I agree with you about dieting, after a few kicks at the diet can, we just don't have it in us to do it again after a certain age, or a certain number of loss/regain cycles.

If you feel like you are dieting 9 months of the year, it's no surprise you are being driven to overeat as natural response to sustained deprivation. I on the other hand go very long periods of time not giving a ****, so my overeating is indeed emotional.

It sounds to me like your life is really not conducive to weight loss (((((Emily))))) ...long work hours, maybe ****ed up metabolism from extended periods of dieting. Chronically elevated stress hormones can cause our bodies to store and hold onto existing fat like grim death. This must be so frustrating for you. And yeah, the types of foods we eat can certainly play a part - I agree with you there.

You also mentioned set point, and this is something I find interesting. I said I lost 70 lbs and kept it off for 5 years, but I had 90 to lose. The last 20 lbs never came off. I was over 35 at the time, and I think some of us are just designed to carry that extra padding as we get older. Like your sister, I seemed to be permanently 20 lbs heavier than I was when I was younger.

But, like you, I have been in the 50lbs above that for several years. My 20 something weight was 110lbs, my over 35 weight was 130lbs. I was stuck at 172 lbs for a few years, then meds bumped it up to 182 and I've been stuck at this weight, no higher, no lower for 2 or 3 years now. Is this my new set point, am I just supposed to be this much fatter?

It does make me wonder.

Thanks for replying so quickly, Emily. It's an interesting discussion.