Hi All,

I'm new but I find myself in need of help.

A year and a half ago I had weight loss surgery and lost 160 pounds. During that time I intermittently worked out doing cardio and some resistance bands. The weight kept coming off (this is naturally due to the surgery.)

Two months ago I got kidney stones and had to deal with that pain for two weeks during which I completely stopped working out. However I maintained a 1300 calorie diet and continued slowly losing weight. (At 150 pounds, this is healthy.) I finally got down to 138 lbs.

BTW I am 5' tall with a small bone frame.

Two weeks ago I began a new exercise routine that has me at the gym about 5 times a week. I do weight lifting (arms, shoulders, back, chest, abs) on the weekends and I do about half an hour to an hour on the elliptical every day I'm at the gym, so that's about 5 times a week.

Because I'm working so much, and am on a 1200 calorie diet, I eat about an extra 200-300 calories on days when I work on the elliptical. Meaning that I burn about 600 calories a session, but of that, I eat 300 of those calories.

The problem is that in the past two weeks I've gone, instead of down, up! I'm now 145 pounds and I just don't understand how, with the caloric deficit I've created, I am gaining weight.

I don't eat unhealthy foods. Breakfast is fiber one and greek yogurt, lunch is a green salad, low cal/low sugar dressing and a lean protein. I have a snack of berries and popcorn, and dinner is usually a spelt cracker with sliced turkey breast and salsa as well as half a pint of Arctic Zero.

I'm SO careful about what I eat. And SO careful about working out... why am I gaining weight??

Probably the weight-lifting. I always gain back a few pounds for a few weeks when I take up weights again. It'll likely even back out. Also remember that muscle weighs more than the same volume of fat, so you might even gain more weight if you are trying to up your strength. The number on the scale isn't the most important number. Have you measured yourself?

Sorry for responding a couple of years too late, but your diet is not good.

Fiber One bars have added sugar. They have a lot of fiber, but not a very healthy source of fiber. It's better to get fiber from more natural sources like vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains.
Arctic Zero is junk food.
How big is the salad? It should be a big salad, otherwise you may not be eating enough vegetables.
What type of dressing do you put on the salad?