Frustrated - I Can't Give Up

lucypstacy
lucypstacy Posts: 178 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
My weight loss has been fairly steady until recently. At first, it just stopped. I wasn't concerned (or tried not to be). I know it happens. Then my weight started to go up slightly. Again, I know that can happen. I could be bloated or something. I just kept at it. However, it's still just going up. It's like I've gained back nearly 10lbs of the weight I lost, and I'm starting to get frustrated. I really have to lose the weight. Not only is unhealthy, I have to get to 232 to have hernia surgery. I did peritoneal dialysis for nearly 4 years, and it destroyed the lining of my abdomen. My entire left side is basically one big hernia, which hurts terribly and limits my ability to move. The doctor also wants to correct an umbilical hernia that was never fixed from when I was born as well as a fatty hernia. Yeah, my middle is a mess.

I weigh and measure all the food I can, although I have to eat out quite a bit. I do log everything. When I'm out, I do my best guesstimate, and I rarely eat all the food to err on the side of caution. I'm 5'4" and I started out at 267. I did get down to 237, but it looks more like 243 this morning. I'm basically sedentary because of the hernias, although I try to walk. My goal up until the other day was 1240, but now it's down to 1200. I've been having a bit of trouble eating lately simply because I've had a little stomach bug for a few days. I don't like to eat less. I think my average before getting sick was about 1220.

I guess I should also note that I'm on snthyroid for hypothyroidism, and I've taken prednisone for 3 years now since my kidney transplant.

Am I just jumping the gun with worrying?

Replies

  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,753 Member
    edited May 2017
    You're eating at restaurants and guessing could be your downfall. Do you have to eat your lunch at restaurants?

    ETA. Grammer
  • lucypstacy
    lucypstacy Posts: 178 Member
    edited May 2017
    No, I'm just on the road a lot with doctors. I do work hard at those guesstimates though. I purposely choose the highest calorie version of what I'm eating and then I don't eat all of it.

    *edit* I mean, if the place I'm eating at doesn't have a listed calorie, I find something similar at another restaurant and log the highest calorie version.
  • cee134
    cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
    kdmbnrpwdjrp.jpg
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,753 Member
    You're still not in a deficit then. Eat less, if all you can do is guess.
  • lucypstacy
    lucypstacy Posts: 178 Member
    That chart....I've been to the doctor. I do have hypothrodism and take medicine that makes it hard for me to lose weight. I've never been diagnosed with PCOS, but I do have reoccurring follicle cysts on my ovaries. I'm being treated for endometriosis.

    My health is a mess. I have IgA nephropathy, which is an auto-immune disease that destroyed my kidneys. Oddly enough the immune suppressants are actually keeping the disease at bay while protecting my new kidney. So yay for that one! I also have ehlers danlos hyperomobility type and fibromylagia - which make exercise difficult without including the hernias.

    It's super important for me to lose weight, but dang difficult to do as well.
  • Leverfam
    Leverfam Posts: 16 Member
    I agree with the others - eating out is likely the culprit. Could be that even if the calories may be in line, the sodium could be through the roof causing you to retain water weight. I too am on the road all day, but I have learned to pack a cooler bag with drinks, lunch & snacks - I log as I fill the bag!! I am working with a registered dietitian and doing very well. She said that weight loss is roughly 70% nutrition/30% exercise - so you can do it without working out until your health improves!! Try to eliminate the prepared foods/restaurant foods and see what happens - you may be pleasantly surprised. Good luck!
  • charlieandcarol
    charlieandcarol Posts: 302 Member
    Are these doctor trips day trips or do you have to go a long way, like overnight? Is having an Eski with your own food and snacks in it an option? Would make tracking easier.

    Do you have issues with big fluid shifts due to your renal issues and/or the pred? Could that be a problem?
  • lucypstacy
    lucypstacy Posts: 178 Member
    My hospital is about 3 hours one way, and you can never see a transplant specialist and leave in under 3 hours because you have to wait for blood work, and then 3 hours home. It's an all day trip. I eat super small amounts when I'm out usually - like one plain hamburger or half a sandwich.

    I have massive problems with fluid. I'm not sure what ankles look like anymore. Sodium is the one thing I don't think is the culprit though because my sodium constantly runs low. I have to be careful because I crave it.

