I'm starving…...

drink lots of water

Stephcrane14 wrote: »

Basically, if your end goal is to lose weight, and I'm sure that you've heard this before, you need to be in a calorie deficit. In order to figure out how many calories your body needs minimally to function (think sitting on the couch all day, how many calories will your body need for support basic functioning), use this formula:

For women: 655 + (4.35 × weight) + (4.7 × height) – (4.7 × age) =
For men: 66 + (6.23 × weight) + (12.7 × height) – (6.8 × age) =

This will tell you how many calories per day your body burns while you are sedentary. This being said, you will need to calculate the amount of calories you ingest in one day to be under this amount, hence calorie deficit. In my experience, it is easiest to take your "diet," I don't call it a diet I would say more like your eating plan (because it's a lifestyle change, not something that that you will be doing for a short period of time), one day at a time. Just think about the day that you're present in at the moment, think about what you're going to eat and drink and plan for the entire day (key word: PLAN). It helps you focus not on what you can't have but on things that you can have, this is important to get your mindset in the right place.

The best way that I have learned to keep full while being in a caloric deficit is to eat foods high in PROTEIN while maintaining a CLEAN diet. For example, tuna fish, chicken, beans, eggs, extra lean ground turkey and I like to supplement with whey protein powder (sometimes whey isolate); these meats are what comprises most of my diet.

Start your day out with 5 hard boiled eggs, just the egg whites with maybe some hot sauce if you like it (I know, the yolk is my favorite part too and I cringe throwing the best part of the egg out, however maintaining a clean diet is key in weight loss and especially OVERALL health). You can throw in some veges too, you can never have enough!

For mid-morning snack I'll have a protein shake, here are 2 yummy examples of what I drink: 1. coffee, 1 tbsp peanut/almond butter, scoop of vanilla whey isolate and cinnamon and 2. 4 large fresh strawberries, 1/2 banana, water to cover all the fruit and a scoop of vanilla whey isolate...these 2 smoothies are SO yummy (hint-when using 1/2 a banana at a time, saran wrap the other half and put in freezer to use the next time you want a smoothie).

For lunch I'll choose ~5oz. lean meat and unlimited veges. I try to stick to leafy green vegetables as much as possible with salads or greens.

For mid-afternoon snack I'll have ~5oz. of lean meat, veges and I'll add a starch. Be careful that when you add starches to your meals that they are clean, whole grain and those that are high in fat (avocados, granola) are eaten in moderation. Because although they have a lot of health benefits and are very good for overall health, too much of a good thing here can be bad.

For dinner I'll usually repeat what I had for lunch, ~5oz. of lean meat and unlimited veges. Notice no starch here, for me I've noticed that if I keep my high fat foods and starches in my meals in the beginning of the day, my stomach feels flatter in the morning.

If at any time you get hungry in between all of these meals you can always try a cup of non fat greek yogurt, a slice of cheese (I tend to stay away from cheese and dairy because of fat content and I know I can't control myself around cheese, it's my weakness!), a small handful of nuts like almonds, an apple, cottage cheese, more hard boiled egg whites (in my experience you can never have too many) or a cup of coffee (try to stay away from sugar, especially if you are drinking fruit protein smoothies!).

Last but not least, water, water, water!!!! I have to force myself to drink it because I don't really like it but it will keep you fuller in between meals, improve your skin, hair and nails and it aids in digestion which means your metabolism will kick up; so many great benefits for drinking water that you just SHOULD drink a lot of it!

I also try to limit condiments, they too are a downfall for me because I love them all so much. What I've widdled my list down to is any kind of mustard, balsamic vinegar, HOT SAUCE (literally I put it on everything), worcestershire sauce for marinade, low sodium soy sauce and I use ALL of the Mrs. Dash seasonings for flavor for the meats.

I hope this information helps, if you would like any additional ideas or tips from my experience, don't hesitate to ask, I'd be happy to help!

What a load of baloney. You need fat. Your "diet" is literally void of fat besides the tablespoon of nut butter in your shake.

afoolandhercupcakewillsoonpart wrote: »

I don't know what the heck to do. When I ate carbs, they were frequently Triscuits, Wheat Thins or popcorn with cheese. Yes, I indulged in chips but I was never obese until this year and I sincerely attribute it to hormone imbalances, having to use steroids and my past bad eating habits catching up with me. I always kept the bad eating habits in check by exercising but this year, it didn't work. The more I exercised, the more hungry I became. Maybe I should get a second opinion. Thank you. Why not! I have a tendency to trust my doctors all the time but they are human and could be wrong. I'm also just another patient to them so what the heck do they care about me?

