what do you do?

E

e6789

Rookie
Ahh! I am trying so HARD to lose weight. I am eating about 1200 calories per day. I know that the calorie count doesn't matter as much as WHAT you eat and blah, blah...I have heard aaallll of it. I need a plan that will work for me! I am barely getting by financially, so I can't afford to buy all the top notch "health foods." So, my question is: what do you do to lose weight?
 
I use myfitness pal to keep track of everything, it's really good and free. I will say that all I've managed to do is lose and gain the same 10 pounds about 2-3 times, but that's totally my own fault as when I gain it's b/c I'm not sticking with it. If you're really dedicated to using it, it would absolutely help.
 
I can't afford WW and I can't follow all its rules. I tried myfitnesspal and I am actually using Loseit, which I like better. It is helping me keep track of the calories! I also exercise 4x per week. I have lost a few pounds, but my weight varies sooooo much!
 
e6789 said:
I can't afford WW and I can't follow all its rules. I tried myfitnesspal and I am actually using Loseit, which I like better. It is helping me keep track of the calories! I also exercise 4x per week. I have lost a few pounds, but my weight varies sooooo much!
Click to expand...

Which rules can't you follow?
 
e6789 said:
I know that the calorie count doesn't matter as much as WHAT you eat and blah, blah...I have heard aaallll of it.
Click to expand...

My doctor says just the opposite. He says calories are calories. It's just that when you eat the stuff that's better for you, you can eat more of it, plus you'll feel better and improve your health. He assured me that if I chose to use up my 1200 daily calories on cake and cookies, I could still lose weight . . . but I would also feel like crap and likely be sick in a few days. I'm learning what I need to do to get the most of my 1200 calories. I do not buy any special foods. I do cook most of my food, so I don't use a lot of processed foods. Today I had cereal for breakfast and a sandwich and chips for lunch. It was just regular food. I just watch my portion sizes.

A lot of people like to eat salads when they're watching their calories, but I can't do that. Yes, I can eat a HUGE salad and keep within my calorie goals, but I have a hiatal hernia and feel full after a few bites. I am eating far too few calories by the time I'm full. I do a lot better when I have something that's higher in calories but a smaller quantity. Plenty of people up their protein intake, but I can't do that either. I have to be on restricted protein intake due to a kidney issue. You have to learn your body.

Yesterday I started the couch to 5K program. OMG! I did it, but it was harder than I expected. I lost 30 pounds from mid January to April just walking three times a week and counting calories. I slacked on my food when summer arrived, but I increased my walking by a couple of miles and walk every day. I stopped losing weight, so I'm upping the exercise. I need to count calories better, too, but I've been lazy this summer. I'm also a stress eater, and I've been tackling house remodeling and a divorce at the same time. Not good for my calories.

I use MyFitnessPal . . . or I did until I got lazy. Going to get back on track.
 
I've been using MyFitnessPal religiously for about 2 and a half months. I tend to be somewhere between 1200 and 1300 calories per day (usually closer to 1200). The major change that I have made is virtually eliminating all breads and grains from my diet. It's been far easier than I ever thought it would be and so far the losing has been really steady. In the past, I've always needed the "cost" of a program to keep myself accountable; this time, I'm doing it on my own quiet successfully.

(If any of you on MyFitnessPal want to add me, just send me a PM and I'll give you my username.)
 
I don't know how overweight you are, but my doctor told me that most obese people have low protein in blood tests (I don't think it really is protein that they measure - it was something else, but he said it indicates that I am not eating enough protein.)

He said eggs and milk should be my best friends, including a big breakfast that includes eggs, no white sugar, and no carbs for dinner or later - just lean protein and veg. Don't drink your calories.

I have also read that the number 1 factor in making a diet work, no matter what the diet is, is writing down what you eat.
 
I'm sure to include protein at every meal and at one snack. Breakfast is plain Greek yogurt with sliced almonds and some kind of fruit. For a recess snack I have a small piece of cheese and fruit and for lunch chicken, tuna and veggies (either stir-fried or in a salad), yogurt and fruit. For dinner, more lean protein and loads of veggies; I may also have about half a potato or some sweet potato. I don't tend to drink much milk, but I will sometimes have a glass at night if I need to up my calories.
 
I use MyFitnessPal. I'm there under the same name if you want to add me. I've made some really exceptional 'friends' there. I love it.
 
MyFitnessPal is amazing. I've been looking for something like this (easy to use, lots of variety of foodstuffs, setting a goal). Brilliant recommendation.
 
