Advice, help, support? Can anyone help me?

[Wormwoodm]

So here goes. I am feeling so miserable and really would like to hear from anyone who has been in my position with any advice.
I never struggled at all with weight as a child but as a teenager decided I was fat (5'8 and 9 stone) I ended up with an eating disorder that I had for around 3 years. At college I started eating normally but also socialising and drinking a lot. This caused me to gain a lot of weight over the two years.
After that I started going to the gym a lot and eating properly and lost most of weight. Over the next decade I have remained really active running, swimming, walk everywhere and the gym. That's background.
Over the past 7 years I have slowly put on a huge amount of weight. As in almost doubled in size. I have had 3 kids so not been able to exercise when pregnant as get quite poorly but nearly 2 years ago I had my third and final baby so decided was time to sort myself out and tried slimming world, after a few months of losing no weight at all despite doing it totally to the book I quit as got really down. I don't have snacks in the house, don't eat sweet things, crisps, fatty or processed meat as after having my third daughter found I was very sick after eating them.
3 months ago I decided to bite the bullet and go and see my gp as I have downloaded my fitness pal and input every single thing I eat. I eat around 1000 calories a day, no carbs, sugar, alcohol. Just lean white meat and fish with salad and veg. The dr tested my thyroid, hormone levels etc and apparently all are normal but I am still gaining weight. Around 1kg in 3 weeks. I Have been speed walking and running every single day whilst eating this diet. I eat with my 5 and 6 year old so i eat the same portion sizes as them. I am honestly at my wits end and feel like I'm going mad. How can I eat so little of the right food and exercise yet it have no effect what so ever? I was offered ormistat but all that does is suck fat out and I'm not eating any fat to begin with as if I do, im sick. A few months ago I even tried the dodgy diet to lose a stone In a week the NHS give people before heart surgery, stuck to it religiously and lost nothing. I cook everything from scratch so I know what I'm eating so it's not that. What is wrong with me?! I hate looking like I do and working so hard and not seeing any results. I'm running a half marathon and training for the moonwalk. My children are all at the lower end of the normal range for weight and husband is underweight?
I'm impressed if anyone has read this much, I just have no idea what to do

[OwlinaTree]

Go back to the doctor. Log everything you eat for a couple of weeks and your before and after weight.

[OwlinaTree]

What do you actually weigh now? 1000 cals is super low.

[foresttrees2]

Have you got an activity tracker or anything like that? That helped me see what I was actually doing rather than my perception. Also agree with the previous poster 1000 calories is super low. I don't know much about apps but does my fitness pal tell you if you are missing any nutrients? You could be missing whatever helps you burn calories? Think the gp should help?

[Wormwoodm]

I have a Fitbit. Average 15000 steps a day. Obviously not including swimming as not waterproof. When I went to the doctor I made sure I took my Fitbit weekly stats and myfitness pal so they could look and see where I am going so wrong. The doctor just was very sympathetic and said that it's really unfair. I'm prepared to work hard and make whatever changes I need to but I feel no one in rl is listening to me.

[VisitorFromAlphaStation]

How much do you weigh now? Could it be either a normal age thing or that you put on a lot of muscles from all of that exercising?

[TimbuktuTimbuktu]

I'd do two weeks of super strict weighing of everything and monitor them go back to the doctors. It sounds like something isn't right.

How is your health generally? Hair, nails skin etc? Do you have a lot of headaches or tired all the time?

Knowing what you weigh would be helpful as well.

[QuiteLikely5]

What you have claimed is impossible unless you have a medical disorder.

you need to see the Dr again.

[Wormwoodm]

Definitely not all muscle. I'm very heavy at nearly 18st. Although clothes size more like an 18. I have very solid arms and legs but carry all the weight on boobs and stomach (worst places health wise)
I'm so worried about my health more than anything else. Since I ballooned after my first pregnancy I have been very tired, hair falls out a lot, very dry skin and put it down to having three kids close together. Only they do sleep so it's more likely down to basically carrying another person weight wise. I do get headaches too. I have had blood tests for diabetes and that's fine.

[Wormwoodm]

I realise this should be impossible and this is what is really frightening me. I am at a stage where I am panicking about eating any food at all as have over the past few months cut out so many different things, cut down as was trying to shock my system into a change and then continuing more sensibly. Only even the extreme dieting hasn't made any difference

[Auchan]

I was you 18 months ago. Ate so little yet was 18 stone. I discovered I had metabolic disease. Insulin resistance and carb intolerant. You're already eating low carb but your body is starving because you need to teach it to burn your fat fuel.

I went on a low carb keto diet and I've dropped 8 stone. You've got the same issue. Try a low carb high fat diet for 6 weeks and see how the weight will fall off.

Ignore people who tell you that you can't be 18 stone and eat so little. I believe everything you're saying because I was exactly the same. This will fix you.

[SallyOMalley]

Have you been checked for an underactive thyroid? I believe that can cause weight gain, dry skin and hair and tiredness.

[SallyOMalley]

My apologies - from your OP I see you've had that checked.

[Wormwoodm]

Auchan thank you so much. I honestly have nothing to achieve by lying about this to anyone, I will google what you're saying. I just feel something changed in my first pregnancy In my body and no one can tell me what.

[QuiteLikely5]

Auchan- op said she's cut out sugar in her first post and that is precisely why I said she had a medical issue?!

[Auchan]

And I said yes she's cut out sugar but she's not eating enough fat or calories. She's basically slowed down her metabolism so much that whatever she eats gets stored as fat.

To fix this you either need to do an extended fast if 3 to 5 days or eat eat eat but low carb, moderate protein and loads of healthy fats like olive oil, butter, avocado etc.

[Sasmac2017]

@wormwoodm - I agree with pp that 1000 calories is very low. Often the body will start retaining fat as it thinks it's in a famine. My suggestion ( I am not a professional, but have read many books on the topic and personal experience with trial and error) would be to increase your calories to at least 1800 a day. Even better, don't count calories, but use your fist as a guide for portion sizes. Secondly, are you doing any kind of resistance/weight training? This is absolutely imperative to weight loss. If I had to make a choice between cardio or resistance, I would pick resistance every time. If working with heavy enough weights or at a faster tempo (provided your form is correct) you actually get a cardio workout at the same time. If you can afford it, get a few personal training sessions to get an idea of exercises to do and reps, weight etc etc. it must be so frustrating. If it helps you to feel better, I put on 40kg (85lbs) with my first child and lost it all in 5 months using the above advice. All the best on your journey :)