Diet Community

Your doctor insists you "change" and you insist you have. You are both right...and, you are both wrong. What is the difference between the foods you were eating at 16 and the foods you eat, now? Doesn't matter...if you've been overweight since 16, they're both wrong.

Eating less of the "wrong" foods never works (you already know that, otherwise, why are you, here?)...

Eating til satisfied of the right foods, works.

The trick to dieting is not eat less...It's eat more.

My guess is that you are actually eating more than you think you are. First off, start with filling out a WebMD Food and Fitness chart to see what the recommended caloric intake/exercise output is for your age,height and weight.
Buy a cheapy little food scale, weigh two different sized plastic bowls, one for small stuff and liquids, one for larger bulkier stuff like larger cuts of fruit/veggies and stuff.
Write the exact weight of each bowl on the bottom of each with a permanent marker, and use these religiously for everything you eat. Stick to a single sized portion of each item. 3-4 oz of meat, 1 cup of yogurt (8 oz.) etc. Remember, there are NO FREE FOODS. Absolutely everything has calories, unless it says right on the pkg 0 calories , but even then it does, its just so low that the FDA deems in unnecessary for the food makers to address it.
You must add them in even if they are 2 calories. ALL OF IT. Make sure you add in for Condiments like mustard, butter/margarine or oils you use to cook stuff in. No veggies are free either. The only truly free food is Water of which you must drink 64 oz or more a day.
Add in all of your exercise, but remember. The majic number of calories is 1200 or close to that a day. If you add in a bunch of exercise, you must add more calories to your intake or your body will retain weight/fats to counteract what it perceives as "starvation mode". Your body naturally stores fat. And it is a fact that it will burn muscle and steal nutrients from your vital organs before it will give up its fat stores, so you want to make sure that you eat enough to stay out of that mode.

I'll just add that there are scales now that you can reset to zero after you've placed a small plate or bowl on it. Then when you add food, you're only weighing the food item and not the plate. Makes it a little bit easier than substracting the plate/bowl. After I've reached my goal weight, then maybe I'll feel comfortable estimating that 15 oz of shelled walnuts. Until then, I don't guess... ever.

Also, the more high nutrition foods a/k/a superfoods you eat, the more satisfied you'll feel living on those 1200/day calories for an extended period of time. And that 64 oz of water in the afternoon and evenings is an absolute must. (Additionally, I drink a pot of coffee in the mornings, but that's not recommended. So I get lots of fluid in a day.)

Good luck, and let us know how you're doing. Remember that even a half a pound lost in a week is a victory. Be patient.

I realize this discussion is two weeks old, but I'd still like to share some pertinent info I recently found.

I have been trying to lose weight, as well. For the past two months, my husband and I have been eating similar to the South Beach, watching not only calories but eating only fresh vegetables, legumes and protein. He's lost 15 lbs, and I have lost three

Having undergone a total hysterectomy 2010, I am on HRT. Also, I take/took meds that affect neurotransmitters: Cymbalta and Neurontin (arthritis pain) and Chantix (smoking cessation).

Long story short, there appears to be a direct correlation between HRT and neurotransmittor drugs and weight loss resistance. I am going to discuss with my doc at an upcoming appt, but thought I'd mention it in case it could apply to your situation.

Good luck

Take seriously what the nutritionist and the doctor have told you. You are consuming too many calories to lose weight. If you don't face that, don't educate yourself about calories, and don't make the necessary changes, then nothing will happen -- you'll continue to not lose weight. Are you able to state how many calories a day you intend to consume in order to lose weight? Do you know how to monitor to a reasonable degree of accuracy the number of calories you actually consume daily? If you're really serious about losing weight you'll take the calorie thing seriously and take the appropriate action. If you find you can lose weight any other way, the scientific community and the rest of us would love to know about it.

Dump your doctor and find a new one. I'm overweight also, and didn't have a terrible diet before, but when I got diagnosed with being diabetic, I went from having an okay diet, to one that is very good, and I haven't lost weight either. My son is overweight too. Then, with what was supposed to be a test for one disability, that one got ruled out, and we found out that my son and I are missing part of the code in one of the chromosomes that attribute to being obese.

