Update...am now sitting at between 122 and 124. Went to a doctor, had blood work done twice. TSH levels normal, Free T4 normal, Free T3 was low. Had a whole metabolic and hormone panel done as well as a CBC. Everything was normal except for elevated liver function but the hepatitis screens all came back normal. My doctor insists I am lying about how much I'm eating and says there is "no medical reason" for the gain.

Had my first appointment with an RD on Monday. Her recommendation was to add a teaspoon of olive oil to my dinner every night. Yup, you heard right.

Still wondering why I'm bothering?

Thanks for the update! Good luck.

Originally Posted by kelleyb:
Thanks for the update! Good luck.

Heh thanks. I don't think this will work either, but if I don't exhaust my options then I'll always wonder.

I think maybe I'm just destined to be fat and miserable.

What does a normal days meals look like for you?

I'm wondering if she is recommending the olive oil because you aren't getting enough healthy fats. I'm on a high fat/protein low carb diet and losing weight slowly and steadily.

Do you take measurements as well as weighing? Sometimes when lifting heavy the scale goes up but the inches go down. You say you feel flabby but it might be all in your head.

Originally Posted by StephanieM:
What does a normal days meals look like for you?

I'm wondering if she is recommending the olive oil because you aren't getting enough healthy fats. I'm on a high fat/protein low carb diet and losing weight slowly and steadily.

Do you take measurements as well as weighing? Sometimes when lifting heavy the scale goes up but the inches go down. You say you feel flabby but it might be all in your head.

She thinks I'm not eating enough calories and have, over time, slowed my metabolism down to 'starvation' levels and she wants to very slowly and gradually increase my caloric intake over time to boost my metabolism and stop the gain.

I don't have to take measurements to know I'm bigger; I used to wear a size 0 jean, I'm now in a size 4-6. I'm definitely bigger.

Perhaps you should head to a sleep specialist and find out why you are not sleeping. Do you snore? Thin people can have sleep apnea, and it KILLS your metabolism. Doctors rarely think of it even for fat people who are more likely to have it...I know this because I was overweight, and for years no doctor suggested having it checked even though I was on three blood pressure meds, and like you, gaining with out reason. In fact, any sleep problems can cause what you are experiencing.

Wow, I'm sorry you're going through such a rough time, sometimes our bodies just don't want to cooperate :hug:

Anyways, I'm going to recommend a bunch of random things, that are going to seem kinda silly, but here they go:

1) Do Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, everyday, for 30 days (do NOT miss a day)... Just do it! And use at least 5-10 pound weights, yeah, it'll be hard for the first 7-10 days with some exercises, but just keep on keeping on (I think you can find the links to the videos online).
2) Do a hot yoga class at least twice a week... This will help lengthen, stretch, and strengthen your muscles.
3) This will probably go against your nutritionist's advice but its been effective for me... Try an IF type diet. Eat 1200-1500 calories at anytime of the day, but try to consume them within two hours. Do this for 2 weeks. Then go back to regularly eating your three meals and snacks, or however you normally break down your eating, for a week. Then go back to IF for 2 weeks - make sure you don't drink your calories while you're doing this.
4) Drink lots and I mean lots, like a lot a lot of tea. Green and black.
5) And of course drink a lot of water.
6) Oh, and take a fiber supplement.

Yep, that's all I got (for now).

Originally Posted by EricAnn:
Wow, I'm sorry you're going through such a rough time, sometimes our bodies just don't want to cooperate :hug:

Anyways, I'm going to recommend a bunch of random things, that are going to seem kinda silly, but here they go:

1) Do Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, everyday, for 30 days (do NOT miss a day)... Just do it! And use at least 5-10 pound weights, yeah, it'll be hard for the first 7-10 days with some exercises, but just keep on keeping on (I think you can find the links to the videos online).
2) Do a hot yoga class at least twice a week... This will help lengthen, stretch, and strengthen your muscles.
3) This will probably go against your nutritionist's advice but its been effective for me... Try an IF type diet. Eat 1200-1500 calories at anytime of the day, but try to consume them within two hours. Do this for 2 weeks. Then go back to regularly eating your three meals and snacks, or however you normally break down your eating, for a week. Then go back to IF for 2 weeks - make sure you don't drink your calories while you're doing this.
4) Drink lots and I mean lots, like a lot a lot of tea. Green and black.
5) And of course drink a lot of water.
6) Oh, and take a fiber supplement.

Yep, that's all I got (for now).

I do all of those things already except for "IF" (never heard of it) and hot yoga, which I have been specifically told to avoid due to asthma since my asthma is aggravated by humidity. I do yoga and get massages periodically to deal with muscle tightness and soreness, and I already do more challenging workouts than 30 Day Shred. :(