Extreme weight loss needed
billygunn31
Posts: 29 Member
I'm currently 498lbs and had a heart scare just last night. Needs to loss weight as quickly and safely as possible on a very very low income.
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Replies
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i think you should work with your doctor and a registered dietitian. with your health scare, you need to be safe more than quick in your weight loss.15
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If you haven't already, read the stickies at the top of the getting started forum. Very informative and helpful.
You don't have to spend money to lose weight. Eat the foods you love and stay in a calorie deficit. Just fill out the profile, get your calorie allotment and you're all set.
Did the doctor hook you up with a registered dietician?6 -
Fast weight loss in obese people raises the risk of gall stones, which can be a medical emergency. So anything larger than a 1000 calorie deficit per day (2 lbs fat per week) should be medically supervised. For anything less than that, simply read the pinned post in the "General" forum - lots of good info there.
Post an update next month.
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If you haven't already, read the stickies at the top of the getting started forum. Very informative and helpful.
You don't have to spend money to lose weight. Eat the foods you love and stay in a calorie deficit. Just fill out the profile, get your calorie allotment and you're all set.
Did the doctor hook you up with a registered dietician?
There is a appointment set up but not sure how long that will take.1 -
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billygunn31 wrote: »If you haven't already, read the stickies at the top of the getting started forum. Very informative and helpful.
You don't have to spend money to lose weight. Eat the foods you love and stay in a calorie deficit. Just fill out the profile, get your calorie allotment and you're all set.
Did the doctor hook you up with a registered dietician?
There is a appointment set up but not sure how long that will take.
While you're waiting, set your account up here to lose 2 lbs per week and just start logging. You don't need to buy anything special, just get your calories in line. If you're able, take a walk whenever you can, even if it's just for a minute.
There are people here who have been where you are, you can do this
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This is a group that you might want to check out. Many of them have been where you are and can give you the support that need.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/133315-larger-losers3 -
Hi Billy and welcome!
It can be a challenge to transition from junk food/processed food to good healthy food. What may surprise you is how cheaply you can eat and eat well. You don't say where you are from, so I don't know what your prices are like, but here is what I have found. I am tracking calories and have specific macros for protein, carbohydrates, and fat. I am also tracking sodium because I am retaining water. Do you have a stand alone freezer? It pays to have a freezer so you can buy in bulk. Check Craigslist.
-Eggs are cheap. Hard boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, omelets, low carb burrito egg and cheese, all good for weight loss.
-Hamburger. Patties, fried loose(in a low carb wrap you got a soft taco)
-Chicken thighs. Use them anywhere it calls for chicken breast. Tastes better and is a lot cheaper.
-Turkey when it is on sale at Thanksgiving. Use in place of chicken. Cook it, then pick it off the bone and freeze in portions.
-Pork loin. Buy the whole thing and slice it yourself, you get boneless pork chops for about half the price.
Cheap vegetables include cabbage, celery, spinach 1 lb.tub, baby lettuce 1lb. tub, diced no/low salt canned tomatoes, frozen green beans, frozen broccoli, 3-5/bag green peppers, onions by the bag.
Rice is very cheap, as are dried beans, and potatoes. If you are counting carbs watch out for these.
Do not skimp on good fats. A good extra virgin olive oil and wine vinegar with some dried Italian herbs make a great salt dressing. Dark sesame oil adds tons of oriental flavor and a little goes a long way, real butter, and maybe canola for frying although I use butter or a light olive oil for that. Good lard if you are not afraid of it, but it can be hard to find. Ask a butcher, not the grocery store.
All that depends on where you live and what you are willing to do to eat healthy. If you live in a city where the prices are ridiculous are you willing to drive a couple of hours to buy cheaper? How about ethnic markets, are they available where you live? Do you have anything like an Aldi or a "bent and dent" to get cheaper canned goods? Shop the sales, get what you can afford. You can do this!
