Girl, I am EXACTLY where you are! I've had my hormones checked...I eat very healthy...I do bootcamp 5 to 6 times a day. I do low carb...have a protein shake for breakfast....etc, etc etc. I'm 38 and my weight did the exact same thing 2 years ago. I was always around 150/155...now I'm at 165 and nothing I do helps. I also developed fat around my mid section and it will not budge for anything. I am at my wits end too. I just don't know what to do.
Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone. I hope we can find the answer for ourselves soon. Good luck to you!
If your thyroid T3 was at the bottom of the range, that would be your culprit and while you might be able to lose weight by working very hard at it, it's going to be very difficult. Many doctors think that labs in the so-called "normal range" are adequate and that's simply not the case.
Free T3 is the hormone that controls metabolism, heart rate, body temperature and other necessary functions. If it's not adequate, you won't feel optimal. Do you have other symptoms of hypothyroidism?
You might want to take a look at the thyroid forum, here on MH, as there's lots of good information there. You can access that forum via this link:
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Thyroid-Disorders/show/73
As for diet, concentrate on eating lots of fresh veggies and high protein, as those will keep you feeling fuller, longer. Surely, I'd say your exercise is adequate.
The first thing that comes to mind is hypothyroidism...... You should have some simple blood tests done to make sure your thyroid is working as it should. The tests you need are TSH, Free T3 and Free T4. Many/most doctors will try to get by with just TSH, but that's inadequate; you need the actual hormones tested, as well.
Another thing to consider is insulin resistance. You can get some simple blood sugar tests to help determine that.
You might also want to have reproductive hormones tested, since its' possible that you are entering into the perimenopause stage, in which hormones naturally decline and weight gain is very common.
Drink a warm glass of water with lemon every morning.
Have any of you got an answer? Im going through same thing and Im at a breaking point. I need results. I hope one of yin have an answer.
I completely understand you, I know it's very frustrating, don't give up something good is gonna come out of this.
I'm late in replying but I'm in the same boat. I've been unable to make the scale budge for a couple of years, since taking (and finally stopping) an antidepressant. I've been on low carb diets, I've counted calories, I've worked out 7 days/week (sometimes 2x/day), I've tried a hormone reset diet, I've tracked my food intake, I've done meal replacements, nothing works. It doesn't seem to matter what I eat or how much I exercise, every day I weigh the exact same thing. This has gone on for over a year. At least I've stopped gaining since stopping the antidepressant.
I've had all kinds of blood work and tests, which show nothing. My doctor just put me on a 17 day metabolic detox and even that didn't cause any weight loss, although it did cause a huge toxin release. So I'm hopeful something will shift soon.
I would say it may be related to one of two things if all other tests show nothing: too many toxins in your system, or adrenal fatigue. I'm working on both of those things right now. Try going on a detox program and see if that works for you.
I'm 33, I was in your shoes some months ago until my fitness coach asked me to go on a two weeks detoxification exercise. After that, the weight started to crash. I hope this helps.
Ky,
I am a vegetarian (5 years). I've never been overweight per se but I was once at a point that i needed to lose a few lbs (10-15 or so). I'm in 40's so those extra lbs gravitate quite gleefully to my stomach area. Anyway, was determined not to only evict the loiterers but replace them with a 6-pack and get my body in model shape. It is a struggle but am making progress.
Yes, we're in different places but I think something that helped me may help you: carb cycling and high intensity interval training
Weight Days
I assume you are separating your weights and cardio days (if not, try it and see if you get better results). On your weight days, make the first meal post workout your largest and feel free to gorge on a all the starchy carbs you want (protein and veggies are must every day though). Try to limit fats on these days. I always follow my weight lifting with an immediate nice/easy 20 min jog on the treadmill to burn all the fatty acids in my blood.
