@Billybob817 wrote:
I want to be completely open and transparent because I really need some help. I'm a 53-year-old male who, even as a kid, struggled with my weight. Sometime in 2011, I hit my highest weight, which was 350 lbs. My doctor said something to me that motivated me and I began to lose weight by "simply" decreasing my calorie intake and increasing my activity. I joined a gym and started using the treadmill. This coincided with a friend inviting me to join a 12-week couch to 5k challenge. I joined and by May 2012, I was down to 268 lbs and I ran my first 5k race and was part of a 5 person relay at a marathon (my leg was about 4.25 miles). My running became more sporadic and I began to slowly put a little bit of the weight back on. In the fall of 2013, for some reason, I stopped running altogether. Since that time I have not only put all the weight back on but have reached my all-time high (or low, depending on how you look at it) of 380 lbs. I've managed to drop 10 pounds or so over the past several months, but I just can't seem to get motivated again. I'm sick and tired of being this big. I can't find clothes that fit, people stare at me, especially in restaurants. Speaking of restaurants, I always have to request a table because I can't fit into a booth most of the time. The gym I belonged to is no longer open. I live in a small town that does have a 24 gym, but it's small and I really can't afford to pay for a gym membership, especially right now (I got laid off from my job in June and haven't found another job yet).
@Billybob817
I'm so sorry to hear about your job loss, but I hope you'll be able to find another job soon. Or have you thought about doing something different? Change of career?
Your story about instant weight gain is very common from dieting and exercising after you stop what you feel as a chore to loose weight. But this phenomenon was never explained..
Some research and theories had shown that we all have a specific "Body Fat Set Point", which acts like a thermostat, a regulator of our homeostasis of our body. What is a Body Fat Set Point? Basically, it works like this; if the body senses that we are getting too fat, then the body will increase its metabolism in attempt to burn that extra stored energy. If the body senses that we are getting underweight, then the body will attempt to lower its metabolism to conserve energy or we eat more to put more energy into our body to achieve homeostasis.
So basically, if people diet and without changing the Body Fat Set Point, that person will always revert back to the mean plus gain slightly more weight. So if your body fat set point weight is 350lbs, dieting and running might put you in a caloric deficit for awhile, but once you stopped dieting and exercising, your weight will always revert back to the same weight right back where you started.
Another explanation of weight plateaus (where people diet for awhile and then hit a plateau and couldn't go further) is that they had reached their optimal body fat set point and from here on, any attempt to go to extreme caloric deficit will simply make your body fight you more to revert back to this optimal point. But this is not you.
In your case, I wonder if you are living a stressful life? Stress, or the amount of stress is your life has a high correlation with weight gain. And that is because, while the Hypotalamus which regulates the Body Fat Set Point also controls the central nervous system which when triggered by a fight or flight response releases hormones adrenalin and cortisol. Cortisol helps manage stress, but too much cortisol and too often increase weight gain, due to the increase in insulin, by you consuming more food, the food that is high in fructose. This is something you can not control as it is a body way of coping. People binge eat this way as well, even if they are very disciplined in their diet and exercise routine. Binge eating is also a way of coping with stress.
Which is why, I suggest that you first resolve your job loss, think positive and be vigilant and find a way and make it your mission to get a new job. Rather than sit at home and search the internet, attend a job placement agency where they can help you get new skills and network. At least, that keeps you moving. Also, it's maybe time to reflect upon your old job. What is it with your old job that you like about, other than giving you an income? What is it that you don't like? A lot of time, people do not realize that their job is a big contributor to stress and weight gain. And this had been true for me. Ever since I left the industry, I felt happy, stress free and my weight is going down FASTER than when I was making six figures salary, so stressed out and run ultramarathons to keep my lean weight, the same weight that I am approaching soon all without me running marathons, swim 3kms or cycle 100km just to create a caloric deficit high enough to loose weight.
So basically, to change your Body Fat Set Point, you need to change your lifestyle. Because that set point is dependent upon how you feel right now. Everyone has a functional set point; meaning that there is a certain body fat % if you want to be a body builder, or a certain body fat% if you want to be a marathon runner or a swimmer. They are not the same body type, but they are healthy nonetheless.
You have to figure out what you want out of your life first, and then set a goal of what you want to achieve body type wise. Exercising and dieting for no reason other than to loose weight is not a good long term solution as you already had found out. First, you need to resolve and improve your environment that makes you happy and stress free, and then set a goal in loosing weight for health reasons. By changing the environment, you can change your body fat set point which will then dictate what you want to eat and exercise. This is very personal to you and as such will be something you will stick with most.
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