Hello My Name Is Kim

[kimis]

I have been working out and eating good foods and I keep gaining weight. It will be two years in April that I have been eating gluten free and my body just gets bigger and jigglier every month. Why does this happen? Anyone know a good diet plan for fat asses?

[Jestgar]

I don't think there's a one-plan-fits-all remedy. You could start by finding an online calorie tracker. I started using one and it's made me much more aware of the impact certain foods have on my daily calorie intake.

[Roda]

I started following the South Beach diet. The first two weeks I lost 13 pounds. I sorta fell off the perverbial wagon, but I have been incorporating exercise 3-5 times a week for about 30 minutes for the past two months. I can really tell that my muscles are toning up and my cardio has improved alot. I'm getting back on the eating plan today. I remember answering a post for you about T3. If you have your script for the thyroid meds, by all means start taking it if you need it. Underactive thyroid can screw with your weight too. There are a couple of us on here that are doing a friendly exercise motiviation. Feel free to join us. I have to say when I first started exercising my poor ankles would swell and be very painful. They did not like jogging and jumping my lard a** around. It took a lot of ibuprofen, patience, persistance and wrapping them before I exercised, but they are finaly strong enought now that it is no longer a problem. I still have a way to go but at least I am now active and in better shape. The rest will fall into place when I get back in the mindset.

[luvs2eat]

Hi Kim. My name is Leslie and I'm a fat ass too... or as I usually say... a carb addict. I put on more than 30 lbs. after going gluten free... enjoying too much of the things I COULD have to make up for all the things I could no longer have.

It always irritated me when people talk about the emotional reasons people eat and get fat. I keep asking... why can't it be that I just prefer macaroni and cheese to salad??

In the last 1 1/2 months, I've cut out almost all carbs. I have the occasional 1/2 to 1 cup of brown rice w/ supper, but no more yummy, fat sandwiches for lunch... no chips... and no mac and cheese. I've also cut out a lot dairy and try to eat VERY small amounts of cheese. I eat lean meats and lots of fruits and veggies and occasionally eggs or cottage cheese. I also cut out booze... as it started wreaking havoc w/ my intestines for some reason.

Today's lunch was about 1 cup of brown rice and a bunch of baby carrots and broccoli florets nuked for 5 minutes and a dollop of ranch dressing. It was delicious.

I'm still working on the exercise... but I've lost 12 lbs. so far. Only 30 to go! Good luck!!

[Reba32]

what are the "good foods" you've been eating? And how much? And when?

I've learned a lot about food in the past year and a half or so, and how it can impact your body. Not just gluten and Celiac disease, but how we *need* fat in our diet, and how we *don't* need all the carbs all the food pyramids say we do! And how evil sugars are. And how eating on a regular schedule is sooooooooo important to blood glucose normalization! Even if you are not diabetic or hypoglycemic.

Atkins has a new book out this week called "The New Atkins for a New You". If low fat, low calorie is starving you to death and you're still gaining weight, (like I was before I switched!) I'd strongly suggest a look at Atkins. You'll never be hungry again. It's not all about steak and bacon and cheese. It's about properly balancing good wholesome food.

Another good book is "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes. Not a diet book, but very informative.

[plantime]

Sad to say, but my rear was fat before I was diagnosed. Glutenfree flours have more calories than wheat flour, so that did not help me at all. Sparkpeople has a free online calorie/exercise tracker you might want to try.

[jerseyangel]

Fellow FA here....well my tush isn't really the problem so much as is my midsection . I think it's a combination of menopause and too many gluten-free baked goods.

I've been able to lose weight, but more importantly lose inches and tone up (less jigglies), by restricting sugars and flours. I also exercise--Pilates 5 days a week and brisk walking. It's not a quick fix, but it's been steady and I've gone down 2 jean sizes in 7 months (!). I don't look at it as a "diet", but a way of life.

[kenlove]

Counting calories always worked well for me -- when my head was focused on it - If I had 10 calories left for the day i would cut a Hersheys kiss in half to get a taste and 8 calories on my sheet which I wrote down at each meal. ALso joined topS WHICH I should do again -- or I should start one chapter -- still remember the pledge--

TOPS Pledge I am an intelligent person.I will control my emotions andnot let my emotions control me.Every time I am tempted to use foodto satisfy my frustrated desires,build up my injured egoor dull my senses, I will remember.Even though I overeat in privatemy excess poundage is therefor all the world to see.I will take off pounds sensibly.

I don't think there's a one-plan-fits-all remedy. You could start by finding an online calorie tracker. I started using one and it's made me much more aware of the impact certain foods have on my daily calorie intake.

