[Ciscorox]

So I weigh about 235, am 5ft3in, 17 and female. I can't lose weight. I work as a stable hand part time and work with and exercise horses there plus daily chores. I also work and train my own horses. I have pigs, chickens, rabbits etc. to feed and care for as well. I've tried to diet. I either gain weight doing it or am so exhausted I can't do my daily chores. You know that famous military diet? Yeah gained 6lbs doing it. It's ridiculous and I'm close to giving up. But doing so would mean I can't ride anymore and that's something I love. So pretty much, my weight is holding me back from fully being able to participate in what I love to do.

[daveyt]

Hey Ciscorox,

Firstly. Love horses. Would love your job!

Secondly, sounds like you have a pretty physically demanding job. Being that physically active isn't always necessarily going to enable you to lose weight. In fact, you might just be gaining muscle. Muscle is far denser than fat so not always easy to notice (other than you getting stronger).

So, I guess my question is are you just weighing yourself or have you tried measuring your body fat % and tracking that?

[EmilyLarnder]

Hey girl. You seem to be quite the hard worker!
I have some tips for you

1. The military diet is a no-go; it doesn't seem very balanced to me.

2. As for eating, I HIGHLY recommend the 21-day fix eating plan. It's based on a balanced diet AND portion control. I love it. You can get knockoff containers for cheap on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Prefer-Green-...fix+containers

3. Take before photos. Put on shorts and a sports bra, and take pictures of yourself from all angles.

4. Purchase a body tape measurer. INCHES are so much more important than weight, as muscle is much more dense than fat. I've lost a few inches lately, but the scale hasn't budged.
THE SCALE IS A TRAP!
ITS A TRAP ITS A TRAP ITS A TRAP!!!!

5. Try to cut out more carbs

6. Try to incorporate more protein and more veggies

7. Want to find interesting healthy recipes? Pinterest!
Check out my Board, it has lots of awesome ideas (idk if the link will work but I will post it anyway)
https://www.pinterest.com/emilylarnder3/foodporn/

8. Try to drink half your weight in ounces of water a day. For example, I weigh 190; I try to drink 95 oz of water a day (approx 6 bottles of water. I have a 24 oz bottle that I try to refill 4x a day. Don't always get there but I try)

9. IMPORTANT - When I was 17 I was the same exact weight as you. And I'm 5'2" so it sounds like we are very similar in terms of our bodies. I want you to go to the doctor and get your glucose and insulin levels checked (this will probably include a urine test). I was diagnosed with Insulin Resistance (a form of pre-diabetes due to being overweight), and they put me on Metformin. If you have IR, it's almost impossible to lose weight.

10. Another thing. If you have Facebook, add me (Emily Larnder) and please message me anytime, on here or on Facebook, if you need help with anything. I'm still on my own personal journey, but I really think I could help you tackle some of your obstacles, and seriously, I would LOVE to help.

PS - I love horses.

[Ciscorox]

Actually we don't even have a scale at our house. I have to use my aunts every now and then to see. Also, I know I am gaining muscle but I'm not losing fat. So I'm literally gaining the muscle weight and not losing the fat. I don't eat out, I don't eat a bunch of fat. I also don't count my calories and I don't cut out certain types of food (like red meat, white meat, etc.) simply because I don't have the time for it. I tried being vegetarian and lasted 2 months because I was so exhausted all the time and couldn't even function.

[Ciscorox]

EmilyLarnder I went and got my glucose and all of that checked and the doctor literally told me "you're healthy just fat"

If that's not a total ego booster then Idk what is

[Treasa]

I don't eat a bunch of fat.

For years I tried going low fat but the problem with that is that I'd be HUNGRY. Have you tried going high fat/low carb? There's a transition period to be sure, but that "low carb flu" would only last a week or probably less. When I stopped worrying about how much fat I was eating and started noticing how hungry I'd get after I ate bread or anything sweet, I knew HF/LC was worth a try. You could cold turkey any carb that's not a vegetable or you could wean yourself more slowly.

I don't know what your diet is like now. If it's very bad, just try cutting out anything that tastes sweet for a couple of weeks. See if that will start the scale moving (it did for me). If cutting out sweets works, keep doing that until you stop losing weight, then move onto bread, potatoes, corn, etc.

My blood sugars have always tested in the normal range, but I still believe insulin resistance was at the root of my weight problem. I'm not a very active person, but I do try to get in 10k steps at least 5 days a week. I find when I'm eating carbs my calorie intake is in the 1800 to 2200 calorie range and I AM HUNGRY. When I'm low carbing it, I often have difficulty getting in 1200 calories because I'm just not that hungry.