I have been fighting overweight for twenty years, so last month I started research, with a therapist, to find out what I needed to do to lose weight. Since October 22nd, when my body hit a new level of disability, I have gained twenty pounds - a massive amount for so short a time.
Using what ever calculus the nutritionist perfected, it would seem that I have a need for less than 800 calories, per day - this is the amount I am able to burn, in my totally sedentary existence, and allow for the consumption of some of the fat I am covered with - I cannot exercise, I cannot move the large calorie burning muscles, so I need far less fuel to exist than does any person with ability to move those muscles. I need fuel for slow careful movements of my arms, equally slow careful movements of my hands and fingers, and the occasional high effort of moving in bed or my chair. Nothing else.
This takes about two hundred calories in total, which when added to the 550 of my heart and circulation, the 200 of my respiratory system, and the 200 probably expended by my non violent hyperkinetic motion we come to a total calorific demand of one thousand one hundred and fifty calories.
By restricting my intake to 800 or so calories, I can make a 350 calorie demand on my fat reserves - this would allow the reduction of one pound a week maximum. If I try to increase movement without triggering spasm, I may be able to burn another 200 calories a day, which would relate to 8 ounces further weight loss, per week.
This is my target, all I need do is see if I can follow this regime.
Nutrition and dietary needs
I spent a couple of hours chatting with a nutritionist on Monday, and discussed all my concerns. She told me that yes, I need less calories, but went on to discuss the different diets that can benefit a disabled person.
We settled, after a long discussion of different merits, upon a completely new direction for me. She gave me an ebook, by a Dr McDougall, and suggested I read it and take the recipes as a guide.
I did this, and feel that I will be able to do this easily, as the food is delicious, is actually stuff I already have in the house, and just forgoes animal products and fats - it suggests avoiding heavily processed foods as well, which is fine, as I do not and have not eaten such processed foods for a long time, with the exception of spam, which I have now happily given up.
The complaints I have heard on the intenet, about this idea, has been that is vegan and therefore ridiculous but I have been vegan - this is not that. Vegan allows for seed oils, nuts and soy products - this one does not. I have done the Atkins diet, the Zone diet, Vegetarian, Vegan, Fruitarian, Paleo, Caveman, and umpteen other diets and none of them have allowed me to obtain a healthy weight.
As none of the afore said diets have worked, I am very willing to try another - I have proved to myself that I cannot figure out anything myself - so this diet is the way to go. I have had seven meals of this so far, and I am surprised how much I like them. Salads, salsa, chutney, pickles, veggies and rice. I for one would not have assumed they would taste as good.
I will post results here, as they occur.
We settled, after a long discussion of different merits, upon a completely new direction for me. She gave me an ebook, by a Dr McDougall, and suggested I read it and take the recipes as a guide.
I did this, and feel that I will be able to do this easily, as the food is delicious, is actually stuff I already have in the house, and just forgoes animal products and fats - it suggests avoiding heavily processed foods as well, which is fine, as I do not and have not eaten such processed foods for a long time, with the exception of spam, which I have now happily given up.
The complaints I have heard on the intenet, about this idea, has been that is vegan and therefore ridiculous but I have been vegan - this is not that. Vegan allows for seed oils, nuts and soy products - this one does not. I have done the Atkins diet, the Zone diet, Vegetarian, Vegan, Fruitarian, Paleo, Caveman, and umpteen other diets and none of them have allowed me to obtain a healthy weight.
As none of the afore said diets have worked, I am very willing to try another - I have proved to myself that I cannot figure out anything myself - so this diet is the way to go. I have had seven meals of this so far, and I am surprised how much I like them. Salads, salsa, chutney, pickles, veggies and rice. I for one would not have assumed they would taste as good.
I will post results here, as they occur.
When I awoke to the desperate need to lose weight and regain what I could of my health, I weighed 354 pounds - grossly overweight - with a gut measurement of 65.7 inches. The week of low calorie made no difference to my girth, but when I started the McDougall plan I felt much better, a lethargic tone to my muscles had gone, and somehow I felt almost immediately better.
Today, my gut was measured at PT, and with amazement and relief I report that my girth is now 56.8 inches - They did not weigh me, that needs a special scale as I cannot stand still, I need a scale seat ( scales that are a seat, rather than a platform)
It is my intention to return the the facility with the scale seat on the 25th of this month, where I will learn how much weight 9* inches round the gut weigh. I have not been hungry at all, during this diet, and eat all I want; the food is awesome, tasty and filling.
If you, like me, have fought with overweight for years, tried everything to get some reduction, but bounced like a yoyo, try this McDougall Plan - you have tried the rest, don't give up, try this one - it works because you are not hungry on it, there is no need to cheat, no need to revert to bad eating - this plan educates while it heals, and the weight drops off.
https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/educ ... l-program/
Try it, the only thing you got to lose is unwanted weight.
Today, my gut was measured at PT, and with amazement and relief I report that my girth is now 56.8 inches - They did not weigh me, that needs a special scale as I cannot stand still, I need a scale seat ( scales that are a seat, rather than a platform)
It is my intention to return the the facility with the scale seat on the 25th of this month, where I will learn how much weight 9* inches round the gut weigh. I have not been hungry at all, during this diet, and eat all I want; the food is awesome, tasty and filling.
If you, like me, have fought with overweight for years, tried everything to get some reduction, but bounced like a yoyo, try this McDougall Plan - you have tried the rest, don't give up, try this one - it works because you are not hungry on it, there is no need to cheat, no need to revert to bad eating - this plan educates while it heals, and the weight drops off.
https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/educ ... l-program/
Try it, the only thing you got to lose is unwanted weight.
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suewheeels
- Posts: 5
- Joined: 9 years ago
Hello. I'm Susan as a person with challenges who has been really interested in food awareness, writing down one's food intake can be useful. We often eat to mask other issues so we aren't really hungry when we eat. It's also a lot harder for people like me who sit almost all day. I will be offering a free program in my town as well as online support because experts just tell people to "walk" and that isn't always the answer. Is it?
One month after starting the McDougall Plan, I am 16 pounds lighter at 338, much better feeling, and coupled with P T I am more able to control my hands, so much so that I cat type again, albeit slowly with plenty of backspace use.
Froggy, my care attendant started the same time weighing 112 pounds, now down to 99 pounds, only four pounds above her weight prior to the trauma that she went through.
Froggy, my care attendant started the same time weighing 112 pounds, now down to 99 pounds, only four pounds above her weight prior to the trauma that she went through.
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lilycraven
- Posts: 7
- Joined: 9 years ago
I shall check out this McDougall Diet Plan, as I too am, according to the family doc, obese. I once kept a log of what I ate and saw that I was not eating that much after all, though I was putting on weight just the same. Not moving does not help matters. What I have been able to do is isometrics, and though I have not seen any weight loss, my clothes are more loose. My cousin, an RD and physical trainer, once told me to not pay so much attention to what a scale says, as that can be demoralizing, but how your clothes start to become larger. This helps me mentally at least, though I know I need to lose gobs of weight gained after a fusion surgery that left me in worse shape than before. And of course some meds cause weight gain too. But it is good to see that others are out there with the same problems (cannot exercise so how can I lose weight in a healthy manner?) and we can keep encouraging one another.