Very Overweight and Need Help:
Options
LaLeafButterfly
Posts: 2
Starting weight: 284+lbs
Current weight: 241.9lbs
Goal weight: 120lbs
Weight loss started: April 11, 2014
I really need help w/ advice on how I can further lose weight. I know I'm losing it at a quick rate and I'm 7.9lbs away from hitting the 50lb weight loss in only 7-8 months and that's not like some kind of "easy" thing to do. I want to continue losing more weight and to become more active but I honestly have no idea what I'm doing.
At 5"3" and 21 years old, this weight for the past 8 years of my life has taken its toll on my body. I am very young and my body feels very old and I am always very tired and lethargic. I have very large breasts which I'm meeting a surgeon for very soon that have caused severe back pain. My heart skips beats from taking so many NSAIDS in migraine OTC medications, meaning that I'm likely to die of a heart attack if I run. I tried for about 15 seconds a few months back and my heart felt like it was going to explode and I had to stop. I really enjoy walking and have learned to get my body used to that. I cannot afford a gym and have nothing at home but my own body and some 5lb weights. We have a combined elliptical with a bike built in but I'm not sure how long I'm supposed to use each for at my weight. I've been able to do it for an hour on each before. I started doing an hour a day on elliptical and got to where I felt like I was going to vomit so I was afraid I was doing it wrong and quit.
I am a vegetarian who eats mostly vegan meals. I'm learning to enjoy new, healthy food but I notice ridiculous cravings for things like pizza, nachos and ice cream which keep me from losing more. I don't gain weight from eating them, but I do stay the same weight. I know I could already have lost even more weight but I have been the same weight for about 3-4 months now. The addiction I have to food is what's also keeping me from progressing. I am not one of those people that can be trusted with a little "treat" every now and then. When I have "treats", I will eat up to 4-5 pizza slices at one time and then do it again the next day. I notice insane cravings for addictive things especially foods with a lot of salt and cheese. This raises my blood pressure so high that my ears turn blood red and burn for hours. I am borderline high blood pressure right now and I am racing to lose a much weight as I can so I am not on meds. I take absolutely no medications anymore. My mom has sleep apnea and 40lbs ago, I was not breathing in my sleep either. I have managed to escape from breathing machines now from losing weight. I am still worried I might still be not breathing during sleep though just not as often.
Can anyone tell me how I can further progress in fitness with my current situation and possibly give me some exercise and food tips?
Weight loss is extremely important for me and my health right now.
^picture taken earlier this month. I've managed to lose a few more pounds since then.
Current weight: 241.9lbs
Goal weight: 120lbs
Weight loss started: April 11, 2014
I really need help w/ advice on how I can further lose weight. I know I'm losing it at a quick rate and I'm 7.9lbs away from hitting the 50lb weight loss in only 7-8 months and that's not like some kind of "easy" thing to do. I want to continue losing more weight and to become more active but I honestly have no idea what I'm doing.
At 5"3" and 21 years old, this weight for the past 8 years of my life has taken its toll on my body. I am very young and my body feels very old and I am always very tired and lethargic. I have very large breasts which I'm meeting a surgeon for very soon that have caused severe back pain. My heart skips beats from taking so many NSAIDS in migraine OTC medications, meaning that I'm likely to die of a heart attack if I run. I tried for about 15 seconds a few months back and my heart felt like it was going to explode and I had to stop. I really enjoy walking and have learned to get my body used to that. I cannot afford a gym and have nothing at home but my own body and some 5lb weights. We have a combined elliptical with a bike built in but I'm not sure how long I'm supposed to use each for at my weight. I've been able to do it for an hour on each before. I started doing an hour a day on elliptical and got to where I felt like I was going to vomit so I was afraid I was doing it wrong and quit.
I am a vegetarian who eats mostly vegan meals. I'm learning to enjoy new, healthy food but I notice ridiculous cravings for things like pizza, nachos and ice cream which keep me from losing more. I don't gain weight from eating them, but I do stay the same weight. I know I could already have lost even more weight but I have been the same weight for about 3-4 months now. The addiction I have to food is what's also keeping me from progressing. I am not one of those people that can be trusted with a little "treat" every now and then. When I have "treats", I will eat up to 4-5 pizza slices at one time and then do it again the next day. I notice insane cravings for addictive things especially foods with a lot of salt and cheese. This raises my blood pressure so high that my ears turn blood red and burn for hours. I am borderline high blood pressure right now and I am racing to lose a much weight as I can so I am not on meds. I take absolutely no medications anymore. My mom has sleep apnea and 40lbs ago, I was not breathing in my sleep either. I have managed to escape from breathing machines now from losing weight. I am still worried I might still be not breathing during sleep though just not as often.
Can anyone tell me how I can further progress in fitness with my current situation and possibly give me some exercise and food tips?