[cyberprof]

I have been working out and eating good foods and I keep gaining weight. It will be two years in April that I have been eating gluten free and my body just gets bigger and jigglier every month. Why does this happen? Anyone know a good diet plan for fat asses?

Hi Kim, I have almost the same story. Gained 20 pounds right before diagnosis and gained 10 more after that when I went gluten-free.

My reasons is similar to others...eating what I like and can have, somewhat because I am deprived of what I really wanted (gluten). Although that is getting better. Also, I went through a very quick menopause right before diagnosis: menopause wreaks havoc with one's metabolism.

I too started the South Beach Diet. Since starting a week ago, I've lost about 3.5 pounds. I don't expect to lose that much every week. In South Beach lingo, I'm going to stay on a modified Phase I plan instead of moving to Phase II. Phase I is no "white stuff" no flour, sugar, potatoes, rice, corn plus no fruit or alcolhol. I'm going to add in fruit and wine but not the starches next week. After I lose 15-20, I'll re-evaluate and go from there.

I also started lifting weights again and re-started my yoga practice. Plus I walk 1-2 hours on Saturday and ride my bike here and there.

It is tough losing weigh. My personal feeling is that celiac and/or gluten intolerance messed up my system, perhaps permanently. It takes a heck of a lot more work to lose a pound than it does for others.

Good luck!

[Peace41]

I have been working out and eating good foods and I keep gaining weight. It will be two years in April that I have been eating gluten free and my body just gets bigger and jigglier every month. Why does this happen? Anyone know a good diet plan for fat asses?

Hello Kimie

Peace be with u. Have u ever thought for a time, to swap a solid meal or meals for liquid meals, such as having home made vegetables/fruit juices as well as maybe drinking smoothies, these can be a complete meal and u end up consuming more of them, without the mass and they don't take a lot of enery to digest. U can also do raw soup, such as tomato and throw raw vegiees together and then munch them up with the food processor, adding herbs, I use to add chillis etc...for it to have a bite and become hot, we were missing heat in our food....yeah pre gluten free/dysphragia days etc...for us...

U also can add suppplements to this, such as an athelete's formula, as long as it doesn't have too much bulking etc...usually for runners is good, because they need to have things light and not heavy.

Also when I was going through a huge weight loss, went down to 36 kgs, which is around 72bls part of what was causing the problem was the dressing I was having which was really yummy on salad, but I found can be a diuretic, but this was pre glutn diet for me, when we were on our faw, elimination diet.

Please substitute as necesary,

apple cider vinegar with garlic, and also parsley and even lemon juice, and sea salt added. Its the vinegar with the garlic, combo causes this. but also aids in digestion problems. We were going through a lot of salads, because we couldn't eat cooked for a time. Cooked food can become acidic, and is a filler, as well as the life can be cooked out of the foods. A combination of ccoked with raw is best, because without the cooked, there is a continually not feeling satisfied. U could also try more salads than cooked every meal. I had a sister in Christ come and stay with me for three weeks, and the weight was coming off of her before she left, and she was declared obese before she left her home in the USA. And in three weeks her clothes were getting too big for her. Also she became more active here, in Australia we need to walk a lot to get around. And where we live is in the countryside.

And please don't call urself a fat ass, I wouldn't have my sister in Christ declare that she was fat and ugly etc...to me she is beautiful and we love her because her heart is beautiful.

U also need to be careful if u overload it and not do it little by little, it can be like a detox thing happening, where ur body starts to release the toxins etc...that make u sick, but by not

doing it little by little, it brings all what is hidden to the surface for a time, usually a week makes u feel really sick. So starting out the day such as breakfast is usually a good start for a liquid diet.

What we started was, glass of water, glass of alkaline - apple cider vinegar/honey and lemon in spring water; green veggie juice (lettuce, cucumber, celery, silverbeet, and sometimes parsley, smoothie shake and then we would eat solid, usually a salad which is really filling. And we ended up eating light, because after drinking all that liquid we were full, so when we became not so full we could eat the small salad, which was something like, half and avocado with chopped up tomoto, red capsicum and a little carrot or whatever veggies u would like to add, topped with olive oil, salt lemon etc...

If u do lunch, it would be glass of water, glass of alkaline, carrot and pumpkin juice, banana smoothie or whatever fruit smoothie...and we drank almond milk, we made our own, which is really nice and then a veggie salad as well usually we would end up complimenting it all together with colour combinations. We then if we could would have desert, such as fresh fruit, with frozen banana icecream....which is just frozen bananas add a little water, honey and munch up and makes banana icecream, its really nice...

But u can modify that to meet ur needs.

