Need Advice on Weight Loss. Advise on Losing a Large Amount of Weight?

Yep - ask your doctor to refer you to a nutritionist so you can learn how to adopt a healthy nutrition plan...for the rest of your life.

Skip any and all diets. Diets are merely a band-aid that covers the problem. Sure, you lose weight but unless you continue the diet for the rest of your life (which usually isn't healthy) the weight will go back on and then some.

Realize that it is going to take time to lose the weight. No one puts 70 pounds on in 3 months so it is unrealistic to expect that it will come off quickly. Your 70 pounds might take a year. It's worth it - repeat that often - it's worth it!

Good guidelines:
-Eat 5-6 smaller meals per day
-Eat every 3 hours
-Be sure to include a carb, fat, and protein at every meal
-Drink at least 64 ounces of water
-Don't skip breakfast. The word literally means "break the fast", so try to eat within an hour of waking.
-Carbs are not the enemy! Simple sugars are, but not complex carbohydrates. Include lots and lots of CCs in your diet.
-Shop the perimeter of the grocery store: fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats, low-fat dairy.
-Try to eat a food that is as close as possible to it's natural source. Doritos? Do we see Doritos growing from a tree? Nope - it's a packaged food that is made mostly of junk.
-Boost your weight loss with exercise, although get a doctor's okay first. With the MS and your weight, this might just be walking. That's totally fine - you don't need to be a marathoner to lose weight. You just need to start moving more than you already do.

Good luck and hang in there!

5 moms found this helpful

I lost 75 pounds 4 years ago. I kept a journal of all my foods and kept my cal intake to 1200 a day. I took a nice long walk every day. When I first started my walk was only about 20-30 minutes and I slowly worked my way up until I was walking 90-120 minutes and enjoying it! It is important to remember that for safe healthy weight loss that you can keep off you should only be losing 1-2 pounds per week, although you may lose more the first 2-5 weeks.

oh yes, and water, lots of water. I have never been able to give up my diet coke completely, but cut out all drinks with calories (more than 5-10) and try to stick to water and low cal drinks like crystal light. I like the flavor shots you can add to your water for variety in taste.

One think my nutritionist recommended was eating a small meal or snack every 3 hours rather than 3 big meals a day, and to make breakfast or lunch your biggest meal rather than dinner. Also, no eating within 3 hours of bed time.

3 moms found this helpful

A lot of people have lost this amount of weight easily on WW. I suggest you try it out - I have lost 24 pounds since Feb, and have a long way to go (more than your 70) but it is SO easy to do and follow. I don't go to meetings, but I still follow the plan and have a support network. Good luck!

2 moms found this helpful

Good for you! I'm glad to read that you want to be as healthy as you can be.

You might want to focus on the health aspect, since meds are not always friendly to weight loss. But you want to lose weight slowly, anyhow, if you're going to keep it off.

You can start by eating the way you usually do - for a week. Only this time, journal EVERYTHING you put into your mouth, including anything you don't want yourself to know you're eating. Write down the foods, the time of day, the amount you eat. At the end of the week, read it over. It will tell you things you didn't know before. (And I hate doing it.)

You will need to consult with your doctor about what sort of exercising you can do, but the basic idea is that you lose weight when you put out more calories than you take in. Even doing housework puts out calories. But your doctor will advise you on what you should and shouldn't do.

Drink water. Get a little book that tells you what carbs, proteins, and fats are in the foods you eat. You want to zero in on the proteins and the good carbs (veggies, fruits, milk, etc.). You NEED food. It gives you the energy you need to work and to think straight. But you'll need to take in those calories wisely and not waste a single one.

If you're a journaling sort of person, you could record how you feel about food as you change your choices. It might help you think about how you want the rest of your life to be.

You're in for a lifestyle change, not just a weight loss. But that's a good thing! Hope this helps a bit.

2 moms found this helpful

Hi M.,

My husband lost 110 pounds 5 years ago and has kept it off. He was never an over-eater and he never ate bad stuff. Everyone always said his heavy weight was hereditary because his whole family was large....When he dieted he would lose some weight but it would always come back with a vengeance. I finally told him he wasn't going to diet. We were going to get him healthy. I started him on a multivitamin/mineral complex that is guaranteed to absorb and the weight started coming off. He didn't change his eating habits or his activity level. He lost 60 pounds in six months. The next 50 came off in the next six months.

