I keep gaining weight and it's driving me crazy!

EGGSHELLENT · February 2016

I'm 19 years old, and I've been struggling with my weight for more or less a year now. From the moment that I had graduated high school, I had been pretty much at home most of the time. Though the first time that I noticed my weight gain was the first summer that I was off - I had gone from 180 pounds up to 200, just somewhere in August, probably starting in June. Which was shocking on my part, because I had never been in the 200's range before! 180 was always my heaviest, and I can even remember when I was 13 that had been my weight. I hadn't panicked because I thought, 'Alright, this is something that I can handle. I've done this before. I just need to get off my butt and work out more.' And this is true, I have done something like this before; when I was thirteen/fourteen years old, I had dropped from that 180 pounds to 140, almost 130, before family issues made me regain all the weight from lack of space to exercise and just a combination of stress and depression on my part so that I wound up bouncing around 180's and 170s again.

So I did a workout plan. And then I would quit it because it was too difficult, and readjust for something else. Before I had thought that I could just rush in as hard as I usually go, but that proved to fail very quickly, and I settled from my normal intense kickboxing routine for a level below that. Then again, there were times that I had even stopped for a while, because of distractions and laziness. Even then, I was in the 200-207 range. I thought I had it in the bag still; I was concerned, but I believed that I'd be able to handle it on my own.

Now, I weigh 227 pounds. It's bad. I wish that I can say that everything is good, but HELL. NO. I'm 19 years old, maybe 5 foot 7 inches, and 227 pounds -- that is NOWHERE NEAR GOOD. I swear to god that less than 2 days ago, I had been 222 pounds -- I don't understand how I can make a 5 pound leap in less than 2 days! I'm thinking that it has to be something with me. It HAS to be, right? I'm wracking my brain, and the most that I can come up with is finding a better sleeping schedule and a better way to find my workout routine, plus writing down what I eat all the time and totalling the calories with the workouts that I do. I'm thinking of going vegetarian, if not vegan, if not either of those things, then hell - just eat an overhaul of all the fruits and vegetables that I can and avoid bread and such for a long, long long time -- meaning FOREVER if I can help it. I'm doing Turbo Fire, a kickboxing routine by Chalene Johnson, if that helps. I've been doing it on and off for most of the year before, sometimes dropping it off like I said, because I found it too difficult and I would get sidetracked. The last time that I had lost weight when I was younger, I had been doing Turbo Jam, the lighter and easier version of Turbo Fire, I guess you could say, plus walking the dog an hour every day, and going to gym class in school. I figured out a long time ago that I'm the kind of person who has to do MORE than the average person in order to see a weight change. I can't just do one thing and be done with it. So, currently, I'm doing Turbo Fire, Yoga with Adriene (a Youtube series), Cise by Shaun T, and Blogilates (another Youtube series). Turbo Fire and Yoga in the morning, Shaun T and Blogilates at night.

I don't want to be obese, but hell, considering those numbers - I already am! I never liked the feeling of being fat, but when I was younger, it felt like there was nothing I could do about it up until the moment I had just started losing the weight at 13 -- and now it's back and worse than ever before and it's KILLING me on the inside right now.

I hate this feeling! I hate my thighs rubbing together and the sound that it makes. I hate how big my boobs are. I hate how clumsy I feel. I hate the back rolls. I hate how far my stomach sticks out, and I hate how it looks when I wear shirts, too. I hate looking at my body in the mirror and thinking that I look like some overstuffed dough person. I hate that I don't have cheekbones, that my face looks so flat and featureless and at the same time, chubby. I hate that I don't have a jawline when I turn my head. My hope is that if I start it off right during this month -- I mean seriously RIGHT. No exceptions, no weaknesses, no off days, no screw up's. Vegan diet. Tons of exercise. Tons of things that needs to get done. -- in February, by September, I'll see a difference. Before, I had hoped that I'd be able to step onto a scale when I turn 20 years old this year in April, and be shocked to see the difference in my weight loss (kind of like a birthday present to myself. A "here you go! Start this new decade of your life right, by losing all that weight you hated before!" ) , but now? Now I don't think that's going to be happening. I can hope - I mean, a good clean vegan lifestyle change and a lot of exercise plus Myfitnesspal might kick me down to 200 again by that time at the most? - but I have zero clue.

