This will be a difficult post, so please be kind.

I am a 26 year old female. 5'2" and 230 lbs. I have been obese my entire life. I've been on weight watchers, quick weight loss, Atkins, nutrisystem, and have tried phentermine along with doctor guided diet plans. Nothing works. The weight just won't leave. I was referred to a dietitian about a year ago after so many failed attempts with general physicians, and at the time I was only eating about 900 calories a day because I was trying so hard to shed some pounds. I had been on a 900 calorie diet for weeks. He said there was no way that was possible, and I must be eating hidden calories. So, I journaled my intake and it left us all baffled.

No diet plans work. I've tried them with and without an exercise program, even with a trainer. I've tried so many doctors for fresh opinions. Each one checks my thyroid levels and they are normal.

Even when I'm not trying a doctor's plan, I eat around 1500 calories daily. I don't overeat and I try to stick to lean means and veggies. I recently spent 2 weeks on a ZERO carb diet, which the doc said would guarantee weight loss even if not kept off, and I didn't lose a single pound.

Could there be some underlying condition that no one is catching? I can't keep living like this. I'm so unhappy with myself and I feel so trapped.

Has your doctor ruled out medical issues like thyroid or PCOS? Not sure if they would be completely responsible for your struggle but they might be contributing.

Welcome Jessmvee, and sorry you're having a tough time, most of us at one time or another can probably relate, I certainly can. I hate to be a broken record, but sharing a little of my story - I have also been overweight for the majority of my life, since childhood (around 7-8 years old). I have PCOS & Insulin Resistance (btw these are just a couple of the many conditions that can make it harder for you to lose weight) and February of last year I had a diabetes scare that sparked me into change, since then I've been more conscientious of my food intake (the foods themselves & the amount of them I consume) my diet isn't perfect, but it is heads and shoulders above what it was before. The commitment I made to myself was to be healthier, not smaller, realizing that if I ate better that would naturally follow eventually, hopefully sooner than later. Well to shorten this, I spent the first 3 months fighting to get out of the 290's, I had lost less than 10 lbs. total since embarking on my journey after 3 whole months of watching my food intake, occasional exercise lol, and changing many of the foods I ate. Now, nearly 17 months later, I am 82.2 lbs. down, my point is, stick to your guns, never give up on your dreams, and eventually you'll break through by doing what you're doing, or figure out "what is wrong" (or more like what might be wrong for you) and succeed.

You may very well have an underlying condition that is making weight loss more challenging for you. This community is definitely a great resource as it is filled with people from all walks of life who have been through nearly everything and someone may be able to help guide you in the right direction. Also mindset matters so much, I know it is difficult not to be discouraged but definitely look for the brighter side of things, even if the scale isn't budging you're definitely health-wise better off eating healthier/less processed foods than being carefree w/your meals. You can do this, if you believe you can, focus on being healthier, and let the weight loss follow, it will eventually.

Here is a calorie counter I found http://www.caloriecontrol.org/calcul...lculator-women where you can add your age, height and weight and lifestyle (I said I was sedentary & recommend that to anyone who doesn't work out regularly) and it gives you an estimated calorie count to maintain your weight. From there you can do the math and figure out how to cut 500 calories a day from your maintenance diet to lose 1 lb a week, this isn't an exact science as we all burn calories at a different rate, but it can help. Also the foods we eat can help or hinder the process.

Also while most of us are just normal people and not necessarily trained in the field of nutrition, maybe it would help posting a normal day of eating and get some feedback/advice. From what I read it sounds like you're a pretty conscientious eater, but you never know what food may be potentially holding you back, give any plan (doctor approved of course )you choose a real chance of at least a month and if what you're doing isn't working, swap out some foods. That is what eventually worked for me, I stopped w/my 100 calorie chocolate bars and switched to 100 calorie Vitamuffins for instance (they have fiber & protein the candy bars didn't have).

I wish you the absolute best on your journey, I look forward to seeing more posts from you, keep your head up, and keep moving forward.

Favorite quotes - "If you're going through H3ll, keep going..." - Winston Churchill

Hi jessmvee, have any of your doctors checked your cortisol level? If it's an underlying medical problem, it could be cushing's syndrome: http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/cushing-syndrome.

Thanks for the replies, guys. it's so nice to hear stories and get a little encouragement. So many docs swear I'm cheating or lying because my situation seems impossible. It's a very trapped feeling.

I'll post tomorrow with a typical days eating when I'm not on a doc's plan. The times I'm on a diet with a doc and they don't work are what makes me feel hopeless.

No one has checked cortisol levels as far as I know. Maybe I could bring up some of these things with my doc.

I'm going to visit this place called medical weight loss with healthogenics tomorrow. It is supposedly ran by an MD. They are said to individualize and monitor a diet plan while possibly prescribing phentermine (which I've tried) and B12 shots. It's a bit pricey but I literally feel like I've tried everything. I hope this isn't a bad idea.

If your doctors are accusing you of lying instead of testing you for the number of health conditions that can cause weight gain/inhibit weight loss, you need to find new doctors.

As other commenters have said, there are absolutely medical issues that can cause your problems. Some are mentioned above, low thyroid can be another. I put on about 20 pounds for no apparent reason my last year of college before my doctor caught my thyroid issue.

I researched local weight management doctors in my area last night. Now I'm convinced they don't exist. I went to a place today I thought was a medical facility that specialized in weight loss. It is called 'Medica Weigt Loss' and they said they were supervised by an MD. It was actually just a bunch of people with bachelors degrees in marketing who tried to sell me a diet plan and some B12 injections. It was outrageously costly and the plan was just like a previous one I've tried.

I feel so defeated. Are there not actual medical clinics with actual MDs who specialize in weight loss and management? I tried looking some up, but they are either a marketing thing or surgical based.

I want some tests done and someone who deals with this a lot.

Hi,

Perhaps a local hospital may be able to give you information on wt management doctors and or reliable clinics in your area.My friend went to such a program that actually Was a part of the hospital. It was $$$ but well worth it to her.

I wish you all good things .

Sheridan