Gained a lot of weight recently and feeling awful

Okay here is my advice to someone in your position:
- Use that MyFitnessPal app to calculate your calories so you can see exactly how you are doing
- Always eat UP to the amount it says don't try to under eat
- drink 8 eight ounce glasses of water a day (your body can hold onto a lot of water weight!)
- Look into HIIT (high intensity interval training), do what you can. That is the only cardio I really approve of.
- WEIGHT TRAINING... look into the book 'New Rules of Lifting for Women'
- When you can, get checked out by the doctor
- Get full nights sleep

What I was told when starting exercise is that what you do for work does not count towards your exercise. Because you will do it enough that your body will get used to it. So either you can up your intensity at work by power/speed walking everywhere, or jog/speed walk with your dog at home.

Now I understand not everyone has the best joints so do what you can and it will eventually get easier. Sometimes my knee kills me and I can't jog... lets just say I have pushed myself so I can speed walk almost as fast as I can jog!

Try doing 'fun' exercises sometimes. The great thing with the internet is there are TONS of videos you can follow along with. Try Zumba, Dancing, Bellydancing, karate, etc. Or get an Xbox + kinect (if you can afford one) and get one of the dance games!

I also am not sure about your financial situation but if it is not that good, you may need to get creative! You can make a lot of your weights from old dufflebags, kittylitter and ziplock bags. Look up sandbag weights.

You really have to be 100% in it to win it. I always say losing weight (or even working out) is 80% determination and 20% physical exertion.

If you do start weight training don't be alarmed if you gain weight, its good! Muscle weighs more than fat. I am looking forward to weight training because than I can eat more!

The hardest part of this is going to be getting my boyfriend to eat better. Today he came into work to check the vending machines and dumped about six candy bars on my desk. I kept one (I'm trying to limit myself to one candy bar every other day, then work my way down from there to one every once in a great while) and gave the rest to my coworkers.

According to MyFitnessPal, I'm usually about 150-200 calories under my 1600 calorie daily goal. If every day were like today, MyFitnessPal indicates I'll be 216.7lbs in five weeks.
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All good advice. I started to putting on weight after I turned 30. I haven't been able to loose it, and have struggled just to maintain. One of the most frustrating things is the way it has affected my balance and mobility.
The journal really helps, and so does the exercise. Being aware of all the time of what you eat can be exhausting, but you need to make conscience choices and not eat out of habit.
Good luck.

I don't know if someone else mentioned it....but this sentence made it seem like you eat popcorn most nights. Is this true?
If so, definitely stop that right away, popcorn isn't as benign as it may seem.

I don't agree with Muumi. Popcorn can be an amazing snack, but buy an air popper and do it that way. Put some herbs and spices on it (stay away from straight salt and NO BUTTER OR OIL) and you're golden. I've recently lost close to 50 lbs and it wasn't easy but it's doable.

The problem is, places like the 'Golden Corral' might SEEM to have healthy options, but their 'healthy' options aren't that healthy at all. They use low-quality oils that help you pack on the pounds and cheap alternatives to 'good cooking' that means a plate of veggies / meat / potatoes there vs. a plate of veggies / meat / potatoes at home has a HUGE difference not just in calories but in fats and the quality of the fats you're getting. Your body needs specific fats to work off of, supplying the wrong fats will just make your body store fats.

I'm not going to lie to you. For probably four-five months out of seven (total 'dieting') I starved myself of the calories I needed. I ate between 400 - 600 calories a day and exercised it all off... and I probably lost half (less) as much then as I did when I was eating higher amounts of 'balanced' calories. That said, you need to look at a few things. Consult your Dr. And different websites... The typical answer is 'don't go under x amount of calories' or 'you need x amount of calories' but it varies GREATLY with your height / current weight. When I was eating balanced meals I was eating between 1000 - 1200 calories a day and felt fine, because I'm insanely short and because the food I was eating was good food. The point is, you need to do research beyond a couple of websites. I sat for hours calculating EXACTLY how much I needed to take in- not just calories but fat and sodium, carbs, etc. (remember, the labels on packaged food is based on 2000 calorie a day diets, I need close to half that so that '20% of your daily carbs' translates into '40%').

I also found some awesome 'super foods' that took a bit of getting used to but hey! Now I love them. Quinoa - it's a grain, not going to lie, it tastes weird at first but it's an excellent replacement for rice / pasta. If you're going to have rice skip the white and skip the brown, go for black rice. It's a bit of a pain to prepare, but if you get ahead of it (leave it to soak over night) it's just as easy. No potatoes, there's really no 'value' in a potato. Yams, maybe, but no potatoes.

Like I said, 'Golden Corral' type restaurants use low quality oils to cook their meats, so any beef etc. you're getting there is even WORSE for you than it regularly is. Turn to lean meats, only eat chick and (ugh) fish. I always hated fish (my dad drilled it into me at an early age that 'fish give you worms' great influence) but have forced myself to start eating it... and guess what, I like it!).

Lentils are a good one too, and chick peas. Higher in calories but a good sturdy protein that is harder for your body to break down.

Multigrain / whole wheat bread isn't bad for you, but have you tried Sprouted Grain? It doesn't taste much different but it is MUCH better for you and definitely aids weight loss.

I'd start tracking your calories EXACTLY, cut out the 'going out' food as much as possible and if you have to find somewhere new to go. I find that 'vegetarian' or 'vegan' restaurants tend to be super conscious of the oils they use, etc. so maybe try something like that?

Yes you are probably right, if you make popcorn from scratch, but any of those 'just microwave' packs, are not good at all. Also if you pop them traditionally with oil, its obviously counterproductive.

I hate microwave popcorn and popcorn popped in oil. We use an air popper and put fresh ground sea salt (or fresh ground pink Himalayan salt) on it.
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Don't skimp out on your calories. If you need 1600, make sure your getting them. If your body doesn't get enough, it goes into a "storage" mode . (according to my DR) Also, high fiber foods make you feel fuller, longer. Apples, celery, carrots... My daughter hates school lunches, so packs a salad, yougert & water, everyday. We found a lunch bag that looks much like a purse & it has ice packs that go into the bottom. It sits in her locker at the HS & she says it's always fresh & still cold when she has lunch.

And don't forget! Snacks (the juice, popcorn, chocolate bars every other day) really add up. That's what usually gets me. Also when calculating calories don't forget any liquids you consume or oils cook with because they count as well.

Now don't everyone get mad at me. I'm not overweight but by eating two tbsp of home made saurkraut a few minutes before a meal made me feel full before I even started. This caused me to cut back a little on what I had planned to eat and I lost a few pounds over a 3 days. I ate the kraut because I love it and didn't realize fully the benefits of eating it until after wards, not before. Because it's loaded with pro-biotics the gut becomes healthier.