[edited by MFP mods]

I just want to be at a healthy weight again. I remember that feeling when I was a kid -- the first time in my life, not being overweight! The first time in my life being physically HEALTHY! And it felt amazing -- I miss that feeling. 140/130 at the most. I don't know - maybe I'm panicking for nothing, but given the fact that I just stepped off the scale and saw that as my weight? Ugh! I'm tempted to start pulling my hair out with how frustrating this all is!

Yi5hedr3 · February 2016

Keeping carbs below 100 grams a day, will help a bunch!

strong_curves · February 2016

You should focus more on how much you're eating than how much you're exercising.

allenalrayes21 · February 2016

hey man hearing your story reminds me a lot of myself. I am 20 years old now and after high school i shot up to about 210-215 from my usual 180. Took me awhile to realize it but i finally did and i dedicated myself to the gym and eating right. For the love of God dont go vegan trust me. First step is look up an iifym calculator on google and fill out the information honestly. It will give you three numbers a lose weight number, maintain number and gain weight number. Look at your maintain number and cut it by about 500 calories for the first week to two weeks. Grab a food scale and literally weigh out everything you eat and count your calories on MFP. Only use this app to count calories dont worry about the rest. Trust me man i saw alot of change im right around 180-190 now and thats because i got lazy again i actually managed to reach 175 at one point. Keep working out my best thing was lift every muscle at least once a week preferably twice and do 10-15 minutes of HIIT on a bike for my cardio. Slowly i started dropping my caloric intake by 100 per week till i was at about a 1000-1200 caloric deficit. Trust the system and the change will come slowly, another thing that helped me was hydration i managed to drink a gallon to gallon and a half per day really helped me alot. if you have any questions or need any help feel free to ask i was in your shoes man its possible just work hard and stay disciplined.

EGGSHELLENT · February 2016

strong_curves wrote: »

You should focus more on how much you're eating than how much you're exercising.

Yeah. That's what I was thinking before hand, too. And what I'm thinking now. This is why I'm deciding that maybe I should have thought to write down what I'm eating, since it doesn't look like I'm doing a good job subtly sliding in as much healthy food in the shopping cart or bringing it home as often as I should (main reason why I just thought to start a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle -- a change of pace, a little bit of experimentation and trying something new. Plus, tons of fruits and veggies involved! Even if it might not be a good idea or last long, it would be a nice trip wire at the most for my metabolism, I figured. Something to reset me on and get me in a right mood. I didn't see a bad side to it, other than having to keep up with certain nutrients yourself and vitamins).

I don't know how the heck I managed it when I was younger. I mean, I remember that it had all started because of the fact of my step-dad teasing me about eating some fried chicken with everyone else, and then something about him saying that I was never going to lose the weight. I still did the exercises. Proof of the weight loss started showing up around three months later. I just don't know what it was that I ate day by day, but younger me had it down pat for sure! I remember making myself after school snacks with grapes, a tall glass of water or milk, half a peanut butter sandwich, some strawberries, maybe some carrot sticks on the side or something like that. All healthy and nice and colorful and pretty while doing homework upstairs in my room. Good times, those were.

Debmal77 · February 2016

Weight loss is achieved in the kitchen. You can become overweight eating healthy food also. Do you own a food scale?

strong_curves · February 2016

EGGSHELLENT wrote: »

strong_curves wrote: »

You should focus more on how much you're eating than how much you're exercising.

Yeah. That's what I was thinking before hand, too. And what I'm thinking now. This is why I'm deciding that maybe I should have thought to write down what I'm eating, since it doesn't look like I'm doing a good job subtly sliding in as much healthy food in the shopping cart or bringing it home as often as I should (main reason why I just thought to start a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle -- a change of pace, a little bit of experimentation and trying something new. Plus, tons of fruits and veggies involved! Even if it might not be a good idea or last long, it would be a nice trip wire at the most for my metabolism, I figured. Something to reset me on and get me in a right mood. I didn't see a bad side to it, other than having to keep up with certain nutrients yourself and vitamins).

I don't know how the heck I managed it when I was younger. I mean, I remember that it had all started because of the fact of my step-dad teasing me about eating some fried chicken with everyone else, and then something about him saying that I was never going to lose the weight. I still did the exercises. Proof of the weight loss started showing up around three months later. I just don't know what it was that I ate day by day, but younger me had it down pat for sure! I remember making myself after school snacks with grapes, a tall glass of water or milk, half a peanut butter sandwich, some strawberries, maybe some carrot sticks on the side or something like that. All healthy and nice and colorful and pretty while doing homework upstairs in my room. Good times, those were.

