I GAINED 10lbs in 8 weeks on NO-S. VERY upset

[gettheweightoff]

So I was out last night and someone took pictures of me and when I looked at all of them I could not believe how much weight I had gained. I kept saying that I thought I gained (I don't weigh myself) but no one believed me. When I saw it in front of me I just got very upset and decided I should weigh myself to face the facts and to my complete shock I have GAINED 10 lbs in 8 weeks on NO-S.

I was and am devastated. Here I am so proud of myself for not binge eating for 16 days on no-s and then I GAIN weight. I was already 10lbs overweight when I started and to gain an additional 10lbs is completely upsetting, shocking, frustrating, depressing and all out puzzling. I have not been loading up my plates at all. I have included white carbs and some juice and coffee but I don't get how this can add up to such a weight gain. Even if I am retaining water, it would still be about 6lbs which is not acceptable to me.

I have been so upset today, to the point of crying and feeling like a failure on No-S. How could this have happened? You have no idea how upset I am.

I said a few times on this board that I thought I gained and that my clothes were getting tight but people just told me to get rid of these clothes or accept myself the way I am and to stay with it BUT it just shows me that I have to count calories because the only way I can possibly lose weight is to eat 1200 calories a day and about 1400-1500 calories to maintain so I must have been consuming 1600-1700 calories and maybe a little more on S days. I have no idea really because I wasn't tracking my calories, or weighing myself in order to get out of "diet head".

I definitely think the 3 plates has helped me a lot because today I had an S day and with my upset state I overdid it when I had a treat and it ended up a bit wild and I have not done that in many, many weeks so it shows me that I am still not in control of snacking and don't want to go back to that ever again.

SO I am going to aim for 400 calories per meal because it is what keeps me satiated and I have no choice but to weigh and measure my food, track calories and weigh myself once a week at least to see if this is working.

I am tired of people telling me to accept myself the way I am at this weight. Gaining 25lbs on my frame is a lot for me, no matter what age I am and I will not accept it and I am going to have to make some changes ASAP.

My sister and mom don't want to hear my crying or whining and I have no one to talk to and I am very frustrated so I realize I have to do this on my own and stay strong. No more message board for me either. I have to depend on me.

Thanks for those who gave me support here. I just don't understand how this happened and every time I think about it I get very upset and start bawling out of sheer frustration but I can't continue like this so I'm going to go and do my 3 plates, no s days and come back to no-s for maintenance.

Bye and thanks for reading.

[Kevin]

On the off chance that you stop back in to read this, I'm sorry for what has to be very frustrating.

I personally wish you the very best.

[kccc]

Take a deep breathe. Another.

First, you don't have to leave the message board. There's still support here, and it seems that it would be helpful to you to have some support. There's no need to say "I can only depend on me." No one has to go it THAT alone.

It may be that you do have to count calories. There are people here who have combined calorie-counting very successfully with No-S. So, you can get help from them if you feel that's the best route for you.

Now, to the issue... that is a surprising amount of weight in 8 weeks, and I can understand being distressed. But here are some things to consider.

- First, weigh again in a few days and see where you are. I can swing 3-4 pounds easily depending on time of day, time of month, and even (TMI alert) how recently I've emptied my bowels. So, you may be at a high point. Before you totally freak, verify if it's genuinely as bad as you think.

- Second, take a hard look at what you've done so far. While the most important initial step is to establish HABIT (and that's what we've been encouraging you to focus on), if you've been eating heaping plates of high-cal food, it will matter. Or, if you've been having a lot of red days, that will matter. One good thing about No-S is that it helps makes it clear WHERE the excess lies.

- Third, if you have not been binge-eating (and used to), that is STILL a major accomplishment. Don't sell it short!!

- Finally, if you decide to "layer" calorie counting and No-S,you can do that. But you can do it without this level of anxiety. Really. It's not good for you. So, take a few deep breathes, listen to calm music, find something else to distract you.

