When you need to lose 100 pounds

[hjffkj]

2 hours ago, DawnM said:

 

Hm, I was part of one but there haven't been any posts in over a year.  Which one is the one you are talking about?

 It is called weight Loss accountability and support. I can't live k to it though

[math teacher]

16 hours ago, Margaret in CO said:

I've only lost 50, but it was from sheer terror. I was diagnosed with sky-high blood sugar numbers: full-blown Type II diabetes. I went on Metformin and started walking. I worked up to 10 miles a day, and am now at about 12. My A1C is now at 4.9 and I'm off the Metformin. I won't lie--it's HARD! I usually call someone on the phone to pass the time trudging along. Today I listened to the Navy Glee Club sing songs as I Day was yesterday. I no longer have a Plebe, but we do have a friend there. It's a good distraction. My Fitbit makes all the difference for me. 

That's great that you've lost so much!! Even though my weight has steadily gone up over the years, I have been in decently good shape. I do have slightly elevated blood pressure and I take meds for that, so getting the weight off would help with that. I don't think the psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis would be helped, but I might be wrong. I don't know how long I can stay healthy without losing the pounds, and that is scary, even though I don't have a diagnosis staring me in the face.

[hjffkj]

1 hour ago, DawnM said:

 

Sigh, my gut has a hard time with a lot of vegetables.  I take a probiotic, I do what I can, but high fiber and I don't get along well, and cruciferous vegetables.....well, let's just say I have a job I would like to keep!

 

I had issues with the high fiber for the first few weeks of changing my eating. What helped me was the massive amounts of water I drink and also eliminating most none veggie carbs for about a week. My reasoning for that was, while both had fiber I was likely better off with the veggies so until I got a little more regulated and my gut wasn't so angry I'd stay away from fiber from whole grains. There are still veggies that do not agree with me, so I don't eat them.

[klmama]

I lost my constant hunger by fasting for a couple of days.  It seems counterintuitive, but I just wasn't as hungry anymore after that.  In particular, I lost my sugar cravings.  A couple of times since I've eaten a bunch of sugar, and then I was hungrier for several days, so now I try to significantly limit frequency and amount of sugar, and I try to limit my eating hours to 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.    

[math teacher]

14 hours ago, Seasider too said:

 

Do you have a place nearby (YMCA, fitness center or community center) where you can take water exercise classes? It is a great way to get moving, work a wide range of motion and protect the joints while doing so. 

I just moved to a new area, so I will need to check into that.

[math teacher]

12 hours ago, saw said:

I like the app Noom and the Lesley Sansone walking videos, largely because it doesn't take that long to walk a mile and she's cheerful (maybe too cheerful). I have an Apple watch and like tracking my miles and steps through the day and I like to set mini goals for the day and make sure I meet those. But it's all about what will work for you, so I would suggest trying a few things to see what helps.

I love the Leslie Sansone videos too

[SeaConquest]

My first question would be: what have you already tried to lose weight? Then, I could give advice from there.

[math teacher]

7 hours ago, gingersmom said:

I’m 5’4 and went from 220 to 165. I’ve kept it off for 6 years.

Exercise (swimming, walking, exercise videos), weight watchers and lots of determination.

 

That's amazing!!

[Garga]

11 minutes ago, SeaConquest said:

My first question would be: what have you already tried to lose weight? Then, I could give advice from there.

 

Oooo—good question.  We should have all started from there.  

[math teacher]

3 hours ago, DawnM said:

You should start a group on here so we can all share what we are doing!

I'll gladly join in if someone else starts one

[ktgrok]

41 minutes ago, Garga said:

Unfortunately, I do happen to know a number of morbidly obese people (and a few with garden variety overweight issues) who have done nothing to try to lose weight.  I know others who have tried different things that didn’t work, but I have been very surprised at the number of people I know who haven’t tried losing weight, yet are upset with their weight.  So, if someone is asking, “What can I do to lose weight,” I think it’s ok to say, “Have you started at the beginning yet?  Have you been eating less?”  If they say, “Duh, yes!” Then you can move on.  But they might say, “Well,  not really...I guess I should start doing that...”.

It’s just a starting point for me IF someone asks.  If they don’t ask, I don’t tell them anything because it’s just rude.  🙂

I guess I have a hard time understanding that people go decades, gaining weight, not liking it, but they don't know that one option is to eat less. I mean, even if they don't actually eat less do to whatever reason, I can't believe that they have lived their whole life and never heard of the concept of eating less, you know? It's not like "try eating less" is new info for most people who live in our society, where diets are constantly advertised, etc. I also know many people that prefer to pretend (to themselves or others) that they don't care, or haven't tried to lose weight. Because pretending they haven't tried sounds better to them than admitting they tried and failed. Fat is better than a fat failure in their mind. 😞

21 minutes ago, Math teacher said:

That's great that you've lost so much!! Even though my weight has steadily gone up over the years, I have been in decently good shape. I do have slightly elevated blood pressure and I take meds for that, so getting the weight off would help with that. I don't think the psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis would be helped, but I might be wrong. I don't know how long I can stay healthy without losing the pounds, and that is scary, even though I don't have a diagnosis staring me in the face.

