Weight Problems

[ninjatoth]

I am frustrated.When I was 20 I got up to 260lbs,and at 5'11",that's pretty fat.I decided to follow the Atkins diet,and within 6 months I went from 260 to 190.Well,when I was 22 I got ulcerative colitis,and the doctor put me on prednisone,and within 1 month I went from 182 to 225.Ever since then I cannot seem to lose weight,even with cutting my carbs the lowest I have even went was 212.Now,I am doing the Atkins diet again,and am losing no weight at all,and I think it's because my psychiatrist put me on meds.I weighed in at 243 last night.I have tried cutting calories,and that seems to work-but calorie counting or exercize stresses me out because i'm always writing down my calories and getting obsessed with exercize.I think maybe the reason carb counting worked so well at first is because I was only 20,and not working so well now because I will be 30 in 2 months.All I know is that I have to do something,and keep trying because I fear if I do nothing I will weigh 300 lbs.

[durk]

If you happen to have a iPhone or iPod touch, their is a good free app. that tracks your calories. (Loose it) I think it's called. Works great. I'm down 14.8 lbs. since Jan. 5th

[Insulation Tim]

Many of the psychotherapeutic drugs will cause weight gain. Talk to your Doc about it and possibly have him/her change your med.

[TheGunClinger]

Most diets suk! Its easy to say but to lose weight you must eat less of what made you fat. If you go on any diet that eliminates something.. you will crave it and you will fail. Just eat less of what made you fat and try to do more excercize. The best diet in the world is called "Divorce" I dont recommend it, but it does work!

[ckill1]

The major source of weight gain with steroids(prednisone) is water retention. May I ask what psych meds you have been placed on? Some SSI's I believe can inhibit your body's ability to process calories. I am not a fan of Atkins or any of the carb-limiting/high protein diets. Extreme examples can actually throw a body into a ketoacidosis & cause further problems, especially with ulcerative colitis.

Chris

[ninjatoth]

Most diets suk! Its easy to say but to lose weight you must eat less of what made you fat. If you go on any diet that eliminates something.. you will crave it and you will fail. Just eat less of what made you fat and try to do more excercize. The best diet in the world is called "Divorce" I dont recommend it, but it does work!

Come to think of it,I did lose weight when I went through a divorce.I was 240 when I got left,and I was 215 when I started dating again.Now that i'm married again,I got heavy again.And not just me,I think my wife has gained about 70 lbs in our 3.5 years of marriage.It is too easy to let things go when married.

[ninjatoth]

Many of the psychotherapeutic drugs will cause weight gain. Talk to your Doc about it and possibly have him/her change your med.

I am on Luvox and Resperdol-and I just looked up Resperdol,and it is listed as an anti-psychotic drug for schizophrenia.What the flip?All I have is OCD,why did he put me on that?I trusted him and now I just looked it up and i'm on that!I hate the drug anyways,it makes me pass out at night,and come to think of it-my weight sharply increased after I started taking it!I need to talk to that doctor or change doctors,my wife wants me to change doctors anyways since she thinks he isn't doing me any good.

[Double D]

I am on Luvox and Resperdol-and I just looked up Resperdol,and it is listed as an anti-psychotic drug for schizophrenia.What the flip?All I have is OCD,why did he put me on that?I trusted him and now I just looked it up and i'm on that!I hate the drug anyways,it makes me pass out at night,and come to think of it-my weight sharply increased after I started taking it!I need to talk to that doctor or change doctors,my wife wants me to change doctors anyways since she thinks he isn't doing me any good.

You gotta watch the doctors. Heck, they dont have to suffer the side effects so whats the big deal. My wife reads up on everything and anything the doc prescribes. Good luck with the weight gain. It is one of the hardest things in life to control.

[ninjatoth]

I been taking psych meds for so long now and I don't really see any improvements,exept for being very slow and tired all the time from the one medication.It just makes me want to give up on treatment that I wanted and put alot of time into.I got Froyd on one shoulder and Tom Cruise on the other telling me which way to go.

[Maximilian II]

Diet is just one part of losing weight. It can also be a way people "punish" themselves because of the self esteem being lowered by that overweight condition. Don't fall into that trap!

EXERCISE is far more important in weight loss than reduced food intake. You must quite simply burn more calories than you eat, consistently, to lose. Increased exercise will also help you feel way better as you get into shape. Win-win there. Eat reasonable, nutritionally balanced meals and get exercise. If you can go to a gym, don't just do cardio either. Do resistance training for strength. Bigger muscles burn more calories!

All this is easier said than done. I'm a big fellow myself, weighed 275lbs. at age 18, got into shape in college (195lbs. solid MMA type fit) and then lost down to 165lbs. while working a meatgrinder job. Now back to 275lbs. at 5'9".

The hardest part is making the desirable behaviors a habit.

