From Shannon:

Here's what I don't get: gaining 10 lbs should require an excess of 35,000 calories above and beyond your normal maintenance level. Over the course of 3 weeks, that's an additional 1650 calories per day, or over 3500 total if you maintain your weight around 2000 calories. Unless you're being completely deceptive on the blog, I don't think there's any way you've been eating 3500+ calories per day. Something is off.

Looking at the bigger picture, you've essentially been at a plateau for almost 6 months, despite dieting, exercising, going hungry. There's something wrong with that picture. You shouldn't have to sacrifice so much just to maintain your weight. To put it in perspective, at your height/weight/age/activity level, you should be able to maintain 160 lbs at around 2200-2400 calories per day. It shouldn't have to be a constant struggle.

My guess is that you hit a plateau back in January/February after 4+ months of dieting, and just never broke it. If you eat at a calorie deficit for such a long period of time, your metabolism will slow down and start clinging to calories and conserving fat, making it increasingly harder to lose weight and increasingly easier to gain. I think that's what's happened to you.

To break a plateau, you need to stop dieting and increase your calories back to maintainance to help your metabolism get back to normal. This will enable you to more easily lose weight when you go back to eating at a calorie deficit. 

Moreover, running an extra mile or shaving off another 100 calories per day really isn't going to make enough of a difference to give you the results you want. (Eating 100 calories less per day would result in losing less than 1 lb per month). Significant results come from significant changes, and I would think about overhauling your entire approach to diet and exercise. I'm always going to advocate low-carb eating and heavy weight lifting because it worked so dramatically well for me, but there are other approaches out there if you investigate. 

Another thought is eliminating potential food allergens one at a time to see if you have an intolerance to a certain food that is making you retain weight (common ones are wheat, gluten, starches, dairy, soy). Most people with food intolerances don't realize they have one until they eliminate the food, and suddenly start dropping weight like crazy in addition to feeling mentally and physically better. It's something to consider.

I apologize if this is intrusive. It just seems so so unfair that you should work so hard and have so much motivation yet not reap the benefits!! There's bound to be an approach out there that will work for you without so much struggle and sacrifice, but I don't think that more of the same is going to be the solution.

Best of luck!!!

Shannon

First of all, Shannon, thank you so much for taking the time to write this INCREDIBLE email. It's full of advice and tips that are so worth knowing. I wanted to share it with everyone because you are so logical, healthy and to the point, which I am not always.

I have not been eating over 3500 calories a day, but I am also not being deceptive. The scale really is ten pounds higher. I can't explain it. A gain of five pounds would be more appropriate, but no, it's ten pounds. I was at 172 this morning. It's a little scary, but I am not taking it too seriously. Well, of course, I am freaking out a little, but my body still looks good, still looks like it did when I was 165, so I know I didn't actually gain ten pounds.

And the plateau, that's very true. I have been at the same weight for a long time now. My body has changed drastically over the past months, but the scale hasn't moved. The closer I get to my end goal, the harder it is. I know what I am doing wrong: I am eating too much, that's simple. I am eating as if I was maintaining my weight. It's super hard for me to lose weight here, on an island, without a gym or any type of weights to lift. I try to workout, I do push-ups & sit-ups as much as possible and I run, but I miss the gym and the weights and the hot boys working out in front of me while I run, giving me motivation to burn an extra 350 calories. As least I am doing some sort of exercising, because last summer I did NOTHING for four months, and that ruined me.

As for the diet, I am aware that I am eating too much sugar and too many carbs. I am slowly trying to cut back on that and to up the proteins, the good fat and the veggies. It's a process. Even after three years of weight loss, I still have a lot to learn, that's for sure.

Once again, thank you SO much for your email. You took the time to write all that... I am super flattered. I will remember your tips and try to integrate them in my lifestyle!!!

Corinne