Obesity

I'm obese...according to the charts I'm 105 lbs. overweight. Not good. My BMI is 43...the normal is 20-25. This is really freaky for me since I've never been this big. I weigh 235.

I know I have to start dieting and start exercising and during this time I'll be changing the way I eat. This is gonna be hard for me, but I have to do it for myself.

Sadly, I'm not the type that can lose weight without a little help, either. I have to take a supplement. I've tried dieting before where I was eating healthy and taking walks for 30 minutes a day everyday, sometimes twice a day (if my energy allowed for it). Even doing all that I didn't lose a pound. I have to get my thyroid checked, too.

Anyone have any tips on dieting? What to eat, what not to eat?

LEX..... have you read the FOOD LADDER that I placed on here a few weeks back? - if not please take a moment to read over it.


LoVe,
Rhapsody -

P.S.
I have lost 75 pounds....... and so can YOU!

Hi Lexi,

If you don't have any health problems that affect your diet, focusing on high-fiber items will help you as you lose weight. Eating whole grain breads and cereals will help you feel more full when you eat them, and also stay in your system longer so you'll feel less hungry as you are losing weight. Eating a big salad at least once a day is helpful (I eat one at lunch daily). Lettuce has a lot of fiber, helps you feel full, and lettuce has very few calories. If you use Romaine lettuce or one of the other unusual lettuce, you get more vitamins too - just be careful not to use too much dressing and to use a reduced-calorie dressing if possible.

Focusing more on fruits and vegetables is helpful, and eating small amounts of lean meats (poultry, fish, etc.). Learning portion sizes is also helpful - they are smaller than what is commonly served in restaurants, for instance, and that is one of the things which helped me. I cut down my portions a lot when I lost weight.

I also ate on a schedule and cut out snacking, which helped me a great deal. Each person needs to find what works for them, but I eat three meals a day at scheduled times with no snacking inbetween, and that is what works best for me. I do have treats now and then, but I cut back on the goodies a lot. If I want a treat now, I try to make it a healthy treat, like getting strawberries, or cherries - which are special for me. Or sometimes having a fig newton or a few animal cookies. I used to have way too many treats! I think I used to use food as a way to comfort myself, which happens to a lot of people. I had to learn to listen to my body and hear when it was hungry or not, and only eat when it was hungry and until I took the edge off the hunger. That took me awhile to figure out.

I don't know if any of this will help - if not feel free to ignore it. There are also really great support groups like Weight Watchers, and TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly). These may not be something that you'd be interested in, but I have friends who've done both programs and found them quite helpful, so I thought I would mention them.

Wishing you all the best.....

Take care,
ErinBear

I saw a doctor on TV who did a study on people who tend to keep a normal weight vs. overweight people, and he found that the normal-weighted people were on their feet and moving around about 2 1/2 hours more per day than the overweight people. He now stands up to work on his computer, does interviews while walking on a treadmill, and generally keeps moving.

So, if you can stand up and walk around and move around more throughout the day, that should help you as well.

I've gotten lots of great ideas from a website. There I track everything I eat. Writing down everything I eat has helped me realize - "Hey, you're not hungry...look what you've eaten today."

It's also given me exercise ideas as well as message board for support should I need it.

I've gotten away from going to it everyday with family being in town, but they're leaving tomorrow and I can get back on track.

Good luck Lexi! I feel your pain.

Thanks everyone! This is definitely very helpful.

ErinBear, I will def try to stick to fiber foods (I'm a carb junkie so it'll be rough) and a salad a day actually sounds yummy since I love salads so much.

all legumes
strawberries
whole wheat breads
grains
apples
bran muffins
raisin brain (without added sugar)
skinless chicken breasts, broiled
fish

just a few things that i can think of.

One Day at a Time,

Will you share the website?

EJ

Hi Lexi,

I was a "carb junkie" I guess too - although fruits and veggies are carbs too, just of a different kind! I still eat breads and cereals, just try to make them the healthiest ones I can. I did decide I was eating too much bread, so I eat less than I did. I missed it initially, but now that I am used to eating more fruits and veggies, I'm enjoying it and feel better.

Another thing I can say is that when I lost weight, a number of health problems went away. I think you wrote on an earlier post that you'd been having trouble with your ankles swelling? I used to have a lot of trouble with that, too. When I lost weight, it stopped for me. I never have trouble with it any longer, even in the hot weather, when it tended to be the worst for me. Somehow that fixed the problem in my case.

Anyway, still rooting for you, and wishing you all the best!

Take care,
ErinBear

Sure EJ, and anyone else interested.



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I found it through a blog I read. I really love it. I hope someone else gets some use out of it.

Becareful when changing over to a high fiber diet - you need to make sure you get plenty of liquids as well.

I chew on a lot of ice to help curb my appetite.