Struggling

LMuench09
LMuench09 Posts: 5
in Introduce Yourself
Good evening,
I'm new to Fitness Pal and I'm looking for some support, and good recipes.. lol. A bit about myself, I'm 27 years old have been married for about 4 1/2 years. 3 years ago we moved to New Brunswick from Ontario for my husbands work and I can honestly say that I easily gained 50lbs in a very short time and have not been able to get rid of it. I developed a bad back, so yay!! Plus I also have IBS… so double yay!!
I have a tendency to forget to eat so I only ever ate dinner which I know is one of the reasons I gained weight.
I'm having a hard time figuring out what I should and shouldn't eat and not setting off my wonderful dash to the bathroom, we're also trying for a baby and I'm afraid of working out to much, (we've been trying for 4 years and now have assistance from doctors)

Any advice on how to make this work would be appreciated,
Laura

Replies

  • Etherlily1
    Etherlily1 Posts: 974 Member
    As a way to remind yourself about meals could be to set up alarms to go off on your phone at the time you want to eat. Just set them up and aim for the same time each day, so no need to reset everyday. For working out it doesn't have to be hard, bone crunching workouts; it can be just simply walking around the block a three times a couple of times a day. Walking tends to be an exercise that is pretty easy on the body without stressing out joints, backs, etc.
  • brenn24179
    brenn24179 Posts: 2,144 Member
    Just log your calories and you will be fine. For me I don't eat late at night but that is my preference. As long as you eat a calorie deficit you will lose weight. There are a lot of people to support you, just add friends. It is simple but not easy because we have a bad habit of eating too much. I don't eat much fast food because it has so many calories and I had rather eat at home because I seem to get more to eat and it is more filling for me.
  • birkona
    birkona Posts: 24
    You have to eat all day, preferably, every 2-3 hours. I know it's tough sometimes when you're working but just time it out. That's what I do. Even if you don't feel hungry, make sure you are still eating. And make sure to eat the most important meal of the day -- breakfast. You have to remember that your body needs to constantly eat to keep metabolizing all day. And make sure you never get hungry, and you never get full. Always stay content.

    In terms of exercise with a bad back, you should try swimming, walking, etc. I found this website for exercises if you have a bad back. Check it out! http://www.thestkittsnevisobserver.com/2013/04/05/health.html
  • nancybuss
    nancybuss Posts: 1,461 Member
    Working out is also fine while trying to conceive, just talk to the doc. I have plenty of experience there. If your back can handle it, the rest of you can.

    I agree with eating. Its best to be setting up 4-6 small meals a day of healthy items. Fruits/veggies/lean meats

    Welcome! You can do it.

    Good luck with the baby
  • Sreneesa
    Sreneesa Posts: 1,170 Member
    Everyone has great advice.

    For me, I eat around 3 to 4 times a day.

    I try for breakfast but sometimes it doesn't happen until I get home around noon. Ill eat something before I workout then after I workout, then dinner. And maybe fit a snack during the day sometime or another small meal to reach my daily calories.

    Just make sure to find out what your daily calories are and try to aim for the number.

    I use http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ to figure out my daily calories.

    Also buy a food scale to weigh your food for nutrition accuracy.

    As someone mentioned above, maybe start off walking for exercise until you find something you enjoy and get in the routine of being active.

    Good luck and welcome!

    Edit: If you decide to use MFP's recommended daily calories remember it doesn't count your exercise calories so as I have heard some say on here to eat half of those calories back. The link I provided above already counts your exercise activity(how many calories you burn during exercise) in your daily calories.
  • sodakat
    sodakat Posts: 1,126 Member
    I kind of doubt you got fat by eating just one meal a day. More than likely you got fat because you ate more calories in that one meal than you burned during the rest of the day.

    If you want to eat just one meal a day there is no reason you can't do that. But you may find that now that you aren't eating as many calories at that one meal you will get hungry thoughout the day and therefore not "forget" to eat! Maybe not.

    Did you let MFP set a daily calorie amount based on your goals and activity level? That is the place to start.

    Then you can begin eating foods you like and entering them in the database. As you see the calories add up and near your daily total you will learn to choose which foods and how much of each food you can fit into your daily amount.

    Be sure to buy a food scale if you want this to work really well. It's very difficult to guess/estimate how much something weighs and in order to stay at a calorie deficit and lose weight, you'll need to know exactly how many calories you are consuming.
  • CalicoMonroe
    CalicoMonroe Posts: 14
    I recommend you see a dietitian for help planning meals that will not trigger your IBS. Also make sure that you're being given the option of medication to control it as well.

    You must stop "forgetting" to eat because this simply triggers you to consume way more at dinner and your metabolism is wonky because you've basically triggered it to hold onto that dinner to hold you over through your activity the next day. Your body needs fuel to run efficiently and when you're only giving it so much fuel it is going to burn that energy slowly to conserve it until the next time you eat.

    Some people believe in eating every 2-3 hours others are just fine with 3 decent meals a day. My biggest piece of advise is to make sure you're getting plenty of protein in each of those meals.

    Also, do not be afraid to workout simply because you're trying to conceive. The best thing you can do for your body and your future child(ren) is to be active. That extra 50 lbs you're carrying around is doing a lot more to prevent the pregnancies than exercising ever could. It doesn't have to be (boring) cardio like the treadmill or elliptical. Doing laps, yoga, strength training...all of those types of exercise are perfectly safe not only before you conceive but after you conceive and work your body into shape without causing a loot of stress on your body.
  • LMuench09
    LMuench09 Posts: 5
    Thank you for all the advice!! I use to swim when I was younger (competitively) and would love to start again, i do walk the dogs but have trouble with my leg seizing up.. It's weird and somewhat of a new problem. I've started writing my meals down on my daily to do list so I remember when I should be eating.
    For my IBS I've seen doctors and I've been on the medication but that's not a possibility for me ( really bad reaction ) so the doctors just told me to make sure I eat fibre... Yay
    I do yoga now, well trying to do yoga... But some people keep telling me to do more intense workouts and that scares the poop outta me. I throw out my back just cleaning the toilet, lol. The fear while TTC is because we've lost several pregnancies and I can't get it out of my head that I might cause another one if I work to hard, if that makes sense.
    Also for the record when I did have that one meal it wasn't a big meal maybe 700 cal

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