Am I kidding myself about my weight problem?

[gainingweight]

I’m really not sure what to think about this

i started gaining weight out of nowhere despite no diet or health changes - I think it started around 9mo ago but I only noticed it around 5/6mo ago and have been trying to lose weight on and off since then

I don’t look noticeably heavier and I don’t have any obvious heavy lumps or areas that would account for the new weight. My thighs are slightly bigger but not hugely and I’m still wearing the same size of leggings albeit slightly tighter but they still fit. I’ve gained around 1.5-2 stone since this started 9 ish months ago.

I’m trying to lose weight and am eating healthily and am in a calorie deficit everyday (calculated by my BMR and BMI). I’m exercising everyday too. I’ve gained 3 lbs in the last week despite being in a 400 calorie deficit per day, even over Hogmanay and xmas. I’m measuring my weight at the same time each day, obviously it fluctuates throughout the day but my weight gain each day is consistent even between time fluctuations. I’m drinking the same amount of water each day (measured so I know the amount).

am I missing something in this dieting thing? Or am I making some mistake, or is there a reason I might be gaining weight like this? Just slightly frustrated and miserable about it all. I’m also not on any meds including contraception pills, I’m not near menopause or even peri menopause age, and I had a blood test 10 months ago but unrelated thing and everything was normal.

I wonder if the calorie deficit is causing your body to cling on to the weight.

Also ANY oil in cooking is what I find to be bad for weight gain. Try broiling things like mince and stir-fry instead. Not frying. And don't use premade sauces. Though some soy sauce is fine.

Sometimes when trying to be healthy you cook lots more stirfries ect and don't think about the fact that before hand, you maybe didn't use much oil to cook.

Do you have any gynaecological issues such as PCOS? My sister gained a lot of weight quite quickly, her cycle became irregular and she was ultimately diagnosed with PCOS.

I wonder if the calorie deficit is causing your body to cling on to the weight.

I don’t think so, in time OP will lose weight. We all know what a malnourished body looks like - eventually the body will use up fat to sustain itself if one constantly eats in a deficit

Thanks for the info that’s all really helpful.

i’ll see if not factoring in the exercise makes a difference at all, maybe I’m not doing as much as I think. I’ve got a fitness watch and it tracks my steps, mileage I’ve ran and also things like my heart rate and so on.

I actually rarely cook with oil as it’s awful for my ibs, I just meant if I absolutely had to have something I would smear it or measure everything that goes towards my food IYSWIM.

im reluctant to say my age because I was talking to my friends about the exact issue tonight using the same wording I’ve used here and I know some things get posted on MN FB but I’m almost 30, not sure that’s helped me stay anonymous but oh well I tried I suppose haha.

I just felt so disappointed as I really thought I’d have at least maintained or maybe even lost weight over the last week, I didn’t expect to gain it. I didn’t have any typical Christmas binges and I stayed healthy- veggies, lean meat and fish, it’s not like I gorged on chocolate the whole week (nothing wrong with that either though!) but I was strict and I’ve still gained quite a bit of weight. I was in calorie deficit of at least 500 each day I was so disheartened to have gained more. I probably need to up the exercise or down the calories I suppose.

I wonder if the calorie deficit is causing your body to cling on to the weight.

This has been thoroughly debunked in the simplistic way it’s typically tossed out. This is a pretty balanced high level article

www.healthline.com/nutrition/starvation-mode#bottom-line

Seriously, don’t beat yourself up. Take the advice about lowering the exercise impact on your calories, I’d forgotten about that. I usually gave myself about 200 calories for a 30 minute row. It’s very common to overestimate calorie burn from exercise.

Give yourself a couple of weeks to get used to things without the expectation of weight loss, and see what happens.

If still no progress then maybe a doctor just to make sure nothing else is at play.

I know for sure that I don’t have PCOS, not through a blood test but through an ultrasound as I had my overies and entire lower tummy scanned for cysts or problems because I had IBS symptoms but it was all clear thankfully just IBS

thanks for the suggestion though!

Thanks that’s helpful to know others have had similar and it was fine.

I may be looking for results too quickly but on days where I was eating say 1500 calories and say running for an hour and spending 2 hours dog walking and on my feet all day at work, how long would you expect to have a routine like this before losing weight, or at least not gaining it anymore? I’m probably looking for results too quickly but I’ve had this sort of routine for the best part of 5-6 months and I honestly don’t know if I can reduce my calories anymore without being too hungry, but equally I don’t think I can fit in more exercise. Did it take up to a year or so to stop gaining weight and start losing it?

