wj74 Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 I know I need to exercise and the whole topic makes me twitchy so can we stay away from that? Thanks. I am more interested in what you eat... low carb? low cal? portion sizes? What does your meal plan look like? I'm not happy that my shorts are tighter than they were last year. I did gain a hunk of weight between Valentine's Day and Mother's Day but I think it's coming off again. Too much sweet stuff. I have been trying to avoid eating so many carbs, some days I lean towards low calorie. Is one plan better than another if you're on an AAP? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancesintherain Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 I don't know if one is better than the other, but I have personal done w/ low cal through a points tracking system (weight watchers), which you could semi do on your own by tracking calories. That said, i might not recommend it if you have any eating disorder history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wj74 Posted June 22, 2012 Author Share Posted June 22, 2012 See, that is my problem. I gave up counting calories, weighing myself or even thinking about losing weight in general. I had to. But I need to lose some, I'd be happy with the same shorts fitting loosely. Weight Watchers is what started it all I think. I started cutting calories, weighing myself 10 times a day and eventually barely eating and abusing laxatives. Getting pregnant with my son is what stopped me. I did it a few more times while pregnant and panicking about what I did to him was enough. i know I need to add in more veggies. I don't eat nearly enough. I am lazy about cutting and preparing them. I don't like too many cooked veggies. My downfall is snack-y foods, crackers, pretzels, cookies (although heartburn is helping with that). I try to drink 2, 32 oz bottles of flavored water a day. Plus whatever else I have in the morning or before bed. Do you think cutting out the snacks and eating more vegetables is enough? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancesintherain Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 It's definitely my one concern with recommending weightwatchers, so im glad that you recognize that it wouldn't be healthy. The two changes you mentioned could definitely help and might do the trick...im not sure what else you are eating. Ive definitely found that doing it helped me. The other big one was switching to diet soda, which i dont like as much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wj74 Posted June 22, 2012 Author Share Posted June 22, 2012 Well, for example, I had toast yesterday a.m., then nothing until 3:30 when I had a little cucumber and 2 handfuls of wheat thins. Dinner, a little (a cup?) mac and cheese, kraft, with a little smart balance in it. A little while later I had a PBJ sandwich because I was still hungry. That's it. The day before I had 2 pbj's, toast, a few cookies, a cup of ice cream and soft tacos, 2 large-ish. Day before that I had something similar minus the cookies and ice cream, plus applesauce. So I'm not overeating terribly...just not eating enough healthy stuff. I don't even really have a big appetite, which i thought I would on the Seroquel. *adding that i don't really drink soda. I might drink a little milk, but other than that it's water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancesintherain Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 One other possibility that crossed my mind is that if you have health insurance, some will cover dieticians/nutritionists. It can frequently be a two appointment sort of thing. But the added fruits and veggies and decreased snacks could do it...though it doesn't seem like you are snacking a whole lot either! Hopefully others will chime in...i am sure it is a common question w/ different approaches! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tryp Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 One thing that strikes me is a question about your distribution of food. I am by no means an expert, but I have also tried the - eat barely anything for as long as possible and then eat in the evening diet and it didn't help much. I am sadly not super compliant with my meal plan right now (it was from a dietician I saw like 6 months ago) but when I was compliant with it, I was eating 3 evenly spaced small meals a day starting within an hour of waking up, with two small snacks in between. When I was compliant with that, I wasn't hungry at all and I was losing weight. My kicking myself back on the horse is a whole other story. I would second the suggestion of seeing a dietician though, even if you can only afford to go once. It's especially useful if you struggle with disordered eating, because a good dietician can also give you strategies to help with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wj74 Posted June 23, 2012 Author Share Posted June 23, 2012 Tryp, I am bad with eating on a schedule. Sometimes it's that I am busy, sometimes not hungry, sometimes I just plain forget. :/ that would probably help... I tend to not eat much in the morning hours and it probably throws off the whole day. A nutritionist is probably a good idea. Not sure what my coverage is for that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tryp Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 The nice thing about them compared to tdocs and pdocs is that you don't have to go that often. Mine recommended that I come twice - once to make the diet plan and once to see how it was going. I went a couple more times and I could have fully only gone once and been okay. Make sure it's a registered dietician though - that's a regulated profession whereas anyone who wants to can call themselves a nutritionist. At least that's how it is up North. