Alarming Weight Gain

Sondae

Sondae

Fapstronaut
When quarantine came around, I started a weight loss journey that changed my life. I was able to lose 60 pounds through diet and low intensity exercise. I went from 230 pounds to 170 pounds from that March to August. I felt great.

However, I have gained half of that weight back. Thirty pounds exactly.

There could be a lot of blame to this. First of all, I am a senior in high school and my stress levels are through the roof as I prepare for college. I am also working an average of 25 hours a week at my job, which consumes me whenever I am not in class. The job gets boring sometimes. I snack to deal with the boredom. I also have the money to buy food whenever I want now, which is definitely hard to manage. On top of that, having a girlfriend means I regularly eat out to go on dates with her.

I pretty much abandoned my diet and stopped exercising altogether. I seem to have lost all motivation to do so, and I have become rather depressed lately. I am always exhausted when I get home and never have the energy to do anything. I feel like a shadow of my former self, and I cannot seem to stop eating.

I knew this would happen. I knew that the only reason I lost weight in the first place was because of quarantine. Since I had no school or responsibilities, I could basically do whatever I wanted. I used that to my advantage. When school started back up, I stopped losing weight, but I was able to keep my weight close to 170 for most of that year. When I started my job, that is basically when I lost my footing.

Quite frankly, I know I would be able to get back on that mindset if I quit my job. However, I need the money. My hope is that once I go off to college, I will be able to get back into it since that job will be a distant memory.

Does anyone who has experienced a weight loss journey or even an episode like this have any advice for me? Especially advice that helps me get back on my feet.
 
I was a bodybuilder so I have to a degree crafted the art of gaining/losing weight. I don't think it should be done rapidly. For diet, I like adjust my diet over a time period of a few days. I identify foods that are not helpful and I make a firm decision to not buy any more; once consumed, they are gone. Sometimes I will do a pantry cleanout and just give a bunch of stuff away. If it is sealed and in date, I donate it to a food pantry. Diet is of course a critical part so I believe it is essential to plan out meals. I know what I am going to eat at least a day before I eat it. I keep a list of my meals and the macros contained so I can easily add up my calories/protein/carbs for the day. I keep adjusting these macros as the days go by to stay on track for my goals. I think you have the right idea with low intensity exercise to lose weight. I like to rotate between jogging, eleptical, treadmill, and cycling. Again, my tactic is to make slow daily improvements to dial myself in to where I need to be.
 
The slow daily improvements part was absolutely where my mindset was when I first lost weight. I still live with my family, so I don’t have much control over what food comes into the house but I’ll definitely use some of these ideas when I go off to college. I’m especially big on the pantry clean out idea. Thanks for the advice!

jw2021 said:
I was a bodybuilder so I have to a degree crafted the art of gaining/losing weight. I don't think it should be done rapidly. For diet, I like adjust my diet over a time period of a few days. I identify foods that are not helpful and I make a firm decision to not buy any more; once consumed, they are gone. Sometimes I will do a pantry cleanout and just give a bunch of stuff away. If it is sealed and in date, I donate it to a food pantry. Diet is of course a critical part so I believe it is essential to plan out meals. I know what I am going to eat at least a day before I eat it. I keep a list of my meals and the macros contained so I can easily add up my calories/protein/carbs for the day. I keep adjusting these macros as the days go by to stay on track for my goals. I think you have the right idea with low intensity exercise to lose weight. I like to rotate between jogging, eleptical, treadmill, and cycling. Again, my tactic is to make slow daily improvements to dial myself in to where I need to be.
Click to expand...
 
  • Try eating out as little as possible.
  • Stop drinking Softdrinks with or without sugar.
  • Try to minimize the processed foods you eat: like pizza, cakes, precooked meals, etc.
  • Learn cooking your own food and learn many different recepies. When we cook ourselves we control what goes in. When you eat out they pour a pund of sugar into everything, which is highly addictive.
  • Never completely stop working out. It's not just a tool for weightloss but general quality of life. Do at least 1 per week if you have little time.
  • Integrate exercise into your day. Take the stairs, stand up in the subway, walk that bus station, take the bike to the store, ...
  • Don't go for crazy diets, where you deprave yourself of everything. Pick something you could do the rest of your life.
  • Instead of denying yourself everything try to at least "force" yourself to eat many vegetables and fruits. You can still have your burger (or whatever) afterwards.
  • Stop psychological eating where you use food to cheer you up.
  • Minimize eating in front of any screen.

Jojoing weight shows a bad understanding in a balanced way of eating. We should eat in such a way that we don't gain weight even though we might not exercise. I as a long distance runner was thinking that I could eat everything because I run 10k regularly. Wasn't the case at all. I was gaining much weight despite 3-4 long runs per week. All that because of bad eating and the points I nade above.
 
A couple of ideas I would like to add:

1. If you have to time to eat on your job, can you pack snacks and meals and bring them with you? If you have the healthy snacks you'll be a lot less likely to eat the junk food.

2. You need to schedule your workout time like your work schedule. Make it non-negotiable. If the workout is important to you, you will find time to do it. Can you wake up earlier in the morning to complete your workout? Maybe get a friend or your girlfriend to join you and workout together. If you have a lunch break at school, go for a walk during the break. If you have breaks at work, get up and walk around. If you drive somewhere, park further away so you can get more steps in.

3. What kind of dates do you and your girlfriend go on? Dinner and a movie? Can you make the dates more of a physical activity? Pack some healthy food and go hiking for a day. Go to an amusement park (just avoid the junk food there). If you like a sport, play it together. No reason a date has to be something that just involves sitting down and eating bad food.
 
I think food is not your problem.
You have inner issues to work on like the stress you mention.
Find other ways to cope with your issues.
Plus try to determinate what your emotional needs are.
Food issues are emotional issues imho.
 
It sounds like you've been through a lot lately, and it's understandable that you've hit a rough patch.
I went through something similar a while back. When I started a new job, the stress and long hours made it tough to stick to my healthy habits. I found myself snacking mindlessly and skipping workouts. It wasn't until I talked to my doctor about my struggles that I realized how much my mental health was impacting my physical health.
One thing we discussed was the medication I was on, including Lexapro. I was concerned about the potential for weight gain, and I asked my doctor, "Does Lexapro make you gain weight?" Their answer was reassuring – while some people may experience weight gain, it's not a guarantee for everyone. Plus, the benefits of managing my mental health far outweighed the potential side effects.
 
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