Hang in there.

Best wishes.

[Blithe Morning]

That must have been very hard. I wish you all the best.

[Sienna]

I know you may not be back to read this, but I wanted to post anyways. First, I just wanted to say: don't panic. It is possible that you are consuming too many calories - but you can change that.

I hadn't suggested it to you before because I know that you've been struggling with diet head, but when I started NoS, I actually pseudo counted calories.

I didn't sweat it if I didn't know exactly how many calories were on a plate, so it didn't stress me out the way strict calorie counting did. But I targeted about 500 calories per meal. For me breakfast tended to be way under and dinner a little over. But ballpark I was 500x3 calories per day (which was the right number for me). The 3 meal structure of NoS made it a lot easier to track my calories, because I didn't have to keep up with snacks and such.

Now that I've been NoSing for several months, I don't really count calories anymore. I still like to be casually aware, so I try to look at the calories of what I'm eating, but I don't track them or even worry about totaling them on a plate. But I've found that my expectations for what should fit on a plate has naturally settled around 500 calories. If I try to eat more than that now I tend to feel uncomfortably full.

But the progression wasn't immediate. It took me some time to get my bearings. To train my eyes/stomach/body what it needed.

No matter what, despite the weight gain, you HAVE accomplished something: you have stabilized your binging. That alone will make losing the weight you've put on plus more easier than before.

Please take care.

[gettheweightoff]

Thanks. I definitely know that I need to keep each meal at about 400 calories so I'm going to try that. I sort of fell of the wagon today with all the stress and upset but I'm going to start over and really stick to this with the modification of calorie counting. The good thing is that I don't have to track the entire day like a traditional diet. I only have to look at each meal and make sure it's around 400 calories and 500-550 for maintenance. So I'm going to try and sleep tonight, take a deep breath and start over.

I'm going to have to weigh myself weekly to see what works and what doesn't. I don't mean to sound so black and white with saying I'm not coming back as I now see you can calorie count and do no-s so together so I'll see how that goes. I'm sure if I do that my clothes will loosen up in few weeks.

[Kevin]

That's a good point.

...
The good thing is that I don't have to track the entire day like a traditional diet. I only have to look at each meal and make sure it's around 400 calories and 500-550 for maintenance.

...

[sbimka]

Definitely frustrating to say the least and I can empathize with your feelings of panic. But I back everything that has been said. There is support for you and the important thing is to continue the program as well as refine what you have been doing. For example...you mention white carbs and juice. I have been doing a lot of reading on a book called "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Gary Taube. Carbs are the bad calories because they are directly deposited into the fat cells. Especially white carbs such as bread, rice, pasta and sugar. Juice is another borderline food because of the sugar content. It is much better to eat the whole fruit which has fiber as well as other great stuff. Do a web search on low glycemic load foods and stick to those and limit the higher ones. For example I eat proteins with fats with low glycemic vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, onion, cucumber, zucchini, broccoli, tomato, mushrooms. These are just some examples...there are many more. Try that for a few weeks and see if there is any difference in your weight. I do eat carbs but I limit them to 2 slices of bread (whole wheat) or 1 slice and a small cup of granola or 1/2 cup of brown rice. Again, if you limit the carbs you can fill up on low glycemic load vegetables with a reasonable amount of protein and reasonable amount of fat. I find it very satisfying and the weight slowly comes off. Using the plate as measurement, watching what king of food you eat makes the calorie counting less important. I don't even do that and it still works. The book I mention is fantastic but filled with lots of science and heavy reading. However he did come out with another book which is more accessible called "Why we get fat" which I understand is a condensed shortened version of his first and really an eye opener.

