Help me Please!

Options
ke81297
ke81297 Posts: 1 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am barely starting to get into nutrition for the betterment of my health as I have come to learn it is now declining over the years and due to my poor health decisions. I need some assistance in kind of setting up the app to live a healthy lifestyle where my body starts to slowly repair itself from all the damage I have done to it.

Age: 23
Weight: 169
Height: 5 ft. 6 in.
Desired weight: 135
Problems with following:
Almost pre diabetic
Starting to get tired faster or always tired
High cholesterol

I just need help in kind of what exactly I should revolve my percentages of carbs,protein, and fat

Replies

  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Options
    What is your daily life like?
    Kids or pet responsibilities keep you active evenings and weekends?
    What is job during the other 8 or whatever hours?

    Not much to loose - 1 lb weekly loss rate likely reasonable if body isn't too stressed already.
    When you are down to last 10 lbs, switch to 1/2 lb weekly to keep the stress off.
    How much and what type of exercise can you see adhering to that you'd enjoy?

    Because base setup on app includes NO exercise expected or accounted for - but when you do more you should eat more so as not to cause more stress.
    But what it is and how long determines how it gets logged.

    Default macro's aren't that bad with your eating goal not being that low.
    Maybe kickup protein 5% extra, lower carbs.
    Watch the type of fats, got some good and not good ones.

    Test that and see if calorie level and those macros keep you satiated.
    Some do well with carbs, some do better with fat, or protein. Just depends on you and what you can sustain.
    If you choose poorly and blow through your calories - then the macros really didn't matter.

    Balance and reasonable is best to avoid being part of the 80% avg that fails to reach goal weight and maintain for any decent amount of time.
  • goal06082021
    goal06082021 Posts: 2,130 Member
    Options
    Go through the guided setup (My Home > Goals, link is at the top of the page above the gray tables) and tell it you want to lose 0.5lb per week - you're only looking to lose about 35 lbs, not very much at all, so slow and steady is the name of the game here. Trying to lose faster will just make you feel crappy and possibly impact your other health concerns.

    Base your activity level in the guided setup on how active you are outside of purposeful exercise - so, if you work, consider what kind of job you have. If you don't work, how many waking hours you spend sitting down is a decent shorthand way to estimate your NEAT activity level. More hours sitting = less active, obviously. I would say 8+ hours sitting is sedentary/not very active, 4-6 would be lightly active, 2-4 would be active and fewer than 2 hours sitting would be very active.

    As far as macros go (carbs/protein/fat), you should consult a doctor or registered dietician for more specific guidance, but broadly speaking since you are pre-diabetic or nearly so, aim for fewer carbs and more protein and fat. I don't remember what MFP's default split is, but if you treat the carbs as a maximum and the protein and fat as a minimum, that's probably good.

    That fatigue is also a little concerning for someone so young. It's possible that will clear up with improved nutrition, and since you're aware of the high cholesterol/A1C, I assume you've had bloodwork done recently. If they didn't check your vitamin/micronutrient levels or thyroid, it may be worth going back for some additional testing to get those looked at as well. That's definitely something you want to work with a medical professional to address, if there is a deficiency of some kind, because you can actually OD on some vitamins/micronutrients and that's bad news bears.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    Options
    Don’t worry about your macros. There is no magic combination of macros which will help. What you need to do is lose a little weight, which is done by eating fewer calories than you take in. Set yourself to a modest rate of loss, such as a pound a week, since you have not that much weight to lose, and log everything.

    Also important, since you are having these problems and you aren’t that heavy: get active. Both strength and cardio. Find a cardio activity you enjoy and do it several times a week, and also do strength work, which improves insulin resistance and will help with your prediabetes.

    You should probably avoid saturated fats since you have high cholesterol, although there’s disagreement about how much this helps. Do you have a family history of high cholesterol or diabetes? It’s a little worrisome that someone who is not obese and only 23 is having trouble already. What do your doctors say about this, and about medication?

    Focus on healthy whole foods, include fruits and vegetables and healthy fats such as nuts, avoid fried foods, and don’t obsess. If you drink a ton of soda or other processed carbs for heaven’s sake stop. The good news is you aren’t actually diabetic yet so you can turn this stuff around and become healthy before you are doomed to a lifetime of diabetes. Rather than aiming for some magic number of carbs per day, try not to bat your pancreas around like a cat with a ball, and stay below about 60 g net carbs (carbs minus fiber) per meal. A little exercise such as walking after meals will also help your blood sugar stay even.

    Try to ignore anyone who insists that only keto, or only this or that other extreme diet or activity, will help, and focus on just eating good food and getting some activity. You are going to have to live this way for the rest of your life so pick a way of living you enjoy. Good luck!



  • queanmum
    queanmum Posts: 28 Member
    edited April 2021
    Options
    I agree with the member who said to go through the guided set-up. When you get your calorie level, google "1400 calorie meal plan"( insert your calorie level of course) Googling "meal plans" will tell you exactly what and how much to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can combine menus from several of these "meal plans" to give you foods you like that are easy to prepare. Get a kitchen scale and measuring cups. Log everything. You'll find your rhythm. At my house, we eat the same things for breakfast and lunch every day. I build in snacks to fit in my calorie count in the afternoon and evening when I know I'll get hungry (same snacks every day). So the wild card is dinner. I make dinner "fit" into the calories I have left, give or take 100 calories. If I make chili, we'll eat it for 2 or 3 nights. The same goes for casseroles and soups. We're vegan(mostly), so we don't eat meat, but chicken and steamed frozen veggies would work. You want to avoid fast food, fried food, and restaurant food unless it's salad. Some of those salads can be 900 calories, so you may have to take half home. Anyhow, a "meal plan" will give you a balanced diet and a place to start until you find your stride. If you're not anemic, the only way to make the tired better is exercise. Start with 10 or 15 minutes a day and make yourself do it every day. When you start felling better, increase by 5 minutes every few days until you're exercising 30 minutes 5 to 6 days a week. Walk, march in place, ride a bike, do a youtube zumba... you get the idea. Btw, I'm a retired RN. Good luck and take care. :)

Categories