Gained 8lbs in 2 weeks?! What is going on? :-(

I don't know what is happening, I'm just gaining and gaining. I have ate well and exercised well, I've been a member since March, I lost 3 lbs and gained 8 back?!
I'm 5ft 6", was 151lbs/10st 11lbs and now I'm 159/11st 6lbs. I exercise 6-7 times a week, for 35 mins to an hour on my bike or walking, I also weight train 4 times a week. I stick to 1510 calories a day, originally I was put on 1200 but I read a lot of bad things about being on such a low calorie intake. But I'm not sure if 1510 is right for me either as I don't know how I would describe my activity level.
Another thing that might be worth mentioning is that my "time of the month" is 2 weeks late. Could this be the cause? (Also, just in case anyone thinks I'm pregnant, I'm not). I do have hypothyroidism but this has been under control for a few years now.
I'm just really stuck and need help, any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Replies

  • cheyennekl
    cheyennekl Posts: 90 Member
    You could be building muscle mass rather than putting on weight...
  • mkdanhoff
    mkdanhoff Posts: 16 Member
    Take a pregnancy test, if it is at all a possibility. When I got pregnant the first time, I gained about 10 lbs over say, 1 month. So I started eating "healthy" and I thought, this healthy food is upsetting my stomach. Um no. The little peanut inside was giving me morning sickness!
  • cheyennekl
    cheyennekl Posts: 90 Member
    Take a pregnancy test, if it is at all a possibility. When I got pregnant the first time, I gained about 10 lbs over say, 1 month. So I started eating "healthy" and I thought, this healthy food is upsetting my stomach. Um no. The little peanut inside was giving me morning sickness!

    Oh yeah, or this lol...probably the first thing I would think of if my period was late and I was putting on weight!
  • sarcosis1
    sarcosis1 Posts: 42
    I'm not pregnant! There's no way I could be, I'm not currently sexually active.
  • jeyda_123
    jeyda_123 Posts: 4
    you should get your thyroid tested, or your metabolic rate could be really low so go to the doctors and explain to them. if your metabolic rate is slow no matter what u do it will be so hard to loose the weight xx
  • sarcosis1
    sarcosis1 Posts: 42
    I do have hypothyroidism but this has been under control for a few years now.
  • wheezeybouncer
    wheezeybouncer Posts: 122 Member
    you may need a tweak of the thyroid meds. xx
  • jeyda_123
    jeyda_123 Posts: 4
    yeah i support somebody with this and no matter what she did it really affected her weight loss she would just put weight on but then was put on lethyroxin and it has really helped xx
  • roguex_1979
    roguex_1979 Posts: 247 Member
    You could be building muscle mass rather than putting on weight...

    No! Just...no! In two weeks? Please. If that is the case, please tell all the weighlifters out there who are trying to gain muscle in that short a time how this was acomplished, because they will be very interested.

    Are you being completely honest with what you are eating? Be truthful. If you are being truthful, defo get your thyroid checked out.
  • freelancejouster
    freelancejouster Posts: 478 Member
    This may sound counterproductive, but take a week and eat at 1800 or so then go back to the 1510. And, if you're not taking at least one day where you're not exercising more than a walk you'll need to start.

    Likely, because you've upped your calories your body now wants to hold onto the little extra you're giving it. If you bump up to 1800, that will boost your metabolism, kind of give you a restart point, and then you will start dropping at 1510 (Edit: I just realized how much you said you exercise and I would really look into figuring out your TDEE and BMR - from the sound of things (about 45 mins a day average plus weight training) it seems like 1510 might be too low as well).

    Also, if you're exercising every day like you say you are, your muscles could be holding on to all kinds of water weight and toxins from overuse - it can really weigh a person down. Back when I was in track, I would gain 5lbs steadily over the course of the week, then come the weekend I would lose it all and more because I finally gave myself a rest. Granted, the workouts were hours long, but most who exercise tend to have a similar pattern. Plus, a rest day or two per week prevents against injury!

