Hey guys. I'm really, really struggling and I was wondering about a couple of things.

I've been trying to lose weight for nearly eleven years now. I turn 21 in a couple of weeks and it honestly just needs to stop.

I've been on a diet since I was ten, and I just can't lose the weight.

I go to the gym three times a week, and hike, swim and cycle, as well as doing exercise DVDs and I'm going to take up running, and I just can't lose the weight.

Food is my downfall. I make healthy meals but I really struggle with breakfast, with late-night eating and with snacking during the day. I get really bored, and am also for some reason ****-scared of being hungry, so I eat before I get hungry.

But I've started to wonder whether I might have hypothyroidism or PCOS. I do have acne, but I always have, and I eat crap, so that's probably a more likely reason than PCOS.

How can I break this cycle of trying to lose weight and failing? My life is being ruined by being fat. The way I'm going, I'm going to die young, friendless and unloved.

Have you ever tried weight watchers? I can eat within my points (not always the healthiest food, but within my points range) but it's hard to get my butt up to exercise (I work 12 hour nights). I think if you were to join WW online at least - I had a hard time going to meetings and all that, it wasn't really my thing - you could eat your points, plus your weeklies... and activity points which it looks like you'd have a lot. It's all about portion control and with you I'd recommend small frequent meals to prevent hunger.

If you're concerned about a medical condition, then go see a doctor to rule it out, but most likely... like all of us here... it's a case of just putting to much food in your mouth

And HEY! You've lost 20 lbs! That's amazing! If you feel like eating frequently, then better choices should probably be made... but I have to say I'm jealous of your motivation to exercise so much! I need to know THAT secret!

Well uh...this is a lil embarrassing but er....the ticker isn't up to date. :/

I tried Weightwatchers a couple of years ago and it worked fine to begin with, but then I struggled. Plus, it's very expensive and there are no meetings near where I live. But maybe I should give it another go in fairness. It's just...I'm living on £100 a month atm and WW is like £24 a month.

As for the motivation to exercise...I just enjoy it. Truly and honestly, I get up in the morning and I want to work out. One of the people who works at the gym actually asked me a week ago why I always have a huge grin on my face when I was on the x-trainer - did I listen to comedy shows on my iPod or something? and I just told him that I really enjoyed it.

I also have a huge variety of things to do. In my house I have a trampette, a x-trainer, a bike, boxing equipment, Wii games, DVDs. There's always something to do, even if I don't fancy the gym.

hypothyroidism doesn't cause those things you describe. I think you're just bored. You're not losing weight because you eat too much. It's great that you exercise regularly, but you can't overeat after you exercise because it'll just negate the workout you did, and you won't lose.

I have hypothyroidism, and I have difficulty sleeping at night and getting out of bed, and i feel sluggish, as it slows down your metabolism. You also have a decreased appetite, which I have, but I gained weight because I ate out of boredom and didn't exercise. When I'm at work, I could go all day without eating and feel fine. Some days i just don't feel like eating at all. However, I did experience unexplained weight gain in near the end of high school. I also can gain weight like *that*! I'm talking if I have a slice of pizza or two, and eat regularly for the rest of the day, I gain 3 lbs. Another symptom is depression, which I had that went untreated. I am hypothyroid because I had thyroid cancer two years ago, and had my thyroid removed, and am not on synthroid. I have to take blood tests every 3 months to see if it's working properly. But I suppose if I lost weight and exercised regularly, it would be a lot better for me. My doctor speculates that I started getting hypo around 17 or 18, (as I was diagnosed when I was 21, and these things take time to grow) and that's when I noticed I was having trouble sleeping. College was a nightmare when I was undiagnosed, and even afterwards because of both the depression and the fatigue.

Deep down I think you have a psychological addiction to food... you describe being afraid to be hungry. It's really all about willpower.

I recently starting reading Conquer Your Food Addiction : The Ehrlich 8-Step Program for Permanent Weight Loss by Caryl Ehrlich. I was able to get a copy on Amazon for a few dollars- maybe you have a food addiction? The book is about behavioral issues and helps you find out WHY you eat when you aren't hungry and to me it's really made me realize I have to break the habit

How about checking it out?

Also try seeing if certain foods "trigger" you to eat more- and if you are bored I suggest trying to find some things to do- even if it's going out for more walks or something just to keep you away from food

I actually play video games, spend time with my pets and my hubby, and so on to keep from thinking about food

ETA:
Having acne is not a sign of pcos, neither is over-eating, sure people with PCOS overeat but you haven't really mentioned anything that would make me think you have PCOS. People with PCOS usually have insulin resistance, they have very irregular or non-existant periods, they have cysts on their ovaries, they can get sleep apnea, some have diabetes or are pre-diabetic, you also have a lot of excess hair growth as well as sometimes dandruff, skin tabs, and so on.

Agreed. And neither does PCOS. It does sound very much like a psychological problem more than physical. You you need to deal with whatever is hurting you and go from there. You could see a therapist or you could take the journey on your own.

