Gaining weight and super confused.

curryspicegirl
curryspicegirl Posts: 28 Member
edited November 24 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi there,

I thought I'd ask here, since reading 328746824 articles only confused me more. Here it goes. I am 35, have been exercising and staying healthy for the past 15 years or so, maintaining a pretty steady weight (around 120 lbs, I am 5'3", last time I had the test done my BF was around 23-24). I am an meso/endomorph, I gain muscle quite easily, I do some weight exercises occasionally but usually stick to the elliptical (I sit for 8 hours at my job) about 3-4 times a week. In the past 6 months I have been gaining weight. I am currently around 128, which doesn't seem like much, but the only time I ever went over 120 was when I was pregnant. Now I am steadily reaching new points on the scale and wondering what's going on. A few things I should mention:
1. I tend to undereat and then binge on sweets. Before you're like 'a-ha!We have a culprit!' I should say that I'd been doing it ever since I remember and it never affected my weight; in the past few months I've been trying to meet my daily calorie goals and eat healthier, therefore minimizing the nighttime snack binges. I try to eat around 1800 calories a day, I struggle with getting enough protein, but try to get close to 'enough'. Most days I still fall under my goal (for total calories and waaay under my goal for protein. But then again - I'm sure I ate even less protein before). I had to consciously start eating more because I was always cold and had severe hair loss due to anemia and not enough protein in my diet. I also may have been on the verge of an ED, so I will not go under what my body needs to function.
2. I am often super bloated and sometimes constipated I drink a lot of water and do not use salt; no idea what's causing it. I take probiotics which help a little bit.
3. My measurements have gone up as well; I am worried because although I've always had strong, big, muscly legs for my built, the inches never went up. I did go up in the resistance on the elliptical recently, in the spirit of all the 'you bulk up first and then the muscles burn the fat' talk, but I also read a ton of articles debunking it and saying that I may need to go no-or-low- resistance to slim the legs down and just do cardio. I can't run because of my bad knees.
4. My stomach is also expanding. I use the MFP food log and I always round up the calories, to make sure I don't log too few. Why is that happening? Thanks to HIIT and other mat workouts I have kind of nice oblique definition, but the gut is still there, often bloated.

Please help! What do I do? I have finally got the courage to do the InBody test tomorrow; I am freaking out because I know the weight will be so much higher than all my previous ones. I want to know if everything I put on was fat. Last time I did InBody it basically said I was perfect- didn't need to lose weight or gain any muscle. And I loved that weight and myself in it. All I want is to get it back.
Thank you all who read this essay and can help me figure this out! :smiley:

Replies

  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    You should probably see a doctor.

    In reference to 2 above. Too little salt(sodium, potassium, magnesium) AKA electrolytes can also cause bloating.
  • curryspicegirl
    curryspicegirl Posts: 28 Member
    Thanks - I asked my doctor to do my bloodwork next week. About 2 years ago I had a brief stint with hypothyroidism but it's been fine since then. Should I take multivitamin for the potassium/magnesium?
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
    Ditto on checking in with your general practitioner for a general check up, hormone levels, etc.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,260 Member
    Also fiber and get content of diet
  • brendanwhite84
    brendanwhite84 Posts: 219 Member
    If I were you I'd spend a little coin and go get an RMR test from a medical lab. I had one done when I was losing weight while doing athletics and it was very useful for calibrating my food intake.
  • dlhatch67
    dlhatch67 Posts: 32 Member
    My first thought was the hypothyroidism because it slows down your metabolism, thereby causing weight gain. Are you also feeling very tired?
    Definitely, go to the doctor and report your symptoms. There could be another reason (irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes) for the weight gain and bloating, but you'd most likely have other symptoms.
    Good luck. I hope you get this diagnosed and that the answer is relatively minor.
  • NextRightThing714
    NextRightThing714 Posts: 355 Member
    edited January 2018
    The InBody test - I'm assuming offered by your gym - will be inaccurate. Skip it. I echo the advice about seeing your doctor.

    ETA: typo.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,260 Member
    edited January 2018
    grr... and too late to fix: also fiber and FAT content of diet.

    Furthermore, your tummy, you're saying, is not exactly flat (and I assume you're not talking fat). Which means that there is excess food in your gut due to the constipation, or other reasons for the bloating taking place.

    A pretty serious recent family member scare didn't show many more symptoms than what you've described.

    If you don't have a fairly good handle as to what is causing your bloating... i would definitely visit my doctor to have a look at things.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,260 Member
    ...thus it is important to report that a large error does exist when applying each device to an individual. In general, our data demonstrate that the InBody 320, Omron and Bod-eComm are correlated and not significantly different from the reference criterions; however, large individual error exists

    Validity and reliability of body composition analysers in children and adults (PDF Download Available). Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5506678_Validity_and_reliability_of_body_composition_analysers_in_children_and_adults [accessed Jan 19 2018].
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited January 2018
    Your diary is open but there are only a few days entries but these are only half logged and going back a week or two the same. Unless you are keeping up with intake somewhere else, I would start logging my food here in MFP, using the database entries provided by MFP and even use a food scale to dial in your intake even more accurately..