The vitamins he used are also what www.direct-ms.org/ recommends as the supplementation needed for any MS patient. I researched this because I had a friend of a friend ask me. I have documentation for you if you'd like me to send it to you. These vitamins will absorb no matter what type of toxicity you have in your system. The pharmaceuticals you use leave synthetic chemicals in your system that actually fight against the good stuff that you put into it. That's why you are not able to lose weight and that's why you crave the white starchy stuff.

Unless you do this right, the weight will continue to come back. My husband, at 46, feels better than he felt at 19. His best friend also lost 50 pounds and my sister in law lost 15. I'm convinced your body will adjust to the perfect body weight if it gets the nutrition it needs. The right nutrition also gets rid of the cravings.

Let me know. I'd love to help.

M.

2 moms found this helpful

Talk with your primary care physician and request a medical "referral" to a nutritionist. My aunt has lost nearly 80 pounds through significant dietary adjustments and changes in her eating patterns, all with the help of a nutritionist. You won't be able to engage in significant exercise until you drop the weight, so focus on changing your eating behaviors first and get outside for a walk each night!

2 moms found this helpful

I just want to agree with some of the ladies who stated "Don't go on any fad diets". They are exactly right, you lose weight, but you can't keep to most diets FOREVER, so when you go off the diet, the weight comes back on. The best answer for long-term weight loss and better fitness is a true lifestyle change, where you make healthy changes that you know you can stick to.

Weight Watchers actually is a really good program, because, as others have said, you can still eat treat foods sometimes, you just have to keep it to rarer occasions and account for them. With that being said, I've made a lifestyle change for myself in the last year and a half that I've been able to stick with and lost weight with, and that is (as others have said) Eating as whole and natural of foods as I can (whole grains, lean meats, lowfat dairy, lots of fruits and veggies. Stay away from chemicals you can't pronounce, also Aspartame and High Fructose Corn Syrup are BAD) and just keeping track of calories. I eat 1350-1500 calories a day and still have lost weight. I use an online calorie counting program to help me keep track. Even today I had a cheeseburger and a soda, just had to log the calories.

I also change up my exercises. You don't want to get stuck in a rut. I know you personally may not be up to lots of exercise, but whatever you can do, change it up often. Walk one day, ride bike another, do light weight training or resistance training another, maybe even just punches. Getting your heart rate up and working different parts of your body is what matters. Even if you only do 15 or 20 mins a day to start, or a half hour every other day, it will help and your stamina will build up. Just do what works for you and your health.

Also, as others have said and I will reiterate, HEALTHY weight loss is usually only 1-2 pounds per week, if you want it to stay off (other than the first few weeks, which can be more). When I was losing, it was almost always about a lb a week, but I did have less to lose.

You have some health and medication issues that may make this harder for you, which is a bummer, but it CAN be done. My mom is also on lots of meds for Fibromyalgia and Lupus, yet she has been steadily losing weight the last 6 months and feeling better, using less pain meds. It takes her longer than it did for me, but its working and she doesn't feel like she is starving herself. She feels its something she can stick with.

I hope everything works out great for you, and keep your chin up! You can do it!

1 mom found this helpful

Hi..first off...I'd like to respond to those saying to lay off diet soda because of the sodium. I drink Diet Coke, very little sodium..also watch out for the Smart Ones, Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice..lots of sodium in them. They are okay for a once in a while meal but not all the time....Now for my answer...I joined WW Online the first of Feb. and it is now the first of June and I have lost a little over 38 lbs. so far and I still have at least 80 to go! I do get a little exercise as I use my Wii and do the Just Dance 2 or play tennis..stuff like that as anything is better than being a couch potato. WW Online is simple and they tell you how many points you can have etc based on your age and weight and weight goal! You have to journal every day and that is what makes you aware of what you eat. There is no accountability except to yourself with online WW and you weigh yourself once a week. I generally do it every day or so just to see how I am doing..lol! It is working for me as I have had a loss every week but you do have to be dedicated and DO it! You can eat anything you want just journal it and stay within your points. I also have a WW digital scale that helps a lot with weighing food etc. Sparkpeople.com is another good site to check out and for recipes you can go to Ginas Skinny Recipes and the address for that is www.skinnytaste.com/ She has some great WW recipes with point values on there. Hope this helps and good luck.