I used myfitnesspal for a while, but I got off track when summer break began and I was interviewing. Now that I have a job, I am starting to get back on track with my eating and exercising. I think the biggest thing is watching what you eat. You can't undo a bad diet with exercise, so you just have to eat good foods to begin with. I just have the hardest time with my willpower. I will do great all day, then bomb at night and then binge. I can't wait to go back to work in 3 weeks. I always seem to eat better when I'm busy and not at home all the time.
 
e6789 said:
I can't afford WW and I can't follow all its rules. I tried myfitnesspal and I am actually using Loseit, which I like better. It is helping me keep track of the calories! I also exercise 4x per week. I have lost a few pounds, but my weight varies sooooo much!
Click to expand...

I can't afford WW either and i find them to be so gimmicky (is that a word LOL). Anyway, I found a great group called TOPS and they don't tell you what to eat but they give great support and weigh you in every week which is great for accountability. I have lost over 6 lbs so far and it is really motivating to talk with the group. See if there is one in your area.
 
I'm on MyFitnessPal as well. I lost 20 pounds at 1600 calories per day, and now I'm down to 1500. What's amazing to me is how much my appetite has changed. I eat much less now than I used to, and I'm not any hungrier. I just got back from a two week vacation where I didnt diet at all, and I only gained 2 pounds.

What worked for me was a combination of eating less and exercising more. When I hit a plateau, I added weight training to my cardio, and the weight loss continued.

I agree that calories are calories. I love that I can still eat dessert as long as I don't go over my total calories for the day.
 
I have a belly fat book by that Jorge guy and according to him, calorie counting doesn't matter as much, as long at you are eating more lean meats and good carbs in place of bad ones. I am successful when I am able to afford the good foods, but I only get paid every 2 weeks, and I don't have much leftover for groceries (I don't start teaching job till end of July, and receive 1st paycheck at the end of Sept). So, on weeks that I don't get paid, I'm left eating the provided lunch (high in carbs/canned foods since it's USDA's plan for kids). It isn't exactly diet friendly. I do Julian Michaels 30 Day Shred, and I am definitely stronger and have more endurance (on last level-3), but it's not challenging anymore. I need to add more activity, which is NBD. It's more about finding the energy after crazy days at work. When I am at school all day, it'll be easier to stay structured since there aren't snacks around all the time. Anyway, I do pack healthy foods, and I stay full on healthy snacks and meals thru the day...when I have the extra money for it. Even when I don't have my best food, I still keep the calories at 1200. My weight varies so much, even from the morning to afternoon! It's frustrating, and I really need to go back to once a week. I guess it's just hard for me to lose those initial 10 lbs, when I will feel like I am really making progress. After I get past this hump, it'll be easier. Over the years, about 20 lbs have creeped up on me. I am a size 8/9 now, and would like to be a size 5/6 again. If I was a hippy girl, I would not be as self-conscious; however, most of my weight gain is evident in the worst place--belly. I have super small hips, so my body is definitely uneven. It makes it sooo hard to find pants!
 
e6789 said:
I am a size 8/9 now, and would like to be a size 5/6 again. If I was a hippy girl, I would not be as self-conscious; however, most of my weight gain is evident in the worst place--belly. I have super small hips, so my body is definitely uneven. It makes it sooo hard to find pants!
Click to expand...

I have the same proportion issue. I have always had narrow hips and thighs, but the medication I took that caused the weight gain is notorious for packing on the weight in the abdomen. I lost my waistline. Pants are my nemesis. I was a size 12 from age 12 to age 31, and then I gained 100 pounds in three months! I'm down from a size 22/24 to a size 16/18, but I've still got 70 pounds to go to be back where I started. Tonight was my second night running. I walked 6.4 miles, but I was only able to run a little over a quarter mile of it. :rolleyes: Ah, well . . . better than nothing.
 
I used to have a great homemade track (tractor) in my backyard! I loved it because my dogs (I have 3- 2 pits and a puggle), so I have a lot of outside time a day! But now the track has been replaced by the yearly corn field :(, so easly exercise is gone. For me, at least..dogs don't care about the corn! Congrats on staying strong for weight loss!!
 
WW has changed. The numbers are much easier to track. And, I use the alternate program that allows you to eat all you want from a list of foods. With the numbers, you can eat anything as long as you track the numbers. On the list, you don't track, just eat from the list.
 
I've been driving 4 miles to the high school track every day. I'll do a minimum of 2 miles on days when it's really, really hot. I prefer to do at least five. I did 13 on Relay for Life night. If I walk on my road, my dog and the neighbors dog will follow me, and then other dogs follow. One day by the time I got to the end of the road, I had five dogs and two little boys on bikes with me. :rolleyes: That crew slowed me down. :lol:
 
Nutrition is a science. Figuring out your daily carolic needs and then figuring out the best foods in order to meet your nutritional needs is hard.

I'm taking nutrition course right now and boy is there a LOT to it.

Anyways, you can start off with this site: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/myplate/index.aspx

and read around on there too.

Definitely add in physical exercise. You should be getting around 30 minutes a day or 150 minutes a week.
 