[NoSRocks]

Hey Nicole! I was so dismayed when I logged in this evening and read how distressed you were feeling today and talking about leaving the message board. Just wanted to let you know, that I am thinking of you and can empathise with how you have been feeling and also agree wholeheartedly with what every one else has written here. In fact, the advice they have given here is fantastic and there is really nothing more - unfortunately - that I can add, hon - except to say I am glad you are reconsidering staying with us - we would miss you terribly for one thing - but even if you stuck with the board to read others' messages etc. I am sure it would help a lot, since there is a lot of great advice and support to be had from this board, even though you might not feel like it right now but perhaps once you've had time to take a breather and think about it for a bit. Although it is really up to your good self and how YOU feel at the end of the day but we are all rooting for you here. Sending big hugs to you too !!

Meantime, I agree with what the poster who mentioned that at different times of the day, one's weight can read a lot higher and the fact that you were on a night out when you weighed, could have given you a false reading... especially when weighing with one's clothes on, never mind shoes. One evening around a month ago, i made the mistake of weighing myself with my pyjamas on and it looked as if I had gained 10lbs on top of the weight gain i already had and i too, panicked ... in fact i almost had a panic attack that night and was tossing and turning/feeling extremely disparate because i felt like my weight was spiraling out of control. However, I should have realised that it wasn't a good idea (putting it mildly) to weigh at a different time, wearing garments and after having eaten/drank several meals and in particular when I was feeling so vulnerable/at a precarious stage, having only re-started No S a few days beforehand. Not trying to lessen the seriousness of how you are feeling nor the genuine and legitimate concern re. your weight, by the way Nicole. But I hope this can help ease your anxiety. I also think that if it helps somewhat for you to count calories, then you should indeed do what you think best - even for a short time. You can indeed (as you have since acknowledged) follow No S and calorie count as well. Personally, emphasis again on ME, I have decided not to calorie count since I think it would just be one more thing to 'think/fret' about. That is not to say I might try it at some point later on. Just now, still trying to get my N Days down and work gradually on the S Days. I haven't weighed for a few weeks but I have been eating a lot /semi bingeing today on sweet stuff and can feel my clothes tightening again. That's why if I do weigh, I will avoid weighing in at weekends EVER since I think I would just get despondent albeit by the temporary weight gain and be tempted to throw in the towel not to mention revert back to diet/food panic again. It has been such a relief not to be worrying about food and weight and I ultimately may have to chose - long term - between a higher weight and 'food sanity' or calorie counting and smaller body.

Anyway - sorry if I'm rambling but I hope you understand where I'm coming from and what I'm trying to say and please don't think I'm trying to force you into changing your mind as it will be your own decision at the end of the day regardless of any one else's opinions and you will do in the end what is right for YOU. All the very best, hon. LOVE ROXY xxx

[wosnes]

Thanks. I definitely know that I need to keep each meal at about 400 calories so I'm going to try that. I sort of fell of the wagon today with all the stress and upset but I'm going to start over and really stick to this with the modification of calorie counting. The good thing is that I don't have to track the entire day like a traditional diet. I only have to look at each meal and make sure it's around 400 calories and 500-550 for maintenance. So I'm going to try and sleep tonight, take a deep breath and start over.

Something I've never understood -- Why do we do "x" to lose weight and "y" to maintain it? If we just do "y" -- we will lose the weight and maintain it, though the weight loss will be a little slower. That 100-150 calorie difference at meals could be the difference between diet head and a healthy attitude towards food, which, for most of us is a goal in addition to weight loss. It's also one of the things I like most about No-S: what you do to lose the weight is exactly the same thing you do to maintain the weight loss.

As I look and think back over your posts, you've had three goals: 1) weight loss, 2) stop bingeing, and 3) get rid of diet head. You've stopped bingeing, which is a major accomplishment. Now you want to lose weight and have a healthy attitude about food (no diet head).

I could be wrong, but it seems to me that restricting calories to 400/meal is going to increase diet head. But consuming 500-550/meal will allow you to lose the weight and maintain the weight loss without diet head. It's slower weight loss, but slower weight loss is usually the most sustainable.