FYI, when I was young and single I didn't know I qualified for food stamps. I lived for 6 months on eggs, cheap bread, and lettuce! Egg sandwiches, yum! Never did go on food stamps.5 -
Hi Billy and welcome!
It can be a challenge to transition from junk food/processed food to good healthy food. What may surprise you is how cheaply you can eat and eat well. You don't say where you are from, so I don't know what your prices are like, but here is what I have found. I am tracking calories and have specific macros for protein, carbohydrates, and fat. I am also tracking sodium because I am retaining water. Do you have a stand alone freezer? It pays to have a freezer so you can buy in bulk. Check Craigslist.
-Eggs are cheap. Hard boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, omelets, low carb burrito egg and cheese, all good for weight loss.
-Hamburger. Patties, fried loose(in a low carb wrap you got a soft taco)
-Chicken thighs. Use them anywhere it calls for chicken breast. Tastes better and is a lot cheaper.
-Turkey when it is on sale at Thanksgiving. Use in place of chicken. Cook it, then pick it off the bone and freeze in portions.
-Pork loin. Buy the whole thing and slice it yourself, you get boneless pork chops for about half the price.
Cheap vegetables include cabbage, celery, spinach 1 lb.tub, baby lettuce 1lb. tub, diced no/low salt canned tomatoes, frozen green beans, frozen broccoli, 3-5/bag green peppers, onions by the bag.
Rice is very cheap, as are dried beans, and potatoes. If you are counting carbs watch out for these.
Do not skimp on good fats. A good extra virgin olive oil and wine vinegar with some dried Italian herbs make a great salt dressing. Dark sesame oil adds tons of oriental flavor and a little goes a long way, real butter, and maybe canola for frying although I use butter or a light olive oil for that. Good lard if you are not afraid of it, but it can be hard to find. Ask a butcher, not the grocery store.
All that depends on where you live and what you are willing to do to eat healthy. If you live in a city where the prices are ridiculous are you willing to drive a couple of hours to buy cheaper? How about ethnic markets, are they available where you live? Do you have anything like an Aldi or a "bent and dent" to get cheaper canned goods? Shop the sales, get what you can afford. You can do this!
FYI, when I was young and single I didn't know I qualified for food stamps. I lived for 6 months on eggs, cheap bread, and lettuce! Egg sandwiches, yum! Never did go on food stamps.
Yes I have a stand freezer.0 -
To start log your food to see how many calories you are consuming. I was shocked when I started dieting to see how many calories there were in things I ate. I remember mexican food being a real surprise because we used to stop at a fast food place and tacos were just an add on in my mind. I would get a burrito or two, two tacos and some fries with cheese sauce and a soft drink. I thought that was a "normal portion". Now I eat two tacos and that is my whole dinner, lol. I prepare them at home to avoid the high fat that restaurants use. If you prefer to eat out most restaurants that are chains have calorie counts online. But it is cheaper to prepare food at home.
Frozen vegetables are a great way to get fibre and reduce cost and waste. Buying chicken parts with skin and bone are cheaper if you don't mind doing the work of deboning them. I use the bones and skin to make broth then put it in the fridge to solidify the fat which I discard. The broth is used for soup. Sometimes I just buy a roast chicken instead and do the same thing. Here in Canada where I live cooked roast chicken is cheaper than raw. I can get several meals off of one. Costco is the best buy for them. Ground beef is expensive if you buy the extra lean but then you lose alot less in cooking so may not be as bad cost wise as you think. As you reduce your portions you will find that food goes alot further than it used to. I agree with cabbage as a great source of low cost veggies. I use it in place of lettuce and it is much more filling. I use it shredded all the time. I can also cook it in a stir fry and it really stetches my meat and rice so that I can lower the calories. There are loads of ideas like this. Once you get started you will figure out your own path but in the meantime we are here to help.2 -
Hi Billy. Can you see the trend here for cheap food? Buy in meats in quantity on sale and freeze it. Frozen veggies are next best too fresh. Shop the sales! A good freezer can save you a LOT of money. And what cheryldumais said about using all the chicken bones and stuff to make broth for soup is spot on. Homemade broth, some chicken meat and a bag of soup veggies and you have soup!
