EXACTLY what I did to lose weight...and continue to do periodically in order to maintain, not gain. Oh, and I have a lifestyle outside the home...

Lyndseed

As I write this, I realize that I am probably not ready to diet or make any lifestyle changes - if I was, I would probably not be so negative.

Of course you are ready... you're here! That's the first step... and all you need to do is put one foot in front of the other and keep going. Baby steps. The next step is to figure out a sustainable amount of calories to eat each day--do that for a while and from there make a small nutritional/fitness goal each week (ie: this week I will swap soda for water, this week I will take a walk each day, this week I will eat 5 servings of veggies each day, etc...) it's a good way to slowly build healthy habits. It's not always easy, but it doesn't have to be stressful and horrible, and it shouldn't make you cranky, tired and constantly hungry. As others have said, you are definitely not eating enough--you're setting yourself up for failure with that kind of calorie deficit.

In addition to the "in place of a roadmap" thread that others suggested, you could try this:
http://www.calorieline.com/tools/tdee#tdee
This site gives a pretty excellent estimation of calories one should consume in a day based on their weight, activity level, age, and so on... I found it to be a more helpful explanation of TDEE and more specific than the preset calorie goals on MFP, but I do love this site/app for the message boards and ease of use. It might be a good place to start the next step.

Good luck! You can do it!

edited to add: My husband also started at over 300 lbs... he loves pizza, burgers and donuts, and he's lost 100 lbs by simply eating a little less of those treats, adding in some healthier home-cooked fare, and being more active. Now that he's within 40-50 lbs of his goal weight, he's focusing on nutrition more. Just an example to show you this is possible! And you can do it!

brainfreeze72

I'd be a raving b1tch on 900 cal/day! I go for 1500 cal/day. If I want to indulge a little bit I'll try to fit in some exercise. Yesterday I went over by 600 cal so I could have Buffalo Wild Wings with my son. I'm still losing. I just have to watch what I'm doing in the coming week and not make it a habit of going 600 over all the time. I don't believe in "dieting", I'm slowly changing my lifestyle and learning to cook and eat healthier.

jsuaccounting

Hey - it sounds like you are on the right track!! Hang in there. Also, being morbidly obeses - I can understand why you are trying the extra low calories. You must be ready to do anything for relief. People will encourage you to eat more and they may right - you do need the nutrients and protein. If you truely hate calorie counting - you can check out Jimmy Moore's free podcasts. He was in the same boat some years ago. Also, even if calorie counting is not sustainable in the long term - it could be a way to get your weight down enough to start a healthier lifestyle with more physical activity (if you cannot exercise much because of your weight).
Don't give up!!

Louisianababy93

1) 500-600 calories isnt good AT ALL. i'd be angry too.
2) Look into if it fits your macro's! That's what keeps me going.
3) Log.


Some Reading Material:
Read through the website.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/articles


When your filling out your goals keep these in mind:
0.5 lb per week weight loss - if you have between 1 to 10 lbs of fat to lose.
0.5 to 1.0 lb per week weight loss - if you have between 11 to 25 lbs of fat to lose.
1.0 to 1.5 lbs per week weight loss - if you have between 26 to 50 lbs of fat to lose.
1.5 to 2.0 lbs per week weight loss - if you have between 51 to 85 lbs of fat to lose


You can do this.. your family obviously loves you and are worried about you or they wouldnt have said anything!
Good luck and i hope i've helped.