I don't want to keep track of everything!

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  • mbcaldwell123
    mbcaldwell123 Posts: 79 Member
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    grandmothercharlie wrote: »
    I started my weight loss journey because my doctor and I thought I should have weight loss surgery. I have serious heart problems so I easily qualified. I started the whole process of exams, psychiatrists, etc. My BMI was 45. (Most doctors insist on a BMI of at least 40 to perform surgery, unless you have a serious weight-related disease and then they will drop it to 35 BMI).

    After losing 8 pounds by just being careful, I finally got to see the surgeon. She said that even after surgery, I would have to stick to a 1200 calories a day diet and walk every day. Additionally, I would have to take the myriad of pills I take for my heart and RA one at a time with 15 minutes in between and I could not drink anything with meals. (Those were harder to accept than the exercise and 1200 calorie a day). I was going to have sleeve surgery (as the surgeons here aren't doing lap band much anymore). I asked her if there was a website that would help to discipline myself and she told me about MFP.

    I left thinking that I would need to try the 1200 calories a day and the exercise since there was no use to committing to surgery if I could not do what I needed to do afterwards. So mid-January, I came here with a BMI still at 43.5 and I buckled down. However, I was still planning on having the surgery.

    As I limited myself to 1200 calories a day, started walking every day as much as I could (which wasn't far back then), logging here everyday, and making friends, I really started to lose weight. However, I also kept going to groups and check-ins in preparation for surgery. Well, I stalled that. By mid-June (only 5.5 months after coming here), my BMI was down below 35 and I no longer qualified for surgery -- even for health reasons!

    10 months later, I have lost a total of 78 pounds (70 of those here at MFP)! I only have 1.5 pounds to get out of the obese range!

    The moral to this story is: Even with weight loss surgery, you must work very hard. You must limit your intake and you must exercise. So, why not try those things now? Logging helps us realize how much we are actually eating.

    With that said, weight loss surgery IS right for some people. It is the impetus they need, but for it to work, it still needs dedication. Recent studies show that it can really have a positive affect on diabetes in just 48 hours after surgery. They don't know why, but it isn't the weight loss for it to be that quickly. However, surgery is expensive, time consuming, painful, a 6-week recovery and you should still end up here at MFP post-surgery to track calories and record exercise!

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    WELL SAID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wish I had known about MFP before I had WLS. Probably would still have had the surgery (insurance covered) but it still would have been nice to know a forum like this existed.
  • paigeday23
    paigeday23 Posts: 6 Member
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    I joined this site online at first, but after being on the computer all day at work, I didn't want to go on at home, however, I recently was given a phone that can use apps and the my fitness pal app is AWESOME, it has really helped me stick to this. I have some health issues too, and that is really helping me stick to it as well. I wish you luck, no one can make the choice for you, and surgery is not the answer. I have friends who had that surgery and are bigger now than ever, waste of money if you end up eating like you did before surgery.

    I am never full, that is my problem. Portion control is very hard for me because I don't seem to get full, or FEEL full I should say :( I do love food and will eat what I want, but am learning to control myself, like it or not...sometimes I like it, sometimes NOT LOL

    you can do this!
  • Oi_Sunshine
    Oi_Sunshine Posts: 819 Member
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    If you eat all day, and get surgery done, and don't change your habits and keep eating all day, you'll have wasted money, surgeons time and a very serious risk of surgical complications and recovery time. People who do not change their habits do not benefit from surgery. It's not a fairy godmother waving a wand.
  • pscarolina
    pscarolina Posts: 133 Member
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    booty4days365 wrote: »
    michellemybelll wrote: »
    if you don't want to count calories, don't do it. no one's holding a gun to your head. it's definitely not confusing. it's actually about as simple as it gets. it is also a very affective way to control intake and aids in weight loss for many people.

    I don't want to count BECAUSE I would be writing all day long since I eat all day.

