Genuinely stuck and need solid advice, please.

Barbellerella

I would relax. Don't restrict the types of foods you are eating. Thats just stupid and will bite u in the butt later. Only weigh yourself 1x a week, and expect that if you are exercising and new to it (especially strength training), you will be holding extra weight from that!
Just stay within your calorie goal for the day. If you told MFP you want to lost 1.5-2ibs a week (which I assume you did because you're in a hurry), then make sure to eat back your exercise calories, because MFP already built in that deficit for you.

ubermensch13

So please take the foloowing coaching as a critical look at what you've written and what you have actually done.

You are not "stuck" in the physical sense. Maybe psychologically you are "stuck" to a certain point of view and that is going to be very hard to give up unless you give yourself permission to give up those views.

The problem is two part. There is what you are doing (physically and eating) and then there is what you are saying to yourself in your own monologue. You are treating that monologue as "THE TRUTH." And part of that comes from your practice and membership in the Church of "I don't wanna, you can't make me."

Here is what you described.

You did some stuff over a couple of days. You cut out eating some stuff (over a couple of days). You got on the scale after that couple of days and the number that came up was the same as before.

THAT IS ALL THAT HAPPENED.

Now, there is what you've said about it (and then justifed why you said what you did). None of that is THE TRUTH! All that stuff about expecting weight loss to occur fairly rapidly and then saying that you are "stuck" as a result of seeing a set of numbers after only a few days....well that is just stuff you tell yourself (and others) to seem 'reasonable' and yo justify your reasons. You get something from doing that, otherwise you wouldn't do that. You have to be willing to give that up and replace it with something that matches with reality.

Just look at how you described your own self-sabotage ( you justified it as well).

Okay, now it is time to pick yourself back up.

If you've come this far without becoming furious at my reply, let me tell you there is some good news.

You could have done all of what you described in complete silence and the only one who would have known was you. And while you might be looking for validation of the "old you" (and that self-view will not go away without a fight because you have trained yourself and everyone around you to see yourself in a certain way), let's take at face value that you are looking for a new paradigm.

Solid advice?

As others have pointed out: fruits and vegetables.

Really. it is more about balancing the elements of food intake rather than entirely eliminating whole classes of nutrients (unless your medical situation demands it). There are certain things you don't need even though you feel like you do. You don't need sugary drinks, for example, with their high-fructose corn syrup (there was a time when sugary drinks were sweetened by sucrose). It is easy to rearrange foods (and then complain about it). That is why we do that first. But it can also be like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic after it hit the iceberg.

Realize this...your body is in a dynamic equilibrium. Your weight is a reflection of this.

I have become a big advocate of focusing on one thing at a time to start. Rather than "starving yourself" I advocate starting with an then gradually increasing physical activity. Set some minimum level (above whatever level got you to where you are today) and do it...everyday. And if you miss a day, don't "double up" just get back to it the next day and keep going.

Take a complete set of measuremenets, record them and check them once per month. For those months where you've been doing what you set out to do and there hasn't been scale movement, there might be inch movement. I spent an entire year at 190 pounds after dropping from 248 to 214, gaining back to 232 and then down to that 190 plateau. But I was losing the "bubble wrap."

Finally, it probably took you a while to get to your weight. Yes, you could set out to lose it relatively quickly, but honestly, slower may be better in the long-run. It took me a long time to admit I had gotten fat and way outside of my idealized view of myself. I was equally surprised how long it took for me to realize that i was actually returning to my idealized view of myself.

A mind can be a terrible thing.

THIS!! 5 days is not nearly enough to be either physically OR mentally stuck! If you are mentally stuck, you need to figure out how to push beyond that unreasonable and unrealistic view of weight loss. Only once you understand this is a lifelong thing, not a quick fix and will take real time to see results with real work, will you get beyond it mentally.

