Scary sudden weight gain despite exercise that worked before

SlimFatYoYo

Hi everyone, I joined this forum because I am truly concerned, scared, and would really appreciate some advice.

Here is my story:
- I am now 26 and most my life I followed a pattern of an "uncommitted athlete". I would often start doing a new sport/hobby/physical activity with high interest for a couple of weeks, get in acceptable shape, but then completely abandon it due to life's needs (studies, work, etc.) and become semi-sedentary over longer periods, even up to a whole year, i.e. mostly seated during the week but very light activity during weekends.

- Since age 15-16 I have not grown taller than 174cm and have been always fluctuating around 65kg (quite lean) and 75kg (lots of belly fat, but rest of body ok), depending on whether I was active or not.

- When I was 22, I had an accident which left me a bit physically impaired: spine disc damage across the whole spine (especially around neck and chest). This means I will never be able to safely do physical activities that put high impact on the back, e.g. running, jumping. I was advised swimming, but that put some stress on the back, too.
- I started being more interested in healthy nutrition and, as a general rule, almost entirely abandoned processed foods, started drinking at least 3 cups of green tea daily (now I sometimes drink even 7-8), salmon, and generally very healthy food.
I was still at university so I also had plenty of time to follow a routine light harmless cardio every day:
I was be able to speed walk up to 2-3 hours a day, totalling about 9-10 miles.
The healthy eating and the daily speed walks put me back into shape for that period.

- However, 1 and a half years ago I started full time work. Sedentary computer work, up to 16 hours a day, sometimes very little sleep, and also very stressful. I tried to eat healthily but the timing was not as well-planned anymore, often random.
I know all these factors can contribute negatively.
Initially, I was still able to keep in shape by doing more things in the weekend, hiking, rock climbing (that's ok for my spine, and is my alternative for weight training), but I couldn't do it regularly. There were some weekends where I just had to work.
My weight increased to an average 82kg.

But what worries me is that in the past, no matter how much fat I gained, I was literally able to get rid of it within just a few DAYS of long distance walking. I think I am no more able to do that now.

What worries me even more, and what brought me to this forum today, is that I am on summer holidays right now, I walked and hiked quite intensively the past 4 days, up to 15 miles a day - and I have actually GAINED weight (eating the same things I usually eat, maybe even less!). Yes, I checked the scale today and I am 86kg - I gained 4kg in 4 days! I simply don't have a clue what to do. It's like my effort is working AGAINST me.

Apart from this, I consider myself as having very healthy habits, i.e. I am a teetotaller (zero alcohol), zero smoke, zero drugs.

So I really wonder what's going on with me now, as it seems unstoppable and uncontrollable...

I took the summer holidays just for the sake of trying to reset my habits, but I gained more weight. I now feel helpless and not sure of what I am doing...

What I also know for sure is that the fat is starting to weigh a lot more on my spine, putting a lot of stress on bone joints, etc. Yes it's starting to hurt. Whatever diets there are out there, I need a very quick solution to this.

If I could gain 4kg in 4 days hiking, what can I do to lose them at the same speed???

Please help, dear experts, as I used to think I was in control, but now my body is like a stranger!!

_Zardoz_

It's water a sudden increase in exercise and your body will retain water. Give it a little time and it will drop off

SlimFatYoYo

Thanks for your swift reply.

Now that I think of it, yes, I drank lots of fluids as well (it's advised to, right?). Yesterday alone, while exercising, 4 litres. Then when I was back at home also more and green tea.

Sorry, I didn't know or maybe I forgot that water stays in the body after exercising...

I hope this is it, because the numbers are really scary... :-(

LearnFromTheRed

I find that I gain loads of weight if I've worked my leg muscles hard. If you're doing a lot of walking and drinking a lot of water I suspect that will account for it. I've gained half a stone in a day before now, and it's come back off over a couple of rest days.

purple_tux1

Try not to freak out. I had a holiday like this and I got so discouraged I stopped dieting for months.

In your situation it could be water retention due to the vigorous exercise - also when you're on holiday and eating out, the food has more salt than you're probably used.

Just keep recording your calories diligently and maybe weight yourself less often.

__Di__

Hi everyone, I joined this forum because I am truly concerned, scared, and would really appreciate some advice.

Here is my story:
- I am now 26 and most my life I followed a pattern of an "uncommitted athlete". I would often start doing a new sport/hobby/physical activity with high interest for a couple of weeks, get in acceptable shape, but then completely abandon it due to life's needs (studies, work, etc.) and become semi-sedentary over longer periods, even up to a whole year, i.e. mostly seated during the week but very light activity during weekends.

