I've gained 40 lbs in 5months... Help!

Jacsrocks

In December/January I was pleasantly happy with being 245 lbs... now it's May and I'm up to 288lbs.... I have no idea what happened.

In january I did have surgery and I went off my normal diet for a couple of weeks. Once I was recovered I went back at it harder than ever.

My general caloric intake is 1200-1500 cals a day. (Sometimes on the weekends its 1500-1900 because I refuse to deprive myself of a yummy meal!) (please note on weekends I also work out for over 2 hours a day...) As a rule I do not eat after 6:30 PM either I have a pretty active job, I'm on my feet running around a factory all day long. I just feel as if there's no way in hell I should have gained even MORE weight... it seems like nothing I do is working. I go carbless (which let's face it, it's not a proper way to live the rest of your life), I deprive myself, I eat more protein and lots of greens, all of these methods have stopped working.

I see my reflection and I begin to cry... I was 365lbs and I feel like so much of my hard work has gone to waste. I don't know what to do... I hate looking at myself, I hate feeling like this, I hate working out 1-2 hours a day, EVERY day and not joining in at work on "chinese delivery" day.... I just want to live a normal life and there's no way this is possible right now.

Wouldn't I have to eat over 3000 cals a day and zero exercise in order to gain weight like this?

I'm at my wits end with it all...

emmalousmom1

can yu open your diary? have you have a physical, thyroid tested?
Louise

KAYRRIE

Everyone's going to tell you this. But you're actually not eating enough. You're working too hard and exercising so much that you actually need more calories to help your body out. Your body is doing so much that it thinks it needs to store any calories you put in just because it thinks it needs to protect itself. Check your BMR and decrease that by at least 15% to 20% to drop weight. It does matter what you eat though even if it is under your calories. The cleaner the better.

Ed98043

Everyone's going to tell you this. But you're actually not eating enough. You're working too hard and exercising so much that you actually need more calories to help your body out. Your body is doing so much that it thinks it needs to store any calories you put in just because it thinks it needs to protect itself. Check your BMR and decrease that by at least 15% to 20% to drop weight. It does matter what you eat though even if it is under your calories. The cleaner the better.

I've never heard of anyone gaining 40 lbs in 5 months due to not eating enough calories. Stalling out, yes. Gaining a significant amount, no. Also, I believe you mean eat 15% to 20% less than your TDEE, not your BMR.

I'd like to see the OP's diary, too. Something's not right.

sprale

I second that seeing your doctor about your concerns could be very helpful. There could very well be a medical reason why you are not losing weight. I recently got off of a medication that was causing me to gain weight, and I have to say, it has been like night and day. I used to munch constantly, and now I hardly get hungry. Could you be on a medication that is causing your weight to stay high?

Also, you have done a great job getting down from your starting weight, even if it is not as low as you would like it. Give yourself time; your body is a dynamic system and will keep adjusting. If you initially lost weight fast, your body could have gained some back in compensation. Over time, with healthy habits in place, you can continue to lose weight when your body is ready.

My last suggestion is (if you are not already) to log everything that you eat for a week or so and see if there might be calories sneaking in in places you wouldn't expect. I recently made logging daily a part of my program and it has helped significantly.

Good luck!

KAYRRIE

Everyone's going to tell you this. But you're actually not eating enough. You're working too hard and exercising so much that you actually need more calories to help your body out. Your body is doing so much that it thinks it needs to store any calories you put in just because it thinks it needs to protect itself. Check your BMR and decrease that by at least 15% to 20% to drop weight. It does matter what you eat though even if it is under your calories. The cleaner the better.

I've never heard of anyone gaining 40 lbs in 5 months due to not eating enough calories. Stalling out, yes. Gaining a significant amount, no. Also, I believe you mean eat 15% to 20% less than your TDEE, not your BMR.

I'd like to see the OP's diary, too. Something's not right.

I didn't mean that she gained weight from not eating enough calories. I meant she needs more calories than what she's eating now to help her body loose the weight. I'm not sure how the weight went on that quickly. And I think you're right about it being the TDEE not the BMR, unless you're sedentary.

vixtris

sounds like you REALLY need to go see a doctor and get a few things checked, like your thyroid.

5ftnFun

To me, it sounds like your attempts to get back on track are inconsistent or wishy washy. Trying this, trying that, eating more on the weekends, less during the week, low carbs, There are numerous threads on calculating the right number of calories you need to lose weight. Make a plan. Stick with it, be consistent. You can do it.

I surely hope you know I am not trying to be mean. Just being honest in my opinion of what you wrote. Good luck. :flowerforyou:

miadhail

I agree with the thyroid check, and also double check your measurements of your food. Sometimes we can underestimate what we eat.

metacognition

If you're making even moderate restrictions to your food, there should at least be a weight maintenance.

Maybe you should be tested for thyroid problems?

Make sure you count every calorie from here on out, because a lot of typical American foods are laden with fat and sugar that can drastically increase the calories of a serving even if it looks small. Eat whole grain carbs and fruit; I promise they are good for you.

I'd also suggest increasing cardiovascular activity to four hours a week if you do not already do so.

Try to hit 2000 calories a day, and give it a few weeks to see if there is any improvement. If you have a normal metabolism you should lose something at that weight. If you experience a bit of hunger at the end of the day, you're likely in a deficit.

werneket

Also medications can make you hold on to more weight. I have had surgery a few times and its hard to bounce back. Talk to your Dr. and get some blood work done.Hang in there!