Peace41

[kimis]

wow...I feel so loved here! I only eat dinner and it is usually lots of raw veggies a littler grilled chicken and rice bread I make myself. I have a cup of non-fat frozen yogurt and go right to bed. I think I could cut out the yogurt and bread. I also have a thyroid disease, but my levels are good...so I don't think it's that. I will say goodbye to my yogurt and bread later and if that don't work...I'm going back to the Dr. and telling her to test me for fat ass disease! I guess I'm lucky my fiance likes my new meat even if I don't. Maybe he pours sugar down my throat while I am sleeping.

[Erin Elberson]

Good stuff here!

Kimis, you may want to start by tracking exactly what you are eating now, using a calculator like calorie king, fitday, or sparkpeople. Track everything that you put in your mouth, no exceptions, no "eating good" because you're tracking, for a few days. This way you can see exactly where you are at. Most often people are taking in far more calories than they realize, and a few tweaks can help immensely.

Healthy eating and living has to be a lifestyle decision, or it ends up being a yo-yo.

Best wishes!

[ItsaDollThang]

I don't necessarily believe in the whole low carb vs low protein vs low fat diet thing. A balance works best for my body. I do find I need a certain amount of carbs and fat to function and while I make it a point not to gorge on either I do include them in my daily diet regime.

I eat more fat than the Ornish and Pritikin type diets would suggest. I eat more carbs than the South Beach and Atkins Diets would suggest but I watch my calories regardless. I eat 1600-1700 calories most days, and rarely do I splurge with more food except once in a while on a holiday. If I eat fat, a bread thing, or a dessert, I just count it, and adjust the calories so I am not over doing it that's all.

I do prefer real butter to fake, but use olive oil, sesame, and peanut oil most of the time because they are better for me. I hardly ever eat much more than a tablespoon and a half a day of those or deep fry with them. Mostly I use them in stir fry meals with lots of veggies. I save the real butter for things like real mashed potatoes, for making pasties, food recipes where it's really needed.

I do believe the type of fats and carbs you eat can have a real effect on your weight, hence I tend to eat a lot more complex carbs than less complex ones, and I try to stick to the good fats, but I also believe the body needs those things, fat and carbs, in certain amounts to function and that going too low on either can be counter productive to weight loss.

I noticed that when I did try the low fat or low carb diets my hair and usually reflected that switch in diet fairly quickly. Too little of either and my hair gets really awful, and my nails get brittle. I have a problem with that as it is, hormones, so I really can't take the oils etc out of the diet on top of it or I risk too much breakage.

All that being said when I swapped out the regular breads and pastas for the non-gluten versions something good clearly happened. For the record I am eating roughly the same amount of carbs and fat that I was when I started in January. No calorie change. But I have dropped almost 18 lbs since then and I couldn't lose weight before that no matter what I did due to the hormonal issues.

I was on hormones, have been for well over a year and a half now and there is no change in dosage or exercise level either and yet I'm peeling off the pounds at a steady if rather slow rate after not being able to lose weight at all for literally several years.

I just don't feel as satisfied on a high protein very low carb diet. The first month or so, before I found the gluten free pasta and Chebe bread I was very unhappy. I was still eating 1600 calories a day but I was starving all the time to the point where it would literally wake me up I was so hungry.

That is pretty unusual for me. I do like my food, foodie might as well be my middle name, but eating every single meal on time isn't a major thing. I am just not obsessed with my next meal like some people tend to be when they diet. I like my food to taste really good when I eat it, and i can be incredibly picky about that, but I don't care otherwise. If I am not hungry I don't force myself to eat.

On the no-bread version of the no-gluten diet I was just miserable, hungry like I have never known hunger before!

Adding in a bread stick with the soup or eating some pasta once or twice a week made a huge difference for me. I can live with gluten free so long as I have my bit of bread, the odd bowl of spaghetti or even a cookie or a brownie once or twice a month. I cannot live on meat, fruit, and veggies alone. There has to be some carbs and fat or my body just doesn't like this diet at all!

For what it's worth adding the bit of bread or pasta hasn't affected the weight loss thing much from what I can tell. First month I lost a lot of bloat plus probably a pound and half of honest fat a week, and that's continued pretty much.

I'm not adding extra calories just because I want to add bread. I still eat everything I am supposed to, in a balanced way. I just eat a bit less of the other stuff to make up for the extra bread or pasta calories. Usually I save the bread and pasta for the days I walk too. I always figure that helps since I am probably burning more efficiently on the days I do walk than when I do not.

