Got an update - went to the doctor

So I'll cut to the chase- my cortisol levels were too high because of obstructive sleep apnea, which fed off each other in a weird vicious circle and hindered my weight loss. We've got it under control now, and I already sleep and feel so much better.

Recently I posted on here about my general lack of progress, and I genuinely thought I was violating natural law as I was training for races and running up to 24 miles a week, and I was on a calorie-restricted diet. I'll be the first to admit that I really should have visited a doctor about this issue long ago.

A little about me:

I just turned 34, and until the end of 2010, I generally had no weight problems nor did I have a problem controlling my weight. I was very active and was actually a habitual marathon runner. The first visit to the doc last week was met with perplexed looks when I was telling him about my exercise, such that he looked at my 189 lbs and wondered, this guy's a runner? He brought up my history and was going through it over the last five years- 170, 168, 173, 165, 161...and seven months later, 199? He scratched his head and I asked him what he thought was going on, and he said, well- I don't think this was behavioral.

He ran a panel of blood tests to find them normal, thyroid was normal, cholesterol, but I had hypertension (mild). He speculated that something wasn't right and that something, assuming my diet and running were accurately reported, was fighting my weight loss. He asked the next visit how I felt and I said that my allergies were rough (hayfever) and that I sometimes my throat felt a little tight. He asked if I felt nervous during the day, and I replied, constantly, high stress job, etc. He raised an eyebrow.

"How's your sleep?"

"Not great, constantly waking up"

"From what?"

"I dunno, always having bad dreams, waking up panicky."

"Do you snore?"

"Oh, epically."

"Okay, now I know what's going on."

So I have obstructive sleep apnea. He thinks my allergies might have kicked it into gear initially, and my poor sleeping positions and weight gain perpetuated it. I was eating right and working out to see some results, but because all this free cortisol is (assumed, we're testing next week) so high in my bloodstream, and all day long, it's almost prohibiting my weight loss. Luckily I don't show signs of Cushings or anything, so it could be worse, but it was kind of a bummer to know that every ounce I've lost up to this point has been such a fight, and needlessly. I mean really, running 24 miles a week this winter and almost nothing came off? I should've known.

The good news is that the doctor assures me that if my cortisol is okay and stable, the weight will finally come off and the hypertension will go away.

I guess this is lesson-learned people. Problems with weight loss aside, if anyone has unexplained and sudden weight gain, please do NOT be like me and just assume you were chugging pints of Crisco and forgot about it. Go to a doctor.