Almost 3 years a quitter and metabolism not right

[pooks]

HI All,

 

Reaching out here because it would seem I cant find any support and I thought here might help.  I quit smoking in 2013 and truly have never looked back.  I have lost 127 in 2003 and kept it off until I quit.  I did gain 10 lbs after i quit but not from food. Apparently my metabolism along with my thyroid died at the same time.  I guess nicotine really was a preservative.  Anyway, I workout 6 days a week for 45-50 minutes, I am on WW so eating is not the issue but no matter what I do I cant lose weight and now it is more like 40 lbs as anything remotely like a carb and I gain.  My thyroid medication is regulated now after almost 2 years and my doctor tell me all hormones and stress levels are normal so my only thought it that my metabolism is still a wack.  Anyone else experience this lack of ability to lose weight no matter how much diet and exercise? Any thoughts are helpful.

[ExTex]

Hiya, Pooks

So sorry to hear you are having a rough time after quitting.  Good job staying quit!!!

I, too have a thyroid issue that is exacerbated when under stress - like quitting smoking.  I have Grave,s Disease, which is usually well controlled.  

My experience with an endocrinologist was, frankly, AWFUL.  The dude wouldn't listen that I felt terrible and fatigued.  He looked at the blood work and said it was in the normal range and that's that.

Do you have an option of getting a second opinion from a different doctor?  It can make a world of difference.

 

Having said that, smoking does adjust your metabolism.  I have heard that you need to burn and extra 100 calories a day to make up for quitting nicotine.  If you are on WW, you probably have that covered already.

 

The ONLY THING that has ever helped me lose weight was building muscle. I get plenty of cardio and that doesn't move the needle.  But lifting weights or adding push-ups to my routine seems to help.

 

Maybe we could start a diet and exercise after quitting support group.

 

Hang in there.  You are not alone

[Doreensfree]

Hi pooks, firstly huge congrats on your fabulous quit..

I too had thyroid trouble ,just at the time of my quit..mine wasn't working at all..it took a while to get the right dosage..I gained about 14 PDS in the beginning ,but am now back to the weight I have always been..due to diet and excercise..

I have no idea if you are weight watching.and following it correctly.. And doing all that work out..

Why you are not losing..

I hope someone follows me with a reasonable reason..I will be interested too...

Maybe a side effect of the medication ????

[Boo]

Typically when people hit a metabolic wall, they will want to go all out.  Eating less and exercising more.  And typically this only exacerbates the problem.  Try cycling between periods of eating less and exercising less with a focus on rest and recuperation and a period where you eat more and exercise more.  

 

Also, variation is always good.  Dieters get into a pattern where their food intake is practically identical from one-day to the next for months on end.  The body adapts quickly to the monotony of it all and you hit a point of diminishing returns.  Even if you have a very specific set-point of calories per day you want to consume, you can try to average those calories out over the course of a week rather than consuming the exact calorie count everyday.

 

 

The ONLY THING that has ever helped me lose weight was building muscle. I get plenty of cardio and that doesn't move the needle.  But lifting weights or adding push-ups to my routine seems to help.

 

I don't have anything to add to what ExTex wrote here, I just thought it should be repeated again.  Cardio is an important facet of any comprehensive health plan.  However, for fat loss, strength training is superior to steady-state cardio.

[PixelSketch]

H Pooks! :) I can't speak to the thyroid issues/meds, but I've been a fitness junkie most of my life. I spent many years in the martial arts, I ran and I did a lot of weights. I was trained by trainers and I also trained others. A few chronic sports injuries and smoking sidelined that now and again, and there were periods where I didn't adjust my diet when I stopped the physical activities for, sometimes, months at a time, and gained weight.

 

When it comes to losing weight, it's super common to hit plateaus. I hit them all the time. Our bodies are super smart and efficient. If they can find a way to do something that you regularly do in a more efficient way, and expend less energy doing it, they will. And you will burn fewer calories over time doing a familiar routine.

 

I second Boo and ExTex. Change it up, both in food and workout type/intensity. Add weights. Muscle takes more energy to maintain than fat, so you'll burn more calories even when you're just sitting if you have more muscle mass. But make sure you eat enough calories to fuel your workout, plus recovery from that workout as well. Your body needs to have energy to expend. Otherwise you end up tired and you can hurt yourself over the long term.

 

Try circuit training with weights. It's a nice mix of strength training and cardio and it keeps your body confused and working harder if you switch it up. Look up HIIT. Find exercises that use multiple muscle groups at once. So, for example, a shoulder press with free weights, while doing squat motions. Give your muscles enough time between workouts to repair and recover. Don't overwork a muscle.

 

Also, it's not always about the number on the scale. I now that sounds cliche and trite. But, I've had so many times when the scale wasn't moving, and I was so frustrated, yet when I did my measurements, I found I had actually lost inches. Other times, I upped my calorie intake and that, contrary to what I expected, got the scale moving down again. All that finally got me to stop thinking in terms of the number on the scale and start thinking in terms of how I was feeling and fitness accomplishments, like lifting 5 more lbs this week than I did last week etc. Sometimes you are actually making progress, it's just not as obvious. 

[sgt.barney]

If you are not losing the desired weight, then you are not maintaining an appropriate caloric deficit.

 

All else is Woo Woo and distraction

 

The laws of physics, in particular the Law of Conservation Of Energy are immutable.

 

 

Easy Peasy