Hormones and Weight Gain

maryjane28
maryjane28 Posts: 25 Member
edited November 9 in Introduce Yourself
I recently gained 8 lbs. Thinking it was from maybe underestimating on my calories through the holidays (because I know that's very easy to do), I cut back my calorie intake.Turns out I have an ovarian cyst. Still I am left wondering how easy is it really to gain weight from hormones? It feels like body fat is just clinging on to me.It's so frustrating; usually I can do a couple days of fasted long runs and the fat diminishes...But lately I have gained fat on my thighs which as a runner is so weird...and I have this little belly that just won't quit. I consider myself a pretty fit person, I eat a lot, workout a lot and keep an eye out on all of that...so it just is so frustrating, am I not doing enough? Or have my hormones truly resulted in such a drastic change in my appearance...

Replies

  • hellosay
    hellosay Posts: 76 Member
    Did you get your thyroid checked?
  • hearthwood
    hearthwood Posts: 794 Member
    edited January 2015
    Watch the calories you're burning. Lots of devices overestimate calories burned and you end up over eating your workouts, and gain weight by doing so. A good rule of thumb is to never eat back more than 1/2 of calories burned back. Millions of women get ovarian cysts, I have never known of them causing weight gain. If you think it's the hormones that is causing the problem then you should probably consult your doctor. Good luck, stick with it and you'll get there.
  • freechewy
    freechewy Posts: 111 Member
    Hello,

    It does make a difference, male doctors will ride you (well in Southern California they will), telling you that you need to lose weight. I had uterus removal 6 years ago and my metabolism died. I run, jog and walk 5 to 6 days a week. I eat less than 2000 cals per day. When my long time General P saw me, his first word were "wow, you were 119 for the entire ten years I treated you, you are now 148.. what happened?" I am ex military, all I could say was "one throat punch coming up.. are you kidding? I had cancer you idiot and I lost my uterus!!" So yes, when a woman has hormonal adjustments no matter what the reason, counting calories is not the final solution. This site is a blessing and a curse. I use it to make sure that I am not exceeding 2000 calories a day and that I am walking, jogging and crawling at least once a day.

    Women's hormones and health, aging really impact our metabolism. It's the reason that I am now selective of who I allow to Friend me on here. Last time, I had healthy 25 year old fitness trainers ragging on me about my lack of activity and calorie consumption.

    All I can say is to find what works for you. What works for me is walking three times a day or running after work and sometimes preparing my own meals.

    I am here if you need me, I wish you all the best in the world and love yourself in this new year!
  • Unknown
    Unknown
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  • betharmstrong61
    betharmstrong61 Posts: 6 Member
    Hi. I have pcos....it's ovarian cysts. I have the hardest time losing weight. I'm 34. I eat high protein , don't drink soda, no fast food, no chips cakes, or pies..... no icecream. My weight keeps goin up. I've been to dr. , been to specialist, now I'm try acupuncture. ....I don't ever have periods my testosterone levels r very high. .. I do cardio, I was lifting heavy to try and burn fat I got thick fast made feel bigger. I hope u find something that works..I'm still trying.
    My biggest thing is I'm scared to gain more weight so I got this app take sure I'm eating enough which today u was short 4 hundreds something calories. ..does any body know if being short that amount of calories is a king me gain? I'm very active. And if I get home from work and it's like 9:00 pm should I try and take all the calories in that I'm under? It seems to late to eat 400 calories.
  • betharmstrong61
    betharmstrong61 Posts: 6 Member
    And I hate to say it pcos can cause u to gain weight if u have it. Have ur dr check they have some med. For it I was unable to take them. But guess who has it and looks great Julianne from the biggest loser...so there is hope.
  • jamiesparklez
    jamiesparklez Posts: 5 Member
    I have been counting my calories and exercising for the past 3 years and have gained 26 pounds. Everyone keeps telling me I may have thyroid issues.
  • maryjane28
    maryjane28 Posts: 25 Member
    Ok well I guess I was a bit to vague.To start, yes I got my thyroid checked. Yes I use a food scale.I only eat back my cardio cals,I am 21,am on the border of being MFP over-obsessive.I weigh everything, count every bite, eat a net of less than 1200 a day. I lift weights, I work a job where I am on my feet 40 + hours a week. I was told hormones can make you gain weight.... I've lost weight before doing what I am doing now...so I just can't figure out what changed,except my ovarian cyst. I guess I'd like more information about hormonal weight changes and less criticism of how I am using mfp. Because to be honest I did not need to lose weight before this 8 lbs happened.
  • savvyfantastic
    savvyfantastic Posts: 112 Member
    It's important to remember that the weight - hormone relationship is two way. It's not just a case of hormones affecting our weight. Weight can also impact hormone production.