There's another bonus: you'll be modeling a healthy attitude about food for your kids. That's not a small thing. Many of us have grown up with diet head and less than healthy feelings about food and the enjoyment of food. We know a lot about restriction and overeating, but little about moderation, absence of anxiety towards food, and actually enjoying it.

I have this stick-figure vision of you between a rock and a hard place with opposing goals: weight loss/ideal weight and absence of diet head/less anxiety about food and eating. Somewhere there's a balance and only you can determine exactly where that balance is for you and which is more important and sustainable.

Me? I'd go for less anxiety and if that means a little more weight -- so be it. Not being anxious is far more important to me. It did take me a while to get to that, though I "knew" it all along. I will always opt for what makes me feel less anxious.

[BrightAngel]

I definitely know that I need to keep each meal at about 400 calories so I'm going to try that.
I'm going to have to weigh myself weekly to see what works and what doesn't.
I now see you can calorie count and do no-s so together so I'll see how that goes.

It sounds like you have a good plan.
Good luck with it. .

[jellybeans01]

you have the no s diet habbit down and that is a good start. I for one like you have had to make some mods in order for it to work for me. I want to be that size 4-6. In order to do that I exercise and I keep my plates smaller. I eat slowly and when I am full I'm done. I did calorie counting for about 2-3 weeks just to get a perspective of what I need in order to lose my last 5 stubborn pounds. I was able to quit and just now I can eyeball portions on my plate.
Don't quit, you can do this, make the no s work for you.

[DaveMc]

... BUT it just shows me that I have to count calories because the only way I can possibly lose weight is to eat 1200 calories a day and about 1400-1500 calories to maintain ...

Well, everyone has to do what they feel is best for them. You'll find stories on this board from people who have been successful with every possible permutation of perspectives on this issue of calorie counting: never counted; always counted from the very beginning; started off not counting and started when they felt the needed to; started off counting and later found they could learn to "eyeball" things so they no longer needed to count; and other more complicated trajectories! There's no one correct way. It's certainly true that, if you're going to count calories, NoS makes it a lot simpler than it would otherwise be, since you only need to count three plates' worth every day, rather than constantly counting all day.

I'm sorry to hear about your frustration and disappointment. I second the suggestions that you view your victories over binge eating as nothing to sneeze at, and I hope that the NoS structure will be a helpful baseline for you, whatever else you do in terms of your weight loss efforts.

Best of luck in the future (even if you don't see this)!

[gettheweightoff]

Thanks for all your comments and support.

There is a lot of conflicting info and ideas to digest.

I was really frustrated and extremely upset when I posted the original post and have had panick attacks over this shocking gain which really sent me over the edge.

I have calmed down and I decided that I am going to stick to no-s with modifications because it has helped me a lot in other areas.

[exdieter]

Best of luck to you, Nicole. It will work out! You should be VERY proud of the two weeks without binging.

[gratefuldeb67]

keep at it! you will find the right balance for you.. NoS is a great framework but if something's not working for you, then adjust as you need to make it work
i just read all your check in posts on your own thread and i have to say you seem to eat a very healthy and well balanced diet. i'd be really frustrated too if i gained ten pounds, so i'm sorry for you.. it seems pretty puzzling.. i would suggest cutting down on the cream in your coffee and limiting it if it's making you more anxious.
good luck!

[reinhard]

Dear Nicole,

I'm so sorry vanilla no-s out of the box didn't do the trick for you.

Obviously, I think it's a pretty great system, but no system is going to work for everyone.

Sill, I'm glad that despite this shocking disappointment you still see enough value in the no-s structure to build on it, and I hope that the next 8 weeks go much better for you.

You mentioned calorie counting, and that's certainly a viable option. Though there's a "cost" in attention (and "diet head"), for some people it's worth it, maybe even necessary. And as you know, there No-essers on this board who proudly (and successfully!) count calories as well and I'm sure would be happy to give advice.

