Can't be bothered - does it matter?

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  • Onaughmae
    Onaughmae Posts: 873 Member
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    I have been there...I get it. At my heaviest I carried 335 pounds on this 5'1 body. It was a miracle I could manage to get through a 12 hour shift at work. Today I am at 202...my lowest weight since I was in high school. I actually enjoy exercising now. I had to start small..just walking down the street to the mailbox instead of taking the car, parking farther out in the parking lot so I would have to walk in farther. In the beginning it can seem overwhelming and an insurmountable mountain to climb..but it is not. Make sure you are eating enough to fuel your body. I try to get to at least 20% below my TDEE. I dont always make it there...but I give it a good shot. For months I was eating very low calorie (under MD supervision) but I have found now that I need more calories and I am doing my best to get there. Start small and move...the more you move, the easier it gets..I promise :happy: You are already doing great...keep it up! :flowerforyou:
  • Heather_Rider
    Heather_Rider Posts: 1,159 Member
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    Would you like brutal honesty or would you like me to sugar coat it for you?

    Honestly? Stop making excuses. Get up and do it.

    Sugar coat it? Sure baby.. just lay there.. the weight will fall off.


    LITTLE things will help you. If you cant be bothered to do anything but watch TV.. get a recumbent bike and WATCH TV.
  • alexisu96
    alexisu96 Posts: 103 Member
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    I would say getting your possible sleep apnea checked out tAkes priority over worrying about if you should force yourself to workout or not!! Especially at your weight. I have family members with it. Sleep apnea, snoring, obesity are possible symptoms of cardiovascular issues. You need to find a good cardio Doc that will refer a sleep study

    If would say if you are working out every other day , good!! You do deserve off days. I am only concerned of your total lack of energy esp. Not getting off the couch. Could be a possible sympton of the possible above. Just get yourself checked out.
  • nins11065
    nins11065 Posts: 29 Member
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    Hi,

    I understand how you fee; believe me I have been there and felt the same way. What you need to believe and understand is that by changing your life style you can accomplish any weight lose you set your min to. I am starting to finally see the inches get smaller and the extra weight melt day by day. Maybe you can just start walking and eating fewer calories; that has help me lots! I will cheere you on, go ahead and add me as a friend if you want. Good luck:flowerforyou:
    Nins
  • atamrowski
    atamrowski Posts: 417 Member
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    Bump for later!

    I am really enjoying this thread and all the positive feedback the OP is getting. It's actually quite refreshing from the norm!

    I agree 100% with AuntiMC says; lose the weight first then try exercise.

    It makes it so much easier for your body to adjust to movement. I have about 40lbs to lose and starting on my journey. I don't exercise as much as I should, because I feel the same as you, but I have found that stretching and yoga have helped improved my flexibility and range of motion...so exercise doesn't hurt. Look into Hatha Yoga and even chair yoga. Once you can stretch your tight muscles (you will be sore nonetheless), you will find walking won't be as debilitating as it is now. One step at a time.

    One of my epic fails right now is sugar. I have recently stopped drinking alcohol and my body craves sugar like nobody's business. If you have any tips to help me curb this sugar dilemma I would greatly appreciate it. Maybe I should post a thread about it............
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
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    The medical system in the UK sounds almost as bad as it is here in Canada. I don't think a lot of people understand how hard it can be to get proper medical care in these countries. You see your doctor and wait two years to see a specialist who does the bare minimum and sends you on your way. "See a doctor" sounds like great advice, but it feels pretty pointless most of the time.

    You don't have much energy when you weigh over 300 pounds. It makes sense. You probably feel like you want/need to preserve what energy you do have for the necessities. I get it. I don't think you need to stress yourself about it right now. If you get to a point where the weight isn't coming off, then you may have to reconsider. For now, do what you can. It'll get easier as more weight comes off. Don't overwhelm yourself to the point where you feel your only option is to quit.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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    Bump for later!

    One of my epic fails right now is sugar. I have recently stopped drinking alcohol and my body craves sugar like nobody's business. If you have any tips to help me curb this sugar dilemma I would greatly appreciate it. Maybe I should post a thread about it............

    Alcohol and sugar--specifically the fructose portion of sucrose (table sugar--i.e.sucrose, is 50% fructose) are both metabolized in the liver in similar ways. I know a recovering alcoholic who won't even drink fruit juice, as it gives him a strong craving for alcohol. Fructose, in large amounts, contributes to obesity, Type II diabetes, and renal disease. It was recently announced by researchers that high fructose corn syrup is linked with pancreatic cancer as well. The amount that we get in a couple of servings of fruit are not a problem--especially as it is encased in fiber and released slowly to the liver. The problem is the 500 calories a day of sugar in the typical N. American diet (only 40% of which is consumed in frankly "sugary" foods---the rest is hidden in processed food). Just to give you an example, a small to medium Valencia orange has about 2 grams of fructose and a 12-oz. can of "orange" soda pop has about 26 grams of fructose in a total load of 44 grams of high fructose corn syrup.

