Why am I gaining weight?
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There is exactly one reason why someone is gaining weight: because they are consuming more calories than they are burning. Period.
Anything else is a way to sugar coat (pun intended) it. If there was a such thing as starvation mode, it would be impossible to starve to death.
You are consuming more calories than you are burning.
You do realize that that's still basically what the people who are saying "your metabolism is screwed" up are saying?
Everyone knows about the calorie math bat.
Anyone with half a brain also knows that if you're consuming a crazy low amount of calories over a long period of time and start gaining, then the body has down-regulated its metabolism to compensate for being in a state of what it sees as prolonged famine.
The body tries very, very hard to keep going. It's going to down-regulate as much as it can, and after it burns off body fat, it starts going after muscles and organs in order to keep going. This is why many anorexics die of things like organ failure or heart attack - the body has literally run out of all other fuel sources and can't down-regulate any more (many others die of various nutritional depletions).
OP, please, please, please read this:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing
Yes, but the answer to her question "why am I gaining weight" is "because you are consuming more calories than you are burning".
Either you are back-tracking to save face, or you honestly believe what you just wrote - either way it's obvious you can't help and don't understand the REAL problem. However, I'm curious. Obviously the OP doesn't want to gain weight. Going along your line of thinking, what you recommend the OP do to lose weight? Eat less?? I await your answer.0 -
There is exactly one reason why someone is gaining weight: because they are consuming more calories than they are burning. Period.
Anything else is a way to sugar coat (pun intended) it. If there was a such thing as starvation mode, it would be impossible to starve to death.
You are consuming more calories than you are burning.
You do realize that that's still basically what the people who are saying "your metabolism is screwed" up are saying?
Everyone knows about the calorie math bat.
Anyone with half a brain also knows that if you're consuming a crazy low amount of calories over a long period of time and start gaining, then the body has down-regulated its metabolism to compensate for being in a state of what it sees as prolonged famine.
The body tries very, very hard to keep going. It's going to down-regulate as much as it can, and after it burns off body fat, it starts going after muscles and organs in order to keep going. This is why many anorexics die of things like organ failure or heart attack - the body has literally run out of all other fuel sources and can't down-regulate any more (many others die of various nutritional depletions).
OP, please, please, please read this:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing
Yes, but the answer to her question "why am I gaining weight" is "because you are consuming more calories than you are burning".
A. Read the post, not just the title. There's an entire half of the question, and an entire background, that you're missing by only reading the post title. More precisely, it's "I've lost 70lbs eating less than 1000 calories a day and exercising 6x a week, but now I'm gaining weight again. What's going on?"
B. Telling a person who is already eating less than 1000 calories that, essentially, they're eating too much and that there's no such thing as starvation mode (otherwise no one would starve to death) is downright dangerous.0 -
Why do you hate food and carbs!? Eat, and you are going to gain but your body needs FOOD!0
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There is exactly one reason why someone is gaining weight: because they are consuming more calories than they are burning. Period.
Anything else is a way to sugar coat (pun intended) it. If there was a such thing as starvation mode, it would be impossible to starve to death.
You are consuming more calories than you are burning.
You do realize that that's still basically what the people who are saying "your metabolism is screwed" up are saying?
Everyone knows about the calorie math bat.
Anyone with half a brain also knows that if you're consuming a crazy low amount of calories over a long period of time and start gaining, then the body has down-regulated its metabolism to compensate for being in a state of what it sees as prolonged famine.
The body tries very, very hard to keep going. It's going to down-regulate as much as it can, and after it burns off body fat, it starts going after muscles and organs in order to keep going. This is why many anorexics die of things like organ failure or heart attack - the body has literally run out of all other fuel sources and can't down-regulate any more (many others die of various nutritional depletions).
OP, please, please, please read this:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing
Yes, but the answer to her question "why am I gaining weight" is "because you are consuming more calories than you are burning".
Either you are back-tracking to save face, or you honestly believe what you just wrote - either way it's obvious you can't help and don't understand the REAL problem. However, I'm curious. Obviously the OP doesn't want to gain weight. Going along your line of thinking, what you recommend the OP do to lose weight? Eat less?? I await your answer.