[Vladimir]

I am on Luvox and Resperdol-and I just looked up Resperdol,and it is listed as an anti-psychotic drug for schizophrenia.What the flip?All I have is OCD,why did he put me on that?I trusted him and now I just looked it up and i'm on that!I hate the drug anyways,it makes me pass out at night,and come to think of it-my weight sharply increased after I started taking it!I need to talk to that doctor or change doctors,my wife wants me to change doctors anyways since she thinks he isn't doing me any good.

Don't rush to judgement, doctors, believe it or not, normally know what they are doing (assuming you are giving them the right information)- though certainly all do not. (I for one was taking anti-narcolepsy medication for ADD and it was the best medication I was ever on for my ADD).

I would trash the atkins, I would find what works for you. I know your frustration, I am waffling between 260-270, from a high of over 350 (and I am only 22 :eek:). I am trying to get back into exercise and more importantly portion control, as not only do I want to lose another 40+ pounds, but I certainly don't want to be putting any back on.

For me a huge difference was cutting out soda (start drinking a lot of carbonated water instead), and portion control brought on by college independence (I find it much easier to STOP eating when you PAID for the food :eek:). That obviously isn't always going to work, which I know isn't particularly helpful- but find what works for you! If that means approaching it from a financial angle, go for it, if that means teaming up with your wife and going for a teamwork angle, go for it, if that means getting a regimented system like Weight Watchers, go for it.

Not only do I disagree with Atkins as a system (after all what is more important than your weight is your health, and Atkins is not healthy), but it clearly is not working for you- time for something new!

[Popeye]

EXERCISE is far more important in weight loss than reduced food intake. You must quite simply burn more calories than you eat, consistently, to lose. Increased exercise will also help you feel way better as you get into shape. Win-win there. Eat reasonable, nutritionally balanced meals and get exercise. If you can go to a gym, don't just do cardio either. Do resistance training for strength. Bigger muscles burn more calories!

Excellent advice. Walk, a lot!

[keepitlow]

Here is my trainer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9hk9z1YVcE

here is his forum

http://www.rosstraining.com/forum/index.php?sid=db056cf4df4ae4d6a9fabf626db44a3f

His books and DVD's are a giveaway...buy em.

These are areas I train in. Although time, $$ and energy constraints don't always allow me to get em all in. But having the right formula is half the battle and I have them on my mind to not neglect.

Weight / strength training
Aerobics / HIIT / Fartlek
Nutrition
Balance / equilibrium training
Yoga / flexibility training
Speed training applied by body
Speed training applied by mechanical means
Height / altitude training
Pressure / depth training
Centrifugal training
Jump / Height / Plyometrics training
Breath Holding training
Lung expansion training
Ambidextrous training
Inversion training
Timing and Coordination training
Agility training
Stability training
Cold training
Mind training
Mind relaxation / meditation (zazen)

Proper Sleep...(yep I have to train in sleep too! The way modern man and woman live has lost all connection with natural sleep cycles set forth by nature. A diver summed up his sleep training as well as mine - "I plan my sleep and sleep my plan.")

For those that do not know how calories work, when you eat 3500 unburned or unneeded calories, whether in a day or over a week, it puts on a pound of fat. (For reference: 3200 calories is the same as 4 sticks or one pound of butter.)

We all burn up so much calories in a day and my balance point at 55 years of age for my height and metabolism and lifestyle is about 1900 calories a day. It took some time to figure this number out, but thorough trial and error I now have it.

Although metabolisms change with age, as my caloric balance point was about 2500 calories a day when I was 30 years old. If you are in a big city you can get a RM test to find out your caloric resting metabolism rate, but where I live it is only by trail and error.

You can lose weight by eating a 1000 calories a day diet of candy bars. But is it healthy? Is it sustainable? Is it balanced? What about vomiting and laxatives so you can artificially eat more food? Working yourself ragged exercising day and night to the point of ill health to eat more? All must be answered as NO!

These are not healthy or sustainable practices for a lifetime of weight control. So make your losing weight diet and lifestyle healthy and sustainable so the switch back to normal eating is not that different from a diet of weight loss eating, with the main difference just being less calories by 15%-20%


Highly recommended. Get it from your library. Showcases the unhealthy US diet.

http://www.amazon.com/Super-Size-Me-John-Banzhaf/dp/B0002OXVBO

[carver]

Your car's engine is simular to your body in that it too requires fuel. The more fuel you give your car, the faster it goes! How fast do you go when you eat a big meal (lots of fuel)? Unlike your car your body stores fuel, your car doesn't! Therefore you must increase your metabilism in order to burn the stored fuel (go faster). As your metabalism increases you feel the energy your body is creating, and you are burning stored fuel, if you have decreased the amount you are putting in. Once your metabalism is where it should be your heart rate will slow down, you will have more energy, and feel better physically, as well as mentally. In short get up off your butt and work it off! Now I have to eat those words, and get up off my butt and work of some of my fat!

[fleetwood1976]

Dude, Lighten Up! (no pun intended). I was 5'11' and 380 lbs. I am a slinder 359 after my new years resolution diet. I would love to be 250 again. In fact that is my goal. I guess it is all in what you are used to carrying. Ditto on the excercise and being active. sit ups and push ups help tone a lot as you lose.