Rapid Weight Gain/loss

queasy
queasy Posts: 28
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi!

My name is Caoimhe and I have been using mfp for the last few years to help with my weight loss journey.

I'm not sure if I am in the right forum or if there is even a forum for this but I have a health related question and I wasn't sure where to turn.

I have been overweight my whole life and really started to try and lose weight when I finished college. I had at this point gotten to 18 stone 13lbs and was extremely unhealthy and unhappy.

Now while I've always been heavy I've also lead an active life. I worked on a farm for most of my teenage years, did a good deal of horse riding most days and was very into swimming and yet the weight still piled on. I got to college and after the fresher fifteen there was the second year 40 and so on until I was sitting in my car crying because I didn't know what to do and I was almost 19 stone.

I registered with a local weight loss clinic and rapidly(like very rapidly) lost four stone. I got to fourteen stone 11 in record time. the clinic was super impressed and I felt incredible!

It was all based on a healthy eating plan and they also provided a weekly consultation for me to talk about my issues with food etc.

I hit a wall at fourteen and slowly started to creep back up. I was battling issues at the time that revolved around my weight as well as other problems and I put it down to that.

Then one week I shocked everyone in the clinic. I went from 15 stone 3 to 16 stone 3 in a week. 1 week. 7 days. A whole stone.

They weighed me twice to make sure. and then I crept back down again. I eventually left the clinic I couldn't afford to keep it up and I maintained about 15 stone 11 for a few months and then suddenly the weight was back plus more.

In six months I have gained in and around four stone.

I never questioned it at all until i was talking about my weight one night with my boyfriend. I was having a minor meltdown which happens alot and he was asking me about different things and I mentioned the week I gained a stone and he said "Did you ever go to the doctor about your weight" which I haven't...ever.

It never dawned on me. I always liked sweets and I also liked sitting down and also there's barely a woman on my dads side of the family that hasnt battled being overweight their whole lives o it being a medical thing never crossed my mind and honestly I'm fairly certain it isn't a medical thing but my boyfriend is badgering me to go have it checked out and I was just wondering if anyone here had any experience with thyroid or glandular issues or anything like that?

Just throwing it out there!

Replies

  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    You should always clear any health related issues first with your doctor. It is best to know up front if there are any medical reasons that are preventing you from losing weight. Secondly, the problem with rapid weight loss programs is that you don't learn a damn thing for long term success. Sure, you will lose weight fast but do you understand the science behind weight loss? Do you understand a calorie deficiency or macros? Do you understand maintenance calorie level for days you want to have a social life?
    After getting the thumbs up from your doctor, I highly recommend setting up your MFP profile and invest some time to read and follow this link. If you have any problems, post them on the board and people will help you:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,961 Member
    If you were able to lose weight rapidly a couple of times, then I doubt there's a hormonal issues. I will say that rapidly gaining and losing weight isn't good on your heart though.
    Weight gain and weight loss basically comes down to calories consumed/used. Till you get that right, you'll be yoyoing your whole life.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • queasy
    queasy Posts: 28
    I would be fairly well read on the whole calorie deficit stuff and I know what I need to do to lose the weight and what to eat etc. I generally stick to a low carb/high veg and protein diet and I work out regularly.

    I am aware that it's not good for my heart to keep yo yoing. My biggest downfall is sugar and carbs and while I stick mainly to my low carb diet It generally lasts for about a year or so until It gets hard to maintain and I gain a few pounds which really just sends me spiralling again.

    Personally i know that it's a willpower and consistency thing on my part I suppose I was just hoping against hope there might be a medical thing that could help me a bit. just to stabilise it. I just can't seem to maintain long term.

    Thanks for your help though and I will read the above link(although I think I read it before! I'll just try make it stick this time!)
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    If the low carb plan is not sustainable then maybe it's not the plan for you. Has your doctor restricted your carbs? If not then why not eat the foods you like and maintain your calorie deficiency? Aside from instructions from your doctor, the more restrictions you put on yourself, the more likely you are not to stick to it.
  • queasy
    queasy Posts: 28
    I used MFP consistently for around a year or so and I got really obsessive and depressed every time I went over or couldnt keep it down. I found the weekends incredibly hard to control and often missed several days of logging just cause I got depressed about it but when I was in the clinic they gave me a nutrition plan that didnt involve counting calories but rather portions so for example I could have 2 carbs a day and a single carb might be a slice of bread or a half cup of mashed potatoes, theres many other equivalents and I have a nutrition book from them that lets me know serving amounts for almost everything. It was the only diet that has ever worked for me because i wasn't counting the calories and it also makes me up the amount of veg and fruit I take in.

    When I was in the clinic however i was taking in 800 calories like this and 300 ish calories from protein snacks they provided.

    After much research on my part I realised that these were not a long term solution and after i left the clinic I tried to maintain a semblance of this diet by counting calories with mfp. Unfortunately I became extremely obsessed with this method and when I kept straying over my limits every day or some days I started getting extremely depressed. I thought about nothing but food and my weight and was constantly dropping five pounds gaining six dropping seven pounds gaining five etc etc. and basically my weight just crept back up to my old weight. A couple of weeks ago I took the basis of the clinics nutrition plan and bumped it up by a portion for every respective area; dairy, carbs, protein, veg, fruit, fats etc and have since lost a stone. I have cut out all sugar and sweet stuff and I have lost a stone in a few weeks. I am sticking to it and generally know I can stick to it. I learnt alot from my failure and hopefully these things will not cause my downfall again.

    I've learned alot about nutrition over the last few years and am fairly certain the plan I'm on is quite healthy and balanced. Honestly it's just been playing on my mind that this can all go to pot very quickly and I know how short a time it took to undo all my work the last time which was getting me down obviously and when my boyfriend mentioned a health problem I suppose I was just grasping at straws!

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