Good for you but it's still more about how much you're eating than what you're eating. It's all good to try to eat healthier, more fruits, veggies, etc but you will gain weight even if you're eating "healthier" if you don't track how MUCH you're eating.

saphin · February 2016

I think you are over complicating things for yourself with the "all or nothing" mindset that you are currently trapped in. You might have more success if you took some smaller steps that will quickly add up to the lifestyle change you would like.
It could be easier for you to try a staged plan such as:
Week 1, focus on recording all your intake on MFP (no changes to the existing diet) and exercise once during the week. At the end of the week, look at your eating habits and see where you can make small changes to reduce your calories. Plug all of your statistics into MFP and set your weight loss goal to 0.5 lb
Week 2, change to a lower calorie breakfast (leaving the other meals unchanged) and exercise twice
Week 3, now reduce your lunch calories as well and exercise three times
Week 4, now reduce you snacking and increase exercise to four times. At the end of the week, change your MFP goal to lose 1lb a week
Week 5, now address your evening meal and make sure you get in at lease 30 active minutes a day for 6 days
Week 6 onwards, track and measure all your intake, stay within your calorie limit and repeat. Once this becomes easy, start checking your macros and micros

cafeaulait7 · February 2016

Accurate calorie counting works wonders

If you mess up one day, move on. If you mess up one afternoon, move on right then. And have patience. Trying to incorporate new foods is great. No reason you couldn't do both, but just don't make it harder than it has to be, particularly as you begin. Good luck!

HutchA12 · February 2016

How much you eat and logging will get you what you want like others said. There is really no reason to go vegetarian or vegan unless you want to. Chicken and fish can be really good lean food choices. Also you want to learn to eat in a way you can sustain after the loss. Right now your metabolic rate is highest it probably has been since you are at your heaviest. No Jumpstart needed but it will go down as you lose weight and you'll have to adjust.

callsitlikeiseeit · February 2016

you lose weight in the kitchen, not the gym.

ive lost 80 pounds eating the same foods i always have, just less of them. yes i work out. every day. but thats for fitness, not to lose weight.

beemerphile1 · February 2016

The entire concept of MyFitnessPal is counting calories.

Fill out all the required info, set a goal, and MFP will give you the recommended calories. Log everything you eat and be sure to do it accurately by weighing portions if needed.

It works.

shadowfax_c11 · February 2016

saphin wrote: »

I think you are over complicating things for yourself with the "all or nothing" mindset that you are currently trapped in. You might have more success if you took some smaller steps that will quickly add up to the lifestyle change you would like.
It could be easier for you to try a staged plan such as:
Week 1, focus on recording all your intake on MFP (no changes to the existing diet) and exercise once during the week. At the end of the week, look at your eating habits and see where you can make small changes to reduce your calories. Plug all of your statistics into MFP and set your weight loss goal to 0.5 lb
Week 2, change to a lower calorie breakfast (leaving the other meals unchanged) and exercise twice
Week 3, now reduce your lunch calories as well and exercise three times
Week 4, now reduce you snacking and increase exercise to four times. At the end of the week, change your MFP goal to lose 1lb a week
Week 5, now address your evening meal and make sure you get in at lease 30 active minutes a day for 6 days
Week 6 onwards, track and measure all your intake, stay within your calorie limit and repeat. Once this becomes easy, start checking your macros and micros

Logical, sensible and just plain great advice right there.

OP calm down. Don't let your step dad bug you. Mine did something similar except rather than just come out and say I was over weight he taught my 2 year old cousin to say humongus every time I walked in the room. Of course 16 year old me didn't realise he was actually fascinated by my large chest. I wasn't really that overweight until I started comfort eating due to stress and depression brought on largely due to my extremely dysfunctional family environment.

Anyway. You are 19. You are done with school, unless you are going to college. Get out of the house. If you are not going to college get a job. One that will keep you active and moving. Get a food scale and follow the above quoted plan. You are obviously motivated. You just need to follow a plan that is sensible and sustainable.

ilex70 · February 2016

OP please do take a sensible long term view here. Find your TDEE...total daily energy expenditure and work from there. Eat the kinds of food you enjoy that keep you satiated within your calorie goal.

scoobysworkshop.com/weight-predictor/

Exercise is for fun and for health. It can give you a more generous calorie allowance, but won't fix your weight issues by itself.