- Since age 15-16 I have not grown taller than 174cm and have been always fluctuating around 65kg (quite lean) and 75kg (lots of belly fat, but rest of body ok), depending on whether I was active or not.

- When I was 22, I had an accident which left me a bit physically impaired: spine disc damage across the whole spine (especially around neck and chest). This means I will never be able to safely do physical activities that put high impact on the back, e.g. running, jumping. I was advised swimming, but that put some stress on the back, too.
- I started being more interested in healthy nutrition and, as a general rule, almost entirely abandoned processed foods, started drinking at least 3 cups of green tea daily (now I sometimes drink even 7-8), salmon, and generally very healthy food.
I was still at university so I also had plenty of time to follow a routine light harmless cardio every day:
I was be able to speed walk up to 2-3 hours a day, totalling about 9-10 miles.
The healthy eating and the daily speed walks put me back into shape for that period.

- However, 1 and a half years ago I started full time work. Sedentary computer work, up to 16 hours a day, sometimes very little sleep, and also very stressful. I tried to eat healthily but the timing was not as well-planned anymore, often random.
I know all these factors can contribute negatively.
Initially, I was still able to keep in shape by doing more things in the weekend, hiking, rock climbing (that's ok for my spine, and is my alternative for weight training), but I couldn't do it regularly. There were some weekends where I just had to work.
My weight increased to an average 82kg.

But what worries me is that in the past, no matter how much fat I gained, I was literally able to get rid of it within just a few DAYS of long distance walking. I think I am no more able to do that now.

What worries me even more, and what brought me to this forum today, is that I am on summer holidays right now, I walked and hiked quite intensively the past 4 days, up to 15 miles a day - and I have actually GAINED weight (eating the same things I usually eat, maybe even less!). Yes, I checked the scale today and I am 86kg - I gained 4kg in 4 days! I simply don't have a clue what to do. It's like my effort is working AGAINST me.

Apart from this, I consider myself as having very healthy habits, i.e. I am a teetotaller (zero alcohol), zero smoke, zero drugs.

So I really wonder what's going on with me now, as it seems unstoppable and uncontrollable...

I took the summer holidays just for the sake of trying to reset my habits, but I gained more weight. I now feel helpless and not sure of what I am doing...

What I also know for sure is that the fat is starting to weigh a lot more on my spine, putting a lot of stress on bone joints, etc. Yes it's starting to hurt. Whatever diets there are out there, I need a very quick solution to this.

If I could gain 4kg in 4 days hiking, what can I do to lose them at the same speed???

Please help, dear experts, as I used to think I was in control, but now my body is like a stranger!!

It will dissipate in a few days. It is fluid around your muscles due to a sudden increase in hiking, I take it you will not be doing that day in, day out for good now, this is only until you return to work after your holidays.

SlimFatYoYo

Thanks everyone.

What is still a bit unclear to me is why previously I easily lost weight by doing exactly this exercise (long distance speed walking / brisk hiking / marching)...

What would you suggest me to do to get back to 65kg or at least 70kg?

I still remember that 2 years ago I did these walks to reduce from 75kg to 66-67kg within days, maximum 1 week.

SlimFatYoYo

Hi... anything else for this case?
I really dont know whether I should change entirely my routine, try something new, or just continue and try doing more regularly.
But I want some suggestions on what I can do during this 1 week summer holiday... I dont want to waste it...
Thanks

sarahrbraun

Hi... anything else for this case?
I really dont know whether I should change entirely my routine, try something new, or just continue and try doing more regularly.
But I want some suggestions on what I can do during this 1 week summer holiday... I dont want to waste it...
Thanks

Just keep doing what you are doing. A few days after you get back to your "normal" routine, your muscles will heal, and they will release the extra fluids. And the scale should go down.

I exercise HARD 5 days a week ( monday thru friday) by friday, I am usually 5lbs or so heavier than Monday. But by Sunday I have lost most of the weight I *gained* over the week.

I have also noticed that if it is hot and humid outside, I will *gain* weight. If I sleep in an air conditioned room, I lose most of it over night.

ETA: my profile pic is taken 3 days apart. The one on the right is on a friday ( after 5 workouts). The left is the following Monday ( after 1 workout). My weight was the same in both pics!

SlimFatYoYo

I see... rather, this whole "water retention" idea is quite new to me. I have read a lot about health and fitness but didn't know that water retention was so significant...

Out of curiosity: if I exercised daily (7 days a week), maybe at different intensities and different types, would that mean that I would always look bloated?

SlimFatYoYo

Hello?

lithezebra

Speaking of swimming, would using a kickboard take the strain off your spine? What about a recumbent bike for exercise that doesn't hurt your back? How about walking in a pool or water aerobics, or chair aerobics?

