NEED MOTIVATION !!!!

[tvalladares28]

After batteling thyroid cancer last year and beating it..

I am now trying to lose the weight that I have gained due to not having a thyroid...

And I am finding it very hard... I see a nutrionist and she has told me that I need to

eat 1,500 calories a day .. Has anyone had a hard time losing weight???

[lettirokz]

I have a hard time if anything I feel that I am gaining weight!  I also have no thyroid and it's not easy.  That's where my lack of motivation has gone.  I feel like nothing helps!

[tvalladares28]

Yes I have been counting calories and exercising and I actually managed to gain weight 😞

It is not as easy as the endos and other ppl think 😞

[emili]

first please accept my sincere woot woot on beating cancer- awesome. second, I don't know that you need motivation, I think you have that, I think you need a more defined plan than 1500 calories a day- which to me sounds really high for losing weight. But I am not a nutritionist so what do I know...

I think the calorie intake, your TDEE, your level of fitness and calorie expenditure should all be evaluated so you know how much to eat, how much cardio, what ratio you need of protein, carb, etc. I just think you need more...my opinion of course..

[Chrislee59]

Congratulations on your beating cancer. Losing weight is such a stuggle. I have hypothyroidism. I joined Weight Watchers and have been doing pretty good. You can do this. Eat plenty of veggies and lean proteins. Stay away from processed sugary stuff. I have a hard time with bread, but I really like those sandwich thins. Use them for everything needing bread. Hang in there. You will find it gets easier with time and losing weight is further motivation.

[SunsetRunner]

grats on beating cancer 🙂

as long as you log everything and don't cheat, it will drop, but it will not be linear, it will go up and down, but over all it will get lower

link your fitbit to myfitnesspal.com

[Albonita74]

Congratulations to you both on beating cancer. My sister had throat cancer a couple of years ago and beat it as well. She gained weight and had a hard time loosing it but within time eating healthy and working out she slowly started seeing results.  Don’t give up!!!! J

[scrappywyf]

I'm in the same boat as you.  I had my thyroid out in 1993, and since then have dealt with thyroid cancer 3X.  My endo doesn't believe that weight loss struggles have anything to do with thryoid issues- um, what?!!  Those of us who have thyroid issues know otherwise. 

Since my total thryoidectomy, I have struggled like mad to get the weight to stay off.  What works in my experience is to go low carb.  I lost 25 lbs last year following a low carb diet- essentially cutting out all white products (breads, pastas, sugar!!!) and it came off with relative ease (though slow and steady) along with moderate exercise.  I don't say "no carb" bc your body needs carbs for optimal functioning.  It's low carbs- and the right carbs.  But don't get me wrong, even after being diligent as all get out, I felt like my body wanted to hold onto the weight like a life preserver.  It was (and is) a struggle.  I don't necessarily count calories, but focus more on what types of food I'm eating.  I'm hoping by using Fitbit and getting motivated through activity, I will once again be motivated to go low carb and see changes in my body.

Best wishes to you!! 

[tvalladares28]

Hi Thanks!! I go to a nutritionist and she said that my calorie intake based off my bmr is 1500. I was doing 1200-1350 and she had stated that I was not eating enough and my body was going into starvation mode.

[SunsetRunner]

"...was not eating enough and my body was going into starvation mode. "

There is no such thing, until you're literally starving (skin and bones).  Starvation mode, as presented, is a myth.  That being said, crash dieting is no fun and 1500 is likely an acceptable start point.

[emili]

Grind613, best thing I read all day and yesterday. Agreed.

[amyjo0110]

I usually stick with around 1200 calories a day, except on days I do a lot of exercising. My cardiologist and endocrinologist told me to stick with 1500 calories day too. I have been loosely following the Trim Healthy Mama plan (I don't use any of their specials ingredients or the cookbook, limit my fats due to my heart condition, and I still eat whole wheat bread) and have felt significantly better and less bloated! My adrenal fatigue has reduced greatly too. Surprisingly, I'm eating more than I used to, but weigh less. That plan was a godsend for me.

[SunsetRunner]

different people call it different names

it isn't what is it called, it is what it does/is that matters, long term calorie deficiency, survival mode, adaptive resonse, starvation response, what ever

at first your body makes you hungry to try and make you eat more

then slows down your BMR, thus reducing the amount of calories you need to consume to survive

continue and you start to lose muscle mass thus reducing your bmr

but people still eat the same amount of calories even though their bmr has dropped

which then means they have over eaten thus gain weight

using myself as an example, before I was 236lbs, now I am 211, if I ate now the amount of calories I ate before I would gain back the weight, thus the yoyo cycle

straight from the article

But, there is something else that needs to be mentioned here which happens to be very real. It’s something better described as the “starvation response.”

Basically, if you do things to your body that it doesn’t like, it’s going to respond in whatever way makes the most sense to it from a survival standpoint.

In this case, the thing your body doesn’t like is an extreme and prolonged deficit caused by either severe caloric restriction (you know, VERY low calorie diets), excessive amounts of exercise (often tons and tons and TONS of cardio on a daily/almost daily basis), or some combination of the two (very few calories coming in with very high calories going out).

In this sort of extreme scenario, your body’s adaptive response is to make it harder for you to allow this to continue and, you know, prevent you from dying.

take today for example, due to being busy, all I have eaten is weetabix and skimmed milk this morning around 9pm, approx 270 calories, and it is now 4pm, and my stomach is grumbling like mad.... time for some grub

however, I will agree though, a good read

[SunsetRunner]

Something Real: The Starvation Response

In this case, the thing your body doesn’t like is an extreme and prolonged deficit caused by either severe caloric restriction (you know, VERY low calorie diets), excessive amounts of exercise (often tons and tons and TONS of cardio on a daily/almost daily basis), or some combination of the two (very few calories coming in with very high calories going out).

But, there is something else that needs to be mentioned here which happens to be very real. It’s something better described as the “starvation response.”

It slows down your metabolic rate, aka the adaptive thermogenesis I mentioned earlier. 

It reduces the amount of non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) taking place, which in turn causes you to naturally burn less calories.

It causes intense hunger and food cravings, which causes you to eat more than you’re attempting to.

[tvalladares28]

Thanks!!

[PokieJoe49]

Congrats on beating cancer,  My best friend of 43 years also beat Thyroid Cancer about 7 years ago and i'm so proud of her but she too is having a really tough time.  Between menopause and no thyroid, it's such a struggle for her but she's not giving up.   She knows she is doing all she can and that's all you can do.  Try not to be too hard on yourself.

I'm having a hard time myself.  I'm 49 and just at the begnning of peri-menopause.  I've been on the Fitbit program for 2 weeks.  I've kept my calorie intake to an average of 500 calories under budget but this week i haven't load anything.  Very frustrating and this is usually the time when i give up, but not this time.  I need to know for myself that i didn't give up on me and that keeps me going.

[Chrislee59]

How are you doing?