I'm not backtracking to save face. I'm not wrong. The only way to lose weight is create a calorie deficit. What would I suggest to the OP? See a nutritionist and/or a doctor. Eating that little and still gaining weight is a cause for concern. Something in her body isn't working properly. While I would hope that it's just a case of her being on such a reduced calorie diet causing her BMR to drop to a ridiculously low level, neither you nor I are actually qualified to diagnose that (assuming you are not a doctor). My other suggestion would be to assess the actual need to lose weight and why its important to fight what her body clearly does not want to do. She isn't overweight.0 -
I think I can relate to the problem. Six months ago I was just 3 pounds away from my goal and since then I have been +5 pounds and even up to 14 pounds more (for a couple of weeks before dropping down). I had been losing for 2 years and lost 200 pounds so it was a surprise and annoying.
I am still on the same 1500-1700 calories I was too. I just want to lose those 3 pounds which would still be a BMI of 26 but I am happy with that. I too wonder if I am used to eating less.0 -
Fat2fitradio.com has some really good information and podcast on how to reset your metabolism.0
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Okay, let me get this out of the way. I thought it was water weight when it first started happening, but since I've been steadily gaining since Feb, I don't think it's all water.
I hit my goal (and then some) in Jan, then decided to try upping my cals a bit to maintain. I started gaining weight. I lowered the cals, and kept gaining weight. I upped my exercise and gained more weight.. In total, I've gained back 20 pounds! (And 4 of them just in the last week!)
I eat at a deficit, mostly staying below 1000 cals per day. I exercise 7 days a week. I've only gone over on cals twice in the past 8 months. I log 99 percent of what goes in my mouth (I figure trying to keep the logged foods under 1000 cals makes up for the odd taste of dinner while I'm cooking, since I'm sure I'm not tasting 400+ cals). My carbs are usually under 35 g/day, though I have an occasional carb binge (I even managed more than 100 g/carbs one day this week... sheesh).
I've gained 2 inches in each thigh (though I have to admit that my thighs are pretty rock solid -- I run, ride bikes and do Pilates) and and inch in each area: chest, waist and hips. I know it can't be muscle, because you can't build muscle eating at a deficit.
Major confession: I drink Diet Pepsi. In fact, way too much of the stuff, but that can't be why I've suddenly gained 20 pounds. I drank the same amounts while losing 70!
What in the world am I doing wrong?
I've decided this cannot be a serious post. Not in any universe....
There is no way a 49 year old woman eating under 1000 calories a day has just posted a thread asking 'what am I doing wrong?'
No way :noway:
But.... I will humour you and tell you....... that you are doing everything wrong
You're severely under eating AND over exercising. Not a good partnership.
Result = mashed up hormones..... mashed up metabolism..... and that is just for starters
I was a skinny kid too. I over ate when pregnant and got kinda chubby. I was 182lbs at my heaviest.... I've only got 14 or so more pound to go now until I'm back to normal.... do you know what I did? Just ate normally and exercised.
I run, I do weights, I do yoga. I eat anything from 1700-2200 calories a day. I have never been on a 'diet' ... ever. I've never even met 1200 calories, wouldn't know what she looked like....
Yes I lost my weight slower than the chronic under eaters but do you know what the main difference is between us? ... My weight stays off. I don't fluctuate... and I'm happy because I EAT and fuel my body properly.
Don't expect anything normal or rewarding from you body when you're constantly abusing it... which IS what you're doing ...
True story0 -
I've gained 2 inches in each thigh (though I have to admit that my thighs are pretty rock solid -- I run, ride bikes and do Pilates) and and inch in each area: chest, waist and hips. I know it can't be muscle, because you can't build muscle eating at a deficit.
Just reread the OP and this jumped out at me. So assuming her BMR is pretty screwed up enough that 1000 cals and her exercise is NOT a deficit, I think this is where the weight is. She's putting on muscle mass. Her diet consists mostly of protein, which is consistent with muscle building experienced here.
Yes, she should eat more calories... a few hundred more every few weeks. And throw out her scale. Its sabotaging her.0 -
Why the hell would you eat under 1000 calories every day?
thats what I thought :noway:
I believe it is the metabolic rate that has made her muscle more dense,however a trip to the doctors would be a better move.0 -
Thank you to those who've given me serious advice. I really, truly appreciate it!
And yes, this 49-year-old woman screwed up. I gained way too much weight and then lost it the wrong way. Call it stupidity, naivete, whatever you want. But it is what it is, and I haven't been able to figure out how to fix it on my own.
