Gaining 10 lbs a month

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Replies

  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    at 225 lb and 35% fat (wild guess on my part) the Katch McArdle BMR which uses only lean body mass would put you at 1800 BMR. Might be part of the story.
  • Alicemarieed
    Alicemarieed Posts: 86 Member
    I've gained 20 lbs in the last 2 months, almost exactly 10 lbs each month. For a couple years I've been tracking calories with "Lose It!" and it just hasn't worked. Last month I gained 10lbs suddenly so I switched to myfitnesspal to shake things up. This program lowered my plan by about 200 calories so I think that's a step in the right direction. However, a month later and I've gained another 10 lbs.

    Some info: I'm 29, Male 6'1'' and 225lbs 2 months ago. My job is 8 hours at a desk, extremely sedentary, but I'm an active runner, biker, and swimmer, and I whitewater canoe. During this 2 month period I was training for a canoe race (2 weeks ago) a 15k (the race was a week ago) and I'm currently training for a triathlon (next weekend).

    I know I don't have my fitness journal open for viewing. In the past on loseit! people would check out my food journal, scroll back till the last time they saw a slice of pizza, and promptly proclaim "Where there's your problem!" and that would be the end of any advice I could get. My average calories for the last 30 days has been just over 2000 per day. My BMR is listed as 2125 by the calculator on this site. I understand that I probably won't be losing weight with those numbers, but for this last month I was aiming just to maintain. I have a food scale and weigh every oz of food I eat, I'm confident in the accuracy of my calories. I can also guarantee this wasn't 20 lbs of muscle, my clothes no longer fit correctly.

    Any ideas as to how I seem to generate energy from nowhere would be appreciated.
  • Alicemarieed
    Alicemarieed Posts: 86 Member
    I've gained 20 lbs in the last 2 months, almost exactly 10 lbs each month. For a couple years I've been tracking calories with "Lose It!" and it just hasn't worked. Last month I gained 10lbs suddenly so I switched to myfitnesspal to shake things up. This program lowered my plan by about 200 calories so I think that's a step in the right direction. However, a month later and I've gained another 10 lbs.

    Some info: I'm 29, Male 6'1'' and 225lbs 2 months ago. My job is 8 hours at a desk, extremely sedentary, but I'm an active runner, biker, and swimmer, and I whitewater canoe. During this 2 month period I was training for a canoe race (2 weeks ago) a 15k (the race was a week ago) and I'm currently training for a triathlon (next weekend).

    I know I don't have my fitness journal open for viewing. In the past on loseit! people would check out my food journal, scroll back till the last time they saw a slice of pizza, and promptly proclaim "Where there's your problem!" and that would be the end of any advice I could get. My average calories for the last 30 days has been just over 2000 per day. My BMR is listed as 2125 by the calculator on this site. I understand that I probably won't be losing weight with those numbers, but for this last month I was aiming just to maintain. I have a food scale and weigh every oz of food I eat, I'm confident in the accuracy of my calories. I can also guarantee this wasn't 20 lbs of muscle, my clothes no longer fit correctly.

    Any ideas as to how I seem to generate energy from nowhere would be appreciated.

    I had the same problem put on 3st in 4 months .went to doctor and I had an under active thyroid.once staring medication weight started to come off.now . Like others said maybe just get a check up at docs :-)? I was very active .ran my own bar and had 3kids to look after and always ate healthy.i couldn't understand why I put weight on.was happy to get a diagnosis
  • laprincess1234
    laprincess1234 Posts: 6
    I went to a nutritionist because I thought I was calculating and eating all the right things and just couldn't lose any weight. I am now on a 1200 calorie diet which I try to stick to religiously at least 5-6 days a week and I lose about 1 pound a week. I do not add calories to compensate for calories burned during exercise (advice from nutritionist and trainer). If i did that, I wouldn't lose. Exercise is just an added bonus. Maybe you are consuming too many calories if you are adding more calories to your diet to compensate for the exercise. BTW I have lost 16 pounds since February. I went off the diet for a few weeks during the summer at vacation but the important thing is that I didn't gain any weight when I went off the diet. 1200 is hard to stick to but once you get used to it, it isn't bad at all. You need to change your eating habits -- veggies and fruit.
  • Ge0rgiana
    Ge0rgiana Posts: 1,649 Member
    This happened to me at age 23. I gained 40lbs in about 5 months. I was on Adderrall at the time, so I wasn't eating much. Long story short, in my case it turned out to be edema in conjunction with a sluggish thyroid. I've fought it ever since. Go see your doctor.
  • castlerobber
    castlerobber Posts: 528 Member
    Without seeing your food diary, this is just a shot in the dark...

    Are you getting a very high percentage of your diet from starchy carbohydrate, even if it's supposedly "healthful" ones like potatoes, rice, and whole grains? Are you trying to keep fat intake low, say 25% or less? Have you been eating this way for months, or even years? If so, your body may be rebelling in the form of insulin resistance, even in spite of the amount of exercise you do. There's no way you should be having to cut your calorie intake down under 2000 at your size and activity level, just to maintain your weight.
  • lkblazek
    lkblazek Posts: 36
    What is your activity level set in your profile? Do you have it as sedentary (because of the job) and then add your activities or do you have it set at a higher energy level? ( I would suggest list it as sedentary and then add in your activities daily).

