New and Scared

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I just started this program but I have been limiting my food intake for about a week and i feel horrible. I have constant headaches, and nasuea. I would like to see results now so i know I am doing this right. I am ready to lose weight, i have so many people who know me and know how much I used to weigh and they are telling me that I need to lose it fast. Especially the doctors that are scaring me and telling me that I am morbidly obese.

I am 223lbs and have been for the past 2 years. I dont have any kids and my normal weight is 175lbs. I really want my weight goal to be back to the 175lbs that I am used to but would love to go down to 150lbs.

I am open to any activites, or just anything that can keep me motivated.

thanks

Replies

  • sweebum
    sweebum Posts: 1,060 Member
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    How many calories are you eating? At 223 you should be around 1400-1600.
  • puppywalker
    puppywalker Posts: 109 Member
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    Welcome! A big reduction in carb/sugar intake can cause the headaches and nausea. (I went through that when I tried Atkins a few years ago.) Drink lots of water and give your self the healthy carbs when you need it! Feel free to add me as a friend. :smile:
  • Maria_Goose
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    There's nothing to be afraid of. What is your diet looking like? are you getting at least 1400 cals a day? Are you excercising? What are you eating? Make sure you drink water. It sounds like you may not be getting enough nutrition.
  • klopiccolo1
    klopiccolo1 Posts: 114 Member
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    Hello and welcome to MFP :smile: How many calories are you eating a day? I know that sometimes I will get a headache and feel dizzy if I havent had enough calories for the day... I am starting to know my body now and when I feel like that I eat more calories.
  • mynika
    mynika Posts: 312 Member
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    I currently weigh 226. when I started here I weighed 242. Log everything that you eat, my diary goal is set for 1200 cals. I log everything, be sure to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day minimum:drinker: You can do this if you stay within your calorie goal.
    Feel free to add me if you like:flowerforyou: And good luck. You can do this!:wink:
  • CharlieBarleyMom
    CharlieBarleyMom Posts: 727 Member
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    Don't try to lose it too fast. This is something you have to do slowly in order for it to be a lifelong change... not a diet. You will find a lot of support here and it would be easier if you open your food diary so we can make intelligent suggestions as to what might help you feel less ill with restricting your caloric intake.

    Make sure to eat fruit and veggies and get calcium (dairy products) and protein - even if you have to supplement with protein shakes, make sure you get enough.
  • highland_sky
    highland_sky Posts: 27 Member
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    The other things that may be causing some of the problems are if you drastically dropped your sugar intake or caffeine intake. Both would cause the withdrawals symptoms that you are mentioning. That being said, keep your protein intake high and be between the 1400 and 1600 calories and you will be fine!
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
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    I just started this program but I have been limiting my food intake for about a week and i feel horrible. I have constant headaches, and nasuea. I would like to see results now so i know I am doing this right. I am ready to lose weight, i have so many people who know me and know how much I used to weigh and they are telling me that I need to lose it fast. Especially the doctors that are scaring me and telling me that I am morbidly obese.

    I am 223lbs and have been for the past 2 years. I dont have any kids and my normal weight is 175lbs. I really want my weight goal to be back to the 175lbs that I am used to but would love to go down to 150lbs.

    I am open to any activites, or just anything that can keep me motivated.

    thanks
    Hon, you can SO do this...check out the section with 'success stories' ....you'll see where we all started and where so many of us have ended up. Unfit and unhealthy to very healthy and excited. Changes are coming your way, find some positive ppl on the board and add them as friends, stick to ONLY the positive threads and veer away from any that don't help you and encourage you. Perhaps look under the motivation section to join a group that you can do a challenge with and that can be lots of fun and encouragement, it can also really help you get to know others more closely for support, giving and receiving.

