A little scared and need support

rhiannond87 · July 2016

Good morning all
I have just got back from the doctors and I'm shaking a little. I have been told that my blood pressure is very high and that I have put on nearly a stone and a half in 6 months. She has recommended me seeing dietitian although no appointment for another couple of weeks. I didn't think my diet was that bad and although I don't love exercise, I do walk and attempt the odd run. I'm stumped really... I have tried all sorts over the years WW, SW, RC, Joe Wicks to name a few. All work for a while and then I get bored.

I just don't know where to start now or what plans to follow. Any help or advice would be much appreciated!

marm1962 · July 2016

Welcome and good luck in your journey to a better you! I personally think the best thing you can do for you and your dietitian is to start your food diary today, don't worry about the dieting until you have a plan from your him/her, but an accurate record of what you are eating right now will really help you in the long run. A digital kitchen scale works great for weighing your food, guessing and food labels are off. When you log a food, check it against the USDA database to make sure the calorie counts are correct -- foods in MFP data base can be way off.

Trish1c · July 2016

I'm no expert & I am so sorry that you are shaking. The answer is you start where you are -- here. I never understood any of those plans, WW, Atkins, southbeach, etc.. It all always seemed like such as hassle & so restrictive. This is more like a choice & for me at least a little like a game.

Read the stickie posts above especially the long article about getting started. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300331/most-helpful-posts-getting-started-must-reads#latest It helps you understand MFP. First you need to figure out where you are -- how many calories you need to consume just to be, no loss, no gain, no exercise just the amount of fuel your body at your current weight needs to exist & function. From there you can figure out how much less to eat & how much more to exercise to lose weight at a sensible pace, no more then 2 pounds per week (Sorry I have no idea how to convert that to stone)

Second you make the commitment to drink water. Water is actually filling & better for you then almost any other liquid you can consume. This was hard for me because I was a huge soda drinker, up to a 6 pack per day. I haven't had one in 24 days. I didn't go cold turkey. I reduced over the years & would quit ever Lent until I go to here. Remember you are changing your lifestyle which is a lot longer of a process then a crash diet. Alcohol is my current nemesis. Except for 1, every day I went over my calories since I started this was all empty calories from booze. However, since I am drinking less then ever, I still consider that an overall positive change.

The most eye opening for me was portion size. Especially being an American where we supersize everything I had no idea that I was really eating 2-5 times what I was supposed to eat. Eating slowly & mindfully to savor each bite also works to reduce how much you actually consume. Building in a healthy midmorning snack & a mid-afternoon snack helped me. So now I purposely eat 5x per day not just the classic 3 meals a day but I'm eating carrots, yogurt, a granola bar, some nuts or a piece of fruit. I haven't completely given up chips & cookies (crisps) but I learned I get to have 11 chips, not a bag, and 2-3 cookies not a sleeve.

As you log, you will learn. Like me you may be horrified when you realize what you have been eating & hopefully that will help you make better choices.

For now movement is key. Track your steps & try to do better. March in place sitting on the couch. Raise your hands above your head. Try different activities until you find a few that you think you can do continuously. I actually dragged my husband out to play tennis with me yesterday. It was kind of fun because we both suck. You get a fair amount of exercise chasing stray balls. Saturday afternoon I went to my friend's house. We didn't do much exercise per se but we both constantly moved; in the pool we made sure to always be kicking our legs & moving our arms under the water, which is against resistance. It certainly wasn't the calorie burn of actual swimming but it was better than being sedentary.

You can do this. Add me as a friend if you like. The cheerleading you get from other members can be quite helpful & soul healing.

oolou · July 2016

I would start by not changing a thing for a week, but log everything you eat here for that week. Try to be as accurate as you can, weighing what you eat (best to weigh stuff raw before cooking) and checking the calories in the food database. You may start to see where you can begin to make changes that will lower your calories to a deficit so you can begin to lose weight. It might be the case that you don't need to stick to a particular diet plan, but simply eat less of what you already eat. But yeah, I would recommend assessing what you currently eat as the first step. Then when you get to see the dietician you'll be able to go with information ready in hand.

