giving up

Well I've had just about as much as I can take (stomach) of the packaged foods.  I'm losing at a good rate but I can't stand the food anymore.  I also noticed I've been feeling sick and achy all of the time.  This happened to me before when I used products containing Splenda.  Someone suggested that it could possibly be the fake sugars in the shakes and bars.  I took a good long look at the ingredients (which I should have done in the first place) and now know what these items contain.  Many of them have MSG, aspartem, HFCS, and so many things I can't even pronounce.   I don't want to knock the  products but  I'm not going to use them anymore. My calorie level is  just crazy low.   I don't understand why the dr wants to lower it again.  He says it's to keep me from stalling out.   I just feel so run down.  His suggestion to that is taking appetite suppressants for energy but I don't want to. Looks like I'll be searching again.

I have terrible reactions to splenda.  I get intestional discomfort, cramping, gas, diarreah....  AND it causes my psoriasis to flare....  I am bright red and inflamed from my neck to my ankles.... NOT a pretty site and DAMN uncomfortable too... try getting rid of the splenda for a week or two and see if that helps.  It is harder to do VLCD without splenda - but it CAN be done. How many calories are you on now?  How many does the doc want you to do?  Have you tried to eat that number of calories eating whole foods?  I find that I can do pretty well on a high protein low fat diet, both in terms of how I feel and hunger levels.

Hi Dr wants me back down to 1,000 calories.  Ugh.  When I'm that low it is so hard (for me) to exercise.  I'm up to walking 4 miles a day now and I don't want to mess up my stride.  LOL It's taken me a few months to get to this point.

Can't say I agree with this doc.  Good luck.

1000? yikes!  what are you at now? 1200? I can lose pretty steadily at about 1600....  but I am right around 300 lbs.  I really cannot imagine going down to 1000....  wow.

I wouldn't trust this doc in a 1000 years.

i think whole foods is better than boxed stuff anyday. i know alot of ppl that have problems with artificial sweetners. luckily i am not one of those ppl. maybe try Steevia? also, if you don't feel comfortable with the calorie change, tell your dr. 1000 seems low. of course, i don't know how much you weigh etc.

One disclaimer real fast here:  sugar replacements are THE most studied food additive known to man. To date, there is no scientific data actualy linked to the Decline of Man. On the other hand... let's face it, the foods that splenda or any other sugar replacement occupies are in reality: Typically NOT the foods one should be ingesting with or without sugar.  Yeah, let's list 'em:  puddings, bars, drinks, jellies, spreads, desserts... who needs that???? Some call them "discretionary calories", others call it "other foods".  The items one "should " be eating: low fat dairy fresh or frozen fruit/veggies good fats lean meats/proteins whole grains All the other things are only booty call. Fun while it lasted.  I think those are the items to which you are referring? Sometimes, the things people cannot pronounce may be things definitions they are not acquainted with.  Manufacturers use all kinds of formulaic terms just to F&@k with you. ascorbic acid? Vitamin C, for example.   ooooohhh, scary.

Agree, who needs them.  Do we need that pudding bar?  Etc.  Deal with real foods and save the treats for when you're maintaining.  Sure, a treat is great when you really want one and don't want to break the bank with the "real" one, but it should not be a staple of weight loss intake.  There''s also some research on how these faux sweet products counter weight loss.  It's not just about calories in and calories out, it's about how pure those calories are (ie real food) and what your body does with what you take in.  You could eat 1500 calories of Lean Cuisine and not lose weight (hello HFC in your frozen dinner) and eat 1500 calories of proteins, fruits, veggies and lose weight.   Real food is what your body demands. The rest is just you trying to fool your body.  And it's not nice to fool Mother Nature (remember that commercial or am I dating myself?)

Thanks for the feedback.  I'll keep my eating simple with lean protein and vegetables.  I'm not sure how fruit will play with my blood sugar so at this point in time I'll just leave that out.