I so wish that I would have had a good counselor and a simple no-nonsense plan way back when I was 19 instead of bouncing from one diet to another for years, usually always gaining back a bit more than I lost.

You have the opportunity to get a handle on this early.

vivmom2014 · February 2016

I concur with the advice to ditch the "all or nothing" thinking and simply start making some small changes. Getting used to logging your food is a worthwhile endeavor. Just to see what we are eating every day can have a big impact. Log it ALL. Leave nothing out.

It's great to be enthused about changing your life, but you don't want to burn out. Make gradual changes that will last. Keep eating everything that you enjoy. Choose a sensible calorie goal - don't get drastic. Weight loss should enhance your life, not derail it.

emmycantbemeeko · February 2016

Working out is great, will make you feel better, can help you retain lean mass, can make your body look more defined and strong when you lose the fat overlying your muscles, is good for your heart... but it won't make you lose weight on your own. Personally, it's not uncommon for me to *gain* weight when I start a new kind of exercise, as my hunger and sense of justification for eating is increased. And nearly everybody overestimates calories burned during exercise and underestimates calories eaten when trying to guess/eyeball it.

When you were a kid, your body was still growing (in the up and not just out sense). Your metabolism was probably at a lifetime peak. You may have done more physical activity without thinking about it- gym class and recess, playing outside, team sports, walking places before you could drive. You're not a kid anymore and that combination of factors will probably never realign, so being nostalgic for a time when you could eat whatever you wanted and not gain is fine, but as an adult who has already put on 40+ pounds, it's time to face the reality that to achieve weight loss/prevent weight gain, now you need to count calories.

Working out is great, keep it up- but the most important thing for weight loss is counting calories. You can workout to your maximum ability for hours and then easily eat back all the calories burned immediately after if you're not aware of the calories in and calories out. Think about the fact that there are fat manual laborers and professional athletes with guts. Even people who do physical activity all day long can stay fat if they eat enough.

Going vegetarian or vegan is fine if you really want to for ethical reasons, but for weight loss reasons, it's not needed. You can (easily) gain weight on a vegetarian or vegan diet if you eat more calories than you burn, and you can easily eat do that while trying to avoid meat, especially if you aren't an experienced cook or surrounded by a supportive culture for being vegetarian or vegan. Most of the technically "vegetarian" sides at restaurants and meat-eaters' houses are starchy and fatty and high calorie without a lot of protein, so reaching satiety with them often means consuming a lot. Few and far between are the people who happily transition from steaks and burgers immediately to legitimately *vegetable* based diets immediately- there are a LOT of people who go through an "all white carb vegetarian" phase that can really pack on the pounds. And there's really no reason to put that extra restriction on yourself if weight loss is your primary goal, because you'll still need to count calories as a vegetarian if you want to lose weight.

Why not stick to the foods you actually like and just eat less of them? At least at first. Making big transitions is hard on your mind and takes a lot of willpower, so the fewer massive changes you make at one time, the more likely each one is to succeed. To lose weight, you MUST eat fewer calories than you consume. Which is a struggle for many people at first. So don't make it "Work out everyday AND go vegan AND eat 2/3s the amount I've been eating AND track everything I eat." That's too much at once, it's likely you'll burn out and stop doing it all.

Pick one thing at a time. The most important- the only actually effective- thing to lose weight is to eat fewer calories than you burn, so go for tracking what you eat first. All the other things can potentially help- exercise can increase calorie burn, changing the types of food you eat can improve nutrition and make it easier to stick to your plan long-term in a healthy way- but without ensuring that your calories in are lower than you calories out, you will never lose weight, full stop. So start there.

LycheePea · February 2016

Going vegan won't necessarily make you lose weight. 1500 calories on a vegan diet = 1500 calories on a non-vegan diet. It depends on what you're planning to eat, it will make you lose weight if you fill up on vegetables a lot instead of other foods but there's also a lot of junk food that is vegan. I've been vegan for 10 months and it made me lose only 6 pounds initially (thanks to quitting cheese.)

I'm definitely less hungry now though and it makes you snack less if you don't happen to be surrounded by a lot of vegan delicacies.

I keep gaining weight and it's driving me crazy!

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