millicent108

Hi again, another one thing my nutrionist says is choosing the right kind of cereal; most have too high a 'sugar' content. She believes in Bran flakes, oatmeals. Be cautious of the amount that you use (usually only 1/2 cup servings). I like to put my berries (1/2 cup serving in a bowel, add the yogurt, then top with one or two table spoons of Bran Buds...yummy.)
Make sure that you save HALF of your dinner plate for the veggies. Another thing to do is make a nice mixture of leafy greens and have that first to start to make your tummy full before you eat the rest of a meal. Getting salad green, etc. together is time consumming, I clean a bunch of different greens(Ilove including some Kale, very, very high in nutrients) wrap them in a very clean white tea towel and stuff it into a plastic bag and refridgerate it. It lasts for days and it is always ready to go. Or I simply buy the ready mixes too. I buy all my yogurts and cottage cheese in the smallest containers, but if each is about 100 grams then that is a serving and it is easy to go and not go 'over' on calories from that. A little more expensive, but hey, what is more important your 'health' or a few dollars. I like to keep lots of these on hand, my favorite are Danone Oikois (lime). I try to avoid 'fruit' bottom ones, as I always prefer to have a small container of fresh raspberries or blueberries on hand to add to my yogurts. If you don't like plain yogurt ones, try vanilla. Buy your self a food scale to measure ... if you aren't doing so...it really is a bonus when you are using fitness pal.

SMJ1987

Well yesterday morning I decided to pop on the scales and see how I was doing, and figured that with 80lbs to lose it should come off fairly quickly.. I hadn't lost anything. Not even a fraction of a pound and actually felt more bloated and heavy.

3 days is a very short amount of time to judge how well your plan is working. I personally eat more than 1200 calories now but when I was bigger and lost the majority of my weight (around 35-40 lbs) I did eat that much 6 days a week and then one cheat meal on the weekends...but I wasn't exercising.

My advice is to stick to the calorie goal you are at now and don't weigh yourself for about 2 weeks. I assume you've been at your current size for awhile now? Well even if you do stay the same what is 2 more weeks in the grand scheme of things? If you stay the same (which I doubt you will, assuming you are logging accurately) then I would try to up the cals a bit.

There is a good chance that you have dropped a lb or 2 since you started but are carrying water weight from the 30 DS. Sometimes I will have a perfect week and will hop on the scale and be up. It often coincides with an increase in strength training and water retention in my muscles.

You can do this, don't give up so easily! :flowerforyou:

vmekash

Just two things, in my opinion, and that's w/o looking at your diary.
1. Give it more time before you check the scale. Esp. if checking and seeing nothing (or even a gain) is enough to discourage you.
2. Keep it simple, at least in the beginning. Don't worry about whether you're munching on a chocolate bar vs. a carrot stick. Just do calories in/calories out. Make sure you're netting at least 1200 cal., because you simply should not net less than that. Always come close to your dially calorie goal. A little over or a little under, doesn't matter much, so don't sweat it.

I believe, and in my case I know, that making major changes all at once leads to failure. You can always add to your workout routine once you're used to having one. You can always eat better/healthier, once you're used to tracking and maintaining your calories. Just do as much as you KNOW you can handle each day. Then do as much as you KNOW you can handle each week.

Most of all, be patient. If you only lose a fraction of a pound in a week, and only another fraction of a pound in another week, eventually you will lose an entire pound. Each loss WILL add up. Then, you'll be surprised that it is not that hard to do, and that as long as it takes, does not seem all that long.

Good luck.

CharlesLadd

Lot's of good advice so far, but I would add one more idea. 80 pounds is a substantial amount to lose, and if that is your goal it may seem impossible, especially when you see little improvement after making what seems like a significant effort., a major change in eating and exercise habits I would suggest you set a more modest goal, like an average of one pound per week, not one pound per week but an average. That is, aim for a four pound loss in a month. Stick to your goals and don't get on the scale until the month is up. If you haven't lost 4 or more, I'll bet you have lost 2-3, which is progress. And no matter what the scale says, I'll bet you will feel better physically and about yourself. Then another four pounds in another month, then another, then another. Note that it will take a long time -- 80 pounds in 80 weeks, or about twenty months. If you quit after three days, you may have the desire, but not the commitment. This goal will take the better part of two years, but will be very much worth it! Patience, persistence, and hopefully with the complete support of friends and family.

lozzieemay

it takes time to lose weight have PATIENCE!

totally agree its very hard to have the Patience. It took a long time to gain that 80 lbs and its going to take just as much time if not more to lose it... little steps at a time. Hang in there. add me if you would like its a process...

It's only taken 10 months to gain the 80lbs

I was 9st 7lbs back in November last year & for a long time was very slim, even after gaining 5 stone through pregnancy I managed to drop all the baby weight within 4 months and was back to my slender self. I guess I'm not used to being a "bigger" person and being heavy, which is why it's messing with my mind so much.

lozzieemay

So please take the foloowing coaching as a critical look at what you've written and what you have actually done.

You are not "stuck" in the physical sense. Maybe psychologically you are "stuck" to a certain point of view and that is going to be very hard to give up unless you give yourself permission to give up those views.