    I feel that's the key on here is not only accepting help but also freely paying it forward, it makes others feel amazing and it does a world of good for your journey as well.:heart:
    xo

    ETA: regarding not feeling well, did you drop sugar? That can leave a person feeling not so great because so many of us are addicted to it when we begin to make changes so your body maybe detoxing. If you're eating more healthy now it'll likely pass if not check in with the doc. :flowerforyou:

    Lots of good responses up there as I was correcting my spelling.. lol
  • SmugCanucksGal
    SmugCanucksGal Posts: 79 Member
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    Its a BIG shock to your system at first. You dont necessarily need to cut down everything RIGHT AWAY. Cut back on your calorie intake maybe half of what it says for a few weeks. Let you boyd get used to that, then when that is feeling good then start to cut down the other half.

    YOU need to listen to your body. I get headaches a lot, especially when I am not eating properly.

    Its a life style change, its not going to happen in one day. Your body will go through "withdraws" be kind and go slow, it will make things easier in the long run.

    I stared slowly in June changing my snacking habits and such. Now its the end of September and I can imagine eating all the things i used to eat 4 months ago! But it was a slow change, trading one bad food for a good food.

    Also make sure your getting enough protein - I eat almost double what MFP recommends to me. It keeps you full & energetic.

    Good Luck!
  • jcp71511
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    Since you have cut down so much on food intake, I can imagine your sugar intake has decreased too. I can tell a difference when I don't have any sweet tea, and I get bad headaches (yeah, I'm just a little bit addicted to tea ;-) ). Try to slowly cut down on your sugars, and then have it completely cut out in a few weeks, that way you can still workout without feeling bad!
    I just bought Jillian Michaels frontside beginners workout dvd. I like it so far, it's not too intense and I really feel like it's getting me ready to move onto a more fast-paced workout. Some people love her, some hate her.
    We're right around the same weight and goal. I'm 217 and want to be down to 160 by springtime! YIKES! We can do this!! Good luck!
  • infamousmk
    infamousmk Posts: 6,033 Member
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    Don't try to lose it fast - slow and stready wins the race. I started just under 220, I'm 5'3" and considered obese as well. Log your food every day, paying attention to the fat, carbs, and protiens you're eating. Make sure you're getting enough of those base nutrients, but try not to go over. Eating right about 1400 calories should be great for you, IMO.

    I'm losing an average of a pound a week, and I never have headaches or nausea.. you gotta fuel your body!
  • victor73
    victor73 Posts: 24 Member
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    Exactly what puppywalker said. The first 2 weeks that I changed the way I ate, I had headaches all the time. But, after those first couple of weeks, the headaches and nausea went away. The only other thing that stayed for a couple more weeks was the extreme carb and sugar craving. I'm 5 weeks in now and I no longer crave carbs and sugar like I did. I still have a sandwich at least once a week but I'm mostly eating salads or soups or wraps.

    As far as the weight-loss is concerned, don't worry about losing all the weight right away. It WILL take time and as long as you keep up with your diet and exercise, the pounds will shed right off. I'm currently losing an average of 3 pounds a week and although that's not an extreme amount, it's still progress in the right direction.
  • shawnscott5
    shawnscott5 Posts: 295 Member
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    Don't be scared, and don't starve yourself. Apples are a great way to have something to eat that stays with you. And as the previous people said, make sure you are getting enough calories. Believe it or not, you have to eat to lose. There are a bunch of pals on here to help you in your journey. I joined back in March, but didn't realize the community here until about a month ago. And because of everyone's encouragement, success, and being human and having bad days, it keeps me motivated. So log on everyday, several times and you too won't be able to help yourself....you will want to be successfull too!! Add me as a pal, and we can all do this journey together.
  • cbediria
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    It is horrible!! And the hardest thing you'll ever do. But I promise you, as soon as the weight starts coming off it'll all be worth it. Are you working out yet? I found that, for myself, eating less and healthier was a hell of a lot easier after I started working out regularly. This is a great site to help you stay on track, good luck!
  • MsRoxyPepper
    MsRoxyPepper Posts: 109 Member
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    Welcome to MFP. sorry you aren't feeling well. cutting caffeine/sugar too much to fast can contribute to the headaches. this has been a great site to caputure my true eating /exercise habits. I love to suport others and receive support myself. Feel free to add me. Best of luck in your journey.