Hello. I'm 29.5 years old and in the past year, have struggled with weight gain. My entire family struggles with weight gain, so my genetics are working overtime to stop me from losing the weight.
I'm 4' 11" with an extremely small frame, and for most of my life I was a trim fit 100-105 pounds. Last March or so, I suddenly gained around 5 pounds. No problem, I figured, I started watching what I eat and increased my jogging. Well... 1 year later, and I've literally ballooned to 125-130 pounds. On my small frame, it's drastic and I feel terrible health-wise. I hate looking in the mirror. I'm ashamed and can't believe my body has betrayed me. Some days I literally don't want to leave the house because I'm so ashamed of my body.
For about a year, I've been practicing a 1500-1600 calorie a day diet. I jog or walk about 3-4 times a week, depending on how I feel. I've religiously tracked my diet with My Fitness Pal, including my weight. Unfortunately for me it just goes up and up and up.
Unfortunately, I also have a very severe case of lupus, which drastically affects my ability to work out as much as I'd like. I also lack a support system (for multiple reasons out of my control) and a very stressful job as a consultant... well, let's just say I'm glad to have found an outlet with others in situation trying to become more healthy and fit.
In the past month, my weight gain started to get even worse, and I actually calculated my BMR- something I had not done before. Turns out my BMR is around 1390. For three weeks I've been following a very strict daily calorie count of between 1250-1350, trying to slowly lose the weight without sending myself into starvation mode. Unfortunately I have not been able to work out, mostly due to a pretty nasty lupus flare.
I had my weigh in a few days ago, and I've gained NINE more pounds. I wanted to cry but I'm so angry after all my efforts that seem completely fruitless. This is the heaviest I have ever been.
So, I guess it's time for a change... AGAIN... to try and stop the gain. I've had my blood tested multiple times- everything is normal. And it doesn't help around my TOM I bloat ten pounds of water weight. So total combined sometimes I can literally weigh 140 pounds. My doctors chalk it up to a slowing metabolism, which I guess it could be... but I should be losing SOMETHING... unless my BMR is actually much lower than 1390?
Anyway, I hope to gain some new friends here and get some inspiration to become the healthy woman I once was. Thanks everyone.
I just tried this calculator to figure out your BMR at 130lb, you need approximately 1222 (give or take a few) calories to maintain with no exercise and for fat loss with 3 times a week of exercise, approx. 1344 calories per day to lose so I'm not sure why you aren't losing at 1250-1350. Are you still up 9lbs since then? I retain water like crazy when TOM comes around so, I don't know.
I say keep pushing through, it has to come off somehow?! Have you tried a week with no exercise and just eating 1250-1300 to see? Do you eat a lot of salty food? It could be just water weight from sodium, just a thought. I know 1200 and under isn't recommended but you are 4'11 so a bit smaller than most so it is possible you may have to go a little under but I could be wrong. Hopefully someone else will chime in with better suggestions.
Thank you so much. I've been wondering through the posts and I see there are so many here struggling like I am. It makes me feel a little less alone in this frustrating journey to health.
I retain water like crazy around my TOM, usually gaining around 10 pounds. My doctor actually prescribed a prescription diuretic because of the pressure the extra water weight was placing on my lungs, which are tiny anyway!
It seems a bit early right now for me to gain my TOM weight. I really don't think I'm in starvation mode either... I even let myself have an extra hundred calories once or twice a week to make sure I'm not starving.
I've read some things about low carb diets... apparently some people gain weight from too many carbs more than just too many calories. I read somewhere one girl lost weight only when she went down to 40 carbs a day- WOW. I don't know if I could do that... I consume around 120-130 carbs, also tracked with My Fitness Pal. I'm not sure if 40 carbs a day is really healthy... but I know that would probably kill me mentally!
Sodium... I try to stay around 2000 mg a day. I DID eat around 3000 a few days ago, but 9 pounds of water weight??? Maybe. I hope so. Would be great if I could step on the scale in a week and lose all that. I also had a glass of wine, which maybe could be causing "alcohol bloat"... but NINE pounds?! It just seems... like a lot. The week before that I gained 3 pounds... and those have yet to go away.
My game plan is to start new this week. I'm going to eat more green stuff, like salads, more grilled chicken, and absolutely no eating out for the next five days. Also, absolutely no alcohol, and drink only tea and water. And then reweigh on Friday.
