AislingLong

El Exorcisto, I know they were full of it. I knew it then too. It just became too much to listen to the Weeble family critique everything I did. There was a theory behind my starts and stops, and maybe intuitive eating was the wrong "buzzword" to use there. I suppose I mean more of a system where you check in with yourself to rate 1-10 how hungry you are, how satisfied you feel, etc(this idea came from my thoughts on this book http://www.amazon.com/Whats-Eating-You-Workbook-Disorders/dp/1572246073/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407348707&sr=1-1&keywords=eating+disorder+workbook ) , not eating ice cream sandwiches instead of dinner because you "feel" like it. I am not suggesting OP stop all dieting, merely that in some ways it might be useful for him to "shock his system" by trying something different. For me the different was to loosen my adherence to the "dieting rules" while maintaining exercise and other goal activities: weighing, measuring, etc. I reassessed frequently based on my measurements. Though, I confess this takes a lot of mental space and dedication to put yourself back under restriction for someone so overweight. I basically treated myself like a science experiment. As for PCOS, I gained 100lbs in 12 to 14 months with very little dietary or activity changes. I do not know exactly what caused it, nor did I immediately have myself tested. So, you could be right. However, the general consensus is that it makes weight loss difficult, though I did not experience that. That idea seems counter intuitive to me because I have superhuman levels of testosterone that make me very reactive to resistance exercise. Though I do have horrific feedback loops dealing with simple carbohydrates (and some that are not so simple, lol).

I have PCOS, and diet and exercise are major factors in my hormone health. However, from what I understand, this is true for all women to varying degrees. If your percentage of body fat is too low, you can experience infertility, lack of sexual desire, all kinds of hormonal disturbances. If your percentage of body fat is too high, you can experience all the same things. Foods you eat, the kind of workout, recovery cycle, all these things can affect your cycle. As someone who went years without a cycle, I can tell you that you should Never ignore lack of menses. Your body will thank you for it. http://www.arcfertility.com/body-fat-exercise-and-fertility.html Discusses this from a BMI POV.

Hi. I'm new to NF, but about 5 years ago I was in a situation similar to OP. I am a 5'9" woman who at the time weighed about 390lbs. When I discovered this weight (I only checked for the gas station's fortune teller machine), I panicked and went around reading everything I could find. I joined a gym, and talked to the guys at the front who informed me of fabulous benefits of "resistance". I did exactly what they said to do exercise wise: Weight training every other day with 15 minutes of cardio before and after the weight training. I did not lose any weight. After 2 months. None. So.. I went on a glycemic index diet, which seemed best to me at the time, and I lost between 8 and 12 lbs the first week. I was not counting calories, at all, or fat grams. Just examining ratios. I dropped 40-50 lbs rapidly (maybe 5-6 months) with the same diet and same exercise. Then... nothing. So... I quit the "diet". I lost 6 lbs in 2 weeks of not dieting. And plateaued again. So, I went back to the same diet. On and off dieting with the same exercise allowed me to drop a 100lbs total (over a 2 year period). Now, I did eventually stop due to family pressure (no fun anymore, looking sickly, etc), but I am still down at least 80 lbs from my hugest weight. Maybe... you should take a break from your diet, but not from your exercise routine. I'm not an expert or anything. And I'm sure it is controversial advice... Also, I am not advising trips to smorgaasbords or anything like that. (Intuitive eating is the key here, IMHO). Also, I was diagnosed with a hormonal issue (PCOS). You should Definitely see about that possibility. It may change the kinds of foods you should be eating. (With my PCOS, I should not eat soy because of its effect on hormones, etc.)