Sigh...looking like a static at best!

[CatCrazy]

Been keeping a food diary, filling it in meticulously. I really thought last weeks loss of 4lbs was the start of it beginning to shift but the scales are showing a quarter pound gain. I'm having between 800 and 1100 calories, occasionally lower, not even feeling hungry if i have juice first thing so why isnt it shifting. I cant really go much lower, have no energy as it is (not from dieting, emphysema and the lack of oxygen has that effect) I am so GRRRR I could cry in fact i think I will!:cry:

 

[juju79]

It sounds like you are not eating enough. Your body has gone into starvation mode and won't let you lose any weight.

Why don't you put a copy of a days food plan on here. I'm sure we could all give you some advice.

 

[CatCrazy]

Mondays food diary

This is one of my better days, if I start the day with a glass of juice i'm struggling to eat until about 2pm. I am limited on how much fluid i can have due to one of my medicines causing urinary retention so only generally have 3-4 drinks a day, 2 juice and 1 or 2 decaf black coffees with no sugar

10:30 AM Breakfast

brown bread thin slice, 2 x serving 154 Calories
2 hard boiled eggs, 180 Calories
10 gram olive spread 54 calories



12:30 PM Lunch
slimfast vanilla, 1 x serving 230 calories



06:30 PM Dinner
coley, 1.5 x serving 112 calories
tinned chopped tomatoes, 0.5 x serving 17 calories
Potatoes, boiled, 0.5 x cup 67 calories
Olive Oil, 1 x tbsp 120 calories
brocolli frozen, 1 x cup 25 calories
Cauliflower, frozen, 1 x cup 34 calories
Cheese, cheddar, 0.8 x slice (1 oz) 90 calories
Herbs and spices ??


1 glass of orange juice 110 calories

I don't get the too few calories thing, how does anorexia happen if you gain weight on too few? Before embarking on this diet my usual daily calorie count was 1400-1800 where i was gaining a steady 2-3lb a week. I know my Dr doesnt believe me, my kids are ready to give him a mouthful as they KNOW exactly what i eat. They joke that I have the digestive system of a guinea pig, eat grass get fat!

 

[Lynn_]

i think the clue here is that you retain fluid due to your meds. A weekly weigh may not be the best plan for you as you could easily vary your weight by 2 or 3lbs a day. Weight loss over a month might be more realistic for you as a measure.

Your BMR (base metabolic rate) for your weight and height is around 1800 calories, that means if you stayed in bed all day and did nothing you still need 1800 calories just to exist, but you say you were gaining on that. It may be down to your meds, I know from personal experience that some diabetic meds will make you put on weight even if you strictly control what you eat (pioglitazone grrrrrrrr....) so your meds may be having that effect.

Maybe a meal replacement plan like Exante or Cambridge diet will help you lose weight, it takes food right out of the equation and you will just have the replacements which give you 600 calories a day. You are supposed to drink a lot with these meal replacements, but as you retain fluid anyway, that may not be so critical for you. I think it would be worth a try for a week anyway to see if it could shift some weight for you. You do need to get your weight down in order to cope with the emphysema better, I would have thought your doctor would be more supportive on that.

 

[Starlight]

Youre definitely not eating enough, your poor body is frantically clinging on to any food it gets. If youre going to calorie count you need to do it properly, work out what your body needs, work out how much it needs to lose. The amount youre eating equates to a VLCD without the benefits of the nutrients or going into ketosis. Too many people think that the less you eat, the more you gain. Its NOT the case.

You either need to eat a healthier amount or as Lynn said, change to a proper VLCD

 

[CatCrazy]

When I was on 1800 calories I was gaining at a steady rate, The 7 stone I've gained has all been in the last 2 1/2 years. I was 11 stone from 20 years old to 39 years old. The emphysema meds include steroids, the emphysema makes it quite hard to be as active as I need to be. Hoping my upcoming pulmonary rehab course can help there.