I'm actually getting an extensive thyroid panel. Unfortunately the specialist won't see me for another three weeks and of course conventional doctors think you're fine unless you are morbidly obese. But I know my body, and this is NOT normal for me. I told all my doctors (I have quite a few specialists for my disease) and all of them just chalked it up to me being happier and eating more, despite telling them I haven't been eating more at all! 130-140 pounds for someone my size I guess isn't alarming enough for them to be too concerned. But I sure am! I'm the one who looks in the mirror and sees the extra weight on my hips, my thighs, around my waist (which has also ballooned to 30 inches). My waist to hip ratio is literally 30 inches to 36 inches... SO unhealthy for your heart.
And now I have to work another 12 hour day tomorrow, feeling ashamed of my body and generally hating this struggle. I just want to be normal and healthy again. Sigh. I don't even know what I'm going to wear. Everything looks too tight and I hate it.
Awesome thanks for the input. Maybe I will try focusing on carbs as well.
I'm right there with ya on binging. My cravings are out of control sometimes, even when I haven't been eating grains and sugars. Especially during estrogen spikes before my TOM. I will have a chance soon to control myself
I haven't tried a straight primal diet, but I think you got something going there. I notice too when I eat meat and leafy green vegetables, I feel so much better and so much less bloated. I stay away from fruit since it tends to trigger sugar cravings for me. This coming week, I will plan on cutting carbs to sub-100 (maybe even 50 per day!) and focus on eating more wholly, and see if it stops the weight gain. If it does, then I know what my body is thinking. I'm also going to cut out excessive grains (been getting 10 grams of whole grain per day)... but maybe this is also hurting me.
Hey everyone! Thanks for the advice. I had some travel come up and could not get the time to respond.
I have been on too many medicines for my lupus! I was diagnosed in college about 8 years ago, in my prime. I went on steroids and completed two rounds of chemo, shots and pills. Then I finally got off steroids and am currently on the standard Plaquenil/Imuran cocktail. Neither of these caused weight gain.
Years of steroids knocked my hormones, serotinin and Adrenals out of whack so I ended up going on an SSRI two years ago. Didn't gain weight right away, but then I noticed the pounds slowly creeping up. Pretty sure a part of that was feeling happier and eating more. That's when I ramped up my dieting, and this weight gain saga began.
I got on Wellbutrin about 4 weeks ago, and I have to say, it's done marvels for my lupus and depression fatigue. I feel like I did when I didn't have lupus.
In the past week, I cut my carbs down to 80 g a day, and my average calorie intake around 900 calories. I also drank tea- a lot of tea- instead of soda.
My last weigh in I was down about 8 pounds since last Saturday!! So a good part of that weight must have been water weight, AND maybe my body is finally getting off a plateau and is letting weight go, finally.
I did cheat today- by about 200 calories- but the rest of the week I will continue at my current pace and see if my body starts to maintain weight or continue to lose. My TOM is coming up too, so that's probably going to mess up the scale too. Just gotta make sure I don't overeat during that time!
I have a serious multi system disease so I can relate to your struggles. One of the meds I was put on led to weight gain of 110 pounds in under 6 months, much to my horror and it has completely messed up my insulin levels. I am now doing a ketogenic diet (high fat, moderate protein carbs under 20g a day) to get it off and also rebalance my insulin levels. Prior to that I was doing just paleo but the weight didn't budge.
Wow- I am lucky to keep my carbs close to 80g a day.
I think I had a "mini" carb crash the other day. I felt like I was going into ketosis by how tired, agitated, and just off I felt. But I'm not TOO low in carbs, so I'm not sure. I think ketosis is when you're at 20 g or less a day. Has the ketogenic diet been the only thing that's helped? I really want to get even lower in carbs.
I tried everything and absolutely nothing has worked. Ketogenic diet is the only thing that is now starting to get the weight off, so I would really recommend it. Some people can achieve ketosis at 50g of carbs, but for most it's 20g a day. You have to keep your fat levels high as it's what your body uses as fuel.
Never ending weight gain...
I wanted to cry but I'm so angry after all my efforts that seem completely fruitless. This is the heaviest I have ever been. 
!!!!
