Can't seem to lose weight I gained back!

[LizzyMary]

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

[PippiRuns 6kg Restart Jan 2025]

Hi Lizzy and welcome to our friendly community. One of our amazing admin people will greet you shortly and give you the information you need to make the most of the forum.

I don’t know what to suggest to you. As I was reading I thought “is she eating enough protein…” but then I got to the part about the dietitian saying exactly that and you upping your intake.

It sounds like you have tried everything and are going about things systematically and with great care.

I hope someone else can help.

See you around

[Gizmocat Moderator 13kg Maintainer]

Hello and welcome back. I hope you remember you way around but if you need a reminder here is a link with all the information you needhealthunlocked.com/weight-l.... Do have a good look aroundand read the links. You might like to start by posting your start weight on the Weigh In. I hope to see you over there.

Strange as it sounds are you eating enough? Your calorie intake sounds very low. Maybe review what you are eating not just how much. Do you keep a food diary or log food and exercise on an app? It might help to see where any changes can be made.

We are not medically qualified but it does sound like there could be something else causing the weigh gain. A side effect of some meds is weight gain. Maybe you need to go back to the doctor with your concerns. I'm sorry they have't been very helpful.

When you were here before moreless gave you some helpful links. Here is the linkhealthunlocked.com/weight-l.... You might like to have a look and see if any of the information can help you now particularly regarding the thyroid problem.

I hope this helps. If you have any questions just ask

[BridgeGirl Administrator SS Supercook 2 stone]

Hi, it must be very frustrating as you're really working on this from both the diet and activity angles. Just a couple of thoughts.

It may be that, as you significantly lowered your calories, that significantly slowed your metabolism and you're getting the effects of that since you've moved to a more relaxed way of eating. I would have suggested you look at what you're eating, rather than how much e.g. starchy carbohydrates but you already seem to be taking that approach. I wonder if keeping a food diary for a while, as Gizmocat suggests, might help you pinpoint adjustments you might make.

The other challenge you have is your hypothyroidism. I know your physician is saying all is fine but it might help to have a look at the Thyroid UK forum healthunlocked.com/thyroiduk If you post your latest results, there are some very well-informed people there who might have ideas for you. Give it a go, you've nothing to lose

[Ongarroad]

Hi, just read your post and completely empathise.I have dieterd through out my life, SW WW etc done them all. Successfully but I am 6ft tall and built like a cross between hippo and giraffe.

I am now retired from 50yrs in nhs, and using an app, tried 1000 cals a day a nd put on weight, 800 still put on, it is depressing me beyond belief, .

I am probably going to resort to the 1 to 1 diet used to be Cambridge, my daughter did it 3 products a day

She lost stone, very disciplined..

I am so sick of cooking and providing food for my husband and sitting with a small salad I want to give up really but my knees are creaking I'm 71 and things are very depressing I like you don't know how to progress any more.

[springersrule Moderator 76kg in reply to Ongarroad]

Hi Ongarroad and thank you for supporting other members. Its good to see you back and i hope it means you are going to get back to joining in with life on the forum. Here's a link to the Pinned Posts as a reminder for where to find everything healthunlocked.com/weight-l...

As has been said further up this thread, it doesn't always work lowering the calorie intake so low, it can have the opposite affect on your body. Also look at where the calories are coming from and make sure you are getting calories from a varied source and preferably a fresh source too. If you check your BMI on one of the online calculators they usually also tell you what calorie intake you should aim for to lose weight.

We loo forward to seeing you active around the site again :-)xx

[Frenchfields Restart Jan 2025]

Hi, how frustating for you. When you say how many calories you eat, are you guestimating or are you weighing and measuring as portions can often be deceptive. You might find some value in going back to basics for a few weeks and weighing and measuring everything you eat, write it in a diary perhaps -as a former weight watchers person this has proved useful to a lot of people I know. Secondly, i’ve had good success with low carb ( less than 120g) and even very low carb, upping my protein and adding in some ’healthy’ fats, limiting carbs to below about 60g a day, its quite challenging because you have to look up the carbs for everything till you get to know the values, swicth potatoes rice pasta for less carby options, quinoa, veggies, for example and I use walnut oil and olive oil plus some butter, and cheese but not going overboard.Obviously not sure how this sits with your thyroid issues but maybe worth a try. I only count carbs, not calories but I eat 3 meals a day plus a small fruit plate with my afternoon cuppa and nothing else. Anyway, might be worth a try, I find my ’gut health’ is better on the lower refined carbs which is another bonus.

Hope you find something that works for you -I’m doing 12 weeks low carb myself at the moment to shift a bit of ’creeping on weight’ before summer.

[Ongarroad in reply to Frenchfields]

Hi freshened.

I weigh and count every calorie on the app

My thyroid has never been a problem and no medical issues apart from knees and being overweight.

I think I'm going to go drastic and do the 3 bar diet.

3 a day

I'll let you know how it goes if no weight loss then I'll give up.

[Frenchfields Restart Jan 2025 in reply to Ongarroad]

I don’t know the 3 bar plan, or indeed what clean eating is, but hope it works for you. Keep us posted.

[Frenchfields Restart Jan 2025 in reply to Ongarroad]

Sorry ongaroad,my original reply was directed at Lizzymary, the original poster on this thread who mentioned her thyroid issues.

[Eryl Visitor]

It all goes to prove that calorie restriction is unsustainable and only makes the body more efficient at storing fat.

When they say eat whole grains that's because they're not as bad as processed graing but you can't make a cookie without rocessing the graing in some way and the starch in grains is just a long chain of sugar molecules so it's not only as bad as eating pure sugar it's worse because the gluten speeds up its digestion and cuses a higher spike in insylin which triggers fat storage. I've given up eating grain bsed foods altogether and my BMI has been as low as 20 (currently 21).