Anyone else working on getting healthy? Related: setting calorie goals? Help? :)

[Veritaserum]

I've had the most horrendous summer. Well, the past two years have pretty much sucked and the preceding year or two weren't so great, either. Anyhow, my health has really taken a nosedive. I do have an autoimmune thyroid disease (diagnosed 8 years ago), but weight gain wasn't an issue until 3-4 years ago. I think my overall stress factored into the 50 lb. gain. I've got an official diagnosis of depression and I'm in therapy to manage that. (The depression is related to situational stress/all the crap that has happened over the past few years.)

 

One thing I've realized over the past couple of months is that I do not eat very much. A typical day is a cup of tea or coffee in the morning while I'm getting everyone ready for school (only the 16yo is homeschooling at the moment). Then I forget about food until late afternoon. I might have a yogurt or piece of fruit at that point. I usually eat dinner.

 

Today I tracked my eating in my FitBit app. I've set the intention to eat more regularly, so I had breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a post-dinner snack. I got up to almost 1700 calories. FitBit suggests a little over 2000 calories per day on a "kinda hard" restricted intake plan. It was hard to get that many calories for me because I think I've been living on under 1,000 for at least a year. And yet I gained 15-20 lbs. this past year.

 

I have never counted calories before. As a chronic under-eater, I'm wondering if there is some kind of magic ratio of calories in/out for weight loss? Should I be shooting for the full 2,000 calories? My calories burned count for today is a little over 2,700. I'm 65 lbs. heavier than my lightest adult weight and 50 lbs. over what was a steady average weight for 7-8 years before the rapid gain.

 

For fitness goals, I'm fast walking on the treadmill for one episode of a Netflix show and trying to get in my 10,000 steps by the end of the day.

 

I'm shooting for manageable, maintainable goals. Getting healthy is part of my depression treatment plan.

[nd293]

Thinking of programmes I've used or investigated, 1200 to 1500 is pretty standard for a weight loss programme and that would be assuming exercise like walking for 30 min a day or an hour 3-4 times a week. Exercise more, lose more. 2000 calories is more a normal intake level, not for weight loss.

[Pawz4me]

Unless you're really tall and/or really active I think 2700 for calories burned sounds very high. Even for TDEE (your total daily energy expenditure, which is BMI plus activity/exercise calories) it sounds high for a female. I would not count a total of 10,000 steps a day as anything more than normal activity, unless a LOT of that was fitness walking.

 

This is said to be a good estimator for TDEE and BMI by many fitness/weight loss people.

 

For counting calories you really need a food scale--much more accurate to weigh your food than to measure it. Weigh everything you can, measure what you can't. Add it all up. The USDA nutrient data base is an accurate source of calorie information. Most people who aren't used to dieting who spend a few days weighing their food and tracking their calories are very surprised at how much they actually consume (usually way more than they think).

 

With your thyroid issue -- I assume you've had recent blood work done? That would be my first priority. If it's not well regulated it could be causing/contributing to the weight gain and depression.

 

Good luck!

[Soror]

I agree w/ PawzforMe, you really need to get that thyroid checked, then take your lab work and head to Stopthethyroidmadness.com and read up on optimal labs. Stress can lead to weight gain but with thyroid disease that would be my first suspect. Thyroid disease also leads to depression as well.

 

I also have Hashimotos it is a pain in the butt :( 

 

AFA calories my thought would be to just try to plan eating real foods at regular intervals and pay attention to your hunger signals. I'd probably aim around 2000 or so and see how you feel and what happens. I'd work on finding your maintenance level before trying to cut, that way you know how much you need to cut without going too low. My maintenance is 2300+ calories, I'm only 5'4 and normal weight but exercise 5+ hrs a week of varying intensity. Everyone is very different, however, your going to have to find out what your needs are. I only spot check calories when I feel a need to as I'm not really trying to gain or lose so I just good foods to hunger and that works. When I do check I seem to range to 1800-2800 cal a day, depending on the time of the month, activity level etc.

[Veritaserum]

I'm 5'7". I spent about an hour on the treadmill yesterday. Looking though my FitBit log, it estimates that I burn 1600-1800 per day on days that I don't exercise and 2500+ on days that I do (depending on the activity).

 

My thyroid labs are good (same levels I've felt good at before when I was healthy weight) and I'm feeling okay thyroid-wise. I really think this is primarily stress-related. I didn't have any problems like this until my oldest started a downward spiral (ending up in the hospital). My weight always returned to normal within a few months of giving birth. As long as I was reasonably active, I didn't have to worry much about what I ate (healthy base plus occasional treats). That changed about three years ago and got really bad the first time my oldest totally crashed (bipolar child with depressive lows and super scary stuff).

