Not an eating disorder, but I used to eat very little and now I gain weight rapidly. What can I do?

mandalou15
mandalou15 Posts: 25
in Health and Weight Loss
So a few years back, I would hardly eat. I didn't have an eating disorder I just never found the time to eat due to family issues and school. I would eat a sandwich at lunch and sometimes eat dinner. I lost a crazy amount of weight without realizing why. (I was only 14.) I now gain weight really quickly and I don't know what to do. I don't eat bad by any means, I do have pizza every once in a while but I don't eat a lot of junk food and I don't over eat. I exercise twice a week with a personal trainer and do some physical activity at work on a daily basis. Any suggestions on how to lose the weight? I have been tested for thyroid issues but i'm perfectly healthy. I'm 20 now and am just trying to have a healthier lifestyle.

Replies

  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    How much do you want/need to lose? (your ticker confuses me with the negative numbers) How many calories per day are you eating now? What do you mean when you say you gain weight easily now? Like how many lbs in how many days eating how many calories?
  • mandalou15
    mandalou15 Posts: 25
    I want to get down to 115 which is where I was before my weight gain. I haven't been counting calories because I'm just starting out. I gained about 65 pounds in less than a year because I find time to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I don't eat unhealthy but I can definitely eat healthier! Sorry about my ticker, I haven't been on here in forever!
  • luckydays27
    luckydays27 Posts: 552 Member
    edited October 2014
    Its hard to gain weight rapidly without trying. If this is a short term gain, most likely you are experiencing water retention. This appears like significant weight gain. (after sushi or a night of drinks, I can easily "seem" to have gained 5 lbs but a few days of regular meals and its all gone back to normal).

    This is part of the cycle of making the lifestyle changes that you need to do to sustain a healthy weight for the rest of your life. You need to understand how your body reacts to certain foods and roll with it. Weight loss can not be determined day to day but should be based on a period of time (week, month, year etc). If you try to focus on the day to day, you will be disappointed and quickly.

    If its a long term gain, you are eating more than you are burning.

    Weight loss = eating at a calorie deficit.
    Figure out what your daily calorie burn is (TDEE) and eat less than that over a period of time and you will lose weight.

    FYI, I use a FitBit to figure out my TDEE and its worked well for me.
  • mandalou15
    mandalou15 Posts: 25
    @need2exerc1se
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    mandalou15 wrote: »
    I want to get down to 115 which is where I was before my weight gain. I haven't been counting calories because I'm just starting out. I gained about 65 pounds in less than a year because I find time to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I don't eat unhealthy but I can definitely eat healthier! Sorry about my ticker, I haven't been on here in forever!

    If you've been gaining weight steadily for a year and you are working out with a trainer, then your weight gain is not the result of eating too few calories in the past. That is more than enough time to correct a dampened metabolism.

    Most likely you are just eating more calories than you need. I would suggest logging your food as accurately and honestly as possible for a while to see where you can best make adjustments. Include everything you eat, including all beverages that are not calorie free.
  • mandalou15
    mandalou15 Posts: 25
    Ok thank you for your help! I will definitely do that! @need2exerc1se
  • mandalou15
    mandalou15 Posts: 25
    Thank you!! @luckydays27
  • icrushit
    icrushit Posts: 773 Member
    edited October 2014
    Check out reverse dietting. I don't have any personal feedback to give, as I'm just trying it out at the moment, and won't know for another few months if it works or how well it works, but its supposed to be good at raising the bodies metabolism.

    I'm doing it at the moment to back out of my diet, hopefully raise my maintenance calorie level, and then go for a final bout of fat loss after christmas :smile:
  • AllTheNoms
    AllTheNoms Posts: 135 Member
    If you haven't been logging your food, then you are likely eating more calories than you realize.

    In addition, it probably isn't fair to compare yourself to your teenage weight since it is natural to gain some weight when you grow up and become a woman. For basic first steps, you should consider determining a healthy BMI based on your height, etc. and also your BMR/TDEE then come up with a reasonable calorie deficit that will help you get down to your BMI goal.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    To get started: Plug your numbers into MFP. Eat at the calorie number that it gives you. Log everything. If you do this for quite some time, making sure you are absolutely accurate (like, 7-8 weeks or more) and nothing changes, or you keep gaining weight, then you might want to check out the possibility that there is a health concern. But start there.
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