Weight loss help needed

[Emmett]

I can't seem to loose any weight. I'm at least 40 pounds overweight and it's taking a toll on my joints. I'm a vegetarian and one of those weird people who doesn't care about food. I'll forget to eat until I get dizzy or weak. From my last blood tests I'm perfectly healthy as long as I take thyroid pills.
I talked to a woman who does personal weight loss counciling from her home she said it would be hard because I don't eat meat. She stated she had vegetarians who lost weight but they ate fish and chicken. I informed her they weren't vegetarians but people who just didn't eat red meat. She also charges $100.00 a month and $75.00 for the first visit. A little pricey for me.
So my question is have any of you found a veggie weight loss diet, that works?

[piggiesinpa]

Do you work out? You should try weightwatchers. I lost 45lbs on that and counting. It helps you figure out everything you are doing. You may be consuming more fats and calories than you think you are. WW is veggie friendly and allows you to basically pick and choose what you want. They focus on a good healthy lifestyle diet and exercise. I do it strictly online. It's about $16/month but totally worth it in my opinion. It's very easy and helpful.

If you are not eating and forgetting to sometimes you are putting yourself into starvation mode. Your body starts to react negatively to this. You should be eating every 3 to 5 hours in order to keep your metabolism going. This allows your body to constantly be working and pushing through food and breaking down things. It's effective.

Exercising is a must. What are you doing here? How much water are you drinking a day? Your sugar intake might be higher than what you think it is, especially with fruits and any sodas you may drink. Granted fruit is good for you, but it's high in sugar and converts to fat quickly if you don't do anything with it.

I hope this helps. I recommends Weight Watchers to all people trying to lose weight. It's friendly to people of all shapes and sizes as well as those who eat different things. They have many recipes for vegetarians as well as an online community who will help you further with what you need!

[Susan9608]

Please talk to your doctor and/or nutritionist/dietician before undertaking any weight loss plan. Simply being a vegetarian won't inhibit you from losing weight, unless you eat only junk food.

[Emmett]

I've talked to a nutritionists and she wasn't much help. The doctor said I'm perfectly healthy and whatever I was doing to keep on doing it. I guess 35 years of being a vegetarian has made me healthy on the inside but not so much on the outside. Plus 174 pounds at 5 foot 1 inch isn't healthy for my joints and feet. I exercised for 13 years when my dog was alive but haven't for three years. It didn't help me loose weight I was just firmer. I still do a lot of yard work and gardening. I don't really like fruit so I know sugar isn't my problem. I have to admit I don't drink enough water.
I think I'll try weight watchers on the web. $16.00 a month doesn't seem like that much.
Thanks

[TX_2_Pigs]

I also do Weight Watchers (at work). I started the end of May last year and so far have lost 25 lbs. I am only 5 ft and I started out at 188. It feels really good to get that extra 25 lbs off. My first goal is to get to 150 so I have 13 more to go. I have kind of hit a plateau lately and have been a little stuck. That has frustrated me.

Once I hit 150 I will see if I want to get down to their recommended weight for my height.

I noticed you mentioned thyroid meds. This is going to make it difficult for you to lose weight. My boyfriend has several family members with thyroid problems and they all gained weight and have had a hard time getting it back off. Talk to your dr. about the meds and what effects they may be having. They may be preventing you from losing weight. One of them ended up having to have the thyroid removed and then was able to lose weight.

Good luck. Losing weight (and keeping it off) is always a struggle.

[Bear Bear]

What kind of metabolism do you have? Do you eat regularly? I am currently trying this "diet program" when you eat 6+ times a day to try to speed up my metabolism. It's quite a change from my one-meal-a-day strategy...that was definitely working against me. I force myself to eat a light snack (a piece of fruit or some yogurt) every 3-4 hours. The only problem I have is beign consistent even when I'm not at home.

Edit: woops, i just realized piggiesinpa already covered this!

[PiggieMamaKelly]

You might want to check out the coconut oil thread too.

[John4216]

Besides the standard advice of checking with your Doctor I also would make a suggestion. There is section of a book that you might want to read that discusses this topic quite well.

The Authors name is Martin E Seligman, past president of the APA. Don't let the title of the book fool you. Here is a link to the book:

Amazon.com: What You Can Change . . . and What You Can't*: The Complete Guide to Successful Self-Improvement: Books: Martin E. Seligman

It has a chapter about weight, diets, ect and some good information for anyone interested in this topic.

