No matter what I do, I cannot lose weight. I keep going up, and up, and up. My thyroid has been checked- all is good. This has been happening for almost 4 years now I had lost over 80 pounds several years ago, kept it off, got pregnant with my fifth child and then gained it almost all back. I am now a mere 5 pounds away from that original 80. It has been severely depressing. When I first went to my doctor almost 4 years ago about gaining, he told me, "it's because you are now 30, eat less, exercise more." I told him I can't eat less, I'm starving now! To which his response is still, cut back more I am now eating barely 1,500 calories a day and am moderately active. Anyone else in this boat? If I eat ONE calorie over (okay, in reality, if I treat myself with a cookie about 65 calories), I kid you not, the next day the scale is up between 2-3 pounds and it STAYS...

According to this ---> S/C/G: 203/123/124 ---- Your already at goal? are your Stats wrong?

Yes, sorry. My ticker at the bottom is [I]almost[I] correct. I weigh 195 now, not 193. My stats to the left were from several years ago...

oh okay

If something isn't working for you, maybe you should change your strategy. Instead of focusing on a calorie goal, look at what you're eating. There may be something within your allowed calories that is not be ideal for weight loss. It's not necessarily the extra cookie that makes you gain but the combined starches, sugars, salt, non-healthy fats, food additives/chemicals, etc. for the day. You can still have a snack or dessert and lose weight, but you may need to experiment with foods and see what works and what doesn't work in your favor. For example, you might discover that you don't do well on grains or sugar or dairy or red meat or whatever it may be, and that cutting back on that item finally gets your weight loss in motion. Maybe you're not getting the nutrition you need from processed foods and need to eat more whole foods. Non-food related things like stress, poor sleep, and hormonal imbalances to name a few can affect your weight loss as well. I guess you have to look at the big picture and see what small positive changes you can make to start with and go from there.

Circa83 That was very good advice and so true. I had to tweak my plan a few times and then the weight just started falling off.

crystalx5 You can do this. You've done it before and you can do it again. I would start by keeping a food journal, exercise and make sure to get your water in. Good luck to you, I know that you will be successful.

I agree 100% with Circa83.

I've been on my weight loss journey since January and following a clean diet. I'm not perfect. At times I have cheated and had stuff I wasn't supposed to, and boy did I see it reflect on the scale. I never went over my caloric intake, but I still gained weight and it was harder to lose that weight again. Everybody's body is different and you really have to find out what works for yours. Follow Circa's advice. Maybe you're like me and you need to eat clean which means green vegetables (not colored) and high protein intake and very few carbs. Treat fruit and colored vegetables as a carb because of the sugar. Drink lots of water and add more cardio.

I hear you. I sort of feel like this at times too, especially on a day like this. I've been working doubletime at the gym, and skipping meals and now I find out I'm 2 lbs heavier. That sucks.

Yes, I agree with Circa. I give myself 1200-1500 per day and even if I eat crap but stay at 1200, I gain. Try to eat as clean as possible. Lots of nutrient dense food. When I eat super well at 1200 I am very full bc I can eat more and I feel full of energy. Lots of veg and lean meats. Maybe try to cut the carbs to only fruit and veg for a little while too. That is usually a sure fired way to get the body going....when you starve it of the bad sugars. Also make sure that you are eating when you should...I mean, multiple times/day to make the metabolism get going. Try to get eval'd from a nutritionist. All doctors will say is eat less move more. For some that works, but for others, it can definitely be more complicated.