So I had one bad day, possibly one and a half bad days, and I gained 5 POUNDS?!?! That doesn't seem right, I work my butt off for 2 and a half weeks to gain everything back in a day and a half? I feel like I'm doing something wrong, my body just never has wanted to lose weight, and I generally get discouraged after 3 months of not losing a pound or an inch. I even went to my doctor and asked her, that was pointless, she told me I eat too much and exercise too little. Of course that was when I was totally obsessed and was running 45 minutes a day, doing weights, had a job that was really physical, and ate probably better than any diet book would recommend, we are talking organic everything, no processed foods, no dairy, no wheat, no yeast (partly because of a medical condition, which I've been assured won't bother my weight loss).

So what AM I doing wrong? I usually get up and have a banana cut up onto a cup of oatmeal, with soymilk. And then for lunch I'll have a sandwich with veggies and mustard, maybe a thin slice of cheese, but I usually forget. Sometimes I have an apple with lunch. And for dinner I usually have potatoes with green beans, with garlic, a little butter. During the day if I get hungry I snack on fruit or veggies, and recently sugar-free, 100% pure juice freezes. I know I don't drink enough water, maybe 1.5 L's. My calories are ALWAYS between 1,500 and 1,700 (I'm 5'8" and 245 was my last weigh-in, this morning my scale says 250). I keep my fat grams about 40-45. My one vice has been soft drinks, however I had cut back from over 2L's a day down to 1-2 glasses, small glasses too. I need advice before I go crazy try and something completely insane, like low-carbing again. I get crazy headaches and can be completely cranky, not only that, I have so much processed foods and aspartame on it.. stupid diet pop!

Anyways, I need all the advice and help I can get, its only been 3 weeks and I'm feeling ready to quit and accept a life at a size 20!

Hi Swimgirl,

I'm so sorry you're having such a hard time ! I'm certainly not an expert, but first of all, it sounds like you need to find a new doctor. Have they checked to see if you have a thyroid problem? What you're eating doesn't sound like it's all that bad. From reading your typical menu, what I see is that you may want to add more protein to your diet, try eating 5-6 small meals throughout the day and drink more water. I know it's not a magic formula, but if I were looking at myself, those are the things I would change. I'm on Sugar Busters, so the white potato stands out, as well as looking at just how much fruit a day you're eating, if those sodas have sugar, and what types of veggies and bread you're consuming. Two good websites for tracking your food intake and exercise are http://www.fitday.com and http://in2nutrition.com/discovery2/ If you're not already, keep track of every bit of food and beverage you consume to really see on paper how many calories you're getting. I was surprised when I did it.

In regard to the weight gain, I know how hard it is to watch the scale go up after you've worked so hard! I know that my weight goes up in relation to my "cycle" and I don't think it's unusual for the body to fluxuate by several pounds based on the time of day, how much water you've had, time of the month, etc. Please don't let this sabotage your plan! My other suggestion might be to have your body fat percentage tested, or get a scale that measures it. Then you will have a really clear picture of your body composition and where you stand.

You certainly deserve the best body you can have. You clearly have the desire and motivation to lose weight, and I think you're doing great. BTW, I lost 35 lbs a couple of years ago, and know that the first month I practically lost no weight. It really was like my body was confused and resistant to chage. The next month, the pounds literally started melting away. I was eating healthy and exercising at least 3 times a week. You can do this, you really can! Don't do anything rash!

Thank you for the nice reply I'm one of those people who needs support for doing this weight loss thing when I'm down, it's nice to know someone out there might care yah know? I'm feeling slightly better this afternoon, miffed at my job, but feeling like I could do a workout. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you

Hi there! I just wanted to put in my two cents' worth in -- you mentioned that you have headaches and that you drink diet pop. I wanted to mention that in some people, aspartame (a.k.a. Nutrasweet or Equal) is known to cause wicked headaches.

I know that I resisted believing this for a while, but my friend encouraged me to try quitting it for a month, and my "migraines" disappeared! I had been having daily headaches, barely able to go to work, and only minimally functional, but after severely limiting my aspartame intake, it all disappeared.