[i-love-nev]

Drinking LOADS of water and eating "light food" every few hours helps.


good luck .

[Emmett]

TX2Pigs
My thyroid was damaged because of radiation treatments I had for Hodgkins disease. The meds replace what a healthy thyroid should be doing. But no matter what they say it's not the same as a working thyroid. If I didn't take the meds I'd get fatter, my skin would get really dry and my hair would fall out, plus a bunch of other bad stuff.

[TX_2_Pigs]

Sorry to hear about that Emmett. Hopefully you will find a solution for you to lose weight. I know I still feel like livestock even after losing 25 lbs.

[CavySpirit]

You absolutely have to read my coconut oil thread. Hypothyroidism is how I discovered it. It totally cured that and then some. I started at 175 pounds in April and was down to 147.5 this week. I'm soooo happy.

[SkinnyPiggys]

I also have Hypothyroidism and my thyroid is covered with cysts. My endocrinologist prescribed Synthroid which I am supposed to take for the rest of my life.

I started using the coconut oil about 1 week ago and will update the group with my progress. I have been making awesome smoothies using soymilk, coconut oil, fresh pineapple, 1 banana and ice. Yum!!

[wifeymom]

I've been a vegetarian for 18 years and was always thin without any weight trouble until after I had my daughter and stopped working full-time. Over the years I've gained an additional 50 lbs. Oops. I lost 20 lbs. before on Weight Watchers (twice), but it comes right back after you stop WW. I have finally realized you have to do more than just "diet" and change your eating and activity lifestyle.
I found a great book called The Vegetarian Low Carb Diet by Rose Elliot. Although I'm not following it to a tee as I can't completely give up carbs as suggested for the first few weeks...I have taken the philosophy and molded it in a way that better fits me and have vastly reduced my carbs, upped my protein and product and got more active. Other than that I still eat what I always did except I gave up excess cookies and crap like that. But I have lost 7 lbs easily and without ever being hungry. I am one of those people allergic to exercise but don't mind walking so trying to do that more. Anyway, the book might help give you some ideas. I know for me this new way of eating has really curbed my cravings and kept me full longer, etc. Just an idea!
Good luck.

[Alusdra]

Too bad about the thyroid problems. That must be tough with trying to keep at or go down to a good weight. But a quick tip- even if you don't do weight watchers, keeping track of what you are eating is very helpful. Low carb works well for many people- cut back on even natural sugars (like corn) and try to up the fiber. Fiber fills you up better than just about anything, stays with you longer and is eventually the carbs anyway. It's true though- losing weight is more about changing your lifestyle to be more appropriate so far as your diet is concerned versus doing a 'marathon diet' and then being 'cured' of being overweight.

[yogacatbun]

I know this thread is a a little bit old but if you have the money available you should nutrisystem. they have a vegetarian program (by the sounds of the other posters in that site it's the meat products that are not as tasty, I've lost a bit of weight on the veggie program) you can also go on the site and get recipes and whatnot to try and do it on your own with out ordering it.

[Love4Piggers]

Hello,

Hope you are finding some things that work for you. As for me, I was a VERY strict vegan for 4 years. Yet during that time, I gained 100lbs. No, I didn't accidentally add an extra 0. I really gained that much. Now I am 100lbs. overweight. My doctor at the time who wasn't too bright, blamed my weight gain on my veganism, and said that if I would just eat less soy and start eating some lean meats like chicken and fish, that I would lose weight. I was so desperate to lose weight, that I went to Wild Oats health food store and bought some humanely killed, free-range chicken, took it home, and my mom cooked me a small piece. I could barely chew it or get it down my throat, I felt so sick that I was eating an animal. But I continued to make myself eat some animal products, because I was just going by what my doctor told me. I got some new doctors, and as it turns out, (that among many other ailments I fight with,) I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Insulin Resistance, and Hypothyroidism; all three of which can cause significant weight gain, and the combo of all of them together, well that pretty much explained all the weight gain. So as it turns out, that doctor was very very wrong, and I feel terrible that I allowed myself to be misled. I am now on hormones for the PCOS, diabetes medication for the insulin resistance, and thyroid replacement meds. Though I still have yet to to lose any weight and keep it off. I'm as heavy as I've ever been right now, and I hate mirrors.

Any way, I do hope you are finding the path that will work for you. There are more and more programs offering vegetarian diet plan options these days, if you find that an official program is for you. Good luck on your journey.