Struggling and need advice

jsandie76 · February 2014

I need to come clean to everyone here... in the last month I have been struggling. MFP is a wonderful place to come for support and encouragement. When you lose weight it posts to your friend's news feeds. But when you gain, not a thing is mentioned. I am assuming this is so you don't feel so ashamed. BUT when you re-lose that weight (or even a part of it) it shows as another weight loss. In the last month I have shown a 6.2lbs weight loss, but in reality I have GAINED 8 lbs! So this is my confession and plea for advice.

I started my weight loss efforts July 1st, 2013. Between then and Jan 3rd I had lost almost 70lbs. Jan 17 I reached 171.4 which is the lowest I have been in probably 15 years. But Jan 31 I had gone back up to 201. One week later was 197 which was followed by yet another gain up to almost 202lbs. This morning I weighed in at 199.3lbs. I am happy to yet again be under the 200lb mark but I am so frustrated with myself.

For 6 months I did a wonderful job in losing weight and it didn't REALLY seem like a struggle. I wasn't hungry, I always had calories left and I FELT GOOD, energetic, strong ect!!! In January I went to an endocrinologist and he diagnosed me with a major thyroid issue and prescribed meds for it. Within one week I was also put on a birth control patch to help with my intense "cycles". It has been downhill from there. I am ALWAYS hungry, ravenous even. I can't seem to control my eating AT ALL. I have eaten every bit of sweets my family has in the house. Prior to Christmas I had no problem limiting myself to one small sweet a day... in the last month I KNOW there have been days that I have eaten my entire daily allowance of calories in sweets alone! Along with all of this hunger, I feel like CRAP. I feel lazy all the time, like I have NO energy. Some days I leave my bed only to eat and drive my family where they need to go. I don't know what to do. Yesterday I climbed back on the horse again, but now I worry because I KNOW I am not in control any more. How long is THIS ride going to last before I fall off again?

Thanks for letting me vent. If anyone out there has suggestions I would LOVE to hear them. I really am trying to get back on track.

runningjen74 · February 2014

Sorry you are struggling. A couple of things

1. We all fall down - those that say they don't just haven't yet. Success is shown by dusting yourself off and starting again.

2. You've thyroid issues? I struggle when my thyroid is out of wack. I just keep going. If you give up, the option is to put on weight and go back to where you were. I also have PCOS - essentially my hormones are out of wack. I've found I've to eat lower carb (approx 100gm or a bit less) / higher fat ( lots of advocados/olives/no low fat food) / higher protein (min 100gm) + lift weights for my hormones to somewhat normalise. I find when I do this that I am satiated and far less likely to crave unhealthy food. Once I start eating sweet or processed food (e.g. icecream / bread / sweets / etc...) I crave more - it's immediate. I just stay off them and I don't crave them.

When your thyroid / hormones are being sorted, you need to accept that weight loss may not be as easy. But, if you don't try it will all go pear shaped. When it comes to hormones - what you eat can make a difference - it does for me. When it comes to hormones - doing a strength programme helps.

Tonight and get a piece of paper and write out the differences in how you feel now and what you can do versus when you first started. Take out some photos from when you started and think about how you felt. Write out a list of reasons of why you should keep this up. Update your profile. Write out a plan of what you are going to eat next week and a shopping list for tomorrow. Assuming you're off on Sundays, go and do some food prep to sort yourself out for the week.

Stopping isn't an option for me, regardless of progress or lack of it. This is just a change in lifestyle, this is how I live now. If I don't do it I get headaches. I just don't enjoy life. No motivation required, it's just the way I do it. I am essentially the same weight I was 6 months ago, but I can lift so much more, run comfortably and have some much more confidence in myself. This is not just about losing weight - there is so much more you can gain.

ashenriver · February 2014

Congrats on doing so well for so long.

You may want to go back to your doctor about the new medication and you may need an adjustment especially since you went on both thyroid medication and birth control. That is most likely causing your increased appetite and change in energy levels.
It will also take time for your hormones to level out after the introduction of new medication.

Also don't forget that body weight can fluctuate from up to 10lbs.

cmriverside · February 2014

Yeah, too bad he started you on TWO different drugs, both of which can cause weight issues. Now you don't really know which one is more to blame, or if it is the combination.