The problem is two part. There is what you are doing (physically and eating) and then there is what you are saying to yourself in your own monologue. You are treating that monologue as "THE TRUTH." And part of that comes from your practice and membership in the Church of "I don't wanna, you can't make me."

Here is what you described.

You did some stuff over a couple of days. You cut out eating some stuff (over a couple of days). You got on the scale after that couple of days and the number that came up was the same as before.

THAT IS ALL THAT HAPPENED.

Now, there is what you've said about it (and then justifed why you said what you did). None of that is THE TRUTH! All that stuff about expecting weight loss to occur fairly rapidly and then saying that you are "stuck" as a result of seeing a set of numbers after only a few days....well that is just stuff you tell yourself (and others) to seem 'reasonable' and yo justify your reasons. You get something from doing that, otherwise you wouldn't do that. You have to be willing to give that up and replace it with something that matches with reality.

Just look at how you described your own self-sabotage ( you justified it as well).

Okay, now it is time to pick yourself back up.

If you've come this far without becoming furious at my reply, let me tell you there is some good news.

You could have done all of what you described in complete silence and the only one who would have known was you. And while you might be looking for validation of the "old you" (and that self-view will not go away without a fight because you have trained yourself and everyone around you to see yourself in a certain way), let's take at face value that you are looking for a new paradigm.

Solid advice?

As others have pointed out: fruits and vegetables.

Really. it is more about balancing the elements of food intake rather than entirely eliminating whole classes of nutrients (unless your medical situation demands it). There are certain things you don't need even though you feel like you do. You don't need sugary drinks, for example, with their high-fructose corn syrup (there was a time when sugary drinks were sweetened by sucrose). It is easy to rearrange foods (and then complain about it). That is why we do that first. But it can also be like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic after it hit the iceberg.

Realize this...your body is in a dynamic equilibrium. Your weight is a reflection of this.

I have become a big advocate of focusing on one thing at a time to start. Rather than "starving yourself" I advocate starting with an then gradually increasing physical activity. Set some minimum level (above whatever level got you to where you are today) and do it...everyday. And if you miss a day, don't "double up" just get back to it the next day and keep going.

Take a complete set of measuremenets, record them and check them once per month. For those months where you've been doing what you set out to do and there hasn't been scale movement, there might be inch movement. I spent an entire year at 190 pounds after dropping from 248 to 214, gaining back to 232 and then down to that 190 plateau. But I was losing the "bubble wrap."

Finally, it probably took you a while to get to your weight. Yes, you could set out to lose it relatively quickly, but honestly, slower may be better in the long-run. It took me a long time to admit I had gotten fat and way outside of my idealized view of myself. I was equally surprised how long it took for me to realize that i was actually returning to my idealized view of myself.

A mind can be a terrible thing.

THIS!! 5 days is not nearly enough to be either physically OR mentally stuck! If you are mentally stuck, you need to figure out how to push beyond that unreasonable and unrealistic view of weight loss. Only once you understand this is a lifelong thing, not a quick fix and will take real time to see results with real work, will you get beyond it mentally.

Thats where you are getting mistaken.. it hasn't been 5 days, it's actually been 10 months! I have always been a slim 133lbs, and only gained this extra 80lbs these past 10 months.

Along the way I've tried getting back on the diet & fitness wagon SEVERAL times but for some reason I just can't seem to stick with anything or be successful.. which isn't like me as I've always been an avid gym goer & ate well. So that's why I'm mentally stuck, because I don't understand why this sudden change in me occurred & why I allowed myself to gain 80lbs in 10 months, & why I'm struggling to lose it.

lozzieemay

Well yesterday morning I decided to pop on the scales and see how I was doing, and figured that with 80lbs to lose it should come off fairly quickly.. I hadn't lost anything. Not even a fraction of a pound and actually felt more bloated and heavy.

3 days is a very short amount of time to judge how well your plan is working. I personally eat more than 1200 calories now but when I was bigger and lost the majority of my weight (around 35-40 lbs) I did eat that much 6 days a week and then one cheat meal on the weekends...but I wasn't exercising.

My advice is to stick to the calorie goal you are at now and don't weigh yourself for about 2 weeks. I assume you've been at your current size for awhile now? Well even if you do stay the same what is 2 more weeks in the grand scheme of things? If you stay the same (which I doubt you will, assuming you are logging accurately) then I would try to up the cals a bit.

There is a good chance that you have dropped a lb or 2 since you started but are carrying water weight from the 30 DS. Sometimes I will have a perfect week and will hop on the scale and be up. It often coincides with an increase in strength training and water retention in my muscles.