 

I've had a bunch of labs run this summer. For a brief moment we thought I might have lupus, but the more extensive panel was negative. I have hypoxia at night, but I don't have apnea. I just drop and stay down. I've been on supplemental oxygen while sleeping for the past couple of months. That extra 02 allows me to wake without the headaches I was getting daily. I've been waiting months for my pulmonologist appointment, which is in a couple of weeks.

 

Any suggestions for a good food scale?

[magnificent_baby]

Do you have a gym nearby that you can join? I'm also trying to lose weight and went with a friend yesterday. We did weights and the eliptical. I was a little sore but felt awesome all day yesterday. A lot more energy than normal. 

[Veritaserum]

Oh, how do you calculate calories on homemade stuff? I made chicken soup Tuesday night and had a bowl for lunch yesterday. It was chicken, broth, and various vegetables. Do you take each ingredient and add all the calories together?

[gardenmom5]

everything you've mentioned can be caused by both your thyroid and adrenals (very common with stress and thyroid issues.).    western med is notorious for how ineffectively it treats thyroid.  

 

what are your numbers like?  what are your numbers?  what rx are you on?

tsh is a pituitary hormone - and should never be relied upon for dosing thyroid rx. you want free t3, free t4 and reverse t3 (if your iron is low - ferritin, %saturation, serum, and tbic, you may not be converting t4 to t3 and it "pools".)   and you want your numbers in the "optimum" range - not just "normal".

 

are  you familiar with stop the thyroid maddness

 

my previous dr was concerned about a few things and just kept me on a low dose of levo because someone else put me on it.  she obsessed about them - they are all things caused/made-worse by low thyroid.   she didn't  give a rip I was having continued and progressively worse hypothyroid symptoms. she even lied to me about tests she ran and ignored my requests.    I added an  OTC ndt (weak compared to rx ndt.), and eventually had it at a dose I felt so much better.  I was much more functional without having to force myself.  once I switched to rx ndt - my leg injury (which has seriously inhibited me at times), which has been bothering me for over two years, started to improve.  apparently, among other things  -low adrenals can stress five different muscles groups that stabilize the pelvis and run through the legs.   . . . . I'm still thinking about sending a copy of sttm book to that dr. . . . ..I'm roughly there with NDT now, and now I'm working on adrenals. 

[kiana]

My mother uses this scale: https://www.amazon.com/DecoBros-Multifunction-Capacity-Stainless-Platform/dp/B00MN0NI90/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1473946939&sr=8-7&keywords=food+scale

 

It's nice because the broad flat base lets you use it to measure by weight (nice if you bake) as well. It's pretty sturdy and not expensive. 

 

As far as the choosing the calories, I think that before I tried to pick a number I'd get a baseline on what you're actually eating rather than just guesstimate. You can't manage what you can't measure.

 

So I'd go a week and just eat like you normally do, but write down exactly everything you eat, with the weight. At the end of it, look up the calories. But don't do it during the week, because you don't want your knowledge to interfere with getting a baseline on what you normally eat. Make sure to weigh all food, but especially meats, cheeses, nuts, and fats. Don't forget condiments.

[Veritaserum]

I wondered about joining a gym, but my current schedule is rather hectic. I'm also starting school myself (online program). We have treadmill at home and at some point I'd like to add T-Tap again since I've had success with that in the past. Maybe I'm weird, but I hate exercising with other people. I'd much rather do it alone. :)

[kiana]

Oh, how do you calculate calories on homemade stuff? I made chicken soup Tuesday night and had a bowl for lunch yesterday. It was chicken, broth, and various vegetables. Do you take each ingredient and add all the calories together?

 

Yes. 

 

To get an accurate measurement on something like that, measure every ingredient that went in. Measure how much you have in the full pot (so like 33 oz chicken broth) and then if you have a 6 oz bowl, you know you had 3/11 of the full recipe. 

 

After a while, you can get looser and start guesstimating, but for right now while you're trying to troubleshoot and figure out exactly what's going on, accuracy is a good idea. 