Fat itself can give off inflammatory chemicals that worsen things like joint pain. So yes, losing weight can help, although not the direct association that OA has. And yes, that was where i was. i was still "healthy" but knew I wouldn't be able to stay that way if I kept gaining. The writing was on the wall. So I decided that it made more sense to me to get the surgery while I was healthy, than to wait until I had damaged my body, possibly permanently, or had a disease that would make recovery harder. Turns out my surgeon was really of the same opinion, that they LIKE patients who are still fairly healthy, because they do recover more quickly, etc. But I'm not trying to push surgery, just explaining my thought process. I had always thought it was just for people who weighed 600 pounds, or were dying of their obesity, not for people "like me". 

[SeaConquest]

6 minutes ago, Garga said:

 

Oooo—good question.  We should have all started from there.  

 

Like Katie was saying, there's just two very different situations going on: 1) Someone who needs to learn how to eat right and exercise or 2) Someone who has done most of the usual things to lose weight and is still struggling with obesity.

[SeaConquest]

1 minute ago, Ktgrok said:

Fat itself can give off inflammatory chemicals that worsen things like joint pain. So yes, losing weight can help, although not the direct association that OA has. And yes, that was where i was. i was still "healthy" but knew I wouldn't be able to stay that way if I kept gaining. The writing was on the wall. So I decided that it made more sense to me to get the surgery while I was healthy, than to wait until I had damaged my body, possibly permanently, or had a disease that would make recovery harder. Turns out my surgeon was really of the same opinion, that they LIKE patients who are still fairly healthy, because they do recover more quickly, etc. But I'm not trying to push surgery, just explaining my thought process. I had always thought it was just for people who weighed 600 pounds, or were dying of their obesity, not for people "like me". 

 

Exactly the same for me. I was the thinnest person in my Kaiser class. I had no major comorbidities and was just over the BMI cutoff of 35. Kaiser just figures that it is cheaper to pay for surgery than what will follow down the road. My doctor told me that I had less than a 5% chance of ever not being obese without surgery. I am 145 lbs today and still losing (very slowly) 18 months out.

[ktgrok]

4 minutes ago, SeaConquest said:

 

Exactly the same for me. I was the thinnest person in my Kaiser class. I had no major comorbidities and was just over the BMI cutoff of 35. Kaiser just figures that it is cheaper to pay for surgery than what will follow down the road. My doctor told me that I had less than a 5% chance of ever not being obese without surgery. I am 145 lbs today and still losing (very slowly) 18 months out.

Me too, thinnest one there. But my BMI was 41. And yup, my insurance figured cheaper to pay for surgery than to pay for diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, etc. 

[math teacher]

28 minutes ago, SeaConquest said:

My first question would be: what have you already tried to lose weight? Then, I could give advice from there.

Yes, I have lost 30 pounds at least twice. I lost it once through Metabolic Research and another time on low carb/intermittent fasting. Weight watchers was difficult for me to stick to and I was unsuccessful.

[math teacher]

1 minute ago, Ktgrok said:

Me too, thinnest one there. But my BMI was 41. And yup, my insurance figured cheaper to pay for surgery than to pay for diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, etc. 

I have assumed that insurance would not pay for it, but I really should just check into that instead of assuming.

[Garga]

7 minutes ago, Ktgrok said:

I guess I have a hard time understanding that people go decades, gaining weight, not liking it, but they don't know that one option is to eat less. I mean, even if they don't actually eat less do to whatever reason, I can't believe that they have lived their whole life and never heard of the concept of eating less, you know? It's not like "try eating less" is new info for most people who live in our society, where diets are constantly advertised, etc. I also know many people that prefer to pretend (to themselves or others) that they don't care, or haven't tried to lose weight. Because pretending they haven't tried sounds better to them than admitting they tried and failed. Fat is better than a fat failure in their mind. 😞

 

Ah, ok...I see what you’re saying.  For me, I honestly had never counted calories.  I needed to lose only 15-20 pounds.  I figured it wouldn't be too hard to lose and I’d just eat less.  So, I kept trying to eat less.  Honestly.  I tried really hard.  Nothing happened.  Nothing.  Week after week, I’d be disappointed.  And then my dh’s coworker who is morbidly obese got a calorie counting app.  The coworker started losing weight because of the app....and then my dh got the app and he started losing weight because of the app.  So, I got the app, and I started losing weight.