I use Spark People. We have a produce store that I go to to get most of my fresh fruits & veggies. It is so much cheaper then the grocery store. I also mostly cook at home, with processed foods very rarely. I have a low carb cookbook, so I've replaced many of my "normal" recipes with low carb ones. It takes a little more planning/organization to cook from scratch, but it makes up for it in cost & calories. We've also mostly removed junk food from our house. Chips are a treat.
 
I've known about this diet called the 3 Day Diet. It involves no "special" foods, pills, vitamins, etc. Just normal foods at the grocery store, but it's the combination of foods that makes you lose 7-10 pounds a week...YES! I've done it before once or twice & I've literally lost 7-8 in a week.

For only 3 consecutive days in a row, you eat/drink a certain combo of foods, then the other 4 days of the week, you eat whatever you want, but of course, eat very lightly. So you're eating mostly what yopu want for most of the week. It really works! You can do this for just 1 week if you want to lose several pounds or continue it for months if you want to lose a large amount. I REALLY need to start this myself to look great before I start up work again. PM me if you want the list of foods.
 
Ms I, do you keep the weight off? For me, the weight has to slowly come off because of changes in diet &/or exercise in order to stay off. That means I'm only losing about a pound a week. If I go faster, it comes right back.
 
Just took a quick look at the 3 day diet; the rapid weight loss is most likely due to the fact that you are consuming only between 800 and 900 calories/day. The food choices wouldn't work for me--I eat much healthier than their daily menus right now--but this may work for someone who has 5 pounds to lose in a short period of time.
 
Ima Teacher said:
If I walk on my road, my dog and the neighbors dog will follow me, and then other dogs follow. One day by the time I got to the end of the road, I had five dogs and two little boys on bikes with me. :rolleyes: That crew slowed me down. :lol:
Click to expand...

This is too cute! Might be motivation to start running to lose the pack!!
 
Simplicity is key when trying to lose weight. Exercise is necessary. Look at the foods you are eating. Instead of looking at calories look at the ingredient list. The more ingredients in a food the harder it is for your body to break down the food. The least processed the food is the easier it is for your metabolism to break it down. Also, consider going meatless a day or two a week--meatless dishes with fresh veggies, rice, legumes or beans are packed full of protein and all the vitamins and minerals you need and contain little fat. I have been a vegetarian for over a year now and I've lost a total of 15 pounds--and I eat A LOT! I basically lost all the stubborn weight that I had been carrying around since puberty. Good luck! :)
 
kpa1b2 said:
Ms I, do you keep the weight off? For me, the weight has to slowly come off because of changes in diet &/or exercise in order to stay off. That means I'm only losing about a pound a week. If I go faster, it comes right back.
Click to expand...

Just like with any other diet, you can keep it off if you continue to eat right, exercise & not pile on the junk food or anything. :)

MrsC said:
Just took a quick look at the 3 day diet; the rapid weight loss is most likely due to the fact that you are consuming only between 800 and 900 calories/day. The food choices wouldn't work for me--I eat much healthier than their daily menus right now--but this may work for someone who has 5 pounds to lose in a short period of time.
Click to expand...

I eat healthier too, like for example, I never drink coffee, so I'll drink tea or just plain water instead. A certain part of the diet even says to eaet bacon if I'm not mistaken, which I don't eat normally, so I'll eat a healthier meat.
 
Ms. I said:
I eat healthier too, like for example, I never drink coffee, so I'll drink tea or just plain water instead. A certain part of the diet even says to eaet bacon if I'm not mistaken, which I don't eat normally, so I'll eat a healthier meat.
Click to expand...

Coffee isn't really "unhealthy" unless you add a bunch of sugar, etc. I guess the caffeine could bother people, but tea has caffeine as well.
 
Oh, I'm not giving up my coffee any time soon. I take it only with milk, though, so I'm good. Other than that, all I drink is water (and the occasional glass of wine or beer).

I've done a variety of "programs" and special "plans" in the past. Most have worked in the short term, but not in the long run. The changes I've made now are certainly something I plan on keeping up forever, even after I reach my goal weight.
 
I use WW. I've lost 10 lbs in 2 months. I'd like to lose 15 more. I prefer the points system to counting calories. I like that you get weekly points that you can dip into if you need to and that you can earn activity points. Also, most fruits and veggies are 0 points so it's nice to know I can grab a banana if I still feel hungry and have used all my daily points. I do it online and have found it very simple. My friend lost 55 pounds last year on it so she was my inspiration to join.

Diet is most important but how is your activity level? I find the weeks I slack off on exercise, or don't change it up enough, I don't have as much of a loss even if my eating was fine.
 
Weight loss and healthy eating are different things when looking at foods. Sure you can do both, but the second is much harder. When it comes to weight loss it truly is calories in, calories out. Difference is with healthy eating along with working on weight loss, you can typically eat a much larger volume of food and feel full longer.

