(Apologies for the disorganized nature of this post. I'm rambling here.)
I am looking to eat healthier, exercise more, and hopefully lose weight. I could use some advice.
For some background; I am currently (December 30, 2025) a thirty four year old cis woman who stands at five feet and five inches tall. I weigh roughly two hundred sixty pounds, making my BMI, which I know is flawed, around forty three. I have hypothyroidism, but I take medicine for it and am regularly checked to make sure I have the proper dose.
I am obese. I know I am obese. I don't base this solely on my BMI. I go by what my doctor told me, what I see in the mirror, how tired I feel, how weighed down I feel, how little I exercise, and the food I eat.
I don't want to be told that I'm not obese or that I'm perfectly healthy or I just need to love myself as I am. I am obese, I'm not healthy, and my weight doesn't affect my value as a person.
I want to eat healthier, be healthier, and hopefully lose weight to make existing easier.
My doctor told me I would likely never make it below two hundred pounds without an extreme calorie deficit. She said I just have the kind of body that holds onto fat. But she and I both feel I should still try to be healthier, even if I don't reach below two hundred pounds.
My doctor asked if I wanted Ozempic, but I'm worried about side effects and excess skin. I want to give this another try naturally.
That is why I'm currently trying to stick to a calorie deficit, eat healthier foods, and exercise more.
I'm having issues though.
The calorie deficit, which I have managed to maintain in the past, I am currently having trouble sticking to.
My current calorie deficit, as recommended by a friend knowledgeable on weight loss and muscle building, is 1,800 calories a day. My doctor told me 1,600 calories a day, but I think I'll work my way there with time.
The issue I'm having right now is hunger.
This isn't simply a desire to eat. It's hunger. It's un-satiated hunger.
If I eat something considered healthy and within a certain calorie range, I get hungry within roughly one to two hours. I may also get light headed.
I try to eat food with protein (natural or added) to curb my hunger, but it doesn't seem to work very well. I still get hungry and I'm rarely satiated until I've either had too many calories or eaten something ultra processed.
One might think I could offset this with a bit of exercise, but when I exercise, it makes me more hungry.
I don't know what to do. I generally need to eat every three hours if I want to avoid wooziness, but if I eat food with low enough calories to be able to eat it enough times a day, I get hungry before it's time to eat again.
When it comes to drinking, I tend to alternate between regular water and diet carbonated beverages.
I wonder if the carbonation makes me more hungry. Or the diet drinks are making my body expect calories and getting hungry when I don't give it calories.
Another issue I have is often being tired; both in terms of little energy and need to sleep. I have sleep apnea, but I am using my CPAP machine as I should and my sleep doctor said that everything is working as it should and my sleep apnea is improving.
When it comes to exercise, my main exercise is walking. For the moment, I can't really walk as I'm still recovering from spraining BOTH of my ankles. I lift eight pound hand weights, but I should probably do it more often.
In short, I have a few questions.
What can I eat that is low calorie and satiating?
What whole foods are the most satiating?
What calorie burning exercises can I do while my ankles are healing?
What foods are easy to prep when I don't have energy?
Are there any general health tips I should know?