My Dr isn't the best when it comes to certain things. The practise nurse said that with my condition and the inability to lose weight that i'd benefit from one of the weightloss pills. My Dr's response was "don't believe in that rubbish!" He is being excellent in regards to my emphysema though.

As for the Exante or Cambridge diet, I can't afford it. Have been signed off work long term, medically. I'm a H&S nightmare. So limited budget, 3 kids to feed too. I bought the slimfast at half price (gotta love Boots sales) and use that when I have run out of energy, puff or salad. Slimfast being better than nothing and its pretty good on the vitamins and minerals needed (i think)
I did try the slimfast plan, 2 shakes, a couple of low cal/fat snacks and a 600 calorie meal...I GAINED no surprise there!

So any advice on where I could get hold of some VLCD meal guides?

 

[Starlight]

Exante only works out at £25 a week.... is that much more than youre spending on food for yourself just now? Its the mst affordable one

Is there another doctor you could see? Yours sounds less than helpful

Or what about trying something like WW or SW, you might really benefit from a 'professional' helping you and they can tweak your diet and check out your food diary on a weekly basis

 

[CatCrazy]

I spend about £85 on feeding me, 3 teenagers, the cats as well as the rest of the weekly shop so yes, £25 is a bit steep for me.

My Dr is the senior Dr in the practice so a bit difficult and I really don't want to switch surgeries at this point in the diagnosis and treatment, Only had the diagnosis for a couple of months so still reeling from it really. If this all fails then I may enlist the help of the nurse or consider a switch but at the moment I feel it would be detrimental to switch.

I've considered SW and WW but without transport and being unable to walk between bus stops it would mean taxi fares, once again lack of funds cut in. Im on ESA which is bare minimum benefits. I have been told to apply for DLA but looking at the criteria I'm pretty sure I wouldn't get it. I have 2 legs for starters!

Anyway I'm hoping my downer was linked to the fact that I've just come on, (the come when they want) that might also account for the slight gain.

Thanks for all your suggestions

 

[Starlight]

If there are other doctors in the practise can you not just see them without actually changing doctors. My practise has 6 doctors in it, I very rarely see the one Im registered with but it doesnt matter. Is ther a female doctor you could see. If hes being this unhelpful I dont think you owe him any loyalty x

 

[CatCrazy]

There are 2 other Drs but you tend to see your Dr at my surgery, continuity of care etc. If the weight does not start coming off I feel I would have the nurse on side.
I do like my Dr and I would agree with him about weight-loss pills if it wasn't for my other health problems, I really could do with losing some weight quickly to make exercising easier. Diet pills don't really train you to eat healthily etc. Not that I think I eat too unhealthily to be honest. Usually lots of veg, salad, fish. Hardly any red meat. (can't afford it) And very few processed foods. My cholesterol level of 3.7 bears this out. The only thing missing from my diet in general is fruit. Not a fan of sweet foods.

Can I just ask what is wrong with the meal I posted? Where am I going wrong? Generally the slimfast meal would not be there, slimfast is used as back up only. Lunch generally would be a salad with tuna, salmon or a boiled egg but it was a Monday meal, my shopping comes on Tuesdays and I typically start to run out of things by Monday.

Just had a look at Exante and their contraindications - don't think I would be allowed to use it even if i could scrape together the money to buy it

 

[Lady Gaga]

It sounds like you are not eating enough. Your body has gone into starvation mode and won't let you lose any weight.

The idea that "not eating enough" causes the body to stop losing weight because it goes into "starvation mode" is a popular myth among dieters. The Starvation Myth (based on research).

 

[Lady Gaga]

This article could possibly explain it Of Whooshes and Squishy Fat | BodyRecomposition - The Home of Lyle McDonald

 

[CatCrazy]

Whooshes and squishy fat rings a bell, 1lb the first week, 4lb the second week. a slight gain this week but my upper stomach definitely feels squishier and is the only place where i've actually lost an inch. We will see what next week brings I guess...a stone would be nice zzzzz Sorry, dreaming Lol

Thanks for posting that.

