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Weight Loss FAIL
Hi all! Sorry for the long post but I want to make sure you have background on my situation.
I'm a 30 year old female, 5'4", and weigh 180 pounds. This is the most I've ever weighed in my life... for most of my adult years (18+) I hovered between 145 and 155 and was a small size 10. I realize according to BMI standards this is still high, but BMI standards can... I'll keep this post clean and leave that thought there =) Lets just say I do have visible muscle mass, although my arms could use a bit more toning, and the only time I've EVER been within BMI "normal and healthy weight" standards was during a phase in my life where I was on drugs 24/7. That phase has long since passed, so don't worry about that =)
I met my partner this time last year and as these things usually go, I packed on the pounds as we went out to eat often and spent all of our time mooning over each other instead of staying active. I jumped up to a size 14 and my current weight within about 6 months. The past few months I've been desperately trying to reduce this back to where I was...
When I was at my earlier weight, I feel like I was pretty unhealthy. I knew it then too, I just didn't care. I skipped breakfast, rarely had dinner, ate light snacks multiple times a day, and pretty much lived on coffee, tea, and water. My calorie intake was roughly 1,200 per day, and I worked out (cardio - running/walking/hiking) 3-4 days a week. I was always hungry, and simply ignored it and drank more coffee to suppress my appetite.
I noticed during the holiday season last year how my weight had jumped up terribly fast, so on January 1st I started keeping a food and exercise diary to see what I was doing wrong. I was consuming around 3,500 calories a day, huge amounts of fat, and only exercising 2-3 days a week - no wonder I gained weight! For the first 2 months of keeping the diary, I simply tracked what I was doing and made minor changes to my eating habits...I read food labels and reduced my fat intake, I would try to eat 1 serving instead of 2 for dinner, things like that. Nothing major, but just trying to ensure my calorie intake was 2,500-3,000 instead of 3,500, and my fat intake was in-line with recommendations so I didn't shock my system and go into starvation mode.
For the past 2 months, I've been getting myself back onto the normal type of schedule I like with exercise - 3-4 days a week, and when the weather is nice, going out on the weekends hiking and such. I've been reducing my calorie intake again as well - I began at 2,500, and for the most recent month, have limited myself to 2,000. For the past month as well, I've increased my exercise from 3-4 days a week to 5 days a week, hoping to jump start my metabolism and weight loss before the inevitable plateau.
I try to eat a balanced and healthy diet - my fat intake is below the recommendations for a 2,000 calorie diet and I certainly watch out for the processed carbs. I noticed years ago that I felt about a million times better if I cut out those bad carbs and went on a low-or-no gluten diet, so that's a change that I've already incorporated easily. Brown rice & brown rice pasta, spelt bread instead of white, etc. etc. I consume less sugar (it was mostly in the coffee anyway), and use Splenda when I can. I eat regularly... I get up at about 6:15 and exercise for 45 minutes. Around 7:30am I eat breakfast, I have a snack of fruit around 10 or 10:30, I have a homemade lunch between 12 and 1. I have a high-fiber/low-fat granola bar around 3:30, and dinner is around 6. Dinner is homemade also, we rarely go out to eat anymore. My daily intake is: 1950-2050 calories, 30-40 grams of fat, and 25-35 grams of fiber.
Diabetes runs in my family prevalently. I was tested a few years back and am fine, although I suspect I may be hypoglycemic instead. Most everyone in my family is heavy and could lose 10-50 pounds, so genetics may play a small part, although rarely do people in my family exercise so that should be taken into account as well. I'm a mixed batch of heritage - European, Mexican, Native American - and I gain weight proportionally (all over, rather than only-stomach or only-thighs, etc).
I haven't lost a single pound since January. I know the number on the scale doesn't always tell the truth, so I also check how my clothes are fitting and if I've lost inches. I'm still a size 14, and the only places I've lost any mass on my body are my ribcage and my cheekbones. I am ALWAYS HUNGRY. My stomach turns in knots and grumbles at me well before all of my meals/snacks. Sometimes I even get shaky and have headaches and lose all my energy, so my the time I eat I'm RAVENOUS and NEED to eat (see "hypoglycemic" above).