Virginialmason · July 2016

Read Food Addiction the Body Knows by Kay Shepherd and follow the food plan. Join her group on Facebook.
She has always nailed it -- wrote that book long ago. Give up sugar and wheat. There is plenty else to else to eat. People are actually successful on her program; I met a group of women in an OA meeting years ago -- all had lost 100 lbs or more and had kept those pounds off for over 10 years and beyond.

cariduttry · July 2016

hugs to you! seeing my cholesterol and blood pressure numbers is what really got me motivated to change. i know you can do it too!

angeleyes4643 · July 2016

Good morning ! The advice above is great advice. Start by logging what you normally eat for a week or so, that way you can actually see in black and white what you have been doing. Be sure to log every single thing - no cheating. That will give you a good picture.
I can't say it any better than those above so jump right in and remember - we are all in this together. Please feel free to add me and we'll do this !!

Yourkindagirl · July 2016

I am a Weight Watcher repeat offender. The reason it didn't work for me in the beginning is because I didn't follow through with the staples of the program, like journaling, attending meetings, and following the plan. This time when I began, I made up my mind to do what the program said do, and I have lost over 60 pounds. I attended meetings this time, even when I knew I would gain. I wrote down food, even when I knew I had gone over my points or calories. This time I decided to do a hybrid of the program since I didn't like the new Smart Points, so I keep my journal here, but still attend the meetings.

One of the things I did that really helped was to coach myself.

Start with these questions:

1. Why am I not being successful in my weight loss?

Only you can answer that question. The answer for me was that I wasn't cooking because I was tired when I got off work, and it was easier to pick up food on the way home. Since I knew one of the problems, I solved it by preparing my food ahead of time on the weekend. Therefore, that eliminates the excuse to pick up food on the way home.

2. Why am I not exercising?

My answer was because I don't like the gym. I'm tired when I get home, and I don't feel like going to the gym. In fact, I hate the gym and aerobics. My answer was to go walking in my own neighborhood for least 4 days for 30 minutes. This removed the obstacles I had of having to go somewhere. Now, I walk 7 days a week because I now find it to be time for myself. Get a good playlist and get to stepping.

3. How do I hold myself accountable?

I got a big calendar, and posted it to my refrigerator. I promised myself that I would put X's on each day that I successfully walked. At the end of the week, there had better be four X's marked. In addition, at the end of the week, I had better have a log of what I had eaten. Finally, I took my measurements and pictures of me, and every month, I logged the inches and pounds lost and re-evaluated my plan.

This worked for me. I was on the verge of being put on blood pressure meds and high cholesterol medicine. I also have a bulging disc that was bothering me. I have none of that now. I went from a size 18 to a size 6. Weight Watchers works, but you've got to work it. It can get boring, but it is worth it. Attending the meetings will keep you on track. The people in my meetings have become my buddies, so I actually enjoy going to them now.

I hope this helps.

greatatboats · July 2016

I'm in the US so I'm assuming things are about the same, but I found out I had really high blood pressure in February - I knew I wasn't eating super awesomely, but I didn't think it was terrible, you know? What I've found since then is that processed food has a lot of sodium in it.

Some of the foods that I found surprisingly high in sodium are shrimp, cold cuts/lunch meat, pasta sauce, and cheese. Stress and anxiety will also raise your blood pressure, so if that's an issue I'd try and talk to a therapist if you can (and a friend if that's not an option).

Aside from reading the labels and making better food choices, I wouldn't worry too hard about actual diet plans just yet - just getting under your calorie goal and getting your sodium in check will help a lot for right now

rhiannond87 · July 2016

Thanks all for your lovely messages. Since writing this, I had a long chat with a friend who is getting married next years and we have decided to do it slowly together. I also have completed Day 2 of Week 1 Couch to 5K - plus I have joined Instagram! I thought I'd start to post a pic every time I do some exercise and have it as a visual.

Thanks so much though, it's nice to know I'm not a failure

JeffreyBurkhalter · July 2016

By chance were you already nervous before they took your blood pressure? That would give you a higher than normal BP.

dubird · July 2016

One thing to keep in mind: it's ok to start slow. If you try to do too much too fast, it's very easy to burn out. Remember, this isn't a 'diet', it's you changing your eating habits to be healthier and maintain the lower weight once you reach it. Changes you make now should be changes you'll keep.

Also, realize you WILL have off days. Days you don't care, days you're sick, unexpected celebrations, etc. If you go over on your calories one day, log it and move on. One day isn't going to sabotage you unless you let it, and it doesn't make you a failure. Just makes you human. Focus on building better eating habits and adding exercise you can, and the weight will come off along the journey. ^_^

A little scared and need support

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