I would try a lower dose birth control first.

The thyroid (I also take thyroid meds) - you'll need to make frequent adjustments, and until you get to a stable level, your weight is going to fluctuate. But 30 pound in less than a month is concerning. Call your doctor right away for more blood work, and to describe your problems.

jsandie76 · February 2014

Oh my goodness. Sorry it should read Jan 17 I reached 197.1 NOT 171.4. Sorry for the confusion!

StarlaAgain · February 2014

Thanks for posting. I have been on this site several different times and usually lose some and then gain all of it back and then some. I am sorry you are struggling but also happy you shared as it helps me to know others are struggling too. Most of the time all you see on here are the success stories. That is great but I think it helps to be honest and share that all of us struggle. That is after all why we are here. Proud of you for coming back. My motto: One day at a time. Sometimes one meal at a time or even one hour at a time. You know you can do this. Sounds like medical issues and medication are getting in the way now.

cmriverside · February 2014

Oh my goodness. Sorry it should read Jan 17 I reached 197.1 NOT 171.4. Sorry for the confusion!

Well that is much less concerning.

Thyroid meds are tough to get dialed in. So are birth control. You're kind of in the Perfect Storm right now. Just know that there will be an end in sight and you will figure it out, so hang in there.

There are Groups here for thryroid stuff. I've been on Levothyroxine for 25 years and I'm stable.

Go to the blue bar at the top of the page, click "Groups" and search for Thyroid or Hypo/Hyper thyroid, whichever one for which you are being treated.

You will figure this out. It's a Mystery Project!

jsandie76 · February 2014

Thanks everyone for your support and advice. I think the toughest part of all this is when I saw my doctor I was feeling REALLY good (other than my ToM)! He saw my blood work and told me I had a major Thyroid issue and put me on meds for it, and the bc is to regulate my ToM to make it less painful and more predictable. After that I have felt horrible! I was feeling so good before, and now, when I am supposedly "correcting the problem", its making me feel worse.

I also found it was fairly EASY to stick to the plan prior to Christmas. I had maybe a handful of days in that six months that I actually struggled to stay within my limits. Now I feel out of control. All I think about is eating. I am always hungry. /sigh

Anyway thanks again for listening

cmriverside · February 2014

Also, because you're excuse-ing in that first post - and it has nothing to do with the meds and everything to do with your brain...

OH! HEY! You excuse-ed again.

Stop that.

But, seriously, part of your problem is physiological and part is psychological.

RicaJamie · February 2014

Thanks everyone for your support and advice. I think the toughest part of all this is when I saw my doctor I was feeling REALLY good (other than my ToM)! He saw my blood work and told me I had a major Thyroid issue and put me on meds for it, and the bc is to regulate my ToM to make it less painful and more predictable. After that I have felt horrible! I was feeling so good before, and now, when I am supposedly "correcting the problem", its making me feel worse.

I also found it was fairly EASY to stick to the plan prior to Christmas. I had maybe a handful of days in that six months that I actually struggled to stay within my limits. Now I feel out of control. All I think about is eating. I am always hungry. /sigh

Anyway thanks again for listening

Definitely call your doctor and let him/her know all of this! If a medication isn't working for you try another! If you don't feel right you won't function properly! Keep a diary of fluctuations (not only in weight, but mood, etc) and let your doctor know what's up. You deserve to find success and if you are going to work hard (and yes, this is hard work) you deserve results!

cebreisch · February 2014

I remember about a year into my journey, I told a dietician that I was just hungry ALL the time. She suggested I get more fiber in, and that helped immensely.

I get chocolite protein bars from www.healthsmartfoods.com. They're sugar free/gluten free, and have about 100 calories, about 10g fiber, and about 10g protein.

She also told me to focus on the protein and the carbs/fats would take care of themselves. I've found that to be pretty accurate too.

Good luck!

serindipte · February 2014

While the meds may make it more difficult, the eating is more likely the reason for the weight gain. You are starving, eating all the time... alright, eat tons of low-cal foods. You can eat far more vegetables and lean protein than you can mushroom swiss burgers and hazelnut spread for the same amount of calories. If the majority of your foods are more healthy, you're going to be taking in far fewer calories which is going to equate to weight loss regardless of the meds.

(Edited for typo.)

Struggling and need advice

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