I'm going to make an appointment with my doctor to see if she has any thoughts about this, or recommends tests to see if there could be a medical issue. What do you folks think? What am I doing wrong here?
I'm a 30 year old female, 5'4", and weigh 180 pounds. This is the most I've ever weighed in my life... for most of my adult years (18+) I hovered between 145 and 155 and was a small size 10. I realize according to BMI standards this is still high, but BMI standards can... I'll keep this post clean and leave that thought there =) Lets just say I do have visible muscle mass, although my arms could use a bit more toning, and the only time I've EVER been within BMI "normal and healthy weight" standards was during a phase in my life where I was on drugs 24/7. That phase has long since passed, so don't worry about that =)
I met my partner this time last year and as these things usually go, I packed on the pounds as we went out to eat often and spent all of our time mooning over each other instead of staying active. I jumped up to a size 14 and my current weight within about 6 months. The past few months I've been desperately trying to reduce this back to where I was...
When I was at my earlier weight, I feel like I was pretty unhealthy. I knew it then too, I just didn't care. I skipped breakfast, rarely had dinner, ate light snacks multiple times a day, and pretty much lived on coffee, tea, and water. My calorie intake was roughly 1,200 per day, and I worked out (cardio - running/walking/hiking) 3-4 days a week. I was always hungry, and simply ignored it and drank more coffee to suppress my appetite.
I noticed during the holiday season last year how my weight had jumped up terribly fast, so on January 1st I started keeping a food and exercise diary to see what I was doing wrong. I was consuming around 3,500 calories a day, huge amounts of fat, and only exercising 2-3 days a week - no wonder I gained weight! For the first 2 months of keeping the diary, I simply tracked what I was doing and made minor changes to my eating habits...I read food labels and reduced my fat intake, I would try to eat 1 serving instead of 2 for dinner, things like that. Nothing major, but just trying to ensure my calorie intake was 2,500-3,000 instead of 3,500, and my fat intake was in-line with recommendations so I didn't shock my system and go into starvation mode.
For the past 2 months, I've been getting myself back onto the normal type of schedule I like with exercise - 3-4 days a week, and when the weather is nice, going out on the weekends hiking and such. I've been reducing my calorie intake again as well - I began at 2,500, and for the most recent month, have limited myself to 2,000. For the past month as well, I've increased my exercise from 3-4 days a week to 5 days a week, hoping to jump start my metabolism and weight loss before the inevitable plateau.
I try to eat a balanced and healthy diet - my fat intake is below the recommendations for a 2,000 calorie diet and I certainly watch out for the processed carbs. I noticed years ago that I felt about a million times better if I cut out those bad carbs and went on a low-or-no gluten diet, so that's a change that I've already incorporated easily. Brown rice & brown rice pasta, spelt bread instead of white, etc. etc. I consume less sugar (it was mostly in the coffee anyway), and use Splenda when I can. I eat regularly... I get up at about 6:15 and exercise for 45 minutes. Around 7:30am I eat breakfast, I have a snack of fruit around 10 or 10:30, I have a homemade lunch between 12 and 1. I have a high-fiber/low-fat granola bar around 3:30, and dinner is around 6. Dinner is homemade also, we rarely go out to eat anymore. My daily intake is: 1950-2050 calories, 30-40 grams of fat, and 25-35 grams of fiber.
Diabetes runs in my family prevalently. I was tested a few years back and am fine, although I suspect I may be hypoglycemic instead. Most everyone in my family is heavy and could lose 10-50 pounds, so genetics may play a small part, although rarely do people in my family exercise so that should be taken into account as well. I'm a mixed batch of heritage - European, Mexican, Native American - and I gain weight proportionally (all over, rather than only-stomach or only-thighs, etc).