    I log all my food for the day (usually) first thing in the morning. It's the mindless grazing & picking up anything & everything 'cause it feels good in the moment that causes problems for me. I make sure I meet all my macros, have a few calories left over just in case & move on with my life. It doesn't have to be so time consuming.
  • MainahGirl
    MainahGirl Posts: 282 Member
    edited November 2014
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    I had a Gastric Bypass 17 years ago. I lost over 100 lbs, but didn't exercise, eat well and over time gained it back. For many years after I tried other diet methods until I decided enough was enough. I decided I was ready to lose weight, start exercising and get healthy! MFP is an awesome tool to get you there! Until you're ready to work at losing weight, nothing will help. But when you are, logging your food and exercise will become routine and part of your new lifestyle.
  • ithrowconfetti
    ithrowconfetti Posts: 451 Member
    edited November 2014
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    OP, consider some of the good suggestions here. If you're hell-bent on just weight loss, a calorie deficit is essential, and logging in calories/weighing food can make all the difference. Excess weight can cause health problems in the future, and I hope you make a positive change, to keep your gastrointestinal tract healthy. Good luck!
  • rowlandsw
    rowlandsw Posts: 1,166 Member
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    I'm calling troll or teenager from the attitude towards weightloss the OP is showing.
  • mrogers52
    mrogers52 Posts: 378 Member
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    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    Losing weight is hard. Being fat is hard. Choose your hard.

    This!

  • 0somuchbetter0
    0somuchbetter0 Posts: 1,335 Member
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    OP you don't sound like a good candidate for weight loss surgery. You want an easy fix and surgery is anything but that. I suggest you find a nutritionist and a therapist and work on your emotional relationship with food. Best of luck to you.
  • Oscarinmiami
    Oscarinmiami Posts: 326 Member
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    You need to keep track, but this site does the math for you,just put what you eat and it tells you how much you have left...If you are at 225llbs you really need to count so you don't go up to 350lbs or more...Get out and do exercise when you are hungry and drink a lot of water to fill you up.
  • lorib642
    lorib642 Posts: 1,942 Member
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    booty4days365 wrote: »
    The idea of written down everything I eat and counting calories, carbs and all that seems confusing to me. Having to add everything up is taking away time to eat more. I always think one more bite won't hurt and here I am now 225. Has anyone tried weight loss surgery? Why can't I stop eating????

    Have you tried using the app? You don't have to do any calculations. I didn't realize how much my snacking was adding up. Even if you decide not to stick with it, I think it is worthwhile to do it for as bit just to get an idea of what your calorie intake is and what regular portion sizes are.

    I don't know much about surgery. You still have to watch what you eat and it sounds extreme to me. You may find after looking into it that your insurance won't cover it. I would definitely try counting calories before considering surgery.
  • mommyrunning
    mommyrunning Posts: 495 Member
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    The first few weeks of logging food feels like a chore but then it become a habit. I don't even think about it anymore. I just do it. If you have a smart phone you can use the barcode scanner which will make it faster. Also, I've found that after a couple weeks most of the foods I eat are on my list and I can just check the box and add them.

    I mean this in the nicest way possible. What is more important to you? If getting healthy/fit is a priority for you then you will find a way. If not you will find an excuse.

    I've been in the excuse phase before and eventually decided I liked the take action phase better.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    booty4days365 wrote: »
    The idea of written down everything I eat and counting calories, carbs and all that seems confusing to me. Having to add everything up is taking away time to eat more. I always think one more bite won't hurt and here I am now 225. Has anyone tried weight loss surgery? Why can't I stop eating????

    You can stop eating if you want. You just have to want to stop more than you want to not stop. Weight loss surgery is an option, but if you don't learn to eat properly you will likely regain the weight. It's not an easy fix. It still requires discipline on your part.

    You don't have to write anything down to lose weight. It's just a tool that makes it easier for some people. Eat less than you are now. If, after a week or so, you haven't lost any weight, eat a little less.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    booty4days365 wrote: »
    The idea of written down everything I eat and counting calories, carbs and all that seems confusing to me. Having to add everything up is taking away time to eat more. I always think one more bite won't hurt and here I am now 225. Has anyone tried weight loss surgery? Why can't I stop eating????

    ok, bye then!
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    booty4days365 wrote: »
    The idea of written down everything I eat and counting calories, carbs and all that seems confusing to me.