You can do this, don't give up so easily! :flowerforyou:

Thank you for being friendly and thanks for your advice!

MissJanet55

see subsequent post, wouldn't let me delete.

MissJanet55

Thats where you are getting mistaken.. it hasn't been 5 days, it's actually been 10 months! I have always been a slim 133lbs, and only gained this extra 80lbs these past 10 months.

Along the way I've tried getting back on the diet & fitness wagon SEVERAL times but for some reason I just can't seem to stick with anything or be successful.. which isn't like me as I've always been an avid gym goer & ate well. So that's why I'm mentally stuck, because I don't understand why this sudden change in me occurred & why I allowed myself to gain 80lbs in 10 months, & why I'm struggling to lose it.

Ah, I didn't understand that part. I can certainly relate to this. Whenever I find myself slipping away from my efforts it can seem like forever before I get back to it. I find often I have to try and fail and try and fail a number of times. The important part is the trying. Eventually it sticks and I'm back at it. Logging my food has really helped, and logging it the day before has helped more than anything.

I have quoted this before, but I have a friend who says that this kind of big change is like hitting a stone with a hammer - sometimes you have to hit it 100 times before it breaks apart. You think nothing is happening, but every one of those 100 bashes weakens it a little.

Keep bashing, you'll get there. One thing is for sure, you won't get there without trying.
[/quote]

MissJanet55

Also, this quote by George Bernard Shaw:

"Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything."

So change your thinking, and everything will follow.

cedarghost

Why did you say "GENUINELY stuck?" Did you do a search on the forums for the word STUCK and read any other people's posts. How would you differentiate between genuinely stuck and not really stuck?
My suggestion, use the search feature and read. You are not the only person who thinks they are not losing weight quick enough. It took you longer than three days to put on the 80 pounds and it sure as hell is going to take a good while to take it off. So be prepared to commit, read, learn and stick to it.
You need to make a lifestyle change, not go on a "diet". So make sure the changes you make are changes you can live with. If you feel that you can't live without a certain food, then don't! Just make it fit in your calorie goals (which by the way, is the first thing you have to get right).
Someone linked you the "In Place of a Road Map" post.
Read it and do it. Realize that once you get in to this change and commit to it, there will be times the scale wont move forever. Learn to use other ways to measure progress, like inches lost, body fat lost, strength gains, etc. And there are posts about all of this stuff on these forums, so learn to use the search feature. It will save you a lot of time and frustration.
Good luck.

beattie1

where is the fruit and veg on that list?!

She's got squash and mixed veggies on there.

That "squash" is a fruit flavoured drink, not a vegetable

STrooper

Thats where you are getting mistaken.. it hasn't been 5 days, it's actually been 10 months! I have always been a slim 133lbs, and only gained this extra 80lbs these past 10 months.

Along the way I've tried getting back on the diet & fitness wagon SEVERAL times but for some reason I just can't seem to stick with anything or be successful.. which isn't like me as I've always been an avid gym goer & ate well. So that's why I'm mentally stuck, because I don't understand why this sudden change in me occurred & why I allowed myself to gain 80lbs in 10 months, & why I'm struggling to lose it.

Well, now I really am confused.

Are you now saying you've been 'trying' to lose weight for 10 months? And are you saying that all you've accomplished is an 80 pound gain in 10 months?

Do you understand that you have not been very clear about what is going on? And it suggest that something else (medically) is going on. Looking for a diet in the absence of a medical evaluation with something this dramatic is well beyond anything that anyone can offer you here.

Pardon my bluntness, but youneed to seek some medical advice.

If this were all fat (3500 calories per pound) it means that your intake exceeds your expenditure (80 x 3500 = 280,000 calores, or 28,000 calories per month). That is an excess of nearly 1,000 calories per da over the 10 month period.

I've seen prednisone cause this type of increase in addition to some types of blood infections. But there are other symptoms to address and you don't mention those.

lozzieemay

Thats where you are getting mistaken.. it hasn't been 5 days, it's actually been 10 months! I have always been a slim 133lbs, and only gained this extra 80lbs these past 10 months.

Along the way I've tried getting back on the diet & fitness wagon SEVERAL times but for some reason I just can't seem to stick with anything or be successful.. which isn't like me as I've always been an avid gym goer & ate well. So that's why I'm mentally stuck, because I don't understand why this sudden change in me occurred & why I allowed myself to gain 80lbs in 10 months, & why I'm struggling to lose it.

