Frustrated beyond belief-WHY is there a weight GAIN??

Most likely muscle gain. Everyone will eventually gain some muscle from strength training, but you should start going back to losing weight. Maybe even faster with extra muscle. Keep your spirits up and give it a little more time.
I'm keeping myself motivated because I've been through this so many times that I just expect gain from muscle at some point.

Hi,
I suspect because you are working so hard (well done!) you are gaining muscle. The other posts are right, you will start to lose weight again. Have you tried taking your measurements instead? I've had exactly the type of week you've had. I've worked so hard and my clothes felt looser, but my weight has hardly shifted. But, when I measured myself, I had lost an inch from my waist and my hips.

I do a lot of strength training too and I'm definitely seeing a shift in my body shape. Keep going you're doing really well and try not to get disheartened

Personally, I've only weighed myself once, and at that point I hadn't lost a pound... but I had lost 3 inches in most places! A week later and my clothes are even more loose.. but I refuse to focus on the scale and just on how my clothes fit and my energy/stamina level. I do cardio 3-4 times a week 30 minutes to an hour each, and strength training for 45 minutes 2-3 times a week.

P. A. T. I. E. N. C. E.

The body will always readjust to its new weight with a fluctuation. It's a sense of balance that happens with life. It happens for everything that lives. For every person that dies, another is born. So on and so forth. -10 lbs + 3 lbs = -7 net lbs. I don't see a gain anywhere in the math logic. So far, doing what your doctor has told you to do seems to be working, in my opinion. Ask your doctor, next time you see them, if it's normal for the body to constantly lose weight without stabilizing itself. The result is usually that there's something wrong because there's no homeostasis. What if you hit your target weight and couldn't stop losing? Would you still be excited about the loss?

I'm not intentionally getting on your case... ok, I am, but it's the mere subject of not seeing the bigger picture for actual success that just makes me feel elated with frustration. It's only been a week since the fluctuation. If it moves in any direction, up or down, it means your metabolism is still active. If it moves one way, it's just as easy to move it the other way. You just have to wait for it to happen. Your body will lose weight again when it's ready. Getting frustrated and stressed out will make you stop losing weight. It will trigger the release of cortisol, as most know, is the hormone that keeps the body from dealing with any kind of stress, and that includes exercise, because it's a physical stress. When you relax, take a minute to chill out and know that you're still doing the right thing, you'll realize that it's not that big of a deal.

To answer your questions, I have gone through fluctuations. They were frustrating in the beginning. I learned to utilize the abundant amount of patience I have, to allow the fluctuation to happen. I remained confident in my ability to lose weight. I also changed certain routines such as eating a bit more on certain days, and eating a bit less on others. I took rest days on different days. I increased the intensity of my workouts. I increased the duration of my workouts. I drank more water. I increased my fiber intake. I increased my protein intake. I increased my overall daily calorie intake. I gained weight on purpose just so I could lose it again. There are so many things you could do differently or modify. Just stay focused on your goal. There will be more fluctuations later on. Guaranteed. So learn patience now or learn it later, but you're gonna have to learn it sometime.

Good luck and stay motivated.

I can completely understand where you are coming from ive been struggling with the same thing, i think its just something that we need to have patience with along the road, sometimes the body weighs more due to reasons such like water retention or waste retention, what i would do is try to drink a little more water than usual as this helps the body to understand that water is in plentiful supply or try a gentle senna laxative. Maybe that will help things get moving again :-) i hope everything works well for you and well done for not falling off the wagon

Hi, I've been at it for 5 weeks now. Not as intense on the exercise as you. I was happy when I lots 5 pounds in the first week, but then the scale didn't move. What has changed though is how my clothes stopped shrinking in the closet. Most of them actually streached. I think the scale is a tease, but looser clothes are definately telling me something.