I am NOT by ANY means a health professional, but whenever anyone mentions aspartame and headaches in the same breath, I encourage them to try dropping the aspartame for a month and see if the headaches subside. As far as the lack of weight loss goes, the same "SugarBusters" flags went up for me. I don't believe in "no carbs", but we should make sure that the carbs we eat are as high-quality as they can be (i.e., high fiber, and bananas are almost no fiber, but tons of sugar).

You may want to see if your Dr. can refer you to a nutritionist for some guidance. They can be immensely helpful. (But beware, your insurance may not cover it.)

Hope this helps!

-Lynn

I think you might be right about some of those points, like banana's, I like them because they fill me up, and help me feel stable after a really hard workout. I try my hardest to avoid anything processed, but I find when I'm doing that low carb Atkins thing I'll indulge in their treats which have too many processed things for my liking. I'm going away for a week and I'm hoping that will give me a kick in the pants, I'm going to see my mom and she eats no wheat, no yeast, no processed sugar and higher in protein than I do. What are good types of fruit? I try and keep to berries because they are lower in sugar.

Hi swimgirl,

Lynn has good points. Looks like you've attracted the Sugar Busters crowd! Ha ha... Well, I don't like to force my opinions on anyone or try to convert them, but Sugar Busters (SB) is in paperback now, so it's only about $7.00 at the bookstore and it sounds like it might be a good fit for you. You might want to give it a read and see if it will work for you. I lost almost 40 lbs. following the plan a couple of years ago. Do to laziness, I guess, I've gained it all back and that's why I'm here. I can tell you, it's sensible and it works. Here's their list of acceptable and unacceptable fruits:

Acceptable:
Apples
Lemons
Satsumas (what's that?)
Pears
Cherries
Berries
Kiwis
Apricots
Grapefruits
Cantaloupes
Tomatoes (Yes, they're a fruit)
Tangerines
Oranges
Limes
Mangos
Peaches
Dates
Honeydews
Grapes
Plums
Avocados (Also a fruit)
Pumpkin

Fruits to avoid:
Bananas
Pineapples
Rasins
Watermelon

This is all based on the "Glycemic Index", or what kind of effect different foods have on our blood sugar. I know this might just be one part of the weight loss picture, but I've found that it works for me.

Anyway, let us know how you're doing, k? Have a great week!

Well... Here I am browsing around as I eat my salad... and am very surprised to find a couple of things (but good surprises!):
1. I also get very bad headaches from nutra sweet, and its been very hard for me because I love Pepsi... So giving that up almost completely to diet was difficult. Especially since I can't drink diet soda! I started shopping at Trader Joes (mostly all-natural, organic store), and they carry Hansen's All Natural soda in DIET...with splenda... in a variety of flavors. They also carry Boylan's Diet, which also has Splenda. Its cheaper than Pepsi too. Though I admit to trying the Pepsi Edge, and its not bad.
Second thing: The whole list of fruits from the Sugar Buster's diet plan. Most of the fruits on the 'avoid' list, I don't eat at all. I'm not following any kind of plan, because most of them are far too restrictive for my tastes, but perhaps I'll look closer at this one.
And finally, SwimGirl, you REALLY need a new doctor. I'm probably the last person that anybody who has read my posts would expect to say that, because I've been through the physician ringer. It took many, many years before I was diagnosed with an endocrine disorder (I have many of the symptoms of PCOS, but additional hormones do not work, like the ones that control/start digestion, and I have elevated cortisol as well). It took one primary care doctor who recognized the symptoms of PCOS, and then we went through 4 endocrinologists before I found the one I see now. And this woman is the ONLY doctor I've ever had, until very recently when the GI specialist I now see as well agreed, that believed that the weight gain wasn't my fault, and that a typical strategy of weight-loss from just diet and just exercise wasn't going to work for me. Its taken 3 years and lots of adjustments to the medications, but I've finally started losing weight. Its just soooooo slow!

