I need help with health please
Posted by dragonflyfairy on Jul 21, 2007 · Member since Dec 2006 · 5 posts
Okay I have a health problem I know I do. I only eat a footlong sandwich from subway a day. Lettuce, carrots, loads of olives, pickles, cucumbers and oil and vinegar. That's it. Oh and on white bread with american cheese. That's all I eat all day every day. I don't get hungry and I gain lots of weight. I weigh 200-208lbs. Depends on which part of the week. I drink so much caffiene I call it a caffiene system. I'm completly addicted to caffiene and I can't stop really. It's easier to get soda than water at my job. I work at subway btw. Sodas are free. Does anyone have any help or advice please. It would be very helpful. Thanks for reading.
Oh and also my small bag of lays original chips. Thats all. Just lots of pepsi, dr pepper and coca cola
*disclaimer* I am not a doctor!
OK, well for starters, if your only eating once a day that can really mess with your metabolism, you really need to eat several small meals a day to allow your metabolism to work correctly. and also, soda has a ton of sugar and empty calories! It is just terrible for your body! I gained a ton of weight out of high school and when I started a weight loss program the first thing I did was cut out soda, I lost 10 pounds over two months just by getting rid of all that unnessary sugar.
If you are really concerned that you have a serious problem that eating blanaced meals won't help, you should really consult with a doctor to find out if you are having otehr problems, like with your thyroid.
Good luck!
Slowly try to wean your body off of soda... I have a problem with my blood pressure and I have to drink Gatorade which now soda just seems too sweet for me so now the only soda I drink is ginger ale whenever my tummy hurts :-\
And yeah calorie wise Gatorade has only 50 calories per 8 ounces vs. soda which can have 100 or even more.
Try and eat a small breakfast in the mornings... you know maybe a granola bar and some yogurt... Or a small bowl of cereal and a sliced up banana.
For lunch break your sandwich into four pieces and eat it slowly and switch to the baked chips and try switching to Gatorade or even flavored water (which most have zero calories). And by eating slowly your mind gets a chance to really feel full. Keep in mind it takes about 20 min for your body to know whether or not it is full so take it slow.
Try and eat just a little bit for dinner try some sauteed veggies or a stir-fry... *yum* :D
Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor either!
So I did some quick math on your diet. Before you consume any soda at all, (i.e. just the foot long sandwich with the toppings you mentioned and the chips) you're taking in about 800 calories. That may not sound like much, but when you consider that soda has roughly 100 calories per 8 oz. (and from your message, it sounds like you're drinking quite a bit more than 8 oz.), you're probably actually eating quite a few calories each day, despite eating "only" a veggie subway sandwich and chips. To further complicate matters, you're dinking around with your metabolism by only eating one meal a day, and then having liberal shots of sugar in the form of soda throughout the day. Subway sandwiches (even the Veggie Delight) are also pretty high in sodium, so your probably retaining quite a bit of water as well.
You need to come up with a more balanced eating plan. Breakfast is especially important. Study after study has shown that people who eat breakfast on average have lower BMIs than people who don't eat breakfast. Furthermore, studies from the National Weight Control Registry show people who've lost weight have a much higher rate of maintaining that weight loss if they eat breakfast.
If you want to lose some weight, perhaps consider some of the HEALTHY group-based weight loss programs available in your area (please don't succumb to diet pills or bizarre diets). I actually lost 63 pounds with a combination of Weight Watchers and jogging, and am now a Lifetime member maintaining my weight loss. WW is very compatible with a vegetarian or vegan diet, in fact they even have a message board dedicated to Vegetarians.
Best of luck to you! And try some of the great recipes on here, if you haven't already (especially the breakfast ones ;)).
Cut out the soda. If they have selter there drink that instead.
And cut out the American cheese (I'm not saying that because I'm a vegan). Isn't American cheese high in calories I think it is not sure .
Eating once a day will slow down your metabolism. That's one problem right there.
Stop drinking sodas. Unless they're diet (which is still unhealthy) you're putting TONS of sugar into your body. Sugar = calories = weight gain.
Switch to whole wheat bread and avoid chips. Have some fruit instead.
Replace the sodas with some carbonated fruit juice. For caffeine drink green tea - it's an antioxident and has been known to boost the metabolism. As hard as it it, resist the temptation to drink soda at work.
Fill up on greens - they curb sugar cravings. Truly.
Eat a balanced diet of 1200 calories to start, and exercise 30 minutes daily. At least. Then, see if you're losing weight. If not, exercise one hour each day. Once you get down to the weight you want, up your calorie intake - again with healthy foods.