Well, now I really am confused.

Are you now saying you've been 'trying' to lose weight for 10 months? And are you saying that all you've accomplished is an 80 pound gain in 10 months?

Do you understand that you have not been very clear about what is going on? And it suggest that something else (medically) is going on. Looking for a diet in the absence of a medical evaluation with something this dramatic is well beyond anything that anyone can offer you here.

Pardon my bluntness, but youneed to seek some medical advice.

If this were all fat (3500 calories per pound) it means that your intake exceeds your expenditure (80 x 3500 = 280,000 calores, or 28,000 calories per month). That is an excess of nearly 1,000 calories per da over the 10 month period.

I've seen prednisone cause this type of increase in addition to some types of blood infections. But there are other symptoms to address and you don't mention those.

I have no medical issues, I had blood tests done not so long ago and came back fine apart from being anaemic & requiring iron which I've had for a while.

Long story short.. I have always been 9st 7 to 10st in weight, then fell pregnant November 2010 and gained 5 stone with the pregnancy, I gave birth July 2011 & lost all 5 stone within 4 months so by November 2011 I was back to 9st 7lbs.. Now, 12 months on I am 15st 11lbs.

I have no medical issues or anything else going on apart from the fact that I've just been extremely greedy and ate all the wrong foods in large quantities for the past 10 months. Binge eating I guess..

lozzieemay

Thats where you are getting mistaken.. it hasn't been 5 days, it's actually been 10 months! I have always been a slim 133lbs, and only gained this extra 80lbs these past 10 months.

Along the way I've tried getting back on the diet & fitness wagon SEVERAL times but for some reason I just can't seem to stick with anything or be successful.. which isn't like me as I've always been an avid gym goer & ate well. So that's why I'm mentally stuck, because I don't understand why this sudden change in me occurred & why I allowed myself to gain 80lbs in 10 months, & why I'm struggling to lose it.

Well, now I really am confused.

Are you now saying you've been 'trying' to lose weight for 10 months? And are you saying that all you've accomplished is an 80 pound gain in 10 months?

Do you understand that you have not been very clear about what is going on? And it suggest that something else (medically) is going on. Looking for a diet in the absence of a medical evaluation with something this dramatic is well beyond anything that anyone can offer you here.

Pardon my bluntness, but youneed to seek some medical advice.

If this were all fat (3500 calories per pound) it means that your intake exceeds your expenditure (80 x 3500 = 280,000 calores, or 28,000 calories per month). That is an excess of nearly 1,000 calories per da over the 10 month period.

I've seen prednisone cause this type of increase in addition to some types of blood infections. But there are other symptoms to address and you don't mention those.

And it's highly possible that I've been eating more than 1000 calories over my TDEE everyday. I actually tracked what I ate one day and it totalled at 6000+ calories.

STrooper

And it's highly possible that I've been eating more than 1000 calories over my TDEE everyday. I actually tracked what I ate one day and it totalled at 6000+ calories.

So, the truth slowly gets revealed but it has been like peeling an onion to get this from you.

It is not only "possible" that you've been eating nearly 1,000 calories per day more than you need...it is an absolute requirement. From purely a weight and time perspective you have, on average, taken in 28,000 calories per month more than you need. That is basic physics.

If you aren't producing the results you seek there are two basic reasons for that:

1) You are not doing anything, or

2) You are doing the wrong thing.

Choose.. those are your only two choices. Remember, you were the one who ruled out medical conditions (I will get back to that in a moment because I disagree with you on this point). MFP makes a suggestion of calorie intake and general nutritional guidance on carbs, protein, fiber, and fat based upon what you've input into the program in terms of your current weight, your life characteristics, and your goals. It is a technology, nothing more. It does not "require your action.

And you have completely blown it off.

You've used a rather simplistic jargon to explain this: you are "stuck." I have asserted otherwise. So, back to the medical.



You are self-medicating. And foods are your medication of choice.

I am going to hypothesize that you are depressed in a very real and clinical sense. And it may fit into the gernal classification of post-partum depression. Although I know nothing of your personal life, lets hypothesize a couple of things...your home situation is not meeting the expectation of the way family, parenting (in general) and motherhood (in specific) "should be" turning out. There are stressors (time, money, inter-personal relationships, and being accountable for the well-being of a child) and then how you respond to them.