I think that is the key to having your bread and pasta and not gaining really. You just have to make sure you don't overeat on that score, though honestly given how most of the gluten free stuff tastes? I can't see how so many people get fatter on the substitutes. I've admitted I am a picky eater, maybe too picky, but still I absolutely will not waste my calories on bread that tastes like sawdust, I just won't. I'd rather do without unless I can have the few things that actually taste good to me. For me that means the bread sticks or a little pizza made from the Chebe mixes.

(I did try a lot this month that wasn't Chebe. In the end I decided it wasn't worth the switch. I am far more hungry this month on the other breads than I was on the Chebe mixes. The pasta worked but the breads I tried just didn't.)

I guess that balance thought it helps me in terms of not adding more bulk and so does the walking though I'm not a huge exerciser. I don't think that it makes all that much difference in terms of the weight loss for me, exercising. I just mainly do it because it's good for my heart, and it keeps the bones strong. I think it's mainly sticking to the calorie count, watching which fats, and not letting myself eat the Chebe pizzas and the like every day that has mattered.

Oh and I do use a computer diet program to track all that. Big plus writing it all down every day and I do suggest it. It's made a big difference in how I see portion sizes using this program. I'm much less likely to overeat using it than not.

[modiddly16]

hahaha oh my goodness.....the title to this thread alone just made me laugh out loud at work! Kim- first off...you are amazing and will go very far with a sense of humor I think the most important thing once you get a handle on your diet is to work out and stay healthy. We all have different perceptions of ourselves, so while you might feel like a fat ass, I'm sure its not as bad as you seem to think. Take your vitamins, drink lots of water and eat well-balanced meals. Sometimes eating 6 small meals a day really helps boost your metabolism and gets the body working. Tracking your food intake on a daily basis online is helpful too

[luvs2eat]

wow...I feel so loved here! I only eat dinner and it is usually lots of raw veggies a littler grilled chicken and rice bread I make myself. I have a cup of non-fat frozen yogurt and go right to bed. I think I could cut out the yogurt and bread. I also have a thyroid disease, but my levels are good...so I don't think it's that. I will say goodbye to my yogurt and bread later and if that don't work...I'm going back to the Dr. and telling her to test me for fat ass disease! I guess I'm lucky my fiance likes my new meat even if I don't. Maybe he pours sugar down my throat while I am sleeping.

If you're only eating dinner (i.e. one meal a day), that could be a big part of your problem right there. Extreme low calorie diets don't work because your metabolism goes into "starvation" mode and slows way down to hold on to the weight. The other's advice of eating more frequent, small meals will really work! I did a 6-meal-a-day diet years ago where I had 2 oz. of protein at every meal... low simple carbs (little bread and lots of veggies) and low fat and lost 25 lbs in about 2 months.

[jayson182]

If you're only eating dinner (i.e. one meal a day), that could be a big part of your problem right there. Extreme low calorie diets don't work because your metabolism goes into "starvation" mode and slows way down to hold on to the weight. The other's advice of eating more frequent, small meals will really work! I did a 6-meal-a-day diet years ago where I had 2 oz. of protein at every meal... low simple carbs (little bread and lots of veggies) and low fat and lost 25 lbs in about 2 months.

Also - the thyroid issue, most doctors will say "normal" when its below a safe level. My wife went to a naturopath who also said her levels were safe but higher then normal. He put her on Armour thyroid to bring her levels closer to normal. May be worth checking out.

[meatslayer]

Check out: The Thrive Diet

It would be a lifestyle change but you'll be healthier and kiss that fat ass good bye.

[sandsurfgirl]

If you're only eating dinner (i.e. one meal a day), that could be a big part of your problem right there. Extreme low calorie diets don't work because your metabolism goes into "starvation" mode and slows way down to hold on to the weight. The other's advice of eating more frequent, small meals will really work! I did a 6-meal-a-day diet years ago where I had 2 oz. of protein at every meal... low simple carbs (little bread and lots of veggies) and low fat and lost 25 lbs in about 2 months.

That's what I was going to say. If you are eating one meal a day you are jacking your metabolism and you might not be able to fix the damage later. You need to be eating every 2 or 3 hours and keep your blood sugar balanced.

I love the Bodybugg. You can buy it online. It's a sensor you wear on your arm that monitors calories burned, steps taken and cardio for the day. Then you log your food online and it checks how many calories you are eating.

I was too sick to use for a long time now. I was diagnosed 2 months ago and I'm still healing so I'm not ready for caloric restriction. I just started exercising again this week. But as soon as I'm ready I'll go back to bodybugg. It's the most accurate thing you can use. Read about it on their website. It's pretty incredible.

