Started four days ago AGAIN!!!

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Hello I started my weight lose again 4 days ago. I think I'm going too hard too fast. I started it because I have high blood pressure and was having spikes and the head pressure with it was crippling. I was use to eating take out almost everyday along with 1 whole big bag of chips daily and 2 liters of pop.

I figure i was eating about 4000+mg salt daily. The 2 days before i started i pigged out as i knew i was starting.

The first day i started i ate 1309 calories and 320mg salt. The next day i ate 1203 calories and 607mg salt. The third day i ate 1400 calories and 540mg salt. Today I feel like poop no energy, head weird, blood pressure better, no energy at all.

I know my sodium is wayyy too low as well as my calories. The way I do it is either not at all or way too hard. I know my electrolytes are off and I am starving. I started the Dash diet (was made for people with high blood pressure) but I think I'm going too hard. Two of my meals daily are chicken rice and veggies with low sodium taco seasoning the other eggs and veggies.

I was just wondering when you all started how did you start. Was it just eat what ever at first as long as it fitted your calories or really "healthy" from the start.

Would it be better to just follow the calories MyFitness Pal sets for me and just lower my salt and carbs a bit. I let it set them for me when i first started it was like 2600 calories(I think) almost 400 carbs well over 100 protein and maybe 80 fat. I just thought even though I'm 350 pounds not exercising that was too many carbs and calories. If any member knows a bit about this would you share maybe what my calories and macros should me to start. I will set my sodium at 1500mg as that's what my Dr told me to stay about years ago when i was diagnosed with high blood pressure.

I think I am going to drink some Gatorade today to see if it helps and put a bit of salt on my food.

Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Yes, you are going too hard too fast. You need to stop doing nothing at all or way too hard. Using MFP, following its suggestions, is a good idea.

    I started out like I always did, by eating regular meals made up of boring, healthy food. Luckily I soon found MFP. Now I eat a healthy diet, but I also have a healthy mindset, so I don't deprive myself, don't feel deprived, don't make up for deprivation by overeating, feeling disgusted and miserable and regaining all my weight, plus some. Instead I live a happy, relaxed, normal life, and pretty effortlessly maintain a normal weight.
  • Old_Cat_Lady
    Old_Cat_Lady Posts: 1,193 Member
    edited August 2017
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    You are starving yourself. Up your calories. For a 350 lbs male maybe go for 2,200 cals a day (at least)?
    I'm on DASH and my blood pressure is going down (get a cuff at wallymart for about $40). I'm female and I have sodium set to stay under 2,300 sodium a day (slow but steady changes). I try to eat high potassium foods to "offset" sodium intake.
    * I miss fast food on the DASH diet, but the health rewards are worth it.
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    edited August 2017
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    You are going too hard too fast.

    Baby steps. You want to change your way of eating in small, sustainable ways so that your intake change feels as normal to you as possible so that you can stick to it forever.

    It's hard but you need to work at getting rid of the all-or-nothing thinking. If you fall off the wagon, get right back on the next meal. Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint.

    At 350 pounds, a setting of 2600 calories is a good place to start and 1500 mg of sodium is a good goal since you have high blood pressure. Get used to logging and practice weighing your solids and measuring your liquids (a food scale is super-helpful so I suggest you get one if you don't have one already) before you start making any substantial changes beyond your calorie and sodium goals.

    That macro mix is a fine if it works for you. I've lost over 130 pounds with those percentages. For the first week or two, I suggest that you eat basically what you normally eat to see what those calories/macros look like and then start adjusting your portion sizes and/or making satisfying substitutions. Calories are king for weight loss. Macros are for satiety and to make sure you get at least enough protein and fat.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    It takes a lot of takeout, pop, and chips to maintain 350.

    Do you have any cooking skills? Do you have any cooking equipment?

    Trust the MFP default recommendations. Especially trust the macro recommendations for fat and protein. If you can get all the fat and protein without going over your calories, you'll lose weight and be comfortable.

    When I started, I didn't binge before starting. I binged after starting. I spent my first week on mfp just learning how to log my food. After my first logged binge, I learned what I had done to cause all that, and then tried to figure out ways to avoid that. I had to log and learn from several binges along the way, even as I lost 100 lb. The secret is to keep learning how not to binge, and spread out the space between binges so that you start each one weighing less than you did when you started the one before.

    You focus on sodium. That's easy to keep down. Lose 150 lb by living in a calorie deficit and add a lot of cardio work to your exercising, and you'll bring your blood pressure down to normal and improve your cardiovascular conditioning.
  • dieorloseit
    dieorloseit Posts: 33 Member
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    Hello I set MyFitness Pal back to default.
    It set me at:
    Calories
    Protein 118
    Carbs 295
    Fiber 38
    Sugar 89
    Fat 79
    Cholesterol 300
    Sodium 2300
    Potassium 3500
    Vit A 100%
    Vit C 100%
    Calcium 100%
    Iron 100%

    Is that not too much protein for someone that does not work out(just asking).
    Also I was researching high potassium foods and found banana(make me sick), potatoes and beans. Does anyone know any others.

