Feels like "last chance saloon", a bit of encouragement needed!

65special
65special Posts: 13 Member
edited November 23 in Introduce Yourself
Hi all
Hope you all enjoyed the festive season.
I woke up this morning and decided it has to be today and not wait for January, Ive been steadily piling on the pounds and felt so ill just relaxing after the full Christmas dinner pig-out yesterday.
Okay I'm starting out again at 285 pounds and want to shed 85 of those, my right knee is in a bad way after accidents and an operation so exercise is limited but I will do what I can starting with exercise bike and building up my daily walking.
Food.... I can't handle eating cooked veggies or salads but will try to add some to fruit and use a Vitamix to make something healthy.

Any tips and encouragement welcome, if you can add me as a friend it would be much appreciated as I remember it helped me years ago when I first tried MFP.

Cheers and thanks for reading

Replies

  • 65special
    65special Posts: 13 Member
    Thanks for your reply, tried a fruit smoothie with a couple of veg/salad added before, also chia seeds etc thrown in.
    This wasn’t too bad at all so hence the reason I said I will try to do this.
    I love fruit but just don’t buy it regularly enough.

    Already cut my calories by 40% so hopefully the results will slowly improve over coming weeks, months etc
    I know it won’t happen within a short period, that’s why I didn’t opt into a VLCD
  • Never2LateHunny
    Never2LateHunny Posts: 4 Member
    Hi there, im brand new to here as of a couple of days ago, so cant offer much advice but im glad to have found the message boards and discussions as im finding alot of inspiration and motivation from reading the posts. good luck to you on your journey :)
  • Rick_1953
    Rick_1953 Posts: 587 Member
    65special wrote: »
    Hi all
    Hope you all enjoyed the festive season.
    I woke up this morning and decided it has to be today and not wait for January, Ive been steadily piling on the pounds and felt so ill just relaxing after the full Christmas dinner pig-out yesterday.
    Okay I'm starting out again at 285 pounds and want to shed 85 of those, my right knee is in a bad way after accidents and an operation so exercise is limited but I will do what I can starting with exercise bike and building up my daily walking.
    Food.... I can't handle eating cooked veggies or salads but will try to add some to fruit and use a Vitamix to make something healthy.

    Any tips and encouragement welcome, if you can add me as a friend it would be much appreciated as I remember it helped me years ago when I first tried MFP.

    Cheers and thanks for reading

    @65special , I will send you a friend request
  • 65special
    65special Posts: 13 Member
    Rick_1953 wrote: »
    First, welcome to your new life. Eating healthy isn't torture, it's about staying in your calorie intake each day. I lost the weight I wanted to lose and still had pizza, cheeseburgers etc. I just didn't over eat for the day. Exercise is important so do what you can. As the weight comes off you will be able to do more.
    Thanks Rick, I’ve cleared out the biscuits/cookies, cakes and other “nice but no good for waistline” foods.
    I have kept a few things I like such as roast potatoes, granary multigrain bread, and will have the occasional treat like a couple of oven baked Lincolnshire bangers/sausages,

    Right now I’m trying to stick to around 1400 calories a day but will reduce that to 1200 when weather improves later.
    I’m just eating small amounts maybe 5 times a day and find this helps stave the hunger off better than just eat8ng 2 big meals daily.
    Also going to assemble the recumbent exercise bike today and try some short sessions on that without hurting the knee, but I’ll be glad when I’ve shifted the first 50 pounds!

    Cheers
  • 65special
    65special Posts: 13 Member
    Thanks to everyone for your support and tips, I’ll try to take it all on board and I’m looking forward to this journey with your help friends, have a Happy New Year, cheers
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    65special wrote: »
    Right now I’m trying to stick to around 1400 calories a day but will reduce that to 1200 when weather improves later.
    I’m just eating small amounts maybe 5 times a day and find this helps stave the hunger off better than just eat8ng 2 big meals daily.
    Also going to assemble the recumbent exercise bike today and try some short sessions on that without hurting the knee, but I’ll be glad when I’ve shifted the first 50 pounds!
    Why are you trying to undereat? You're not going to lose 50 pounds that way. You're hungry, doesn't that tell you you might be doing it wrong? Why are you even here if you don't trust the numbers MFP gave you?
  • 65special
    65special Posts: 13 Member
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    65special wrote: »
    Right now I’m trying to stick to around 1400 calories a day but will reduce that to 1200 when weather improves later.
    I’m just eating small amounts maybe 5 times a day and find this helps stave the hunger off better than just eat8ng 2 big meals daily.
    Also going to assemble the recumbent exercise bike today and try some short sessions on that without hurting the knee, but I’ll be glad when I’ve shifted the first 50 pounds!
    Why are you trying to undereat? You're not going to lose 50 pounds that way. You're hungry, doesn't that tell you you might be doing it wrong? Why are you even here if you don't trust the numbers MFP gave you?

    As it goes the total amount of food that I consume in 4 or 5 small meals is just about the same regular food that I would eat in the 2 large meals. What is missing is all the rubbish snacks I consumed between those 2 meals and the rubbish includes chocolate, candies/sweets, potato chips & biscuits which probably did mount to another 800 calories or more each day.

