no weight loss, weight gain, big time

ckdevack
ckdevack Posts: 3
edited October 1 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello all,
I always eat under my 1350 calorie allotment, i vigourously exercise at MINIMUM 3 times a week for an hour each. I am military, and are on their fitness program w/ professionals. I eat low carbs, no red meat, no simple sugars, rarely drink coke & no fried foods, and drink tons of water. dont get me wrong, im not a perfect eater, and do have a slice of pizza or a small order of onion rings or something occasionally ( once every 3 weeks or so). Last year I lost 30 lbs in 5 weeks, w/o even trying... now i am gaining a lot (i gained 10lbs in a week, then will stabilize then gain 10 in a week and so on, total ive gained 40 lbs in under 6 months). Ive already had my thyroid tested, and its w/in limits, i am not diabetic, however, i was recently diagnosed w. ovarian cysts, and uteriun fibroid tumors.... what I am wondering is if anybobdy has had this problem, or even a similar problem, and what they did about it. I am at the end of my rope, and dont want to get kicked out of the navy. I am working my butt off w/ no results, and am still gaining. I do have a dr appointment coming up, which i will discuss this topic w/ him, but id like real life experiences from others too.
Thanks

Replies

  • maddymama
    maddymama Posts: 1,183 Member
    Sounds to me like you are not eating enough calories... you eat under your alotment and then workout ontop of it. You need to try to net (eat after exercising) a minimum of 1200 calories. Your body might be holding into every calories because it thinks it's starving.
    Try to eat more for a week or two and see if it helps.
    Good luck!
  • Avalonis
    Avalonis Posts: 1,540 Member
    Sounds to me like you are not eating enough calories... you eat under your alotment and then workout ontop of it. You need to try to net (eat after exercising) a minimum of 1200 calories. Your body might be holding into every calories because it thinks it's starving.
    Try to eat more for a week or two and see if it helps.
    Good luck!

    Even if she is in starvation mode, she shouldn't have gains like that.

    OP: If you are SURE you aren't massively, massively overeating, or sleep eating (actually happens, I'm not joking) then you need to see a doctor, because something is seriously wrong. A 10 lbs gain in a week is NOT water weight, muscle growth, or anything else normal.
  • Edestiny7
    Edestiny7 Posts: 730 Member
    I agree. Make sure your net calories are at least 1200 every day. Also, you could be gaining muscle. Make sure you are drinking lots of water each day, and try to keep your sodium below 1500.
  • fitniknik
    fitniknik Posts: 713 Member
    If you are not eating enough you wont gain 40lbs in 6 months... I would say check with your dr for sure!!!
  • bjhadden
    bjhadden Posts: 120
    One thing I noticed is you are eating low calorie and low carb. I was told to do one or the other. I am not doctor though, so I would say it would be best to check with your pcm again and asked to be referred to a specialist. Also, I am pretty sure you can just go to the nutritionist in the hospital on post.
  • thepearlgirl
    thepearlgirl Posts: 7
    i have had fibroid tumors to the point i had to have a hysterectomy. you are on the right track by cutting out bad carbs and simple sugars as they will only aggravate the problem. i think you should countinue to eat lean proteins and lots...i mean lots of vegetables. i am also a very slow weight loser and can gain a pound just by smelling the wrong foods. you seem to be extremely sensitive to carbs and are most likely insulin resistent. keep doing what you are doing, but really strive to eat the green veggies with your lean protein and i think you will see the scale start to favor your efforts. best to you!
  • ckdevack
    ckdevack Posts: 3
    I am under the 1350 that is suggested, however I do normally eat very close to 1200 calories
  • Artemis_Acorn
    Artemis_Acorn Posts: 836 Member
    The thing that jumps out at me is the fibroid tumors. They are generally benign, but they can grow really fast and they are often very full of blood vessels so they are heavy tissue. I'm glad you're seeing the doc. Hopefully they'll be able to figure out what's going on quickly and help you with a speedy resolution.
  • EDesq
    EDesq Posts: 1,527 Member
    Hello all,
    I always eat under my 1350 calorie allotment, i vigourously exercise at MINIMUM 3 times a week for an hour each. I am military, and are on their fitness program w/ professionals. I eat low carbs, no red meat, no simple sugars, rarely drink coke & no fried foods, and drink tons of water. dont get me wrong, im not a perfect eater, and do have a slice of pizza or a small order of onion rings or something occasionally ( once every 3 weeks or so). Last year I lost 30 lbs in 5 weeks, w/o even trying... now i am gaining a lot (i gained 10lbs in a week, then will stabilize then gain 10 in a week and so on, total ive gained 40 lbs in under 6 months). Ive already had my thyroid tested, and its w/in limits, i am not diabetic, however, i was recently diagnosed w. ovarian cysts, and uteriun fibroid tumors.... what I am wondering is if anybobdy has had this problem, or even a similar problem, and what they did about it. I am at the end of my rope, and dont want to get kicked out of the navy. I am working my butt off w/ no results, and am still gaining. I do have a dr appointment coming up, which i will discuss this topic w/ him, but id like real life experiences from others too.
    Thanks

    If you are TRULY eating what you say you are, you should NOT be gaining that much weight...even with medical issues. Actually count your calories via MFP for a week or 2 and see EXACTLY what you are eating/Drinking. If you consume alcohol, that could also account for weight gain and reduced metabolism.
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    A similar thing happened to me in April of 2010. After maintaining 127 lbs. for most of my adult life, in April 2010 I gained a "mystery" 10 pounds that I could not lose FOR A WHOLE YEAR despite eating only my 18-22 WW points (no extras) and exercising 6 days/week. I was annoyed and feeling that I should not have to "diet" with the amount of exercise I do. In early May 2011, I put on another 5 pounds, got to 142 and ENOUGH WAS ENOUGH.