    I haven't any advise about the period situation, you may want to speak with your doctor.
  • SleeplessinBerlin
    SleeplessinBerlin Posts: 513 Member
    You have not gained 8 lbs of fat in 2 weeks. And it' not muscle either. The only reasonable explanation is water retention which may very well have something to do with your period being 2 weeks late. Most of us retain water before/during our period.
    Do you plan to see to your gyn? It is not uncommon for a small cyst to cause irregularity like this.
  • NutellaAddict
    NutellaAddict Posts: 1,258 Member
    You have not gained 8 lbs of fat in 2 weeks. And it' not muscle either. The only reasonable explanation is water retention which may very well have something to do with your period being 2 weeks late. Do you plan to see to your gyn?

    ^ Listen.
  • kaybristow01
    kaybristow01 Posts: 38 Member
    Sounds more like water retention to me, most likely due to period but are you drinking enough daily?
  • I'm not sure that it's a complicated answer. If it's normal for you to go two weeks over on occasion it's probably just water retention/bloating. You would have to eat 14,000 calories extra per week on top of maintenance calories to be able to gain four pounds in a week.. It doesn't sound like that's happening :wink: Anyway, I typically gain weight before my TOM and then it's gone by the end. Continue to eat healthy, exercise, and drink plenty of water! That's just my thoughts anyway.
  • prattiger65
    prattiger65 Posts: 1,657 Member
    You have not gained 8 lbs of fat in 2 weeks. And it' not muscle either. The only reasonable explanation is water retention which may very well have something to do with your period being 2 weeks late. Do you plan to see to your gyn?

    ^ Listen.

    Double this^^^^^^ also, are you netting 1510 per day? You need to find a true starting point, calculate your BMR and TDEE and net somewhere in between. That's net, meaning if you burn 300 exercising, you add those back so you would actually eat 1810. But do use some of the online calculators and get a good idea where you should start.
  • bmiller211
    bmiller211 Posts: 222 Member
    I do have hypothyroidism but this has been under control for a few years now.
    My wife has it also and everyonce in a while it goes haywire and she has to have her meds adjusted...just sayin'
  • I can't advise as much about why you gained, but the missed period is something with which I am very familiar. I'm not currently sexually active either, and I know that stress can be a MAJOR cause of that. I don't know what your situation is, but for me, if I'm stressed, I've missed as many as two periods consecutively and then the next one is horrible and long. I had to find ways to control it or it was going to kill me. I ended up starting meditation and making myself do something fun. For me that's going to the movies (now without popcorn, candy and soda). Again,I don't know what your situation is, but I do know that IF you're stressed about something (and seriously it could be anything - job, family, etc.,) that could be why you missed.

    The only other reason I can think of is the number of times you're working out. I have a friend who tried out to be a gymnast for the olympics and missed it by a tenth of a point. She worked out so much that she never had a period until she was almost 20 and then when she did have them, they were sporadic. As soon as she slacked off and went to college, she started having them regularly again. Just food for thought.
  • sarcosis1
    sarcosis1 Posts: 42
    I haven't been drinking much lately. Will that cause this? I don't know what's going on with my period but I have been very stressed lately. I will go to the doctors to see about that and get my thyroid checked.
  • mkdanhoff
    mkdanhoff Posts: 16 Member
    after reading all the previous comments, and the added info about hypothyroidism, it sounds hormonal (even if it's not pregnancy =)) which is also hormonal...
  • 1223345
    1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
    I think, water weight, also maybe you have gained some muscle? Myself, I have found the scale does not move but my clothes are looser. I have been mocked because my ticker only shows a 3LB loss, but my body reflects a huge change. Perhaps you could measure and see what those numbers are instead.
  • sarcosis1
    sarcosis1 Posts: 42
    Thanks for the help everyone.