WHAT AM I DOING WRONG!!!!

ok for the last two weeks I've stopped eating breads, soft drinks. I drink so much crystal light  I feel like I'll puke!  This morning i weighed myself......i weigh 249.00....guys my scale is going the wrong way! I 'm SUPPOSE to be losing weight not gaining . Here's what i eat: b .eat eggs in the am sometimes with bacon L. chicken baked (lots of pepper)salad lots of salad with dressing watermelon if i'm still hungry and the same for dinner I WALK about a mile 3 times a week. Am i eating too much or not exercising enough. At this rate I'm not feeling too good about myself or reaching my goal.

Last year my doctor told me since I weighed around 190 in high school I WOULD probley never lose more than that!! what? at the time I SAID to myself this is a bunch of ****! Am I crazy or is he?

Esther,  Are you eating any carbs other than what is on your salad and the watermelon? Low carb doesn't mean no carb. It means to lay off processed simple carbs and eat complex carbs like fruits and veggies. I personally like your protein choices but I do think you could add more food to your diet overall. Try some cheese, cottage cheese, lean meats or fruit for a snack or two each day. These are great protein rich snacks that can really help curb appetite. I do believe in eating carbs but like I said focus on fruits and veggies. I love oranges. Matter of fact yesterday's lunch was 3 small pcs watermelon, meat/cheese stick combo, and a siet green tea. It was nothing major and to tell the truth, an hour later I was hungry again so I ate a pkg of peanut butter crackers. Listen to your body, it will tell you what you need and when you need it. I have been finding by recording what I eat each day on here is less than what I actually feel like I have eaten. I would suggest you definitely journal what you are eating and the amounts. I think you will surprise yourself. You really are not eating that much from my point of view which means you may not be getting ENOUGH calories in your diet ultimately sending your body into starvation mode so instead of burning more calories, your body is storing more calories. Exercise: Change it up a little. Add an extra day or two, increase your intensity or length of time, or change the type of exercise you are doing (ie. walking vs dancing). When you change the way you exercise, your body goes, "Hmmm? This is new." and it reacts to that. Let us know what happens. You can do this. Don't ever lose hope. Beth

THANKS. I'm going to start writing down what I eat. . There are times I am so hungry at work.... I think I'm getting a headache. But like I've said before I'm an emotional eater and I tend to eat 'just because I'm bored'  so I don't take too much extra too work with me. I'm sure keeping a journal will help me realize what i'm eating  and why . I'll try the peanut butter crackers. Thanks again. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Need more information to figure out. You weigh 249, okay, assuming you are 5'5 or so and about 35, your BMR is 1879.15.  So, my first question to you is, are you eating enough?  If you're taking in less than the above, you aren't eating enough to fuel bodily functions, such as breathing, digestion, etc. and this can inhibit ability to lose weight.   If you are eating less than that, the only reason would be if you are inactive and unable to exercise and it's the only way you can lose weight.  However, this should be done for no longer than 6 weeks before it negatively impacts your metabolism.  If you are exercising, be sure to be doing strength training to increase your lean body mass which will improve your metabolism (dieting strips your body of LBM and results in inability to lose weight or maintain weight loss). Have you had your blood sugar tested?  Are you insulin resistant or diabetic?  Watermelon is high in natural sugar and generally a fruit to be avoided during weight loss. Just some thoughts.

Thanks for the info. I'm 40 weigh 249 am about 5'5''. Eating enough? I need to rethink my diet.  how do I figure out my BMR? what is that? I have an undeactive thyroid but blood sugar and cholestrol are all ok. thanks for all the help. I'll have to research this BMR. THAT could be the problem.

Here's a link: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ Many can lose weight simply by restricting calories, but some bodies are highly efficient, and that efficiency means they store fat easily.  We're the types who will survive famine....  (I believe this is very often tied into ethnicity).  So, while others can lose wickedly fast while eating low cal, our bodies store on low cal.  First thing to look at is the BMR.  If one is eating less than it takes to just function (as if completely inactive), how can we expect the body to lose weight?  It doesn't have the fuel to do that.   If your body needs 1900 calories and you're feeding it 1200, that's a caloric deficit of 700 calories, so severe that your body is shutting down from doing all it can.  Try eating just to the number at BMR and letting exercise cause any caloric deficit.  Read my blog to learn more about this. On another board my friends tested this out and the average weight loss was 4lbs that first week.  

Esther, it is all so very confusing. Overall, I will agree that not many folks should eat under 1200 cals. It is hard, and usually THE reason people do not stick to food plans. It is hard, pehaps impossible to get important nutrients in at less than that. Several folks here are doing that level, and more power to 'em.  I can't without being obsessed with food. Much better to eat more like 1400-1600 cals a day, move for 30 minutes to an hour consistently most days.  At my age (51), I would not lose eating more than 1600-1700 cals a day. I've already proven it. that level will do well enough for maintenance and that is great in my mind. That is plenty of food with good planning each day; I do not feel undue hunger, I eat foods in small, reasonable portions that please me.  The BMR methodology says I can eat at 1900 cals a day even plugging in sedentary levels of activity, which I am NOT. Got news for ya all - I gained at that level. Slowly, but gaining every year. If you learn nothing else from all this mumbo jumbo, do what proves to work for your body!

Your thyroid could be the culprit here. I too have hypothyroidism and have to jump through hoops to get my body to cooperate. What are you TSH and FT3 levels like?  Most report that a TSH between 1.0 and 1.8 is usually the sweet spot. Meaning that your symptoms all dissipate, including weight gain or difficulty losing. I'm currently just over a 4.0 and on 100mcg of Levoxyl. I go in for more blood work in July and I'm hoping the TSH will look better.  As for the FT3, if your body is not efficiently converting your T4 to T3  then you could very well continue to experience the symptoms despite your TSH level being correct. It's difficult to get a endo or a PCP to check for FT3 though as the medical books say the TSH test is all powerful and all knowing. Those who suffer from low T3 despite T4 supplementation will typically switch to a synthetic T3 supplement or switch the T4 for a natural pig thyroid supplement like Armour. What type of meds are you on now? A site that I frequent for thyroid support: http://thyroidhost.proboards30.com/index.cgi#Underactivefunc tion

Chris, Three years ago I had half of my thyroid removed. I had several nodules growing on my thryoid being overweight I never noticed. and like i'm sure you know so well my body is always changing. right now I'm taking  .287 mcg of synthoid. I'll be going to get it checked tomorrow for my yearly check up. The problem I have is my doctor has given me .3 mcg daily which then says it's too much for my system, which then makes me hyper(which can i say i love) why? because i am like on drugs going everywhere doing everything and losing weight.....then he lowers my doses and for 3 months I walk around half asleep and awake.  I have never heard of FT3. i'll bring it up in my july visit to the endo. Thanks

I would question why he lowers your dose when you are feeling "best"?  I wonder what your TSH level is when you're feeling your best. A lot of people plead with their doctors to allow them to be below a 1.0 because they feel great that way. I can't wait till I get down below a 2 to see how I feel. Right now I still feel lethargic. I have to force my body to move. I'm also quite pessimistic most of the time. Can't wait to experience a positive outlook on things. Good luck!