what am i doing wrong?? - Diet & Nutrition Message Board

genuck · 09-20-2003, 01:39 PM

can anyone suggest a diet for me, all that i've tried this year have caused me to gain. i only need to lose 20 lbs this is the last of 50 i gained on meds. i hate cottage cheese, and buying a lot of veggies is hard for me since i only shop once a week (they go bad)this is my typical diet lately.
am: english muffin with 1 tbs. whipped butter (i really don't like to eat a lot in the morning, and i take thyroid meds so i really shouldn't eat anything)

lunch: salad with 4 olives, 2 tbs dressing (40 cals), sometimes feta cheese, and turkey sand with american cheese on rye

snack: 1 piece of fruit (whatever is in season)and or crackers with cheese either low fat cheddar or cream cheese.

dinner: 1 asian eggplant baked, white rice. or green curry with rice, or coconut chicken soup with rice.

snack: same as before or a handful of almonds

once a week i bake a chicken and have that for lunch, and use the leftovers on my salad the next day or have a piece as a snack.

i only eat out once a week, either pad thai or pho noodle soup. maybe once a month mcdonalds(big mac and fries diet coke), kentucky fried chicken(leg and biscuit, diet coke) or loco pollo(leg, salsa,2 tortillas, one jalapeno strawberry soda).

at home i drink water, orange juice 3 or 4 times a week.
i take vitamin b complex, e, and calcium supplements everyday. i take synthroid for my thyroid and birth control pills.

i exercise almost everyday, pilates and about 15 minutes of cardio (i'm working up to more)

i can't seem to get below 144 lbs. and i'd rather eat less than have to worry about cottage cheese, no bread/rice type stuff ( i have a husband to feed and cooking two meals is just too much, not to mention shopping for two meals)

i'm thinking of trying weight watchers, but am afraid i'll just gain more weight on it like i did the others...

any ideas for what i could do?

THANK YOU in advance!

ldy06 · 09-20-2003, 04:01 PM

Hi,

It doesn't look like you are getting enough fruits & vegetables. Have you tried having orange juice for breakfast every morning? Also maybe you could add protein to your breakfast by having low fat peanut butter instead of butter. I know you said you really don't like to eat breakfast, but it really is very important. Maybe you could work your way up to some high-fiber/low sugar cereal and add berries.

I don't mean to sound like I'm preaching, but having a good breakfast really sets you up for the day.

Also, it sounds like your exercise program was good enough to get you this far, but could use some tweaking. Once your body gets used to a program it will adapt and you won't see any progress. Plus 15 minutes of aerobic activity a day only works out to 1 & 1/2 hours a week. Could you switch to doing 45 - 60 minutes, three to five times a week?

Last but not least, try weight training. You can start slow. You don't have to give up pilates, but maybe you can do a full body weight training workout twice a week plus pilates once or twice a week?

Anyway, these are some of the things that work for me. You'll need to experiment to see what works for you.

genuck · 09-21-2003, 08:37 PM

thank you,
so, i'm going to change my breakfast, peanut butter on english muffin or maybe just an egg instead?
and i've decided that instead of doing either pilates or cardio each day i'm going to combine it to pilates than 15 min (or more) on the stair stepper with my 5 lb hand weights. that comes to at least 35 min of sweat for me

i just got an exercise ball to so i'll add that in before the cardio. does that sound good? i'm so confused by this stuff i never had to worry about it before and i'm so depressed about how i feel and look now...

Shane S · 09-21-2003, 08:56 PM

It looks to me like there's a lack of calories in your overall diet (too little can often be as bad as too much). Not having much of a morning meal won't help, though if there's a medical condition that's the cause of it, it's something that may not be easily helped. If necessary, ask your doctor if there's something you can do to get a better breakfast.

Some more cardio and some weight training would be good.

girlygirly · 09-22-2003, 07:57 AM

Genuck,

Like you I am also hypothyroid. Many of the books on thyroid disease and info found on the web and this boards thyroid site have stated that you have to avoid all refined foods. This means no white breads, english muffins, you can have whole grain breads but not in large quanities. The same thing applies for white rice and crackers. You need to substitute those for whole grain and for brown rice types.

Also the thyroid experts do suggest avoiding store bought meats that have hormones and antibiotics. You can very easily purchase free range chickens and there are meats available without the hormones and antibiotics. If there is a Trader Joes or Whole Foods store near you, there you can find these types of products at very affordable prices. The thyroid experts do suggest an organic diet.

I do agree that you have to eat more. You should incorporate more fruits and vegetables in your diet. You need to eat a well balanced diet, forget that stupid food pyramid , that pyramid is causing people to think they are eating healthy and all they are doing is getting ready to stand in the diabetic line eating all those carbohydrates.

You should not be eating any less than 1200 calories a day. Take your weight and multiply it by 15, that is what it takes to maintain your current weight. To lose weight multiply your weight by 10, this is the amount to eat to lose weight in healthy manner (that is unless you fall under 1200 calories, then you must eat at least 1200.) Good Luck.