question about weight loss

bubbles079 · January 2011

I am writing this and hoping the people who read it will take it as it is written a plea for help not me making excuses for bad habits I know I have them but one thing at a time is my moto.

I started my weight loss last month on another site and joined this one this month so far from last month to this month I have lost 5lbs. The problem is I know I don't eat healthy but I do exercise I am an junk food junkie not that I am proud of it but I still stay with in my calorie count also due to several health issues mainly hernias in different parts of my body( cervical spin and lower back) and osteoarthritis I don't sleep well most nights and need pain meds to be able to manage the pain to do the exercise but they make me sleepy so I often take naps I try to only sleep of an hour but with the meds and me already being sleep deprived it ends up being 2 or 3 hours so then I am up till 1 am and that's when the munching starts . I usually skip breakfast because I don't what to force my self to eat if I am not hungry not to mention I am not function-able until after my pain meds I am usually up by 8 am and take my vitamins and meds by 9 then do my exercise between 10-12 so by the time I'm done its lunch time and now I am hungry so I try to find something that is quick and has some nutritional value which is not always easy but do try and I am more concerned with the calorie count than what it is I try chewing bubble gum but that only works for a while I drink any where from 10-15 glasses of water a day most of it before my nap so by night time Im sick of water and want tea soda lemon aid anything but water the problem with that is the sugar I am always over my sugar and fat count for the day even though most days I have at least 300 calories left and I am losing weight. But because of my limited income and pain levels I don't have a balanced meal most of the the time not to mention I am a picky eater so I just want to know is it ok that I am doing this because my thought is a pound lost is a pound lost no matter what you eat . I do take many vitamins mostly so I can try to cut down on some of the rx meds but I do have to have them some days as I can not sleep with out them sometimes and waiting till bed time to take them means the pain is there all day which does not make exercising easy or give me much motivation to do it. I do my exercise in the morning and early after noon as I am still trying to get my body to cooperate so I can do it all at one time but sense no one can help with the types of exercise I can do that wont make the pain worse I am going on trail an error which is another problem. Because if I do the wrong thing I could be out of wack for a week or more and then everything goes out the window. I know that sugar and processed food is no good for me but I have to eat what I can afford and what I can cook which is not easy some days so please don't send me a bunch of replies telling me I'm killing my self buy eating processed food because I am killing my self being over weight to so I think the food is the lesser of the two evils what I need is suggestions as to what exercises I can do and weather a pound loss is a pound lose or suggestions on how to stop the night time snacking.

P.S. I am so not in to yogurt or whole grain products it taste like straw I could eat meat and veggies and be just happy as long as the veggies are raw or lightly steamed lol just though I would mention that.

sassiebritches · January 2011

I say switch things around....exercise is great, but they say 80% of weigh loss is what you put in your body 20% exercise. Get off the junk food, drink tons of water. I personally eat Low Carb, so if you are following a low calorie plan as most do here, then follow it with good food. Just cause MFP says eat 1200 cals, does not mean you can do it with 1200 cals of french fries.

You mentioned that you like meat and veggies.....that sounds like a Low Carb diet to me.....my menu looks like this.

Breakfast
3 egg omelette with cheddar cheese 1 oz
6 slices of bacon
6 slices of cucumbers
2 cups of coffee with sugar free creamer and whipped cream 2 tbsp

Lunch
Turkey lunch meat
1 oz cheddar cheese or 1/3 cottage cheese

Dinner
10 oz steak
1 cup green beans
salad with all the stuff (12 croutons :P)

Desert
2 sugar free jellos with 2 tbsp whip cream

snacks - can be sugar free candy, sugar free chocolates, nuts

So there you go. I am not big on exercise right now cause of foot troubles, but I lost weight pretty steady for 1 moth....19lbs in 2 months......seems pretty good.

Drink water. And if you are interested in Low Carb eating hit me up.

~~Sass:flowerforyou:

cutmd · January 2011

ok, so I'm taking this as your question:

what I need is suggestions as to what exercises I can do and weather a pound loss is a pound lose or suggestions on how to stop the night time snacking.

exercise
A physical therapist familiar with your condition who has evaluated you in the gym is the best person to give you advice on safe exercises, but in general I would suggest walking, recumbent biking, and swimming. Strength training is trickier, probably the safest thing to do is isometrics - suck in your abs and hold it for 30 seconds, contract your quads while sitting for 30 secs, your butt while standing, flex your biceps forward and your triceps back, hold perfect posture pushing your chest out, push your chest against the wall without moving etc, until you've done all muscle groups. Repeat circuit x3

All weight loss is not created equal. It's great you're losing weight and I'm sure you are losing fat. But I would definitely recommend incorporating a little strength training (like the isometrics I mentioned) to preserve muscle tissue. This will help your body fat % go down as you lose weight.

There was a famous study recently published showing that a calorie is, barring any metabolic derangements or sensitivites, a calorie, and you can lose weight no matter what the calories are comprised of as long as there is a deficit. http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html. Of course, the price involved is that your nutrition suffers.

Since you have 300 calories left on many days, the good news is that you could start by using those calories by eating more protein and veggies. You mentioned finances are an issue but push come to shove you could eat canned tuna, sardines, or chicken and steamed veggies. Another important step for you is adding a small snack, like some nuts, as soon as you wake up, whether you're hungry or not. It's just a little, and it will get your metabolism going and stave off hunger. The reason you have night-time snacking issues are that you are nutritionally and calorically deprived on most days. Start adding in healthier foods earlier in the day and things will improve. Also, when you do get the munchies, try throwing in a little protein like nuts or a boiled egg, etc to the sugary snack to avoid rebound cravings from relative reactive hypoglycemia.

Hope that helps.

lildbabyo6 · January 2011

Hi I can see how frustrating it can be to not see the results you are looking for with so many obstacles that are thrown at you and you seem to be really trying your best at trying to get healthy. I know my advice may not seem like much but I know it helped me considering I'm a college student also living on a budget and don't really have much time to cook I feel like I somewhat relate to you. It's been good for me so I thought I could give you a couple of tips that helped me along the way.

Okay first you have to eat something in the morning regardless if you are hungry or not because it help starts your metabolism for when you are going to exercise later in the day and depending on your workout regiment it has to correlate on how much energy you are going to be needing so if your exercise is light, eat some fruit like a banana to jump start your day, wait an hour and then start exercising so you have the energy and your body can start burning the fat.

Try not to drink anything with sugar because it will add on the unnecessary calories your body needs to fully function. Those sugars in drinks are "empty calories" meaning they do not do anything but store more fat into your system and makes it harder to burn what you are needing . I get tired of water as well so I drink unsweetened teas.

Try snacking throughout the day like every 4 hours have something to eat like some fruit or crackers or something that will help your metabolism throughout the day.

I don't know what your schedule looks like but I tend to work out in the morning and at night as well right before I go to sleep because it helps me go to sleep easier when I am exhausted. I dance for my workout most of the time but other times I just go out for a walk around my neighborhood.

I know it's going to be hard but try cutting down on the junk foods. I eat a lot of fruits and veggies and if I'm going to eat any carbs it would be whole grains like quinoa and mellet because they are tasty and inexpensive with chicken breast.

I hope my tips are helpful and it doesn't seem like I'm coming across as rude because I'm not I just thought it might help you as much as it has helped me. Good luck with everything

question about weight loss

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