Still eating right and exercising but gained it all back!

ss4vegeta48 · September 2017

Ok after months of losing my mind trying to find out what is going on I've decided to ask others if they may have had this issue.

Last April I decided it was time to eat better. I've always ate good but had that problem with eating things here and there I shouldn't. I started eating clean at all times and tracking my intake. I've also always been active but stepped it up a notch.

Within less than a year I was down to 135 and happy with it, but I had heard too many horror stories about people gaining it all back and then some, so I promised myself to maintain eating right and exercising. I got through the holidays turning my nose up at all the sugary treats and even ran in the freezing cold because I was completely and utterly devoted.

Then suddenly almost a year later and in a rapid time I gained it all back! Still eating healthy and exercising in the manner I did to lose it. I was worried I had a thyroid issue or some other medical issue because everyone kept saying the same thing as o why o gained it back...yo-yo dieting...but I didn't yo-yo my diet or exercise. All my blood work showed I was healthy and the doctor had no explaination. I've search low and high for answers for months and continue to gain. I'm exhausted at this point, but still continue to press forward with exercise and eating healthy for fear I may gain faster if I stop.

If anyone out there has experienced this and found the problem please help!

TavistockToad · September 2017

OK, what are your stats?

How much were you eating to lose, and how much to maintain?

Have you logged while maintaining?

toxikon · September 2017

Welcome!

Weight comes down to calories. You don't need to "eat clean" or avoid desserts or sugar, you just need to stick to a calorie deficit to lose weight. You could eat junk food all day and lose weight as long as you were at a deficit.

You'll find that most people here rely heavily on digital food scales and daily calorie tracking to reach their goals. Without a food scale, you're just guessing at your calorie intake and your guess could be way off.

You can calculate what your deficit should be with a TDEE calculator, or you can use MFP, because it has one built-in.

http://www.sailrabbit.com/bmr/

Your TDEE is your total daily energy expenditure. That's how many calories your body burns in a regular day. It's highly dependent on your activity level. If you work a desk job, your TDEE will be lower than someone who is on their feet all day.

Let's say you calculate your TDEE and it comes up as 2000. That's how many calories you could eat in a day to maintain your current weight. If you want to lose weight, you need to eat under 2000 calories per day. If you want to lose about a pound a week, you'd eat 1500 calories a day (aka a 500 calorie deficit).

As I mentioned above, the best way to make sure you are actually eating 1500 calories a day is to use a food scale and log each and every bite in MFP as accurately as you can.

ss4vegeta48 · September 2017

I started off on a low calorie 1200 diet but adjusted it throughout my weight loss period to make up for the weight loss i had. Even when adjusting it I still continued to lose. Eventually having a 1450 calorie diet in the end when I started gaining it back. I've pretty much been stuck there and I admit I'm not teaching my calorie intake st this point because I'm depressed about the weight and find myself not hungry.

I have continued logging my meals even when I started gaining it all back, trying to balance my fats, carbs, and protein. I've always had an issue with not getting enough protein due to not eating red meats or porks.

TavistockToad · September 2017

ss4vegeta48 wrote: »

I started off on a low calorie 1200 diet but adjusted it throughout my weight loss period to make up for the weight loss i had. Even when adjusting it I still continued to lose. Eventually having a 1450 calorie diet in the end when I started gaining it back. I've pretty much been stuck there and I admit I'm not teaching my calorie intake st this point because I'm depressed about the weight and find myself not hungry.

I have continued logging my meals even when I started gaining it all back, trying to balance my fats, carbs, and protein. I've always had an issue with not getting enough protein due to not eating red meats or porks.

1450? What are your stats?

ss4vegeta48 · September 2017

I'm 5'5 currently weighing at 150 but like I said I continue to gain, but worse my waist is getting larger in size. I've went up two pants size. I'm not at home to look at my last measurements.

TavistockToad · September 2017

ss4vegeta48 wrote: »

I'm 5'5 currently weighing at 150 but like I said I continue to gain, but worse my waist is getting larger in size. I've went up two pants size. I'm not at home to look at my last measurements.

There is no way youre gaining fat on 1450 cals given your stats. Do you weigh your food with scales? Can you open your diary?

In what timeframe have you gained 2 sizes?

musicfan68 · September 2017

I think you're eating more calories than you think. Are you weighing your portions to get accurate calories? I'm 5'0" and can eat a little over 1500 and lose weight.

HeatherScottTN · September 2017

WEIGH your Food and don't forget to log everything you put in your mouth. It ADDS up! I also don't think it totally does down to calories... Our bodies are smarter than that... Anything that RAISES you insulin is helping you get FAT. CONSIDER Intermittent fasting (not a diet but more of a pattern of eating)... many people fine success and satisfaction eating all of their calories within their "window" of time. Maybe 18 hours of fasting and 6 hours of eating. This allows more time that your body does not have anything driving insulin and it can do what it does, burn some of your fat for energy in that fasting window. make sense? Good luck!

SLLeask · September 2017

Could you be pregnant...?

mitch16 · September 2017

If you have ruled out health issues, then it comes down to consuming more calories than your body needs. Are you weighing/logging everything? If not, then you are probably eating more than you were when you were actively losing. Complacency in maintenance is not a good thing.

