Having the hardest time losing weight

there are numerous threads on this board on eating and fitness and wellness post treatment.

One thing I'll say here : you cannot outrun your fork. It is way too easy to eat 500 extra calories than to burn 500 calories.

I do calorie count with "my fitness pal" and a kitchen scale and I exercise with a fitbit. They sync up and let me know if I've eaten more or less than suggested.

I'll be back to post the links to the active threads:)

There's a school of thinking that a lot of weight loss/gain is related to hormones. Not estrogen, mostly, but insulin, cortisol, leptin.

On top of that, I don't know about you, but my weight definitely went wonky when I hit the hormonal changes of adolescence.

Chiming in to say the keto diet worked for me. The heart of keto is very low carb. There are different schools of thought on whether the focus should be on high fat or high protein, and it seems to me like different things might work for different people at different starting weights. But *many* women are low on protein, and that definitely gets worse with age, menopause, etc, and can effect bones and overall strength. So I prioritize protein over fat.

I started gaining weight before my cancer diagnosis (I'm a stress eater and it was a very stressful couple of years with a parent's long illness and death), but it really sped up with the tamoxifen (I don't know how much due to hormones and how much due to the fatigue increasing my appetite and decreasing my energy use), and even after I switched to a different drug the pandemic hit, and my weight went up even more. I started keto on a whim in September 2020. I basically followed this Reddit FAQ as my guide. I lost about fifty pounds since September, and I'm about as light as I've ever been (albeit, I'm less fit than I was the last times I was light! I'm still quite sedentary since the pandemic and haven't figured out an exercise routine that sticks).

From the reading/watching I've done, I think there's better evidence for the positive long term benefits of a low carb high protein (or high fat) diet than for the high carb low fat diet that's been popular for many years. Plus I really don't mind it and don't feel hungry or deprived, even eating at a purposeful calorie deficit. Once I get to where I want to maintain, I might not keep the super low carb keto any more, at least not as strictly, but I think I'll still try to stick to low carb. I'll tell you it seems just like magic to feel like I actually get to choose my weight?!?!

I've made exceptions and even went off when on vacation. But I noticed for me that most of my problematic eating happens when I'm at home, alone. So basically I'm telling myself that if I really want to go off diet, I can do that as long as I keep it entirely outside of the house - a meal prepared at friend's or family, and I don't take home leftovers. At home, I try to be strict with myself. I'll go over on calories if I'm really feeling actually hungry (this seems to happen before my period) but I won't bring home any carby foods and will really try to stick to my carb limit.

Anyway, I hope this isn't too evangelical. I was actually looking for a different thread on here that I remembered but couldn't find yet, and happened onto this one. I do believe that all bodies are different and different things will work for different people. But if anyone is interested/thinking about it, the main resources that I've really found helpful and enjoyable are the Reddit FAQ (super informative), the Reddit subreddit r/keto (super supportive and inspirational), and the Diet Doctor Podcast (interviews with different people working on low carb and low carb adjacent science/medicine, the host has a very kind and relaxing vibe, and you can get different perspectives and approaches). My all time favorite may be the Adele Hite interview, which also have an insightful social/racial/economic justice angle. I also liked the Ted Naiman interview, which has a very pro-protein spin and a nice chill energy.

I'm getting belly fat as well, despite a stable (and normal) weight. Oncologist said it's from the tamoxifen. I struggle to exercise because of nearly constant musculoskeletal pain that moves around, so I'm sure that doesn't help. It's hard to work out when you feel constantly injured somewhere.