Another avenue to explore is to try to pinpoint areas where the excess is coming in at a slightly higher level (stuff you can identify with your eyes). Are your plates very large? (some people stick with plates of a certain dimension, at least for "default" meals at home). Deb mentioned cream in coffee being potential issue, though probably not the major one. One nice thing that no-s does is by limiting "input opportunities" it makes it pretty easy to determine WHERE the excess is getting in, even if it doesn't stop it dead in its tracks.

Best of luck with your next round of mods, and keep hitting us up for advice,

Reinhard

[gettheweightoff]

Thanks for checking in Reinhard. I feel so upset and dejected. I really believed no-s was the answer for me and I felt so happy on it. I honestly didn't think I was overdoing it. My plates weren't piled up and I thought I was eating rather sensibly.

The only things I did different since starting no-s was drinking more coffee with milk and sometimes cream and I started eating white carbs which I thought was a relief because people here told me you could eat what you want and not to worry about nutritionism. Obviously I was eating about 1500-1600 calories daily plus a few more calories on S days even though lately they weren't wild.

I weighed in on a different scale today to make sure that it wasn't a faulty read and it was up another pound. I just started crying out of sheer frustration. How did this happen? This was supposed to work for me. I am so angry and frustrated and utterly depressed. I feel awful and I can't stop crying. I just don't understand. At the very least I should have maintained... NOT gained 10lbs.

All that work, the effort, hope... for what? To be 10lbs over what I started at and that was already 10lbs over my preferred weight. And I stopped binge eating. It wasn't as if I was really going crazy with food. I know that I wasn't.

I appreciate that you took the time to write to me but I am just so angry. I certainly hope that monitoring my calories in conjunction with no-s will work... if not.. I have no idea what I'm going to do.


Today I ate 440 calories for breakfast and about 420 for lunch. I am not having my afternoon coffee today which is difficult for me, but I want to see if it will make a difference. I'll weigh in again in a week to see if it is working. If not the only thing I can think of is that eating the 3 plates isn't working for me and is screwing with my metabolism because I've always lost weight on every other plan I've been on. They were just not sustainable as a lifestyle and I didn't want to have to count calories, but in fact it is the only thing that will work for me.

[wosnes]

Something doesn't add up. In order to gain one pound, you have to consume 3500 extra calories. In order to gain 10 pounds, you have to consume 35,000 extra calories. I just divided that by 56 (8 weeks; 7 days in a week) and you would have had to consume 625 extra calories every day. Now you say you've gained another pound -- and that would make it nearly 700 extra calories daily.

It makes me wonder if there isn't something else going on. Are you on any kind of medication that has weight gain as a side effect? Any medical issues that could cause weight gain?

[connorcream]

My plates weren't piled up and I thought I was eating rather sensibly.

This was supposed to work for me. I am so angry and frustrated and utterly depressed. I feel awful and I can't stop crying. I just don't understand.

I have no idea what I'm going to do.

because I've always lost weight on every other plan I've been on. They were just not sustainable as a lifestyle

I know exactly how you feel because the above quotes is what happened to me. I did not cry, I got angry, probably said a curse word, and said I will design my own wl program.

Isn't it about time to do something about it? Aren't you tired of being sick & tired? Goodness knows I was.

If it is of any interest, you can see how I approached my wl & maintenance. Best wishes in whatever you decide to do. Weight loss is possible.

[librarylady]

Like wosnes I wonder at the rapid gain - looking at your check-in and seeing what you are eating, it seems incredible. Perhaps you should make appointments, both with your doctor and your gynecologist. Sometime perimenopause brings on almost instant weight gain in women - and it can begin anytime after 35.

I know that when I was in that time of my life, I managed to pile on 10 pounds in a short time - by eating a snack with my coffee every morning.