[Spryte]

No practical advice, just empathy. I could have written some if your post. The last two years have brought a lot if weight gain, despite living with adrenal and thyroid issues for years and years. I'm finally tackling it and it's very, very hard. I don't eat much either, and still can gain weight unless I'm exercising. I measure success in tenths of a lb coming off. It's excruciatingly slow. But, that said, I've lost 11 lbs since June and that's a huge accomplishment. If I don't watch what I eat and exercise it creeps back on.

 

I'm much shorter than you, I'm 4' 11", but even so - the calories you're talking about seem high to me. You might want to plug them into an online calculator to double check.

 

My doc knows how I've struggled, and put me on a ketogenic diet. That is what finally tipped the scales, and started me losing. It might not be your thing, but if all else fails - maybe consider it. I take a ton of supplements, too.

 

My exercise sounds about like yours. I do 60 minutes on the treadmill, walking fast uphill and running (alternately). I watch a show while I do it. :) I hate the gym for myriad reasons. My tracker and treadmill both show that I burn about 400 calories doing it, though I take that with a grain of salt. With the rest of the day, I generally hit between 12000 and 13000 steps, but I'm inwardly happy with10000. I think if you've been inactive for a long time, it's a good goal. My goal started out at 7000, then I slowly upped it.

 

Giod luck! It's really hard work.

[mamaraby]

I wondered about joining a gym, but my current schedule is rather hectic. I'm also starting school myself (online program). We have treadmill at home and at some point I'd like to add T-Tap again since I've had success with that in the past. Maybe I'm weird, but I hate exercising with other people. I'd much rather do it alone. :)

That's why I run. I can do it outside, I can the kids with me on their bikes, and I can listen to music. Or, dh and I can go together and he totally gets my "together in silence" thing.

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

An average amount for weight loss for women is around 1400-1500 calories a day but it really depends upon your weight. As for how many calories you burn, I would ignore this since these features are wrong. Also, many folks assume they can eat extra if they burned off a lot of calories which is often way overestimated on these devices and end up not losing weight or gaining as a result. Don't get me wrong some folks do burn a lot of calories and can eat more but an article I read said that for most folks that is not the case.

 

http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/ask-the-dietitian-should-i-eat-back-my-exercise-calories/

 

 

I totally ignore how many calories I burn and just track exercise as a motivator. I only eat extra when I really feel hungry.

[need2read]

Sounds like you should really work on eating more first thing in the morning. I completely understand it being difficult, I don't like to eat in the morning either but eating signals your metabolism that it's time to pick up the pace.

 

I don't think there are any magic in/out numbers, everyone is different. But under 1000 calories per day is not enough. I find a lot of nutrition and exercise help at girlsgonestrong.com. Just the other day they had an article about women not eating enough.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I started with a low carb diet for about 2 weeks and now eat a moderate carb diet with protein at every meal. I do have an old fashioned oats with high fiber hot cereal, flax, and chia seeds with an egg mixed in every morning with whole milk. I do have barilla plus pasta, rice in limited amounts and occasional sprouted or other whole grain hearty bread. I have 1-2 fruits and veggies every day. Occasional plain whole milk yogurt with low sugar preserves. I don't eat after dinner unless really really hungry. I use lean cuisine several times a week. I also use premier protein drinks or bars occasionally. I eat almost no sugar to very little sugar. I got rid of artificial sweeteners except for the ones in the premier protein.

 

As for depression, you may want to inquire about buproprion since it curbs appetite a bit. It does make you a little jittery first week or so so you may want to ask about starting on low dose such as bupropion 100 mg sustained release tablet. Use a bright light therapy light every morning- I put it for breakfast. 

[Spryte]

An average amount for weight loss for women is around 1400-1500 calories a day but it really depends upon your weight. As for how many calories you burn, I would ignore this since these features are wrong. Also, many folks assume they can eat extra if they burned off a lot of calories which is often way overestimated on these devices and end up not losing weight or gaining as a result. Don't get me wrong some folks do burn a lot of calories and can eat more but an article I read said that for most folks that is not the case.

 

http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/ask-the-dietitian-should-i-eat-back-my-exercise-calories/

 

 

I totally ignore how many calories I burn and just track exercise as a motivator. I only eat extra when I really feel hungry.

 

Yes, I read that, too.  :)

 

I do find it motivating to watch on the devices, but I think it's not very accurate so I don't ever eat extra based on those results.

 

The best thing to me, about all of this, is that I require less caffeine to keep going throughout the day.  That in itself gets me on the treadmill each morning.  Silly, but true.  Whatever works, eh?