I would go to my doctor for a physical, but there are complications with that (silly things like language for one), and I only go when I absolutely have no choice but to see her. I've lived here for 7 years and have seen her twice (I can't even pronounce her name....).
Anyway, I will try to make an appointment, and I will look up the threads dealing with metabolism. I really do want to figure this all out and do it the right way, but I don't want to have to get all the way back to where I was to start over again. Does that make sense?0 -
Thank you to those who've given me serious advice. I really, truly appreciate it!
And yes, this 49-year-old woman screwed up. I gained way too much weight and then lost it the wrong way. Call it stupidity, naivete, whatever you want. But it is what it is, and I haven't been able to figure out how to fix it on my own.
I would go to my doctor for a physical, but there are complications with that (silly things like language for one), and I only go when I absolutely have no choice but to see her. I've lived here for 7 years and have seen her twice (I can't even pronounce her name....).
Anyway, I will try to make an appointment, and I will look up the threads dealing with metabolism. I really do want to figure this all out and do it the right way, but I don't want to have to get all the way back to where I was to start over again. Does that make sense?0 -
I've gained 2 inches in each thigh (though I have to admit that my thighs are pretty rock solid -- I run, ride bikes and do Pilates) and and inch in each area: chest, waist and hips. I know it can't be muscle, because you can't build muscle eating at a deficit.
Just reread the OP and this jumped out at me. So assuming her BMR is pretty screwed up enough that 1000 cals and her exercise is NOT a deficit, I think this is where the weight is. She's putting on muscle mass. Her diet consists mostly of protein, which is consistent with muscle building experienced here.
Yes, she should eat more calories... a few hundred more every few weeks. And throw out her scale. Its sabotaging her.
Initially I thought I'd reply to you with a witty and playfully sarcastic response, but after reading your last two posts, I'm afraid you wouldn't understand it (nor do I want to downplay the OP's situation). Do you HONESTLY think the OP is building muscle because her diet consists mostly of protein?? Do you understand how the body works? Do you even know what BMR is? Muscle building, on 1,000 calories? Really??
In your earlier post you wrote "While I would hope that it's just a case of her being on such a reduced calorie diet causing her BMR to drop to a ridiculously low level..." You would HOPE it's a case of a ridiculously low BMR? Do you realize how dangerous this is? Thyroid complications, hormonal shutdown, organ damage (including sex organs and the inability to reproduce for both men and women) - these are only a few of many risks associated with metabolic damage. Risks that may be permanent.
I would HOPE that the OP is lying and consuming 3,000 calories a day and has a healthy metabolism... but I guess that's because I have an understanding and personal experience dealing with metabolic damage.
The OP's scale isn't sabotaging her. Unfortunately, she has sabotaged her body, and the damage is done. Questioning why the OP only consumes 1000 calories/day is careless and doesn't help. Pointing her in the right direction and advising her to seek professional advice does.0 -
I've gained 2 inches in each thigh (though I have to admit that my thighs are pretty rock solid -- I run, ride bikes and do Pilates) and and inch in each area: chest, waist and hips. I know it can't be muscle, because you can't build muscle eating at a deficit.
Just reread the OP and this jumped out at me. So assuming her BMR is pretty screwed up enough that 1000 cals and her exercise is NOT a deficit, I think this is where the weight is. She's putting on muscle mass. Her diet consists mostly of protein, which is consistent with muscle building experienced here.
Yes, she should eat more calories... a few hundred more every few weeks. And throw out her scale. Its sabotaging her.
Initially I thought I'd reply to you with a witty and playfully sarcastic response, but after reading your last two posts, I'm afraid you wouldn't understand it (nor do I want to downplay the OP's situation). Do you HONESTLY think the OP is building muscle because her diet consists mostly of protein?? Do you understand how the body works? Do you even know what BMR is? Muscle building, on 1,000 calories? Really??
In your earlier post you wrote "While I would hope that it's just a case of her being on such a reduced calorie diet causing her BMR to drop to a ridiculously low level..." You would HOPE it's a case of a ridiculously low BMR? Do you realize how dangerous this is? Thyroid complications, hormonal shutdown, organ damage (including sex organs and the inability to reproduce for both men and women) - these are only a few of many risks associated with metabolic damage. Risks that may be permanent.
