How Can I lose weight if I am always really tired?

[Lou]

Hi people!

I need some advices about this topic. I must lose near 40 kg for health and for feel better with myself; but I am always really exhaused.
I supossed that a a big part of this feeling is caused by Sjögren and in the other hand, all these kgs I have acumulated for years and having bad habits like don´t practice to much exercise and don´t eat as I should do.

I have suffered the "yo-yo" effect, as we called in Spain: lose weight so quickly and in few weeks you begin to gain weight again.. andand the end, you finally weigh the double in comparison at the time you began the diet and did exercise... It is like a loop that never ends and it is very difficult to stop it when the person have chronical fatigue.

Any of you have had in a similar situation? How did you get over it and lose weight?

I am really tired of visiting endocrine´s doctors or similar to ge my target, and I hate very restictive diets and gyms.

Thanks for reading me.

[warmwaters]

It would help if you could find a way of eating that isn't very high in calories, and that is a way you could eat for a long time.  A lot of doctors suggest a diet with a lot of vegetables, and small amounts of lean meats.  Most people have a problem with a diet because you don't want to keep going on your diet when you are done.  Browse around for diets that feel like something you could live with.  Some people find it helpful to join a group when dieting - it can help reinforce sticking to it.

I understand about exercise and fatigue. I get very tired after very little effort.  I think the starting point is do what you can. Can you walk for 15 minutes? Then do that.  Can you walk for 20 minutes? Great, that's even better. Even if you can't do it every day, doing it sometimes is better than no exercise.

It's hard, and as we get older, our bodies sure don't want to let go of the weight. 

[susanep]

I know what you are talking about, and I am working on it again.

I can't do much exercise over getting some clothes washed, and a few things like that. I had to rest up a day before seeing my dad who is in a nursing home. It really helped.

I can not lose any weight by depriving myself of everything. I have myself on a 1,600 calorie diet each day. I have a lot to lose so this works for me. My trick that helps me the most is to eat little tiny meals all during the day of good food, and then a few snacks I like.

I have been buying the little boxes of frozen vegetables, and some bags of frozen fruit that I will enjoy with a little cool whip on top. It works well without a lot of calories. We have a store that at times has these bags of chicken breast pieces with no skin or breaded coating, and I eat one of those at times at a meal. Other meat choice I use is packs of the lean ham, turkey, or chicken very thin slices.

I have a craving at times for salt, but I don't add salt to anything. So I love green olives, and will count me out a few of these to put with my other pieces of whatever.

If I do eat bread, it is only 100% whole wheat or small other types if not over about 60 calories per slice. I know where you live you will have to look for places you find things to work for you.

I did for years drink diet mountain dew with no calories to worry about, but don't think it was very good for me.

It wasn't until one day before this past Christmas we were at Walmart and I seen these big bottles of 100% apple juice being advertised at the end of a baby products isle. lol... I thought if it's good for babies then maybe I should try some, because I don't always eat apples as I should.

I have been drinking an 8 oz glass of it over ice each day. It does have calories, but I add them in with everything else, and it works for me.

Sometimes if I am badly craving something else sweet besides fruit which I do with my coffee, then I will try to find some granola type bars to have on hand. I found some on sale the other day for 90 calories per bar.

I am also diabetic, but it gets so much better when I can lose some weight. Usually then I don't have to take any pills for it. The thing is being on a 1,600 calorie diet doesn't allow for me to just eat a bunch of sweet stuff or fatty stuff, because then I would either be going way over the calories or starving the rest of the day.

The trick that seems to help me through it most days is the smaller tiny meals keeps my blood sugar levels more even, and I don't want to eat as much.

I do not exercise, but after losing 12 pounds since starting this at the beginning of January of this year, I could tell a bit of difference when walking down the long halls to see my dad at the nursing home. That felt so good.

Let me add: Before my mother passed away in 2012 I had ate this way and lost 70 pounds in a year and a few months. Also with no set exercise, but I was able to walk better without losing my breath.

Sadly, I gained it all back after she died, because of being so depressed with losing her, and did not care. I use to always have mom call and ask how much more I had lost.

I am hearing mom's voice again saying, "Susan how much have you lost this time?"

