So frustrated!

jensiegel39
jensiegel39 Posts: 163 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hi all. I started MFP 2 years ago last month and lost 104 lbs over the course of 15 months or so. I really got into exercise and found healthy foods to eat. I was then maintaining pretty well, fluctuating about 2 - 3 pounds up and down around my goal weight. Then, I quit smoking three months ago. It wasn't as hard as I thought. I used Chantix and really didn't have many side effects.

Well, suddenly, I gained like 12 pounds overnight. I couldn't believe it. I wasn't sure if it was from the Chantix or the lowered metabolism from quitting smoking. I weaned myself off the Chantix and continued not to smoke, exercise every single day and I lowered my calories a bit from around 1500 - 1700 in maintenance to around 1200 - 1400 again.

Anyway, on the two-month anniversary of my quitting smoking, I ran six miles in training for my half-marathon. I was feeling great. Then, not so great. I actually had a heart attack. I didn't realize it at the time. I'm only 41. I thought perhaps I had heat stroke. I had a pretty bad heart attack, they said, and I had to have a stent put in. I'm thankful people found me and were able to call an ambulance. They said that if I wasn't in such good shape, I might not have made it.

I'm still freaked out about it but feel a lot better physically. I'm resuming exercise now with cardiac rehab. The thing that upsets me is that I feel like no matter what I'm doing to watch my diet and exercise as much as I'm allowed to, the pounds keep creeping up. I don't think any of the new meds I'm on are causing weight gain, at least that I'm aware of. I know my body has been through a lot lately. I'm just not sure what to do. I do not want to gain back the weight I spent so much effort to lose, but I cannot exercise right now as hard as I was. Any suggestions of what I can do to take off the weight I've gained or at least not gain anymore?

Replies

  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    Congrats on quitting smoking and your amazing weight loss. Very frightening about the heart attack. My overriding thought is quitting smoking and reaching a healthy weight are vastly more significant to your health that the last 10-12 lb. Focus on the cardiac rehab and staying healthy!

    My second thought is you probably have all the knowledge and experience you need. When you lost 104, what challenges did you encounter & how did you overcome them? How accurately are you tracking calories? Sometimes, tightening up logging is enough to get the last 10 lb with no additional exercise.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    Very frightening about the heart attack!

    You lost so much weight so you know what you have to do....weightloss happens in the kitchen so you know with being perhaps less active means you'll have to mind your calories and track as accurately as possible.

    Wishing you a full recovery and also that you'll see your goal weight again :smile:
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    @mccindy72 gives great advice for maintaining or losing when you can't work out. In the end it is all going to come down to calorie control. Best of luck with your recovery!
  • fiddletime
    fiddletime Posts: 1,868 Member
    Use that heart attack as the wake up call that it was. You'll need to tighten up on your calories. No two ways around that. You don't want to be in weight gain mode. Maintaining where you are until you get your meds sorted would be fine. Then you could lose the last of your weight. My entire weight loss journey has been 23 pounds. I've lost 18 in 5 months. It takes time to lose just a little, or you get hungry. Be patient, count accurately, log honestly, and be greatful for the second chance. We all know you can do this!
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
    Nothing you can do but eat less. I mean, maybe eat more fiber and vegetables to stay full.
  • CJ_Holmes
    CJ_Holmes Posts: 759 Member
    Wow, Jen, what an incredible journey! Go easy on yourself- you have been through a lot. I am not sure what your exercise routines or restrictions are, but have you done any weightlifting? A lot of people find that with more muscle they can eat more and weigh more, but look waaaaay better than they did at a lower weight with less muscle mass. For reference, I weigh the same now at a size six as I did in my twenties in a size ten. It's hard to see a higher number on the scale, but jeans don't lie, either! Additionally, it's great for your bones, gives you new positive goals and makes you feel like a badass!
  • jensiegel39
    jensiegel39 Posts: 163 Member
    Thanks, all! I have to do more weight lifting. I'm easing back into my Zumba and bike riding and workouts at the gym. I just got this Total Gym at home, or a copy brand anyway, so I hope that I can do some strength training on it and also get some routines at the gym that aren't so boring. I'm much more into cardio than strength training and I've read some things about benefits of both over the other. I know I have to be patient. I was just surprised to gain so much so fast. I'm really trying to log very honestly as usual and eat as healthy as possible and cut calories per day by 100 - 200 to see if that helps. Thanks for everyone's comments.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    jensiegel39 wrote: »
    Thanks, all! I have to do more weight lifting. I'm easing back into my Zumba and bike riding and workouts at the gym. I just got this Total Gym at home, or a copy brand anyway, so I hope that I can do some strength training on it and also get some routines at the gym that aren't so boring. I'm much more into cardio than strength training and I've read some things about benefits of both over the other. I know I have to be patient. I was just surprised to gain so much so fast. I'm really trying to log very honestly as usual and eat as healthy as possible and cut calories per day by 100 - 200 to see if that helps. Thanks for everyone's comments.

