Moved country and frustrated to get weight loss rhythm back

Hey everyone,

In the past two years I lost around 20 kilos. I weighed 64,5 a couple months ago which was my lowest. I felt really good, didn't have much trouble following my diet (around 1,500 a day, little less), ran twice a week and did some muscle training at home 2-3 times a week. I felt really in control and started to work on gaining muscle and not losing much more weight.

Since then, I moved abroad in march (Serbia) and I gained back until 67,5. The number just keeps going up (and I assume that's not because of muscle, I mean 3 kilos worth of muscle? Can't be right. My legs and stomach are more toned though). I had a couple bad weeks (you can see in my diary), and my exercise routine was a little off too, due to all the stress that comes with emigration, working, etc. But also because all those "routine" foods I could get back in Holland, with all the nutrition labels on them, were no longer available to me.

Even now that I'm getting back in the swing of things with exercising 4-5 times a week (mix of run and at home workouts) I still feel frustrated and a little out of control. When I buy meat for example, I can't tell how much calories or fat is in there for example. For bread it's also difficult.
I try now to buy things like lentils, quinoa, other fruits and vegetables, unprocessed foods in general, but still it's tricky.

Not sure which help I need or what I want out of this post, but i just felt so discouraged and hope to find some motivation or tips from this community :)

I know it's only 3 kilos and I also drank a lot of cocktails lol, but I just no longer feel in control when I'm unable to log certain foods or can't find the right nutritional values. That also contributes to thinking 'whatever I can't track it like I used to so I'll just do whatever I want' which is stupid. Does anyone else experience this who moved country and experienced similar change in available products etc?

It might sound a bit obsessive, but when you've been logging your food for 2 years, and successfully losing a lot with it, it's annoying to find you can't get back in the rhythm. So any advice (or harsh speeches because of my bad weeks) are appreciated, or any other experiences of moving country and experiencing the same.

I also noticed I was so hungry the first couple of weeks, mainly (I think) because of stress due to new surroundings, new work etc.

I'd also like some new friends who are around the same with their progress, or want to achieve the same goals/experience similar issues :) (I'm 1.76 cm, used to weigh 84kg and currently 67.5kg. End goal: 64) kg).

Replies

  • We did not switch countries, but we did just have a big move with a huge change in lifestyle. My weight jumped by three pounds and has stayed there, or strayed upward and down again. I've decided to do my best to hold here until things really do settle down. Stress is very hard on our bodies, and maintaining, even if you want to lose more, might be enough for the moment. This is what I'm telling myself, and my weight is staying at the slightly higher point without continuing to drift upward.
  • Hi Nekrachael, thank you for your reply :) Yes, perhaps you're right and I should give my body a break in that sense, not weighing for a couple weeks and just making conscious choices. However, I fear falling off the band wagon if I do and I would just really like to stay on track! Good job on staying positive though :)