I would HOPE that the OP is lying and consuming 3,000 calories a day and has a healthy metabolism... but I guess that's because I have an understanding and personal experience dealing with metabolic damage.
The OP's scale isn't sabotaging her. Unfortunately, she has sabotaged her body, and the damage is done. Questioning why the OP only consumes 1000 calories/day is careless and doesn't help. Pointing her in the right direction and advising her to seek professional advice does.
Yes, I believe the OP is gaining muscle mass (based on measurements). No, I don't believe she is doing it at a deficit. And I say I hope its a metabolism out of whack, I say I hope that because that's better than thyroid cancer or any number of other very serious medical issues that couldn't be corrected by correcting her diet. I'm not trying to be a DB to her or to you. Of course I hope its a case of binge eating and denial or something else non-medical. I am taking what she says as being honest though as we have no reason to believe she isn't. And I did recommend she sees a doctor.
And I say the OP's scale is sabotaging her because she cares more about the number on it than her health.0 -
If I had to guess, I'd say that you trained your body very well to run on very few kcalories. You may have to start over with a metabolic reset (an initial gain), lose it again slower and then level off into maintenance.
More helpful info here
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress
this.
Same thing happened to me - yet for years couldn't figure out why I was gaining weight. Since that took years, I've had a difficult time getting it back on track. Listen to these people, they know what they are talking about.0 -
To the OP, I am not sure if anyone has taken time to look at your diary?
You are seriously undereating.
Until you get on board with whole MFP thing then then you will not get to where you hope to be.....sad but true x0 -
Thank you to those who've given me serious advice. I really, truly appreciate it!
And yes, this 49-year-old woman screwed up. I gained way too much weight and then lost it the wrong way. Call it stupidity, naivete, whatever you want. But it is what it is, and I haven't been able to figure out how to fix it on my own.
I would go to my doctor for a physical, but there are complications with that (silly things like language for one), and I only go when I absolutely have no choice but to see her. I've lived here for 7 years and have seen her twice (I can't even pronounce her name....).
Anyway, I will try to make an appointment, and I will look up the threads dealing with metabolism. I really do want to figure this all out and do it the right way, but I don't want to have to get all the way back to where I was to start over again. Does that make sense?
Dokter heb ik mijn schildklier gecontroleerd.
You're welcome. :bigsmile:
And Sammamay, having an overactive thyroid is very common for women that are older and has absolutely nothing to do with cancer. Nothing. So for crying out loud, do not scare this poor woman by saying that.0 -
Just a few guesses to start trouble shooting the issue...
1) you tanked your metabolism eating so few calories when dieting...you probably lost a lot of LBM along the way, thus your metabolism is much slower than someone of similar stats. You could try for a metabolic repair...I'd also advise making resistance training a substantial element of your fitness regimen. Make your body build muscle to help repair the metabolic damage.
2) you are underestimating your intake and thus eating at a surplus. A lot of people who claim to have been eating 1000 calories or less when they were dieting actually underestimated their intake and they're eating for more. This carries over into maintenance because they've never actually learned for real how many calories they are consuming.
People neglect to weigh and measure things...they just eyeball portions...they pick generic items from the database like "Homemade Chicken Soup 100 calories" rather than creating their own recipe or adding the ingredients individually to their diary...'cuz in reality, the chicken soup they're eating is more like 500 calories and 2 servings.
3) you're cheating yourself and not accounting for everything that goes into your body
Thanks, everyone for replying.
I do measure out everything that doesn't come pre-weighed. For instance, if I use a package of 400 grams of chicken, then eat a quarter of it, I don't measure to make sure I get exactly 100 g if I make it into a stir-fry, but I will weigh a chunk of breast if I eat it separately.
I eat a lot of salads for lunch (because I LOVE them!), and I don't weigh the ingredients. Because I make them basically the same, I count out what I put in (3 cherry tomatoes, 6 snap beans, 1 green onion, etc.). If I'm out of tomatoes, I may add in an extra slice of cucumber (or not), but don't go crazy trying to change my recipe to show such an insignificant change.
If I do add something extra (i.e., tonight I made a salad and added homemade bacon bits and Parmesan "croutons"), I list those separately. I don't like salad dressing, and the seasoning I use is low-cal/low-sodium. In fact, in the amount I use, it doesn't register as having any calories or sodium.