Once I had a way to see exactly how many calories were in the things I was eating, I was completely floored.  I had had NO IDEA that a lot of the stuff I was eating, even small amounts, was still so very high in calories.  I was like someone who posted upthread who will eat half of the Red Robin meal as a way to eat less.  I had been doing things like that, not knowing that even a half of a burger and fries was still too much.  I’ve since learned that if you’re having a bad craving for a fast food burger and fries, you have to go for the little Jr. Deluxe Burger at Sonic or just the plain hamburger at McD’s and eat half of the small fries and stop.

So, I’m not even sure what I’m saying anymore here and I think we agree on everything we’re saying back and forth, so I’m just having a friendly conversation with you now.  With my new-found knowledge, IF someone asks, I like to suggest finding out what sorts of calories are in the things they eat and finding out how many calories they can have a day to lose weight and then trying to eat only that amount of calories and see what happens.  That’ll work for some people, but not for others.  Because while we do all know to  eat less, we don’t always understand how much less that might mean—or at least I certainly didn’t.

[SeaConquest]

9 minutes ago, Math teacher said:

Yes, I have lost 30 pounds at least twice. I lost it once through Metabolic Research and another time on low carb/intermittent fasting. Weight watchers was difficult for me to stick to and I was unsuccessful.

 

Ok, so that's a very different situation then, and is much closer to Katie and my experience. If you are diet savy enough to know about keto and IF, you have tried several different types of diets and have not been successful in the long term with one, and you have lost weight before, but have been unable to keep it off, along with the other things you mentioned previously (100+ lbs overweight, beginning to suffer the effects, etc.) those are all indications to me that you would be a good candidate for bariatric surgery. 

I was convinced that I was going to have the sleeve, right up until the end when my surgeon really pushed me to do the RNY. Ultimately, I trusted his clinical judgment and am glad that I did. I totally agree with Katie that the choice of surgeon is paramount; find a Center of Excellence. Also, find a support group. Take a class. Don't try to do it alone. You need a group of people to support you through this. It is scary and life-changing and there's a lot of mental sh*t that you will have to process. Don't do it alone.

Katie and I have been there. She was a support to me. I am happy to be one to you. Good luck in whatever you decide. Just know that you are not alone and that the struggle is real. Obesity is a disease.  

Edited June 29, 2019 by SeaConquest

[SeaConquest]

7 minutes ago, Math teacher said:

I have assumed that insurance would not pay for it, but I really should just check into that instead of assuming.

 

Most insurance absolutely will pay for it. It is a disease.

[matrips]

I’ll second the Noom app.  It tracks steps and you can add extra exercise etc, but the main thing are all the psyche and food lessons.  It really tries to teach about food, eating, triggers, substitutions...and has you set goals and answer questions along the way.  It also has a message board and a coach and folks that have just signed on support each other and share ideas.  You track calories by logging what you eat.  It tells you how many you can eat a day and how many are left.  It also has a green/yellow/red thing that categorizes the food you eat.  You can easily tell whether you are getting more of your calories from healthier foods or caloric dense foods.  It doesn’t really feel like a diet; you still choose what you want to eat and it leads you into making changes.

[Pen]

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/2017/jun/bariatric-surgery-success-may-be-due-to-gut-microbiome-changes,-says-new-study-91785207.html

 

Ive been interested in gut microbiome in general and thought you might find above of interest in relation to weight loss

[ktgrok]

4 hours ago, Garga said:

Ah, ok...I see what you’re saying.  For me, I honestly had never counted calories.  I needed to lose only 15-20 pounds.  I figured it wouldn't be too hard to lose and I’d just eat less.  So, I kept trying to eat less.  Honestly.  I tried really hard.  Nothing happened.  Nothing.  Week after week, I’d be disappointed.  And then my dh’s coworker who is morbidly obese got a calorie counting app.  The coworker started losing weight because of the app....and then my dh got the app and he started losing weight because of the app.  So, I got the app, and I started losing weight.

Once I had a way to see exactly how many calories were in the things I was eating, I was completely floored.  I had had NO IDEA that a lot of the stuff I was eating, even small amounts, was still so very high in calories.  I was like someone who posted upthread who will eat half of the Red Robin meal as a way to eat less.  I had been doing things like that, not knowing that even a half of a burger and fries was still too much.  I’ve since learned that if you’re having a bad craving for a fast food burger and fries, you have to go for the little Jr. Deluxe Burger at Sonic or just the plain hamburger at McD’s and eat half of the small fries and stop.

