Why am I gaining weight?

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.

You are a dangerous person to give information. She's not gaining 20lbs of muscle mass in a few months on a HUGE caloric deficit.

Listen to the people saying you need to reset your metabolism etc. They're on the correct track.

Oh, I dont believe she has gained 20 pounds of muscle mass at a deficit. That would be impossible. I do believe she has gained muscle mass based on the measurements. I dont believe for a second she is at a deficit.

whoa... no one suggested gaining back 60 pounds. No one suggested gaining back 20. We all (in our own way) suggested that you eat more to help your system adjust to having food in it. No one ever said "eat cookies and candy until you are fat". Increase your calorie intake in small increments using quality foods. You will not get fat. You will get healthy.

WARNING: WHINY POST AHEAD!!

Okay, you've been warned.

I read through all the answers again this morning (after sleeping on all the info I'd seen last night), and I have to admit to feeling totally defeated.

For the last year and a half, I've watched every morsel that entered my mouth and counted every calorie to the best of my ability. I worked out, took up new exercises that I liked and even found that I LOVE running.

And for what? Sure, I lost close to 80 pounds, but now I'm finding out that I did it all wrong and in order to fix it, I have to allow myself to get fat again, then start all over.

I don't want to gain back the weight I've worked so hard to lose. I've already gained back 20 pounds, and the thought of gaining back another 20 and another 20 and... well, let's just say that the idea sent me to the cookie jar this morning. (And now my daily net carb intake has been shot. ;-) )

I know I have to change the way I've thought about dieting (you know, that whole philosophy of "eat a little less, move a little more" that so obviously lies...), and I have to grit my teeth and gain the weight back. But I'm not happy about it. Not one little bit.

Okay, end of whining. Time to do something. Something different, I guess.

Get some professional help. This rant (especially coupled with the way you've lost weight) suggests you might be starting to get into the path of an eating disorder (eating disorders are far more than just "not eating anything," or "always binging and purging," there's very largely a mental component). I recommend seeing a good registered dietician and possibly get some counseling to help get your mindset away from fearing gaining weight and realizing that some weight gain is going to happen and that it's actually progress and a good thing as you retrain your body to run on more calories.

Again, please read the link I posted earlier. It's about a woman who was in the exact same situation as you are right now.

Can you be pregnant?

Can you be pregnant?

She is 49. While it wouldnt be a record, it is highly unlikely.

Pregnant? NOOOO! *runs away and hides*

While I did have a late start with kids (I was 32, 36 and 41 when my kids were born), I'm certainly not planning on having any more of my own! Ha ha!

As for the tape measure vs. scale -- neither one is my friend right now.

And for gaining ALL the weight back -- I understand that I won't have to gain it all back to start over, but I've already regained 20 pounds. Another 20 or 30 puts me way up there where I don't want to be. Even now, I can't stand to look in the mirror, because I see the "big me" starting to look back. Just the thought of having to gain anything more... Ugh.

And strength training. Let me just add in a major *groan* here. I gave lifting a try a few months ago (and managed to keep it up for about 6 weeks or so), but it was just AWFUL! Oh my goodness, how do people do that? Not only was it mind-numbingly boring, but just the need to strategize which machine or bench to aim for next while jockying around all the other people trying to get on the same machines/benches. I absolutely HATED lifting. Sure, it would be good for me, but then so are brussel sprouts, and I won't touch them, either.

But, if lifting things and putting them down helps, I guess I could try again.

Just please tell me I can skip the brussel sprouts.

Again, please seek professional help.

As for lifting - pick up a copy of New Rules of Lifting for Women and look into a program like Starting Strength or Stronglifts 5x5. No machines involved, and the latter two, at least, advocate high weights (high for your level here, it's not going to tell you to go bench 100lbs or anything like that), low reps, which often isn't as boring as high rep routines.

WARNING: WHINY POST AHEAD!!

Okay, you've been warned.

I read through all the answers again this morning (after sleeping on all the info I'd seen last night), and I have to admit to feeling totally defeated.

For the last year and a half, I've watched every morsel that entered my mouth and counted every calorie to the best of my ability. I worked out, took up new exercises that I liked and even found that I LOVE running.

