Hi!
I realize this is a pretty common story. I used to be 5'4 and 250 pounds. It took be about a year and a half, but I got down to 135 pounds at my slimmest. I did this by watching my caloric intake and working out every day. (I'd usually take a day off every other week.) My workouts included running, lifting, and HIIT routines.
When I first started running, I could hardly run a block. At my best, I was running between 5-10k every other day at least. I regularly go to the gym and use machines like the stair master for about half an hour or so. In terms of caloric intake, while I was losing weight, I made sure I ate between 1200 and 1500 calories. Usually, 1200 calories, though. I have to point out that my lifestyle or eating habits were never all that bad. I never ate junk food or drank pop before. I grew up taking multiple dance classes a week. I was always the "fat" kid, even though I always had the healthiest lunch and was never allowed to eat sugary cereals or fast food. So, the fact that I was always an overweight kid is kind of a mystery to me in and of itself.
But still, I really tried to get in good shape and I cut all refined sugars and refined carbs from my diet. I follow a plant based diet and only eat out maybe once every other month. Once I reached my weightless goal, I allowed myself to eat a little more (I was literally hungry most nights going to bed and developed some heavily disordered eating habits) affectively eating enough calories to "maintain my weight." Only, I started gaining it back.
Even though I changed none of my clean eating habits or active lifestyle. I maybe scaled back a little with working out virtually every day to giving myself an off day once a week. But even on off days, I do a lot of walking. I've now gained back more than 50 pounds and feel, in a word, awful. I can't fit into my clothes. Running is incredibly difficult and I can manage 3k in one go and 5k with about four 30-second breaks. I'm extremely tempted to really cut back on what I'm eating out of desperation to get this weight back off again. I feel like I can't eat a whole wheat oatmeal cookie without gaining weight. I'm tired all the time.
A little background info on me before I end my whining ... I have hypothyroidism. I'm a 32 year old woman. I was diagnosed when I was sixteen and I've been on medication since. I get my bloodwork done regularly and adjust my meds when necessary. I've been on and off depression meds since my doctor was pretty convinced my weight gain's linked to depression. I'm currently off all mood medications since none of them were helping me. I have seen a dietitian and an endocrinologist. The dietitian said I was protein deficient, so I increased my protein intake. Lifting weights is now a lot funner and easier. I feel stronger, but I'm still gaining weight. I've started taking calcium tablets and vitamin D as well, but I've only been taking those for 2 weeks. The endocrinologist said my bloodwork is "perfect".
So, I'm at a loss. I don't know what to do and I feel like I'm spiralling. I really want to stop gaining weight and get back to my previous fitness level again. I'm so sorry for the long-winded post, but none of the doctors I've seen have offered me much help or even taken my concerns very seriously. I'm hoping to get some kind of help here? Thank you!! <3 <3