So, I’m not even sure what I’m saying anymore here and I think we agree on everything we’re saying back and forth, so I’m just having a friendly conversation with you now.  With my new-found knowledge, IF someone asks, I like to suggest finding out what sorts of calories are in the things they eat and finding out how many calories they can have a day to lose weight and then trying to eat only that amount of calories and see what happens.  That’ll work for some people, but not for others.  Because while we do all know to  eat less, we don’t always understand how much less that might mean—or at least I certainly didn’t.

Ah, yes, I see what you mean. Knowledge is power, for sure. I LOVE that most restaurants list calories now! So much easier to make good choices!!!

[Ottakee]

2 hours ago, Pen said:

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/2017/jun/bariatric-surgery-success-may-be-due-to-gut-microbiome-changes,-says-new-study-91785207.html

 

Ive been interested in gut microbiome in general and thought you might find above of interest in relation to weight loss

This stuff is interesting as one of my kids needed a fecal transplant for Cdif and one of the requirements for the donor was a healthy BMI as they said there was some evidence that donations by heavier donors made the recipient gain weight.  If that is true, could the reverse be true?

[ktgrok]

3 minutes ago, Ottakee said:

This stuff is interesting as one of my kids needed a fecal transplant for Cdif and one of the requirements for the donor was a healthy BMI as they said there was some evidence that donations by heavier donors made the recipient gain weight.  If that is true, could the reverse be true?

They have seen this with mice - giving obese mice a fecal transplant from thin mice, and the fat ones lost weight. Also, bariatric patients that take probiotics seem to lose more weight than those who don't. 

[EmilyGF]

7 hours ago, Garga said:

Ah, ok...I see what you’re saying.  For me, I honestly had never counted calories.  I needed to lose only 15-20 pounds.  I figured it wouldn't be too hard to lose and I’d just eat less.  So, I kept trying to eat less.  Honestly.  I tried really hard.  Nothing happened.  Nothing.  Week after week, I’d be disappointed.  And then my dh’s coworker who is morbidly obese got a calorie counting app.  The coworker started losing weight because of the app....and then my dh got the app and he started losing weight because of the app.  So, I got the app, and I started losing weight.

Once I had a way to see exactly how many calories were in the things I was eating, I was completely floored.  I had had NO IDEA that a lot of the stuff I was eating, even small amounts, was still so very high in calories.  I was like someone who posted upthread who will eat half of the Red Robin meal as a way to eat less.  I had been doing things like that, not knowing that even a half of a burger and fries was still too much.  I’ve since learned that if you’re having a bad craving for a fast food burger and fries, you have to go for the little Jr. Deluxe Burger at Sonic or just the plain hamburger at McD’s and eat half of the small fries and stop.

So, I’m not even sure what I’m saying anymore here and I think we agree on everything we’re saying back and forth, so I’m just having a friendly conversation with you now.  With my new-found knowledge, IF someone asks, I like to suggest finding out what sorts of calories are in the things they eat and finding out how many calories they can have a day to lose weight and then trying to eat only that amount of calories and see what happens.  That’ll work for some people, but not for others.  Because while we do all know to  eat less, we don’t always understand how much less that might mean—or at least I certainly didn’t.

We totally lose sense of HOW MUCH FOOD we are eating in our culture. I used WW to lose weight (but only 35 lbs) and I remember sitting in the Costco parking lot putting in a hotdog and it was going to take 90% of my daily "points" - I left.

I agree with the people upthread who said to try various things until something clicks. I CANNOT count calories. If I do, I end up eating chocolate bars instead of apples because, hay, they are both calories. For ME, WW's point system was really good at helping me shift towards healthier foods while moderating the not-so-healthy ones. One time, I tried put in what I was eating on WW into a calorie app and it really messed with my head for a few weeks. 

From my experience at WW, the people who had a lot of weight to lose and were very successful had often tried a lot of things multiple times before it clicked. My coach, who had lost upwards of 100 lbs, had some statistic about the average person who quit smoking had to start quitting five or six times.

I'm not knocking bariatric surgery. You have some great resources about that on this board. 🙂 

Emily

[Reefgazer]

On ‎6‎/‎28‎/‎2019 at 10:38 PM, Math teacher said:

I am 57 years old, 5'4",  and weigh close to 230-can't believe I have gotten this big. I have a serious problem with sugar, but I know I need to stop eating it. I would like to lose the weight, regain my range of motion, and have mostly pain free joints. I do have arthritis that stems from psoriasis. I'm on a biologic, plus take meloxican for the pain. I have considered checking into weight loss surgery, but I'm not sure I qualify for that.

If you've lost that much, how did you do it?