[GoVanGogh]

I have been in similar boat. I have Hashimoto's, plus two other autoimmune disorders, depression/ptsd and am in menopause. I had not been able to get the scale to budge and I felt like crap. I already belonged to a gym and went, but prefer to run alone outside. Gym has occasional weight loss challenges and I decided on a whim to sign up for one. It has been great. The accountability was just what I needed! A few things I realized: Even though I was running 3-4 miles a day, I wasn't really pushing myself. I needed to work out harder. I also need to lift weights more and include some double workouts in my schedule when possible. (Running in morning, weights in afternoon.) I also cut carbs and cut out all the gluten-free wheat substitute stuff that was in my diet and upped my protein. Protein seems to be the key for me. I had no idea how little protein I was actually getting in my diet. I also added a ton of supplements, based on discussions with my doctor and nutritionist at gym. I was always the sort of person that thought supplements were silly if one ate a good balanced diet. But both doctor and nutritionist said that - while that is true for many people - it is not true for people with autoimmune disorders. I am taking a quality multivitamin in capsule form (both recommended capsule or liquid for better absorption), turmeric, cinnamon (to help with insulin resistance), fish oil. I do not have type two diabetes or pre-diabetes but nutrionist recommend I look into insulin resistance diet. I have lost ten pounds in three weeks and feel so much better already. I just need to figure out how to keep this up. LOL

Hugs to you! Having a child with special needs is so hard. (Hence my ptsd) I can go along great then life just gets turned upside down and it is a struggle to regain control.

[Veritaserum]

We check Free T3 and T4 in addition to TSH. I'm taking Synthroid (T4) and Cytomel (T3). Adding the Cytomel a couple of years ago made a big difference in my energy.

 

I did Whole30 four years ago and lost the last ten pounds from my 6th baby that month. It stayed off even after I added back food groups. Then a year or so later, life went to hell and the pounds packed on.

 

Part of what I've been struggling with is just spending the time/energy to take care of myself. I spend so much on other people (particularly my ill child) that I got into the habit of neglecting myself. My therapist is helping me work through that.

 

I never eat artificial sweeteners because they give me migraines and they taste bad to me. I use real maple syrup or honey to sweeten stuff like coffee, tea, or oatmeal.

 

I'm considering ketogenic at least as a jumping off point to see what happens. I don't want to be as restricted as I was on Whole30. That was completely unsustainable for me. I had to constantly be thinking about food. I don't have he headspace for that right now.

 

It's almost 11 and I'm going to eat for the first time. With better planning and prep, I can change that. Today I took my thyroid meds late and had to schlep kids back and forth to various things, but I put some eggs in the InstantPot before I picked up my 16yo from class. I did get in 45 minutes of exercise before I had to go do pick-up. That's a win. :)

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

You may want to give up the sweeteners in the coffee, tea, and oatmeal. I think it really adds up and causes more cravings. I gave them up and got used to it fairly easily even though I did not relish the idea of coffee or tea without sugar. 

 

This is not to say that I never have sweets. It is just that I am trying to only have them occasionally like 1-2 month or less. Sweets and too many carbs cause me to be very hungry.

 

Have you been tested for pre-diabetes, insulin resistance via a glucose tolerance test with insulin and glucose levels checked over several hours before and after a high glucose drink? Or a glycohemoglobin test? These conditions cause hunger and cravings and are common with obesity. Metformin is a safe decades old drug used for pre-diabetes and has the added bonus of curbing cravings and hunger. There is a lot of research on it now as a life extender so to speak in fact. Other studies have shown that its use in pre-diabetes can reduce the risk of diabetes dramatically. It is worth asking to be tested and treated if needed.

[EMS83]

I use the Fooducate app to figure out calories.

For homemade stuff, I typically use recipes online, which typically include the nutrition info.  I do have to adjust for serving size since I may double it, or they may consider 1 serving to be a bigger or smaller portion of the pot than I do.  

 

A good general info thread for health & fitness is this: http://liamrosen.com/fitness.html

Not the final word, but a start (warning: there may be a few curse words peppered in there).  Also, it's very blunt.  :)

 

 

Whatever you work out, good luck!

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

Loseit app also has a tool for recipes where you plug in each ingredient and the amount of the same for the recipe. You decide how many servings is in recipe. 

 

So for example, for soup or other dish, I measure out how much I would eat and then figure out how many of these servings are in the recipe to input in the app. For example, we all use the same size bowl for soup and there is 3 of us. When I go to put the rest in the frig, I measure out how many bowls are left in the soup to give me the total number of servings.