1 mom found this helpful

So, it sounds like you're looking for that great first step. I'd say that what you can start doing right now...today...is water. Lots and lots of water. It will help decrease your appitite, but more importantly, it will help clense your body of the impurities that cause unhealthy cravings. If you're not used to this, it may seem quite unpleasant for a couple of weeks, but if you are consistant with this, it can become your new craving. It's simple...it's acheivable...and it will help you more than you think it will.
Also, try a plan like Weight Watchers. You'll get a lot of support and find that gradual weight loss is healthier and more successful long term.

1 mom found this helpful

I used advocare and I wanted to lose about 75-100 lbs. Before i got pregnant I had lost over 30 lbs. in about 2 months. It worked really well and I used the mns-e. It is very good!

Best of luck!!

1 mom found this helpful

Hi M..
Kudos to you for making this your goal and not wanting to do it with surgery. Many who do gain the weight back anyway as it really comes down to changing your habits.

You edited your post-- and your answer is already there. Start back at what you were doing-- southbeach plan is fairly consistent and healthy- it just takes prep.
The white starchy foods are a key to mass coming back.
The most important thing to do- you are already doing-- water.
Your medications add to your frustration.

To make it simple-- think COLOR-- the only thing tan or white or brown on your plate is the meat. Limit your starch to one a day.
If you want me to run a profile on you- feel free to email me yet an easy rule with little exercise-- 1200 cal a day if you're around 5'5" to lose, around 75 grams of lean protein per day. If you're less than 5'5" you'll need to do some form of exercise to cut up to and only up to 500 calories a day out of your dietary intake.

Go for it- and much success!!

About me: 50 yo perfusionist, wellness coach also doing an online weight challenge for $, mom with 9 yo fraternal twin girls.

B. J

1 mom found this helpful

www.SoYouWantToCleanse.com
I have helped 100s lose 10000s of pounds

B.
Family Success Coach

My sister just lost 35 pounds since Christmas on the Paleo Diet. It is very healthy, and she seems to really be happy with her choice.

I also highly recommend Weight Watchers. I lost almost 80 pounds and never felt like I was dieting. I did much better with my weight loss when I attended weekly meetings, journaled what I ate, and cooked my own meals (rather than buying the Smart Ones). The program is easy to follow because nothing is off limits. If I want to eat a slice of cheesecake once in awhile I can do that. The program emphasizes portion control, eating filling foods like fruits and veggies, and trying to increase your activity. I didn't do real strenuous workouts when I lost my weight. It is all a out making a lifestyle change and not dieting. The website has fabulous recipes and even a tool that will help you slim down your old recipes. At meetings I get support and a lot of ideas from people who are trying to accomplish the same thing that I am.

first do not drink sodas. even the ones that are diet have a lot of salt in them. drink lots of water.. another thing to do is to cut out all of the junk food. cut back on white bread,rice and pastas. I would try some lean cuisine or smart ones. they are good for lunch and balanced nutrionally. eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies. of course drink lots of water. you need to drink at least 64 ounces a day.

I would be happy to help you out.

The Cinch Inch Loss Program is really good at fighting carb cravings and the food is so tasty that you look forward to it! It is also EASY to follow and SAFE. It was designed by doctors who are concerned about the dangerous fat we carry around our middle.

I work with a certified nutritionist and with the #1 nutrition company in the US - Shaklee. Here is a website that explains the program: www.cinchplan.com/K. .

Muscle = Metabolism. The Cinch program was developed to help you lose fat, but keep your muscle. Therefore, you are less likely to gain the weight back. Shaklee works with Olympic athletes and retaining/repairing muscle is important to them, too.

Please let me know if you would like to learn more. My nutritionist would be able to advise you on dealing with your MS, too.

K.
____@____.com

Read Mark Hyman's "Ultra Metabolism: The simple plan for automatic weight loss." Everything you need to know about healthy eating is in it. He also has a cookbook that accompanies it.

Try the "Zone" diet.

My best piece of advice: DO NOT EAT AFTER 7 PM--NO MATTER WHAT! Don't exclude holidays, parties, weekends. Works for me! :)

Also, eliminate chemicals from the diet: trans fats, artificial colors-flavors-sweeteners, preservatives. This drastically cuts down the food that you are ABLE to eat, but once you get used to it you'll feel so much better! :) Eating fresh fruits & veggies & complex carbs give your body the nutrition that it is craving so you will feel satisfied rather than hungry throughout the day.

Best of luck!!