I don't have soups at all, because of the high carb and sodium counts. I love them, don't get me wrong, but I love French Bread and fries, too, and manage to live without them.
Sure, it's possible that I'm not accounting for everything correctly. I guess on some things when I'm in a hurry or just trying to get something in front of the restless natives demanding to be fed. Maybe I am totally fooling myself about the amounts I eat. But I try to be thorough.
Honestly, it seems to me like your metabolism has adjusted to the few calories you do actually allow yourself to eat. You have some great answers here. Best of luck.0 -
There is exactly one reason why someone is gaining weight: because they are consuming more calories than they are burning. Period.
Anything else is a way to sugar coat (pun intended) it. If there was a such thing as starvation mode, it would be impossible to starve to death.
You are consuming more calories than you are burning.
You do realize that that's still basically what the people who are saying "your metabolism is screwed" up are saying?
Everyone knows about the calorie math bat.
Anyone with half a brain also knows that if you're consuming a crazy low amount of calories over a long period of time and start gaining, then the body has down-regulated its metabolism to compensate for being in a state of what it sees as prolonged famine.
The body tries very, very hard to keep going. It's going to down-regulate as much as it can, and after it burns off body fat, it starts going after muscles and organs in order to keep going. This is why many anorexics die of things like organ failure or heart attack - the body has literally run out of all other fuel sources and can't down-regulate any more (many others die of various nutritional depletions).
OP, please, please, please read this:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing
Yes, but the answer to her question "why am I gaining weight" is "because you are consuming more calories than you are burning".
Either you are back-tracking to save face, or you honestly believe what you just wrote - either way it's obvious you can't help and don't understand the REAL problem. However, I'm curious. Obviously the OP doesn't want to gain weight. Going along your line of thinking, what you recommend the OP do to lose weight? Eat less?? I await your answer.
I'm not backtracking to save face. I'm not wrong. The only way to lose weight is create a calorie deficit. What would I suggest to the OP? See a nutritionist and/or a doctor. Eating that little and still gaining weight is a cause for concern. Something in her body isn't working properly. While I would hope that it's just a case of her being on such a reduced calorie diet causing her BMR to drop to a ridiculously low level, neither you nor I are actually qualified to diagnose that (assuming you are not a doctor). My other suggestion would be to assess the actual need to lose weight and why its important to fight what her body clearly does not want to do. She isn't overweight.
Interesting. I went through the same thing and saw 3 doctors about it. One said I probably had sleep apnea, another asked if I was emotionally eating. No one said to me - you are eating too little for your body to run sufficiently, you need to increase your calories to a more reasonable level. I showed them food diaries where my intake was 1500 calories a day and I would run 3 miles in the morning, take a kickboxing class at night and lift weights for an hour. Oh, and this was all with the help of RD.
There could be other issues as well, such as thyroid, but I would start with a reset, as others had suggested.0 -
It amazes me how many people are posting that the OP isn't logging correctly or is eating more than maintenance and fooling herself. The OP originally lost 50+lbs!! Has anyone taken the time to look at her diary? Logging water intake and keeping notes on how many grams of carbs came from what type of food illustrates how serious (to me anyway) the OP is about losing weight and keeping it off.
The issue isn't drinking diet soda. The issue isn't holes in her diary. The issue isn't high sodium. The issue isn't age. Gaining 20lbs and only cosuming 900 - 1000 calories is the issue. The problem is metabolic damage. Extremely low calorie diets for an extensive period of time, coupled with low carbs and high levels of caloric expenditure through physical activity is dangerous in the long run. Your body requires a basal caloric intake to function. Your body adapting and lowering its BMR is how it's able to still function.
For the OP, reverse dieting and metabolic reset is the answer. There are MFP groups that were already mentioned in previous posts on this thread that can assist. Dr. Layne Norton, Lyle McDonald, Scott Abel are other resources, and I'd advise to seek professional help as well.
You'll have to increase calories and carbs slowly, while decreasing cardio. Weight training during this time can help as well if done correctly. You may continue to gain weight until your metabolism reaches a reset and sticking point. How long this takes unfortunately hasn't been studied, and will be different for everyone.
The goal is to get to a normal caloric intake level without having to starve yourself to reach your goals.
QFT!!0
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