[gettheweightoff]

I think it is a combination of the 3 plates not working for my metabolism, too much caffeine and too many carbs and extra calories.

I'm going to go back to a plan I tried years ago when I lost a lot of weight after baby #1. It is a detox plan and I think I could use that right now. It's sort of strict and kinda gross but at this point I've got to be disciplined and get all this weight off and fast.

I'm going to have to make some lifestyle changes and if that means eating extremely healthy with no sugar, no flour and no treats so be it. Obviously eating carbs and treats and caffeine has not worked for me. I can't waste any more time experimenting. I need proven results at this point.

If that doesn't work then I am definitely going to make a dr's appt. I lost 10lbs a few months back on WW so I know that I am capable of losing weight. If I didn't get so frustrated with the changes in the new program I would have stuck with it.

[cricket]

While I understand your frustration, and in no place can I tell you what to do or how to handle this, but to me, it seems like you're setting yourself up for a fall again.....a binge. While I completely understand being frustrated about your weight, it seems like the peace of mind you've gained is way better than a certain weight.

This is when I would start asking myself: why am I losing this weight? I do I have to be a certain size?

Obviously, you're eating well, you're binge-free, you're beginning to release the diet-head, and you've given up some of your demons (smaller clothes). Why would you want to go back down that road again and be back in the same position a year from now???

I've gained weight as well, and although I can't say that I've been following No-S perfectly, I can tell you right now, I would rather by 20 lbs heavier with the mentality I have now (free of anxiety and diet-head) rather the the person I was when I was 20 lbs lighter----when I wouldn't even allow myself a glass of water if the scale was 1 lb more than I thought it should be.

Nothing....not even a 10 lb gain....would make me go back to that.

[cricket]

While I understand your frustration, and in no place can I tell you what to do or how to handle this, but to me, it seems like you're setting yourself up for a fall again.....a binge. While I completely understand being frustrated about your weight, it seems like the peace of mind you've gained is way better than a certain weight.

This is when I would start asking myself: why am I losing this weight? Why do I have to be a certain size?

Obviously, you're eating well, you're binge-free, you're beginning to release the diet-head, and you've given up some of your demons (smaller clothes). Why would you want to go back down that road again and be back in the same position a year from now???

I've gained weight as well, and although I can't say that I've been following No-S perfectly, I can tell you right now, I would rather by 20 lbs heavier with the mentality I have now (free of anxiety and diet-head) rather then the person I was when I was 20 lbs lighter----when I wouldn't even allow myself a glass of water if the scale was 1 lb more than I thought it should be.

Nothing....not even a 10 lb gain....would make me go back to that.

[gettheweightoff]

Well I guess that's where we differ. I can't stand to look at myself. I am uncomfortable and I don't like it at all.

I have not been bingeing but I have been in denial and I don't want to delude myself into thinking it's ok. I'm supposed to be happy with a 10lb weight gain and say oh well at least I'm not binge eating? I never gained like this when I was binge eating so something is obviously not working for me

[cricket]

Maybe your body is leveling off. I remember reading Geneen Roth's book (Woman, God, and Food---the intuitive eating one), and she initially gained 15 lbs when she stopped dieting and started IE. Maybe that's what is happening with you. Maybe your body/metabolism is leveling off from years of yo-yoing and binge eating.

And I know that you and I are different, but something concerns me when you say you look in the mirror and can't stand yourself. There's so much more going on here....so much more then this 10 lb weight gain.

I know you can easily lose the weight (fast...as you said you wanted to), but I think you know from experience that this will only feed the demon, not get rid of it.

I wish you the best of luck though. I really do.

[kccc]

I weighed in on a different scale today to make sure that it wasn't a faulty read and it was up another pound. I just started crying out of sheer frustration. How did this happen? This was supposed to work for me. I am so angry and frustrated and utterly depressed. I feel awful and I can't stop crying. I just don't understand. At the very least I should have maintained... NOT gained 10lbs.