    Leaving those out can sometimes leave me a bit peckish, but I’m not eating so few calories to end up malnourished.
    I already pointed out that I’m not on a VLCD,

    The benefits from leaving out so much sugar from my daily food intake far outweighs the odd time I feel peckish

    If you think I should be off this MFP forum for eating 200 calories less than they recommend, why don’t you contact the forum moderators and request that I be banned?

    Cheer up pal and enjoy the New Year, try to chill out a bit. You told me in your previous post to “calm down a bit” - if I was any calmer I would be laying in a 6 foot wooden box

  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,460 Member
    You ARE on a Vlcd if you weigh 285 pounds and you are eating 1400 calories a day, talking about 1200 calories a day. Your choice. But it is
    Very low calories for a man your size.
  • fitandpainfree
    fitandpainfree Posts: 38 Member
    I like your post. I felt the same way 2 days ago. I just wanted to begin right away and not wait.
    I like the food and exercise log part of this site the best so far. Its amazing how fast those numbers can climb especially when you log everything. (lol) Day one was an eye opener in that respect. I am working to be more conscious now.
    Thanks again!
  • 65special
    65special Posts: 13 Member
    edited December 2017
    VLCD like Cambridge Diet is 800 calories per day in UK, don’t know if it differs where you are.
    I put all the info in to MFP like sedentary lifestyle and it quotes 1600, will 200 less hurt me more than 800 extra, I shouldn’t think so. If I do feel overtired and hungry after 4 weeks then I will look to change things, I’m only on my 6th day at the moment

    Edit: just checked Cambridge Diet Sole Source VLCD and its 554 calories, my bad
  • Hamsibian
    Hamsibian Posts: 1,388 Member
    edited December 2017
    You will lose not only fat, but a considerable amount of muscle if you under eat. Out of whack hormones, nutrient deficiencies, loss of hair, brittle nails/bones/teeth, lethargy are some of the other things you will encounter. Is it worth it?

    Think of it this way. You use MFP stats to lose 2 pounds a week. Stick with It, and you could be at your goal weight in 40 weeks (by October). That's in a perfect world that doesn't include life situations and weight fluctuations, but at least it's something to envision.

    If you go on a low calorie diet like the one you're on, you will be at risk for all the heath issues I mentioned above (and more). You will get hungry, and at some point, you will binge. Regain some, if not all the weight, and then your goal to lose 85 pounds will take much longer.
  • philsy1
    philsy1 Posts: 104 Member
    65special wrote: »
    Rick_1953 wrote: »
    First, welcome to your new life. Eating healthy isn't torture, it's about staying in your calorie intake each day. I lost the weight I wanted to lose and still had pizza, cheeseburgers etc. I just didn't over eat for the day. Exercise is important so do what you can. As the weight comes off you will be able to do more.
    Thanks Rick, I’ve cleared out the biscuits/cookies, cakes and other “nice but no good for waistline” foods.
    I have kept a few things I like such as roast potatoes, granary multigrain bread, and will have the occasional treat like a couple of oven baked Lincolnshire bangers/sausages,

    Right now I’m trying to stick to around 1400 calories a day but will reduce that to 1200 when weather improves later.
    I’m just eating small amounts maybe 5 times a day and find this helps stave the hunger off better than just eat8ng 2 big meals daily.
    Also going to assemble the recumbent exercise bike today and try some short sessions on that without hurting the knee, but I’ll be glad when I’ve shifted the first 50 pounds!

    Cheers

    Hi. I have yoyo directed for years. I would go for the quickest weight loss possible, get near my goal, wow the people in my life with my new appearance and then gradually slip back into my old eating habits. I don't want to make any assumptions about you, but would advise against extreme diets. Their big plus is the rapidity of change, but there are several downsides that can break your heart. Number one is that you don't leave yourself enough energy to exercise, which means you wind up "skinny-fat", with a smaller but otherwise unattractive physique. That would include excess skin, stretch marks and smaller rolls of fat that never go away. Been there, done that.
    This is getting grim, but I ask you to consider a more realistic, sustainable calorie intake of 1800 - 2000 calories a day instead. Exercise will prevent excessive (not All) loss of muscle mass and afford you the chance to consume an extra snack without losing momentum.
    Add me as a friend if you want. That goes for anyone else here too.
  • 65special
    65special Posts: 13 Member
    Those are the exact same warnings that come with ketosis in the Cambridge VLCD. I followed that for 9 months years ago and never lost any extra hair, still have a full head of hair at 59 now. Only loss of teeth has been through a couple of motorcycle accidents plus a rip off dentist

    For the last time my job is sedentary, got other health issues which my doctor advises restricts my exercises to a moderate walk or exercise bike. If I was in better shape then yeah I would burn more calories and then no problem eating more calories.

    Still going to try it “as is” for 4 weeks, as you never answered my question on the “200 less rather than 800 more calories daily - which one will do more harm.”

    No need to set my execution date yet guys
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    200 less rather than 800 more calories daily - which one will do more harm is a false dilemma. You don't have to choose between overeating and undereating. It's undereating even if it isn't by much. The calorie target MFP gave you is attainable, but hard enough - it's balancing on the edge; don't go over. Making it harder than it has to be does not make you lose fat faster, it doesn't even give you a medal for your extra effort and suffering. Not using a tool correctly is a risk to any project.

    If I do feel overtired and hungry after 4 weeks then I will look to change things - sure you will, that's when the massive overeating starts again.

    It's always your choice.
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