    You have a total gym at home....I'm jealous :smiley: I'd love one! what I'll say is, I was a cardio bunny with the odd bit of strength thrown in, in the past 4 months I have changed my mindset, less is more when it comes to cardio, strength training is THE biz :smiley: it took me a while to enjoy lifting but now every Mon,Wed and Fri I lift weights and I LOVE it! I used to love running, even that has taken a backseat and my love for it has gone somewhat (doesn't help that its winter and I am a fair weather kind of gal). Anyway, I'm going off on a tangent, my body shape is already changing dramatically since Sept, inches are being shaved off everywhere and muscles are nicely visible. I tell you this to encourage you to keep going and one day you'll come back here and tell us all that you're a changed woman :smiley:
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,741 Member
    RunRutheeRun wrote: »
    jensiegel39 wrote: »
    Thanks, all! I have to do more weight lifting. I'm easing back into my Zumba and bike riding and workouts at the gym. I just got this Total Gym at home, or a copy brand anyway, so I hope that I can do some strength training on it and also get some routines at the gym that aren't so boring. I'm much more into cardio than strength training and I've read some things about benefits of both over the other. I know I have to be patient. I was just surprised to gain so much so fast. I'm really trying to log very honestly as usual and eat as healthy as possible and cut calories per day by 100 - 200 to see if that helps. Thanks for everyone's comments.

    You have a total gym at home....I'm jealous :smiley: I'd love one! what I'll say is, I was a cardio bunny with the odd bit of strength thrown in, in the past 4 months I have changed my mindset, less is more when it comes to cardio, strength training is THE biz :smiley: it took me a while to enjoy lifting but now every Mon,Wed and Fri I lift weights and I LOVE it! I used to love running, even that has taken a backseat and my love for it has gone somewhat (doesn't help that its winter and I am a fair weather kind of gal). Anyway, I'm going off on a tangent, my body shape is already changing dramatically since Sept, inches are being shaved off everywhere and muscles are nicely visible. I tell you this to encourage you to keep going and one day you'll come back here and tell us all that you're a changed woman :smiley:

    100% YES to all of this! OP, congrats on your weight loss, the quitting smoking, and reaching a healthy body weight. Sorry about the heart attack, however. Very scary! Glad you are doing better. I'd say focus less on cardio and start weight training, as long as it is approved by your doctor.
  • mikevandewetering
    mikevandewetering Posts: 155 Member
    You might wanna read about reverse diet by layne norton, it help you to increase your metabolic adaptation, which in return mean you can eat around 1700 cals again and stay the same weight. It takes time and effort, but its worth it. Goodluck with your health.
  • ericGold15
    ericGold15 Posts: 318 Member
    It is really common for people who quit smoking to gain weight. The reason is not a mystery -- they eat more.
    Accurate logging will help you avoid the trap.

