Have you lost weight since you got your Fitbit?

[Rnda]

I am the exact same weight as I was when I got my Flex 3 1/2 months ago!

How about you?

I'm hoping with Spring here and Summer around the corner, that my walking will increase. 

Moderator edit: title

[totallyconfused]

Meds play such an important part and I never paid attention to that
before. I just decided to keep moving so I don't end up like my
mother-in-law confined in a bed because she wouldn't do anything to keep
her joints and muscles fluid.

[totallyconfused]

That's what I discovered I like best about my fitbit. The reminders to
put down the book and move every hour. Then that makes me want to go
for 5,000 steps by noon. Then if I can 5,000 steps by evening. My
daily goal is 8,500 steps and I do make that most days. As I get
stronger I hope to make 10,000 my daily goal. On golf days when I walk
15,000+steps I feel wonderful. The next day my feet hurt like blue
blazes but I feel good. Now If I could just loose the weight. I still
can't figure out how I eat 800 cal. a day of rabbit food with chicken
thrown in and not loose. When my cal guide say I can eat 1400 cal.

[totallyconfused]

Hate to burst your bubble and what you say may be valid for some people
but the doctors have told me that the seizure and pain meds I am on will
increase weight. I also had a metabolism rate test done a few years
back and my metabolism is extremely slow. MEDICAL FACT! I eat no
carbs, just crappy rabbit food with fresh squeezed lemon 2 oz of
grilled chicken breast. Water. I don't drink alcohol my indulgence is
black coffee or plain tea. Walking 4.5 most days, light weights and
walking 6-7 miles every other day. Don't want to look like my neighbor
who is a skeleton with skin. nd the most stress I have in my life now
what book to read for reading club. So what do you suggest ?

[MaryDJ]

If you are having trouble losing, make an appointment with a nutritionist. They can look at what you are eating and help curate a diet plan that's right for you. Everyone is different due to their chemistry and health issues. It may not simply be that you need to eat less -- it could be the quality of your diet (I.e. you might not be eating enough protein or too much hidden sugar).

I did this in February and have lost 45 lbs and it's no more expensive than Weight Watchers. When I hit a plateau recently, the nutritionist showed me how to switch up some things and get back on track quickly.

I've learned some surprising things. If you restrict your calories too much, you won't lose being one (I eat 1,200 per day and my step goal is too embarrassing low to reveal). Another was the importance of healthy fats on a daily basis.

The importance of a professionally guided process cannot be understated if you need help and/or have a lot to lose. I'm at my lowest weight in 20 years and still want to lose another 30 lbs. Best wishes in your efforts!


Mary D. Jones, CFA

[GershonSurge]

@totallyconfused,

Please don't hit me during the first paragraph.

Unfortunately, I have not seen a single study documenting a "slow metabolism" where the subjects were in a controlled environment with calories consumed and burned carefully monitored. What I have seen is people become lethargic because of the type or quantity of food they are eating. As a result they move less. Still, there is nothing that suggests a person your size will not lose weight on 800 calories a day.

Let's agree on one thing: What you are doing now is not working. 

As you describe it, you are on a low-carb diet.  Since it is low-carb, it must be either high-protein, high fat, or both. This type of diet is known as the Atkins diet, and it makes people lose weight by making them sick. It hasn't worked for you yet, and it won't in the future. It may cause degenerative diseases if it hasn't already.

Let's agree on another thing: Due to your physical condition, it's difficult to burn many extra calories through physical activity.

If you haven't hit me yet, I'd suggest looking in another direction for help. That would be a starch centered, whole food plant based way of eating. You won't need to count calories. You won't need more than normal activity. You won't need to be hungry. 

The best source I know of for an initial overview is these 12 videos. 

When you have questions, I suggest going to the forums at Dr. McDougall's website.

[totallyconfused]

I guess you haven't spent 6 months in and out of a hospital. There are
tests and studies on slow and fast metabolisms. So I will go with what
my doctor and nutritionist, who preaches food control and exercise, but
is about 50 pounds over weight herself. Thanks for your imput though.

[GershonSurge]

---

@totallyconfused wrote:
I guess you haven't spent 6 months in and out of a hospital. There are
tests and studies on slow and fast metabolisms. So I will go with what
my doctor and nutritionist, who preaches food control and exercise, but
is about 50 pounds over weight herself. Thanks for your imput though.

