I'm in this boat, too. I finally changed my stats.
I think I can blame a few things:
- Peri-menopause. My cycles have gone from clockwork to weird, and my body shape has changed - I'm suddenly more apple-shaped and my bra size has gone up.
Old lady body.
- Probably related to the peri-menopause - poor sleep. I think sleep is often overlooked as an important factor in weight loss/maintenance.
- Also contributing to the poor sleep - my work shifts. I spent the fall on the graveyard shift. I like the job itself, but it's brutal physically. I'm back on my normal day shift now, thankfully.
- Likely messed up thyroid that isn't showing up on that TSH, which was normal, which is probably an insufficient test in the first place, but I don't feel like arguing with the doctor. It started when I was broke a few years back and had to ride my bike 120 km (75 mi) per week to and from work.
I hope this isn't my new set point, but it seems to be.
Every time I "buckle down", cut dairy and snacking, etc; a few pounds will disappear but they'll come back as soon as I go back to my usual LC maintenance. It's frustrating, but I refuse to permanently give up more than I already have. I enjoy the food I eat. I'm slim, and free of the food obsession and mental bullsh*t of starvation dieting. My blood tests are stellar, I'm fit, I feel good most of the time, my arthritis and asthma are virtually in remission, I'm winning the war on depression/anxiety, and that's what's most important to me now.