Unhappy with diet

[Bari Jo]

So, now that my e was tripled, I've not been able to lose weight.  In fact I've gained three pounds on the same diet.    My diet has been portion control only.  Now I think it's got to be portion control and change of food.  Boo!

If any of you have tips for losing weight while on hrt, I'd love to know.  I'm currently at 152, and my goal is to be below 140...

Bari Jo

[Dena]

You will receive some disagreement on what I am to suggest but restrict sugar in your diet. It's in many foods so some may be difficult to remove but soft drinks and deserts are often easy targets. Fats are even more calorie dense that sugar and are often hidden in sauces. Gravy, some salad dressings and white/cheese sauces should be used in moderation. Most important, read the label because something that says low fat may have the same or more calories than the regular fat version of the product. Allow your self an occasional reward so you don't feel deprived but like all things, do it in moderation.

[Deborah]

You don't have a lot to lose so it won't be easy to do it healthily.   Like Dena said, reduce added sugar and keep a moderate calorie deficit, 250 to 500 calories a day.

If you're not exercising already it would help a lot to add some cardiovascular exercise and strength training.

Also, be sure to set a realistic goal.  Get a pair of calipers and find out what your body fat percentage is right now.  Then set a goal.  For fat distribution 20 to 25 percent probably would work best.  If you're athletically inclined then somewhere between 12 and 18 percent.  Setting a goal this way is a lot more realistic than reading a chart that doesn't account for your individual body composition.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bari Jo]

You don't have a lot to lose so it won't be easy to do it healthily.   Like Dena said, reduce added sugar and keep a moderate calorie deficit, 250 to 500 calories a day.

If you're not exercising already it would help a lot to add some cardiovascular exercise and strength training.

Also, be sure to set a realistic goal.  Get a pair of calipers and find out what your body fat percentage is right now.  Then set a goal.  For fat distribution 20 to 25 percent probably would work best.  If you're athletically inclined then somewhere between 12 and 18 percent.  Setting a goal this way is a lot more realistic than reading a chart that doesn't account for your individual body composition.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks.  The goal is realistic as I'm only 5'6".  I'm over 25% right now so a ways to go for sure.  I'm going to start cardio, nothing too heavy, just enough to burn a little extra a day.  I'm already doing the no added sugars and limiting bread intake.  I think substitute more regular meals for salads will help.

I do have lots of protein shake powder from gnc from previous diets.  I hate to resort to that, but maybe a couple of those replacing meals a week?

Bari Jo

[KayXo]

You'll be miserable if you reduce carbs but don't increase fats for ENERGY. Calorie restriction isn't necessary to lose weight, the science behind this premise is non-existent and things are much more complex than that. Things aren't as simple as calorie in = calorie out. Eat fats, as much as you want, even saturated (but not trans) but limit carb intake. Don't overdo it on protein. Exercise will do absolutely nothing for weight loss but is healthy nonetheless so good to incorporate it in your life but have fun doing it, maybe do a sport you like, join an aerobics class with other girls, etc.

I'm also 5'6 and at 140, I was TOO thin, face sunken and barely any curves, no breasts. At 150 +, I started looking more decent. Women are supposed to have more fat, more curves. Food for thought...I've been at this since 2003...

[Deborah]

If you want to do something else then try intermittent fasting.  I have been really happy and feeling good since I started it.  Just don't eat for 16+ hours a day and restrict yourself to one or two meals.  One big advantage if you're restricting calories is that your one or two meals will be larger and leave you more satisfied.

It also purports to have a lot of other health benefits.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bari Jo]

I'm also 5'6 and at 140, I was TOO thin, face sunken and barely any curves, no breasts. At 150 +, I started looking more decent. Women are supposed to have more fat, more curves. Food for thought...I've been at this since 2003...

Wow, 100, that is amazing.  Yes, I'm pretty much using your weight as a goal.  Since you are the same height, would you happen to have a body pict you can pm me?  I'd love to see what I've got to look forward to.  I started from the other end.  I was 184, and tubby.  As soon as I accepted myself I had a goal to become Bari Jo, and she's no fatty.  It's been working really well for a while.

Bari Jo

[Bari Jo]

Hah, read that last one wrong.  So 150 was more healthy for you?  I'm right there but my body image still has issues.  I've still got a little belly and only see the tubby girl in the mirror.

Oh, Deborah. I can't do the fasting.  I love food too much:)

Bari Jo

[KayXo]

To get rid of that belly, don't let testosterone get too low, be sure to have enough estrogen in your body and limit carb intake. Avoid all progestogens including cyproterone acetate. OMG! 100?!! LOL. I would have looked like a stick!

As far as HRT, always discuss things with doctor before making any changes.