And for what? Sure, I lost close to 80 pounds, but now I'm finding out that I did it all wrong and in order to fix it, I have to allow myself to get fat again, then start all over.

I don't want to gain back the weight I've worked so hard to lose. I've already gained back 20 pounds, and the thought of gaining back another 20 and another 20 and... well, let's just say that the idea sent me to the cookie jar this morning. (And now my daily net carb intake has been shot. ;-) )

I know I have to change the way I've thought about dieting (you know, that whole philosophy of "eat a little less, move a little more" that so obviously lies...), and I have to grit my teeth and gain the weight back. But I'm not happy about it. Not one little bit.

Okay, end of whining. Time to do something. Something different, I guess.

I do understand where you're coming from. Weight loss can be a real mental as well as physical struggle and stalls, gains, setbacks, etc. are enormously frustrating.

But, you won't be starting over from nothing. You're starting out with all of the knowledge and know-how about nutrition, calories, and how to do it right. You have a new love of running and way better fitness than you started with, I bet. There are great links and supportive groups being listed here for you as you move forward. You have a lot of tools in front of you that you're not seeing right now.

I wonder how correct your food logging is. Half a pita bread 30 calories or three slices of bacon 120 calories ? That seems too good to be true....:o). I don't think it all of the reason why you gained, but is worth checking out.

Ditto's to this.

You commented on trusting the food labels and serving size, which is rarely true.

Even if you don't see "about x servings per package" get the scale out and weigh the item. Likely whether the package is supposed to be a serving or not, the weight is over the package weight so they don't get nabbed giving less than stated.

Weigh everything and relate it back to the weight of the serving size. Not the measuring amount which is given for convenience, the grams in a serving.

That inaccuracy is not the reason for your problem of course, but has probably kept your metabolism from being grounded as bad as it could be, though it's still down there buried.

And the problem with grounded metabolism is every bigger meal or vacation time or binge eating time, packs on the fat. One big meal a week 500 over normal, there's a pound in 7 weeks. Throw in a few binge days or meals, easy to get to where you are.

Now, if you are slowing increasing your calories and lifting, all the excess doesn't go to fat.
In fact if you lift right, very little needs to go to fat if increasing a mere 100 extra calories a day for a week at a time.

I'd also suggest that since you likely have less LBM than expected for your age, weight, height as suggested by several, get your Katch BMR using bodyfat %, and base potential TDEE on that value that you'll work your way up to.

No need eating to a TDEE based on avg LBM you don't actually have - that would be a recipe for fat gain.

use the spreadsheet on my profile page for best estimate.
Do the lifting 3 x weekly, not circuit training, not classes with strength added, real lifting, you need muscle mass back you burned off.
Do your running 2 x weekly, stay in the lower Aerobic HR zone (HRM tab in the spreadsheet), for no more than 60 min.
Increase calories weekly, 100 extra daily each week, until you get to TDEG.

I wonder how correct your food logging is. Half a pita bread 30 calories or three slices of bacon 120 calories ? That seems too good to be true....:o). I don't think it all of the reason why you gained, but is worth checking out.

The pita is a low fat, low carb version, not your average pita. As for the bacon, i cook it in the oven, which cuts down on the fat a bit. I freely admit, though, that I have no idea on the actual calorie count having merely looked for an average number many moons ago and using that same count whenever I make bacon. It could be off...

Heybales, thanks for all the data! While some of it is completely Greek to me, I'll check out your spreadsheet. Am I supposed to know my body fat % before starting, or do I use those other numbers to calculate it? I've purchased bf calipers and taken all the various measurements and plugged them into various calculators on several different sites and come up with wildly different results (everything from 12 % -- which is crazy -- to 23%-- which seems a bit high). I've also tried finding my TDEE, and have come up with an average between 1600 and 1700. That seems high to me, too.

All the numbers seem to be more subjective than they should be at times.