    Also the all in dieting I do why does it make me feel like this. Is it because too few calories,salt and too much water(forgot to in first post 3.5liters plus 3 teas and 1 can pop) which I think unless your in the heat or exercise is too much but not sure.

    Tomorrow is a new day and going to follow what MyFitness Pal set to see if it helps at all. And also maybe cut down on total liquids some. I lost 6.1 pounds i think in just over 2 days.

    Thanks
  • rmgnow
    rmgnow Posts: 375 Member
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    Do not worry about the macros.
    Worry about the calories.

    You are way low on the calories and you're not fueling your body enough.
    As a grown man you shouldn't be eating less than 1500 calories a day anyway.
  • OliveGirl128
    OliveGirl128 Posts: 801 Member
    edited August 2017
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    Hello I started my weight lose again 4 days ago. I think I'm going too hard too fast. I started it because I have high blood pressure and was having spikes and the head pressure with it was crippling. I was use to eating take out almost everyday along with 1 whole big bag of chips daily and 2 liters of pop.

    I figure i was eating about 4000+mg salt daily. The 2 days before i started i pigged out as i knew i was starting.

    The first day i started i ate 1309 calories and 320mg salt. The next day i ate 1203 calories and 607mg salt. The third day i ate 1400 calories and 540mg salt. Today I feel like poop no energy, head weird, blood pressure better, no energy at all.

    I know my sodium is wayyy too low as well as my calories. The way I do it is either not at all or way too hard. I know my electrolytes are off and I am starving. I started the Dash diet (was made for people with high blood pressure) but I think I'm going too hard. Two of my meals daily are chicken rice and veggies with low sodium taco seasoning the other eggs and veggies.

    I was just wondering when you all started how did you start. Was it just eat what ever at first as long as it fitted your calories or really "healthy" from the start.

    Would it be better to just follow the calories MyFitness Pal sets for me and just lower my salt and carbs a bit. I let it set them for me when i first started it was like 2600 calories(I think) almost 400 carbs well over 100 protein and maybe 80 fat. I just thought even though I'm 350 pounds not exercising that was too many carbs and calories. If any member knows a bit about this would you share maybe what my calories and macros should me to start. I will set my sodium at 1500mg as that's what my Dr told me to stay about years ago when i was diagnosed with high blood pressure.

    I think I am going to drink some Gatorade today to see if it helps and put a bit of salt on my food.

    I started where I was already at, and didn't try to make a bunch of drastic changes besides starting to eat at a calorie deficit. During my weight loss phase I continued to eat fast food several times a week, all sorts of 'processed' foods, sugary foods, chips of all kinds etc etc. I just started fitting them into my calorie targets. During this time I also ate almost no veggies and no fruit at all. No whole grains, no 'healthy' fats etc. The outcome was a 50lb weight loss and improvements to all my health markers-including normalizing a high (prediabetic) glucose number.

    Since then I've experimented quite a bit with food and where I'm at now, 4 years into maintenance, is very different than where I started at. But, I wouldn't be where I'm at today if I hadn't started where I did :)
  • OliveGirl128
    OliveGirl128 Posts: 801 Member
    edited August 2017
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    double p.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Hello I set MyFitness Pal back to default.
    It set me at:
    Calories
    Protein 118
    Carbs 295
    Fiber 38
    Sugar 89
    Fat 79
    Cholesterol 300
    Sodium 2300
    Potassium 3500

    Is that not too much protein for someone that does not work out(just asking).
    Also I was researching high potassium foods and found banana(make me sick), potatoes and beans. Does anyone know any others.

    Also the all in dieting I do why does it make me feel like this. Is it because too few calories,salt and too much water(forgot to in first post 3.5liters plus 3 teas and 1 can pop) which I think unless your in the heat or exercise is too much but not sure.

    Tomorrow is a new day and going to follow what MyFitness Pal set to see if it helps at all. And also maybe cut down on total liquids some. I lost 6.1 pounds i think in just over 2 days.
    You are feeling terrible because you are doing something terrible to your body and it's trying to tell you that, to make you stop doing it.
    I believe you've got 2363 calories to play with? If you do as you're told, you'll feel better soon.
    Don't worry about the protein. It looks all right.
    All foods except seafood has more potassium than sodium. If you cook, you can add as little or much salt (sodium) as you want.
    Your water is on the side of plenty, but not excessive. 2 liters would be sufficient, though, unless you're in a hot climate, exercising a lot, eating a lot of salt/sugar. If you're trying to limit salt, too much water can cause headaches, and it's certainly not good for you.