    It's a bit hard to say for sure - and nobody really should without having a fully in depth understanding of your body, diet and lifestyle.

    As a side note, I notice you're a female in your early 20s. The little belly that won't budge? Totally normal! As much as it can be tempting to attribute to hormones, keep in mind normal ageing. I know for ages in my early 20s I was focused on what my weight was at 17 and used that as a benchmark - things change a lot over this time.

    All the best x
  • kmash32
    kmash32 Posts: 275 Member
    Hi,

    Yes hormones can play a big part in weight gain and the ability to lose weight. A lot of people on here will site the mantra it is all about calories in and calories out but as some one who has no thyroid (removed 10 years ago due to cancer) and also has PCOS (causes small cysts and some times larger ones on the ovaries) I can tell you for some of us it is about more than that. I have been told over and over by doctors and specialists that it will be very hard to lose weight. Mostly because your metabolism is slower (which means you don't burn as many calories in a day as a normal person) and with PCOS your insulin resistance is low so your sugar/insulin levels can be very high and your testosterone levels for a women are very high both of which make it hard to lose fat.

    PCOS can be hard to diagnose without an internal ultrasound but one way to know their is an issue is to have our testosterone levels checked. In they are high this is a good indicator and those high levels effect a woman's metabolism.

    For me I find that if I am not exercising regularly I have to stick to 1200 calories a day but if I exercise regularly then I keep it consistent at about 1500 calories a day and most days don't eat back most or all of my exercises calories. This is the only thing that works for me. I found the up and down of eating at 1200 and then eating my exercise calories on the days I worked out wasn't working, but if I keep the intake consistent from day to day I have better luck.

    Good Luck, I am back for the third time and hopefully the last.
  • maryjane28
    maryjane28 Posts: 25 Member
    savvyfantastic wrote: »
    It's important to remember that the weight - hormone relationship is two way. It's not just a case of hormones affecting our weight. Weight can also impact hormone production.

    It's a bit hard to say for sure - and nobody really should without having a fully in depth understanding of your body, diet and lifestyle.

    As a side note, I notice you're a female in your early 20s. The little belly that won't budge? Totally normal! As much as it can be tempting to attribute to hormones, keep in mind normal ageing. I know for ages in my early 20s I was focused on what my weight was at 17 and used that as a benchmark - things change a lot over this time.

    All the best x
    kmash32 wrote: »
    Hi,

    Yes hormones can play a big part in weight gain and the ability to lose weight. A lot of people on here will site the mantra it is all about calories in and calories out but as some one who has no thyroid (removed 10 years ago due to cancer) and also has PCOS (causes small cysts and some times larger ones on the ovaries) I can tell you for some of us it is about more than that. I have been told over and over by doctors and specialists that it will be very hard to lose weight. Mostly because your metabolism is slower (which means you don't burn as many calories in a day as a normal person) and with PCOS your insulin resistance is low so your sugar/insulin levels can be very high and your testosterone levels for a women are very high both of which make it hard to lose fat.

    PCOS can be hard to diagnose without an internal ultrasound but one way to know their is an issue is to have our testosterone levels checked. In they are high this is a good indicator and those high levels effect a woman's metabolism.

    For me I find that if I am not exercising regularly I have to stick to 1200 calories a day but if I exercise regularly then I keep it consistent at about 1500 calories a day and most days don't eat back most or all of my exercises calories. This is the only thing that works for me. I found the up and down of eating at 1200 and then eating my exercise calories on the days I worked out wasn't working, but if I keep the intake consistent from day to day I have better luck.

    Good Luck, I am back for the third time and hopefully the last.
    Thank you for the advice its just been really frustrating new thing
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