First, if you are weighing on different scales, and at different times of day, then you can't say "I'm up another pound." That's just not realistic. Even the SAME scale under similar conditions will vary by a pound or two from one reading to the next. You can step off and step back on, and have a different weight. They are not THAT accurate - they're just not.

If you want to verify your weight, you need to be weighing on the same scale all the time, under conditions as similar as you can make them. For most people, that's first-thing-in-the-morning, after going to the bathroom, with no clothes on.

Even then, you'll get some variation. Water retention can do it, etc.

But for the moment, we'll assume your overall assessment (weight gain) is accurate. So... if this is NOT working for you, then you need to stop and look at "WHY NOT?" There are a number of possibilities.

Just to list a few (I'm using "you" generically, not saying any of these are necessarily true for you at this time. But I have seen each and every one of them before...)
- You had more fails than you thought. No-S is very moderate, and it's easy to tip over the edge of moderate.
- You really did snack, but didn't "count" or notice it. (Can any old-timers link to that classic post where one of our members thought she'd had a "good" day until she totaled up all the tiny "oh that doesn't count" things she ate?)
- You have been piling your plate tremendously high, or filling it full of very calorie-dense foods. (I recall a humorous thread on "you know your plate is too full when..."). Or using enormous plates...
- You've been eating out a lot. (Restaurant meals tend to be full of calories/salt in dishes that look deceptively innocent... and portions are usually quite large.)

Wherever the excess is creeping in, the logical thing to do is to address that point - not to throw the baby out with the bathwater and start on some other plan entirely. A bit earlier, you talked about layering calorie-counting with No-S. That sounds reasonable. A "sort of strict and kind of gross" plan does not.

You mentioned seeing a doctor... if you truly have gained this amount eating reasonable portions, then that's a good idea.

And you might also want to seek a therapist out. The level of panic/anxiety/frustration seems so intense that it seems to me that you could use some trained help in managing that. (Please don't be offended by this suggestion; you just seem to be suffering so badly...)

[amake616]

"And I know that you and I are different, but something concerns me when you say you look in the mirror and can't stand yourself. There's so much more going on here....so much more then this 10 lb weight gain. "

A thousand times this.

[wosnes]

Maybe your body is leveling off. I remember reading Geneen Roth's book (Woman, God, and Food---the intuitive eating one), and she initially gained 15 lbs when she stopped dieting and started IE. Maybe that's what is happening with you. Maybe your body/metabolism is leveling off from years of yo-yoing and binge eating.

I wondered about this, too. People with long histories of near-constant dieting seem either not to lose or gain initially on more moderate plans.

And I know that you and I are different, but something concerns me when you say you look in the mirror and can't stand yourself. There's so much more going on here....so much more then this 10 lb weight gain.

Agreed again.

You seem to have so much self-hatred over something which you ultimately have very little control. Like it or not, we have very little control over what we weigh. We have control over what we do, but not the results our actions bring.

Actually, I wonder if the sudden weight gain and what seems to us to be a very extreme response to it might not both be related to menopause.

[librarylady]

Actually, I wonder if the sudden weight gain and what seems to us to be a very extreme response to it might not both be related to menopause.

That's what occurred to me as well. Lots of women suddenly feel as though they have lost control of their bodies at that time. This is especially true with regard to weight gain. You suddenly (and it does seem sudden) start packing on pounds no matter what you do. It can be very disconcerting! I have known women who were always skinny little things who were horrified by the rapidness with which they gained weight. The loss of control may very well be the worst part of it too. And you need not be in your 50s either. Many of the early symptoms show up in your 40s, sometimes your late 30s. Not everyone goes through this, but it does happen to quite a few women.

[gettheweightoff]

At 41 I think I'm slightly early for menopause BUt after a lot of research I think I figured out what is going on with me and why I gained so much weight these past 8 weeks.

