[DruulEmpire]

Okay, I've fucking had it.

Saw my doctor today, and she didn't even talk about weight, but she wants to bring my blood pressure back from the borderline and it's a cinch that weight loss would help.

Back in the Nineties, if I really pushed myself, I could still get myself back down to 225 -- still overweight, but only a bit.  Now it's going crazy.  I eat better, more grain, more veggies, more spring water, I live on the same block as two of the best pizzerias in Western Pennsylvania but manage to shun them most of the year, I walk more -- and damn if it doesn't keep c-r-e-e-p-i-n-g back up.  I have a record of being 252 in December 2009 and this morning I weighed in at 272.  It's like life is telling me "Sure, go ahead, try harder and harder all the time to be a good boy -- but you'll still gain a pound every two months like clockwork anyway."  Where's the freakin' Off switch?  Am I seriously looking at weighing 300 come 2016?

My doctor also drew up an order for blood work.  We'll see if that explains anything.

[Trace]

Blood work might have the answer - I'd recommend making sure she included thyroid tests, because hypothyroidism can chop your metabolism.

[Ouroboros]

Best of luck DruulEmpire. Loosing weight is certainly one of the hardest things to do. If you'd like I can offer some tips on things that I found helpful when I was seriously working at dropping a couple extraneous pounds. Otherwise I'll just stand here on the sidelines and cheer for you!

[pedonbio]

Gawd, Druul, we are too much alike!

[Pipatel]

Blood work might have the answer - I'd recommend making sure she included thyroid tests, because hypothyroidism can chop your metabolism.

Precisely. Get an ultrasound of your thyroid and a blood test to check your iron levels. You might need iron supplements.

Besides weight gain another common side effect of hypothyroidism is constant tiredness.

[rjdmech]

This what worked for me.

No soda of any kind. just juice or water.Nothing with sugar

No wine , whiskey or beer.Whiskey and wine have a termendous amount of sugar

Diet, eat just meat and veggies.NO DESSERTS...Did I mention sugar before.

Stop sitting around staring at the computer, spend 1 hour every other day exercising

I exercise 6 days per week and spend 2 days just doing cardio.

Join Bodybuilding. com and get protein drinks.Have 1 to 2 per day when you exercise.You can use them as a between meal snack.Taste great.

take fishoil tablets before bedtime.I recommend that because of the fish breath.

Drink green tea.

Do not take thermogentics.They cause heart problems.Stay away from diet pills just diet.

Weight loss is a way of life you have to be serious and you have to avoid sugar at all costs.Oh I quess I should mention you are a allowed one carbo day per week to confuse your system


Good luck

[MasterDragonfly]

DE, is treadmill or elliptical an option? It wouldn't surprise me if they aren't, given the probable abuse your knees would take as a result.

Just trying to think of ways to help burn calories.

I guess bariatric surgery is always possible, but... it's not for everyone.

[DruulEmpire]

Hadn't planned to reply straightaway (by the by, I tend to go by Druul) but I've gone from 272 to 256 in this past month -- and that's counting my pigging out on hot dogs and hamburgers and chips and potato salad at a picnic just this past weekend.

I've gone through a bit of an unusual emotional rollercoaster this August-- not over weight concerns, but much deeper issues -- but along the way I've somehow learned not to fear hunger, which was my biggest saboteur.  Eat healthy, check, get out more, check -- but my hunger was always voracious and undeniable before.  Now, I live with it.  Mind you, I don't fast or skip meals, anything like that, I just work more and eat less.

Trouble is, I've been here before.  I recorded myself as being at 250 as of late 2009, but I'm not sure when I was last any lower.  250 seems to be a kind of plateau.  If I break that, I'll let you know.  Sorry to be blowing off various questions, but I'm also trying to redo the apartment, so new equipment is one of the lowest priorities I can think of right now.

ADDENDUM: heard back just this morning from the doctor.  Bad cholesterol is low --it's been low as long as I can remember, my one good quality -- but the HDL or "good cholesterol" is also a bit low, don't seem to know any magic bullet for that.  She recommends high fiber and at least 30 minutes of aerobic a day.  Oh, and I asked them about my thyroid -- they say it's at "the low end of normal," whatever that means, but evidently it is normal, so that's one less excuse to make.  And life goes on.

[gonZo]

According to my MD, building lean muscle will bring up your good cholesterol. Otherwise, sounds like you're already doing the right stuff (though 16 pounds in a month is such rapid loss that it may cause other problems... bear in mind that some of that lost weight was muscle mass).