    But it may not even just be sugar that is a problem--but fruit focused diets as well (I remember a fellow here in the forums who claimed that he lost 70 pounds through eating fruit exclusively). Becoming a "fruitarian" (that is, eating only fruit or mostly just fruit) may be dangerous. Steve Jobs was a "fruitarian" for many years (he even named his company after his favorite fruit---Apple Inc.) He died of pancreatic cancer. Interestingly, the actor chosen to play Jobs, (in the upcoming biopic) Ashton Kutcher, apparently adopted an all-fruit diet (to get into character?) and said that he had to stop because it began to give him pancreatic issues. Fructose in large amounts--even from natural sources---appears to be a problem as well.

    What appears to be successful in curing sugar cravings is to go on a fast from fructose for a couple of weeks (no fruit or vegetables containing fructose, like tomatoes and carrots and, of course, no sugar or foods containing sugar like ketchup, sweet salad dressings, etc and no "sugar alcohols" like manitol, maltitol, sorbitol, xylitol, etc.). What this does is to "reset" (that is it lowers) the levels of fructokinase (the enzyme responsible for catalyzing the reaction between fructose and ATP in the liver). I eliminated sugar from my diet a couple of years ago but I was plagued by a craving for sugar off and on until I did the fast from fructose a couple months ago. Now, I can see cake, cookies, etc. and not even WANT it let alone crave it.

    There are some people who have an inherited lack of ability to make fructokinase in their intestines, livers and kidneys, and are thus, unable to absorb fructose, which then gets dumped into their large bowel where it ferments. They are "naturally thin" but understandably, they have a lot of digestive issues and must avoid all fructose and fructans (contained in wheat, barley and rye and a few vegetables, the most common of which is onions). Interestingly, it has been observed that some obese individuals seem to be very efficient in converting blood glucose into fructose!
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member
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    I have chronic fatigue, chronic migraines, and a latent virus.....

    I wish I had the energy to exercise more. I often really want to, but my muscles just rebel and become lethargic.

    BUT, I still lost the weight and my body composition is changing. It is just a super duper slow journey for me.

    So. Yes, you can still lose weight and get into shape with very little exercise. It just takes a super long time. But you still need some exercise.
  • nataliescalories
    nataliescalories Posts: 292 Member
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    QUOTE!!!
    [/quote]
    I didn't see this post before I responded - you really should not eat below your BMR - it causes damage to your body's ability to function properly. After a while eating under, you lose muscle mass and slow your metabolism...but I have not seen a BMR so high before, so maybe calculate it again? just to be sure. And, as I said before, track your food
    [/quote]
    QUOTE!!!

    The morbidly obese have a different set of rules to play by; we have a mass of fat storage that the body can access and it's not quite the same as other people eating lower calories. Also, OP made it quite clear that she uses another food tracker because she couldn't find enough UK foods in this database.

    Edit: Did not properly quote, so I made my own addition to set the text aside.
  • nataliescalories
    nataliescalories Posts: 292 Member
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    Would you like brutal honesty or would you like me to sugar coat it for you?

    Honestly? Stop making excuses. Get up and do it.

    Sugar coat it? Sure baby.. just lay there.. the weight will fall off.


    LITTLE things will help you. If you cant be bothered to do anything but watch TV.. get a recumbent bike and WATCH TV.

    She does exercise. Some "excuses" are valid reasons. As I said in an earlier comment, put on a 200lb body suit and we'll see how motivated you are to get up and exercise. The OP is doing a fantastic job; it is commendable that she is doing a great job tracking and investing in positive change. She has every right to vent a bit and feel frustration. And really, without any exercise at all, she could still lose steadily at her weight, but really she was just asking for a bit of motivation and support--not such a hard thing to give such a hardworking person.

    Edit b/c it posted the quote without my response.
  • Rockstar_JILL
    Rockstar_JILL Posts: 514 Member
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    Would you like brutal honesty or would you like me to sugar coat it for you?

    Honestly? Stop making excuses. Get up and do it.

    Sugar coat it? Sure baby.. just lay there.. the weight will fall off.


    LITTLE things will help you. If you cant be bothered to do anything but watch TV.. get a recumbent bike and WATCH TV.


