New, Obese, and Finally Trying To Lose

Jely Anne · #1 (**permalink**) March 9th, 2006, 02:32 PM

I'm 21 years old, 5'3(and a half!) and 225 pounds. I've been overweight for my entire life, and obese for a large amount of it.

I suffer from Bipolar disorder, the depression one of the reasons I'm so overweight, I also have scoliosis (curvature of the spine) very severely, so my back hurts most of the time.

Last month I finally got into exercising, the best that I can, that it is.

I spent 30 minutes out of the day walking on my treadmill at 2.2 to 2.5 miles per hour. I walk between a mile and a mile and a half depending on my motivation for the day.

I do not follow a "specific" diet plan, but I'm trying to eat heathily, lean protien, fruits and veggies, NO FAST FOOD EVER, no soda, lots of water, and "light" everything.

I have recently decided to try the 2 slimfast + 2 small meals, 4 snacks, and one reasonable meal for dinner that they suggest on the back of their Optima packages for someone of my weight. That was only 2 days ago though.

There are two issues with my losing weight however.

Firstly...I'm not losing any. I've been exercising daily for a month, and I haven't lost a pound. My mom says I look thinner, but I'm not fitting in my clothes any better, so I have a hard time believing her.

Secondly...I don't want to be "thin". I'm hoping to get under 200 pounds, and finally, to about 140-150. I know I'm short, and that will still leave me looking lumpy and big, but that's what I WANT. I think a lot of people think I'm crazy because of this.

So...glad to be here, and I hope that I can find support and help in my weight loss goals here!

Miss Jely

redneckwoman66 · #2 (**permalink**) March 9th, 2006, 03:34 PM

Welcome To Our Forum And I Am Sure You Will Find The Support You Need Here We Are All Very Supportive And Close! Start You A Diary Because We All Visit Them And There Is A 21 And Under Club Under Clubs As Well As Other Clubs!

wonderwoman · #3 (**permalink**) March 9th, 2006, 06:04 PM

i think the reason you may not be losing is that your not hitting your target heart rate during your cardio which is very important if you want to burn fat and lose weight. i'm just guessing because you say your only walking 2.2-2.5mph which isnt very brisk. you need to be walking within your "zone" for at least 45 min. 4-5 times a week to see results. here is a site with a simple calculator to figure out your average range. mine is around 138-160 beats per minute, so as long as i'm walking around 3.5 - 4.0 mph i'm in the correct "zone" for fat burning. but that is just me - it will be different for each person. try walking a bit faster (if you can stand it) and then take your pulse to see if your heart rate is within this range. (the range that you figure out with the calculator) http://www.healthchecksystems.com/heart.asp

one more thing, you may want to take your measurements because you may have lost inches and its just not showing up on the scale yet! so either way, dont give up.

Jely Anne · #4 (**permalink**) March 9th, 2006, 06:12 PM

I don't really think I'm physically able to go faster. I sped it up to 3mph yesterday, and it's a slow jog, I cannot jog, it's too rough on my back.

I do get my heart rate up, and I sweat. Acccording to my treadmill, I burn 200 calories with my walk. And my heart rate goes up into the range suggest by the calculator you linked.

secretlysize7 · #5 (**permalink**) March 9th, 2006, 07:36 PM

Well hey there, glad you are here I love this place. I dont think you are crazy to want to be a little fluffy I want to be around 190 when im done the differance is that im 6 ft tall. as for you not loosing weight on the scale try the measuring thing I started by loosing inches and the reason for not seeing it on the scale is that you gain some muscle witch weighs more than fat.
So see you are just getting started your body will catch up, promise.

ImaFatass · #6 (**permalink**) March 9th, 2006, 11:20 PM

Watching what you eat is a good start. Do you take any anti-depressants or other meds? They can interfere with weight loss and sometimes cause weight gain. For a good low impact cardio for your back, a stationary bike or even real biking on smooth surfaces might be worth a try. Walking just a mile tho only burns a lil over 100 calories, so to build some real momentum you may have to get creative about your ideas of exercising to achieve satisfying results.

Jely Anne · #7 (**permalink**) March 9th, 2006, 11:33 PM

I'm on a handful of anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, and mood stablizers.

I walk uphill, and according to the calorie counter on my treadmill, I'm burning 200 calories with a 30 minute session.

ImaFatass · #8 (**permalink**) March 9th, 2006, 11:40 PM

I'm sure the meds are holding you back to an extent. I'm not saying to stop taking them, but I myself question anything a doctor prescribes to me before I take it. Perhaps you could do some research about them on the internet and consult with your doctor about lowering doses, and which meds are necessary and which aren't. There might be some things you can take less of or only as needed, for example.

Jely Anne · #9 (**permalink**) March 9th, 2006, 11:46 PM

Well, I've talked to my doctor, but he says that none of the medications that I'm on can cause weight gain. And when it comes to Mental Health VS Physical Health for me, I'd rather feel good than be thin.

I know that it's not healthy to be obese, but I've been to doctors and all of my tests are normal, blood pressure is low, cholesterol is low, blood sugar is perfect, heart rate is fine. In fact, other than having bipolar, scoliosis, and being obese, my health is perfect.

I'm working on eating correctly and exercising daily, but if the meds that are keeping me stable are keeping me from losing weight, I'll deal with being obese.

wonderwoman · #10 (**permalink**) March 10th, 2006, 04:02 PM

it sounds like your where you should be exercise wise if your heart is in your target heart range. i'll bet your on the same med my sis in law is on, she is bipolar and has an awful time trying to lose weight. i forget what its called but if you said it, i'd recognize the name.

by the way, you cant really go by what the treadmill says as far as how much you are burning. treadmills usually give an average estimate but dont take into account the person's weight or age. you may actually be burning more or less. you can check it out for sure at caloriesperhour.com . they have a calculator that takes other things into account like your age, current weight, incline, etc.

you could also try switching up your routine, sometimes your body gets too used to something and decides not to lose any weight after a while. like for a couple days do a 20 minute session in the am and then another in the pm. then go back to your 30 mins like your doing now. just something different to fool your body a little. have you taken measurements yet to see if you lost inches? how much water are you drinking daily?

i tried looking at your fitday but i only saw one day that was completed and it appeared to be 2,019 calories total for the day. is that the average amount you consume daily? if so, that may be the problem.

Jely Anne · #11 (**permalink**) March 10th, 2006, 04:37 PM

Edit: I found the calculator!

I walk at 2.5...and the closest I could get was 2mph at a 5% incline...says I'm burning 197 calories for 30 minutes. I guess it would be...295.5? O_o

I haven't taken any measurments, and I drink between 64 and 80oz of water a day, depending on how thirsty I am.

I only started the fitday thing yesterday, but I guess it would be accurate as to how much I normally eat during the day, give or take.

Every calorie counter online I've seen, the one at nutritiondata.com and the one at http://www.apexfitness.com say I need to be eating 2700 calories to maintain my weight. I figured eating 2000 would be reasonable to lose weight. At least for now, ever since I started exercising my appetite has been crazy.

saramaria124 · #12 (**permalink**) September 20th, 2006, 02:48 AM

Hi hon,
I just wanted to say hi and say good luck and keep going. I have hit a plateau myself and its frustrating but I want to keep trying to work on it because I felt unbelievable when I went down so much not just because I looked great, but because I hardly got sick, I could do so much more. Keep trying, and I'll keep cheering you on no matter what!!

~ Sara Maria ~