That TDEE actually looks rather low, given the amount of exercise you do, even for your age. From the looks of your pictures, you appear to be on the tall side. You're what? About 5'7"? Using that number (and the math based on your profile's information of starting weight and how much you lost to put you at 150lb), and this calculator http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/ - I come up with a TDEE of 2000-2300 across the board. I estimated about 18% body fat for the one that required it, since you're skinny, but also don't have much muscle definition (which would put your body fat percentage higher, because you don't have much lean body mass). All of them put your BMR (what you should never eat below) at more than 1500.

The calipers are only as accurate as the skill of the person using them, and are best done by someone else (ie - don't measure yourself with them). That said, what might help is to cross-reference the number you get from them with a different measure, such as a tape measure based calculator, or, even better, a DEXA or BodPod screen.

Also, if you're going with low carb, increase your fats. Low carb + low fat deprives you of fuel (protein is favored for building and repairing, not energy unless absolutely necessary), low fat also hinders nutrient absorption (many vitamins and minerals are fat soluble), and too much protein can screw with the kidneys and can cause what's known as "rabbit starvation" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_starvation ). Not to mention all the crap that has to go into a food to make it both low carb and low fat. Your so-called "healthy" foods probably aren't so healthy when you actually look at what's in them.

Fat is not the enemy, especially if you're doing low-carb.

That is a rather involved calculator for the experienced, I'd skip it. Mifflin, Harris, Katch are BMR formula's, Cunningham and others are RMR, which is 150-250 higher than BMR. Hence the range you got.
You just confused yourself is all.

Again, a BMR based on your actual LBM, or in other words, bodyfat %, will allow you to start with best estimate. That is the Katch BMR.

Vast majority are within 5% of that estimate outside medical issues or suppressing your metabolism, but the BMR can only be suppressed so much.

Your body will make sure your BMR has enough calories by slowing higher functions (hair, nail, skin growth, muscle repair, ect), even to the point studies have shown your whole TDEE can be suppressed by less daily normal movement (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis NEAT), or bad heat generation in winter (getting colder easier).

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. If you logging honestly, it would seem impossible to gain weight from eating so few calories - but it isn't. Eating less than 1000 calories for a significant amount of time, limiting carbs, while also exercising by doing endless amounts of steady state cardio, you most likely have caused metabolic damage. Your body has gotten increasingly efficient at running on so few calories by slowing down its metabolism. The answer isn't to cut out more calories, because you are already at a dangerously low level. The above link from tryclyn should provide more help. I also recommend searching YouTube for Layne Norton and metabolic damage. You basically have to do a reset by reverse dieting. Increasing your calories by slowly upping carbs and slowing decreasing cardio and training. You will most likely gain more weight, and it isn't an overnight fix. Seek professional help if need be.

The goal is to eat as many calories as possible and manintain weight, not as few calories as possible. In the long run, such a large restriction, coupled with intense training, causes more harm than good. Good luck.

I'll back this from personal experience. I cut to around five % body fat by cutting carbs and being on an extremely low caloric intake. In order to get back I had to up the calories slowly and gained about 10-15 lb before I recovered to around where the balance of TDEE and my caloric intake should be. During the cut and while on those low calories I felt like ****, and it screwed up my relationship with food because I would always want to binge. Eventually, though, I got back to a healthy body fat percentage and a reasonable caloric intake that goes well with my TDEE. If cutting try not to go below 20-25% of your TDEE and remember that weight loss does become harder as you become leaner. Cutting more and more calories without using a percentage based approach will result in metabolic damage and the potential for eating disorders, depression, obsession with only eating certain things in certain amounts etc.

Having read your post and the long list of replies.... I favor the calling your doctor answer. Something going on with your body that a few medical tests might reveal.

wow! i think i might have run into the same problem too, the scale has just been going up no matter what i do, i was just about 3 pounds away from maintainance and i decided to up my calories to about 1750, and i started gaining,so i reduced it to 1650 and increased my exercise but even with that i have still have continued to gain unfortunately i cant imagine going lower than 1650 because even with that amount of calories i still sometimes get very hungry,so i just decided i will stop measuring and weighing myself,do cardio moderately,lift heavy weights and continue to eat at 1650.i hope this works for me because reading this post has just opened up my eyes to the problem i ve got myself into.