Hello its me and Im fat

My daughter moved out this June...And my son just went to Afghanistan... And to add insult to injury I quit smoking about a month ago and I seem to be gaining weight.... I have not increased my eating .... But I am still gaining weight... And Im here to get my life under control....I cant really start the diet untill I am down to the 14 millagram patch... But I can learn and log and see how Im doing... And talk to you good people...So as you can see I have a long row to hoe... And I promised my son I would be smoke free and thinner when he comes home.... And I told him I would be able to out run him LOL now that is funny...If any one has sone good advice to help me win the battle of the bulge ,I'm all ears....

Advice #1: Banish the word "fat" from your vocabulary. It is an UGLY word!

Original Post by kankan213:

Advice #1: Banish the word "fat" from your vocabulary. It is an UGLY word!

 

 Love. Im here to admitt and process... And the first step to recovery is to admitt to your self and others the truth of your problems...And the truth of the matter is that Iam fat and need help and thats why Im here....I hope I can Banish the word and actuale fat from mind and body.... Thank you... Good advice....And I will banish it....The fat I mean...P.S Im very streight forward sorry if I offened any one

Jackie!

Good for you!  You sound like you have some great goals- very inspirational!  My best weight loss advice is create a 500 calorie deficit everyday.  In other words, figure out how many calories you burn in a given day, subtract 500, and then that's how many you should be eating.  Don't go lower than this!  Trust me!  Your weight loss plan will only backfire.

Make sure to spread your meals throughout the day- that is the best for your metabolism.

And above all- DONT GIVE UP!  You can definitely do this.  So just put your mind to it!

Butterfly827 I love the pic of your pooch what a cutie... Thank you so much for you positive words... How do I figure out how many calories I burn?

Thanks!!!

All you need to do is go under tools and click on the burn meter.  It will ask you questions about your height, weight, lifestyle, body frame, etc.  Then that's it!

Great im checking it out as we speak...LOL

My advice is to remember to tell yourself that you deserve to be successful.  Good luck!

Now that what I call great advice ....Thank you....

Smoking a pack a day burns 200 calories and increases your metabolic rate (that's why you gain weight when you quit).  If you reduce your current intake by 200 and get a brisk walk in every day that should at least stop your gain until you get off the patch.  ;)   Good luck and welcome!

Original Post by ahazel1980:

Smoking a pack a day burns 200 calories and increases your metabolic rate (that's why you gain weight when you quit).  If you reduce your current intake by 200 and get a brisk walk in every day that should at least stop your gain until you get off the patch.  ;)   Good luck and welcome!

 Does this mean 2 packs a day is 400 ... Ihope not I think Ill starve....Ahhhhh....if I reduce my cals to 1200 and excercise is there hope for me

I am new on this forum, but want to tell you to stay with a plan, and read the encouraging information on the forums.  You did not gain all the weight at one time, so it'll take some gradual time to lose it too. 

I used to be a smoker, and it was hard to quit, but when you get the urge, move around, or chew a mint, or brush your teeth.   I used to think, I was not a smoker when I was a young child.  My body was healthy and young, and didn't need cigarettes then,  you don't need them now either.   The worst part will be over in a couple of months.   Channel your stress into activities, and stay strong. 

To lose weight at 1lb a week, you need a 500 calorie deficit. This is ideally meant from both diet and exercise - so, you could have 250 calories off of your BMR/burn rate (which you can work out using the tools at the top of the page) and 250 calories burnt doing exercise. For example, if you were a 30-year-old, 5'5 woman at 180lbs or so, your BMR when doing little to nothing at all would be 1900 calories. If you then wanted to lose 1lb a week, you would need to be eating and burning 500 calories less than your BMR - 1400. Obviously, we don't know your stats, but I hope this gives you an idea of what you need to do. If you're really confused, you could speak with your doctor about diet and deficits.

You should never eat and burn under 1200 calories unless your doctor puts you on a low-calorie diet for health reasons as it can have a reverse effect - you'll lose weight at first, sure, but a lot of it will be muscle and water as your body will slow to adjust to your intake and ultimately place you in starvation mode which will result in a plateau, or weight gain. This INCLUDES exercise - even if you eat 1200 calories, if you then burn an extra 300 off at the gym it will mean your intake would be 900 calories, a dangerously low amount.