 

I had 90 pounds to lose and I have lost almost 50, so 40 more to go.  I walked for exercise at first, and gradually increased the intensity of that  and added weights when I could.  But mostly, I counted calories and kept between 1400-1600 most days.  When I did that, I was able to reliably lose 1-2 pounds per week.  I lose weight counting calories even if I don't exercise, but all the exercise in the world won't get me to lose weight if I blow out the calories; you can't outrun excess fuel or a bad diet.

Edited June 30, 2019 by Reefgazer

[Soror]

I just want to give you some hugs 🙂

Lots of good info here. I've lost weight at various times from bc, pregnancies, and thyroid disease but I don't know that what worked in my situations would necessarily work in yours so I'll not chime in there. I will say that maybe if you can't make traction on your own it is time to explore some outside help. That could be in the form of an online/in-person support group, a dietician, or a healthcare professional. On a small scale in a similar vein I've been working on a fitness goal for literally years- I make it so far and then get stuck, go backwards etc. rinse and repeat. Finally, talking to someone they said maybe try a trainer and recommended someone to me. I was offended at first, I am so independent, I hated the idea. But I talked to the lady and thought we can make it work and lo and behold my progress has been incredible- I'm still not there but am getting closer every week. It is so hard to ask for help, especially for us moms that do everything. We don't want to take the time or the money but sometimes we all need a little help in some way. Good for you for reaching out, best wishes on finding a path forward.

Edited June 30, 2019 by soror

[Pen]

11 hours ago, Ottakee said:

This stuff is interesting as one of my kids needed a fecal transplant for Cdif and one of the requirements for the donor was a healthy BMI as they said there was some evidence that donations by heavier donors made the recipient gain weight.  If that is true, could the reverse be true?

 

They think so.  There are different GI  bacteria species in fat v thin people.  Iirc the species in fat people are better at extracting every last bit of ? content from food .  Probably very useful in famine circumstances 

[Harriet Vane]

The weight-loss private group here on TWTM has been a tremendous encouragement to me. Consider coming over and joining in? We'd love to have you!

[Pen]

16 hours ago, Ktgrok said:

Ah, yes, I see what you mean. Knowledge is power, for sure. I LOVE that most restaurants list calories now! So much easier to make good choices!!!

 

It has been suggested that it would be even more help to list the typical amount of walking time needed to use the calories for an “average” size adult. 

 

Like “each cookie in this box will fuel the average size adult for one hour of walking.” 

Or “one hour walking on average will use up the calories in each cookie”

 

Or similar for restaurant french fries, or burger or whatever... 

Edited June 30, 2019 by Pen

[Alicia64]

On 6/28/2019 at 10:59 PM, Margaret in CO said:

I've only lost 50, but it was from sheer terror. I was diagnosed with sky-high blood sugar numbers: full-blown Type II diabetes. I went on Metformin and started walking. I worked up to 10 miles a day, and am now at about 12. My A1C is now at 4.9 and I'm off the Metformin. I won't lie--it's HARD! I usually call someone on the phone to pass the time trudging along. Today I listened to the Navy Glee Club sing songs as I Day was yesterday. I no longer have a Plebe, but we do have a friend there. It's a good distraction. My Fitbit makes all the difference for me. 

ONLY?!?! 👍

[TABmom]

I am not an expert. But the OP said she felt like a sugar addict, and we have that in common. I had to cut sugar out. After a couple weeks, the cravings reduced significantly. BUT, if I DO treat myself- those cravings come back. I think it is a bit like being an addict. Anyway, I've lost 23 pounds by cutting out all sweets. I'd tried just cutting back before and that didn't help. The first 15 pounds were just from cutting sugar and eating tons of veggies/eggs salads/chicken or black beans. I hadn't even started exercising. Now I'm trying to exercise too. Hopefully I can continue on this path for awhile!

[gardenmom5]

I don't know if this has been addressed,  as I'm on my phone while out of town. Building muscle.

The more muscle you have,  the more calories you'll burn.

[Ottakee]

I am quite active.  I get my 10,000 steps in most days.  I bike ride several miles as many days a week as I can.  I try to do a yoga or other stretching program several days a week.

Last week I had 396 minutes of heart rate raising exercise according to my Garmin.

I need to eat better.  I also need to drink more plain water.  I could stand to lose 50-75 pounds.

The fasting is Interesting...but I will have to say that if I don't eat a small snack before bed, preferably protein, I wake up during the night hungry and don't sleep well.   My blood work...fasting sugars, thyroid, cholesterol, etc are all excellent.

[Reefgazer]

On ‎6‎/‎29‎/‎2019 at 4:10 PM, SeaConquest said:

 

Like Katie was saying, there's just two very different situations going on: 1) Someone who needs to learn how to eat right and exercise or 2) Someone who has done most of the usual things to lose weight and is still struggling with obesity.

