Starting again - some questions

karris43
karris43 Posts: 34 Member
edited November 2024 in Getting Started
Hi there
I lose 30 lb a couple of years ago here. My lowest weight was 195lb (from 227lb) and I am now 200lb. I am 57 and post-menopause.

Three weeks ago I made some pretty serious decisions about my body as I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis and warned to lose weight and exercise to keep healthy (and delay joint replacements).

I am a sugar addict and a compulsive overeater. So I decided to abstain from sugar and control my portion size (I eat healthily apart from the sugar just far too much), which I have support with and has been successful. I have been exercising by walking 5 miles per day and swimming/aquacize once a week. I also do sit ups and every other day.

In those three weeks I have noticed a change in the way my clothes fit but the scale hasn't moved. I haven't been logging food so far but I am about to start, but common sense tells me that cutting out all sugar and halving portion sizes along with exercise must have decreased the calories in and increased the calories out?

Am I missing something?

Any help gratefully accepted and thank you for reading.

Replies

  • karris43
    karris43 Posts: 34 Member
    Thank you. That makes sense. I need to start logging and give it longer.
  • sarahcuddle
    sarahcuddle Posts: 349 Member
    Hi there. I am a similar age and also have problems with sugar addiction. It sounds as though you are making really positive steps. Logging calories on mfp becomes easier the more you do it and it will give you the reassurance that you are on the right track. I am currently trying to conquer the dreaded sugar and trying to walk more. Good luck
  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
    Congrats on starting to get healthier however I understand your disappointment. It's really easy to eat more than you think you are when you are starting out. You really have to log to get a handle on it. I still log and have been in maintenance for almost a year. Too often I would forget about a banana or a bite of cheese or something. As far as halving portions... It depends on what you are eating too because some foods are more calorie dense. If you quit sugar but increased fat you aren't eating less calories even if it seems like less food. Fat is 9 calories per gram and carbs are 4. You need to actually log everything and you will quickly learn what items are worth the calories to you. As someone else said it's like a bank account. You only have so many to spend each day. Decide what is worth it to you. I still use sour cream because 2 tablespoons are worth 60 calories to me, lol. Wine on the other hand... not worth it. Lots of other people would disagree with me. It's your budget. Decide what you can't live without because this is meant to be a lifelong change.
  • hroderick
    hroderick Posts: 756 Member
    The supplement chromium picolineate cured my sweet tooth
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,740 Member
    Is the exercise program (walking, aquacize, etc.) new at about the same time as change in eating? If so, water retention from the new exercise can be masking fat loss on the scale. If that's it, 2-3 more weeks of patience should tell the story.
  • wenkeng1
    wenkeng1 Posts: 2 Member
    edited November 2018
    I started a nutritious cooking class at a local health clinic, and the doctor-teacher stressed that it is not the weight that matters but the state of the health is. The whole-foods, plant-based diet she taught was about how to eat only certain foods, cooked a certain way, supplied our bodies with the right nutrients, so we don't feel hungry and could eat as much as we liked. Our cholesterol went down and so did our blood pressures and weight, very slowly, but surely. Recipes are available in Pinterest.
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