[Bari Jo]

To get rid of that belly, don't let testosterone get too low, be sure to have enough estrogen in your body and limit carb intake. Avoid all progestogens including cyproterone acetate. OMG! 100?!! LOL. I would have looked like a stick!

As far as HRT, always discuss things with doctor before making any changes.

Interesting on the T value.  Mine is 5, and my doctor has asked me to cut back on the spiro which I haven't done yet.  I will start that today.

Bari Jo

[Deborah]

I'm trying to raise my T a little also.  It's been less than 3 for over a year and the only fat I have left is on my belly and lower back.  It's impossible to lose no matter what I do.  Hopefully a slightly higher T will help with it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[KayXo]

Interesting on the T value.  Mine is 5, and my doctor has asked me to cut back on the spiro which I haven't done yet.  I will start that today.

I was down to 3-9 ng/dl (before adding T) and undetectable FREE and BIO-AVAILABLE T! I've come across several female ranges and putting them all together, range is 6-120 ng/dl, so 5 is LOW! It's better to measure free or bio-available T to find out how much of the T that can actually bind to receptors is available. Last test, I had 37 ng/dl TOTAL T (after adding some T) but bio and free T were still undetectable because my SHBG was HIGH. What the test can't tell you though is how sensitive you are to this hormone and only YOU and your doctor can assess this by observing how your body responds.

Too oily, acne, significant body hair increase, losing scalp hair? You are likely exposed to TOO much!

With Spiro also, T levels aren't a reliable indicator as spiro blocks T so you might have a good amount of T in the blood, even above female range but a lot of that could be blocked by Spiro.

[Roll]

Hah, read that last one wrong.  So 150 was more healthy for you?  I'm right there but my body image still has issues.  I've still got a little belly and only see the tubby girl in the mirror.

Oh, Deborah. I can't do the fasting.  I love food too much:)

Bari Jo

IF isn't "real" fasting most of the time, it is basically just cut out a meal on either end of the day, creating an 8 hour window in which all food is consumed. Theory behind it is that body spends more time in modes that spend stored calories without actually entering "starvation mode" or radically shifting baseline metabolism since actual caloric intake does no suffer.

I sort of do it by accident since I don't eat breakfast, but have been paying more attention to keeping the schedule consciously since starting to diet. I lost just as much the weeks I ate a full 2k day as I did the weeks I was below 1.5k for what its worth.

Unfortunately it doesn't really play well with the "coffee culture" in which everyone has several hundred calories just to wake up half the time.

[Gertrude]

You'll be miserable if you reduce carbs but don't increase fats for ENERGY. Calorie restriction isn't necessary to lose weight, the science behind this premise is non-existent and things are much more complex than that. Things aren't as simple as calorie in = calorie out. Eat fats, as much as you want, even saturated (but not trans) but limit carb intake. Don't overdo it on protein. Exercise will do absolutely nothing for weight loss but is healthy nonetheless so good to incorporate it in your life but have fun doing it, maybe do a sport you like, join an aerobics class with other girls, etc.

I'm also 5'6 and at 140, I was TOO thin, face sunken and barely any curves, no breasts. At 150 +, I started looking more decent. Women are supposed to have more fat, more curves. Food for thought...I've been at this since 2003...

I disagree. I'm doing keto and my macros are 178g fat, 30g carbs, 161g protein a day, calories are 2361. I'm usually close to those, rarely over, most of the time I'm under calorically little, but I'm usually at or above on protein. I've lost 66lbs in 19 weeks. My blood work up a couple weeks ago came back 146 cholesterol, 128 triglycerides and 79 sugar, A1c was 5. I eat a lot of meat, fowl, fish and eggs. I don't eat bread, rice, pizza and pretty much nothing that grows underground except a little onion and garlic. No milk, but yogurt occasionally and cheese often. All I can say is it works for me.

Macros and calories can be calculated on websites that specialize in keto. I'm a big person, but not very active, so ymmv in terms of what will work for anyone else.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Julia1996]

I'm not a dieting expert by any means but I can tell you some stuff I do to avoid calories.
For breakfast you can make a really good smoothie. Use whatever fruits you like with some almond milk and ice cubes to thicken it. If you need more flavor you can use a packet of berry flavored crystal light. The little packets they make for water bottles.

Use egg beaters instead of eggs for omletes and scrambled eggs. Egg beaters only has 25 calories per 3 tablespoons. I make omletes with eggbeaters and fill it with all kinds of vegetables.  Onion, mushrooms, peppers, spinach, etc. I think eggbeaters taste like real eggs but my family doesn't like it so I just use it for my breakfast.

