Fat & twisted

I found MFP at age 62 after decades of failed weight loss attempts. I started by logging my planned food for the day and then staying with the plan, no matter what (which on day one included food brought to me by a friend and for which I said "no thank you") I read a lot about healthy eating and made gradual changes in what I ate to get the maximum nutrition and food bulk with the fewest calories (like a soup bowl of broccoli has fewer calories than the same volume of mashed potatoes and has more nutrition). I sought every opportunity to be active which might be different for you than for others your age. Others have done this and you can, too.

Having to deal with pain everyday is hard I know but it's great you're working towards being healthier. I have osteoarthritis in my knee and I deal with pain most days too. Feel free to add me.

Welcome! How's it going so far?

tmwyles wrote: »

I forgot to mention that I am starting to actually diet next week. This week I am seeing just how many calories I take in now. So far I have been very surprised at how many calories some things have. For instance all beef hot dogs have 180 calories 😳 just for one hot dog no bun or anything else. As far as my weight, it’s gonna be hard to track see that I don’t have a scale that will register over 300lb.

actually it can have more than 180 calories(depending on the weight of it). if you really want to see how much you are eating get a food scale and weigh everything. you will be shocked on a even higher level. its not needed to lose weight at this point but its very helpful well at least in my case it is. They do have scales that will register over 300 lbs you just have to do a search for them. amazon has some. but for now a tape measure will work until you can get a scale. sometimes that tells a bigger and better picture than a scale can. with a scale you will see fluctuations(ups and downs and sometimes no change which is normal). just do the best you can and you will get there. I had a friend who had the same type of scoliosis you have she was of normal weight and still had to have surgery.are you going to need surgery or? well good luck with everything

tmwyles wrote: »

I forgot to mention that I am starting to actually diet next week. This week I am seeing just how many calories I take in now. So far I have been very surprised at how many calories some things have. For instance all beef hot dogs have 180 calories 😳 just for one hot dog no bun or anything else. As far as my weight, it’s gonna be hard to track see that I don’t have a scale that will register over 300lb.

Does your doctor's office have a scale that will register higher, and would it be convenient to stop in a couple or few times toward the beginning (say, once as soon as possible, and then again two weeks to a month later?) just to be sure that you're headed in the right direction? Some people discover they're not being as careful about logging their food as they need to be and have to look at what they're leaving out, or where they're being too care-free in their estimates. I would think the doctor's office would be happy to let you use their scale occasionally over your first 50 pounds of weight loss to make sure you're still on track -- after all, they should share your goal of losing weight to improve your health.

I hope losing weight will help alleviate some of the pain you're experiencing. Best of luck.

lemurcat2 wrote: »

tmwyles wrote: »

I forgot to mention that I am starting to actually diet next week. This week I am seeing just how many calories I take in now. So far I have been very surprised at how many calories some things have. For instance all beef hot dogs have 180 calories 😳 just for one hot dog no bun or anything else. As far as my weight, it’s gonna be hard to track see that I don’t have a scale that will register over 300lb.

That's a great idea. When I started I was impatient so just wrote down what I usually ate, but actually tracking and then looking back at the reality and making changes is a good idea. It also provides a good check against what MFP will say you need to eat to lose. And starting to see how many calories are in everything will make it easier going forward.

If you can be patient and trust the process, you could use a combination of measurements and clothes instead of the scale (but it will take longer so you can't expect visible changes every week). When I started I did weigh daily (helped me get over my fear of the scale and overreaction to the number), but I also had jeans in the next three sizes down (acquired on the way up) in the same brand, so used those as a sign of progress too.

Building on that idea: I'm not sure whether it's true for you, but quite a few guys are regular belt-wearers. It'll be slower than scale progress, but if you wear a belt often, you'll begin to see the belt getting a little loose over time, and needing to be moved a notch smaller . . . then another notch . . . etc.