 

[Lynn_]

Ive had a look at your meal plan again from the first post and would like to make a few suggestions that might help.

If you really have a problem with losing weight, and being on steroids im sure you do, then you could try having your main meal at lunchtime. If you dropped the olive oil and the cheese you would save 200 calories as well.

Have your breakfast food (the egg and bread, but just have one slice of bread) in the evening and have maybe cereal and skimmed milk at breakfast. You wouldnt need to eat much at breakfast if you were having the main meal at lunchtime.

This way your body could utilise the calories from your main meal much better by eating it earlier, when you are more likely to be a little more active, and its not so likely to just sit in your stomach and not be digested properly.

You already know that you have a problem with losing weight, but i feel sure that you just need to be patient. Its just going to take you a little longer to see the results.

Hang on in there!

 

[CatCrazy]

Thanks for replying.

I will often have my main meal at lunchtime, its just that I like to eat with the kids a couple of times a week. They hate me sitting there with my boiled egg and bread and butter (olive spread) or my half tub of low fat cottage cheese and a crisp-bread when they're tucking into something that I've spent a while cooking. They're understanding if its something high calorie etc. but when its relatively low calorie/fat they say they feel guilty so I plan a couple of meals where I am eating with them.

The evening meal I posted was made into an Italian fish bake and the tsb of olive oil was actually shared between the 5 portions on the potatoes with herbs and spices. the cheese was 90 calories wasted but was a little hard to peel it off the rest of the meal.

Monday was also my highest calorie day. I chose that as I think my Juice breakfast, prawn salad lunch, boiled egg dinner with a quavers snack later would have had too many hands thrown up in horror lol. Most of my days the last couple of weeks have come in at 700-800 calories.

I know its going to be slow because I know it wasnt eating terribly that put it on...its just when its going so slow and then goes into reverse that I get really down about it. All that effort for what seems like nothing.

 

[SammyE]

My nemesis is carbs... if I diet like hell but eat carbs I will not lose a pound, if I eat more cals but with no carbs, the weight falls off... evil carbs... but oh how i love them... bread... pasta... potatoes... if I eat them... even just 1 slice of bread, I will not lose weight but if I stick to real low carbs I lose weight I think its just a case of finding the right diet for you.

Its a shame your doctor isnt more helpful, they complain about people being over weight and blame most medical problems on it, you would think they would be a bit more helpful when people ask for help.

 

[CatCrazy]

My Dr although good with most things just seems totally closed minded to the benefits of the diet pills for someone caught in a vicious circle like I am. emphysema means little effective exercise, little exercise means the weight either goes on or doesn't shift easily which makes the emphysema worse and so on.
I might try pleading my case again, just to shift the first couple of stone which I KNOW will make it so much easier. I was scared of exercising much before, I hadn't had a diagnosis apart from my long term asthma and breathlessness even with a known cause is extremely blooming frightening, without a known cause its not only frightening but also potentially dangerous. I'm about to embark on a pulmonary rehabilitation course so will know exactly how hard I can push myself and If i'd already lost a couple of stone it would make a fair bit of difference to how much I could do.

As for the carbs I lost my 4lbs the week I reintroduced them, that might just have been a case swings and roundabouts tho. I'm not bothering this week to any extent, keep it low fat but not worry too much on the calories as I have come on for the 2nd time in 3 weeks on top of a stinking cold with tonsillitis and a mild chest infection and need extra or i'll be back up the hospital with the threat of a plasma transfusion if I am not careful, something I really don't want.

Does anyone know how many calories are in ibuprofen, tranexamic acid, amoxillin, zantac and merocaine cos thats my total intake so far today apart from a pot of creme caramel at a 107 calories. If i was a horse they would shoot me lol!