Hope this gave you some ideas to start with. Next time you go grocery shopping try buying just ONE thing of bulk meat, take it home and divide it up for meals and freeze it. Do the same each time you go and soon you will have a nice inventory of proteins in your freezer. Same thing with eggs. The jumbo packs are dirt cheap. Hard boiled eggs make a great protein snack.
Best wishes for a spectacular life change!0 -
Going to try and allow myself 2000-2500 calories a day that is a hudge cut for me.0
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billygunn31 wrote: »Going to try and allow myself 2000-2500 calories a day that is a hudge cut for me.
Is that how many calories MFP gives you when you enter a 2 lb/week rate of loss?
At your stats, you can likely lose at a faster pace, but you really need to be under medical supervision to minimize the possibility of poor nutrition. Once you have met with your doctor and/or RD, they can advise you on whether or not it’s safe to have a bigger deficit than the one MFP gives you.1 -
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Not being rich isn't a problem for weight loss. You don't have to shop at Whole Foods. You just have to eat less. And not too much less.3
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Billy respect to you for posting a photo. If I were you I would just focus on changing one or two dietary habits before you see a the dietician. Eg if you drink a lot of soda, Just switching to diet soda will save you calories.
Log what you are eating here as it will be useful info for you.
If you try and change too many things it may be overwhelming.5 -
billygunn31 wrote: »I'm currently 498lbs and had a heart scare just last night. Needs to loss weight as quickly and safely as possible on a very very low income.
It's unlikely that it was a quick path to your current weight. Looking for a fast track to a lower weight is going to interfere with making lifestyle changes that will serve you for the rest of your life.
When I found MFP, it was the best thing to happen for my weight loss goals. There is so much good information here in the stickies at the top of each section. And there are some really supportive members whose experience is real and worth paying attention to. Kimney72 has already posted here in response, and her tips are right on the money.
Believe this: Calories IN and Calories OUT is the formula every body works with.
Exercise is great and valuable in addition to a good sensible eating plan.
low budget meals are easy with an instant pot pressure cooker that makes the cooking time QUICK for a lot of food that can be frozen in meal size portions. I personally live on mostly chicken, rice, beans and the green veg du jour. The spice cabinet adds the variety to the same old same old.
Dried dates are my go-to sweet fix, sometimes with a dab of cashew butter.
good luck to you and good fitness to us all.
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Hi Billy! You can do this! Just take it one day at a time....
Eggs will be your best friend on a budget. You can literally add anything to them and have an instant meal. One time I even added leftover stir fry to scrambled eggs and it made it even better!
Do you have an instant pot or crock pot? This could be really useful for you, might even find one at a thrift store or cheap at walmart. I prep a lot of meats and soups in here. A super budget friendly find is to buy a bag of frozen chicken, throw it in the instant pot or crock pot with water and seasonings, and you can easily get a week's worth of shredded chicken out of it. This can add to minute rice from the microwave, eggs, a tortilla wrap, or be eaten by itself.
The community here will be a great tool for you, stay active in these forums and I know you can meet your goals!0 -
sammidelvecchio wrote: »Hi Billy! You can do this! Just take it one day at a time....
Eggs will be your best friend on a budget. You can literally add anything to them and have an instant meal. One time I even added leftover stir fry to scrambled eggs and it made it even better!
Do you have an instant pot or crock pot? This could be really useful for you, might even find one at a thrift store or cheap at walmart. I prep a lot of meats and soups in here. A super budget friendly find is to buy a bag of frozen chicken, throw it in the instant pot or crock pot with water and seasonings, and you can easily get a week's worth of shredded chicken out of it. This can add to minute rice from the microwave, eggs, a tortilla wrap, or be eaten by itself.
The community here will be a great tool for you, stay active in these forums and I know you can meet your goals!
No I don't have a crock pot or instant pot but xmas is coming 😆0
This discussion has been closed.
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