A friend of mine's hubby works at the local CocaCola plant. She says that each 8oz glass of Coke contains about 8 TABLESPOONS of sugar. That's a lot of empty calories right there. So yes, the sodas have to go. You're destroying your teeth as well. My sister was a Coke and 7Up junkie and before she was 30 she had stripped most of the enamel off her teeth due to the acids in the soda. Wean yourself off them by subbing in something like Crystal Light or another healthier drink.
The caffiene is another issue, artificial stimulants play hell with your body too...I too was a caffiene junkie and in the end I just had to quit cold turkey. It takes 2 weeks but I did it when I discussed my problems with a friend who runs a rehab centre and he said: "If it were heroin you'd be dead."
Getting a healthy eating schedule in place, with satisfying healthy foods, and cutting out the caffiene, sugary drinks will do a lot. When you want sweet, go for fresh fruit, chilled if possible. At this time of year I really like a nectarine fresh from the fridge--no "peach fuzz" to deal with and they're tart and sweet, and so refreshing if chilled.
wow... im impressed wif the quality of information flowing over here. :) kudos to all who hav given valuable advice here.
To sum most things off, its all about getting out of your comfort zone and strive to change the habit of yours that by now you should have realised is the source of all the problems.
In fact. health and wellness is usually not about how much you eat but more about the balance and type of food you put into your body system. Though we may not be doctors here, but i believe most ppl here are already a very good symbol for health as they hav taken the initiative to take charge of their health and solve pressing health problems they once had.
Having 1 meal a day is not very encouraged.
Finding a substitute for caffeine is a must and even if you feel you cant do it. Think again of how BAD do you want to lose the weight? If losing weight has a higher priority then the addiciton to caffeine, then its high time you set your mind to get that out of the system.
soda is also rich in complex sugars that will strain the energy in you to digest it. Thus intake of these is discouraged too.
Personally i feel that its all in the habits we accquired and how bad do you want to reach your desired targets.
Just 5 cents of opinion from me and i am also not a DOCTOR.. haha....:P
rgds,
minglong
I'd like to second that reply! It's all about self-worth. When we care about ourselves and love ourselves there is an overwhelming desire (at least for me there is) to fill ourselves with only the best food. Each time you take a bite think about what you are getting from that bite. We literally are what we eat and I think we all know that white bread, soda and anemic vegetables don't have what we need to be healthy and feel good.
I would highly suggest a quality multivitamin- one in a capsule form that is from a reputable brand. I say this because months or years of poor food intake can deplete the body of important nutrients. It can take quite awhile to replenish these stores even eating a well balanced organic diet. It's hard to get on track when your body is way off balance- give it a little help.
Lastly, I would start with some affirmations about the positive aspects of you, and begin loving yourself- clearly all of us who answered value you enough to take the time to help you with your health.
Good luck on your life changes~ There is loads of info here so no doubt you will get some inspiration just browsing this site.
Why do you eat that and drink the soda like that? I mean, is there a specific reason (like not having time to cook or not knowing what else you CAN, simply a habit eat, etc. etc...) Something that would be easy to think right now is that dieting and focusing on the weight will help- but thats not going to help you. My advice may seem counterintuitive right now, but try not to think about your weight being a factor. If you can develop a healthy diet that will fall into place naturally. The weight gain is more of symptom of the true problem and not the problem itself. Its always better to take care of something at the source. ;) Are you able to sit down with dietitian and come up with healthy meal plan? Try making one and see if you can stick to it for a few days. Be realistic with yourself- It might take some time to wean yourself from all the caffeine, for example. Start with just a few changes, maybe. Even if you just cut one soda a day to start with you will be one step closer to your goal of healthier eating. Can you try to cut your sandwich into three pieces and space it out throughout the day? Maybethat would be a good first step to having three meals a day (eventually you could replace one meal with something else, but this might seem easier to handle at first) I dunno...these are just some ideas...maybe one will be usefull...
Good luck you can do this! keep us posted!
im sure everyone here has already said cut out the soda
its full of calories (unless its diet)
as far as eating at subway every day, I guess you could be eating worse, but id say cut out the cheese and mayo and go with wheat bread, youd be amazed at how many calories cheese has
You might want to consider getting a different job so that you are not tempted with all that food and soda. I am sure you could get a job that pays the same or more in retail. Target is supposed to be a great company to work for. My sister is a manager there and they treat her very well, and always have (even when she started as a cashier). Then you can pack your own healthy lunches or dinners and not buy soda!
Its hard not to eat the stuff when its right there. I work part time at a restaurant (non veg friendly) and I am constantly eating the packaged crackers. Not because I am hungry, but because there are there in front of me (and one of the few things I am willing to eat there). I recently tried Dr. Pepper after a 10 year hiatus and I can feel the addicting qualities of it. Its hard for me to pass up a glass ever since I had that first one a couple of weeks ago! ::) And I know the stuff is poison!