    ^^^ This! Just make yourself...you will feel so much better afterwards. It takes time to get there, but you have to do it.
  • tammyclinch
    tammyclinch Posts: 103 Member
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    Can't can't be a word you use just do it
  • 366to266
    366to266 Posts: 473 Member
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    Yes indeed - this has turned into what my American friends call an "awesome" thread. There is some fantastic advice on here and I am going to go back and start copying-and-pasting stuff into a document and print it out and put it in my Weight Loss Project folder!

    Natalie seems to have done a lot of research into weight loss for the "supermorbidly" obese and I hope she will be my Best Diet Buddy.

    Tammy, JIll and the other lady whose name isn't on the screen at the moment:

    I perform water aerobics several times a week. I go to the local pool and I dance and job in deep water to heavy-beat rock and dance music on my waterproof MP3 player. It's very intense and my heart rate is kept up for a solid 60 minutes. I do repetitive jive kicks and flicks, kicking my legs out in every possible direction, alternating this with cycling type moves, stretches, pilates-type core-building exercises, pulling myself up using the stepladder rails. While doing the vigorous leg-hip-waist dancing workout, I am constantly working my arms with two double-sized foam barbells (twice the size as the one the pool staff give to those joining their aquafit class). My biceps are huge!

    After an hour of water-dancing I am absolutely exhausted. Sometimes I have struggled even to stand up in the shower and to get dressed. I've even fallen asleep in the taxi that takes me home. When home I have my first meal of the day (usually breaking a fast of between 14 and 20 hours) and snuggle on the couch (usually shivering) and watch tv, alternating between that and sitting at my computer. I also keep two 3kg nylon barbells next to the couch and lift as I watch TV. I also have a few chair-obics workout videos on the PC and want to start doing them soon.

    I doubt very much whether you will find another middle aged woman with a BMI of over 60 doing THIS vigorous an exercise THIS many times a week. I know everyone who uses the local pool now, and believe me, all the other women of my age, 90% of whom are slim or just slightly podgy, do a VERY gentle breaststroke (with head fully out of the water!) for 20 minutes once a week and call that regular exercise. I aim to do 60 minutes high intensity 7 days a week, but some days I am just so exhausted it's all I can do to get out of bed and walk downstairs. So I have managed only 4 or 5 days out of the seven most weeks.

    To whoever mentioned refined carbs -- I never eat any. All I eat is meat, fish, eggs, green and other low GI vegetables. Absolutely no sugar, no wheat, no fruit, no artificial sweeteners etc.

    Natalie: "put on a 200lb body suit and we'll see how motivated you are to get up and exercise."
    Actually, according to my doctor, I am 236lb overweight - and age 54 (the age really makes a difference).

    Anyway, thanks for all the great information.

    I am particularly interested in the business of BMR and TDEE. I have used online calculators and I get 2230 and 3000. I rarely eat 2230. I do not believe that I would ever be able to lose weight on that much! I dream of 1600 but manage about 1800-1900. I track religiously on fatsecret. I am very proud of my diet and would happily let anyone see my food diary!
  • khall86790
    khall86790 Posts: 1,100 Member
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    I wouldn't encourage these lazy days you are having, you need to be developing a more active lifestyle in general, you can't pick and choose when to be healthy.
    My advice would be if you don't feel like really smashing out the exercise, pop in an exercise dvd that takes 20 minutes or go for a short walk. After that, you may feel entirely different and it will definitely change how you eat for the rest of the day.
  • FrancineM62
    FrancineM62 Posts: 42 Member
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    Personally (and this goes against conventional wisdom), I think losing weight is much more about eating than exercise. You say you are doing well with diet, so don't beat yourself up. Granted, it's not good to lay around all the time, but I bet when you get closer to your goal you will find you have more energy. It sounds like you have incorporated good exercise into many days, so you're getting there! Good luck!!
  • alexisu96
    alexisu96 Posts: 103 Member
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    Just some words of encouragement. Working out every other day is also great!! Where is the rule that states we HAVE to work out everyday?? Forcing yourself everyday is just making exercise a chore, which you will eventually hate and completly stop doing. Just set a goal to work out 3/4 times a week and ENJOY your lazy days. Just don't replace exercise with binging on those off days ( that is my problem!)
  • meldel49
    meldel49 Posts: 30 Member
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    You should see your doctor since you may have some kind of anemia which tends to making you tired and not up to exercising. I think you should make yourself do something since I wake up many a time and do not feel like exercising either. Even a short walk is better thannone at all and you feel better about yourself.
  • 366to266
    366to266 Posts: 473 Member
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    Just some words of encouragement. Working out every other day is also great!! Where is the rule that states we HAVE to work out everyday?? Forcing yourself everyday is just making exercise a chore, which you will eventually hate and completly stop doing. Just set a goal to work out 3/4 times a week and ENJOY your lazy days. Just don't replace exercise with binging on those off days ( that is my problem!)