Due to pain issues, I can't exercise much, and most doctors send me to PT for strengthening stuff, even though I've got a back strong enough to make athletic men envious.

I'm on my 14th doctor in 12 years to help me with these issues. These last two seem to be working together finally, to help set up a team of medical staff on my side.

If you have an Aurora network near you, check them out. I find they are very good. You may want to go to a nutritionist that has a masters degree, most have a bachelors, and only blab current rhetoric about nutrition. When you go to a masters nutritionist, they will discuss more in detail on what may or may not work for you, and a good doctor will listen to what you've tried and hasn't or isn't working.

My only suggestion is that when cooking, utilize as many of your favorite veggies as possible, and eat smaller portions and stretching it out over the course of the day, if it's feasible, and sometimes it's not... So say you eat breakfast before work. You pack a lunch - say a sandwich, fruit, etc... Cut the sandwich in half, and bring one fruit, other veggies with low fat dip, and some granola or other healthy snack... At your morning break, go get a milk from the vending machine, and have your granola & fruit with your milk (or you can opt for water). Then at lunch, eat half of your sandwich and the veggies with milk. For your second break in the afternoon, eat the other half of your sandwich with water. Have a healthy supper, and if hungry, a healthy bed time snack. By eating like a diabetic, you'll be healthier.

As for exercise, try swimming, walking, or if too hot, there are some aerobic shows on PBS that you could do. But please, find a doctor who will work with you, not fight with you. Maybe your new doctor can help you tweak what you have.

I think you can do it. go for it! Just have realistic goals because we can't always look like Barbie, and I'm okay with being a bigger gal.

I'm trying to lose weight too. I just started. I am keeping a food diary, trying not to go over 1200 calories, drinking lots of water and other fluids. Trying to increase my physical activity. This is my 4th day and so far I have not been hungry. I am eating lots of vegetables, whole grain breads and cereals, staying away from sugar, and consuming small amounts of fish and poultry. I have to spend a lot of time with food planning and preparation. I would like to lose 20 pounds. Good luck to you and to all of us struggling weight problems.

Please stop counting calories. After I gained weight from having my two babies, after 30 plus years of being slim, I basically needed to "reset" my body. I encourage you to try this approach too. Before you eat anything, ask yourself: did it grow from the ground, did it swim, or did it walk? If not, it's not a natural food and you should not eat it. So this will get you eating only natural foods, things our bodies were meant to consume, things like fish, lean meat, fruit, whole grains, vegetables (try to include veggies of every color), & even nuts, potatoes, olive oil, and small amounts of butter. Eat as many of these foods that you like, until you are pleasantly full. Dont wait until u are starved to eat a meal. Allow yourself a small snack mid-morning and afternoon of either fruit or a half dozen nuts. Exercise every single day. Exercise twice a day if you can fit it in. Drink only water, tea, or coffee, and lowfat milk. No soda, no flavored/vitamin waters, no lemonade mixes, no diet drinks, no half-n-half, no dumping 4 spoons of sugar into your coffee, etc. No muffins or cookies, even if they say low-fat/100-calorie pack--that's a trap. If you must have chips, eat only whole grains, like a handful of Sunchips. If you must have dessert, try fruit or fat free Greek yogurt--very filling, or a tiny bit of sorbet. I really think that if you give this an honest try, and keep with it for many months, you will eventually see results and your body will work efficiently, the way it was meant to. Your body will start to crave the right things if you stick with it. Don't worry about short term results, this is more of a long-term sustainable approach. Everyone I know who does this gets results eventually; likewise, everyone I know who goes on diets fails. Read Dr. Oz's books. Some of these ideas have been adapted from his books, some are just good old fashioned advice. If you can't do this all at once, phase it in. It gets easier as you adapt your tastes but you have to want to do it. Block out all the "noise" -- don't listen to hype about diets or diet foods or calories or fads or the "right" exercises if you want to lose belly fat, losing weight "fast," etc. Just because lots of people talk about those things, doesn't make it right. Don't ask for diet advice from people who are also overweight or who went on a crash diet. Talk to people who have been fit (this is different from a skinney smoker who lives on Doritos and never exercises by the way) for 40 years straight and ask them about their lifestyle. Guarantee most of them do the above. Good luck. You can do this!