    I might try to pack foods though because that would help with tracking. I had lost 30lbs in the first two months, but now it's creeping all back in this week.

    Thanks everyone. I'm not sure if I can eat less food honestly. I'm hungry now, but I will try to eat better.
  • SEAHORSES4EVER
    SEAHORSES4EVER Posts: 1,553 Member
    cee134 wrote: »
    kdmbnrpwdjrp.jpg
    Useful, thanks!
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    lucypstacy wrote: »
    That chart....I've been to the doctor. I do have hypothrodism and take medicine that makes it hard for me to lose weight. I've never been diagnosed with PCOS, but I do have reoccurring follicle cysts on my ovaries. I'm being treated for endometriosis.

    My health is a mess. I have IgA nephropathy, which is an auto-immune disease that destroyed my kidneys. Oddly enough the immune suppressants are actually keeping the disease at bay while protecting my new kidney. So yay for that one! I also have ehlers danlos hyperomobility type and fibromylagia - which make exercise difficult without including the hernias.

    It's super important for me to lose weight, but dang difficult to do as well.

    Not to be snarky, but you have to start at the top of that chart, not the bottom. And if I could suggest something, it's "reframe". Realize that you aren't losing weight because you are eating too much, and stop thinking about why it's hard for you to lose weight, and instead think about why it's hard for you to eat less. Eating less you can do. Weight loss will follow from consistently eating less.

    Buy or borrow the book "Diet Fix" by Yoni Freedhoff, you can even read big parts of it through Google Books.
  • lucypstacy
    lucypstacy Posts: 178 Member
    I'm listening. I will try to tighten up my logging and eat less.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    lucypstacy wrote: »
    I'm listening. I will try to tighten up my logging and eat less.

    That is good to hear. You aren't going to starve yourself. Just eat a little less, but do it every day.
  • leajas1
    leajas1 Posts: 823 Member
    I would definitely recommend packing your own food just to be sure. I would never suggest this normally because it's extreme, but since you need to lose for health reasons, you could also bring your scale with you if you want to eat the restaurant food. My friend has Hashimoto's and even on "the right" meds has such a terrible time with it. Wishing you the best.
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
    If you have kidney issues and fluid retention problems, some of what's going on could be related to that as well.

    And that could also be tied to all the restaurant food, because restaurant food is unbelievably salty.

    Restaurant calorie counts are also notoriously inaccurate, in part because they are based on serving sizes that are often much smaller than the servings that employees actually put on your plate.

  • userlovecake
    userlovecake Posts: 5 Member
    Honestly I Just gave up trying to log while eating out. I now only eat out twice a month.

    The biggest issue is chefs 'eyeball' a lot. Calorie counts are based on 'perfect prep' following a recipe to eat specs. They don't do that on a daily basis. I was told to add 25% ontop of what they say a meal is and you will be closer.

    Simple things that add calories:
    • Serving size, Never weighed, look small? The chef will add more.
    • Oils, Poured from a bottle not measured. I cook a lot and I use normal oil. I'm using 1/4 of what I used to. by measuring.
    • Sauces. Cheap tomato ketchup tends to have more sugar, so do tomato sauces on pasta.
    • Cuts of meat, Cheaper cuts have more fat.
  • whitpauly
    whitpauly Posts: 1,483 Member
    I agree with packing your own food,its just to hard to depend on eyeballing it especially when you need to lose for health reasons,also wanted to say the kidney and fluid retention are probably part of the reason too,I wish you well on your journey
  • lucypstacy
    lucypstacy Posts: 178 Member
    Yeah, the restaurants are probably the issue. It's just so frustrating because I honestly don't each much at all. The other day I had logged I had eaten 3 chicken strips when I had only eaten one. That's how hard I've been trying at this. I'm literally crying right now.

    I'll try to pack more food. I can't each much less calorie wise because I've gone too far the other direction before. I know I was doing right this time around because I was seeing results. I had dropped two pant sizes, but I don't want to let this get out of hand and undo my hard work.

