[memoria]

Hi folks. I'm 34F, 164lb, 5ft9, and I've gained and lost the same 20lb a few times during my life.
From the ages of 29-33 I was a smoker, and quit in August last year. I know some people gain weight when they quit, but I did not. I was careful not to replace cigarettes with food.
But it's also been impossible to lose. I have been approx 164lb the entire time. NOTHING that always worked, works anymore. I've been trying now for 6 months. Usually, I lose weight easily once I put the effort in.

The only thing that's changed is that I am now an ex-smoker instead of "never smoked" or "current smoker". My lifestyle is the same as it's always been, I don't have kids. I'm eating 1300-1500 calories a day, going to the gym 4-6 times a week - nothing.
I'm beginning to think that quitting smoking has somehow screwed with my metabolism. Has anyone else experienced this?
My mother has an underactive thyroid, and I'm going to get checked for that next week in case it's that.

[JohnM]

Originally Posted by memoria

Hi folks. I'm 34F, 164lb, 5ft9, and I've gained and lost the same 20lb a few times during my life.
From the ages of 29-33 I was a smoker, and quit in August last year. I know some people gain weight when they quit, but I did not. I was careful not to replace cigarettes with food.
But it's also been impossible to lose. I have been approx 164lb the entire time. NOTHING that always worked, works anymore. I've been trying now for 6 months. Usually, I lose weight easily once I put the effort in.

The only thing that's changed is that I am now an ex-smoker instead of "never smoked" or "current smoker". My lifestyle is the same as it's always been, I don't have kids. I'm eating 1300-1500 calories a day, going to the gym 4-6 times a week - nothing.
I'm beginning to think that quitting smoking has somehow screwed with my metabolism. Has anyone else experienced this?
My mother has an underactive thyroid, and I'm going to get checked for that next week in case it's that.

Hi, I know how frustrating it can be. But congrats on getting going again.

First, I hope you'll feel better knowing that smoking won't have damaged your metabolism, you can put that aside as one less thing to worry about...

Now, if we assume that you aren't on your feet and moving around all day, your tdee (total calories you burn every day) to maintain your current weight is around 1800. This means that in order to lose 1lb, you need to reduce the amount you eat, and consume no more than 1300 calories each day for 7 days. (the science isn't 100% accurate, so some trial and error is still needed even with this information).

Also, depending on the type of exercise you're doing, there may be an element of recomposition (simultaneously adding muscle and losing fat) that could be disguising your progress (weight is a VERY inaccurate measure of progress).

That being said, in order to progress you could first try taking measurements as well as weighing yourself (it's a more reliable method of tracking progress).

Secondly, try sticking to 9100 calories / week consistently for a couple of weeks and check your progress again.

Let me know if you need any more help.

Hope you see the results you deserve soon. Best of luck!

[SayNo]

Instead of looking at the amount of carbs you've taken in have you ever looked into a low carb diet? (looking at the amount of carbs you take in). I'd recommend looking into some sort of low carb diet or a keto diet.