Cardio/Rest Days
On your cardio and/or rest days limit the starchy carbs (like none as much as possible). Focus on proteins/fats. It is easy for me as I eat simple foods (I hardly use the stove) but I understand it could be challenging for some, especially those with families. Also, on your cardio days must be some flavor of HIIT (be it on treadmill or bike). Those nice easy steady state runs have got to go on these days
Diet
I assume you’re not eating crap on a regular bases so will save the commenting here…..
Anyway, that’s all I can think of off the top of my head.
Give it a shot and good luck. Keep us posted.
Simon
I'm on the same boat. I cannot lose an ounce no matter what I do. Eat green veggies, fruits, nothing I do helps. I'm at the end of my rope. I'm so sick of stepping on the scale after depriving myself of every food I enjoy. I'm in the gym 2 hours a day, 6 days a week. Running, crossfit, weight training. Everyone around me loses and my body hangs on and even gains weight! ERG!! HELP!!!!!
I was feeling cold often and often experienced cold extremities. I live in SoCal now, so it's harder to gauge. I did notice that I felt warmer, when I started to eat more.
I sometimes feel like my digestion is sluggish, so I am careful about what I eat. I do also feel as though that has improved, since trying to eat more.
Other than that, I don't seem to have hair loss, dry skin, or sluggishness. I get out of bed easily almost as soon as I wake up, I never feel the need to nap, and I have plenty of energy to workout, etc...
Are there other symptoms I should be looking for?
I've already gained weight pretty much undereating. Do you think I will gain more??
In January, I bumped up my calories to around 1300 at the suggestion of a nutritionist - she actually wanted me to go higher, but I was coming from such a low intake that it was difficult, so I was going gradually. Then I graduated up to between 1400-1500, while I was doing Insanity. I didn't gain any more, but I didn't lose either. I did notice that I was not getting as cold and I was sweating again during exercise. Do you think I need to go higher than 1500??
I really don't think I could handle gaining any more.
Thanks. I get what you're saying, but this is the first time I've actually gone up in weight in over 20 years.
I gained a lot of weight early in high school, to hit my all-time high, and I started to work on losing at age 16. I did it mostly through exercise, and choosing foods more carefully but not counting calories. I went vegan at 20 and lost more weight. Then I started dancing more and dropped to around 145. I stayed there for years, remaining active, but not counting calories.
Only a couple times throughout all of these years were calories significantly restricted, but it was unintentional and due to losing appetite because of stress. Both times I maintained the stress-induced weight loss.
So... this recent gain is all the more upsetting for me because it is the first time in over 20 years that I have gained weight.
alleekat: It seems to me like your Yo-Yo dieting. You starve yourself to lose and gain back more than you"ve lost. I used to do that too, but no longer do because I realised it is a self sabotage dieting. I now am losing weight but slowly and I don't skip meals. I have a caloric intake that was figured out by my dietician that I stick to every day and I've refocused on eating healthier and smarter. Give yourself some time to think of the weight you want to lose and focus on maintaining a certain weight. Keep a diet journal write down what you eat. Think positive about yourself and love yourself!!!!
Hi. I'd just like to offer a bit of advice:
Starving yourself will make you maintain/gain weight in the form of fat eventually.
Find our what your BMR is and determine a safe caloric intake from there, then you maintain that diet. Many times you'll see weight gain before weight loss because you're lacking nutrients your body needs. That's NORMAL!
Maintaining this diet, and being serious about keeping it, you should incorporate some exercise in your lifestyle also.
Doing all of the above, it could take up to 4-6 WEEKS before you see a change. This is normal so don't lose motivation!
Hope this helps...
Thanks for the response.
I have had my thyroid tested. The numbers have come back within range - although my T3 was at the absolute lowest end of the normal range - so all I got from the doctors was, "your labs are 'normal'".
I've also had hormones tested and they seem ok.
I'll look into Insulin Resistance.
Starving and going on a complete water diet wont help you .As commented earlier go get your blood tested and visit a weight loss surgeon who might be able to help you .