Why am I gaining weight? :/

r41nb0w7

Hello everyone

I'm Claire and i'm 19 years old. I weight just under 16 stone which is about 224 pounds.
I know i'm this weight because I eat like a pig and never exersice so don't give me any bother saying it's my fault because I know it is. I live with my nan and I hate it here, that is why I think I overeat. About a week ago I moved in with my boyfriend and to my suprise, I have barely ate in at least 4-5 days. One day I ate something like 2 apples and some toast. I know i'm not eating enough and im going to sort that out but I came back to my nan for a visit today and the whole family have said i've gained weight. I didn't do any exercise in them 4-5 days except yesterday I started doing squats but still, how could I of gained weight in them 4-5 days of barely eating? I think they might of been saying it to put me down, as they always do but part of me is thinking they might be correct. How have I gained weight? I can't exercise at the moment as my legs have started going weak. This is really putting me down. Can anyone help?

eweadock

Hi Claire-
Since you've asked, I'll supply my thoughts on your situation. You are very young, and have not had the opportunity to learn how your body works with respect to food.

Barely eating at all after overeating for months will shock your system and can put it into a starvation mode. By nature, when we were more primitive beasts, we needed to conserve energy between meals. Your body will store fat as soon as it feels that the food supply will be cut off.

Instead of focusing on the amount of food and whether you exercise, I think your motivation is the core of the problem. When you moved into your boyfriend's place, you "barely ate at all." Why was that? Do you want to be attractive for him? Do you feel that you are free to do as you please, or do you feel that you don't need to escape anyone's supervision or critical eye at your nan's?

Think instead about yourself and what it will take to make you a whole, complete and happy person, apart others. I would envision you as a vibrant, healthy, independent and attractive young woman, ready to set the course of her own life.

I'm much older than you, yet this year I've had easy success for the first time in getting extra weight off. I'm now 27 lbs lighter than I was when the year started, and I do not feel deprived or hungry. Let me help you by telling you what my nurse/physician told me:

Limit your calorie intake. I'm limiting mine to 1,200 cals per day, but you could probably use more like 1,400.
Limit your sugar intake to as close to 20 g per day as possible. This application helps you to find hidden sugars in food.
Increase your protein in grams to equal half your weight in pounds. If you weigh 220 lbs, try to eat 110 g protein each day.

Measure your food intake (using this app), and measure your weight regularly. Don't rely on others' opinions.
Don't be afraid, and don't be discouraged. You sound a bit impatient, so realize that the weekly average is what's important. A loss of 2-3 lbs per week is healthy. Anything faster than that could be dangerous to your health.

I'm a very impatient person, so when I see the natural up-and-down in weight, it's hard for me to see the "ups." Realize that the path to weight loss is not a straight slope downward, you will have a zig-zag pattern on your chart.

Think for yourself.

The very best advice I've had is to limit my sugars. Start there, and best of luck to you!!!
Ellie

_lyndseybrooke_

Have you gotten on a scale? If not, then you probably didn't gain any weight. Maybe your family members are just *kitten*. If you have no evidence that you've gained weight other than people that are known for trying to put you down saying you have, then there's no need to be asking for advice as to why you gained. If you've been undereating, there's no way you gained fat in 4-5 days.

Also, in reference to the first response - you do NOT need to cut sugar in order to lose weight. Sugar is just a carb, and neither carbs nor sugar are evil. It's calories in vs. calories out. Also, PLEASE eat more than 1200 calories a day. In fact, eat more than 1400 calories per day.