Something I thought worthwhile to point out to the commenters: there are reasons for weight gain other than bad habits, poor nutrition, etc. Not that this is the case with E, but it is the case with many. Please have grace for us. For myself, I gained 20 lbs within 6 weeks of my wedding date. My hormones had been haywire for a few years prior to that, my adrenals were exhausted and my thyroid went kaplunk. I was eating very healthy - organic, whole grains, limited calories (maybe 1700-1800 a day.) True, I wasn’t exercising, but as it turns out, in cases of adrenal exhaustion exercise makes you MORE unhealthy.

Since I have been sick I have met many sufferers of thyroid and adrenal disease who eat like sparrows yet still gain weight. When there is a problem with your metabolism, the healthiest of habits alone won’t solve the problem, although they are certainly necessary for healing/managing the disease.

I recently read a great book called The Schwarzbein Principle that is about healing your metabolism. She says “you must be healthy to lose weight” - not the other way around. We must seek to heal our bodies and then our bodies will be able to achieve the ideal body composition…of course to heal a broken metabolism takes good nutrition and proper exercise.

I just wanted to put things into perspective…I know that people who don’t know me look at me, see that I’m about 60 lbs overweight, and think I must be a lazy slob. It breaks my heart sometimes…especially since I eat healthier than anyone I know (no sugar, mostly organic grass-fed meats and vegetables and fruits, with a small amount of whole grains, nuts, legumes, etc. - no fast food, I can’t even remember the last time I had pizza or potato chips or soda) and I am engaged in a moderate exercise routine. But my metabolism has not yet healed, and no matter what I do I don’t shed a pound. Please have grace for the “fat” people you see, when you don’t know their stories. Sure, there are those who just let bad habits creep up on them, those who would solve their weight problems simply by buckling down, joining a program like Weight Watchers, or going to the gym 3x a week. I’m not among those people, and yet I know that people tend to assume the worst about me because of my weight.

i think you should change your nutrition first. consume more vegies and fruits. no sugary beverages. no fried foods. less red meat and more white meat and fish. not one huge meal, but smaller, more frequent meals containing carbs:protein:healthy fats. i tend to eat something every 3 hours. EAT breakfast, like as soon as you wake up. drink some water and eat something to get the metabolism going.

even with exercise, if nutrition isn’t right, you might lose weight, but you’re still unhealthy. appearance is deceiving.

or you can do what i did. train for a marathon and eat as much as you can. :]