    All the best, and congrats on your successes. I agree -- exercise probably saved your life. And it will in the future, too.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,213 Member
    The stent procedure may've had an impact as well. I had (minor laparoscopic) surgery while losing, and the healing process was enough to keep the scale from moving downward for a while, despite continued deficit. (In retrospect, it would've been smarter to go to maintenance calories after surgery. But the point here is that perhaps the invasive procedure put your body in healing mode, and added some gain to your quit-smoking gain.) If the total gain is modest, maybe just hold steady, do your cardiac rehab exercises, and see if things turn around?

    Wishing you a speedy recovery, and maximum health thereafter!
  • ericGold15
    ericGold15 Posts: 318 Member
    ^^ Surgery is catabolic -- the reverse of your guess.
    Weight gain is from inactivity and food intake.

    demling.fig10.gif
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Wow. Glad you're ok. It must be really frustrating though. But yeah, I'd cut your calories until you find your new maintenance range.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,213 Member
    ericGold15 wrote: »
    ^^ Surgery is catabolic -- the reverse of your guess.
    Weight gain is from inactivity and food intake.

    Sorry, I was not explicit: What I assumed at the time of my surgery was water retention, not actual fat gain. That assumption may also be false, but I wanted to clarify that I wasn't positing an impact on metabolic rate per se.

    (I probably implied as much when I mentioned the desirability of going to maintenance calories as a better idea - but that was thinking that multiple body stressors at once might not have been a great idea, reinforced by the fact that recovery is a bit fatigue-y).

    Thanks for the dose of science, in any case!
  • ericGold15
    ericGold15 Posts: 318 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    ericGold15 wrote: »
    reinforced by the fact that recovery is a bit fatigue-y).
    Remarkably so. My one and only personal experience of surgery was a perforated gallbladder. For a good month after surgery I was a limp rag. The surgeon had told me that people often mention fatigue for weeks after surgery but the experience suggested that he was cagey in the description LOL.

    I'm sure the perforation made the recovery all that slower, but it also suggests that the greater the catabolic phase after the surgery itself, the more prominent the symptoms.

    Somewhat unrelated, I enjoy telling the story of how I resisted the correct diagnosis for over a year of fairly typical symptoms of cholecystitis. I just was not willing to accept that a non-obese vegan would succumb to a disease of the cholesterol rich and obese. As it happens I was one of the very atypical few that develop gallbladder disease without stones. Some form of karma I suppose ;)
  • FitPhillygirl
    FitPhillygirl Posts: 7,124 Member
    edited December 2015
    It's really good to hear that you are doing ok now. That said, since you are a heart patient I would discuss your diet with your doctor before making any big changes to your it. Usually Physicains are able to make recommendations in regards to the best types of foods that you should be eating based off of your lab tests. He/she may just refer you to a registered dietitian for further help in this area. Yes cutting calories is important when it comes to weight loss, but you want to make sure that you do it safely since you've had heart problems in the past.
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,630 Member
    Eileen_S wrote: »
    It's really good to hear that you are doing ok now. That said, since you are a heart patient I would discuss your diet with your doctor before making any big changes to your it. Usually Physicains are able to make recommendations in regards to the best types of foods that you should be eating based off of your lab tests. He/she may just refer you to a registered dietitian for further help in this area. Yes cutting calories is important when it comes to weight loss, but you want to make sure that you do it safely since you've had heart problems in the past.

    I agree with this poster. What did the doctor advise you to do? Any chance of being referred to registered dietitian?

    We all want to push ourselves and see running a marathon or half-marathon as an ultimate achievement. Running that long does put a fair amount of stress on your heart. You don't need to go that far in order to be fit. Maybe 5K range for starters but talk to your doctor. Don't use running long and hard as a crutch for not eating at the right levels.

  • tinkerbell30115
    tinkerbell30115 Posts: 6 Member
    Never give up

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