Weight Loss Advice

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Hello! I need some weight loss advice; I been stuck for quite some time. I have been at the same weight since December 2021 making it an entire year. I been going up and down from 305 to 315lbs. Right now, I'm at 315. My biggest weight was 475, lost 75lbs, had weight loss surgery got down to 300, but now since then I just keep going up and down. I do try to log everything in on myfitnesspal, I do well until dinner and then its like I forget to log in my food for dinner or snacks at night. Even on weeks I do very well with meal planning, healthy snacks, exercising more and making lifestyle changes I still dont lose any weight and I just feel stuck. I'm worried that I'm going to be that 400lb woman again that was almost bed ridden and I think my fear is kind of holding me back in making anymore progress.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Or advice on what I can do to continue losing weight and making healthier choices? its like I know what to do but im starting to lose motivation. I almost feel like giving up.

Replies

  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,531 Member
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    Don't feel bad. You're down 165 pounds and maintained that level for a year. That sounds good to me.

    A couple of things stand out from your post:

    "try to log everything"

    As Yoda says, do or do not. There is no try. Always log everything, even if you're going well over.

    "snacks at night"

    Healthy snacks I hope. Cutting out late snacks, and drinking more water to help feel full, is an easy way to lose calories.

    Are you trying to do more exercise?
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,467 Member
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    It sounds like you know what your problems are. I used to hear that when you know what the problem is, and you really want to solve it, you’re over 1/2 way there already.
    If you eat well until late afternoon/evenings, then you fall apart, there must be a reason.
    Are you tired? Could you take a short rest?
    Are you over-hungry? Could you have a snack mid afternoon to keep you full enough to maintain control?
    Could you change your macros to keep you more satisfied later in the day?
    As for the mental part, maybe you need to dig a little deeper to find out what it’s all about.
    I totally agree that you’ve already done great! Losing a lot, then Maintaining your weight for a year is quite an accomplishment!
  • JMcGee2018
    JMcGee2018 Posts: 275 Member
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    Basically, your problem is not logging dinner and then snacking and not logging that, either. It’s really easy to move from losing weight to maintenance calories with just snacks, so while I’m typically not someone who advises no snacking, your best option for now might just be to brush your teeth right after dinner and not snack, or have the only after-dinner snacks allowed to be raw veggies (no dip). Once you get back in the habit of accurately logging your dinners, then you can try adding snacks back into your evening routine.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,019 Member
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    Since you've had weight loss surgery, aren't you under the care of a medical weight loss team? I would First, tighten up and log all foods. Use your food scale. Log everything. Start going to (or set up) your meetings or sessions or appointments with your team.

    At your weight, if you don't have other underlying medical issues it should be easy to lose weight - biologically. The psychological part is a different part. Until I addressed "why" I ate when I didn't really need the food it was pretty hard to stick with my calories.

    Like I always say (wait for it...)




    If hunger isn't the problem, food isn't the solution.
  • Othique
    Othique Posts: 4 Member
    edited December 2022
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    OK, You forget to log dinner and late evening snacks : Put an alarm on your phone (or whatever device you prefer) to start remembering to track these. Roughly 200-300 calories can make the difference between losing and maintaining weight...

    Before dinner: Consume something that has a high water content. You know how soup is like the "first course" of a fancy meal? Yeah.. use that... it will help you reduce the total calorie intake at dinner by making you feel full faster.
    Or just drink tea or something else that is 1) Warm and 2) Basically just water.

    Snacks: Keep them below 200 calories. Always.

    If you know you tend to consume most of your calories in the evening - go lighter during the day.

    I myself also eat more at the end of the day - so I basically do "intermittent fasting" by not eating in the morning and waiting till noon.
    If you're one of those that believes "breakfast is the most important meal" then make sure that breakfast is actually healthy -i.e. if you tend to have a sugary breakfast (cereal, pancakes, waffles, and the like) then DON'T eat breakfast. You're basically starting your day with just sugar.

    Food labeling guidelines allow up a 20% "error margin" in calorie counts on food labels... so products can state they have 120 calories but actually have 140. You can calculate more accurate calories from the nutrition label by remembering:
    • Fat has 9 calories per gram
    • Carbs have 4 calories per gram (remember to subtract dietary fiber - as it digests differently)
    • Dietary fiber has 2 calories per gram
    • Protein has 4 calories per gram

    Fun Fact: the Food Pyramid originally released in the U.S. was ruined by capitalism (For example: Wheat products was moved from near the top of the pyramid (with a serving suggestion of about 3-4 servings per day) to the VERY BOTTOM of the U.S. pyramid with a serving suggestion of 6 - 11 servings per day!!!) - they were warned the changes they made would cause obesity, and sure enough where is the U.S. today?
    I highly suggest looking up the food pyramids released in European countries...
    Germany's food pyramid literally has WATER as the bottom layer.

    So be aware of the fact that the U.S. government has never had your wellbeing on their mind and be careful where you source you nutritional information from.
  • Pdc654
    Pdc654 Posts: 317 Member
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    If you know ahead of time what you will be eating for dinner or snacks, log it ahead of time. If it changes you can go back in and edit it to what or how much you actually ate. Sometimes if I know what I'm eating the next day I will log it the night before. It helps me keep within my calorie allotment and let's me know how many calories I have left for a late night snack if I want one.
  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,638 Member
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    Yep, you've got to log dinner. A lot of times we "forget" to log a meal because we know that if we log it, we'll be faced with how many calories we over-ate, and we don't want to see it. Also remember, it's possible to cheat your surgery and stretch back out your stomach if you consistently over-eat, which would seem a really sad waste of what was a genuinely serious, life threatening surgery. You've done well losing the weight you lost, and now it's time to get serious again with managing and tracking what you're eating.
  • PKM0515
    PKM0515 Posts: 2,937 Member
    edited December 2022
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    @Katherinelittle24, how are you doing?

    Are you getting any counseling or working with a registered dietitian? Some are very good.