    Recently I realized (light bulb, thanks to MFP) that my first weight gain corresponded to the addition of 3-4 extra hours/week of exercise, but no increase in calorie consumption, then my 2nd gain corresponded with an additional weekly 30-mile bike ride--I was NOT EATING ENOUGH. How bizarre is that!!!

    Once I started tracking calories consumed and calories burned, I realized that I had been netting fewer than 800 calories most days for more than a year -- the same year I carried around an extra 10 lbs. while I was starving myself! duh!!

    You can find a lot of posts on here, including the sticky notes for newbies, that explain why it is important to make sure your NET calories don't fall below your BMR, but here is the one that put the light bulb on for me:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/196502-for-the-people-who-work-out-like-crazy-and-are-not-losing?hl=for+people+who+work+out+like+crazy

    edit: take a look at my food diary for a big work out day (like yesterday). I ate almost 3000 cals yesterday. In my old life I would have eaten about 1200, and therefore netted a NEGATIVE number. If you are doing that, you will likely gain weight, as I did.

    edit #2: I personally feel that low carb is a BAD idea for people who work out vigorously. This is not to say I stuff myself with cupcakes, however, I personally do not pay attention at all to carbs. I just try to avoid partially hydrogenated oils and chemical-laden processed foods. I do eat out and I am known to eat a 5 Guys burger on a big work out day. Everything in moderation, but don't cut out your carbs.

    blessings.
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
    My mom has those same kinds of tumors. If you are on medication at all, I think they make you gain from my experience being around her, or at least make you really bloated. If you're in the navy sounds like you need to be eating WELL over 1350calories. hope this helps.
  • melgillis
    melgillis Posts: 76 Member
    Get a 2nd opinion on your thyroid. Even within normal limits you may need just a little medication.

    Follow up on those fibroids.

    Otherwise, sounds like you're doing everything right.
  • ckdevack
    ckdevack Posts: 3
    I eat carbs, they r the whole wheat kind though. I started looking at NET calories, and noticed that yes, they are definitely low. usually around 800 or so on workout days. but this has been going on for quite some time. I was working out 5 days a week from jan until may, then cut back a little b/c i was always exhausted. even though my net calories are low on workout days, im not hungry and am not starving myself or anything.
    I am not currently taking meds, i just found this out the other day, and am waiting to see my DR about it
  • dreaasha
    dreaasha Posts: 31
    A similar thing happened to me in April of 2010. After maintaining 127 lbs. for most of my adult life, in April 2010 I gained a "mystery" 10 pounds that I could not lose FOR A WHOLE YEAR despite eating only my 18-22 WW points (no extras) and exercising 6 days/week. I was annoyed and feeling that I should not have to "diet" with the amount of exercise I do. In early May 2011, I put on another 5 pounds, got to 142 and ENOUGH WAS ENOUGH.

    Recently I realized (light bulb, thanks to MFP) that my first weight gain corresponded to the addition of 3-4 extra hours/week of exercise, but no increase in calorie consumption, then my 2nd gain corresponded with an additional weekly 30-mile bike ride--I was NOT EATING ENOUGH. How bizarre is that!!!

    Once I started tracking calories consumed and calories burned, I realized that I had been netting fewer than 800 calories most days for more than a year -- the same year I carried around an extra 10 lbs. while I was starving myself! duh!!

    You can find a lot of posts on here, including the sticky notes for newbies, that explain why it is important to make sure your NET calories don't fall below your BMR, but here is the one that put the light bulb on for me:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/196502-for-the-people-who-work-out-like-crazy-and-are-not-losing?hl=for+people+who+work+out+like+crazy

    edit: take a look at my food diary for a big work out day (like yesterday). I ate almost 3000 cals yesterday. In my old life I would have eaten about 1200, and therefore netted a NEGATIVE number. If you are doing that, you will likely gain weight, as I did.

    edit #2: I personally feel that low carb is a BAD idea for people who work out vigorously. This is not to say I stuff myself with cupcakes, however, I personally do not pay attention at all to carbs. I just try to avoid partially hydrogenated oils and chemical-laden processed foods. I do eat out and I am known to eat a 5 Guys burger on a big work out day. Everything in moderation, but don't cut out your carbs.

    blessings.

    Love this post. It made me realize that I shouldn't be exercising as hard as I do if I can't net at least 1200 calories, which is hard for me to do. I'd rather eat a little less, get my heart pumping with a good run, some time on the elliptical, and lose it slowly. Again. love this post.
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    I eat carbs, they r the whole wheat kind though. I started looking at NET calories, and noticed that yes, they are definitely low. usually around 800 or so on workout days. but this has been going on for quite some time. I was working out 5 days a week from jan until may, then cut back a little b/c i was always exhausted. even though my net calories are low on workout days, im not hungry and am not starving myself or anything.
    I am not currently taking meds, i just found this out the other day, and am waiting to see my DR about it

    I used to be very tired too. It stands to reason that you would be tired if you're depleting your body of energy and not refueling . . . Mine went on for a very long time too.

    I know it seems counter-intuitive, but really, you have EVERYTHING to lose, right?? What you're doing isn't working, you're restricting cals, working your butt off, feeling exhausted -- you know the definition of insanity, right? Doing the same thing and expecting a different result . . .

    Track carefully and keep your NET up to 1350 (or whatever your number is) for 2 weeks. Bet you drop some weight.

    blessings.
  • kleavitt1992
    kleavitt1992 Posts: 592 Member
    Pcos maybe an insulin problem with that?, or a thyroid prob maybe? def. go to the doctor dont listen about the cals thing you wouldnt gain that much in that amount of time your body is having some kind of issue
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