You do not have to be without friends because of you weight. You will not be unloved because of your weight. You are not a bad person because of your weight.

And may I add, now that I noticed, you goal weight is quite low for a girl of your height. Perhaps you have some myths rolling around in your head about food, your relationship to food and your body?

I used to be afraid of being hungry too! Conquer your fear- wait until you are hungry to eat little by little you will realise that you wont die/faint/collapse/be sick if you get a little hungry. And you can always carry a bit of fruit around with you so if you get really absolutely starving and cant get food then you have something to keep you going.

Then you just need to conquer your boredom. Try doing something else instead of eating- or have water or a cup of tea, or some fruit or other healthy snack

I never thought I could lose weight.... and then I started counting calories on my iphone with Loseit and I've lost 35 lbs. I'd say try tracking exactly what you eat every day and setting a limit. I wasn't eating a lot before, but I was eating a few high calorie items in over-large quantities and sabotaging myself without realizing it. With calorie counting, I feel totally in control.

Good luck!

Girl, you've lost 20 pounds! That's A LOT of weight. Think of a giant sack of potatoes at the market. That's like 10 pounds, so 20 pounds is a ton. I know how frustrated you feel - I've been up and down 20 pounds for the past year and I feel like I'm doing everything right but the scale is just not budging. I would definitely try to go to a clinic and be checked for PCOS and hyperthyroidism. You just never know. Anyways, keep it up. You might just be at a crappy plateau, and one day a bunch of weight will just fall off. You've lost 20 already, you're an inspiration

Here's my advice. You have to REALLY want it. Not just the oh I'm fat complaining all the time. LIke REALLY want it! It's hard to recognize the difference between thinking that your ready and REALLY REALLY being ready for a change in your life. That's exactly what it is...its more then willpower, its a want for something different and not just to lose weight.

I work with a girl that for the last almost 3 years all I've listened to is how she works out all the time and how fat she is and how she tries SOOOO hard to lose it but then I see her eating all kinds of junk or some fad diet shake. She constantly is asking me what I do and when I tell her, her response is always "Well I could NEVER do that" followed by some excuse. And that's the problem.

So I definitely think its probably most likely a psychological food addiction then an actual health problem causing this...but hey you never know. All I can say is we are here for you in your journey. this is a great bunch of woman and i love them!! Good luck chickie

IMHO, you are doing a great job with exercising, which means now is the time to focus on your food. There was a time several years ago when I was in the same place-- I ate whatever I wanted because I was working out, so it all balances out, right? Not so much.

So, I would recommend two things to help you with food:

1. Log your food on something like The Daily Plate, and think of food as fuel for your body, not something to do when you're bored or something to help you cope with a stressful situation. What you're putting in your mouth can help you with your workouts and make you healthy, or it can be a road block to success. Logging your food (every bite and sip) can give you insight into how you're using it.
2. I would also recommend making a food plan for yourself for the upcoming week. If you could eat well all week, what would that look like? Plan it, shop for it, and DO IT. You can do anything for a week-- give it a try and see how you feel!

Best of luck to you, although you don't need luck-- that's for the lottery. Best choices to you!!

Rose

Try calorie counting, yes it's tedious, but you can have all sorts of food in moderation. It's basically the same kind of limit system as weight watchers, but free. There's all kinds of websites you can use to track your foods (sparkpeople.com, fitday.com, etc.) or write down everything in a notebook and look it up online. An easy limit for you to start with would be 1600-1700 calories daily. Try that for two weeks, and then if you're not loosing, drop it by 200 calories a day for two weeks (but don't get too low, you could stall out).

I also just want to say goodluck, loosing weight isn't easy, and we're all here for you, but you really need to stick to something that's reasonable and will really allow you to reach your goals. You're more than welcome to PM me if you have any questions, I'd be happy to go over a plan with you.

I recommend, also, Weightwatchers.

I am currently on it and although I struggle with it (Because it is teaching you healthy food habits), I have had great success on it. It isn't as expensive as it used to be. I use weightwatchers.com and pay approximately $16.95/mo and have access to a lot of information (recipes, message boards, groups, fitness tips and ideas, etc.).

Remember also that if you are doing a lot of cardio and strength building, then you will lose fat, but gain muscle which weighs more.

Like everyone above said..... count your calories! I'm doing Nutrisystem, but now that I've learned how to count calories and go by the right sized portions, etc, I know I could get off if I wanted to. In fact, I'm actually on the Flex plan, which means I make my own meals 2 days out of the week. And I'm still losing, so I know I'm doing okay on my own. However, with my schedule it's kind of nice having pre-made and pre-packaged for me. But totally... I was always like you, working out, etc, and thinking that that would negate the junk and other stuff I ate...... but it totally didn't. Sure, I didn't balloon up, but my weight slowly slowly crept up no matter what. The calorie counting has taught me so much! And after a while, you become so used to doing it that it really, really just becomes more habit than anything.