Good Diet?

[ErinsChins]

Thanks Melissa!

I'll be blunt. Had a curves membership for 6 months. I would go do their routine about 4 times a week. Lost about 15 lbs(wanted more) but just couldn't stand the atmosphere and everything there.

I do eat like a kid, but the whole thing is depressing. I'll open up with you guys. When I was 13 I had to go to a psychiatric hospital. I had a friend in school whom I got in a fight with and said friend decided to tell the counselor that I was going to commit suicide (not true). The counselor was required to call my parents blah blah blah im in a hospital now. Well, there was a veryyy strict diet at said hospital, and an exercise program.

Let me back up for a minute. Before going to the hospital I am a healthy 13 year old. Health wise, not necessarily weight wise. 175, 5' 4". But most of it was muscle, I don't remember how, but my parents were concerned and had it checked lol. I played travel soccer and travel softball from 5-14 and that took up almost all of my time. Anyway, I was pretty healthy and active. Could run a mile.

So, I get to this hospital and by the end of day ONE they've put me on some meds. Okay, fine, whatever. My weight slowly went up during the course of those meds. Even when I kept the diet, which was like..a salad and water, literally. I topped out at 230. FREAKING 230. At that point, maybe I DID need to be in a mental hospital, because I was freakin out.

Sooooo 4 years later and I can't really lose the weight and keep it off, no matter what I do. I've had gym memberships, the works. Not on the meds, haven't been for at least 2 years..

It's all really depressing and i'm not sure what to do. Here's how I feel (I do have determination, but surely you can understand)...I can eat salads and stuff that I don't really like..and deprive myself of yummmyyy sodas and not lose weight...OR I can eat whatever the heck I want and not gain or lose weight..I mean..you know? It's not like this is something new..i've tried. I've gone to doctor's, you name it. My weight does not go up or down. I'm not even going to lie, there's been times when it has upset me so much that I probably ate a whole thing of oreo's lmao (and I dont even like oreos)

I don't know, I just feel like I can't win. I've been keeping up my routine, it's fine but I don't feel unhealthy, I just want to look better (although, maybe TMI but i'll miss my boobs if I ever do lose the weight!)

Sorry for the TL;DR. Thanks again everyone.

 

[LovinTheSmallAndFurry]

I can relate to your post above a lot, Erin. And for me, honestly, setting up a strict diet/exercise plan simply does not work. Because I'm very rebellious to routines, and always have been. The more I resist eating junk food, the more I want it.... it's pure psychology and human nature. So what usually works for me is saying, "Ok, I can have a sweet tea (I am a Southern girl) now, but I don't need to drink them ALL day." Usually I can live with that, because I haven't deprived myself.

That being said, I find monthly hormones to be the best DEmotivator for eating well. Before my period I crave carbs carbs carbs, which is very hard to resist. But again, it's about balancing it all out......yeah, if I want to have ice cream, that's cool, as long as my main meals are moderately healthy (I usually don't eat salads either, unless there's lots of fruit in them). Also, since you're 17, some of the problem may be that your hormones are just in cahoots. I've known many a people who were chubby/overweight in their teens only to slim down in their twenties, so it may not be all of your fault.

And not to sound like a doctor here or anything, but have you had your thyroid checked? I ask that because my friend was having the hardest time losing weight, and she was tired all the time/no energy. Went to the dr. and sure enough her thyroid was low. Got on thyroid medicine, and she noticed changes in a matter of days.

Try to be easy on yourself, hon. Ultimately you have to find out what works for you. Those of us who are overweight don't get here overnight, and losing it won't happen quickly either. :wink2:

 

[cuddlycuddles]

A good way of structuring your nutrition is Michel Montignac diet (pre-cursor to South Beach diet) - based on figuring the glycemic index of the food we eat. Look it up on Wikipedia.
I like combining it with the Zone diet or so-called 40/30/30 diet (based on the bodybuilder's requirements to preserve lean muscle mass and lose fat)- this diet is more laborious, but worth the hassle: each and every intake of food needs to be combined in a way that 40 % of calories come from carbs, 30% from protein and remaining 30% from good fat(e.g. olive oil, fish oil, avocado, walnuts, etc) . It is important to know that each gram of fat has twice the calories of carbs and protein.
An example of a healthy snack would be an apple with a handful of almonds or walnuts.

 

[ErinsChins]

So I just wanted to update..the whole dance thing...not my style, but I do have good news..In the last 3 1/2 weeks i've been doing a low carb diet (less than 50g/day) and have so far managed to lose 17lbs. I'm steadily losing which is nice! It was hard at first because I LOVE BREAD. Now i'm used to it though. I still try to exercise, but it's easier when I don't feel forced. I also injured my knee a few weeks ago, and I just started walking a week ago..Anyway, I started at 243 3 weeks ago and i'm at 226 now. My goal weight is 150. We'll see! I may post pictures as I go along. Anyone else trying to lose weight?

