1 yr, no weight loss

I am going to the doctor on wednesday after a year of running and calorie counting. I have not lost any weight, or dress sizes. I just finished my first marathon in september and did my one year anniversary 5k this past saturday. I have logged over 1600 miles (walking/running/biking) in one year.

I had a partial hysterectomy summer 2011, i just turned 34 and i gained 30 lbs within 3 months following surgery.

I have had numerous blood tests and ultra sounds and have had my thyroids checked. My family doctor says that hysterectomy has nothing to do with my weight issues. My one year post op gyno checkup says her hysterectomy patients do show signs of a slower metabolism.

What do I need to be doing or what alternatives can i look into that will kick things up a notch??? After one year of no progress, I am really having a hard time and want to bust out into tears even writing this. A co worker mentioned she gets progesterone shots and that helps her. I've never heard of this.

Please, someone out there have a suggestion........help help help!

Replies

  • Your diary is not public. With as much as you are running, it has to be food related. You may be able to get some help if you open your diary so people can see what/how much you are eating.
  • Couple of things I could think of with out going to in depth. First off hormonal imbalance is the first thing i can think of, given your hysto. Now if all that is normal, 2 other things come to mind. First is how is your protein/carb intake? Most people, myself included eat too many carbs. Use the diary if you can at least for a week or 2 log everything you eat or drink, make sure you include any pop/soda, fruit juices as these are typically a huge source of empty calories. How many days a week do you do your cardio? do you do all your mile in one or 2 days a week or more like 5 to 7 days a week? Next HUGE thing i see missing from your writing here is I do not see any resistance training. Resistance training is very important too. Most women I talk too rely solely on cardio, like walking/riding/jogging, cardio is a great place to start, but you need to lift weights too. Now don't worry about getting to bulky with muscle or anything like that. It takes a long time and a lot of very strict diet and training to look like a female body builder. Weight lifting is very important, it builds muscle, which increases metabolism all the time, when you lift you also get an afterburn, metabolism will be increased 24 to 48 hours after words. If you don't do a gym i recommend finding one. I personally go to a Planet Fitness, because its pretty cheap and open for long hours, so if there is one local to you i'd find it, they do somethings there monthly like a Pizza Monday a donut day once a month, it's just a way to say the lifestyle can be fun and cheat days are allowed.

    Also if you can give us an example of what a current work out day looks for you that would probably help too. Also go over to bodybuilding.com or other fitness sites and research. There's ways to switch things up to spur weight loss, like5 smalls a day in stead of 3 big ones, or like i have always done 1 to 2 big ones(which isn't good). HiiT training, things like p90x, cross-training , martial arts, kick boxing. One last thing remember you have to switch things up about every 4 to 6 weeks. Your body adapts fast and work outs become less effective. So to sum up- hormonal imbalance is probably at least somewhat an issue(your gyno will know if it is with blood work), eat 5 small meals a day or at the very least write EVERYTHING down including any drinks that have calories(probably will have to cut carbs and increase protein), include lifting weights and lift i would say in medium rep range (3 sets 8 to 12 reps of a challenging weight you should really struggle on the last few of the 3rd set at least 3 times a week), switch things up every so often our bodies adapt and become to efficent after a while so you have to rechallenge it. Remember you have to have a cheat day once in a while, once a week or 2 weeks, that doesn't mean going from 1500 calories to 5000 in one day, but reasonable. There's a lot of other things that could be possible(some prescriptions like antidepressants make you gain weight or at least slow down weight loss). I have heard of a supplement on the Radio called Amberin(?) that is supposed to help with hormonal imbalance issues in women around or post menopause(hysto!!!) whether it works or not i do not know. Also limit alcohol and if you smoke that too, the toxins can slow down progress as well, oh ya increase fiber!!!(fiber and protein digest slowly, keeping you full longer and if you eat salads i would recommend spinach over lettuce, personally i like raw spinach but can't stand it cooked, spinach is a powerhouse food, fiber and many good nutrients). Hope that helps a little feel free to message me here or a add me if i can help in anyway, i'm just speaking from exp so far and lots of research, i'm not a physical trainer or anything just what i have learned along the way!
  • quiltergirlar
    quiltergirlar Posts: 35 Member
    Are you eating enough? Maybe a dietician would be helpful.

    My friend went on weight watchers and found out she wasn't eating enough. when she started eating all her points, she started losing weight. I've heard this from other people too.

    I went to a personal trainer and she told me I wasn't eathing enough. Hard to believe that could be true. . . .

    Just another thought so you can research that idea.

    I'm glad you maintained for the year though, that's better than gaining.
  • bpotts44
    bpotts44 Posts: 1,066 Member
    Open your diary for us to see how well you are logging and your caloric intake. I do a lot of cardio; however, I have found that when I run more I want to eat more. Therefore, unless I'm training for a specific event I won't run more than 45-60 minutes, but I have started including strength training, mostly body weight exercises. This resulted in an initial plateau, but eventually led improved losses.
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
    Yeah, I agree it could be food related. I'd also suggest that your family doctors statement that the hysterectomy has nothing to do with your inability to lose might be incorrect. I'd suggest getting a second opinion there....not all doctors know what the hell they're talking about when it comes to female issues.

    Have you discussed this with your gynocologist at all?? I would think he/she would be way more knowledgable on the topic!

    Good luck!
  • DrMAvDPhD
    DrMAvDPhD Posts: 2,097 Member
    Your profile says you lost weight successfully before with the Atkins diet. Have you tried this or a modified version of this lately? Low carb is sometimes the best option for you. Check out the Paleo diet (I know nothing of it personally but it has a big following on here).