[3deroticer]

http://www.acefitness.org/findanacepro/default.aspx

Look for a local certified Lifestyle and Weight management coach and ask your doctor for a dietician referral if you been done this road before. A Weight Management coach can work with you if you been cleared by your doctor otherwise working with both will help you on a road of a permanent solution. (Gonzo)The big weight loss is a temp solution and should only be done with a doctor monitoring you.

Some people have set point weight, and have success with maintaining the weight, but replacing the fat with muscle. You may think about a bodybuilding lifestyle.

Beware of sugar free items as most of them will actually make you heavier.

MasterDragonfly could back me up, but some martial art and yoga are really good at making your body release emotion from your muscle and mind. Eating for most people is a emotional trigger. Doing a kata whenever you are hungry can normalize your hunger pang. Also you are apt to be less hungry if you are more active. Those who exercise have a much higher success rate of maintaining a healthy weight lifestyle.

[MasterDragonfly]

This thread has reminded me that it's probably time to update cherri's LAP-band thread.

I will do so now.

[RandomX]

Druul, I feel your pain.

I am overweight and there is no fair reason for it. I have tried the traditional eat well and exercise. No luck. I eat mostly low fat and low sodium, I don't drink soda, rarely eat fast food, don't snack much. I have counted calories, tried things like Ally and juicing and nothing has helped. I have seen my doctor and had my thyroid tested. No luck.

It kills me to see people switch from regular to diet soda and then suddenly drop 30lbs and preach about how easy it is. I'm happy for them but not everyone who is overweight is lazy and doesn't work hard to stay healthy. I hate going to the doctor when they take all my bloodwork and blood pressure and they sound SURPRISED that I'm healthy despite being a large girl.

Note: I grew up in a sugar free, fat free, low sodium, low cholesterol, kosher and vegetarian household. My theory is that my body is in permanent starvation mode because it doesn't know when/if I'll return to that lifestyle.

[Nimrod]

Druul at least you are trying.

I have luckily never had "problems" with my weight. Friends, relatives, even my brother have had to do battle with their pounds. Few of them have succeeded and in my hopefully not sanctimonious sounding opinion it can come down to 2 basic approach missteps.

1) Lack of Moderation
I am not saying they did not limit themselves - in fact they have overdone it in most cases. Too much of anything, even "helpful" stuff can have a collective negative effect. With weight loss I have seen good friends starve themselves down to surprisingly low numbers only to snap back. The ability to ease into something, to be moderate about everything - not too much and not too little shows more about self discipline than any radical lifestyle change or over-the-top diet + exercise routine. It may take longer but it is much easier to do.

2) Adopting Attitude
Match your outlook and expectations to what you really feel and/or what started you on this in the first place. It is very easy to become discouraged when after a great deal of effort, perceived sacrifice and general lifestyle reworking there is little to show for it on the scale or in medical tests. Make sure that the attitude or preconceptions of your doctor, your dietician, your trainer, your friends or even your nosy neighbor are not becoming your own. You have made the decision to change things and in the end you will determine if you are succeeding.

So, do things moderately and stay true to yourself is what I am tossing out there.

Find what does work for you and your life and stick with that. Adjust anyone's advice, any diet, any whatever into something that you can actually put on, like a new jacket.

Incidentally, I grew up with hippie parents pushing a diet and life approach very much like what RandomX mentions. The moment I was out to college I went a bit crazy with my first sugar cereal, twinke, pop-tart, etc. But it was soon obvious to me that I was eating and acting like I had been locked up for 18 years. My attitude was off and there was no moderation to speak of. I lucked out by meeting Kithara near the end of college and together with our own baggage helped the other to unpack their satchel of experiences - and that was cathartic.

Hope that helps Druul.

...and no you can not borrow Kithara, but she does say best of luck in everything.

[3deroticer]

Heavy people are not lazy and can be very healthy, and genetics do have a big role. Sammo typical workout is 2 hours long and can go toe to toe with Jackie Chan in a workout. As for the soft-drink, there is 16 packets of sugar in a 20 oz container. The diet version actually triggers your hunger pang to make you crave more food.

[madcow4]

Best of luck Druul, living meat sacks are a pain in the butt to work with when they have a mind of their own.

I am overweight and there is no fair reason for it.

I can think of a couple.

Though to be fair, you'd probably have to be criminally malnourished for your proportions to work out and still be underweight. But yeah, bit of a glass house on my end, and I shouldn't throw stones.