    So 1200 calories of foods I can trust. I have a scale at home I can use.
  • leajas1
    leajas1 Posts: 823 Member
    lucypstacy wrote: »
    Yeah, the restaurants are probably the issue. It's just so frustrating because I honestly don't each much at all. The other day I had logged I had eaten 3 chicken strips when I had only eaten one. That's how hard I've been trying at this. I'm literally crying right now.

    I'll try to pack more food. I can't each much less calorie wise because I've gone too far the other direction before. I know I was doing right this time around because I was seeing results. I had dropped two pant sizes, but I don't want to let this get out of hand and undo my hard work.

    So 1200 calories of foods I can trust. I have a scale at home I can use.

    Oh my gosh, yes, stop making yourself crazy. Weigh the food, pack it, eat it. Then there is no more guessing and uncertainty. Right now you need to keep things as simple as possible.
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,301 Member
    I'm wondering if you are taking any vitamins and minerals with your sntheroid, I'm thinking this is a t4 supliment like levethyroxine. Many of us are told just take this levo or synth and all will be well, but we need to have selenium and other minerals and vitamins in our system to aid conversion t4 to t3. Being hypo makes absorbing vitamins and minerals more difficult. Selenium is essential for the conversion of t4 to t3.

    Might you have Hashimoto's thyroiditis the autoimmune problem in the initial stages the only way to identify this condition is by testing for antibodies. It can swing from low to high thyroid function and then revert without the test results falling outside what is described as the normal range its just the antibody levels change. Its treated in the same way as being hypo from a nutritional deficit but often we are not tested for the antibodies. In any even as hypo or hyper it will have the horrid effect of adding lbs. I think this is your difficulty. I know tightening your logging and things could help as could taking a food pack with you for your appointments but I fear your thyroid had done a shift and this is at the bottom of your situation when you have been doing so very well in the recent past.

    You might find information on some of these sites, stop the thyroid madness, hypothyroidmom,even your national thyroid support site, there are other reputable ones too. I'm astounded how much general medicine does not tell us about being hypo. Being hypo reduces our bodies ability to absorb vitamins and minerals and much much more, our bodies do not easily conform to calories in calories out as many others do especially if we have undergone or are undergoing a swing in levels. Keep strong.


    You are welcome to contact me should you wish.
  • clicketykeys
    clicketykeys Posts: 6,575 Member
    lucypstacy wrote: »
    I'll try to pack more food. I can't each much less calorie wise because I've gone too far the other direction before. I know I was doing right this time around because I was seeing results.

    If you pack your food, though, you can be more certain that you're getting the calorie amounts you've logged for. And you have more options for choosing foods that are right for you. Just don't forget to put cold/hot packs in so that the food stays at a safe temperature until you're ready to eat it! :)
  • lucypstacy
    lucypstacy Posts: 178 Member
    In all honesty, I'd bet money I'm about to start my period since I have been sitting here crying over this thread. I'm totally calm now. Mood swings for the win. Also, out of curiosity, I checked the scales. Now, I've lost 4lbs since this morning. I'm still a few pounds heavier than my lowest weight, but it's rapidly changing.

    I asked my doctor about Hashimoto's once because I have a goiter. She said I didn't need the tests and refused to do it. So...I don't know. I have more than one auto immune disease, and the thought is that it's all connected somehow. I don't take any other supplements other than the synthroid. I have to go for more tests for that though because my thyroid is still 'abnormal.'

    However, I did take people's advice. I've planned out today eating at home, and I still have around 300 calories to add for snacks as I desire. :smile:
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,383 Member
    No advice to offer, but I'm sorry to hear you're going through so many health problems. It sounds awful. I admire your determination to lose weight, I know I'd want to just curl up on the couch with a big bag of chips if I was going through something like that. Stay strong and nourish your body! Good luck!
  • FreakyBees
    FreakyBees Posts: 1 Member
    Packing lunch is the best; that way you can have food you know you like (like hamburgers) but have control over hidden calories like added fat, sugar, and salt. Restaurants are all about selling palatable, craveable food and will doctor their products to make that happen. Why not make a batch of things you would normally eat out (again, hamburger patties) but have them with low-calorie buns, low-sugar ketchup, etc. I had to start doing that myself and I felt so much healthier because I was eating real, whole foods.

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