SibylDiane · September 2017

If you are a woman and experiencing unexplained weight gain, abdominal bloating, and possibly other symptoms (fatigue, lack of appetite) go to your doctor or ob-gyn and explain your symptoms. There are a lot of issues that could be going on here that you would want to get checked out, not just possible pregnancy but ovarian problems and things of that nature. I am not a medical professional but I know people who have had these issues and their doctors were able to help them. Not saying you have anything terrible going on but medical issues (not just thyroid/blood work) are things that at the least you could rule out as causing this unexplained weight gain and abdominal bloating.

aeloine · September 2017

SLLeask wrote: »

Could you be pregnant...?

Ditto. Especially since your WAIST is getting bigger.

GemstoneofHeart · September 2017

It doesn't just suddenly come back. It came back because you ate at a calorie surplus. It doesn't matter that you were "eating clean" if you were eating an excess of calories.

A lot of people have to continue tracking calories even in maintenance. I know I will or I will gain it back because I am very bad at estimating my intake.

Need2Exerc1se · September 2017

SibylDiane wrote: »

If you are a woman and experiencing unexplained weight gain, abdominal bloating, and possibly other symptoms (fatigue, lack of appetite) go to your doctor or ob-gyn and explain your symptoms. There are a lot of issues that could be going on here that you would want to get checked out, not just possible pregnancy but ovarian problems and things of that nature. I am not a medical professional but I know people who have had these issues and their doctors were able to help them. Not saying you have anything terrible going on but medical issues (not just thyroid/blood work) are things that at the least you could rule out as causing this unexplained weight gain and abdominal bloating.

THIS!!!

If you are experiencing unexplained weight gain you need to go back to the doctor. It is not normal for your TDEE to suddenly change that drastically if you are eating the same with same activity level.

kshama2001 · September 2017

"Eating right," "eating healthy", and "eating well" are not the same as eating at maintenance.

While pregnancy or fibroids could explain your expanding waist, it is more likely you are eating more than you think.

Please change your Diary Sharing settings to Public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

ss4vegeta48 · September 2017

TavistockToad wrote: »

ss4vegeta48 wrote: »

I'm 5'5 currently weighing at 150 but like I said I continue to gain, but worse my waist is getting larger in size. I've went up two pants size. I'm not at home to look at my last measurements.

There is no way youre gaining fat on 1450 cals given your stats. Do you weigh your food with scales? Can you open your diary?

In what timeframe have you gained 2 sizes?

Well I measure my vegetables I don't weigh them. I do not eat much meat but a chicken breast and maybe a salmon filet. I do not weigh those.

As I said the weight gain started in April. I have my waist measurements as 30 1/2 inches then. Now I am 36 inches. My biceps are 12 from 11. Thighs 24 from 22. My primary weight gain seems to be my waist and no I am not pregnant to those who ask.

I did find out in July I had a gluten intolerance so I have to avoid a lot of foods now. I thought that might be the issue but I've gained about 4 pounds since then. I'm just highly frustrated.

My doctor even ordered abdominal x-rays to make sure there was nothing wrong and everything is good, so he just tells me it's probably my metabolism.

Francl27 · September 2017

Guess? Your portions have become bigger and you haven't realized it because you're not weighing your food.

kshama2001 · September 2017

ss4vegeta48 wrote: »

TavistockToad wrote: »

ss4vegeta48 wrote: »

I'm 5'5 currently weighing at 150 but like I said I continue to gain, but worse my waist is getting larger in size. I've went up two pants size. I'm not at home to look at my last measurements.

There is no way youre gaining fat on 1450 cals given your stats. Do you weigh your food with scales? Can you open your diary?

In what timeframe have you gained 2 sizes?

Well I measure my vegetables I don't weigh them. I do not eat much meat but a chicken breast and maybe a salmon filet. I do not weigh those.

As I said the weight gain started in April. I have my waist measurements as 30 1/2 inches then. Now I am 36 inches. My biceps are 12 from 11. Thighs 24 from 22. My primary weight gain seems to be my waist and no I am not pregnant to those who ask.

I did find out in July I had a gluten intolerance so I have to avoid a lot of foods now. I thought that might be the issue but I've gained about 4 pounds since then. I'm just highly frustrated.

My doctor even ordered abdominal x-rays to make sure there was nothing wrong and everything is good, so he just tells me it's probably my metabolism.

I bet you made a change to accommodate being gluten free that is higher in calories than how you were eating before.

cmriverside · September 2017

Yeah, if you don't weigh meat, it's possible you're eating a lot more than you think. Salmon isn't exactly low-cal, either. What about oils, salad dressings, butter, cheese, dairy, nuts, avocado, potatoes, fruit, eggs? Do you eat them? Do you weigh them?

ss4vegeta48 · September 2017

SibylDiane wrote: »

If you are a woman and experiencing unexplained weight gain, abdominal bloating, and possibly other symptoms (fatigue, lack of appetite) go to your doctor or ob-gyn and explain your symptoms. There are a lot of issues that could be going on here that you would want to get checked out, not just possible pregnancy but ovarian problems and things of that nature. I am not a medical professional but I know people who have had these issues and their doctors were able to help them. Not saying you have anything terrible going on but medical issues (not just thyroid/blood work) are things that at the least you could rule out as causing this unexplained weight gain and abdominal bloating.

Yes this was my first thought. As I said I did have a full blood work up done and abdominal x-rays. I have been told by other women about the symptoms of ovarian cysts and that I might want to get an ultrasound done.

I've just concluded I don't have the answers. I do log everything I eat. I actually figure my daily meals out first thing in the morning. I try to stay on my calorie target but sometimes I'm actually under. I also try to make sure my fats, carbs and proteins balance but sometimes that's hard to do so I end up with too little proteins and more fats or carbs.

Still eating right and exercising but gained it all back!

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