26 and struggling with my weight

i feel like i’m doing everything right. or at least trying to!

i started on zoloft less than 6 months ago and following that, i switched from the pill to the ring and noticed significant weight gain in just three months. i stopped my hormonal BC almost 2 months ago.

i figured it was my hormones, and since i’m in a monogamous relationship i stopped the pill as my bf is supportive and on board with other contraceptive measures.

i’m drinking more water, eating more protien, consuming less sugar (less calories in general). i walk a mile 2-3 times a week and i’m working on getting back into the gym. i’m even attempting 16-8 intermittent fasting.

since january of this year i’ve gained 25lb which puts me at 205lb (i am 5’5) which doesn’t seem like a lot, but from 18-24 years old, i only gained like 35lbs.

i feel crazy. i’m getting new stretch marks, im spilling out of my bras. i’m sickened with myself and i hate looking in the mirror. i don’t know how to express to my doctor that i don’t feel normal. i’ve had a couple of thyroid ultrasound and she assures me everything is “fine”.

is it all in my head? should i just keep fasting and force myself back into the gym? i don’t know anymore.

in TwoXChromosomesby optimist_cult

46%

27d

LeafsChick

27d

consuming less sugar (less calories in general).

Whats your calorie deficit?

optimist_cult

-1

27d

i know the range for my age+height is pretty large (1800-2400) but i try to keep it a median 2000 or less

LeafsChick

27d

Can sort out your TDEE here(stick to sedentary), 500cals a day under that number will be about pound a week. I did that and 18:6 IF and lost 60lbs in 6 months a little over 4 years ago, have kept it off since doing the same

optimist_cult

27d

thank you so much!! i’m going to check this now. im really glad this worked for you :)

LeafsChick

27d

No worries :) Both the Cico & Intermittent fasting subs are great, lots of support!

LeafsChick

27d

Also, as per that comment below, I did not excercise. I started walking about 30 min a day about 3 months in, but we had started lockdown and I was bored in the house.....walking is fine if thats all you're bale to do!! It more important to find something you like and will stick to rather then going crazy doing stuff you'll give up doing after a week

henicorina

-1

27d

That’s way too high for your height and gender. r/loseit is a good resource for working through calorie math.

optimist_cult

27d

you’re saying 1800 calories is… too many for a 5’5 woman?

henicorina

27d

2000 is definitely too high if you’re trying to lose weight, yes. Check a TDEE calculator and see for yourself.

optimist_cult

27d

i checked it earlier in relation to another comment and my maintenance caloric intake was 2005, i plan on cutting it down to 1800 and incorporating at least 30 minutes of walking every day

henicorina

27d

That’s a great start!

Personally I found approaching this process from a math-oriented CICO perspective really helpful when it came to thoughts like “I’m sickened with myself and I hate looking in the mirror”. If you can make a plan and stick to it you can literally plot a graph of where your weight will be in X months. It’s a slow process but steady change over time yields results.

fakesaucisse

27d

Make sure when you do the TDEE calculation that you are choosing "sedentary" unless you have a physically intense job (construction etc).

optimist_cult

27d

yes, i selected sedentary since i have an office job. i miss having a physically active job

tyreka13

27d

It isn't a fast answer but I would make changes that you like. Join a sport that is fun and enjoyable rather than just going to a gym. Skating is more fun to me than a treadmill. Or play sport video games like Ring Fit that you can do in your undies in your room if you can't be bothered to put on pants and drive somewhere. If you hate salads then don't make a salad diet plan but instead find those healthy snacks you can crave and put those in your house. I like flavored seaweed. Less calories than chips and quite flavorful. Fruit for desserts can be delicious.

