Another question just like so may others

Options
Rastavarius
Rastavarius Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
This is a very common and persistent problem on this and other health forums. Sorry for the additional entry but I hoped the scope of experience and expertise here might yield a nugget or two.

Key metrics: 60 yrs old, 6’0” (183cm) ht, 228lb (103.6kg) wt
Goal weight 176lb (80kg)

Basic problem: after a long sedentary period following spine surgery, I gained significant weight. One of the key bad results was the beginning of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. For that reason -- and some financial considerations -- I am taking all practical measures to lose weight and it is not working.

Starting early April (21 lb ago, at 247lb on the day of the liver CT scan) I have eliminated alcohol, all grains and virtually all sugars from my diet. For sugars I count ALL sugar, including those occurring in Cabbage, plain Greek yogurt, etc. and limit my daily total to 25g with zero sucrose. Overall my Carb limit is 75g/day. Sadly I also discovered I’m an APO E4 and must police fats quite carefully. My daily fat intake is 50g, with sat fats limited to 20g. Therefore the variability tends to be around protein. Because of the now 2-week plateau, I am now at 100g daily protein, which yields a daily calorie intake of about 1330kcal (using 9.44kcal/g fat, 3.94kcal/g carb, 5.65kcal/g protein).

Please know that I do the following:
(1) Unwavering compliance to the plan.
(2) Meticulous weighing and measuring, virtually all "whole" (not processed/prepared) foods
(3) >2500ml water intake daily
(4) 35 min of cardio not including warmup/cooldown (avg HR 123-128 during the entire 35 minutes) 3 days/week, moderate resistance training 3 days/week

In 17 days I have not lost weight following the routine above. I am not “tempted” or miserable, but I am beginning to tire more easily and be less alert as the day wears on. I can go a bit lower (maybe to ~1200kcal/day) without distress but there’s not much room left before I lose some functionality.

I would frankly prefer to just hang this effort up and accept reality for what it is, but I have two financial considerations that demand I strive for reasonable weight/health through the 70yr endpoint:
(1) my health insurance, which with or without legislation changes will be more connected to chronic conditions. If I can lose 50-60 lbs the NAFLD and blood lipid problems/expense can be much more manageable.
(2) a financial instrument that will mature at age 70 and provide a significant legacy to spouse and family members (I have a term life policy to cover some of the difference if I die early but can no longer add coverage at a price that makes sense).

I’m able to handle hard news, so no sugar coating please.

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Options
    You mentioned you are weighing, which is the most accurate way to measure food. Have you tried double-checking the entries for your commonly used foods to make sure you aren't choosing incorrect database entries? Or if you open your diary, we could help with that.

    I wouldn't get worried after 17 days, it's too short to be a plateau especially since you're also exercising. But it might ease you mind to be able to eliminate accidental logging errors as a potential issue.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    Options
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    You mentioned you are weighing, which is the most accurate way to measure food. Have you tried double-checking the entries for your commonly used foods to make sure you aren't choosing incorrect database entries? Or if you open your diary, we could help with that.

    I wouldn't get worried after 17 days, it's too short to be a plateau especially since you're also exercising. But it might ease you mind to be able to eliminate accidental logging errors as a potential issue.

    +1 New exercise can mess with water weight for a couple of weeks or so, and for whatever reason some people's bodies just take a little longer to get to losing. Double check the database entries you're using and hang in there
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
    edited June 2017
    Options
    Rastavarius wrote: »
    Another question just like so may others

    I didn't see a question. ;) But if you're concerned about the lack of weight loss, don't worry about it. It could be fluid retention from the increased exercise, or from your liver issue (ascites), or your meds, etc. If you're in a calorie deficit, you're losing body fat, so keep plowing ahead. :+1:
  • Rastavarius
    Rastavarius Posts: 2 Member
    Options
    Thanks to all replies (and good grief please forgive "may" others vs "many" others in the title.

    jane, I generally just do a search for nutritional facts on foods to fill in the spreadsheet I built. I don't want to claim expertise on the topic, but I can generally spot when something is way off (e.g., an improbably low sugar content onion). Plus please know that in getting to 1330kcal/day I did a LOT of checking since now portions are quite small and I was having some trouble accepting that 100gr of cabbage woud make such a huge dent in my ration.

    kimny, many years ago I had to make weight for boxing and am not used to this level of difficulty. Plus the importance of weight loss now is far higher than it was then. So I guess I need to get used to the new (old) me and the path ahead.

    Cheri, on the question: point well taken. Glad you could interpret it. As for ascites, I was just at the beginning of NAFLD, no scarring or cirrhosis, but some nightly abdominal swelling. That went away (~7cm of upper abdominal girth) before the end of May. So I think that business is all gone. And I'm not on any meds.

    I'll stick to the plan for a bit longer and repost when (a) I make progress or (b) there's some sort of new news, or (c) I decide to hang it up and take a risk with the actuarial tables.
  • lisabellnc
    lisabellnc Posts: 9 Member
    Options
    You mentioned with your condition you had to reduce fat intake . But are you eating the good fats like olive oil and avacado and oily fish ? I found that my fat intake was way to low and I wasn't losing anything. So I started eating more avacado ( about 3 times a week). I like it sliced with lemon , pink salt and pepper. Sometime on a grain cracker for a bit of crunch. Just one. And this seemed to help after a week.

    I hope that is something your diet allows.
  • sosteach
    sosteach Posts: 260 Member
    Options
    You need to see a doctor
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,867 Member
    Options
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    I think you need to get your doctor to give you a referral to a registered dietitian.

    Your calories are too low at 1330, and 100g of protein for your age, weight and height is too low. Do not drop your calories to 1200.

    As we age (I'm 63) a good supply of protein is needed to protect your muscles and bones. (Look at .8-1g per lbs of ideal weight- mid BMI)

    You have just joined MFP. Start accurately weighing and logging here, use the USDA data base for double checking entries as a number in the MFP data base are wrong.

    Your lethargy is more than likely due to your low calorie intake. This as you have noticed is making your daily activity slow down. Unfortunately slowing of activity means you burn less, and therefore need fewer calories- this can become a vicious cycle of low energy, lower calories that can lead to serious health problems.

    Put your stats in to MFP so your goal is to lose 1 lbs a week- eat all your calories plus any that you earn through exercise.

    Work with your medical team to find the correct balance of macros for your problems, and get your blood work checked for any deficiencies.

    The amount you are eating now is not the healthiest way to lose weight and make it to your 70's in good health.

    Cheers, h.

    Every single thing smart Canuck lady said.

    You have lost a lot of weight in a very short time. 24 lbs in less than 3 months.

    You've cut too sharply. This is not a one day trip and losing muscle as we age is as counterproductive as can be. When losing weight you lose both fat and lean mass. You want to maximize one and minimize the other.

    Also start measuring your weight using a trending weight web site or appm

    Trendweight.com / weightgrapher.com / Libra for Android or happy scale for iPhone.

    And re read what was quoted. You're cutting fast enough that your tdee is compensating.

    Eat more and move even more more.
  • DebLaBounty
    DebLaBounty Posts: 1,172 Member
    Options
    I'd recommend printing out your 17 days of food and exercise diary and taking it to your doctor for a review. Are you eating back some of the calories you burned during your exercise? I'd recommend eating back at least 50% of those. You'll still be in a calorie deficit, and this could help you decrease the lethargy. I found also that upping my protein helped me.

Categories