I know I *need* to change my diet---but I don't *want* to

[Anonymous]

OP, do strict calorie counting for 4 days in a row (strict calorie counting along with the IF you're doing), then off a day. Give yourself "a break" of one day, then 4, then 1. Eat your beloved frozen bananas, peanuts, and other goodies only on that 1 day. One that 1 day don't worry about the calories.

If you can do that, at least it'll be an 80% improvement.

[Anonymous]

OP, could the Remicade be affecting your weight? I changed nothing about my diet and increased activity but still gained about 20 pounds with it.

I'm short as well so it definitely shows more on us.

[Anonymous]

Friend needed to increase calories to lose weight. Her body thought she was starving and held on to every calorie.

[Anonymous]

Start taking Collagen. Helps with healing the gut, reducing inflammation and increasing metabolism

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Start taking Collagen. Helps with healing the gut, reducing inflammation and increasing metabolism

https://universityhealthnews.com/daily/aging-independence/incredible-collagen-benefits-for-your-health-and-beauty/

[Anonymous]

I'm not familiar with why tomatoes and peppers are bad for you either. Is it a specific chemical that commonly causes inflammation for people with autoimmune issues?

Before you just cut things out, confirm that you actually need to.

Also, are you on any birth control? I carry around an extra 10 lbs of bloat from Mirena vs. pills.

[Anonymous]

If you react to shade then you should cut out tomatoes and peppers. I love tomatoes, but my sensitivity to it got so bad that I throw up if I eat tomatoes. I could never eat peppers, just the smell of peppers cooking gives me a migraine and makes me throw up. Don't have advice about weight loss though, sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’re already dairy free, gluten free, meat free...I would be pulling my hair out!! I just count calories and avoid sugar/bready carbs and it works for me. But I know having an autoimmune disorder is more complicated. What are your symptoms?? Sending you sympathies!

OP here. I have Hashimoto's and IBD. IBD is mostly controlled by Remicade but I still have some breakthrough symptoms like joint/muscle pain, fatigue and brain fog. I've counted calories and macros (1200 calories/day) and didn't lose any weight and felt deprived. I don't eat a lot of sugar/bready carbs--a little easier being gluten free--but I do enjoy the other things I mentioned. Taking even more things out of my diet will put me in the mindset of having very little choice and variety in what I eat which makes it hard to sustain. I know I need to get into the mindset of only eating foods that will make me feel good, but it's just really difficult when I'm already limited in what I eat.

As much as I want the health benefits, I also REALLY want to lose weight. It is so frustrating when people ask me "with the way you eat, why aren't you skinny?" (yes, people have actually said that) or "you eat the healthiest out of all our friends" and I'm still overweight and feeling bad about myself both physically and mentally. So I know I need to do more than I'm currently doing, but the idea of restricting even further (no bell peppers or tomatoes ) is really tough to swallow.

How long did you do this for an dhow accurate were you in your tracking? Did you track 7 days/week for a month or longer?

I ask because I too have hashimotos, but my numbers are now in check. For years I blamed my thyroid for the reason i couldn't lose weight. Truth was that while I was eating healthy, I was eating too much and not being as consistent as I wanted to believe. i would do well on my diet during the week, but loosen up too much on the weekends which pretty much put me in maintenance. Once I was honest with myself and tracked calories more consistently I slowly started to lose weight.

[Anonymous]

Maybe you could try AIP for two weeks, journal how you feel, and see if it actually helps you. If you feel significantly better on the diet, it might feel more worthwhile. I say this because I have a friend who just tried AIP, really stuck to it, but it did nothing for her symptoms.

[Anonymous]

Maybe you could make a drastic change for a brief period of time, like a month, and then see if it changes your tastes a little so that you can add some stuff back in and not feel deprived?

A bunch of years ago, I finished grad school about 20 pounds over my normal weight. (full time work + grad school is hard on routines.) So I increased my exercise and really tightened up my diet (counted calories, gave up stuff) and lost the weight in 20 weeks. After that, I just never added back some of the stuff I'd given up, like most fast food. It didn't taste good to me anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In general I eat a pretty good diet. I'm mostly vegetarian (sometimes will eat fish), gluten free and mostly dairy free. I have an autoimmune disorder that gluten and dairy exacerbate so I was able to cut those out and see some health benefits. It wasn't as tough as I had expected for it to be. I do either a 16/8 or 18/6 fast on weekdays and most weekends.

The thing is, I still have inflammation and cannot lose any weight (I have about 20 pounds to lose). I know I need to try a more restrictive diet like AIP or the like, but I have a really difficult time getting on board with it. I still enjoy being able to indulge in things like some chips at our weekly neighborhood get togethers or some frozen chocolate covered banana bites for dessert a few times per week or some peanuts as a snack. Not to mention nightshades--I LOVE tomatoes and bell peppers!

I know I need to get stricter about what I'm eating but it just seems like so much work to have compliant foods at every single meal and to not be able to have any "treats". I love food and am not one of those "eat to live" people although I need to become one.

Is it easier to make gradual changes or just rip off the bandaid and make a sudden change? If you have made a change like this how did you do it and how successful were you? What benefits did you see and could you sustain the diet long term?

Maybe if I hear success stories I'll be more motivated to try? You would think feeling and looking better would be motivation enough, but I'm struggling with the preparation needed and loss of spontaneity, in addition to how I'll endure social situations.

Go on Youtube and type "Veganism the epitome of malnourishment" in a search box. Bottom line is, stay off of sugar and eat animal products.