Oh OP, this must be frustrating for you.

Firstly, how accurately are you counting the calories?
Secondly, you could perhaps try and reduce ever so slightly, I gain weight at anything over 1700. Unfortunately. To lose, I really need to be at 1200 despite what those BMR calculators tell me.
Thirdly, echo the other posters: thyroid and POCS could be the issue.
Fourthly, are you drinking enough water and getting enough sleep?

How do you feel overall?
Not to frighten you as could be so unlikely the same as your situation. A lady on the school run when my kids were small had a growth on her ovary removed. It weighed almost 1.5stone.

I hope you get to the bottom of it, best wishes x

I'm 40, 5'5 and have to stay religiously at 1500 cals to maintain a ten stone weight.

It's easier in summer because I move more, I can maybe add 100 cals maybe

2000 cals per day for women is totally overestimated

I would get a blood test to see if hormonal changes or thyroid problems could have cause the weight gain. Could you have PCOS?

See a nutritionist. I started keto and lost weight.

Also would recommend trying a vegetarian or vegan diet. It really helped me lose weight unexpectedly- I gained weight when I started to eat meat again. Maybe because I was filling my plate up with more healthy options instead and less oil/fat perhaps?

That was when I was burning a lot of calories and doing cardio that I would technically need over 2000 calories- (obviously less for deficit etc) I was getting advice from a trainer at one stage and was burning 700+ through exercise alone, never mind dog walking, work and so on x

I second the nutritionist. I would also add personal trainer to that AFTER you see your medical dr to rule out anything else that might be going on. It's a minefield out there and macros matter ALOT and every person is different so getting an individualized plan is the way to go for sure.

I’m a personal trainer and what I find with my clients is that they grossly over estimate their TDEE and end up in a calorie surplus.

Thank you very much for the help and advice , I’m so sorry to hear about your friend from the school run and I hope she’s doing better now 💐

i think I’m counting it accurately (although I would say that wouldn’t I!) but by that I mean I weigh everything out meticulously to the gram, and I use a calorie logger etc. I make sure to record and include everything and I never cheat or miss things off. I’m drinking loads and usually get between 8-12 hours sleep depending on work etc but I don’t have any problems getting to sleep or staying aswell either x

I would love to go vegetarian or vegan but unfortunately would struggle as I absolutely love fish and seafood 😞

like I said I was a little different I started exercising without really thinking about the weight, I honestly to this day don’t know what my starting weight was. After about 6 months I started to weigh myself and track calories. I think by that time I was already losing.

one thing I do remember was being ravenous when I started exercising, so it wouldn’t surprise me If I did gain to begin with. I think I had a lot of justification going on at the start too… “I did this, so it’s ok to eat that”. I did settle in after a little while. Calorie tracking was an eye opener though. Crazy things were so high in calories that I just never thought about.

It sounds like you are really active which is good, I started as a slug 🤣🐌

I think you should start a diary for the next month recording every single thing you eat/drink and what exercises. I wouldn’t count work or dog walks tbh (it depends on what exactly you do but a short, slow stroll might not be doing much for you to be increasing your food intake).

then if you haven’t lost weight, take your diary to your GP and see what they suggest.

I feel like you’ve mentioned a few things that may have made past weight loss attempts fruitless so could be worth starting from fresh?

Get an evening job and drop a meal. That’s what I did, eat well at lunchtime with pudding, don’t eat in the evenings as I’m at work, so kinda fasting, but not strictly as I still drink squash. I’ve lost 3st 4lbs in 7 months with zero effort. I still drink a can of coke every day and a bit of chocolate when I fancy etc

Oh and I certainly don’t get enough sleep lol, about 6-7 hrs max every night(broken in two) but I do take a daily multivitamin

Maybe it would be worthwhile joining a local slimming world or weightwatchers class? You might find other people there having similar struggles. Plus it can help to have other ppl as support and a group leader you can run things by.

Also, I know slimming world at least don't do calorie deficits. But there are rules around what you can eat. Maybe a different method from calorie counting would help. I went on it and lost 2-4lbs every week that I stuck to it.

Bmr of 1600 seems high?

I plugged in 5’4, 47, 11st, and got 1400.

This.

Over forty exercise plays hardly any role in weight loss for women. You need to calculate without accounting for it (but still do the exercise!) You’ll be shocked at how low that number is.

Sorry, OP, You’re not actually in that deficit you think you are.

I would see the doctor for this, better safe than sorry. Out of interest, were you underweight before?