Gaining weight

[hjgbujhghg]

So I have an issue... I've been gaining weight lately, (nope, definitely not pregnant) and I can't really tell why. I've always been extremely picky with food and I only eat healthy, vegetarian meals under 500 calories. I don't eat anything fat, I avoid fast food, I don't like sweets and my only guilty pleasure is popcorn that I allow myself from time to time.

Other than that I only eat whole wheat bread for breakfast (I even cut that off since I've noticed that I'd been gaining), I like some low calorie spreads, like avocado spread or hummus. I always eat some fruit before the lunch and I always make sure it's something different to get balanced vitamins. I get normal lunch, usually it's some risotto, pasta, grilled cheese, grilled vegetables, or a vegetarian taco. Just something healthy like that... I allow myself some a treat in the afternoon and it's usually something like a raw vegan bar or a cereal bar and that's it...

I try not to eat after 4 p.m. and even when I do happen to eat something for a dinner, it must be really small plate of a salad or so...

The dinners are the issue... Sometimes I feel really hungry and I eat just a bit more or cook some pasta when I'm really hungry and boom... I weigh two pounds more the next morning. It's the same when I drink alcohol. I usually don't eat anything when I know I'd be drinking in the evening but all it takes for me is few more beers or glasses of wine and I just gain 2 to 3 pounds.

Yesterday I had a fruit day and I ate only some apples during the whole day, but I went to visit my grandma and she cooked some soya with rice and vegetables for me so I ate it. I gained 3 pounds from it...

I often get what people call a "food baby", but I feel like it's really extreme in my cases and my stomach doesn't get much flatter for a really long time. I even get this huge stomach every evening even when I do not eat anything, I always look like pregnant at the end of the day. Even after eating like almost nothing at all...

I don't really know what to do. Do you think that I might have fucked up my metabolism from restricting too much and now I'm just gaining from everything?

If it's not that, do you think I could have some actual medical condition? I suffered from hyperthyroidism as a child and my doctor warned me that it could come back later in life even in a reversed form of a hypothyroidism. That basically means that your thyroid's function gets extremely slow and so does your whole body and metabolism. I do have it in family and it's a genetic thing so it could be the case, but I don't have any other symptoms.

It feels kinda lame to just go to my GP saying "Hey, I've been gaining weight..." Idk what to do...Any ideas pls?

 

[Patches]

I don't really know what to do. Do you think that I might have fucked up my metabolism from restricting too much and now I'm just gaining from everything?

If it's not that, do you think I could have some actual medical condition? I suffered from hyperthyroidism as a child and my doctor warned me that it could come back later in life even in a reversed form of a hypothyroidism. That basically means that your thyroid's function gets extremely slow and so does your whole body and metabolism. I do have it in family and it's a genetic thing so it could be the case, but I don't have any other symptoms.

It feels kinda lame to just go to my GP saying "Hey, I've been gaining weight..." Idk what to do...Any ideas pls?

That's not lame at all, that's what your GP is there for. Those questions can be answered by some really simple lab work. A little bit of blood, and they could run a workup on your BMP and TSH (Basic Metabolic Panel, Thyroid Stimulating Hormone). Thats the only way to answer your questions.

 

[Lexicon]

^this. Make an appointment requesting fasting blood work. Try to fast before the appt so s/he can do the draw right then or send you to the lab to get it right then. Fasting as in nothing but water for at least 10 hours. Meds are ok unless specified otherwise, but nothing else. Just water. No coffee, gum, mints, etc. Even the sugar free kind can mess w/results. That will give you the most accurate metabolic panel, from what I understand.



That said, 500 calories per day is not healthy by any standard, and it can definitely set your metabolism out of whack, but the effects are not permanent. Thousands of years (*cough* 15) ago, when I was recovering from an eating disorder, I put on weight rapidly once I started eating normally again. Which is triggering/distressing as all hell, to be frank. I’d jumped from 115 to 140 in a few months, which wasn’t overweight for my height (almost 5’9”), but it was still more than I wanted to be, and it had happened so fast I didn’t know what to do.

I resisted the urge to return to restricting, and instead increased my activity levels, ate normal healthy meals, and only weighed myself once a week, slowly moving toward once a month weigh-ins. Now I only do it once every few months, it’s really sporadic.

Eventually (it took longer to come off) my weight returned to its more natural set point (around 125-130), without restricting. My metabolism more or less corrected itself after the initial change took place.


However, I did this after making sure there was nothing else at play (bloodwork/metabolic panel). Some meds can affect your metabolism, as well. Given your history of thyroid issues it would be best to rule that out, too.

Restricting like you are is definitely not the way to go, though. Good luck.

 

[Luminous]

Are you having other hypothyroidism-type symptoms? (feel lethargic, cold, hair loss?)

I third the get checked by a doctor suggestion.