Good on you for giving up smoking, and sorry if all the numbers are a bit confusing!

I'm new to Calorie Count, but one of the things which caught my attention right off was all the information they have.  For instance, I would go throughout my day and eat what I thought was healthy.  When I got home, I would log each thing and check to see how I did. 

I am learning alot that way.  Not only about the foods I thought were healthy (but they weren't), and not only about the foods which weren't as bad for me as I thought, but I am learning alot about myself.  I'm learning how the choices I make affect me.  So even though you can't really start the diet yet, there's no reason why you can't learn more about the foods you eat and begin to learn which foods would be a healthier choice.  Who knows?  Maybe making a few changes in the foods you eat will help you keep the pounds down...

Even if it doesn't, at the very least when you DO start the diet you'll feel as if you have a head start.

Safiyah

Hi Jackivee,

I'm new here but it's good to read about others' struggles too and not feel alone.  Most of my friends are slender and appear to eat like there's no tomorrow.  I have been on a diet all my life it seems!  I weighed 220 in January.  I'm now down to 203 and feel like I'm at a stand still.  But I think this site has given me some renewed enthusiasm.

Good luck to you.  And I want to thank your son for serving our country.  And you for being a brave Mom.

Hi Jackie

I just started here also and just by being able to keep track of what i'm eating is a tremendous help and It also helps keep me in check of where i'm at at the end of the day instead of guessing or writing it on paper and then not finish writing or keeping track for some reason its easier on the computer.

So good luck to you and i am sure with the insentive you have in that wonderful brave son you have you will be a success. Please thank him for his service to our country. And love the photo of your pooch. They also can be a big help as far as companions.

Good luck to you and god bless your son

Jackie,

I had a son that went to both Afghanistan and Iraq.  I know the stress you're under just having a child in harms way.  These good people will give you excellent diet advice.  I just wanted you to know that I will add your son to my prayers, and I recommend you quit watching the news PERIOD until he returns home.  You too will be in my prayers.

Thank your son for me when he returns for his service to our country and his part in protecting my freedom.

From one military mom to another!

Tammy

Some people take inspiration from being on a "diet", but looking at it that way can change your mindset so that you're just making temporary changes in your eating and activity to accomplish a weight loss.  That type of dieting is usually ultimately unsuccessful in  that you tend to gain what you lost back plus a few more pounds.  I found it was better (and easier) to look at it as a permanent change in lifestyle.  You don't have to wait for anything to do that (you already have a start with quitting smoking), and it doesn't end once you've hit the magic number on the scale.  Weight loss can be painless. 

Good luck to you and your son as well.

I would like to say that several mainstream articles have said the key to success in losing weight is the food diary.  Whether you are dieting right now or not, it is good to see what you are eating, how many calories it is, the balance of food (carbs, protein, etc).  It's easy to say, "I know I ate to much" and not record it down, but doing it allows you to see to what extent it happened or if you are not eating enough or not quite the right things.  It's good you have come to this site.  Overall it has been very helpful for me.  One of the things that has helped me is ALWAYS have some sort of snack with you at ALL TIMES!!  Some kind of granola, or cheese or fruit or whatever.  As soon as you get a bit hungry and you are eyeing that cheeseburger and fries, eat it!  It helps a lot with control.  For me, I keep an Atkins bar with me.  I am not really keen on them too much.  They are Ok.  But it works well.  I have only been on my diet (again) for 3 weeks but I have not cheated once!  and I am thrilled!

Good Luck.  You are already on your way by coming here and using the resources available to you.  Also, remember what one poster said.  It took a while to gain the weight and will take a while to lose.  Don't get discouraged and continue to talk about your experiences here.  It helps relieve any stress, or guilt or just to talk about your successes...

wow you have alot on your plate - if i get this house - i will be moving out and not have an excuse why i smell like smoke so i will HAVE to quit smoking.  Small price to pay to own my own home.

i added you as a budy because i want to see your progress and know you have a sister soon to be in part of your shoes (when my daughter moved out - i moved in with my cousin because of depression,death in family, and being scared at night among other things)

question: do the patches smell?

Smoking actually increases a person's metabolism.  So when you quit Cold Turkey there are about 200 calories not expended all of a sudden.  Which could make some stand still and make others show a gain. 

 But when your body gets used to it, it will will be like a whole new you.  And that's what we are all after, isn't it?