Remember what i said about your church: the church of "I don't wanna, you can't make me"? Well, there it is. You can self-medicate with food to deal with the stressors (depression). It has you feel better, at least for a while until you need your next fix, but it something you can apply the illusion of "control,"

Depression can manifest itself in this way and can be a response to other triggers in our lives. The fact that you were pregnant and gave birth (and returned to your pre-pregnancy weight prior to putting it back on) does not mean that your hormones are "back to normal" and not "out of whack." A "blood test" may not reveal this unless you have a complete pannel of before and after values to compare looking for just these markers. For example, a T4 value can be meaningless unless it is so low that it is way outside the norm. But a pre-versus post pregnancy comparison might reveal a metabolism issue which you can deal with.

This looks a lot like post partum depression.

lozzieemay

And it's highly possible that I've been eating more than 1000 calories over my TDEE everyday. I actually tracked what I ate one day and it totalled at 6000+ calories.

So, the truth slowly gets revealed but it has been like peeling an onion to get this from you.

It is not only "possible" that you've been eating nearly 1,000 calories per day more than you need...it is an absolute requirement. From purely a weight and time perspective you have, on average, taken in 28,000 calories per month more than you need. That is basic physics.

If you aren't producing the results you seek there are two basic reasons for that:

1) You are not doing anything, or

2) You are doing the wrong thing.

Choose.. those are your only two choices. Remember, you were the one who ruled out medical conditions (I will get back to that in a moment because I disagree with you on this point). MFP makes a suggestion of calorie intake and general nutritional guidance on carbs, protein, fiber, and fat based upon what you've input into the program in terms of your current weight, your life characteristics, and your goals. It is a technology, nothing more. It does not "require your action.

And you have completely blown it off.

You've used a rather simplistic jargon to explain this: you are "stuck." I have asserted otherwise. So, back to the medical.



You are self-medicating. And foods are your medication of choice.

I am going to hypothesize that you are depressed in a very real and clinical sense. And it may fit into the gernal classification of post-partum depression. Although I know nothing of your personal life, lets hypothesize a couple of things...your home situation is not meeting the expectation of the way family, parenting (in general) and motherhood (in specific) "should be" turning out. There are stressors (time, money, inter-personal relationships, and being accountable for the well-being of a child) and then how you respond to them.

Remember what i said about your church: the church of "I don't wanna, you can't make me"? Well, there it is. You can self-medicate with food to deal with the stressors (depression). It has you feel better, at least for a while until you need your next fix, but it something you can apply the illusion of "control,"

Depression can manifest itself in this way and can be a response to other triggers in our lives. The fact that you were pregnant and gave birth (and returned to your pre-pregnancy weight prior to putting it back on) does not mean that your hormones are "back to normal" and not "out of whack." A "blood test" may not reveal this unless you have a complete pannel of before and after values to compare looking for just these markers. For example, a T4 value can be meaningless unless it is so low that it is way outside the norm. But a pre-versus post pregnancy comparison might reveal a metabolism issue which you can deal with.

This looks a lot like post partum depression.

Excuse me, but 1. I did state originally that I'd gained 80lbs through basically being a pig and eating all the wrong food in large quantities. I did not once suggest that I was unaware how I'd gained weight?

2. I haven't denied that I've been overeating the past 10 months in order for me to gain this weight, so please do not patronise me.

3. Don't comment on my parenting! I am a loving mother who has never had any signs of post partum depression, and I also work full time in a very well paid job so do not have money issues, so do not judge where you are not knowledgeable!

4. I have had depression and social anxiety disorder for years, and for many years have been on sertraline antidepressants to combat this. I have blood tests done REGULARLY for my anaemia, the last blood tests done only 3 weeks ago, and I have NO OTHER blood issues - do not make me repeat myself, again.

I come to this site for advice regarding diet and exercise, not for some stranger to try and 'diagnose' me with some jargon and be patronising at the same time. I have lost weight previously and am more than aware of the knowledge concerning calories, macronutrients and exercise.

You, are very judgemental. And if you cannot be constructive with your 'advice', then I question why you bother?

MissJanet55

Lozzieemay, I don't know STrooper but I expect he is trying to be helpful in the best way he can.

I was interested to read you have been on antidepressants. When I went on them a number of years ago I gained 70 lbs. I don't know the chemistry of it, but I do know they made me hungry, and they made my body cling to weight like it was a barnacle on the bottom of a ship. This might be part of what is happening for you. Hormonal changes caused by pregnancy (and menopause) can also change the way our bodies metabolize food. Neither of these things would necessarily show up on a blood test.

I hope you get it sorted out. I know how bad it feels to face that kind of weight gain, and to have the secret feeling that it will never, ever stop.