    I agree with pretty much everything that's been said so far ... please get a second opinion. Good Luck in tracking this down.
  • Piotrowski
    Piotrowski Posts: 2
    I have gained 40 pounds in one year. I was overtraining and under eating and have adrenal problems. My adrenals are overproducing cortisol due to stress of training, undereating, mom had cancer and passed away etc., but my hormone specialist gained 30 pounds in one month just from training for a marathon. Excessive training is really hard and stressful on the body and you start to produce too much cortisol which in turn suppresses your other hormones, including thyroid and growth hormones as well as messes with your metabolism. I found out the hard way that more training is not better. I am currently on supplements to lower my cortisol and cannot exercise the way that I used to. I can walk and do yoga rather than my old running and spinning days. Good luck, it's a tough battle... one that I am still trying to recover from.
  • amr264
    amr264 Posts: 1
    I'd be interested to hear how this is going for you. I am in the same boat (though female; also not pregnant). I've gained 22 pounds since October (3 months now). I've just emailed my doctor, but all recent blood work, including thyroid, was normal. Eating habits haven't changed drastically. I've never gained weight like this before. I'm now 29, 5'4" and 160. My "average" used to hover around 138-143, though even that is a bit high for someone of my height. Anyway, good luck, and let us know if anything has improved. I too had no luck counting calories. Sites like this and Lose it! Suggested 1200-1400 calories a day to lose 1.5 lbs/week. Even after a few weeks I never lost 1 lb. I just started crossfit and hope the strength and cardio combo helps out a bit.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,973 Member
    to gain 10 lbs in a month while keeping an eye on calorie intake is significant, much less 20 in 2 months. That much weight gain is actually hard to do. You would need to be overeating about 8750 calories per week (1250/day). Your BMR is about 2200 calories and your TDEE is around 2600, so you would need to be NETTING 3850 calories per day to gain that kind of weight.

    If you are being honest about your calorie intake and exercise, you might want to see a doctor and have some testing done.
    Science doesn't lie. The only other real way weight gain may be happening is from water retention/glycogen storage upon re entering an intense training program.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • anp020
    anp020 Posts: 1
    the exact same thing has happened to me every month im gaining almost 10 pounds im only 20 and 5'3 and I went from 136-160 in 3 months. I also went to the doctors and got tests done about my thyroids but the results came out negative and my doctor told me im heathly and when I asked why am I gaining so much weight in a short amount of time he said to try taking vitamins. I have now for the past month and I gained another 10 pounds I stay right within my 1200 calories and di cardio 3-4 -times a day for an hour
  • jogy
    jogy Posts: 77 Member
    I went to a nutritionist because I thought I was calculating and eating all the right things and just couldn't lose any weight. I am now on a 1200 calorie diet which I try to stick to religiously at least 5-6 days a week and I lose about 1 pound a week. I do not add calories to compensate for calories burned during exercise (advice from nutritionist and trainer). If i did that, I wouldn't lose. Exercise is just an added bonus. Maybe you are consuming too many calories if you are adding more calories to your diet to compensate for the exercise. BTW I have lost 16 pounds since February. I went off the diet for a few weeks during the summer at vacation but the important thing is that I didn't gain any weight when I went off the diet. 1200 is hard to stick to but once you get used to it, it isn't bad at all. You need to change your eating habits -- veggies and fruit.

    No Male should be on a 1200 calorie diet!!!! Unles he is 10 years old! I don't understand why you would suggest that. His body will go on starvation mode!?!?!
  • jogy
    jogy Posts: 77 Member
    In my case, it was depression. What most people don't know is that depression can be physical. My metabolism wasn't working, I had trouble with bowel movement, was sleeping a lot (came to 15 to 16 hours a day), even falling asleep while driving, loss of memory and concentration. Gained 10 pounds in 2 weeks.

    I'm not saying that you might have depression but I do think you should go see another doctor. You and only YOU know your body best. And if this is not normal for you, then there is a problem!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    the exact same thing has happened to me every month im gaining almost 10 pounds im only 20 and 5'3 and I went from 136-160 in 3 months. I also went to the doctors and got tests done about my thyroids but the results came out negative and my doctor told me im heathly and when I asked why am I gaining so much weight in a short amount of time he said to try taking vitamins. I have now for the past month and I gained another 10 pounds I stay right within my 1200 calories and di cardio 3-4 -times a day for an hour

    Frankly then - you are terrible at logging food and weighing it correctly.

    Or you are binging bad because 1200 is totally too low for you.

    Or you are correctly eating back exercise calories, and really badly overestimating how intense your effort is.

    If you gained 10 lbs in a month, after already having gained 10, it ain't water weight.

    10 x 3500 = 35000 / 30 days = 1167 calorie surplus daily.

    That doesn't mean you start eating 33 calories because your intake is too high.

    It means you need to start weighing your food, that's part of the likely error, but that is truly awful record keeping then.

    Or you need to be honest about snack or binging or meals you don't log, ect. Chipotle burrito and chips couple times a week will give you 3000 of that easily, other meals even easier.

    And if logging exercise calories which you should do, be honest with the speed of walks or running, other stuff could be very off if your effort is really weak at it. And undereating, it likely would be.

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