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wj74 Posted June 23, 2012 Author Share Posted June 23, 2012 Good point-- I don't want to end up with one of those new agey ones that tell me I'm fat because of my meds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tryp Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 I was actually really surprised that mine knew about my meds and was really positive about them. I actually got a really great dietician - she knew a lot about binge eating and mindful eating and she was totally supportive of my MI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wj74 Posted June 23, 2012 Author Share Posted June 23, 2012 Hmm I will see if I can find someone like that. My therapist has mentioned her being able to help with that too. I have been avoiding the subject all together. I would like my pants to fit tho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAL9000 Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 I know I need to exercise and the whole topic makes me twitchy so can we stay away from that? Thanks. I am more interested in what you eat... low carb? low cal? portion sizes? What does your meal plan look like? I'm not happy that my shorts are tighter than they were last year. I did gain a hunk of weight between Valentine's Day and Mother's Day but I think it's coming off again. Too much sweet stuff. I have been trying to avoid eating so many carbs, some days I lean towards low calorie. Is one plan better than another if you're on an AAP? For me it was eating a large breakfast inside an hour of waking. Lots of protean like egg whites meat etc. Walking daily or hoofing it on a treadmill is a plus (Working out with a small weight (5 to 8 lbs) is also good. I needed (And may need) a rigid place that works with me to get on track. In my case its not a health club but the local hospital. *Unrelated to MI health issue. Large breakfast - normal lunch - smallish dinner. Its slowly worked in around 3 or 4 years I've lost almost 100 lbs. I can wear non "Large" shirts etc. Throwing away food (I'm full I don't need to do the clean plate club) was a huge thing for me. Its contrary to how I was raised (Eat EVERYTHING on your plate or else) I had to see two doctors to get myself on the right track. I think taking it really seriously helped me a lot. It was stay fat and die or loose weight and live. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wj74 Posted June 23, 2012 Author Share Posted June 23, 2012 Holy crap, 100 lbs?! That's awesome. I do think that eating more earlier in the day would help. I tend to realize I haven't eaten much after lunch time and then I am starving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaw72 Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 For me, I tend to get belly fat when I eat snacks. Regular meals (no rhyme or reason to what kind of diet it is, except just watching what I eat in general) 3 times a day usually gets me back on track. I dont always do that, but know if I had to that is what I would tend to move towards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enlightened_plutonian Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 I've lost a few pounds since starting Seroquel, though my weight is healthy. I would say that most was through exercise though. But I would imagine that my diet changes helped. I reduced carbs and replaced them with fruit and veg. I have the most at breakfast time, and the least in the evening. Breakfast is carbs, lunch I try to focus on protein with only a little bit of carbs plus some fruit and veg, and dinner is fruit and veg. I have also cut out meat but don't know whether this had any impact on my weight or not (I'm not suggesting that you do this, I just wanted to list all the changes I've made). It is probably a good idea to see a dietician. That would be the best place to start. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dedoubt Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 I lost 12 pounds in under two months, and (I hope) am still losing weight. The two changes I made are to count calories and to be more active (I know you don't want to hear that, but it is part of what changed things for me-- mostly just going out for walks). The calorie counting can be difficult if there are ED like behaviors, but I have been managing to do it most of the time without being overly restrictive. In the past I would be obsessive about every calorie and not eat more than 800 a day. Sigh. Now I use a calorie counting app on my phone, and try to keep up with it throughout the day, but not obsess over every detail. It also keeps track of how much water you drink, which is good for me as I tend to forget about water (though it is pretty much all I drink, I don't drink enough to keep up with all the meds). Another thing the app tracks is the ratio of protein, fat and carbs. It has been a real eye opener-- even on days I thought I ate a bunch of protein, most days I just don't get enough. It is helping me to slowly but surely change what types of food I eat. I'm trying for a balance of 35% protein, 15% fat and 50% carbs. Most of the protein I eat is chicken or egg whites. I eat too much white sugar (in my coffee, which, ahem, I am not supposed to drink), but do manage to eat mostly whole grains. I absolutely do not eat enough fruits and vegetables. ETA: Something that was very educational was to find just how much little bites of various things adds up. So I was sort of obsessing for a little while, but as I have learned to not just nibble on things, I have had to think about it less. So, even with not being overly focused on all the details, I've still managed to lose weight. In the past, I lost a bunch of weight just giving up dairy, which my body has a hard time processing. Besides what I'm doing now, that was really the only time I've lost weight in a healthy way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olga Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 The old saying is: "Breakfast like a king, Lunch like a prince, Dine like a pauper." You don't have to eat a double-stack of pancakes and sausage for breakfast, but a good, filling meal to start your day is one of the cardinal rules of healthy eating. A bowl of oatmeal with a serving of fruit (not juice---real fruit that you have to chew) with a small amount of milk or yogurt or some form of protein would do the trick. Toast is fine if it's whole-grain and you put peanut butter or something with protein on it. Our favorite breakfast most mornings is cracked wheat bread with a little jam or peanut butter, and a small bowl of plain yogurt with strawberries, cantaloupe, or blueberries. I can't eat one cookie or one potato chip, so I can't keep snack foods in the house. They are permanently banned. You do need to eat more fruits and vegetables. I often suggest to