Don't worry about retaining water when you exercise. As for diet, use MFP to calculate how many calories you need to lose one pound a week, log everything that you eat, stick to your calorie limit (eating back your exercise calories) and you should do well. That's why we're here, mostly, to log what we eat and keep a healthy weight.

Ninkyou

Anytime you try/do any new activity, your body will retain water to repair the muscles.

I walk 3.5 miles everyday. Yesterday I ramped my calorie burn up by going hiking for almost 6.5 miles. Today, I'm retaining water. No big deal. I knew the scale would be higher today because I worked harder yesterday.

As for the bloat... not much you can do about that. Just going to have to wait it out. If you're concerned with the way your body looks, maybe try doing some strength training with a physical therapist or something, since you have a back injury.

minizebu

.

SlimFatYoYo

Thanks... I still am a little bit worried as to why when I did the same type of exercise before (say 1 and a half years ago), this did not happen. I mean, not even the bloating. In fact, I lost dramatic amounts of weight/fat after long-distance speedwalking.
Most importantly, I looked really in shape after those walks
Why now it's different? Is it age? Could it be just the water? What if I cut the water, from 5l to say 2l as on a normal day?

I am quite concerned by all this especially because I am afraid of visceral fat.

lithezebra

Thanks... I still am a little bit worried as to why when I did the same type of exercise before (say 1 and a half years ago), this did not happen. I mean, not even the bloating. In fact, I lost dramatic amounts of weight/fat after long-distance speedwalking.
Most importantly, I looked really in shape after those walks
Why now it's different? Is it age? Could it be just the water? What if I cut the water, from 5l to say 2l as on a normal day?

I am quite concerned by all this especially because I am afraid of visceral fat.

Who knows? A lot of things can change. You're only 26. Maybe you've lost muscle mass.The important thing is that exercise still works, whether it works quickly and dramatically, or more slowly. Be gentle with your precious body.

It occurred to me to mention that for back pain relief, I've gotten much better results from strength training than from cardio. If you have exercises from a physical therapist, or appropriate guidelines about strength training that you can do, you might get more immediate relief, while you're doing your cardio to help speed your weight loss along. Strength training will also help you keep your muscle mass, which helps keep weight off and also protects your back.

Ninkyou

It could be age. It also has to do with being at a different fitness level than you were last year. Nothing, not even exercise will stay the same over time. Stop stressing out about it and just work with what you have.

jbqueen

Perhaps your job is playing a bigger role in your weight loss (or lack of) than you'd think. Last December I switched from a fairly sedentary job to one that is almost completely sedentary, and I immediately started putting on weight - the calorie difference had a greater impact than I would have thought. I've found it harder to lose that weight, too. And stress can make weight loss harder.

mathjulz

Weight gain and weight loss are, in general, not a swift event. You didn't put on 4kg of fat in a few days. Walking for a couple of weeks doesn't take off 10kg (or even 5 or 2) of fat (especially 9-10 miles in 3 hours, that's only 3-3.5 mph or so). There are a lot of things that can cause fluctuations of 2 or 3 kg in a short time that have very little to do with fat.

If you want to lose weight, most of it is going to happen in your diet. You say you're eating healthy, with a minimum of processed foods, which is great for health, but unless you are at a calorie deficit, you aren't going to lose weight. It's possible to eat "clean" and still eat enough to gain weight, and you can't out exercise a bad diet. (Exercise is going to make your body use more calories, but you still have to be at a deficit to lose weight. And you have to be patient. You should plan to lose 1/2 to 1 kg a week.

Walking is not a bad place to start with exercise. Swimming is a good exercise too, or, if it bothers your back too much, you can walk in the pool (it's more exertion than walking on ground) or look into water aerobics. There are a lot of other forms of exercise, too. Talk with your doctor about what is safe for you to do, or look into some physical therapy to strengthen the muscles around the injured areas, which can help you progress into other exercises.

hhagens

Sorry to be the "downer" of the bunch, but as you age, your methodology has to change. The "quick-fix," work hard to fix damage caused by extended neglect becomes less effective. The methodology becomes more about time and consistency or lifestyle. If you have never had any blood work done, depending on your age, it might be an appropriate step. Another unfortunate reality of aging is that deficiencies creep in that may need to be supplemented/addressed. There is no "quick fix." You have to become a student of your body and learn what it is telling you.

lithezebra

At age 26, sedentary habits, and genuine limitations due to injury, seem more likely to be the problem than age. Appropriate exercise can help, and you need to find out what is safe for you to do, and do it, before these issues become even worse.

Walking isn't the best exercise for maintaining muscle mass, although it's exponentially better than nothing. There are probably strength exercises that you can do.