You should either buckle down and stop cheating on your diet, to give it a real try, or chuck the idea and just stick to a calorie target, eating whatever.

You may have been given a low carb diet because, once you adjust, it often inhibits appetite. But not if you keep eating tons of carbs so your body doesn't adjust. And if you do decide to give this a try, a real try, contact your doctor to ask your questions -- like how long you can expect to feel crummy, if there's anything you can do to feel better, etc.

afoolandhercupcakewillsoonpart wrote: »

It is probably Paleo because I can't have any sugar, honey, agave, bread, soy/soy products but I can have lots of meat and fat. I sincerely feel like a wild animal eating all of this meat. Are you on this diet? Will I ever be able to eat like a normal human being again or will I have to be a carnivore the rest of my life? I would love to ask the doctor these questions but I can't afford him anymore. My insurance sucks and my co-pays are expensive for me.

Um, you need to find a way of eating that you can continue for the rest of your life. Whatever you did to get overweight, you aren't going to be able to return to that and not become overweight again. So find something that you are willing to keep doing. And realize that hunger is not going to be forever, once you reach maintenance you will be able to eat more.

As far as low carb, I did it for months and it never got any better. I could never think clearly and I was always exhausted and hungry.

tl;dr: While this may not be the right diet for you, keep up with your doctor's advice until you find another professional expert (ideally a nutritionist who has had success helping people on steroids lose weight safely). People on steroids need less carbs than the general population because they don't process them right; steroids make your blood sugar higher. Ketosis diets are hard to stay on the wagon with; a nutritionist who has successfully helped people on steroids can probably help you find something that is both safe and works better for you than your current extremely low carb diet.


The long version:

afoolandhercupcakewillsoonpart, is there a particular reason your doctor has you on this particular diet? I'm assuming he wants you on a super low carb diet because of your being on steroids. Generally speaking, weight loss is strictly calories in, calories out and it really doesn't matter how you get there as long as you consume less calories than you burn. But, obviously if you have health problems/take certain medications, it's not always that simple. I used to be on a very high dose of steroids and gained 130lbs, and it is medically documented that I was just not eating enough to make me gain that much that fast.

Steroids make you crave carbs/sugar like nobody's business. Also, they make your body way less able to actually process carbs when you eat them. Some people develop diabetes when they're on steroids. (I had "pre-diabetes".) I remember forcing myself to eat salads with meat and veggies and fatty dressing for literally every meal because I knew my body was not processing carbs like it should and I had to try to get the calories in I needed to survive.

However, I agree with idolon that you may be on the wrong diet. Our general practitioners don't always have a lot of education in terms of nutrition. Seeing a nutritionist who has successfully treated patients who have gained weight due to steroids is ideal. It may be that, while you should have a lot less carbs and sugar than the average person due to the medicine, that you still need more than you are getting. And only a professional who has experience with this can probably help more than a GP, simply because this is where nutritionists specialize whereas GPs have to focus on so many things, most don't have the nutrition knowledge of a nutritionist, just like you wouldn't want your regular doctor doing open heart surgery on you--you'd want a cardiologist.

One of my best friends was put on a ketosis diet by his old doctor. He lost a little weight but it was hard on him, he fell off the wagon, and gained a good bit of it back. Finally, this year, he moved, got a new doctor, and this person took the time to listen to him and run tests, and he was finally diagnosed with diabetes, which is what he probably had for years and didn't know. The new doctor put him on a new diet that was more maintainable yet still cut out all the excess sugar (like soda and sugary candy), but allowed him to have more carbohydrates than the ketosis diet that was hard for him to maintain.

Some people fall off the wagon because they just don't have discipline. Other people fall off the wagon because their current diet is just too difficult and maintain. (Whether it is difficult in general or just to that specific person, it still negatively affects health and weightloss.) It sounds like right now, you are the latter.

Bottom line is, I think because of your health and your meds that you are on, you really need to get in touch with a professional who can retool your diet in a way that still works with your specific needs. If you weren't on such medication, it would be easier to offer you some more general blanket advice that has worked for me now I'm no longer on the meds, but I just don't feel comfortable telling anyone with health problems or on meds like steroids to make big changes to their diet without consulting a professional. =/ (And again, a nutritionist who has *successfully* treated someone on steroids is ideal and will probably be more worth your money than a general practitioner--*though you should obviously see your GP any time you have health concerns*. Some doctors' offices have a nutritionist either on staff or that they refer people to; my OBGYN has one on staff that *a lot* of their patients use.)

