At the beginning of this month I started watching what I eat. Again.

[Dervill Crow]

I won't say the word "diet," but that is pretty much what I'm doing, since I'm changing my diet from everything I want and then some to things that are actually good for me. And I'm keeping track in a computer program that watches my calories and nutrition.

Yes, I'm lazy, but it is strange that I can eat between 900 and 1500 calories a day and not lose weight (and be perfectly contented and not hungry), when the program says I should be eating close to 2000 calories and lose weight. Is that just a messed up metabolism hoarding calories and turning it into fat, or is it just that some people are doomed to be obese no matter what they do? :cry:

I am now off to Curves, which shows just how desperate the situation is, for this old hippie leftward leaning Pagan chick to go to a fundy right-wing-donating, contemporary Christian music playing wimpy workout place. At 230 pounds, though, a wimpy workout fits me fine. Hopefully it's classic rock and not praise music this morning!
:scared:

[Systematic Chaos]

1. My thoughts on your situation:

Losing weight is hard. Very hard. That much is a given. But if you are working out and trying to watch what you eat then that's more than half the battle and it will pay off.

As for your caloric intake, I fully agree that 2,000 per day is too much, unless you are working out moderately to vigorously for a minimum of 2 hours per day. I'm not doing that yet because there's no way I could handle it. Half an hour per day, four or five days a week, is an excellent starting point for a person who is just getting started. 900 calories, on the other hand, is not enough. Consuming that few calories will slow your metabolism way down and thwart your efforts. Unless a doctor suggests otherwise, staying in a range of 1,200 to 1,500 calories per day should be just right for you, and you can feel wonderfully satisfied off that many if you use the right foods.

What kinds of things are you eating now, as opposed to before? And when you're going to Curves, how long are you there and what sorts of things do you do, if you don't mind my asking? Overall, it sounds like you have the right idea and I think it will pay off for you as long as you don't get discouraged. Remember also that if you're just starting to exercise more you may find that pounds won't come off much at first, but inches will. :)

[Dervill Crow]

2. Thanks, GG -

AFter reading all you've gone through I really appreciate your words of encouragement! I feel like a bit of a whiney baby.

I'm eating lots of fruit and veggies and whole grain stuff, low-fat milk for cereal and nonfat yogurt. I was an aspiring vegan but couldn't give up my Nancy's nonfat yogurt. Curves is a 30-minute circuit-training workout that is supposed to be aerobic, but I can't get my heart rate up. Turns out that is because I'm on atenolol and my heart rate is slow to begin with. I've only managed to get there once a week so far (well, it's only three weeks, so there's hope) because of working overtime.

You're right; it just takes time.

[Ms. Toad]

3. At the weight you are reporting,

and the calories you are reporting consuming, you should be losing weight - probably between 5 and 10 lbs so far.

You should need around 2500 calories to maintain your weight (making wild guesses at your height and activity level). At 900-1500 calories a day, you should be losing a pound every 2-3 days.

If you are good at knowing what calories are in what you eat (if you eat out, it is extremely difficult to be accurate), and are accurately recording everything you eat, it would be a good idea to have a check up and see if there is something keeping you from losing weight.

Good luck!

[Dervill Crow]

4. It's starting to come off again.

I had a positively intoxicating first couple of days with a loss of about five pounds of water and got discouraged when it got down to the real nitty gritty of actual weight loss. I'm using a computer program that calculates the calories and nutritional value of what I eat, so as long as I don't lie to the program there's not a lot of guesswork involved, although, as you said, eating out is difficult. I went out for lunch on Sunday and had Thai salad, so it wasn't TOO bad guessing what was in it and the amounts, but it is hard to be accurate on amounts and who knows what kind of hidden ingredients there might be.

I can do this. Patience.