people that they wash and cut up some veggies on Sunday, and put them in plastic bags in the fridge. When you're going to school or work on a weekday, you can grab a handful of carrot sticks or cucumber pieces and take them in a little container. Plan your lunch around veggies and grains---maybe make a big bowl of a lentil salad or a wild rice salad and then have a scoop of that with some raw vegetables. If you want to snack, you have to break the cookie/chip habit and eat a banana or an apple or a handful of strawberries instead. I agree with tryp that seeing a nutritionist is a great idea. I also agree with dedoubt that tracking your food in terms of protein/carbs/fat is a good idea to get a handle on where you are putting the bulk of your calories. My doctor thinks most people eat too much protein (he's a vegan) so he wants his patients to eat 75% carbs (grains, fruits, veggies), 20% protein, and 5% percent in healthy fats. I know you don't want to hear about exercising, but I'm in dedoubt's camp on this: if you walk for even half an hour a day, you will start dropping half a pound to a pound every week---assuming that you don't increase your caloric intake. I lost 17 pounds in the first 4 months that I started walking every day, without modifying my diet. Oh, and chocolate is its own food group---always leave some room for chocolate! heh olga Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wj74 Posted June 24, 2012 Author Share Posted June 24, 2012 Thanks everyone. I guess I will start with the dietician, all of this is getting overwhelming. I think filling in the blanks with more veggies is a good place to start... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wemble Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 essentially loosing weight is calories in vs. calories out, but if you're trying to avoid counting, think of a dinner plate (a small one, not one of those huge ones we have now) -divide the plate in half -then divide one side into quarters so now you have one half and two quarters -on the "one half" side of you plate, load up the veggies -on one quarter put your protein -on the other quarter, place your GOOD carbs (brown rice, etc.) don't "overflow" the quarter sections, but you can with the veggies - especially if it's raw. try not to cooke your veggies (or anything else for that matter) in a bunch of butter or grease. other than that, limit sweets, mindless eating (bag of chips in front of the tv, etc.), and move! hth! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helenllama Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 I used to do Slimming World and did well on it as well. I lost weight quite fast at times. Another thing about slimming world is also about eating enough and it's more of a lifestyle change than anything. I am also thinking about going back but am working on something to make it work as well if not better this time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAL9000 Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Holy crap, 100 lbs?! That's awesome. I do think that eating more earlier in the day would help. I tend to realize I haven't eaten much after lunch time and then I am starving. If I understand it your matobolism (Spelzed?) has to select one of two modes for the day. If you put off eating until noon (As I did) your body decides to slow down the Mo-tab and you store away fat because its in the "We must not have caught any food today *Caveman stuff. If you put away some protean the body switches into high mo-tab and your body is into the "lets get lean and strong" mode. Fat people can't get away from the Saber Tooth Tigers I guess. I love eggs (Even egg whites) and you can mix an infinite number of things with them to make it different. Onions, Cheese, Ham, Red / green / yellow / orange peppers, salsa etc etc etc. I really (for real) hit the 100 lb mark a short time ago. Its taken like 4 years? (Around that) Its really astonishing cool to buy "medium" shirts versus XL. And belts... I love cutting off big chunks of belts! *Although I wish now I had saved one. I was adding holes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAL9000 Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I'm doing Slimming World, which is the rival to weight watchers here in the UK. Weight watchers makes me disordered. I don't think it is a healthy to count everything and eat by points, not by nutrition. I am allowed unlimited amounts of grains, veggies (nearly, all some exceptions) fruit (but whole, no juice/smoothies) pasta, lean meat (no visible fat and not cooked in fat, no processed meat) fish, quorn, tofu, eggs, fat free yogurt etc. I have a measured allowance for milk and bread/crispbreads/cereal (fibre things.) That is basically it. I can make my own recipes or use some of theirs, I don't have to be supplements or diet versions of snacks. I am allowed 15 points worth of snacks pr day, so a glass of wine, some chocolate, cheese, a small bag of chips, whatever I like. I use the low cal spray for cooking things as oil is counted. Points can be saved and used on one special meal that week, or eaten per day. I've lost half a stone in four weeks, with little exercise done. I'm working on exercise. I think it's more about nutrition for me, whole foods, home cooking, not eating out a lot etc. If you crave ground beef cook it in a fry pan - dump it all in a veg rinser and spray or run hot water over it until the water is clear. You've turned your 80/20 meat into 99/1 (Or whatever) Make things that use spice not salt or fat for flavour. Keep at it! Slow is ok and I think measuring food all the time and myself would make me crazy(er). I just wait until the GP told me how it was working. Don't loose confidence. The rigid work out (X days a week) stuff really made a difference as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 I've gone from 16.5 stone to 14.5 in eight weeks. So I'm doing good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koa Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 I had to look it up, but 2 stone is like 30 pounds. That's awesome. I had lost 15 pounds but I gained it all back on a 3 week vacation. I need to lose about 50 pounds. I have no idea how to even start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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