Motivation/Anyone 400+?

Tabitha_Dawn wrote: »

Being new to all this I still don’t know what all I need to be doing. I’ve done lots of diets my entire life but they’ve always failed. I research all the time on foods I should eat and what to stay away from.

- eat a variety of foods you enjoy and can see yourself eating long-term
- weigh all your food with a food scale, and track accurately
- stick to a manageable deficit, and adjust that deficit as your weight comes down
- get adequate protein
- pay attention to which macros help you stay full longer and focus on getting plenty of those
- the only foods you need to stay away from are those that you may be allergic to, those you just absolutely can't control yourself around and/or those that happen to upset your digestive track
- While you're at it, remember that there are no 'good' or 'bad' foods; different foods have different nutritional values which you can use to decide whether to have it or not
- track accurately for 4-6 weeks before deciding whether what you're doing is working or not. This gives you enough data to make that decision
- stay hydrated!

I am making that journey myself right now. I started at 462 January 1st and at this point I'm bouncing around the 414-416 area. The weight loss was really rapid for me at first, but it has slowed down to a crawl the last two months.

What I have found helpful is making one change at a time. The first week l I concentrated on very little other than getting my cravings under control, which I personally did by cutting out all sugary drinks, candy, desserts, etc and replacing them with sugar-free versions. Sugar is the source of most of my constant nagging cravings and without that trigger present in my life I can actually sensibly diet. I personally don't mind eating or drinking things with sugar-substitutes, so it works for me. Though I know a lot of people don't care for the taste or don't think it's healthy. Also, you have to go really easy on some of the candy that is sweetened with sugar alcohols, as they can cause gas, bloating, and diarrhea in high quantities.

Then I started working on adding fruit and veggies in. I focused specifically on trying to find things that I liked and that were easy. So far my go-to staples are:

-Riced Cauliflower (just get a bag from the freezer, dump it in a bowl with a bit of water and some seasoning or cheese sauce, taco meat, etc., toss it in the microwave)

-Leafy Greens mix (I buy a big tub of mixed greens or precut salad lettuce and eat ti with everything. If I'm having pizza, eat it with some lettuce. If I'm having some chicken, add some lettuce. If I'm having cottage cheese, add some lettuce.)

-Frozen vegetable stirfry (I like to cook it up on the stovetop real quick and then just make some minute rice or ramen for a very quick, easy dinner)

-Mandarin oranges, grapes, and apples (all of which last pretty well throughout the week without going bad or moldy, as long as I keep my grapes in the fridge.

-I also keep little cans of v8 vegetable juice in case I am really feeling unmotivated to eat my veggies.

Then I have started exercising. As you stated in your own post, it can be really hard with limited mobility. I personally started with a pedal exerciser (like a set of bicycle pedals that one might put in front of their chair. I have most often seen the elderly use them) and used it lying on my bed because it was really hard for me to use it on the floor due to my belly getting in the way of my knees. I wasn't completely bed-bound or anything, but at the start I wasn't able to walk for more than a minute or two at a time. I would also use some small dumbbells to exercise my arms. The ones I had available were 5lb, but you could also start with 2lb or 3lb ones if you have them.

Slowly I have also started walking a bit. It hurts my joints, but I have upped my walking time from 1-2 mins to 10 mins carrying a gallon of water in each hand (as a weight because the place where I walk isn't where I keep my hand weights), or maybe 15 of unburdened walking. I carry the water because I find it doesn't make the walk that much harder, but the added weight seems to increase my progress a lot better than just walking alone.

Some days are better than others, with the walking, because of my joint pain, but at least I am making progress.

Anyway, that's what I have been doing. I wish you all the best. I will be sending you a friend request so we can keep in touch if you want.

You can add me. I have less weight to lose but I can motivate you .