 

[Luminous]

^this. Make an appointment requesting fasting blood work. Try to fast before the appt so s/he can do the draw right then or send you to the lab to get it right then. Fasting as in nothing but water for at least 10 hours. Meds are ok unless specified otherwise, but nothing else. Just water. No coffee, gum, mints, etc. Even the sugar free kind can mess w/results. That will give you the most accurate metabolic panel, from what I understand.



That said, 500 calories per day is not healthy by any standard, and it can definitely set your metabolism out of whack, but the effects are not permanent. Thousands of years (*cough* 15) ago, when I was recovering from an eating disorder, I put on weight rapidly once I started eating normally again. Which is triggering/distressing as all hell, to be frank. I’d jumped from 115 to 140 in a few months, which wasn’t overweight for my height (almost 5’9”), but it was still more than I wanted to be, and it had happened so fast I didn’t know what to do.

I resisted the urge to return to restricting, and instead increased my activity levels, ate normal healthy meals, and only weighed myself once a week, slowly moving toward once a month weigh-ins. Now I only do it once every few months, it’s really sporadic.

Eventually (it took longer to come off) my weight returned to its more natural set point (around 125-130), without restricting. My metabolism more or less corrected itself after the initial change took place.


However, I did this after making sure there was nothing else at play (bloodwork/metabolic panel). Some meds can affect your metabolism, as well. Given your history of thyroid issues it would be best to rule that out, too.

Restricting like you are is definitely not the way to go, though. Good luck.

I think Fay means that each meal is under 500 calories?

I suggest not weighing yourself at all.

 

[Patches]

That said, 500 calories per day is not healthy by any standard,

She said per meal, which I hope means she's eating at least 3-4 of those per day.

 

[Lexicon]

She said per meal, which I hope means she's eating at least 3-4 of those per day.

I misread (multitask failure). Yeah. GP can also help you figure out what you’re ideal caloric needs are based on your height/weight/metabolic panel, btw, [MENTION=18559]Fay[/MENTION].

 

[Lexicon]

Should also be noted it’s actually normal for your weight to fluctuate by a couple pounds even over the course of a single day. That’s why daily weigh ins can just be more stressful than informative.

 

[Totenkindly]

I hope you can get some good feedback from doct + any tests that are done.

I've noticed with my own weigh-in's, I tend to flux regularly over the day and even over the week, while staying within the same 5-6 pound range. Sometimes it doesn't even make much sense when I weigh more vs less. Don't ask me.

(Side note: I have had to pretty much cut alcohol out of my diet, generally. A shot will be 100 cal, typically, and any bottled drink will run me 170-200 cal typically. I had friends who used to have regular beer, then she and her husband cut it out of their diet and they both lost a visible ton of weight. Anything in moderation of course, it's just some things are calorie-dense without nutrients.)

 

[hjgbujhghg]

[MENTION=35566]Luminous[/MENTION] The thing is that I do not experience any other symptoms besides the weight gain. So I'm not sure if I can blame it on the thyroid or not...
[MENTION=5159]Lexicon[/MENTION] I allow myself to eat one bigger meal per day that is usually around 500 calories. But I eat snacks and smaller meals during the day as well so 500 calls is definitely not the final number. I don't count too strictly, but just going by a rough math, I think I eat around 1,200 calories per day (drinks included). I know it might sound like not enough, but I'm very short, petite and don't do anything physical.
[MENTION=7]Totenkindly[/MENTION] I know that weight fluctuate, but I don't weigh myself after every meal or so. I only weigh myself in the morning, before eating anything and after using the bathroom to make sure that I only see my real body weight. I check my weight 3 times per week approximately.

 

[Patches]

[MENTION=35566]
I know that weight fluctuate, but I don't weigh myself after every meal or so. I only weigh myself in the morning, before eating anything and after using the bathroom to make sure that I only see my real body weight. I check my weight 3 times per week approximately.

When I was at the peak of my weight loss, I got into obsessively weighing myself daily. Exactly like you said... Morning, before my coffee, after going to the bathroom. That's still not free from natural fluctuation. When you said weight gain... Are you just talking about 1-3 lbs, or are you talking like 10-20? Water weight is a real thing, and a lot of things can cause your body to retain an extra lb or two. That shouldn't be scary.

That super zig-zaggy part at the beginning is when I was weighing daily. I got neurotic about it. I was eating almost identical meals every single day at the exact same times. Those little spikes up caused me so much anxiety. I learned that those daily weights don't matter. It's the overall trend. Even when it spiked, I was still headed in the right direction.

I made a rule that I wouldn't weigh myself more than once a week. It helped. A lot.

Still, see your GP and get some blood drawn if you're concerned. But don't get fussy about a lb or two, especially if you're weighing 3 times a week. I don't recommend it, personally. It wasn't good for me. But I'm not you.

 

[Totenkindly]

I do the morning, after peeing, before eating or dressing weigh-in (typically every day) and I still can see a 4-5 pound fluctuation, back and forth, over a week's time. It's nuts! What is my body doing?