About 7 years ago I suffered from Candida and I cured it with diet and a cleanse that helps the candida die off and it worked. Naturally I just went back to my old ways because the candida was gone.

However, with stress and adding in excess caffeine (more than I drank before no-s), juice (something I never ever did before no-s) and eating white carbs (again, something I didn't really do before no-s) plus on and off binges which contained sugar and flour which candida thrives on - coupled with a lot of stress at home and boom the Candida surfaced.

I don't know if any of you recall some posts where I was talking about feeling shaky, well it wasn't from caffeine, it must have been from the Candida. Also, my anxiety and depression has really escalated and I don't ever remember having panick attacks like I have over the past few weeks. Again Candida symptoms. The other symptoms are there too (insomnia, chronic fatigue, irribility, runny nose etc.)

Now that I look back it was probably there a year ago but I didn't see it then and once I started feeling worse after eating all these foods it just escalated all at once.

So if this is truly the problem it is not no-s that is the problem it is my health. Weight gain is also a symptom of Candida. It now makes sense to me and I can chill out because it can be fixed.

So thank you to all of you who gave me advice, put up with me, supported me and encouraged me.

Now I just have to concentrate on my health and maybe one day I'll come back to No-S but for now I just have to think about getting rid of this excess yeast in my body and hopefully the weight will come off as I get healthier.

Again, many thanks to all of you, particularly NOSROCKS, Blithe, Wosnes, Reinhard, DaveMac, Cricket et all.

[gettheweightoff]

Hi guys, I wanted to pop in to tell you that I think I figured out what happened re: the astounding weight gain because I certainly don't want to discourage anyone who no-s is working for which seems to be everyone but me, but anyways I just wanted to put this out there because you have all been so supportive.

First of all at 41 I think I'm slightly early for menopause BUt after a lot of research I think I figured out what is going on with me and why I gained so much weight these past 8 weeks.....

About 7 years ago I suffered from Candida and I cured it with diet and a cleanse that helps the candida die off and it worked. Naturally I just went back to my old ways because the candida was gone.

However, with stress and adding in excess caffeine (more than I drank before no-s), juice (something I never ever did before no-s) and eating white carbs (again, something I didn't really do before no-s) plus on and off binges which contained sugar and flour which candida thrives on - coupled with a lot of stress at home and boom the Candida surfaced.

I don't know if any of you recall some posts where I was talking about feeling shaky, well it wasn't from caffeine, it must have been from the Candida. Also, my anxiety and depression has really escalated and I don't ever remember having panick attacks like I have over the past few weeks. Again Candida symptoms. The other symptoms are there too (insomnia, chronic fatigue, irribility, runny nose etc.)

Now that I look back it was probably there a year ago but I didn't see it then and once I started feeling worse after eating all these foods it just escalated all at once.

So if this is truly the problem it is not no-s that is the problem it is my health. Weight gain is also a symptom of Candida. It now makes sense to me and I can chill out because it can be fixed.

So thank you to all of you who gave me advice, put up with me, supported me and encouraged me.

Now I just have to concentrate on my health and maybe one day I'll come back to No-S but for now I just have to think about getting rid of this excess yeast in my body and hopefully the weight will come off as I get healthier.

Again, many thanks to all of you, particularly NOSROCKS, Blithe, Wosnes, Reinhard, DaveMac, Cricket et all.

[wosnes]

Glad to hear you figured it out. Now just get better.

The only thing I have to add is that at 41 you're most definitely NOT early for menopause. I started seeing changes at 39. At that time it was just various irregularities that I didn't associate with the onset of menopause until well after the fact. The later onset of menopause has been more uncommon until recently and probably has a lot to do with our food supply, mostly meat and dairy.

[librarylady]

It is great that you have figured out what was causing the gain - and now can do something about it which will make you feel better - not only to lose the weight, but also to relieve your terrible anxiety and feelings of panic. Take care of yourself!