---

@totallyconfused,

I guess I'm totally confused now. If what your doctor and nutritionist are telling you isn't working, why do you continue to follow them? With their recommendations, it's common for patients to have guilt feelings because they aren't following the diet well enough. Is your nutritionist really recommending 800 calories/day?

So far, you have rejected everyone's comments because you are committed to something that isn't working. Perhaps, it's time to at least study other ways to see if there is something else you would prefer.

Best of luck to you,

Gershon

[EmjayH]

Personally I'd never take an overweight nutritionist seriously. I'd look for a new one. But then that's just me. 

[totallyconfused]

I'm not rejecting I was asking what others have found and I follow my
professional's advice because I really, really don't like being in a
coma for days on end and waking up to a worried family.

[totallyconfused]

I know bit it seems all the nutritionists are over weight When my
husband had heart surgery for a valve replacement and an aneurysm the
woman could hardly walk. nd she's telling him to stay away from fast
foods. We never eat fast food. I just take the advice about times of
day to eat before my meds.

[GershonSurge]

---

@EmjayH wrote:

Personally I'd never take an overweight nutritionist seriously. I'd look for a new one. But then that's just me. 

---

I'd never go to a doctor who has mostly chronically ill patients.

[Roboharrogate]

I completely agree. It a bit like going to a shrink who has psychotic problems.

Sent from my iPhone

[Heybales]

For both that have commented on eating barely anything and not losing (even with medical condition) - the following video is probably describing a big part of what has occurred.

Notice that this was CAUSED by their extreme diet. In this case purposely for the research study.

Pity the participants.

Now, outside this, it could be that food logging is inaccurate to a very bad level. That is unlikely to wipe out an entire huge deficit unless one is just dishonest or has several really bad binge days because of eating so low, so avg calories eaten is basically unknown.

Because you eat low enough - you will lose weight - the body can only adapt so much and slow down.

Sadly it's under huge stress when it has to do that too, and success is likely to not be found.

Medical condition just makes it worse, the stress on the body, and the added stress of a deficit should therefore be minor. Which it isn't at this point.

Might reread my comment about meds and it preventing weight loss - I think I saw emotion get in the way of recognizing what was said.

Here's the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i_cmltmQ6A

[Heybales]

---

@totallyconfused wrote:
Hate to burst your bubble and what you say may be valid for some people
but the doctors have told me that the seizure and pain meds I am on will
increase weight. I also had a metabolism rate test done a few years
back and my metabolism is extremely slow. MEDICAL FACT! I eat no
carbs, just crappy rabbit food with fresh squeezed lemon 2 oz of
grilled chicken breast. Water. I don't drink alcohol my indulgence is
black coffee or plain tea. Walking 4.5 most days, light weights and
walking 6-7 miles every other day. Don't want to look like my neighbor
who is a skeleton with skin. nd the most stress I have in my life now
what book to read for reading club. So what do you suggest ?

---

Your meds will keep constantly increasing your weight?

Or it will cause an increase of how much and then stop?

Your metabolism probably was slow for someone your gender, age, weight, height per calculated estimate.

But I'll bet it was within 5% for someone your gender and bodyfat %, if not right on.

If you've been dieting and not doing correct workouts for years, or yo-yoing through life on diets - you've likely lost the normal 20% Lean Body Mass that is the basis for a normally expected metabolism.

So while it may be below expected average, probably right on for what you've had through life.

Not eating carbs is another stress on your body - because your body will take protein it wants and convert to carbs it desires.

You may be on ketones for brain function, but other parts of the body will only use glucose as fuel source, and it will get it somehow.

Cut out the stresses you can since you have some built in ones.

Watch the video in my other post as to what has happened.

Be open to other approaches you can ask your medical team about.

Just as Dr's aren't required to do more than a semester on nutrition and even that may be rather dated, hence they reason they should recommend you to a degree'd nutritionist, that person also may not have kept up with new research, or even their schooling was on old info.

That's why it's good to have some current knowledge yourself to know if they have kept up.

Like if they are saying high cholesterol from the foods you eat could cause you heart problems, time to see if they kept up with studies for last 5-10 years.