Weight loss is extremely important for me and my health right now.
^picture taken earlier this month. I've managed to lose a few more pounds since then.
0
Replies
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Congrats on your progress to date…
Couple quick questions..
do you own a food scale? If yes, do you weigh, log, measure everything?
Have you updated your calorie intake to reflect losing 50 pounds?
how much is your current intake?
You meant ion that you find yourself craving things like pizza, ice cream, etc? is that because you are restricting them?
I used to be the same way when I started. i thought sugar, carbs, pizza, etc were "bad" and if I just eliminate them then I would lose weight, which I did; however, the problem that I found is that I would crave them and then go get a pizza and eat the whole ting or eat a whole container of ice cream. It was not until I realized that food is not "bad", it is just energy that your body uses for fuel…Once I readjusted my thinking, I learned how to incorporate these things into my day, meet my calorie deficit, macros targets, and lose weight..
Thinking that foods are bad sets you up for an unhealthy relationship with food, and IMO is not a sustainable path to long term weight loss. Think about it, are you really going to never eat ice cream, or pizza, or some dessert ever again? Wouldn't it be nice to be able to enjoy those things and still hit your weight loss goals?
I think if you change your thinking on those things that you will find that you can eat the foods you like and still hit your weight loss goals…
Are you still working out, or have you given up on the elliptical?0 -
I think you must know something if you've lost the weight you already have, good job on that, I think you are mainly worried/asking about working out, I think with the issues that you have stated you may have to consult with your Dr on what you should be doing. I see that you mentioned that you used the elliptical for like an hour and felt ill after, that may have been a little too much to start out, I think even people smaller than you would have troubles with one hour. Try shorter times and increase slowly. I will say that not having gym or anything you can still try walking, I am recovering from spinal fusion and can't workout and live in MN and cold outside, so I walk around the house, it all adds up and keeps you moving. Also ensure that you are tracking everything that you are eating and view your diet, to make sure not eating too much or too little, just keep hanging in there,0
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I just wanted to wish you luck to a healthier, happier and slimmer you. Put everything you've got into losing the weight, don't give up! It may be hard at times, but it will be so very worth it in the end xx0
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Often times the key to exercise programs, is start small, and work up from there. If running hurts, walk (which you are doing) - work up to walking longer, faster, and more hills.. but do it slowly. Give you body time to adjust to each increment before ramping up to the next.
Don't give up on the elliptical - but start at maybe 10-15 minutes per session, then slowly build up from there.
Since you are cash-limited, you might consider adding some body-weight exercises for strength training. Again, start easy, and work your way up.
One thing that really helped me is to set myself up for success. When I was starting a new exercise ... Pushups, I didn't try to do 100 of them on my first day, or I probably would have given up, because there was NO WAY I could do that.
Instead, I tried to do 10 on the first day, then 11 the next day, then take a break for 1 day, then try to do 12 on the third day... That was really hard to do, 12, so I stayed there for a week, before moving up to 13. It was important to make it an achievable amount, so that I can succeed, and try to do a *little* more next time.
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It sounds like you've done really well so far. For me one thing that helped was just to understand as best I could what was working--how many calories was my maintenance, what I needed to eat to lose, what would be healthy and filling for me, so on. Knowledge is power, as they say.
From what you've said it seems that changing your diet and focusing on eating with more of a focus on nutrition (and also changing to veganism, whether because your doctor recommended it or for ethical reasons) has helped, and I think that's a great approach, but if you are struggling with cravings that's something to get a handle on. Have you been counting calories or tracking them in some way (serving sizes or some such). For me, doing this is a way to find a balance between restriction and going overboard--I know that I can't eat above my calories, so that's a self-imposed limit on what I will eat, it's not all good or go nuts. Similarly, I don't do well with cutting out foods, but I do know that when I snack I tend to eat way beyond my maintenance calories (or even what I'm hungry for) so on the whole I don't snack, and that means I also don't generally eat the cookies or extra stuff sitting around, but only if I decide it's really worth scheduling in.
Also, I try to focus on the foods that I want to eat more of and how much I like them, different ways to eat them that would be tasty, etc., and that ends up just being what I think about much more than not having other foods. I sometimes experiment with meeting tastes I want in more healthy/lower calorie ways, too.
Not saying these are the tactics which will work for everyone, but they were part of finding the balance that worked for me.
On exercise, really, walking is a great thing and biking is probably pretty low stress for your body too (assuming the stationary bike), as you can definitely keep it at a lower intensity, although I think you should ask your doctor about any exercise restrictions given your health issues.0 -
When it comes to cardio, I think an important detail is you need to like what you do. I bought an elliptical once off of Craigs List and I hated it. It felt like major work, which was not a bad thing, but I just did not like it. If you don't like something it will be hard to make it part of your life on a regular basis.
