Newbie here. Looking for all the support I can get!

C

CJJ

New member
Hi Everyone,

I am a 42-year-old wife and mother who doesn't take care of myself. But that's all changing today. It's day one of my “new way of eating” (I know I’m not supposed to call it a diet!) My doctor has put me on a 1200-calorie eating plan in hopes that I will lose the 85-90 pounds that I need to over the next two years.

Five hours into my new way of eating and I’m already wondering how I am going to pull this off and make it happen. I say that because I’ve been down this road so many times and I never succeed because I give into those notions in my head that I need food: bad food, junk food, fast food and comfort food. What will help me make it happen this time?

Plus, I have hypothyroidism and even though I take Synthroid, I am worried the weight is going to come off at a snail’s pace. And I know what will happen if it does…I will quit.

So, I am here to ask for support and help, because I am not good at this. I am my own worst enemy and I can use all the encouragement I can get. My life depends on it.

Thanks for reading. I truly appreciate it! I am here to help you too!
 
Welcome to the forum.

Good luck with your project.

I have to say that 1200 calories sounds pretty restrictive. Many of us here manage to lose weight on more calories than that - but we do tend to incorporate exercise into our plan.

Has he told you what to have for your 1200 calories - or is it up to you to have what you want and see if you do not exceed the magic number?

Are you incorporating exercise into your project? I walk a lot and found it to be very beneficial for weight loss.

I know about all the issues regarding diet "over a certain age" as I didnt start my project until I was 47 (I'm 50 now).
 
My doctor gave me a booklet with food lists. For each meal, I get to have so many exchanges from each list (kind of like the old Weight Watchers of the 1980s). My doctor wants me to exercise every day for 30 min. I have to walk the treadmill tonight after Open House at my kids' school. She also told me she may put me on phentermine. Thanks for reaching out.
 
Walking is a wonderful form of exercise. It is great that you are getting on the treadmill - walking made the biggest difference to me. I think that one of the best things that we can do is become more active in our everyday life in addition to the exercise walks (or other kinds of exercise). I wear a pedometer all day for literally every step of the day. I found that it challenged me to add in a few extra steps here and a few there. Before I knew it I was walking miles and miles every day and the weight was just dropping off.

Pedometers are not too expensive. I suggest that you get a pedometer.

We tend to log our food in . It costs nothing and it not only counts up your calories for you but it also gives a full nutritional breakdown so that you can see that you are getting enough calcium, protein, fibre, healthy fats and so on... Calcium is really important because it can help us to lose weight and also of course because we dont want to get ospeoporosis (some of my always skinny friends are getting told that they have that!)

You can also log your activity on there to see the calorie balance which is what gives us our weight loss. You never know - if your doctor sees it he may suggest that you have more calories which could make life much more bearable. We have to think in terms of a lifestyle that is going to last forever - not just a diet lasting x weeks or y months (or z years come to that). I have been on my project since Feb 2007.
 
If you have 80-90 lbs to lose, then 1200 calories is FAR too little for you to be eating.

I know your doctor gave you that figure, but honestly, in my experience the general medical community knows jack-all about losing weight. I found, when I first started losing weight, that my doctor used 1200 as a one-size-fits-all number for anyone he was telling to lose weight. He told me and my husband both that we should be eating the same number of calories - which is patently absurd.

If you are eating too little and you get hungry and cravings, you will give up. I've seen it happen - and experienced it myself too many times. Starving yourself is the surest way to set yourself up for failure and I think it's a criminal shame that most GP doctors don't know this simple fact.

I'm going to assume that you weigh over 200 lbs (based on the amount of weight you say you want to lose) and suggest that a diet of 1800 calories would be a MUCH better option for you.

You want to make sure that you eat lots of veggies, fruit, lean protein, complex carbs (whole grains and oats and so forth), and healthy fats (things like olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds, etc.).