    Alexis - I do this, too. When I go to the pool I never eat beforehand, so my eating window is only from about 11am to 1pm to about 6 or 7 pm. But on non-pool days my eating window starts at something like 6am and 7am and is 12 hours! And yeah, there is much more time to fill, plus I am at home, plus I am ravenous after the exertions of the day before. So. yes, this is a worry and is one of the reasons that I really wish I could go to the pool 7 days a week.
  • 366to266
    366to266 Posts: 473 Member
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    You should see your doctor since you may have some kind of anemia which tends to making you tired and not up to exercising. I think you should make yourself do something since I wake up many a time and do not feel like exercising either. Even a short walk is better thannone at all and you feel better about yourself.

    Definitely not anaemic, but thanks!
  • Sqeekyjojo
    Sqeekyjojo Posts: 704 Member
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    There is no point in my going to the doc's about anything. The system seems to be completely different in the UK than the USA. I have tried consulting my doctors about many things and I never really get an answer other than "take these pills". I don't want to be a drug dependent person.

    We cannot easily change doctors in the UK without raising a formal complaint, and even if we do we then get allocated to another, possibly miles away, and he/she will be working in exactly the same way as the one we left. I have never had any joy telling them about obesity, tiredness, depression, arthritis, panic attacks, even sleep apnoea. It's either just giving me pills or telling me it'll get better when I lose weight, OR being placed on a long waiting list to see a specialist who then tries to put me on the same pills or tells me to lose weight, but provides no advice for so doing. I told my doc about sleep apnoea about 3 years ago and was placed on the waiting list to spend the night in a sleep clinic. When I reached the top of the list, about a year later, the sleep apnoea had disappeared, so I was told not to attend. When I share a bed with someone, sometimes I have it and sometimes I don't, and so, even if I get myself back on the waiting list and wait a year to go to the clinic, there is no guarantee that I will have apnoea on that particular night that I spend in the clinic. And even if they find I have it, that doesn't cure it. They just get you issued with a C-PAP. Hopefully in a year I will be 100 lb lighter and won't have apnoea any longer.

    Sorry for writing this but it seems important to tell y'all because everyone always says, "see your doc". I've all but given up on them for anything but blood tests and suchlike. I only went last week because to join the gym I had to get a blood pressure checkup.

    (PS I just got up and walked to the kitchen and my legs feel like they are made of lead. I am almost dragging them along.)



    I'm sorry, but you are making excuses. You can change doctors in the NHS without a single problem - just go to a new surgery and register with them. Then, at the new doctors, request a referral to a specialist sleep clinic and get a sleep study carried out. It may be one held at a centre or one at home where you connect up a bunch of different monitors, but it'll usually be connected to the cardiac unit in some way - probably because if it isn't treated, particularly when due to morbid obesity, the odds are that they'll be seeing the people who had untreated OSA in there soon enough.

    Trying to be truthful but not hurtful here, but at your size, it's highly unlikely that you won't have an apnoeic event at some point of the night - every night. So thinking it's disappeared or assuming it won't happen if you get around to having it tested is you sabotaging your own health and safety. I hope you don't drive, as it would be illegal for you to do so right now.


    Do non weight bearing exercise - that means indoor rowing, for example. If an hour every day is impossible, then do half an hour every day. Or instead of doing aqua aerobics, do an hour of just trying to keep yourself afloat treading water. Or twenty minutes. Or half an hour in water one day and half an hour of sitting exercises the next.

    Anything is better than doing nothing because you can't manage a full hour yet.

    Sit on the couch and move your ankles around, rotate your hands, do gentle stretches of your arms. Just move yourself. And from experience (of OSA and arthritis), make sure that your only movement ISN'T walking from the couch to the fridge and back again.



    Whilst you are at the doctors, get bloods for inflammatory arthritis - RF, CRP, ESR - as they can cause tiredness as well. If inflammation shows up, you are well placed to request a Rheumatology referral.

    But be prepared to find that it's simply the physical effort of moving your body around at that weight which is causing your exhaustion.



    Because, whatever else might be going on, you certainly aren't going to improve sitting on the couch and typing about why it's not worth the bother because it's all too hard.


    Nobody is going to fight your battles for you - you have to be your own knight in shining armour (or a flotation device).



    Good luck.


    ETA: I've never had any problems getting UK food to come up on the log. Perhaps trying to reduce branded, processed foods might assist you here as well?

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