Walking is great. You can control the speed & distance, and if you walk outside you can change your routes as you see fit. If weather is bad you can jog in place indoors while watching TV. Again, you control how 'hard' you work. You have to judge for yourself if you're a little uncomfortable because you're working your body or if its something to be concerned about. If concerned, turn down the intensity.
As others have said, the primary focus of weight loss is calories in. Think of food as having a purpose: to provide your body with nutrition. You need protein, carbs, healthy fats. While changing your way of thinking about food is the ultimate goal, that can take time. If you feel you need to avoid certain foods, do so. But not because they are the key to losing (or not) weight. Exercise is primarily to improve your fitness level, but it also allows you to eat more and still lose weight. Generally I think the recommended level of exercise for hearth health and such is something like 5 days a week for 30-60 minutes. (I don't know exactly...)0 -
Tips:
-Don't worry about weighing food yet. It's a pain in the butt and if you're losing fine without it, don't.
-Do try logging what you eat using measuring cups and spoons (if easier than weighing.) it will give you an idea of what you're eating - how much protein, how much fiber, etc. Start looking into nutrition if you decide you want to improve your diet...and if you do, take it slow. Make small changes, little by little. http://www.fitness.gov/eat-healthy/how-to-eat-healthy/
-Try not to lose too fast! You're young and if you lose slowly, you may not end up with extra skin! You may think that it's no big deal, but if you end up with it, you'll be thinking again, lol.
-Don't get discouraged if it gets harder to lose. The weight seems to fly off when you're 250, but the more you lose, the harder it gets. So, don't get discouraged!
-Walking is great exercise. Swimming is wonderful for us fat girls. Good exercise - cardio and resistance - and the fat doesn't hold us back like it does with...just about every other exercise, lol. You can do push-ups (even if you have to start with girl push-ups), crunches, planks, six inches - so many things you can do at home. You tube has free workouts and ebay has cheap DVDs.
-Don't buy binge foods, like ice cream and all that other stuff you listed. If you can't handle it, eliminate it.
-Don't be afraid to switch it up. If it doesn't go against whatever plan you have, try anything that interests you, even if it's stupid. I'm currently eating more spicy food. I know it won't work. I don't care. It's a long journey and the more interesting you can make it, the better.
-Don't get mad at yourself for slipping up. Everyone who ever accomplished anything that took a long time had a bad day. You're not perfect? Join the very large club. Say, "I screwed up. Oh, well. Back on the horse."
Everyone has their advice. That's mine.
Good for you, making such excellent progress!! Way to go!0 -
Congrats on your weight loss
See a doctor about whether or not you need to be on heart meds.
Change your settings to one pound a week. You need to feel good about your plan and your choices. (*)
Consider increasing your fat and oil to between 45-65 grams a day. Include these fats and oils in your days: coconut, almond, walnut, coconut, tahini, avocados, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, beans, brussels sprouts, olives, pecans, cashews, . . . . . (Fat sometimes helps with cravings.)
Keep walking. It helps mood and heart and lots of other processes.
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I agree with everyone else - you've had great successes so far, so must know what you are doing. Your diary is closed so we can't see, but I would suggest recording everything you eat is an absolute must. Even if you're not aiming for a calorie goal, even if you're not very accurate yet, it's a very powerful tool.0
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wise advice above, you are doing a brilliant job, oh and i cant manage 35 mins on the eliptical trainer without feeling like i am going to pass out, so kudos for doing the hour, but maybe that is too much, how about 2 sessions of 35 mins a day?
If you need friends feel free to add me x0 -
You're doing a great job, congratulations. Try to remember there are not "bad" foods. If you try to make room for yumminess, you won't feel as restricted and feel the need to overeat. Work on the moderation part and keep doing what you've been doing!0
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You've done great so far!
There is so much great advice here. I think so much of weight loss is about knowing ourselves, and it seems you've got that down too. You know your triggers, your know your strengths. Good for you! One step at a time.
Give yourself some credit for the elliptical too. I have been building my cardio endurance over the last 7 months, and have gone from feeling like death in a 30 second run, to completing 30 minute runs. And I still can't get more than 10 minutes on an elliptical. Do what works for you and what you love. Do not underestimate the power of walking, or even what you can do with 5lb weights. If you find yourself bored, there are some great free videos on youtube as well. I may suggest joining a fitness challenge here or there as well for additional motivation and back-patting, as well as access to more suggestions for fitness videos.0 -
consider breaking up your exercise. I do several 15-20 minute sessions a day. Just walking, nothing too strenuous, my goal is to get to 10,000 steps over the course of the day. You can do it!0
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In terms of fitness try looking on youtube for workouts, if you have dumbells there are loads you can try, fitness blender or Jillian michaels ones are good. Modify if you need too and then gradually build up. E.g. in a Jillian workout alternate circuits if you cant manage 25 minutes so you only do half one day and then the other half the next.