Goofgirl you never had satsumas? It's like a orangy tangerine. It's better than a tangerine. Around here people give them out on Halloween instead of candy. They are really good! Anyway have a blessed evening. God Bless.

I've heard about Trader Joe's, only because my brother lives in Seattle. There is a great organic market near my place, they are even making bread with no wheat in it, yay me! I love that you swim, thats my passion, I don't do it anymore... I don't have a bathingsuit, plus it's been many years since I've been in the pool. Thats my goal over my summer holiday's, to go to the pool in my hometown, I figure it'll be easier to go somewhere I know rather than the strange pool near my house. Thats great you found a doctor that works, I've seen more in my life than I care to remember.. and they all gave me a PAP smear. Eww! I have been disgnosed with Endometriosis and Vestibulitis and Intercystial Cystitis ( I can't spell that), my previous doctor assured me that was all that was wrong with me, and that I should be able to control all of the above with my diet and exercise. Which I have been able to. But, no matter WHAT I do I can't lose weight. I did Atkins for 6 months and lost 10 pounds, I think my arteries are all clogged up but still only 10 pounds, grrrr!!! I'm going home as I said for my summer holidays (July 11-19th), so I should make an appointment to see my doctor, any more info you can give me Anonymouse, I would much appreciate It would be nice to hear that it's not just me being lazy that has kept be overweight, because honestly, when I go into someone I give it my all. Like, in the past 3 weeks I've worked out a MIN of an hour a day, done stretching, lifted weights, got cardio in, done pilates, and never went over 1,700 calories and 50 grams of fat, I'm pretty active so you'd think I'd have lost more than 2-3 pounds right? Eek, okay, now I'm just venting, thanks ladies for all the info

Some advice:

1) Don't weigh yourself at your delicate time of the month (if you are on birth control, avoid the time of month when you would normally have your delicate time )

2) Don't weigh yourself at the end of the day. Think about how much food you ate that day and how much that weighs, for one thing

3) Remember that your body fluctuates. I am just starting out too and find it equally frustrating, but until you've been working hard for a few months it will be hard to see the "forest" (over all weight gain) from the "trees" (natural fluctuations) but it will come.

4) Don't stress the bananas too much. Yes, it's true you should avoid foods that have a "bad" GI - but I'd take a banana over some piece of junky processed food with the same GI anyday

5) Don't lose faith!

Part of the reason this is so frustrating is that it's not the first time for me, I've gone on "plans" for 6 months at a time, even longer. And I always workout, always walking lots, trying to be consistant with weights. I've been doing pilates for almost 2 years now, which I know I wouldn't see a lot of results from. But so many people DO, and lots of people do far less than me and see bigger results. I'm almost at my breaking point, but I'm going to keep this up so that I can take all this information with me to my doctor.

SwimGirl:
I don't have endometriosis, and I'm not quite sure what the other issues are (and don't have time to look them up... I shouldn't even be posting this, I should be driving to work!), but it sounds like you might have a few unbalanced hormones in there! That's my basic issue: since none of my hormones do what they are supposed to do, my body doesn't do what its supposed to do in terms of handling food. Check out the PCOS/Insulin resistance group here. Noodles or Jennifer can answer any of your questions, way better than I can. I don't actually have PCOS, though I have a lot of the same symptoms.. and I don't want to give anybody wrong information!

I don't necessarily believe that I have all of those things my doctor said, I really just had the symptoms, and I was reading the PCOS thing on some site and it sounds like a lot of the same symptoms and I have. But I think they might have been desperate to find SOMETHING wrong, because I had been suffering for a long time. I think there has to be something wrong with my hormones, I did a workout on Sunday, and just as it was ending I started to cry, hehe, I CRIED! I have to laugh now, but it was pretty weird, and I couldn't stop it. Anyways, I'm SO tired but gotta head to work (Why can't it be the weekend?). Have a great day !

You might seriously want to ask your doctor to do a hormone screening panel. If your hormones are out of whack, particularly if you have too much insulin, you'll have extreme difficulty losing weight.