Here's a taste of the vital nutrients your diet is missing, from whfoods.com.
folate
magnesium
iron
vitamin b12
riboflavin b2
vitamin e
calcium
protein
niacin b3
selenium
copper
phosphorus
zinc
vitamin d
thiamin b1
pantothenic acid
omega 3 fatty acids
My advice is to cut out the soda, I did it and it took a few months to stop getting cravings, but they stopped. Drink a lot of water. You just have to be strong. Also, eat more, and more often, and more variety.
everyone's being so supportive - take the good advice to heart. be healthy! we all have our struggles, but isn't it nice to know there are people (strangers, really) who are here to help you out?
About diet soda. If you're a heavy soda drinker, don't switch to diet soda. I used to drink a lot of diet soda and ended up with liver problems.
When I first started college, I worked someplace with a snack bar. I didn't have time to cook, so I'd buy from work everyday. I understand the convenience of eating at work.
The good news is that there are a lot of quick and easy recipes here. The two below take five minutes to put together and you can get several meals out of each. Have pita on hand and spoon some into half a pita to eat just before you go to work. If you have time, add some greens and tomatoes. If you don't have time, no worries. Eating healthy foods could help with your cravings that you are now satisfying with soda. Then, at work, eat half the sandwich that you used to eat. A shift is 5-8 hours? If you eat just before work and again just after, you'll be eating at least every 4 1/2 hours. Also, if you find it too hard to give up soda immediately, make yourself alternate between soda and water, so you can't refill with soda until you finish a water.
Mock Tuna Salad: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=7578.15
Tofu Egg Salad: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=9630.0
Why do you eat that and drink the soda like that? I mean, is there a specific reason (like not having time to cook or not knowing what else you CAN, simply a habit eat, etc. etc...) Something that would be easy to think right now is that dieting and focusing on the weight will help- but thats not going to help you. My advice may seem counterintuitive right now, but try not to think about your weight being a factor. If you can develop a healthy diet that will fall into place naturally. The weight gain is more of symptom of the true problem and not the problem itself. Its always better to take care of something at the source.
VHZ, powerful ideas here! I have shared them with my Yahoo! weight loss group. Motivation is the key: why do we eat? And what do we really want?
I suggest you check out the "Let's set goals" thread on here, once you've figured out what your health goals are. Support is the other key to success in healthy eating.
another reason to avoid the diet pop and just stick to water:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20070723/hl_hsn/studylinksdietsoftdrinkswithcardiacrisk
Why do you eat that and drink the soda like that? I mean, is there a specific reason (like not having time to cook or not knowing what else you CAN, simply a habit eat, etc. etc...) Something that would be easy to think right now is that dieting and focusing on the weight will help- but thats not going to help you. My advice may seem counterintuitive right now, but try not to think about your weight being a factor. If you can develop a healthy diet that will fall into place naturally. The weight gain is more of symptom of the true problem and not the problem itself. Its always better to take care of something at the source.
VHZ, powerful ideas here! I have shared them with my Yahoo! weight loss group. Motivation is the key: why do we eat? And what do we really want?
I suggest you check out the "Let's set goals" thread on here, once you've figured out what your health goals are. Support is the other key to success in healthy eating.
Good to know that $168,000.00+ of therapy were good for soemthing... ;)
Good too to know I'm not the only veteran of therapy...I give "couch potato" a whole new meaning!
(Veg*n in therapy--couch potato!! ;D)
Oh and also my small bag of lays original chips. Thats all. Just lots of pepsi, dr pepper and coca cola
Am I wrong in my assumption that the food is "free" to you as a perk of working at Subway? If it is, it just goes to prove once again that there's no such thing as a "free lunch". You're paying for it with your health! All the suggestions I've seen about eating properly are what you need to do. You're still very young (I read your profile) and you can lose the weight a lot easier than someone my age. Eating breakfast is very important but so is lunch and dinner (or supper). You may get wicked headaches for a while as you wean yourself off caffeine but you need to do it! Emphasize vegetables, as many fresh as you can, low fat sources of protein (which most vegetarian sources are low fat if you don't add extra fat) and getting some exercise. If you can afford to buy a copy of "Skinny Bitch" or can spend a while in the bookstore tucked away in a corner reading it ;D you should read their advice. Weight loss is one of those "journeys" where everyone seems to have to find out for themselves what works for them. I've lost and regained and lost again so much weight that it could make three or four of me. I think that if I can stick to a veg*n diet, I'll finally settle at a weight I'll be happy with (as long as I exercise regularly). It all depends on what someone builds their diet on. There are junk food vegetarians and you seem to be one of those. You can change that!
Btw, American Cheese is not vegan. At least not the kind you get at Subway. If you care about labelling yourself (and it seems that if you didn't you wouldn't have that it your profile), that makes you lacto-ovo vegetarian.