Openspacepm's Journal, 22 June 2023

I am so sorry to hear that you are suffering. It is super cliché at this point, but the journey of a thousand miles really does start with a single step. Try not to focus on anything other than right now. What can you do right now to further your goal of a more healthy life? And then try to let your mind release from those spiraling types of thoughts; they don't solve problems. One small sustainable change at a time. 💙 

Know what you’re dealing with: Step one should be to go to your doctor to check blood pressure and have labs taken for blood sugar and cholesterol. Doing Keto if you have high cholesterol is not recommended by doctors or dietitians, despite how popular it is with FS members. 

Can you walk? Do you have any food allergies or similar restrictions? Whole food is a good plan, if you’re willing to do the work of preparing or acquiring food that fits the plan. Most people people need to eat healthier foods, more so than eating less food only. Eating vegetables from a can is considerably better than potato chips from a bag. Try planning a few days of healthier eating in advance and stick to it, then evaluate how you did. Figure out what you need to change to be more successful in following your plan and being happy with it. Yes, a lot of people yo-yo, but not everyone, and it is not a reason to quit. Slip ups happen to everyone; just pick up and move on. 

It may start out hard, but it gets easier. Your current habits are not healthy. Start developing healthy habits, one at a time. Make it a habit to log everything you eat. Then take each unhealthy food that you eat and find a healthy alternative that works for you. For example: You can stuff yourself with celery and never gain a pound. Find foods that work for you. Find activities that keep you away from the refrigerator. Find time to make your own meals instead of eating out. Just do one thing at a time. Just one. Then two. 

I have a friend who just lost weight. We couldn’t figure out why until she said she had been eating more but she ate in shifts. Like every break she would have a kiddie burger or a small 1 oz bag of chips. Meal times were a full sized burger or sandwich. Keto had been working for her then stopped. Now a small snack or meal every 2-3 hours works for her. Maybe try something like that? Have you considered cutting out some fat? Lower fat tends to work for me most of the time. I personally had to change it up often though. Even in maintenance. Please talk to someone about the things you are thinking and feeling. You aren’t alone. Losing weight is HARD! You DESERVE to feel better and get in control of your health. If you are diabetic then your dr can give you some pointers. Take it slow. Take short walks, park at the back of the parking lot to get a few more steps in, consider something like a stationary bike to ride while you watch tv or use little 2# weights while you watch tv. It can get overwhelming to start hard and fast and for me it backfired. With depression they tell you to take it slow, one step at a time, one foot in front of the other and make small goals that are easily attainable. Maybe try that? You’ve got this! Have faith in yourself. 

Why is it so hard?" Our appetites are driven in large part by our hormones. Insulin, cortisol, leptin, gherlin. Part of this is driven by our microbiome. When you instantly stop eating sugar and bread, your bugs rebel and send up mad signals to be fed. A good starting place is to add high fiber foods to your diet and feed the "good bacteria." The world is at your finger tips: How do I add fiber to my diet? How can I reverse my type 2 diabetes? What can I do to reduce sugar cravings? How can I stop overeating? There are tons of approaches and frankly, any change you make now will help. Coming here seeking support is a great first step. 

Here's my take...it's hard when you make it hard. You need to mentally be ready to make the lifestyle changes you need for your body to stop hurting. I have a bad hip,and I stopped vigorous exercise for a while because it hurt...this was after I lost 100 lbs. Now, I have a bunch more to lose, and I'm back to being focused on that diet and exercise. You NEED to MOVE to burn the food you put into your body. I lost weight from diet and exercise. I ate BETTER foods - fish, evoo, eggs, leafy veggies, avocado, etc., and I did weight training, stretching and cardio. At first, it's hard...don't over strain yourself at first. You need to do what you can do, then push yourself a little more every day or every few days. You'll get there. It just takes time and you need to give yourself that time for YOU! The ONLY person you are competing against with your body is YOURSELF. Remember that. By the way, if you like seafood, the Mediterranean diet is really the diet to do...if you need to follow a diet plan. I don't really follow one but I find a lot of the food I do eat is a part of that plan. Blueberries are VERY good for inflammation, if that's what you have issues with. I'll put them in Greek yogurt with a little honey and it's delicious! If you need sugar in your yogurt, Chobani has a 50% less sugar yogurt to help you with your sugar cravings. I've come off a lot of sugar in my diet. Once you stop eating it, you really don't crave it anymore. Sometimes I have something sugary and it's WAY too sweet that I can't finish it! Do NOT listen to people when they say if you were obese before, you can't keep the weight off. It's not true. If you adjust your habits, you will keep the weight off. If you go back to old habits when you reach your goal weight, yeah. You'll put the weight back on! You need to be mindful of your eating and exercise habits ALWAYS. Never give up on yourself. I did that once and I vow to never do it again! I've invested too much in myself to give up on my now! :-)  