    That said, this all sounds quite complex, and I agree up thread about your dietary FAT intake and fiber as well. You say you don't use salt, but the foods you eat will contain some sodium, so are you reaching sodium min without the use of a salt shaker? And some measurement increases can be water retention as well.

    All this said I would definitely keep working with your doctor.
  • db121215
    db121215 Posts: 60 Member
    Agreed with above posters. My 2 cents. Some protein bars can be quite good and sweet. May want to consider sampling some to get the protein up, while still satisfying your sweet tooth. And as RoxieDawn said, beat me to it, is that salt lives in some foods you wouldn't ever think could pack so much sodium. Something to take a second look at. As for what you were able to swing over the last 15 years versus now, I'm sure your body changed in those years and processes differently. Best of luck with everything.
  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
    As noted above, work with your health care provider. Skip the gym body fat test. Weigh and measure your food for a few weeks to get a handle on your actual calorie consumption. Be a bit more vigilant with adequate protein consumption and also enough fat. Try to eat so that you get micronutrients, too (variety of vegetables and fruit). Fruit might quench your sweet tooth a bit as well as easing constipation, an added bonus!
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    curryspicegirl wrote: »
    1. I tend to undereat and then binge on sweets. Before you're like 'a-ha!We have a culprit!' I should say that I'd been doing it ever since I remember and it never affected my weight; in the past few months I've been trying to meet my daily calorie goals and eat healthier, therefore minimizing the nighttime snack binges. I try to eat around 1800 calories a day, I struggle with getting enough protein, but try to get close to 'enough'. Most days I still fall under my goal (for total calories and waaay under my goal for protein. But then again - I'm sure I ate even less protein before). I had to consciously start eating more because I was always cold and had severe hair loss due to anemia and not enough protein in my diet. I also may have been on the verge of an ED, so I will not go under what my body needs to function.
    I'm curious about the bolded bit. Does this mean that eating your daily calorie goal has gotten rid of the sweets binges, or that you've upped your calorie intake during the day but are still occasionally bingeing on sweets?

  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    curryspicegirl wrote: »
    Thanks - I asked my doctor to do my bloodwork next week. About 2 years ago I had a brief stint with hypothyroidism but it's been fine since then. Should I take multivitamin for the potassium/magnesium?

    Are you medicated and well-controlled? Or did you decide that you weren't hypo? Hypothyroid is chronic -- it may wax and wane, but it doesn't go away.

    I'm hypothyroid, and just spent seven months being undermedicated. It's only been since *I* started tapering up my dose that a) I'm not gaining weight, and b) it's actually starting to come back off. I was weighing everything that I ate or drank, working out intensely, had meticulous records, and *still* gained weight. All water.

    And I am furious at the universe, and my doctors, for making me fat because they weren't listening to my concerns about how no, I *am* eating in a deficit, and I'm *still* gaining weight. (My endo *finally* agreed to bring my dose up.)

    I could have written your post. If your thyroid isn't controlled, you'll back on the water weight. And diuretics won't take it off. It's ridiculous.

    So I'd start there. Demand that your doctor actually listen to you -- and if you come back hypo, actually take your meds.
  • curryspicegirl
    curryspicegirl Posts: 28 Member
    Thank you all for input. A few replies/ clarifications:
    1. Salt- I don’t like the taste of salt so I don’t add it to any food, assuming there’s so much sodium in everything that I’m meeting my goals.
    2. Food log- I actually completed quite a few days, I just usually fall under the goal. But I agree, I have to complete at least a few weeks. It’s hard to remember with the crazy life (full time job, 2 little kids, grad school, etc)
    3. Sweet binges- when I eat closer to calorie goal they are much smaller, but I still occasionally stuff myself with Chexmix. Way less than I used to and still usually under calorie goal.
    4. Hypothyroidism- the endo was surprised that it went away because it is usually chronic. I never got any meds, she said we’ll monitor it probably forever because I may be prone, but it’s been 2 years and so far so good. Most likely I messed up my thyroid with too much kale...
  • curryspicegirl
    curryspicegirl Posts: 28 Member
    Little update- did the inBody test this am so see what’s up (it’s free at my gym and the only thing that helps me figure out what’s happening because it compares my previous results). Anyway- muscle mass was over 102% on each segment, fat was up by 4 lbs. From now on I will focus on no resistance cardio. I also reduced my BMR in MFP and will start logging religiously. Thanks for your help, all!
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