Has anyone 'dieted' all their life..then actually lost weight?

This might seem a strange question? I was first sent to a dietician aged 7, and that started a lifetime obsession with food/diets/calories/fat etc. I have been overweight ALL my life. I once weighed 245lbs but got down to 147lbs by basically starving and walking MILES....not good I know.

In January I decided enough was enough- food was no longer going to rule my every waking minute. Since then I cut out all junk/processed food. I quit adding salt to my food. I eat fresh as much as possible and I totally re-worked my portion sizes. I lost initially, then stalled, then lost a bit more, then stalled again...and am still stalled.

I know one of my main problems is that for most of my adult life I've been starving myself (stupidity, lack of nutritional knowledge, desire to be 'normal'/thin) and would have had under 1000cals every day for all my life- hence probably been permanently in starvation mode! I've upped my cals to 1200 this past 6-7wks (not enough I know but it took a long time to get there) and I've gained 5-6lbs in that time that it took MONTHS to lose. Please reassure me that this is normal while I'm trying to get healthy..and that my body will eventually wake-up?

Some people have posted on here about getting out of starvation mode after a few weeks/months...but after a lifetime of under-eating (and still being overweight)? Has anyone done it? And gone on to lose weight?

I know in my heart & head that no-one can get/stay fat eating 1200-1300cals a day- but its taking succhhhhh a long time to see any change on the scales?

(PS- I'm female, 5ft 2", 167lbs (was 186lbs in January), 34 and sedentary if that helps anyone help/advise/reassure me?)

I am not in your situation, so I can't give you any personal experience to rely on, but I think that you may find this link apropos to your situation:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/core_march_8. htm

I think that your body will bring itself back into balance with proper feeding and nutrition.  It sounds like you're on the right track.  Good luck!

I'm 5'2" and 192 pounds. At my best and most healthiest, I weighed 130. I exercised aerobically and did weight resistance training 4 times a week. I ate pretty much what I wanted. Because I was feeling good, I wanted good food. I put weight back on when I took a desk job and got stressed out. Try as I might, I could not lose weight by cutting calories and having only a little bit of exercise. I did The Zone, Weight Watchers and the 5 Factor. I became food obsessed. Lost and gained. I got up to 210. In the last 10 months, I have focussed on becoming more active. I walk about 4 times a week. I am now beginning to add crunches and weights. I feel so much better and I dropped a few pounds. Let me emphasize how much better I feel!

My first diet was at age 12 or 13: 800 calories a day and lots of walking up and down stairs. My weight began to yoyo and with each cycle, I got bigger each time. Now, here I am. I am trying to keep my activity up and my calorie count around 1500 a day for most days. Its a struggle. If I weigh less at Christmas time, even if its only one pound less than today, its still less than I was 10 months ago. Slow and easy wins the race? So far, I am winning.

Low calorie diets do not work. I wish I had known that sooner in my life. Its such a struggle.

So Salrob..are you actually winning the battle? I mean, are the lbs dropping for you consistently? You said you did drop a few lbs since you kept your activity & cal intake level, did it take long for you to see a difference? I only ask because I've been eating my cal target for 6-7wks now and haven't started dropping- I've actually gained. Most people who up their cals gain a few lbs at the start but after a wk or two start losing again. It is very disheartening.... 

Yes, the pounds are dropping consistantly but incrementally. I don't know about "winning" the battle though! I have lost 17 pounds since last October. In dieter's language, that would not be considered a win.

I am logging what I eat a few times a week so that I can see accurately what I am doing, even on the days that I go over my 1500 calories. My focus is more on activity and less on losing weight. Even on days when I have pizza and beer, I still have more activity then I did before. My weight will go up for a few days but overall, it is dropping very slowly. I think that after years of putting myself in starvation mode then rebounding, my metabolism is a mess. (Think Oprah.) What is happening to you, has happened to me. I don't know the science behind it though.

I'll consider it  a win if I stay active, build muscle and weigh less in six months than I do today. That's the goal I am working toward. I don't have a number of pounds to lose or a size I want to buy or a deadline. I want to be strong and active. I want to be alive. I want to fit in a plane seat. I want to walk up that hill without breathing so hard. I don't want to take medication for high blood pressure or diabetes.

I'm still very conflicted about food. Food is highly emotionally charged for me. I am afraid I will always be like that. I just need to find a way to cope with it and minimize the adverse health effects. This change in attitude seems to be helping me deal with the day to day fluctuations. I can accept myself more. I can like myself more. That lessens the struggle for me.

Does this in any way help? I have found that die-hard dieters do not agree with this approach at all!

Of course it helps! Anything that give me hope that I WILL recover is great! thanks for taking the time to reply to me- I think it must look like I post the same things a lot then hardly anyone bothers replying so I think I'm bugging people? :$

I'm not awfully overweight- I guess I've never eaten nearly enough to get that big iykwim- but I wanto get to a healthy BMI, and be able to shop for clothes anywhere- I don't think thats unrealistic? I'm not looking to drop to 120lbs or anything like that! Theres no magic number- I just want to get to some kind of 'normal'?

 I log my food religiously so I know I'm hitting at least 1100cals a day- if I didn't i know I'd drop again. I work full-time and have 2 toddlers so I feel I'm 'active' enough- if I 'need' exercise I'll walk a few miles when i can get a sitter. And as you say if I want a beer or a burger sometimes- I want to be able to without 'blowing' up! LOL!

Positive stories & knowing I'm not alone will keep me motivated. Thanks again. Xx