Not to quibble, but I want to point out that many people I know have tried and failed multiple times at a reducing diet, but that doesn't mean the simple stuff of reducing calorie intake and increasing exercise won't work.  Sometimes, it takes some trial and error to find the right things that will make a person a diet success story.  Before I lost my weight, I was a repeat offender  -I wasn't failing, I was learning what worked for me.

[EmilyGF]

6 minutes ago, Reefgazer said:

Not to quibble, but I want to point out that many people I know have tried and failed multiple times at a reducing diet, but that doesn't mean the simple stuff of reducing calorie intake and increasing exercise won't work.  Sometimes, it takes some trial and error to find the right things that will make a person a diet success story.  Before I lost my weight, I was a repeat offender  -I wasn't failing, I was learning what worked for me.

Amazing and spot on perspective.

[SereneHome]

On 6/30/2019 at 11:37 AM, Harriet Vane said:

The weight-loss private group here on TWTM has been a tremendous encouragement to me. Consider coming over and joining in? We'd love to have you!

Can you please post the link

[SeaConquest]

11 hours ago, Reefgazer said:

Not to quibble, but I want to point out that many people I know have tried and failed multiple times at a reducing diet, but that doesn't mean the simple stuff of reducing calorie intake and increasing exercise won't work.  Sometimes, it takes some trial and error to find the right things that will make a person a diet success story.  Before I lost my weight, I was a repeat offender  -I wasn't failing, I was learning what worked for me.

 

I didn't use the words failing; I said struggling with obesity. If you have found something that works for obesity for you, that is fabulous. Like I said, once you are morbidly obese, you have a 5% chance of ever not being morbidly obese without surgery. That's just the reality of what happens to your body metabolically because that fat is hormonally active in the body. It is completely different metabolically from trying to lose 20 pounds. It sounds like you were one of the lucky 5% who was able to accomplish it, despite the overwhelming odds stacked against you. Katie and I were not, despite years and years of numerous, diligent efforts to lose weight. I wish the OP the best in finding what works for him to safely get to a healthy BMI.

[StaceyinLA]

I've never had to lose that much weight, but I have done some things that have really helped me with food/health.

The first thing I would recommend is doing a Whole 30. Why? Because it will change your relationship with food, kill your sugar cravings, and, I think, set you up to be more successful with long-term weight loss goals.

The number one thing you'll have to do is change the way you eat, and Whole 30 will really kickstart you in that direction. In addition, there is a LOT of information online, Whole 30 groups to follow for support, and recipes by the tons!

It's challenging, yes, but it will absolutely help you get started on your path. I did one earlier this year, and wound up sticking with it for closer to 60 days, although I did relax a LITTLE after 30, like maybe occasionally having a gluten-free grain, or a little bit of honey in my coffee. I was getting close to 140 lbs, which I have never weighed in my life other than during a pregnancy. I'm about 5'3. I wanted to get back under 120. After doing my Whole "60" I was down to 117, and have been able to maintain that fairly easily with a more normal diet, although I still avoid most sugar, bread and junk food.

Edited July 2, 2019 by StaceyinLA

[kiwik]

On 6/30/2019 at 1:27 AM, DawnM said:

 

Oh, I know what to do overall, I just don't do it.   When I was thin (in my 20s, pre-kids) I would not even touch a french fry.  I ate (roughly) 1200 calories per day to maintain my weight.  I could go up to 1400 some, as long as it wasn't every day.  I needed to go to 1000-1100 per day to lose.   And I was hungry.  Like all the time.  I ate egg whites, salads, low cal dressings, low fat proteins, and non fat dairy products.  But I was thin.

I just am at the "screw it" stage and trying to get back to the caring and wanting it bad enough stage.

I was just responding to the eat less comment.  I don't eat tons, I just eat the wrong things, which makes it higher calories.

Yup.  I can be slim if it is the top priority in my life.  Since I am a single parent homeschooling two kids and working 30 hours a week it is not my top priority.  I cannot take 2 hours to exercise.  In fact I can't exercise at all unless I take the kids as I can't afford childcare and they are too young to leave alone.  My youngest is probably ASD and some days can not be forced out of the house unless dragged.

I am tired all the time and just cannot be hungry all the time as well.

 

[Pawz4me]

1 hour ago, kiwik said:

 

I am tired all the time and just cannot be hungry all the time as well.