Good luck!

You bought bars from your doctor?

What kind of doctor is he?

Honestly love, weight loss is friggen hard. Every body is different. You're going to have to try different things and find out what works just for you! I can honestly say I've tried everything besides surgery to lose weight. My downfall was I never gave anything enough time to work. I gave up to soon... as soon as I feel crappy and grumpy and tired and hungry I gave it. I wanted cheese and pizza and sweets and crap. Food was my comfort. I always felt sad and when I felt sad I ate. I tried pills, drops, diets, workouts, you name it. I starved and I hated myself. I set unrealistic goals and 100% set myself up to fail.

Then one day I stepped on the scale and was the heaviest I'd ever been. I had hit rock bottom at that point. I'd watch the biggest loser and wondered why I couldn't be like that. I used to be so slim and athletic, and then it seemed like overnight I was a giant lump. My doctors were worried about my weight, and the more I read about obesity the more scared I became about developing diabetes or not being able to have children. My attitude started to truly shift... I did not want to become a statistic. I want to have a house full of babies and be able to chase them around. I wanted to see myself in a bikini again. I want to feel beautiful on my wedding day someday.

I went back through the list of things I'd tried and given up on. I finally started educating myself about working out and eating right, not starving, not spending 10 hours on the treadmill and going nowhere. I started reading about the Atkins diet and what people eat on weight watchers, and I reconnected with this site and started logging my calories again. I decided to start eating the number of calories lots of people recommend when trying to lose weight- 1200 calories.

For the first couple of days, I ate whatever I usually ate, just to see where I fell on calories, carbs, fat, protein, etc. I was SHOCKED at how poor my nutrition was and I realized I had been in total denial that I was making good choices. I got a journal, and started writing down REALISTIC goals for myself. Small weight loss goals so I could take things a step at a time and take a moment to celebrate (not with food) when I reached those goals. I also set an Ultimate weight goal for myself, and clothing sizes I dreamed to fit into. I got on pinterest and made a secret board only I could see, and filled it with clothes and muscles and workouts and yummy HEALTHY recipes, so when i was feeling down I had a place to go to get inspired.

At first eating this way was so tough!! I felt like crap. I was tired, and every fast food commercial had me drooling. But, I fought through it. During that period of time, I didnt allow myself to eat ANY snacks, because I wasn't in a place to eat in moderation. If I allowed any snacking, i knew it would lead to just a bite of pizza, just a bag of chips, just a box of cookies. And JUST back to where I started.

I tell you as soon as I finally FULLY committed and stopped cheating, I started to feel better. I started to get up and move around. I had so much more energy, and I started feeling hopeful. I started getting on the scale every day, and my jaw dropped... turned out 1200 calories was truly my magic number!! I always thought I needed to starve or be on some expensive diet to lose weight, but what people had been telling me all along was really true. I slowly starting allowing myself to have small snacks again, and realized my tastes had changed because I'd been eating better for a while. Those doritos didn't taste as good, that cake and cookies were way too sweet. I was like what the hell?? But it was a relief to not enjoy those things anymore. I started having a string cheese or a yogurt (which used to make me gag too, believe me) and thought I would try weight watchers snack cakes, which I found at walmart. They are tiny, but they really take care of my sweet tooth (without being way too sweet) and dont ruin my calories for the day. I am telling you once your body adjusts to the change in your diet, the pounds start falling off and you can start mixing up your diet a little.

HOWEVER you CANT go back to eating whatever you want whenever you want. Thats what gets us in a mess every time. Try making better choices when you go out to eat (if you go)... skip the pop and get an iced tea or a water. Meet in the middle with yourself and find something that is totally yummy without making you feel totally guilty. Find things that inspire you. Make some goals for yourself. Buy an atkins cookbook or low calorie cookbook or whatever diet plan you end up with. Get creative in the kitchen, and plan out out your meals for the day!! I can't tell you how much easier it is when you plan out your meals. Instead of roaming through the kitchen and grabbing whatever gross thing is in the back of your cabinet, you grab something you've prepped and it keeps your day on track. Start workouts slowly... first walk around the block. Then walk a couple blocks. Then maybe throw some jogging in there. Get some small weights and a quick workout video. Take small steps and you will really get there... your confidence will go up and your attitude will change I promise.

Keep your head up... anyone whos been through weight loss knows its one of the hardest things you'll ever have to go through, but it is so worth it. Work on having a better relationship with food... its not the enemy, remember that always!

Good luck love... I'm here for you 100% and I believe in you!!