I'm not going to sit here and tell you what to do, I'm sure you've had enough of that. What I am going to do, however, is tell you what I've discovered. I use a calorie counter that measures the nutrients I get throughout the day and has helped me learn what foods are good and what foods aren't. I also had to change my beverage habits. I typically didn't think of drinks as having calories but some have more calories than a meal! Personally, I cut my soda drinking in half and replaced every other drink with water. Another thing I had to learn was that I naturally have a very low metabolism and so have to eat less than the average. There is no magic number of calories you should eat per day. You have to find what's right for you. I will say I've had alot of problems losing weight as well and these are the things I've learned that have helped me. I hope it helps you too and I wish you the best!

LiveAQualityLife,
Just in case no one acknowledges your post (which is highly likely), I will. Well done!


btw, I live in SoCal and this is where I shop for groceries...

http://laist.com/2010/08/10/a_new_kind_of_farmers_market_sprout.php#photo-1

For me, Sprouts Farmers Market kicks for two reasons...

1. Their prices on produce are insane.
2. They have the hardest, hottest 40 & 50Somethings (& older!) shopping their stores, regularly.


Some of the most fit people to squeeze into a pair a jeans roam the aisles of Sprouts, daily. For me, its an opportunity to glimpse at how a healthy diet & exercise can transform the human body. Quite frankly, there are times where I just shake my head and mutter, "Whoa! What the...!"



The point is this: If you wanna be hot, you have to go "green". So, stop wasting time and words & just (shut-up and) eat your vegetables...

Note: I said "Eat vegetables". I did not say be a "vegetarian"...Big difference!

Thanks brunosbud! I agree with your advise, "eat vegetables." It really is true!

LAQL,

Most of the readers, here, are so focused on losing weight that they overlook the threat of Type 2 Diabetes and Anemia, completely. Both conditions are highly destructive and, in combination, effect and degenerate all organ function...joints, brain, liver & kidneys, muscles and nerves, eyes and teeth...nothing is sparred from their attack.

Diabetes and anemia fit hand in glove with obesity.

This board is composed, mostly, of women so this is a particularly relevant issue. Women are predisposed to pernicious and iron-deficiency anemia, already. Eating a poor diet heavy in starches, sugar and saturated fats allows for the cycle of chronic anemia to set in. This is staging camp for other diseases to follow...

First, fatigue, then, prescription pills, then, depression, then, more pills, then, sleep problems, then, more fatigue, then, sleep apnea, then, more weight gain, and, then finally, type 2 diabetes. I read this same scenario all the time. To me, it's as plain as day what is going on.



To your point, LAQL, I prescribe to exercising twice per day, too. Exercise is the only activity I know that can defeat Anemia, Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity. There is no medicine that comes remotely close to doing what exercise does!

You are so very wise for mentioning this most important piece of advice. Kudos!




btw, I've lost three family members from complications relating to Type 2 Diabetes.

I am 63 years old ,I have been dieting time immemorial ,I have deprived my self of juices, sodas and good simple food too, sugar is not on my menu except for rarely. Iam not overweight but iam not very slim either.iam on my wits as u are and I have no idea how to diet any more.ido my best in eating healthy food ,and exercise moderately .

You're getting some very good and very bad advice here and contradictions. Calories DO count! You are eating and/or drinking something you're not counting. Soft drinks and juices are killer. Portion control even on the healthy/good foods is essential. I ate 1200 calories a day and lost weight averaging 7 lbs./mo. Most people will have a better weight loss on 1200 calories/day but that's what it was for me. Don't get discouraged, really examine your diet, get a good calorie counter and write down everything you put into your mouth, it will help to keep you honest if you have to write it down. Some people dream up all kinds of excuses for not losing their weight when the truth is that they're not sticking to a good eating plan. Hit and miss won't do it. "I'll make up for it tomorrow" doesn't work either. Really commit yourself to eating right and counting calories and you will lose the weight. This is what you do for yourself. Since I've lost my 42 ugly pounds I'm enjoying everything more because I know I look and feel good. Appearance SHOULDN"T matter but we all know that it does. I used to feel uncomfortable and self-conscious everything I did and everywhere I went. I'm over that now and it sure feels good. You can do it. Keep posting and let us know how you're doing.