 

I've certainly encountered this problem since being diagnosed with RA. There's no denying that restricting food intake for weight loss takes a lot of mental energy and reduces physical energy. Even watching things very closely for maintenance can do it. And on top of the fatigue of RA I just haven't been able to deal with that. The "cost" isn't worth it to me at this point. I've gained a couple of pounds since being diagnosed last year (I know that doesn't sound like much, but I'm only 4'10" so it's not insignificant). I don't like it, but I'm okay with it because it's a conscious decision I made and not due to out-of-control eating. I simply can't restrict myself to the maintenance level I used to and maintain any quality of life now.

There are always choices to be made, and sometimes neither choice is good. But that's life.

[DawnM]

2 hours ago, kiwik said:

Yup.  I can be slim if it is the top priority in my life.  Since I am a single parent homeschooling two kids and working 30 hours a week it is not my top priority.  I cannot take 2 hours to exercise.  In fact I can't exercise at all unless I take the kids as I can't afford childcare and they are too young to leave alone.  My youngest is probably ASD and some days can not be forced out of the house unless dragged.

I am tired all the time and just cannot be hungry all the time as well.

 

 

Hugs.  I get it.  I have a child on the spectrum, and even though he is 21, he stresses me out all the time.  It was more so when he was younger, but still.....and I work full time.

A gal on another board said she walked on a treadmill while she worked (not an option for me) and lost weight, but then later admitted she walked 10 miles PER DAY to get the weigh off.

I have considered getting one of those under the desk cyclers, not sure it would help or really benefit, but it was a thought.

And I can't eat tons of beans and veggies at work, let's just say I have an office job with people coming in all the time.....it would not be pleasant 🤣

[Pen]

 

 

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

22 hours ago, StaceyinLA said:

I've never had to lose that much weight, but I have done some things that have really helped me with food/health.

The first thing I would recommend is doing a Whole 30. Why? Because it will change your relationship with food, kill your sugar cravings, and, I think, set you up to be more successful with long-term weight loss goals.

The number one thing you'll have to do is change the way you eat, and Whole 30 will really kickstart you in that direction. In addition, there is a LOT of information online, Whole 30 groups to follow for support, and recipes by the tons!

It's challenging, yes, but it will absolutely help you get started on your path. I did one earlier this year, and wound up sticking with it for closer to 60 days, although I did relax a LITTLE after 30, like maybe occasionally having a gluten-free grain, or a little bit of honey in my coffee. I was getting close to 140 lbs, which I have never weighed in my life other than during a pregnancy. I'm about 5'3. I wanted to get back under 120. After doing my Whole "60" I was down to 117, and have been able to maintain that fairly easily with a more normal diet, although I still avoid most sugar, bread and junk food.

I have been eating Whole 30 / Paleo  for years and I still struggle to lose even one pound at a time.  I wish that it was so simple for everyone.  Note:  I still eat Whole 30.  There are tons of reasons to eat what I think is a pretty healthy diet and being celiac means that I can't have most bread products anyway.  But the idea that if you eat this way the pounds will just fly off is simply not true for everyone. 

[Slache]

I have not read all of the replies. I've lost 130 pounds so far and have about 80 to go? It's hard to tell as I have been overweight for a very long time.

Whole30. Hands down. Do this. It will fix your sugar addiction and teach you more about diet than you ever thought possible.

Walk every day without fail. Start small so you don't feel the need to stop. You will get to a point where you feel like you need to do more than this but it will not be in the first few weeks, or possibly months so start walking.

Feel free to quote or PM me if you want to talk more, whether it be right now or a year from now. 🙂

[EmilyGF]

1 hour ago, Slache said:

I have not read all of the replies. I've lost 130 pounds so far and have about 80 to go? It's hard to tell as I have been overweight for a very long time.

Whole30. Hands down. Do this. It will fix your sugar addiction and teach you more about diet than you ever thought possible.

Walk every day without fail. Start small so you don't feel the need to stop. You will get to a point where you feel like you need to do more than this but it will not be in the first few weeks, or possibly months so start walking.

Feel free to quote or PM me if you want to talk more, whether it be right now or a year from now. 🙂

I'm going to have to disagree. For me, restrictive diets (no gluten OR no sugar OR no meat OR only eat at certain times etc) really really really mess with my head and my relationship with food.

For ME, WW and their "moderation" mantra was key to controlling my extreme desire for sugar. Once I knew I could plan for a reasonable amount and not need to feel guilty about eating it, the desire really decreased. Any time I tried a restrictive diet (and believe me, I have), I've ended up much worse at the end than at the beginning. 