I also have a philosophy about dieting that I don't deprive myself of anything I really really want - I just delay having it. I give myself one "free day" a week where I can eat things I want w/out working about calories. I don't use it as a binge day or a day to stuff my face with all the bad things in the world, but if I want a cookie, or a meal out, or a burger and fries - that one day a week, I allow myself to have them w/out guilt. I find that I can control my cravings the rest of the week with the knowledge that I can have something "unhealthy" on my free day.

Also, the exercise thing is key - you want to incorporate some kind of weight lifting or body resistance exercise into your program in order to help you maintain lean muscle mass. That will also help you burn fat more efficiently.

I lost 80 lbs in about the space of a year just by eating around 1800 calories and working out 3-5 times a week (weights 2x a week and cardio the rest of the time). I know you can do it ... don't let yourself get overwhelmed and just keep plugging along.
 
I have to say that I agree with pretty much everything that Kara has just written. My gut feeling is that 1200 is way too low - and it could cause problems down the track. I work on current weight multiplied by 12 for a rough idea of calories to have. Most people that exercise will lose weight on that level - but they do need to measure fairly accurately as it is easy to bring in measuring errors.

I hadnt liked to come out and say so because there can be medical conditions going on and I do not know enough about thyroid conditions. I know that there are people on the forum that have had to become pretty knowledgeable about that whole area though in order to deal with their own problems (AmyRB jumps to mind).

As far as the knowledge of doctors regarding weight loss goes - my doctor listened when I told her what I was doing and said that if I was really doing that I had lost all the weight that I was going to lose when I plateaued on the way down. My weight at the time was just over 200 pounds. My husband was there at the time - if there wasnt a witness I would really be doubting that it could have ever been said... She clearly didnt believe me regarding my exercise and food at the time...
 
Yeah, thyroid conditions run in my family, so I'm fairly confident in my figures here, especially if you're already taking Synthroid.

There is a possibility that you won't be able to lose on 1800 calories, even with the medication, but it's better to start at a high figure like 1800 and slowly reduce calories until you're losing, than to start at the rock bottom and get frustrated.

When you've already got thyroid issues, starting at 1200 is very likely to cause you to stall sooner and when you hit that stall, then you have nowhere to go lower. Keeping your metabolism up with a combination of maximum calories (while still at a deficit) and exercise is even more vital when you bring thyroid issues into the mix.

(Note that I'm not a doctor and please don't take anything I say as medical advice. I just have spent many years on the diet yo-yo and finally learned how to lose and keep it off though a LOT of research and reading. I am fairly confident in the advice I give, but you should do research of your own as well! :) )
 
Thank you both so much for the info. The sad thing is my doctor told me to try 1,000 calories UP TO 1,200. My sister is a nurse and told me not to do the 1,000 or I'd quit. And quitting this time is really not an option. I will keep posting on how it is going. In the meantime, thank you for reaching out and helping me. You are both inspirations to me! God Bless.
 
There is no way that anyone should be trying to lose weight on 1,000 calories a day.

I tried that so many times it is silly and just gave up every time. Twenty years ago people used to think that was a sensible number - but it was a load of rubbish. I believe that concept kept me very very fat (I am only 5ft3) for over 20 years. Do not make my mistakes... Your doctor sounds like he is stuck in a time warp. I am not a doctor either - but I would be ignoring every word that he says. I would be getting my info from here - and I honestly dont think he would care as long as he sees the weight come off.

I wasnt eating as low as 1200 calories as I got to goal - and I was a lot lighter than I presume you are. I gain weight easily as I am a PCOS lady.

If mature lady weight loss photos would help to inspire you - check out the last couple of pages of my diary as a friend got me to show photos yesterday. I am actually about 10 pounds lighter now but dont like my photo taken too often.

http://weight-loss.fitness.com/weight-loss-diary/15690-omegas-journey-190.html
 
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Yeah, there are also photos of my in my diary (I'm not sure what page ... ).

I'm 41, so right at your age ... if that helps any.
 
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