    It's not that burdensome to track using the mobile app on phone or tablet. Particularly as you can just scan the barcode on many things.

    Personally I tend not to be too religious about it, mainly because I do enough fitness training to be sure I've got a calorie deficit.
    Having to add everything up is taking away time to eat more. I always think one more bite won't hurt and here I am now 225. Has anyone tried weight loss surgery? Why can't I stop eating????

    This sugests a more significant issue around how you relate to food.

    To me food is fuel, and eating is a pleasurable experience. It's not about volume, it's about making sure I fuel my life and enjoy myself when I'm cooking and/ or eating.

    What I found when I started tracking my intake was that it amde me more thoughtful about what I was eating. Looking at the energy cost of something and weighing up whether it really was worth it or not, given that I was about to go for a run or ride or something.



  • draco25000
    draco25000 Posts: 28 Member
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    lol it's not confusing, it's simple. you eat something, you add an entry. And if your excuse is 'Having to add everything up is taking away time to eat more' you need to sit down and reflect on where your priorities are. If you want to continue eating lots then deal with the weight gain, if not then quit making silly excuses for yourself.
  • Mischievous_Rascal
    Mischievous_Rascal Posts: 1,791 Member
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    funchords wrote: »
    booty4days365 wrote: »
    The idea of written down everything I eat and counting calories, carbs and all that seems confusing to me. Having to add everything up is taking away time to eat more. I always think one more bite won't hurt and here I am now 225. Has anyone tried weight loss surgery? Why can't I stop eating????

    Weight loss surgery patient here ... or I would have been. My Weight Loss Surgeon's office assigned MyFitnessPal as homework because after the surgery, you have to track your food. I did very well on MyFitnessPal (down 72 lbs. so far) that my surgery has been postponed indefinitely.

    Log your food. It takes 5 minutes and has so many benefits.

    I believe this may be the only answer needed here. There are no quick fixes and even with surgery you still need to be accountable as to what goes in your own mouth.

    OP, if you really can't control your eating, then that's a mental thing you need to deal with. Maybe putting in the work it takes to actually log all that you eat will be enough of a wake up call for you. It was for me.

  • NikiChicken
    NikiChicken Posts: 576 Member
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    SilverLining14 wrote: »
    nobody's going to approve you for weight loss surgery at 225. do you think we count calories and keep track just for the hell of it? there're plenty of other things I'd rather spend my time doing than counting and planning ahead everything I'm going to eat, but I want to lose weight, and I know it takes a lot of hard work and dedication. there is no easy way out. if you want to change your body you're going to have to put in some work.

    Very true words! There are no magic bullets out there. If you want to lose weight and keep it off, you have to be committed to putting in a lot of work. That is all there is to it and there is no way around it. Even if you were to find someone to approve weight loss surgery for you, if you don't learn how to eat properly, you will eventually gain back anything you lose after the surgery. I have had several friends and relatives go that route - they are all back to or more than their pre-surgery weight because they never bothered to address the eating habits part of the problem.

  • jessilee119
    jessilee119 Posts: 444 Member
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    BernadetteChurch wrote: »
    You wouldn't actually be physically writing everything down and adding it all up in your head. MFP will do the sums for you. That's why so many of us love it here! All you need to do is be honest about what you're eating, and weigh and measure everything that goes into your mouth. Set your goals and be guided by how many calories MFP tells you to eat. Spend a few days eating how you normally would to see how it all adds up, and then start looking at where you can change things to meet your goals. The longer you stay here the more you'll learn and you might find you prefer to work things differently, but for now this is the way to start changing some of your habits.

    To go off of this...logging in the beginning may seem tedious and time consuming, but the longer you're here, the easier it is to log as your "recent" and "frequent" database builds. Then it's a matter of clicking what's already in those logs and it really only takes a few minutes (especially if you're a creature of habit and tend to eat the same foods over and over).

  • TossaBeanBag
    TossaBeanBag Posts: 458 Member
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    Can't stop or won't stop? Start consuming more exercise.

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