For example, one BK Whopper Meal with a diet soda is at least your daily allotment of calories per day. With healthy eating you can eat a chicken breast, salad, other veggies, some bread or other small whole grain product portion control, some nuts for a snack, etc. One will allow you to eat all day and be satisfied plus give your body the nutrients it needs, the other, 1 calorie packing punch. But if you crave it and you are willing to give up the rest of the day's calories, it might keep you happy. Either way, 1200 in in any form could possibly result in some weight loss depending on your body.
 
e6789 said:
I can't afford WW and I can't follow all its rules. I tried myfitnesspal and I am actually using Loseit, which I like better. It is helping me keep track of the calories! I also exercise 4x per week. I have lost a few pounds, but my weight varies sooooo much!
Click to expand...

EXCUSE
I know because I have used the same one!
you have to just decide to do it
I have gained weight because my activity is greatly curtailed because of my bad knee BUT I still eat the same as I did before I hurt my knee, I have to cut my eating!
 
Eating certain foods together to lose weight is simply just a myth.

I was just reading about this in my nutrition book (I'm taking nutrition right now). It said that your body doesn't care what you eat with other foods. It will send out the digesting enzymes and will digest your food whether you ate pineapple with ham or meat with potatoes, or whatever.

Basically, you need to sit down and log what you eat. And when you calorie count, you need to actually count everything, and measure as you go. Do this for a week. I'm sure it'll be an eye opener.

And read food labels. Make this your priority when buying foods. Read the ingredients. Does it make your head spin with all of the chemicals, food dyes, etc? My thing is, if it reads like an encyclopedia, I'll probably pass on the food item. If I purchase a processed food item, I will pick the ones that have just a handful of ingredients and that I understand what exactly each ingredient is and its source.
 
I think that the key is finding a healthy way to eat that works for you and that you can maintain long term. I used to feel that I needed to spend money for a plan in order to hold myself accountable. I've discovered that I need to log everything I eat (I've done that without fail for 75 days!) and have a friend to touch base with and help encourage me along. I hardly ever feel hungry and don't have any cravings--not even for chocolate.

I agree with Peachy about knowing what you are eating. My grocery shopping habits have changed; there are aisles I don't stop in any longer and I read labels in more detail now. No more gimmicks for me; I'm just taking back my health.
 
I've always been a mostly healthy weight. I grew up with a health nut, almost vegetarian mother, and was an athlete all my life. With that being said, there was a time where I was about 30-40 pounds over what I should be.

I didn't exercise any more than normal, I just watched portions. Portion size is the key for me. I eat healthy (about 90% vegan, no sugary drinks and when I do drink juice I water it down 50% juice 50% wtaer) but I can eat LOTS. Instead of restricting what I eat, I just eat smaller portions. I'm okay being hungry, some people aren't. I stop when I know I shouldn't eat any more and that's it. If I'm hungry I eat a tic-tac;)

I lost that 40 lbs just with portion control. I'm staying the weight I am now because of portion control. Sometimes I'm hungry, but I know I'm not going to die, so I'm fine.
 
I guess I am just being impatient. I am grateful for the weight I have lost and the endurance I've built up, but the numbers aren't going down fast enough. I do exercise regularly, and I plan to double my routine starting tomorrow. I will be doing Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred and her yoga dvd. I like both of them because they go by quickly. This will give me about an hour total of exercise per day. I will also up the 4x a week to 5x. I would like to lose 30 lbs steadily. For the most part,I do not eat a lot of bread, candy, etc. When I consume carbs, it is crackers. But I only eat the serving size, and record it on LoseIt. Reducing calories isn't a big deal to me, and neither is choosing healthier replacements. It basically boils down to the fact that healthy food costs more than crackers, rice, etc. I do NOT spend any grocery money on expensive junk food! The most expensive things I buy are fresh foods and dog foods. This is an example of what I eat on a normal day:

Breakfast: Greek and vanilla yogurt mixed (love vanilla yogurt, and I need the Greek's protein) with berries
Snack: cheese stick
Lunch: spinach salad w/1-2 tb of shredded cheese and 2 tb lite ranch. Depending on how hungry I am, I might have a small portion of the main dish being served or a graham cracker w/ peanut butter
I only eat afternoon snacks when I am hungry. This tends to be portion controlled crackers, fruit, plain oatmeal w/berries, etc
Dinner depends on how hungry I am. If I am not hungry, I will eat raisin bran or shredded wheat with a banana.
If I havent exceeded my calories, I will eat a 25 cal real fruit popsicle or frozen berries with a small serving of lite whipped topping.
 
It sounds like you're not eating nearly enough, especially with all that exercise. Your body can actually hold onto the weight if you don't eat enough.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top