First let me introduce myself. My name is Shannon and I'm 24 years old. I have struggled with a poor body image and low self esteem issues since I was a kid. I was a small, shy kid during elementary school. I started becoming a little over-weight once I hit middle school and moreso during high school. I don't remember exactly but I weighed somewhere between 150 and 160 when I graduated in 1999 at 5'1" tall. Once I got to college...of course it only got worse. Stopping for fastfood in between classes...drinking nothing but pop...I ended up gaining over 10 pounds each year for the first 3 years. A month into my senior year I stepped on the scale and it read 198...I was disgusted with myself. I couldn't reach 200...I had to do something. I saw an ad for Slimfast and figured I'd try it...seemed easy to fit into my school schedule and it would still let me enjoy chocolate. Lol. I was extremely motivated...I switched from pop to water and did my 2 shakes a day and healthy snacks in between. It worked...slow but sure I took off the weight...2 pounds a week. I started feeling better about myself and had more energy since I wasn't carrying around so much weight. My family was astonished by my results and my will power to stay on it. After a year and a half I dropped 75 pounds. At my lowest I weighed in at 119...but held steady at 125 for a few months. I went down to 1 shake a day for a while and I gained some back. When I got back to 140...I decided I needed to do something I should have done more of while I was on the diet...workout. I work in a medical office where we have a physical therapy department with weights and workout equipment. I talked to a girl I work with who used to be a personal trainer and she designed a workout routine for me and my friend/co-worker who also wanted to workout. We have a mixture between cardio and lifting that we do after work each day for about an hour and our workout routine is changed every few weeks. My "trainer" also wanted me completely off the slimfast and trying to just eat healthy. I still stay completely away from pop...stay away from sweets and try to eat lowfat meals. I had never really worked out in my life so I figured going from a pretty inactive lifestyle to working out 5 days a week should definitely help me get into shape. It has been several months now...I weighed in at 141 when I started and have gained 6 or 7 pounds since. My clothes are not fitting any better. I am so completely frustrated right now. I feel like quitting, but I know I can't. I just don't understand why I am still gaining instead of losing the weight. I now know that slimfast is not the best diet...that it contains too much sugar and you lose muscle too and it probably wrecked my metabolism. That's why I'm exercising and lifting to do it the right way. My "trainer" is stumped trying to push me harder with each new workout routine. My friend has lost some weight (not that she had too much to lose) and gotten "cut" and I have only gained. I'm so frustrated and depressed right now...that low self esteem issue that had greatly improved is slowly returning. I just don't understand. If anyone here has any ideas or suggestions for me, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks for listening.

First of all, if you continue with your healthy lifestyle you are bound to become more fit eventually. Has your co-worker actually taught you how to do the strength training properly? Are you eating most of your calories before bedtime? Are there hidden calories that you're consuming somewhere? and are you drinking water? I'm sure you already know that sometimes you gain muscle mass and that it weighs more than fat, but you say you can't tell by the way your clothes fit. Are you weighing yourself at the same time of day each week or month? A lot of experts say the scale is probably the most inaccurate way to keep track of fat loss. Have you gotten a fat analysis done? Maybe you've gained a little muscle in not so obvious parts of your body? If so, you will have a slow start to weightloss, but it will accelerate eventually. Sorry I can't be of more help, just trying to eliminate possibilities of why you're not losing. I wouldn't worry though. Hang in there!

welcome to our forum!!! I hope that you find this is a safe place to talk about things with and a great place to make new friends!!

I am sorry you are so frustrated! I know I would feel the same way. You are working your tail off and not seeing results, but you have to know that changes are being made. You are getting healthier! You are on the right track! I would also suggest a body analysis.

Hi!

I think the reason your trainer wanted you off slimfast is that eventually, this has to become a lifestyle that you can stick to. Most people aren't going to want to drink shakes for the rest of their lives.

Are you keeping track of what you eat?