Start using almond milk. It's 40 calories per cup. If you can't do unsweetened almond milk try the vanilla or chocolate almond milk. I love soda but it's really fattening and I cannot stand the taste of diet soda. I drink water or water with a packet of crystal light in it. If I need something carbonated I drink club soda. I love it plain but if you don't like the flavor put a packet of crystal light in it.

I like to eat snacks while I watch TV. The flavored rice cakes are really good, so is airpopped popcorn. I use salt and spices to flavor popcorn instead of butter. You can also slice up raw vegetables and use them for snacking. I also love dried seaweed chips. If you're the type of person who likes to eat icecream try using popsicles molds or little containers and freeze unsweetened fruit juices. Or you can eat fruit as a snack.

I use cauliflower a lot. Cauliflower rice, cauliflower alfredo sauce, cauliflower soup and mashed cauliflower. When it's mashed or made into soup cauliflower tastes very much like potatoes. And vegetables taste much better when you roast them instead of boiling or steaming them.

That's just some of the stuff I do to avoid too many calories. I hope you find some of it helpful.

[Roll]

I love soda but it's really fattening and I cannot stand the taste of diet soda.

I hate the taste of the traditional Diet Cokes and Pepsis, but the Coke Zero line, particularly Cherry Coke Zero, are virtually indistinguishable from the full calorie versions nowadays. (Local stores always sell out of the cherry coke zero instantly during sales even with the same volume of other products, because a lot of people have figured out that it really doesn't taste different/worse than normal cherry coke. That little bit of cherry flavor completely masks the tiniest hint of chemical taste you get with normal Coke Zero or something like Sprite Zero.)

Having said that, of course water is healthier, but if it is between drinking a coke zero or breaking down and ruining dieting with a box of snack cakes because you just need something, anything to stop the monotony... the coke zero wins every time.

[Deborah]

The latest studies show that diet soda inhibits fat loss the same as regular soda.  The reason isn't calories but rather the sweetness signals your hormones, particularly insulin, to release into the bloodstream.  Your body tastes the sweetness and thinks that blood sugar is going to rise.  When insulin is in the bloodstream your fat cells do not release fat for energy.  Plus, the insulin spike may crash your blood sugar temporarily leaving you feeling really hungry.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Gertrude]

I hate the taste of the traditional Diet Cokes and Pepsis, but the Coke Zero line, particularly Cherry Coke Zero, are virtually indistinguishable from the full calorie versions nowadays. (Local stores always sell out of the cherry coke zero instantly during sales even with the same volume of other products, because a lot of people have figured out that it really doesn't taste different/worse than normal cherry coke. That little bit of cherry flavor completely masks the tiniest hint of chemical taste you get with normal Coke Zero or something like Sprite Zero.)

Having said that, of course water is healthier, but if it is between drinking a coke zero or breaking down and ruining dieting with a box of snack cakes because you just need something, anything to stop the monotony... the coke zero wins every time.

I drink diet tonic water. I do think Coke Zero is the best of the diet sodas, biut I don't touch the sugared stuff. Truth us that I measure or weigh most of what I eat or know in advance from a nutritional info what in it, keeping within my own set guidelines is easier. It's gotten to the point where I can guess some things, but still rely on confirmation. That said, no cakes, cookies, crackers, treats or ice cream for me. After awhile, one just gets used to it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Gertrude]

The latest studies show that diet soda inhibits fat loss the same as regular soda.  The reason isn't calories but rather the sweetness signals your hormones, particularly insulin, to release into the bloodstream.  Your body tastes the sweetness and thinks that blood sugar is going to rise.  When insulin is in the bloodstream your fat cells do not release fat for energy.  Plus, the insulin spike may crash your blood sugar temporarily leaving you feeling really hungry.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I mix it up between diet tonic water, water, coffee and the occasional beer, but that's if I keep my carbs super low. I'll drink unsweetened iced tea too. I also find that if I don't eat enough fat, I'll get a little hungry. I know some may think it's counter intuitive, but eating fat doesn't necessarily make one fat and eating foods with cholesterol won't necessarily raise ones cholesterol.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Deborah]

I mix it up between diet tonic water, water, coffee and the occasional beer, but that's if I keep my carbs super low. I'll drink unsweetened iced tea too. I also find that if I don't eat enough fat, I'll get a little hungry. I know some may think it's counter intuitive, but eating fat doesn't necessarily make one fat and eating foods with cholesterol won't necessarily raise ones cholesterol.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Before my last blood test my diet was very similar to what you stated above with daily fat intake approaching 200g on many days.  I was also eating lots of cholesterol, somewhere around 20 to 28 eggs per week.  Besides losing the last of the weight I wanted to lose my triglycerides came in at 54 and my HDL cholesterol at 94.  LDL cholesterol was normal.  Eating lots of fat made me healthier. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk