Eating Right Is Not Doing The Trick-Very depressed...HELP!?

Question

For a few months already I have really cut down on junk food.
Now I just eat 4 times a day each a healthy, nutricious meal.
I have also included walking for one hour during my lunch break just to add extra activity during my work day.
Yes, I do occasionally eat "bad". I'll have cake maybe once a month and heavier food maybe once a week.
But for having made this lifestyle change a few months ago and not seeing any change is frustrating.
Is this because I'm getting older? I had blood work done and its not thyroids or anything else hormonal.
Yes, I know exercise and cutting out bad foods would help but I have to be realistic about what I will actually be doing once the weight is gone.
I am almost about to hit the "overweight" mark. I am very depressed about this and feel self conscious all the time. This is the first summer in my life that I wont go to the beach.
HELP!

DETAILS ADDED:
*I am about to turn 30.
*My testosorone level is very slightly elevated which causes menstrual irregularity but Dr said its OK.
*I very rarely eat processed or fast food. I eat very healthy except for maybe once a week where I'll have a scoop of ice cream or once a month I'll have fries.....
*Besides my one hr extra of walking I walk a lot during the week.

NEWEST DETAIL:
I lost over 20 lbs about 3 years ago on South Beach and kept it off for over 2 years but in the past 1 1/2 years I gained it all back and then some. And when I retry South Beach it wont work.
It just makes me feel so defeated and sad.

LATEST DEATILS:
I have already had my thyroid checked and its OK.

Answer 1

I feel for you. Recently I lost 20lbs. Still have 10 to go.
Eating right....Many people have a misconception about eating correctly. No processed foods...that's great.
I am sure that you are aware of trans fat and hydrogenated oils in most breads, peanut butter, margarine....cold cuts are not considered eating healthy and neither is drinking skim milk or homogenized milk. No juice, careful on which fruits, no bananas.....
Try a cold glass of distilled water each morning to jump start your metabolism. Cold water with ice cubes will also help your body burn calories...No diet sodas at all.
Use coconut oil for cooking. Real butter is better than margarine but fattening. Don't eat sandwhiches unless you make the bread or buy organic bread. No canned fruits use all fresh.
I am sure you aware that chemicals are as bad and fattening as calories.
It is probably that your eating habits and your exercise is enough to maintain your body function and weight the way you are currently. I am no weight loss expert but I am really good at what is good and what is not. Stay away from anything that says weight loss control, reduced calories. Eat as much organic as possible including cold cereal with soy milk or almond milk. No coffee. Try drinking green teas throughout the day. Green teas are full of antioxidants and helps you to lose weight. Try the ones without caffene and stick to organic or ones without added chemicals. Green teas are also a good pick me up. As is dried Apricots, but a little high in sugar...be careful not to eat too many. Try some more fish in your diet, also a good energizer. Flax seed oil found in health food stores on your fresh green salad that you need to make and eat everyday twice or three times a day with your meals. Organic vinegar one teaspoon a day with your salad is also a great added health benefit.
You sound pretty smart. Reevaluate your eating habits and maybe change them ever so slightly...your body starts to change over time and it does get harder to maintain a thinner frame...Good Luck.

Answer 2

Well, I certainly know how you feel. It's not easy, and I went through some of this myself for a time. It sounds like you are trying very hard (walking and swimming are very good). I notice that if I take an extra long hike (hills) every once in a while this really helps.

Now I know this sounds too simple (and we know it's not), but I noticed you said you are eating ice cream once a week! If you were going to change just one thing, that would be the thing I would change. No, of course, you should not deprive yourself. However, I think you need to replace the ice cream, cake, and fries with more healthy alternatives. Perhaps have an Italian ice, or a freshly made smoothie (without ice cream) instead. They have ice creams that are yogurt based too.

The key is everything in moderation. Once a week for ice cream is too much (it's very fattening). Even once a month for cake is too much (these are things that you should do once in a blue moon - only on special occasions). Maybe purchase a fruit juice as a treat or fresh fruit (just be sure to watch all that sugar though). Increasing your vegetable intake is usually very helpful and healthy for you, as well as fish. Also, avocados are a healthy fat. Nuts are healthy (no salt).

Southbeach did help quite a bit, however, like most things it can be difficult to keep up on (oh the grocery shopping). I took ideas from the recipe book and tried to incorporate it into my lifestyle rather than follow it strictly (like I did at first, until my Husband lost too much weight and my family started mentioning their concerns; he's always been thin though - I'm pretty sure it was because he was in the Military that he has that kind of Metabolism :-)).

I hope this helps. Good luck, try not to worry about it (that only makes it worse; I know it's almost impossible not to do), you can do it!

Answer 3

Are you having 4 full meals each day? Normally people have either 3 full meals or 6 smaller meals. What is your overall calorie intake? Is walking your only exercise?

I cut out everything like white bread, sugar, chocolate, salty snacks and just have for lunch either a salad or small protein meal and dinner slightly more food for an overall calorie intake of about 1500 per day. It has made a positive change in my life and I have lost 80# combined with a gym membership.

No matter how old you are, you can achieve positive goals with Weight Watcher, More, Prevention and other magazines, to show you how others have lost weight and kept it off. Invest in a gym membership, some workout wear and perhaps coax a friend into making this commitment. The weight will come off and you will be happier. Good luck.

Answer 4

I think you are on the right track but maybe keeping a food diary might help. There are many things that sabotage our efforts. Salads are great but you could be eating things that add more calories than you need. I find myself mindless eating sometimes and it can be very frustrating. keeping a diary makes you more aw ere of everything we put in our mouths. Could be what you are drinking as well. Drinking soda or juices can add calories you don't need. Make sure you are eating very lean meats and whole grain everything! Occassionally there is nothing wrong with indulging once in awhile. Aslo you might try adding a weight routine two to three times a week with at least a day between to reapir your muscles. Don't give up.....you are worth it!

Answer 5

You left out one important thing, your age. If you are over 30, you could be in perimenopause. That is before menopause, you begin to get certain signs.

Sometimes blood tests don't show minimal changes that feel like major changes to you. I went through this myself.

Continue to take care of yourself and take it a notch higher. Look into testing your progesterone and all the other "female" hormonal levels, there are a few. Younger women don't have dips in estrogen, but progesterone. There are natural things you can take.

Some extra food information; limit caffiene, alcohol and watch what you take in medications too. Some meds can really mess up body chemistry.

Also, look at your life. Is there something going on that maybe seeing a counselor for talk therapy may help? Having someone to talk to can help and they may have some tools to help you cope better with life.

Answer 6

Obviously, your body is requiring more from you. So you need to step it up a notch. Instead of bad food once a week, you need to make it once every two weeks. Instead of walking for one hour, add another 1/2 hour before/after work. And it's all about calories. If you are eating more healthy foods but are eating them in too high of quantities that your calorie level is the same, you will never lose weight.

Answer 7

It could simply be a low metabolism. Perhaps you should try a fat burning pill like hydroxycut to get rid of it, but these could be bad for you. Furthermore, even if you eat bad once a week you caloric and fat intake will skyrocket. If you burn twenty calories more than you take in a day, and you eat a big mac and fries on saturday, you still taking in more than you are losing for that week so you not losing weight. A bit confusing but that could also be a problem.

Answer 8

Adam knew that fruit was forbidden because God told Adam that fruit was forbidden. Adam was given two commandments. 1) don't eat that fruit or you will die 2) multiply and replenish the earth. After Ever partook of the fruit Adam had a choice to either partake of the fruit and stay with Eve to fulfill the commandment to multiply and replenish the earth or to not eat the fruit and live forever incapable of fulfilling the Lords commandment. There was not trickery. Eve might have been tricked but Adam willingly accepted death for Eve.

Answer 9

Have you tried adding strength training (lifting light weights)? Women lose 10% of their muscle mass per decade after age 30 (or something like that) and muscle will actively burn calories. Weight loss is really a balance between nutrition and fitness.

Answer 10

ya know its really sad when we can't be comfortable in our own skin. try looking at yourself as a part of you instead of something that is apart from you, understand?
i mean changing how we think about our bodies can greatly effect how we effectivly loss the pounds. instead of looking at it like a chore, look at it as a way to make yourself happy on the inside. its difficult, i know because i AM overweight, not almost overweight and i have been struggling with my weight since i was a child. obesity runs in my family. its all about changing your mind and how you think about food and your body. once you do that then it will be easier to loss the weight.