42 - dieting and exercising and pants seem tighter?
 

I'm so frustrated. How can I be eating 12-1500 calories a day and exercising with no weight loss. My pants are also fitting tighter than usual. Feeling defeated and wanna binge to not think about it Grrrrr. So far Im staying away from that tho. I know it's harder at 40 but geez. Going to doc to get thyroid checked and hormones checked. Ive gained 20 pounds in the last year and I'm really starting to freak out.

Anyone having the same troubles?

When did you start eating 12-1500 calories per day?

My weight loss is slow, less than a pound a week, and I have one pair of pants that is falling off me and another that fits exactly the same no matter what.

Try taking pictures, and measurements in addition to tracking on the scale.

Are you exercising? That will help change your body even when the scale doesn't move.

A thyroid check is never a bad idea. I had gained consistently 10 lbs a year, no matter how hard I dieted and exercised. Found out after 9 years (and 90 lbs) that I am hypothyroid.

Besides the weight gain, do you have any other symptoms of hypothyroidism? Some symptoms include fatigue, hair loss, feeling cold all the time, constipation, brain fog and forgetfulness, depression, anxiety. Also, many people with hypothyroidism get puffy undereyes or dark circles under their eyes.

EagleRiverDee,

Yes, I have all of those symptoms except for hair loss. So after what you've told me I'll definitely get that taken care of. Have dr appointment tomorrow. Sorry that you had to find out that much later:(. Thank you


Seagirl,

I read ur post and went into the bathroom to take pictures. Ughgg. :). Still have to do measurements. Thank you:)

Yeah, the pictures are not fun, I made sure to keep my head out of them so I could more objectively see changes.

Good luck with the doctor!

Seagirl,

Good idea about the pics. Thanks:) Good luck thru your weight loss journey!

I agree- a thyroid check is crucial. I would get an entire blood workup, and check your sodium intake. I was having troubles losing (and already treat my thyroid issue) and had a blood workup. My D and iron were v low - once I attended to these problems (and dropped the salt shaker from all those yummy vegetables), the scale got a lot more friendly.

Salgal, have you seen the doctor?

One thing that you may want to think about is that you may be eating too little calories. I've always had problems dieting where I would lose weight the first week then I would stall & become discouraged.

I ended up purchasing a bodybugg & discovered that I most days without exercise I burn 2,200-2,400 calories. If I add about 500 more in with exercise & only eat 1,200-1,500 calories that's too large of a deficit & I would put my body into starvation mode. I now maintain about a 500 deficit per day & have been losing a little less than a pound per week. It's slow, but steady.

So, you may be eating too few calories for what your body needs.

Hope this helps.
Kim

Hey, Salgal! What did you find out about your weight gain? Do you have thyroid issues?

Hi everyone, I went to the doc and the blood work was fine. No problem with thyroid either. I guess that's good but still struggling. Not giving up so I guess that's something. Keep on keeping on! Thanks everyone. Ill take any new suggestions:)

Salgal- what is your plan (diet and exercise), how long has it been since you've started, and how much have you lost?

Salgal- I read your bio and you and I are eerily similar! I could not figure out how to just contact you, so I stalked your posts- I swear Im not really a stalker, but, ok, now I just sound weird. Is there a way to PM here? anyway,

Just wanted to support you. Good luck.