I'm not sure what to do anymore...

At the moment, my relationship with dieting, fitness, and whatnot is at a dangerous tipping point. I am not sure what I'm doing anymore. It makes me want to cry when I think about it because I feel like all my effort goes into this kind of lifestyle and nothing ever works out.

Here's the story.

I've been on this "diet' mindset for around 3 years now. I went down from 150 to 116-- my lowest weight which I hit around 6 months ago. At that time I was pretty comfortable with my body, and I noticed that when I slowly went back to being less restrictive about what I was eating I didn't really change the number on the scale. I maintained this weight of 116 for a good 2 months without having to diet strictly. However, it caught up with me and I gained 4 pounds, leaving me at a very stable and unmovable 120, which was always the weight at which I plateaued. Now, I was fine at this weight because I basically lived a normal, teenage lifestyle with my clothes fitting about the same and I didn't have to worry so much about calorie counting or whatnot.

Two weeks ago I went to Myrtle Beach for a 5 day trip. I was so excited about this trip. I have been at a consistent 120-122 lbs without having to worry so much about food for the past 4 months, so I wasn't too worried about gaining a lot. Besides, it was only 5 days.

When I came back, I was a whopping 126 lbs. I panicked, first thinking that it was from not going to the bathroom for a few days, but even when my movements went back to normal the number on the scale didn't change. I did eat what I wanted to at the beach, but I did make some conscious choices like grilled chicken and splitting a burger instead of eating one by myself. I'm so confused on how and why my weight suddenly went up within a mere 5 days.

Well, after that I decided to get back in the healthy gist of things. I know that I tend to lose weight very fast when I'm above 120 and stop when I reach that number, so I hoped that with restrictive dieting and every day exercise the number on the scale from go down. Additionally, I know my metabolism would be shocked with the sudden decrease in calories, so I was almost certain that the number would change.

The past week I've been eating healthy-- salads for lunch, grilled chicken for dinner-- and the days when I had a little treat I was okay because I knew I'd be exercising. I've been doing Tae Bo, dancing, and Turbo Jam for the past five days-- which, by the way, I know is not a lot, but I figured that I would at least lose 1 pound if anything.

After being fairly good this week, I jumped on the scale and it still reads 126. I am heart broken and shattered. It took me years to get down to 120, and the fact that I'm slowly creeping up is getting me depressed. I want to get down to 120 again, but I don't know what else I can do since I'm already exercising and eating healthy.

Anyone have any advice or explanation...? Could I have an inactive thyroid? My menstrual cycle begins at the beginning of August as well, but I shouldn't be getting it for a few more days, so I'm not sure how that should affect the number I see on the scale.

I just can't understand how I went up to 126 so fast. Aughh. Thanks for reading, guys...I really appreciate it...

Take a deep breath and don't worry. First of all, I know its cliched and everyone says it, but the number is not as important as you having a healthy, active lifestyle. Second of all, weight fluctuates and even though 5 pounds can see alot when we're fixating on the number on the scale, it's normal for us to go up and down a couple of pounds. So don't let it stress you out. Sometimes the pay off isn't immediate. We will work so hard and not see any results for weeks and then one day, you realize the number on the scale may not have changed but that pair of pants fits better.

I am by no means a doctor, and don't have very much medical knowledge, but I doubt that you have a thyroid condition. our body's gain weight faster than we loose it. We're built that way.

I know how you feel. I worked out for 3 months, and went down to my "good" weight again for a vacation and gained it ALL BACK on the vacation. It drives me nuts. and especially since coming back from not excercising and eating delicious food, it's hard to get back on track. But all you can really do is go back to your routine and know that your body will adjust. And relax. Don't let the numbers drive you. 

Cut down on the portions you're eating the healthy food. Even though you're eating healthy and a lot less fat than the alternative, you're still eating in calories even though they're good calories. Eat more slowly and drink more water. Eat food that are not appetizing or make them not appetizing such as don't season your chicken and don't add dressing to your salad.

In addition to doing that, I've also bought both fat free 8th cont soymilk and silk soymilk with omega 3 fortified. After eating any meal, drinking a small portion of one of them keeps me full (I usually drink no more than 3 oz of either of them at a time).

Count calories from your meals, drinks, and snacks. Consider honestly to yourself approximately how many calories does you body burn per day, then try to consume 500-1000 calories less than whatever that number is. Make a goal towards how many cal you'll allow yourself to eat without breaking your calorie-meter. Good luck. When you're upset I hope you reach out to food and drinks that are zero to very little calories such as hot tea.

Good luck.

I am sorry to disagree, but you can loose weight without starving yourself. Depending on your age and height 500-1000 calories less than you need could make you very very sick. I went back to my pre college weight by eating the right amount, not more, and exercising every day. I don't know how old you are ummyster, but I would be cautious with eating too little. It can make us sick, fatigued and actually cause your body to hold on to fat because your body goes into starvation mode. If fitness is one of your goals then you need enough calories to make good use of your work out. Our bodies need food, and they need good high quality food, exercise and water. Make sure you are getting all of those is healthy quantities. And like thac0037 said, drink lots of water. Alot of the time that we're hungry, we're actually dehydrated.

We focus on this site so much on how many calories and what kind of food to eat, and sometimes that shouldn't be the focus. Don't forget how to be healthy in your dieting. Don't stop loving yourself and what you look like just because of a few pounds. It is hard, but being comfortable with yourself AS YOU ARE will make your success easier and all the more sweet. 

As momoyafah said, take a deep breath.

It is hard for us to remember this sometimes, but weightloss is not meant to be measured as a DAILY event. One pound is approximately 3500 calories. That means to drop one pound of BODY FAT, (which would only bring you down to 125), you would have to burn 3500 more calories than you consume! This is obviously not something that can be measured in a day, and sometimes not even in a week.

Try weighing less often, your daily deficit isn't nearly as important as your weekly or monthly deficit in calories. For instance lets say:

Monday: you burnt 200 more calories than you consumed

Tuesay: you burnt 500 more calories than you consumed

Wednesday: you burnt 300 more calories than you consumed

Over a weekly (or monthly period) these calories deficits will add up and you will eventually burn 21,000 (3500 x 6) more calories than you consume and the scale will read: 120 (depending on bowl movements, water weight, time of day etc. etc.)

Hope that helps :)

I don't understand the chemistry behind it...but every year my weight springs up in Spring, and falls down in Fall.

I always seem to gain 5-10 lbs WATER WEIGHT in warmer weather. Something about the heat, increased activity, food choices (BBQs, camp-outs, and beer, oh my!)...all sorts of factors. But I stay in a healthy calorie intake zone, eat fresh food most of the time, and try to stay hydrated. As soon as the weather cools, my weight goes back down (sometimes below where I thought it would be). When the temperature shot up over 100 degrees last week, I gained 5lbs. When it went back down to 85 degrees, I lost 5 lbs without changing a thing.

So, maybe your body is just responding to warmer temperature?