 

[Peter Deadpan]

I don't mean to be rude, but it sounds like you may have an unhealthy relationship with both food and your body. Are you having any anxiety issues recently? Is there any chance that observing and tracking this stuff gives you an extra sense of control over something? Again, apologies if I am off the mark, but it's hard for me to not be a bit concerned for someone when I hear such strict eating and weighing habits.

If it is a thyroid issue, there will likely be other symptoms, like lethargy, dry skin, hair loss, etc. You'd probably feel pretty crappy overall. The weight gain would likely be significant, like 10% or more of your body weight in a relatively short period.

 

[Luminous]

I don't mean to be rude, but it sounds like you may have an unhealthy relationship with both food and your body. Are you having any anxiety issues recently? Is there any chance that observing and tracking this stuff gives you an extra sense of control over something? Again, apologies if I am off the mark, but it's hard for me to not be a bit concerned for someone when I hear such strict eating and weighing habits.

If it is a thyroid issue, there will likely be other symptoms, like lethargy, dry skin, hair loss, etc. You'd probably feel pretty crappy overall. The weight gain would likely be significant, like 10% or more of your body weight in a relatively short period.

I agree. From first-hand experience.

 

[anticlimatic]

I'm sorry if this falls under the realm of 'you probably already know this' but have you tried drinking 3x more water than you usually do while cutting out salt? You sound a bit like you have the symptoms of dehydration and water retention. If not, expect results a day or two after you start deliberately watering yourself (not too much obv).

 

[1487610420]

eat less starch

 

[Tellenbach]

Obesity is caused by high insulin levels and that's caused by eating carbohydrates (sugar, high fructose corn syrup, refined flour products like pasta). The government changed dietary recommendations in 1977 to discourage fat consumption and encourage carbohydrate consumption. This is when the obesity and type 2 diabetes epidemic started. There's a graph of "obese" and "extremely obese" Americans from 1968 to the 2000s in one of my recent blog posts and you'll see the sharp rise in obesity after 1977. Good luck.

Oh, everything you want to know about obesity can be found in "The Obesity Code" by Dr. Jason Fung, a Canadian nephrologist.

 

[Abcdenfp]

So I have an issue... I've been gaining weight lately, (nope, definitely not pregnant) and I can't really tell why. I've always been extremely picky with food and I only eat healthy, vegetarian meals under 500 calories. I don't eat anything fat, I avoid fast food, I don't like sweets and my only guilty pleasure is popcorn that I allow myself from time to time. Other than that I only eat whole wheat bread for breakfast (I even cut that off since I've noticed that I'd been gaining), I like some low calorie spreads, like avocado spread or hummus. I always eat some fruit before the lunch and I always make sure it's something different to get balanced vitamins. I get normal lunch, usually it's some risotto, pasta, grilled cheese, grilled vegetables, or a vegetarian taco. Just something healthy like that... I allow myself some a treat in the afternoon and it's usually something like a raw vegan bar or a cereal bar and that's it... I try not to eat after 4 p.m. and even when I do happen to eat something for a dinner, it must be really small plate of a salad or so... The dinners are the issue... Sometimes I feel really hungry and I eat just a bit more or cook some pasta when I'm really hungry and boom... I weigh two pounds more the next morning. It's the same when I drink alcohol. I usually don't eat anything when I know I'd be drinking in the evening but all it takes for me is few more beers or glasses of wine and I just gain 2 to 3 pounds. Yesterday I had a fruit day and I ate only some apples during the whole day, but I went to visit my grandma and she cooked some soya with rice and vegetables for me so I ate it. I gained 3 pounds from it... I often get what people call a "food baby", but I feel like it's really extreme in my cases and my stomach doesn't get much flatter for a really long time. I even get this huge stomach every evening even when I do not eat anything, I always look like pregnant at the end of the day. Even after eating like almost nothing at all... I don't really know what to do. Do you think that I might have fucked up my metabolism from restricting too much and now I'm just gaining from everything? If it's not that, do you think I could have some actual medical condition? I suffered from hyperthyroidism as a child and my doctor warned me that it could come back later in life even in a reversed form of a hypothyroidism. That basically means that your thyroid's function gets extremely slow and so does your whole body and metabolism. I do have it in family and it's a genetic thing so it could be the case, but I don't have any other symptoms. It feels kinda lame to just go to my GP saying "Hey, I've been gaining weight..." Idk what to do...Any ideas pls?

how much weight have you gained in total? weight can fluctuate and salt can be a contributing factor. have you reduced any form of movement from your life style or cycled through a 7 year cellular change?

 

[Luminous]

how much weight have you gained in total? weight can fluctuate and salt can be a contributing factor. have you reduced any form of movement from your life style or cycled through a 7 year cellular change?

What's a 7 year cellular change?

 

[Fidelia]

Get checked for celiac disease, food sensitivities, thyroid, and vitamin or mineral deficiencies. All of those impact weight and water retention.