[EmjayH]

Interesting video but doesn't it just highlight what most of us in this community are trying to do? Build a better and more controllable eating and lifestyle habit. Once you've lost the weight you can't just dust ur hands off and pat ur self on the back, then go back to ur old ways. You gotta stay mindful of what you eat and how active you are

[totallyconfused]

Last fitness test resting heart rate 68 bpm. After 20 min of treadmill
at full incline going at a running rate of 4.8 mph, have bad back and
knees, heart rate was up to a whopping 70 bpm. After cool down back to
68 bpm. My blood pressure is 90/60 which is normal for me. I'm 65 yrs
old. and exercise regular. Maybe not every day like I used to but and I
have always watch what I eat. I'm 5' 3" and any extra weight really
shows. So what advice do you have now? Will take any help or
suggestions. Have stopped taking the pain med galapentin which put on
10 lbs. in 6 weeks. But I can't stop taking my Vimpat, Dilantin,
Phenytoin or topiramate because I have seizure disorder and it's no fun
waking up in a hospital after loosing any where from 2 day to 3 weeks.

I joined this chat room for help and suggestions thinking I was doing
something wrong in following my fitbit but it seems like most people are
judgmental fools. Instead of really trying to help they make a lot of
us feel like we are idiots and can't do anything right.

Maybe you're really trying to help but you come over as a bully.

[GershonSurge]

---

@totallyconfused wrote:

I joined this chat room for help and suggestions thinking I was doing
something wrong in following my fitbit but it seems like most people are
judgmental fools. Instead of really trying to help they make a lot of
us feel like we are idiots and can't do anything right.

Maybe you're really trying to help but you come over as a bully

@totallyconfused,

I think you are a troll looking for a fight. I'm not interested. Good luck to you. 

 

---

[SunsetRunner]

Well 800 calories in a day seem kinda low to me. Have u found out what's ur BMR is. U shouldn't go below that. But u have said it doctor ok it, maybe u should talk with him/her about it and see what is said. If u are burning too much calories ur body can go into survival mode. I don't Knw anything about the meds u are taking and u should get to ur doctor or find another doctor that can help 

[Heybales]

---

@EmjayH wrote:

Interesting video but doesn't it just highlight what most of us in this community are trying to do? Build a better and more controllable eating and lifestyle habit. Once you've lost the weight you can't just dust ur hands off and pat ur self on the back, then go back to ur old ways. You gotta stay mindful of what you eat and how active you are

---

Not sure which video you are replying to, but in case it's mine, it's not commonly understood info that was shared, and not what you mentioned.

Of course you must eat less than you did prior that made you gain and maintain a higher weight.

You must eat correctly for your new lower weight.

That's not what it's talking about though - it's saying there are additional effects that lowers that required amount EVEN more than you'd expect, than was previously appreciated.

You can also read up on the more recent Biggest Loser follow up study, on the ill effects of their program.

[Heybales]

---

@totallyconfused wrote:
Last fitness test resting heart rate 68 bpm. After 20 min of treadmill
at full incline going at a running rate of 4.8 mph, have bad back and
knees, heart rate was up to a whopping 70 bpm. After cool down back to
68 bpm. My blood pressure is 90/60 which is normal for me. I'm 65 yrs
old. and exercise regular. Maybe not every day like I used to but and I
have always watch what I eat. I'm 5' 3" and any extra weight really
shows. So what advice do you have now? Will take any help or
suggestions. Have stopped taking the pain med galapentin which put on
10 lbs. in 6 weeks. But I can't stop taking my Vimpat, Dilantin,
Phenytoin or topiramate because I have seizure disorder and it's no fun
waking up in a hospital after loosing any where from 2 day to 3 weeks.

I joined this chat room for help and suggestions thinking I was doing
something wrong in following my fitbit but it seems like most people are
judgmental fools. Instead of really trying to help they make a lot of
us feel like we are idiots and can't do anything right.

Maybe you're really trying to help but you come over as a bully.

---

Hope you realize it's impossible to know what post you are replying to.

As to questions to confirm and clarify things - read the forums - there are many that misunderstand and don't realize things. Not idiots, rather uneducated in the matter.

Like asking how you log food. Read how many first claim they are doing a good job of logging everything they eat and can't understand no weight loss.

That's great - except they admit they eyeball quantity of everything but thought that was good enough.

Then are told that calories is per weight (grams), not by volume (spoons/cups) and certainly not by looks (about palm sized).

Then they discover they are eating about 2x what they had been logging. There's the issue.

Do we know if you have that issue?

Obviously not - and you don't answer those questions, perhaps you don't understand that question, which means doing it wrong.

Good physical stats for being fit.

What type of HRM was used on that fitness test?

To be at that level of incline and walking, and HR only goes up to 70 from 68 - even the most fit pro's are going to go up more than that.

Something very wrong with that picture - perhaps a mistype, or as other post mentions - purposeful.

Appears you don't need help then, got it all figured out.

Hope it goes better than it has then.