[Reba32]

I will third that, and say you are not doing yourself any favours by starving yourself all day long then eating only supper. Your metabolism slows during the day because it is in starvation mode, it thinks there is a famine because you have not broken your fast (that's the origins of the word breakfast btw) when you wake up, and then you still don't eat by noontime, so your body is storing every morsel you do give it.

If you eat regularly, in balanced portions, and don't eat refined and manufactured frankenfoods, and no added sugars, you will lose weight, and you will feel 100% more healthy overall. You'll have more energy, without the bloodsugar fluctuations, without the crashes, and without the need for caffiene. Your moods will improve, you'll be better able to deal with stress and stupid people, and you'll sleep better.

[superbeansprout]

Ah....I hate to say I feel good when I read all these posts...because I think A LOT of us are in the same boat. Same with me. I was about 20 lbs overweight when I was diagnosed 3 years ago. When I started the diet, I immediately lost 10! woohoo! But then once I started adding new things back into my diet, like gluten free bread, any starches that I found in the stores. Pretty much anything that was gluten free, I needed to try it. I think sometimes I"m still like that. Sometimes I feel like they need to make less variety again, and make things less tempting. the more variety, the more I have to try. and that's just not good!

Within the three years since being diagnosed, not only did I gain the initial 10 lbs back, but I gained another 30. I'm 30 years old, only 5'1", and packing on 40 lbs in 3 years, has made me hate myself and how I look.

The thing is, also, is that I'm diabetic, and I generally eat very very healthily. I eat a lot of salad, lots of whole foods, not a lot of processed anything. And yet, even when I eat those things for a good amount of time, I never lose anything. I'm at a loss. and over the past 3 years I kept asking my doctors what I can do about it, is there a gluten free meal plan to help with weight loss? they were never worried about it, just keep exercising, and eating leafy greens, until I specifically pointed out that they should look back over the past 3 years at my weight history, and they finally saw it. but there's no specific help for our "diet", except to eat more whole grains, more fiber, exercise more, eat less fat. I would love to create a meal plan for us that actually works, but I have to find one that actually works for me first.

But it's nice to have the support of others here. I don't feel like such an individual failure. :|

[superbeansprout]

wow...I feel so loved here! I only eat dinner and it is usually lots of raw veggies a littler grilled chicken and rice bread I make myself. I have a cup of non-fat frozen yogurt and go right to bed. I think I could cut out the yogurt and bread. I also have a thyroid disease, but my levels are good...so I don't think it's that. I will say goodbye to my yogurt and bread later and if that don't work...I'm going back to the Dr. and telling her to test me for fat ass disease! I guess I'm lucky my fiance likes my new meat even if I don't. Maybe he pours sugar down my throat while I am sleeping.

Ok, so I'm posting again, because one post that you posted (above) made me cringe. Kim, you CANNOT only eat dinner. You are slowing your metabolism to a crawl when you do that. Remember mom said, 'breakfast is the most important meal of the day'? well she's RIGHT! when you wake up, your metabolism has been slowed down by sleeping. You need to eat first thing in the morning to rev up that metabolism, give it a jump start! You are actually not eating enough calories if you only eat one meal a day! do yourself a favor and eat 3 small healthy meals a day, and start counting your calories. You are essentially starving yourself, and your body of essential nutrients that it needs to survive. it's really hard to get your metabolism back up once it's lost for too long, so please please please start eating more meals. another little tidbit, when you only eat once a day, your body is inclined to think there isn't enough food, so it doesn't KNOW when you're going to eat again...so what happens do you think? it actually starts storing what you DO eat as fat, to make up for the lack of calories you're eating (or not eating). this is a huuuge reason why you might be gaining weight. your body thinks it's starving, so it packs on what you do eat and stores it instead of using what it needs for energy and to sustain you, thus leading to weight gain. eat more in the am...especially carbohydrates, they apparently are very good at jump starting metabolism in the morning. exercise more. lose weight. sounds simple.

[ciavyn]

I'm going to third, or fourth what everyone else said. I did the one meal a day thing in high school, and I couldn't lose weight no matter what I did. In fact, I gained weight. When I finally followed a regular diet and exercise plan, I dropped pounds quickly (I won't mention all the unhealthy things I did...:sigh:) but nonetheless, I've managed to keep that weight off over the years. However, recently I've started running. Not a mile around the block, but serious training for a half-marathon. I've exercised all my life, but never really thought it made a difference. Holly cow, does it ever. now that I'm expending mad amounts of calories, I can eat as much as I do (and as I mentioned in another post, I'm eating all the time, it seems!) and I'm not gaining weight. Of course, I'm not losing it right now, either, but the metabolism jump of increasing your workouts to something that really pushes you can make a major difference.

Good luck!