Lost 100 lb now hard to maintain

ssbmacdaddy

I was on a paleo type eating program and very intense exercise of calisthenics and running for 3 years. Over the last 7 months I feel very drained - I thought it's age - I am 43- and also that I was catabolic, calorie restricted, and intense exercise for the last 3 years. I also had some neuropathy due to spinal stenosis. Had my hormones and blood checked and I was ok. Felt just like what they call "adrenal fatigue syndrome". Yet medically sounds like a bogus process. Had a lot of big life stressors during the past 3 years. Felt very worn out. So I took it easier and tried a few times to get back into it yet each time just felt even more worn out. Sleeping patterns suffered and so did libido. Now having a hard time figuring out where to go to from here. Been gaining weight 20 lb so far and I do not want to back track. Admittedly I got to thin at one point and did looked very cachechtic. Just wanting now to maintain and find a happy medium where I feel good yet do not gain back. Has anyone experienced this? What have u tried that was successful of not successful?

Shull_rachael

Depression maybe?

RodaRose

@ssbmacdaddy Did you get tested for vitamin B12? Even though you were eating meat on Keto, you might not have been absorbing B12.
Low 12 can cause depression and neuropathy -- affects the nerves and the brain.
Buy Methylcobalamin (the best form of b12)
https://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/four-types-vitamin-b12/
https://ketodietapp.com/Blog/post/2013/03/06/Vitamin-B12-Deficiency-the-Masking-Effect-of-Folic-Acid
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2738337/
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/peripheral-neuropathy/symptoms-causes/dxc-20204947
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3229725/

mygrl4meee

i lost 102 pounds.. i too have gained. i have went a couple major lifestyle changes.. i am anemic which is when i started gaining.. i have gained 25 pounds.. i made a deal with myself if i can get my weight down to my last check in on here that i will get a pedicure.. so trying to use that to motivate me.

Luna3386

I struggled with adrenal fatigue type stuff too. I highly recommend reading up on it. I personally limited cardio and upped the weights. Push your calories as high as possible over time while still maintaining. Make sure you are not vitamin or mineral deficiencies. How is your sleeping? Resting? What else can you pull back on?

Evamutt

I don't speak from experience but just a few thoughts that I picked up here & am doing...& hoping to be successful in when I reach my goal, lose in a way that you can continue to eat the same way the rest of your life, don't go on a "diet" just eat less while you're loosing

Sheisinlove109

If you've had big stressors in the past maybe consider seeing a counselor/psychologist for the brain and nutritionist for the food.

ssbmacdaddy

Thank you for the responses. I have gained because I was less restrictive on the diet and so ate more liberally and more fruit and started to eat some bread. I feel better yet don't want to back track too much. Do you thing being catabolic for 3+ years is hard on the body? I guess I fet like I needed to be anaboliic at least for some time. Going to try to eat cleaner and log my calories again. Just felt very fatigued from the grind. Also have a tendency to overdo things and then wipe myself out. Moderation is definitely a challenge. Do you have any advice on moderating exercise and even eating ?

ssbmacdaddy

Also checked blood work and was good, b 12 good, have a psychologist, also have spine stenosis and was in physical therapy and not able to run . Now being allowed to run again slowly. Hopefully that will help. I was swimming yet never can loose weight with swimming. Tried bike yet hurt the back too. Any personal experience and advice and encouragement would be appreciated . Thank you

VintageFeline

Adrenal fatigue isn't a thing.

3 years of a constant deficit whilst exercising hard? I think that's more likely to be your issue right there. Potentially overtraining is what's at play here which is a thing.

And you don't need to over-exercise to lose weight, it's calories that matter, start and end. Even those bed bound can lose weight. So yes, you need to find a happy medium but I would consciously spend some time eating at maintenance and dialing back the exercise to more reasonable levels.

aliyune

Hi there! So my family is pretty big on paleo in general [not me], and the one thing I've noticed is once you start eating carbs again and then try to go back to not eating carbs and working out, you feel like garbage. Your brain learned to use ketones [which, honestly, your body and brain can use more 'effectively' than carbs] to do most of the work [about 20% of your brain will always need carbs]. Long distance runners are starting to go low carb high fat because of this efficiency in ketones. Going off that, and then trying to switch it back on puts your body in a fog because it has to relearn how to use ketones. This fog is especially bad if you don't get enough salt. [There's a ton of research about salt and paleo if you care to look it up, I know it sounds silly to eat more salt.] This all may not be exactly what's wrong, just an insight from someone who's seen it a bunch.

charlieandcarol

You didn't start gaining weight because you started eating more fruit and bread, you gained weight because you ate more calories than you burned. Have you considered that you might feel the way you do because paleo is not the right thing for you in the long term? Maybe eating a broad range of food in moderation, track your intake and keep your calories at the level for maintenance or weightloss and see how it goes?