I haven't lost a single pound since January. I know the number on the scale doesn't always tell the truth, so I also check how my clothes are fitting and if I've lost inches. I'm still a size 14, and the only places I've lost any mass on my body are my ribcage and my cheekbones. I am ALWAYS HUNGRY. My stomach turns in knots and grumbles at me well before all of my meals/snacks. Sometimes I even get shaky and have headaches and lose all my energy, so my the time I eat I'm RAVENOUS and NEED to eat (see "hypoglycemic" above).
I'm going to make an appointment with my doctor to see if she has any thoughts about this, or recommends tests to see if there could be a medical issue. What do you folks think? What am I doing wrong here?
I ran out of my computer class so quickly I forgot to say - yes Barb, please do PM me if you have ideas for other tests. Also, I've entered a few sample days in my food diary here if that can help.
Thank you so much, both for your insight as well as the welcome =) I'll definitely note these and bring them up when I see my doctor again!
COMMUNITY LEADER
I can think of 3 very serious medical issues right off the top of my head.............those are: hypothyroidism, insulin resistance, and PCOS.........
As I read your story, I began to identify with it almost immediately, because although I'm twice your age, I had the same thing happen about 3 years ago. I was always "tiny" - I'm only 5' tall, small boned, so I "should" be tiny.......well, all of a sudden, I began packing on pounds like there was no tomorrow -- I was 57 at the time.......I went from a very nice 115 to 145 lbs in < 4 months.
First, I was diagnosed with pernicious anemia (low vitamin B12) because of unbearable fatigue and started on shots; that was supposed to be the "cure all", but was also prior to the outrageous weight gain -- helped the fatigue, but not enough. Finally, a year later, I insisted on thyroid tests --- oh yeah, here we go.......as it turns out, I have hypothyroidism caused by Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which is an autoimmune disease that destroys the thyroid gland so it no longer produces hormones.
Your thyroid is the organ that controls your metabolism, body temp, heart rate, etc.
Simply put, insulin resistance is when your body produces insulin, but isn't able to use it because the cells are resistant to it. Insulin is a "fat storage" hormone, so if your levels of insulin are high it's but not being used, that could also cause high blood sugar levels, since insulin is the hormone that controls blood sugar levels. Having been tested for diabetes "a few years ago" isn't good enough; you need to be tested again because your body processes could have changed a lot in a few years.
PCOS is polycystic ovarian syndrome -- it often goes hand in hand with thyroid issues and insulin resistance.
So, yes before you get totally frustrated and give up, do go see your doctor to make sure you don't have any of these issues. If you'd like, I'll send you a PM with the tests to confirm/rule out.
Hope this helps.......and by the way -- welcome to our forum........
Barb
As I read your story, I began to identify with it almost immediately, because although I'm twice your age, I had the same thing happen about 3 years ago. I was always "tiny" - I'm only 5' tall, small boned, so I "should" be tiny.......well, all of a sudden, I began packing on pounds like there was no tomorrow -- I was 57 at the time.......I went from a very nice 115 to 145 lbs in < 4 months.
First, I was diagnosed with pernicious anemia (low vitamin B12) because of unbearable fatigue and started on shots; that was supposed to be the "cure all", but was also prior to the outrageous weight gain -- helped the fatigue, but not enough. Finally, a year later, I insisted on thyroid tests --- oh yeah, here we go.......as it turns out, I have hypothyroidism caused by Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which is an autoimmune disease that destroys the thyroid gland so it no longer produces hormones.
Your thyroid is the organ that controls your metabolism, body temp, heart rate, etc.
Simply put, insulin resistance is when your body produces insulin, but isn't able to use it because the cells are resistant to it. Insulin is a "fat storage" hormone, so if your levels of insulin are high it's but not being used, that could also cause high blood sugar levels, since insulin is the hormone that controls blood sugar levels. Having been tested for diabetes "a few years ago" isn't good enough; you need to be tested again because your body processes could have changed a lot in a few years.
PCOS is polycystic ovarian syndrome -- it often goes hand in hand with thyroid issues and insulin resistance.
So, yes before you get totally frustrated and give up, do go see your doctor to make sure you don't have any of these issues. If you'd like, I'll send you a PM with the tests to confirm/rule out.
Hope this helps.......and by the way -- welcome to our forum........
Barb
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