Definitely use the elliptical and bike, try maybe increasing resistance every 30 seconds for 5/10 minutes then bring it back down again for another 5/10 minutes.
Dont be so hard on yourself on your food, youve lost almost 50lbs something is working! If you have intense cravings pick one day and allow yourself to eat whatever you want that day. Then back onto it the next day. As soon as you tell yourself 'I cant have that' you crave it more. Or try healthier options...low fat ice cream, make your own pizza with less cheese etc and that way it can fit in to your allowance.
You're doing great honey. Keep going0 -
First - congrats on your progress already! It has taken me 2.5 years to shed 40 pounds. Seriously, congrats. That takes some dedication.
Second - it sounds like you have some serious health concerns that you should really discuss with a doctor. I would consult with him or her as to what you should be doing for exercise and any type of food restrictions.
Third - start developing healthy habits like logging your food and eating portion sizes. There are great threads on here that tell you in depth how MFP works and how tracking calories helps you lose weight.
Four - Don't quit! A weight loss journey has many ups and downs and will be a life altering process. Embrace it. Never give up.
Best of luck!0 -
If you're looking for MFP friends, feel free to add me! We both started around the same time with the same weight and you're only a few pounds behind me right now. Only difference is I'm 5'10" and a few years older (mid 20's).
Personally I started out with workout videos from the library (free and could be done from the confort of my home). When I started, I could only get through the warm up portion of the Tae Bo videos I rented, so it was gratifying to build up to completing the entire workouts. If you like high intensity and are willing to have the patience to build up to complete it, Tae Bo is pretty awesome.
However, a better starter video is Simply Spoga. The calorie burn is decent and the routine can help with improving strength and flexibility in a relaxing setting. I especially like the meditation session at the end, which was calming, rejuvinating, and majorly improved my ability to breathe through my nose (always been a mouth breather).
Another option would be the Leslie Sansone walking videos. They can kick it up a notch at points, but are very positive, easy to follow, and she is skilled at making you feel like part of the class.0 -
Congrats on your weight loss thus far.
Some key tips I have are:- Log your food honestly and accurately.
- Use a food scale (you can find them for $10 on Amazon).
- Drink enough water daily.
ETA: If your heart skips beats, see a cardiologist.0 -
Wow, forty pounds weight lost on your own is great! As you lose more and walk ore your energy will improve.
Your weight is life-threatening and you are taking very positive steps. Can your doctor refer you to some specialty services for more support and advice like a dietitian and an exercise therapist?
Do you have access to a pool with an aquacise class? That sort of exercise will take some pressure off your joints.
Core exercises are good as they support the rest of your frame and will keep you from injury.
That's all I can think of for now. You will need to learn how to break out of deprivation/binge cycles for sustained health I think. Try and change up your habits to see what works. One trick might be to grab a rice cake every time you get really hungry. Eat it as slowly as you can get away with. And never skip meals.
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As some others have asked, are you logging your food? If you feel like you don't know what you are doing, a great place to start is to plug your stats & goals into MFP, get a calorie goal and start logging your food. Find out how many calories you are eating so you know where you need to make changes.
As far as working out, based on your previous health issues and medications, I would definitely get some guidance from your doctor. The key though is to move, in whatever way and for however long is right for you.
You have come so far already, so hang in there! Be proud of what you have already accomplished and take a deep breathe. And read the stickies in the Get Started forum, I think they will help you a lot too :drinker:0 -
Congrats on your progress to date…
Couple quick questions..
do you own a food scale? If yes, do you weigh, log, measure everything?
Have you updated your calorie intake to reflect losing 50 pounds?
how much is your current intake?
You meant ion that you find yourself craving things like pizza, ice cream, etc? is that because you are restricting them?
I used to be the same way when I started. i thought sugar, carbs, pizza, etc were "bad" and if I just eliminate them then I would lose weight, which I did; however, the problem that I found is that I would crave them and then go get a pizza and eat the whole ting or eat a whole container of ice cream. It was not until I realized that food is not "bad", it is just energy that your body uses for fuel…Once I readjusted my thinking, I learned how to incorporate these things into my day, meet my calorie deficit, macros targets, and lose weight..
Thinking that foods are bad sets you up for an unhealthy relationship with food, and IMO is not a sustainable path to long term weight loss. Think about it, are you really going to never eat ice cream, or pizza, or some dessert ever again? Wouldn't it be nice to be able to enjoy those things and still hit your weight loss goals?
I think if you change your thinking on those things that you will find that you can eat the foods you like and still hit your weight loss goals…
Are you still working out, or have you given up on the elliptical?
Not when it gives her high blood pressure.0
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