Need a little advice and/or encouragement

[MushyMushy]

I've been having a lot of heath and emotional problems in the past 7-8 months or so. I put on a little bit of weight (which I'm already 100+ over to begin with!) during my mother's illness and death last summer (and then a dear friend of mine died in December, which didn't help the emotions at all). After Thanksgiving I developed a health problem that has kept me pretty much tied to the house, so as a result of that I've gotten absolutely no activity. The health problem is clearing up, but I'm as weak as a newborn kitten!

Just wanted to get a little background out of the way. In January I started tracking my food intake on Spark People. I wasn't really dieting per se, but just trying to get some control back into my life. At this point, the only thing I am control of is what's going into my mouth. As you all know, that's not easy anyway. The wonderful result of tracking my food intake is that I eat fewer calories. BUT, I've been taking weekends off.

One of our biggest food issues is eating out, so I made a deal that we'd only eat out on weekends. No food tracking for me -- that's my break. Then on Monday, back to tracking. I keep it between 1200-1500 calories, mostly on the 1500 side.

As a result, I've lost 10 pounds since January 5.

The problem is, the weight loss has stalled. Do you have any ideas for me to get it moving again, yet still allowing me to do the weekends off? That's the one thing that has kept me going, so I'm not willing to give that up just yet. Should I drop the calories down closer to 1200? Do you know any type of activity I can do in the house that might help me start to build up some strength? When I say I'm weak, I mean WEAK, so it has to be something that starts out in baby steps.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, and any advice you might have.

ETA: Oh and I forgot to mention I'm hypothyroid, and it's out of kilter right now on top of everything else. It's not way off, but enough for me to feel it.

 

[donac]

I wouldn't drop the calories any lower than 1500. Get a pedometer and start walking around your house. Just a minute or two at a time. Do it during commercials. Start building up your stamina.

Good luck

 

[CarolA]

Get that thyroid checked and deal with that issue. Seriously, that needs to be monitored and dealt with.

I also agree with the walking. Get the pedometer. Find out how far you walk a day and "up the goal" little by little.

 

[Mary Anne]

Are you doing the 1500 hundred calories from Mon to Fri and then taking the weekends off? If so, then yes, I would cout those calories down to at least 1200, and then try and make some good choices on the weekend. Meaning, eat out, enjoy the feeling of being out, ordering something different but order something more on the healthly side at least one of the meals.

Good luck to you.

 

[MushyMushy]

I wouldn't drop the calories any lower than 1500. Get a pedometer and start walking around your house. Just a minute or two at a time. Do it during commercials. Start building up your stamina.

Good luck

I've never owned a pedometer... what should I look for when getting one? Come to think of it, I think I can convert my iPod Touch to a pedometer... not sure. I'll have to look into that.

Get that thyroid checked and deal with that issue. Seriously, that needs to be monitored and dealt with.

I also agree with the walking. Get the pedometer. Find out how far you walk a day and "up the goal" little by little.

My doctor upped my meds and has me scheduled for another blood workup by the end of this month. We have such a hard time finding the right balance for me. If I get hyper, then I feel just as bad as when I'm hypo. That doesn't seem fair, does it?

Are you doing the 1500 hundred calories from Mon to Fri and then taking the weekends off? If so, then yes, I would cout those calories down to at least 1200, and then try and make some good choices on the weekend. Meaning, eat out, enjoy the feeling of being out, ordering something different but order something more on the healthly side at least one of the meals.

Good luck to you.

I have noticed that I am eating better on the weekends than I ever did in the past. I know I'm over the 1500 calories, but when we go out to eat, I make sure to bring home a doggy bag, plus DH and I will split an appetizer OR dessert. Before we sometimes got both and didn't split them usually. Anyway, I'm not going hog wild but I'm also not depriving myself of something I want (bowl of ice cream, glass of full-sugar soda, sweet iced tea... all of my favorites that I used to eat normally).

 

[GrumpyOne]

I think it's important that you keep hold of your consumption. It seems, and I know it's like this for me, that when I gain a few pounds it's because I wasn't paying attention to what I was eating. You know how they say that "recognizing a problem is the first step to resolving it"? Well, really, the first step in getting weight under control is knowing and recognizing what you're eating.

A little fluctuation or stalling isn't that big a deal, don't do anything drastic in order to "fix" the problem. If you're sure that the 1500 calories is really 1500 calories then I really wouldn't go much under that. I'm also a big fan of resistance training in conjunction with cardio. Build some muscle and it'll make your metabolism go faster.