[Sarah0000]

Because of health/medicine issues my weight fluctuates drastically, and I have joint and muscle problems as well. I need to lose 100lbs too, so far have lost 50 in four months. Here's what works for me:

When starting make one small change to diet and exercise at a time to establish routine. For me, I eat one half of a toasted whole wheat double fiber English muffin with one tablespoon of all natural (the kind you need to stir, less sugar more protein) peanut butter and a cup of coffee every morning and don't eat again for at least three hours. Take five minutes to do gentle pilates types stretches. Lay on your back, raise your legs and arms up, rotate your joints, deep breaths. Pilates helps so much with joint pain and will help you be able to do harder cardio eventually. But the first couple weeks just do those two small things to establish routine, start curbing your appetite, and reduce joint pain.

Once that is established, tackle your biggest diet problem. Drop soda, dessert, empty calories, whatever your eating vice is. If you need sugar, try dark chocolate. ONE small piece a day. If carbs are an issue use zucchini instead of pasta. I just slice it up and sautee it but you can get grinders for this purpose if you prefer. Slathered in sauce the taste difference is negligible. For exercise, add in pilates muscle work to your morning stretches. Start simply with raising and holding your legs and arms slightly elevated. You can get a small pilates ball and laying on your back transfer the ball from your ankles to hands back and forth. Slowly build up your muscle strength with floor exercises to reduce pain. You can also sleep with knee/ankle heat and massaging pads so you're better able to do this in the morning.

[Jean in Newcastle]

1 hour ago, Sarah0000 said:

Because of health/medicine issues my weight fluctuates drastically, and I have joint and muscle problems as well. I need to lose 100lbs too, so far have lost 50 in four months. Here's what works for me:

When starting make one small change to diet and exercise at a time to establish routine. For me, I eat one half of a toasted whole wheat double fiber English muffin with one tablespoon of all natural (the kind you need to stir, less sugar more protein) peanut butter and a cup of coffee every morning and don't eat again for at least three hours. Take five minutes to do gentle pilates types stretches. Lay on your back, raise your legs and arms up, rotate your joints, deep breaths. Pilates helps so much with joint pain and will help you be able to do harder cardio eventually. But the first couple weeks just do those two small things to establish routine, start curbing your appetite, and reduce joint pain.

Once that is established, tackle your biggest diet problem. Drop soda, dessert, empty calories, whatever your eating vice is. If you need sugar, try dark chocolate. ONE small piece a day. If carbs are an issue use zucchini instead of pasta. I just slice it up and sautee it but you can get grinders for this purpose if you prefer. Slathered in sauce the taste difference is negligible. For exercise, add in pilates muscle work to your morning stretches. Start simply with raising and holding your legs and arms slightly elevated. You can get a small pilates ball and laying on your back transfer the ball from your ankles to hands back and forth. Slowly build up your muscle strength with floor exercises to reduce pain. You can also sleep with knee/ankle heat and massaging pads so you're better able to do this in the morning.

I love that you said “here’s what works for me”. I think that sharing what works for each of us is helpful because it gives options for the OP (and the rest of us) to try. But those who say “do this: it absolutely works “ sets my teeth on edge. 

I also have found that light stretches help my joints and muscles. My particular chronic pain problems center more on my muscles ( which can get so bad that they pull my joints out of the socket and then I have to go to the doctor to pop them back in). A couple of people on this board have repeatedly recommended the Katy Bowman blog and books and I have found them so helpful. In fact, I need to hit post and need to go do my morning exercises. 

[ktgrok]

Now that I'm not in the midst of PMS and less cranky I wanted to come back and say that info sharing is helpful, even when it isn't enough. Because even those who need medical help with the disease of obesity, be it medication or surgery, still need to work hard at eating well, etc. I couldn't lose weight just counting calories, or just low carb, or just vegan, etc...but AFTER surgery lifestyle stuff is important, and helpful. It's not an either or, it's a combination approach, that helps some people. Sorry I got cranky about it. I just wanted to be clear that losing 100 pounds is a medical issue, and for most people a simple approach isn't going to work, for various reasons. And to make clear to the OP that needing help, or not finding success in the stuff that works for people who only need to lose a small amount of weight, doesn't reflect on her as a person - it's NOT about being weak, lacking will power, deep psychological problems, or morality. It's biology. It's a disease. 

Hugs to the OP, and apologies to anyone I crabbed at. 

[Stacia]

5 hours ago, Sarah0000 said:

 one tablespoon of all natural (the kind you need to stir, less sugar more protein) peanut butter

I am trying to reduce oils/fats in my diet overall (because I'm working on reducing cholesterol levels). A tip I read a few months ago & which I now implement for myself is to pour off oils that collect on the surface of natural nut butters, tahini, etc. So, I pour off the extra, then stir. Not saying this for you to do but just a general tip for those out there like me who are trying to really reduce fat intake. (I still eat fats, mostly in nuts, nut butters, & avocados. I just try to limit myself a lot with them. Which is a challenge for me because I love nuts & avocados.)

You're doing great on weight loss. Love your advice.