 

[dcfluegel]

Erin - I took off about 85 lbs a bit over a year ago and have kept it off consistently... now, I want to work on the other 80 lbs I want to drop and some suggestions that have worked for me...

exercise is what you make it - for weight loss, cardio/ aerobic stuff was recommended (I use a stationary bike, but walking, wii fit type stuff, jogging etc are all good)... the key for me was to commit to doing 3-4 times a week and follow through - if you are doing 40 minutes or so of walking/ dancing 4 times a week, you should be well on track...

choose your foods with an eye towards increasing proteins (especially lean, like fish, turkey, chicken, lean ham) and decreasing carbs/ sugars - and it is tough, because it seems like our entire culture is built around carbs and sugars... protein will stay in your stomach longer (takes longer to digest) and keep you feeling full, as well as giving you a more steady source of fuel for your engine... and kick the sodas (I think I lost 10-15 lbs just by switching to diet Mt Dew instead of the regular Mt Dew I had been swilling for two decades)...

keep the faith - allow yourself to make some mistakes, keep your sense of humor, and keep going forward - more than likely, you will get off track occasionally - allow yourself some grace and don't berate yourself over it - get back on track and keep going!

good luck, sis - you can rock it!

 

[ErinsChins]

Thanks David! I've been drinking nothing but water, and the lack of caffeine has taken a toll on me, but I deal. I've had some sugar free candy, but i've got to be careful because I heard those are like laxatives LOL. I've been eating green peppers and chicken. Sometimes i'll have fish and for snacks it's been sugar free jello and pepperoni.


Here are some pictures from earlier..the capris are size 16 that I picked up at a thrift store lol..I started at a 20. I'm going to start taking weekly pictures in the same clothes/area/etc that way I can look back.

I still can't stand seeing full body pictures of myself, but it's a start..I told myself when I get down to the size I want I can go on a shopping spree!

 

[dcfluegel]

Keep after it, sis - you seem to be doing it the right way, overall - diets don't really work, you are after lifestyle/ behavior change... just remember to give yourself a break, too - we have a tendency to be our own harshest critics

btw, B.A. (Mozart) and Murdock are both settling in exceptionally well - B.A. is even starting to take scritches without barking, lol - and the two girls, Smudge and Blanca are sweethearts... thanks again for being a great chin-mama

 

[caiti]

I think a lot of people can relate to your gripe. To be honest, I had almost the exact same thing happen to me when I was either 13 or 14 (the whole hospital thing) but I was hospitalized because of actual eating issues. I was prescribed seroquel and gained 30 pounds in one month. No one mentioned the side effect of gaining weight and basically becoming a zombie as this apparently was the plan for me and would be easier to see through if I didn't know about it. Well, I thought my body was failing, naturally got really concerned and eventually my doctor told me it was the meds and I promptly stopped taking them.

Ever since then I've never exercised or really inhibitted my diet at all. So I went from starving myself to no limits! Frankly, as I've grown up, regardless of my weight, I've gotten significantly more comfortable with my body--even though now I have stretch marks and more jiggly parts than I would have mentally tolerated when I was your age. And people really don't seem to care what I look like. And I really don't care what other people look like either! I understand that you want to get healthy, but I know it's almost impossible to escape the paradigm that worth has specific physical criteria. Just don't judge yourself unfairly, is all.

Besides my spiel, I did have some suggestions that I have found worked whenever I had a momentary window of motivation over the years. Cooking my own food is probably the biggest improvement to my diet. This is not always ideal, as after a 9 hour day at school and not having eaten in 11 hours, I am not going to spend another 30-45 minutes to cook chicken, veggies and some penne only to have to do a sink load of dishes afterwards...No, I am going to dominoes and eating an entire pizza. Somewhere in between the slices I may suck down a sam adams or guinness. And then I'm passing out. BUT, if you can cook your own food, you'll eat much better. I find I use waaaayyy less salt and oil if I cook my own food and I always make veggies which fast food doesn't really have much of. And it tastes better cause I know what I like! I don't like the idea of having things to eat planned out. I am actually repulsed by the idea that I would have to try to eat good food. I am convinced it should be intuitive and I shouldn't have to think about it at all! Can't really wrap my mind around that that's not the way it works. All I can say is I'm not obese yet so there may be something to it, if it's any consolation.

As for exercise, I'd try to do things you like that happen to be exercise. Swimming, dog walking (I dog sit and this is a good way for me to get consistent exercise if anything), finding nice trails nearby or going for walks with friends have worked best for me. Checking out possibilities of medical problems, e.g. hypothyroidism, diabetes etc. is a good idea as well, you never know.

I highlighted the essentials for all you TLDR people. You're welcome )

 

[Lmbswimmer]

Low carb is a great way to loose weight! I have a few suggestions - get your thyroid checked. The meds they put you on may have messed up your metabolism.

A few others - make sure you get enough vitamin D - Mine was dangerously low. I am now on a HIGH dose vitamin D, this is with an outside job, but because of sun screen most people do not get enough.

Also, your thyroid cannot function properly without iodine. Seaweed is a great way to add iodine to your diet. A lot of nasty things like bromine (which is in some sodas) can mess up your thyroid if you don't have enough iodine.

Also, if you need/want caffeine drink black coffee or black/green teas with nothing added.

Also, if you don't consume enough healthy fats your body will turn everything else into fat. Therefore make sure you eat some olive oil, eggs, nuts etc.... every day.

I was having a very hard time loosing weight after my second kid, and this was with an outside job and an active lifestyle. After eliminating foods I was allergic to and did not know, "fixing" my thyroid through diet, and actually upping my fat intake I lost 30 lbs in 2 months.

It sounds like you are off to a great start, just know you WILL plateau at some point, when that happens don't get discouraged, you have just hit a spot where you need to reevaluate what your body needs/wants to continue loosing weight.