I hope something in my story helps you. You have to also be motivated when you first decide to start, because it just gets you going.

My motivation this time was my breathlessness at night after eating too much food, and not healthy food, and looking down at my little fur baby who is my shadow (my doggie Bonnie) who has bad separation anxiety and imagining her looking for me, and me not being around anymore. Also, my dear husband of course. lol.... and my one son and daughter in law.

Hugs,
Susan

[susanep]

Oops! I also meant to add I don't just sit around eating the green olives, but will have one serving of Doritos instead of half the bag, and sometimes a piece of hard type cheese. I also like a tbs or 2 of cream cheese on something once in awhile. There is so much more out there now that helps with the calorie counting.

Oh! There are free counting programs you can use online, but my favorite will always be "livestrong.com". I go to my plate and add my foods, and it will show foods and calories, or I can hit the one underneath the little window slot for calories to put in my own calories off the package I have taken food out of.

They also have where you can click at the top and put in your weight that only you see, and it will keep up with what you lose.

It's free to join, but they will tell you that if you just join the gold one (which costs a little for it) you will lose more. I don't see it, but some might want it.

It even has where you can click this picture of a water glass every time you drink a glass of water to know you are getting down some water.

There are also lots of good articles to read in there you just have to look around.

Good luck
susanep

[Joe S.]

Lou, I have a strange sense of humor.

exercise in your dreams. If athletes can improve their game by dreaming they are better, may be we can lose weight by exercizing in our dreams.

[juliechurch]

don't eat anything white in color and try a gluten free diet and drink water every hour. and go from 5 min work out to a 20 min work in four weeks if u can. i know it is hard i am dealing with the whole sleepy thing myself here lately. but the gluten free diet will help u lose weigh I had to do it to see why my tummy always hurt and i lost 15lbs in 2-3 weeks so try it.

[Judie P]

Learn mindful eating if you can't exercise much.  It is taught by a lot of mindfulness experts like Jon Kabat-Zinn.  It really makes you think about what you are eating and how bad some it tastes when you actually pay attention to it!

[Princess Tusi]

I am currently following the Autoimmune Protocol (paleo ++), I am averaging 2-3lb (1kg) loss a week and have been on this since mid-September last year. I do no exercise but have been able to manage with shorter naps during the day and not at all when I work (was sleeping through my lunch break).
The weight loss is my secondary goal and I think by focussing on this being a healing program rather than a diet I have found it so much easier to stick to. Plus the couple of occasions when I've eaten something I shouldn't, my body has reacted with pain or gastro issues so that's helped too.
I've also noticed that because I'm eating nutrient rich foods that I don't eat as much as I used to.

It's not always fun but I feel better than I used to!!
Caroline

[Linda196]

My first thought was; stop thinking of the 40 kg you must lose.That's just a daunting number! Aim for a 5 kilo loss.........you'll feel better anyway, and it will give you a feeling of accomplishment that will encourage you to set a second goal, and a third, and so on.

I constantly battle with weight, always have, and my regime of Prednisone doesn't help. Right now, I'm not actively trying to lose the weight I need gone, I'm just focusing on not gaining any more, and I'm doing it with a 3 kilo guideline. If my weight creeps up to 3 K above what I have determined as a baseline, I get more proactive. If it should happen to drop the 3 K, I set that as a new base.

I apply the same "sectional" technique to diet, I eat small amounts, several times a day, and when it's family meal time, I portion about 1/3 of what I would normal serve for my own plate, and I don't leave the table hungry.

I haven't "banned " any foods, as long as they are natural (and usually local). I don't eat processed or premade foods, and avoid mixes. As a result, my "exercise" comes from cooking! I enjoy it, and on good days, I can even manage making bread, otherwise the bread I eat comes from a local artisan baker.

I've been taking Prednisone for 12 years, and other than ballooning up for the first year, when my dose was 60 mg/day, My weight has remained within 5 kilo of what it was before I was diagnosed, which was about 5 kilo too much even then LOL. There have been periods when, due to increases health issues, I dropped to my "ideal" weight, and was told repeatedly I looked gaunt, so I think I'll keep some of the extra padding