Unexplained Weight Gain

caracrawford1
caracrawford1 Posts: 657 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys...this may be a long shot but I thought I'd get some ideas. I have a friend at work who has put on fifty pounds in six months time-mainly in her abdomen and thighs. Overwhelming ly in her stomach area. She is 5'8 and now weighs 195, 33 years old. She doesn't seem to understand why. Yes, pregnancy has been ruled out. She was tested by her Dr for thyroid conditions but it all came back normal. She does have shingles but other than that no other medical conditions we are aware of.
She works a lot of hours--besides full time at my job, she also works for Disneyland in Anaheim, and so after work she has about an hour or so to commute by bus to Disneyland from Irvine, then works until 11 or 12 some evenings. We have to be at work by 6 or 7 am, so you can imagine the lack of sleep.
She states that she "doesn't eat a lot" and has not changed her eating habits in the past six months and frankly, at work, I have not seen her eat an outrageous amount. Plus at Disney she is on her feet constantly.
I did tell her to come on here and figure out her BMR and tdee and try to track her normal cals so at least shell have some hard evidence to bring her Dr. Any other ideas? Many thanks.

Replies

  • amberj32
    amberj32 Posts: 663 Member
    Yah! Disneyland! Sorry, I have an annual pass, love it there. It's good to see someone else from Southern California too. :)

    Did something happen 6 months ago? Like did she start a new job, etc. I agree with you about coming here and figuring her BMR, etc. and track her calories. At least it will give her a place to start. I think it will help to bring to her doctor as hard evidence of how much and what she is eating. She might also be eating a lot more than she thinks. She needs to get more sleep for sure. They could also test her for diabetes, cushing's syndrome and PCOS, also called polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD). Is she on any medications? Did she stop smoking?
  • caracrawford1
    caracrawford1 Posts: 657 Member
    She did start working with us about 9 months ago.
    She was planning a wedding but they have postponed it. I suppose that could be quite stressful. I think once she has determined for sure she's not drastically overeating, other possibilities can be ruled out. We both agreed though that gaining 50 pounds in six months (and still gaining I might add) is crazy. That's 100 pounds in a year!
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
    Unless you are with her 24/7, you can't be sure if she's telling the truth. I think she's either lying or there are some kind of alien forces performing weight gaining experiments on her. She could be pregnant and not know it also. TLC had a show about a lady who went to the bathroom and just had a baby, and then there are stone babies. Could be anything.
  • patb987
    patb987 Posts: 44 Member
    Is she packing lunches or eating on site? Could be she is a lot more calories than expected if she's eating there.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    Does she take any medications? I ask because I gained 111 lbs in less than 3 years due to medications.

    You said she has shingles…. Does she take corticosteroids for it? Because they are notorious for weight gain.
  • amberj32
    amberj32 Posts: 663 Member
    She did start working with us about 9 months ago.
    She was planning a wedding but they have postponed it. I suppose that could be quite stressful. I think once she has determined for sure she's not drastically overeating, other possibilities can be ruled out. We both agreed though that gaining 50 pounds in six months (and still gaining I might add) is crazy. That's 100 pounds in a year!

    I'm sure it was very stressful. Yes, 50 pounds in 6 months is crazy!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,039 Member
    Unfortunately if there is no health issues that are the issue, then it's about calorie surplus. And lots of overweight people have a tendency to deny that they eat more than they say they do.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal & Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
    Fluid retention was a possibility that cropped up reading that, but I'm no expert
  • caracrawford1
    caracrawford1 Posts: 657 Member
    Does she take any medications? I ask because I gained 111 lbs in less than 3 years due to medications.

    You said she has shingles…. Does she take corticosteroids for it? Because they are notorious for weight gain.
    I've not asked her if she's taking anything or how she's being treated for the shingles. That's a great idea. I'll find out.
  • caracrawford1
    caracrawford1 Posts: 657 Member
    Unfortunately if there is no health issues that are the issue, then it's about calorie surplus. And lots of overweight people have a tendency to deny that they eat more than they say they do.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal & Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    you are probably right. I did want to give her the benefit of the doubt because the gain does seem excessive. You would be have to be eating quite a bit to gain so much in such a short period of time.

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