Make healthy the easy/lazy option. I prep food and snacks ready in pyrex to go. Like I make those single serving 2 cup pyrex of grapes that I can stuff in my face in under 10 seconds. It is faster than making the effort to get fast food. It is acceptable to do yoga, zumba, Hiit, free dancing in your house if you can't be bothered to go out. If possible, put on or pack your workout stuff in the morning/after a shower so that you don't even have to get dressed/packed when it comes to workout time. Make scheduled events to work out that you have to cancel if you don't want to go. Walk at lunch with a friend that you have to call them and cancel with them if you don't want to walk.

I_AMA_giant_squid

27d

Being 26 things in your body are changing.

Tell your doctor that after starting Zoloft you noticed weight gain and you stopped oral birth control. The combo of that can be a part of what is happening. The other part is the change in metabolism as you age.

Your body is just changing and it sounds like you are working hard to help yourself in a healthy way to lose weight.

Counting calories is hard and unless you are weighing your food and stuff you might be undercounting, especially if you changed the types of foods you are eating a lot.

When you start working out, you may gain muscle and muscle is denser than fat so you may see the scale go up and think WTF is happening.

If you are intent on dropping the pounds, instead focus on your measurements changing. Get a body measuring tape and do that every couple of weeks once you get a routine at the gym figured out.

My boobs also got WAY huge around that time. Your body is moving where it stores fat.

A thyroid ultrasound is good, but you may also ask for a blood panel to check that everything looks good on that.

When you changed meds and went off hormonal BC you may also have changed your microbiome in a meaningful way. Try out an oral probiotic to try to help make sure the good stuff is in your intestines. The gut microbiome is very important in making sure you are getting what you need from your food and not more sugars or whatever.

Gaining muscle will increase your caloric needs as long as you are maintaining the muscle gain.

Being more hydrated also makes the scale go up, so try to not panic over a couple of lbs variation of you are weighing yourself every day.

I use an app called Libra where you add your weight 1/day and it graphs it out so you can see the trends because day to day you can weight +/- a couple of lbs because of poop, water retention, food you ate, and so on.

I know I rambled and I kept having to do stuff then return to your post so my apologies for being scattered.

I wish you the best.

just_a_juanita

26d

It looks like you've gotten a lot of great advice here. I just wanted to add that, if you're doing it for weight loss, I recommend upping your mileage for your walks (really increasing the amount of time you're walking and your pace--if there's room for improvement there) as well as your frequency.

To be honest, I don't think you're going to see an appreciable difference in weight loss walking one mile, two to three times per week. I recommend targeting at least four miles or, if you'd rather aim for time, walking for at least an hour at a brisk pace (~15 min/mile or ~4 mph at least).

To be clear, there are a lot of benefits to walking for thirty minutes at a brisk pace, too, so I'm not saying any walking workout for less than an hour is useless! Increased endurance and decreased risk for heart disease, etc. are just two great reasons to disregard shorter workouts.

Finally, on a personal note, I've noticed a decrease in subcutaneous fat by shifting my workouts to first thing in the morning before I've eaten anything. I recognize this doesn't work for everyone, but it's something I've done for years and it has been successful for me.

Good luck and hang in there!

AnIdidot69

27d

As a 26 year old female, being 5'5 and 205 lbs means you have a BMI of 34.1, meaning you're Obese Class I, barely outside the range of being considered 'Extremely Obese'. You aren't normal or anywhere close to it and if your doctor is telling you that or doesn't have any problem with the current shape you're in then they're a joke who shouldn't be allowed to treat others. If you want to lose weight and get at least close to a healthy weight then the solution is lots of cardio. Take it easy at first but work your way up to a more intense cardio workout (running, cycling, swimming...) as walking isn't gonna cut it. Check with a doctor before so as not to hurt yourself. As for diet, no processed food and quality ingredients are key. My mentality is: Eat like your ancestors did 200 years ago. From then you can figure what foods are better suited for weight loss. Pick good quality ingredients from farmers markets ( be careful, many products even in the markets are bad quality). Cook your meals, eat at regular intervals and not too late into the night. As for protein, you don't need a lot for losing weight, the function of protein is to rebuild damaged cells.

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