I cannot lose weight!

Hey jstalt0525.
I too am in the same position.... I don't know what I am doing wrong, if I don't exercise, I lose weight, and yet if I walk (because I suffer from panic attacks and I'm scared to exercise) I don't seem to lose any weight.

I'm new to the message board thingy and its nice to see there are people in the same situation as me!

All the best,
Helen

Yes about overestimating - I started calculating my calorie burn myself according to its MET score (Google it, you'll get a list). However, you say that you've been to the doctor and had a panel done, but have you gone to an endocrinologist? GPs don't always pick up on thyroid problems because they ONLY look at TSH and ignore the other hormones.

(Long story ahead, feel free to skip).

Years ago, I was about 140 lbs when I was taking care of myself, lower if I wasn't and we're not getting into that. I didn't eat perfectly, but pretty well - avoided fried/heavy food, loaded up on lean protein and fresh produce. Exercised 5-6 hours per week. Despite this, my weight started creeping up; I went up about a size per year. At the same time, my energy levels started going down. Every time I mentioned this to a doctor, they'd test my TSH, tell me I was fine, and lecture me about eating less and exercising more. Eventually I gave up.

I started law school last fall, right when my energy levels hit bottom. Law students routinely have to study 10-12 hours per day, but after about four hours of classes, I'd get so tired that I literally could not function. It wasn't a matter of not being able to make sense of the concepts; it was like I had actually forgotten how to read. The only fix was a 'nap' that lasted 2 or 3 hours. I went to the doctor and told her that I was so exhausted and brain fogged that I was in danger of losing my scholarship, utterly at the end of my rope and wondering if there was any point to my life if my brain abandoned me entirely.

She ordered a test of my TSH and then lectured me about losing weight, eating less, and exercising more.

Instead of dropping out of school, curling up on the couch, and withdrawing from the world, I got a second opinion from an endocrinologist who looked at symptoms as well as bloodwork. In the weeks coming up to the appointment, I charted EVERYTHING. Sleep, medications, supplements, menstrual cycle, every and any weirdness that I could think of. Seriously, he got an Excel spreadsheet. (In the meantime, I pulled through fall finals with just below a 3.0. Thanks, 5 hour energy and diet pills. It's a wonder any of us get through grad school alive.) As it turns out, I DO have a thyroid problem in the form of antibodies that make me effectively hypothyroid despite my TSH. He put me on synthroid, and I was feeling better within a month. I made the dean's list in the spring via an ungodly amount of effort to catch up on what was fogged out, and if I'm not in the top 10%, I'm damned close. After my last final, I've spent the summer trying to re-establish a healthy routine for myself, planning meals and workouts exactly as they'll fit into my fall classes so that I won't slip up. So far I'm down 11 pounds since the end of April.

TL;DR - if you're truly being honest with yourself about what you're eating and your exercise, you still can't lose weight, and your GP says there's nothing wrong, go get a second opinion from a specialist.

Nikion901 wrote: »

i like @xmarye comment about setting calories at TDEE and eat less to see the deficit for the day ... but I know i would eat all the way to TDEE so that would not work for me, and maybe not work for other's also. But it is a good idea.

To each their own, definitely! The reason why I started doing this was because I hated that whenever I went over my calories, the number became red and I felt like I had failed! Even if I was just over by a few calories. Now I can see the bigger picture and realize how much of a deficit I can achieve everyday.

Tedebearduff wrote: »

Everyone says this but the evidence is right there, you keep switching programs nothing is done for more then 3 weeks?... you need to find a program and stick to it.

This is a good point.

CICO and IIFYM have people thinking that you can "fit in" ice cream cause it falls into your caloric goal for the day. That's not the case it doesn't work for everyone!! I get the science, I get the logic to it... but it just doesn't work.

You're right in that it doesn't work for everyone, but that's not to say it doesn't work at all. I know I'm not the only person who prefers to fit in some chocolate or ice cream regularly because it removes the temptation to binge on "forbidden foods".

Actually weigh and measure your food, oil counts, salt counts, butter counts, that 1 spoon of peanutbutter it counts, that can of coke counts...everything counts.

Also true.

Eat white meats and vegetables that's it, nothing else! do that for 8 weeks and see what happens, stop cooking with oil or butter at most use Pam.

That sounds incredibly boring and would drive me nuts. I'd give up after a couple of weeks. Some people may find it necessary to be so restrictive, but in most cases it's not really required and many people have more success just learning portion control. Everyone is different, and we all have to find what works best for us.