Sorry. I see now you have already lost over a hundred pounds, so have been around this block before - not a beginner. You can increae your dopamine receptors by restricting your eating window. Start with a 12 hour window and move toward a ten hour window. Good on you for speaking up.  

I started semaglutide 2 weeks ago, please talk to your doctor about it.  

I'm sorry you are having pain and mental distress regarding research. Don't give up. There is new research and information taking place daily. Research is a good place to find most current thought trends, and these change. We are all individual and our bodies respond differently to medicines, hormones, exercise etc. there is no one right or best way for everyone. Keep trying to find what works for you. Throughout life we make adjustments all along the way, inconsistently. 

I agree. It sucks.  

You have lost weight before according to your bio, so you have proven to yourself that you can. Whatever you do, never give up on yourself. 

I agree with a lot of the information you've already received. First and foremost, get your bloodwork done. A1c specifically, plus all the "usual suspects". Your doctor, if you have one, can use this information as a baseline for any WOE you choose to follow. While I am doing Keto, I do not advocated it for everyone. It is tough to give up carbs, especially at the beginning. It can really push the hunger & cravings. I am diabetic too. Diet managed for 7 years. A dietician once told me, 1/2 your plate green, non-carb veggies, 1/4 protein, usually 3-4 ounces, and the last 1/4 low GI whole grains. It worked for a while, but the carbs kept calling me. Do what YOU feel most comfortable with, and something you can sustain. But please, get your bloodwork done. 

I have mentored many people on their weight loss journey over the last 40 years. I am here to tell you that it can be done. My first was only 18, fat and almost suicidal. Lost his weight and at 55 has never regained it. Another, in the 400+ catagory lost over 200 pounds in 2 years and has kept it off. My last was a mother daughter team . Mom was 35 did not miss 300 pounds by much and was 5”1”. The daughter was 8. Bullied in school, poor grades, etc. mom lost 175 pounds in just about a year and has kept it off for 7-8 years now. The little girl is getting ready for college. She became a track and field star and marathon runner. Graduating with scholastic honors. Oh yes, it CAN be done. 

because losing the weight is the easy part. figuring out why you put it on and what you need to change to keep it off is the hard part. Western life is an absolute killer. we are surrounded by convenience foods, processed, high in sugar and low on nutritional value. I would hazard a guess that America spends more collectively on research on how to get us to consume junk food than it does in how to be healthy. we are weak, and literally evolved to seek out sugar and fat. if you have any chinks in your resolve (psychological dependence on food), then you overeat. secondly, we don't walk, mostly because we seldom have anywhere to walk to. anywhere we need to go we have to drive. so, step 1 should be decide to make the change to be healthier (you have already done this). step 2, 3 etc should be speaking to a nutritionist, psychologist, Doctor to figure out what is preventing you from being successful. I saw semiglutide in the comments. this is ozempic. this will treat the symptom (weight), which is good, but you need to figure out the cause as well.  

Losing weight can be very hard and being obese can be hard, you have the power to choose your “hard”. That’s what someone told me at the beginning of my journey and it stuck. Look through some profiles on this site to see many obese people have lost weight and kept it off. When I started I tried keto but felt tired in the gym, plus no carbs for the rest of my life? If you feel carbs are your problem try cleaning them up for a bit til you get on track by eating natural carbs and not processed ones (not saying those are bad, but to give you a jumpstart!) Once again ask questions to people in this community, it’s great! Hope this helped and good luck!