Good plan on the "tracking current eating" idea. It's a super-powerful tool to review your eating with full details, and see where you're "spending" calories that aren't worth the nutrition, tastiness or satiation that they're "buying" for you. Which things to cut down or replace become pretty obvious, especially that first low-hanging fruit (or not fruit ).

tmwyles wrote: »

Well Yesterday was awful in-laws are in and they insisted on a huge breakfast. I did my best with that and Lunch was ok too. After lunch I did some yard work I have been neglecting. My back was hurting pretty bad before the work but when the pain really hit during the work I knew I was in for it later. Sure enough by the time I rested 5 min my back pain was in full bloom. I hurt to move anything. Well for me it is kind of a self inflating problem. My back hurts when I work, when my back hurts I want to eat, when I overeat I gain weight, the heavier I am the more I hurt, the more I hurt the more I want to eat. But I’m determined not to fail I may not hit my 100lb this year but it will happen and more.

Have you done any physical therapy for the back issues? I suspect you have, but wanted to bring it up just in case not. Those folks have been very helpful to me in learning how to change my routine movement patterns in ways that create less stress for pre-existing (and harder to address) structural problems.

I hear the pain in how you're talking about this, but I also hear your determination. The latter is a wonderful thing. I'm hoping you can harness that determination not only on the full-speed-ahead "take that hill" direct sort of thing, but also in ways that help you work around some obstacles rather than simply brute-force overcome all of them.

I know nothing about the kind of scoliosis you have, so can't offer much. I wonder, though, if posting about it over in the Fitness part of the forum might get some input from people who've dealt with similar issues hindering movement. I'm not suggesting that random people on the internet give you medical advice (yikes!), but some might have ideas about less common treatment modalities you could pursue with your doctors, or the like.

One specific thing: That "when my back hurts I want to eat" link is probably the most actionable. Would some alternative comforting habit be possible to substitute? That could be the "hot bath" sort of thing, or listening to distracting/calming music, or a simple type of meditation (either something completely non-religious like http://www.relaxationresponse.org/steps/ , or alternatively prayerful meditation if you're a religious person), etc.

So sorry you're in pain; I hope you have some combination of stretches, OTC meds, hot baths or heating pads or icing, etc., that can give you some symptomatic relief. Best wishes for improvement!

I need to be in the best physical fitness ever and soon. I have to work hard. My clinical's are coming up shortly and I work full time. I gained the freshman 15 and sophomore weight as well. I sit behind a desk at work and for homework. School starts back in 9 days I need motivation. I have to be fit , fast and be able to lift people and save lives. Motivation needed. I need friends who will hold me accountable. BTW my name is Nicole and I just turned 36

Mike here, feel free to add me. 38, 5' 8" and started off in Nov 2018 at 290. I'm at 250 right now. in Summer of 2017 I was at 300, I went on MFP after getting the flu for a few days and was able to use it to get to 260. Then over the next year I went back up to 290 by not monitoring and tracking what I eat.

I didn't "try" too lose this much this fast, and am pretty amazed that I did. I spoke to my Dr about it and she said it was a lot, wasn't worried but I she wouldn't suggest more then 2-3(max) lbs per week.

I won't lie and say that it's easy, it isn't always. My first step was cutting sugar out of my diet. Then I took a good 2-3 weeks to reduce the size of my stomach (i.e. be full after eating less food). I did it gradually and now I eat in a day about what I would eat in a sitting. I put less food on my plate and about half way through I would get up and do something like get a glass of water, pretend to go to the bathroom, change/clean the baby, whatever. I tried to be away for ~5mins. Usually when I got back to my meal I wasn't hungry anymore. I eat super fast so by the time I finish my plate, I would of eaten 1/2 or 1/4 more then I needed too.

I replaced "junk" food with healthier food. I bring hard boiled eggs(still in the shell) to work for breakfast, I bring a lunch (usually leftovers) in also, and I say no to a lot of food that is offered. I plan my meals as much as I can if I'm going out. Then I added some exercise a few weeks ago. I started to use hot sauce when what I'm eating feels bland or I'm not in the mood for it, then make a point of making myself something I want the next meal or day.

Basically for me it was a battle between my will power and cravings/habits. That is what works for me, you may have to try a few different things to see what is right for you. but you WILL find it.

Look at it like a lifestyle change, not just a diet. You may hit some bumps or curves in your journey and that's okay. Just put it behind you and get back on track.