Could menopause be the culprit to my recent (unwanted) gains?

After you read that, where do you think your problem is?

It's something on that flow chart, not hormones.

I'm past menopause, I lost 70+ pounds and have kept it off by logging food, getting a little exercise and stepping on the body weight scale regularly.

You simply have not been at it long enough yet to blame it on hormones. Just a little over 2 weeks? Nope, not enough time!

MegAx2018 wrote: »

Thanks folks! I'm coming up on 3 weeks this Wednesday, so it would appear that I would need to give it more time before making an broad assumptions. My food tracking has been spot-on, and aside from the one day off-the-rails, I've been following the calorie plan. I will keep an eye on adding back in calorie allowances gained from exercising, and will give it more time. Will do my best to stay positive and on-track.

Thanks again for your help!

Are you weighing your food with a digital scale?

Any hormone shift will potentially cause temporary water weight gain, but this will go away after 5-7 days. What you need to focus on are long term trends over weeks and months.

Two weeks simply is not enough time to tell anything.

The "off plan", as you say, junk food probably contained more salt than your body is accustomed to, this can cause extra water weigh.

Also when the body is suddenly, yes, you say, 8 out of the last 10 days, more exercise than regularly, treadmill walking, there can be an increase in fluid in muscles unaccustomed to exercise as it recovers. I can't remember the scientific explanation. Also rest days are an essential part of exercise. I see you intend to add in calories earned too which is good.

Also since you are not yet post menopause you still have a cycle which may or may not have changed but one gains at this time, it usually goes as "situation normal" returns.

Stick with the calories, keep on counting. Its not linier. all the best.

MegAx2018 wrote: »

Started my weight loss journey here on June 1. Wanting to lose weight (about 40-50 lbs), I chose the 1.5lbs per week approach, which gives me a 1330 daily calorie limit. Lost 4.5 over the course of 2 weeks or so. Yay! Now, have been gaining a half-pound nearly every day, having put on 4 lbs over the past 9 days. Have been meeting my calorie goal daily, and treadmill walking (3.0mph) 8 of the last 10 days. One day during the past week I had some off-plan junk food, putting me over my daily calorie goal by about 500 calories. Just that one day of going off of my plan! Am incredibly frustrated to have had that one day of overeating, which has yielded 4 lbs of gain. Could my recent hot flashes be signaling that hormones are fighting me and showing up as weight gain? Thyroid test results in the past couple years are normal. Any insight helpful. Thanks~

A .5 gain nearly every day is unlikely to be "fat." Think about it - that kind of fat gain would amount to a 1450 calorie energy surplus over your current maintenance level. For women, "any large scale changes within a week are water weight" (Lyle McDonald, p. 350 The Women's Book - nice write up about menopausal transition). During transition, there are many disruptions to the normal hormonal balancing that goes on, and if you are getting hot flashes and are in the general age range for perimenopause, that could explain most if not all of that weight gain. Some of that initial 4.5 lbs lost also represents water weight. What not to do? Take a more severe deficit and up your cardio. What TO do? Be meticulous about logging; drink plenty of fluids and go for a reasonable amount of sodium and potassium; keep a reasonable deficit consistently; keep reasonable activity going.