I hope I've finally found the thing that works for me.

alaskagrown

I've been down the calorie-counting road several times in my life. I usually do it for the better part of a year, see some small results, then stop for a while and return a couple years later. I've always been a little overweight, nothing awful, but my waistline has grown slowly over the years. Ten years ago, at about 160lbs/5'5" I did a serious CICO run for two years, restricted to 1300 cals/day. Weighed everything I put in my mouth. Lots of salads, veggie burritos, soups. I was really, really faithful, and really really hungry all the time. I lost about ten pounds in the first three months and then just STOPPED losing. It was like evil magic. Bah.

I did a high-fiber run a couple years after that, at a similar weight. Lots of whole grains and fiber supplements. Nothing. I just felt sick. Couldn't keep it up. Lasted about six months; didn't see results.

I was so frustrated with my inability to lose weight. I walk or bike to work, about three miles each way. I'm a teacher, so I'm on my feet moving all day. I take long summer hikes, like the PCT and the Camino de Santiago. I cook 99% of my meals from scratch, good ingredients, vegetables and olive oil and fresh meats. And I could not figure out a way to shift the fifteen pounds that needed to go.

The fifteen became 30. I crept up to 175 at 5'5".

Then I tried keto a year or so ago. I restricted to 20g carbs/day for three months. Lost 4-5 pounds right off the bat and then stopped losing. The keto diet didn't make me sick, it just made me HATE FOOD. The food was so repetitive and so boring. I like cheese and dairy, so I ate lots of cheese and dairy. I love to cook and it was exhausting to make keto food. It definitely made me less hungry, because I could not stomach the thought of another piece of cheese or another chicken "burrito" bowl.


Like every woman in America, I became convinced that my thyroid was malfunctioning and would not believe my doctor when he said that my TSH was fine and I needed to relax.

Anyway, my 37yo, mildy active, skinny-fat SO was diagnosed with high cholesterol a month ago and I put us on an low-animal-products diet. A teeny sprinkle of parmesan or a little half&half in coffee is fine, but no quesadillas or mac and cheese. Lots of salads. I found a cashew milk ice cream (Mr. Dewie's) that is to die for. I make oatmeal 5x/week. We're avoiding unnecessary carb loads like pasta and baguettes, but not restricting carbs like on keto.

In four weeks I've lost eight pounds. I have tons of energy. My lipids were okay before, but I just went back in and my total cholesterol fell from 203 to 187, LDL from 135 to 108. HDL went up a little from 58 to 61. Triglycerides 88.

I have my fingers crossed, hoping that dairy was the culprit in my inability to shift weight for a decade. I'm feeling good right now.

This isn't a plug for avoiding animal products or a slam on the methods that failed me. I just want to throw this out there to support anyone who feels like they haven't found their "thing" yet. Every body is different and maybe there's something you haven't tried that will eventually work for you.