Weight gain

[Torvean]

For the past four years I have gained 1 1/2 stones. I've gone up 5 dress sizes and I hate myself.

Before this I was a natural size 6 for 39 years. I've always had a small appetite and I'm really active.Ive always even small. I've never had an eating disorder but for a while they put me on nutritional drinks.

I have hypothyroidism but I started treatment 5 years before weight gain and it was picked up on routine bloods.

I've seen a dietician recently who've told the Gp about the fact I have a small appetite but I eat the right things. She said my diet could not have caused weight gain. And if somehow I had gained , with my diet I would be losing weight regularly.

I've now been told my liver is enlarged and I have a specialist scan in 2 weeks( this was not organised by my Gp).

I had an u/s that shows I don't have polycystic ovaries. My thyroid level stable.
I'm on no other medication.

My Gp says there's nothing they can do. And sometimes ppl just gain weight.
Is thus true?
I cannot live at this weight. This is not me. I hate myself.

People don't just gain weight. There has to be change in your diet, exercise levels, hormone levels or other health issue. There is a natural decline in metabolism but it's not so drastic.

Have you tracked your diet? You should record everything you eat for a couple weeks at least and hand this off to nutritionist. You should be as exact as possible. People are horrible at estimating what they eat.

Yep. I paid and used the app the NHS use. From that the dietician has said its definitely not diet related.

I've always had a small appetite the app prove that. I eat under 1200 calories each day. I vary my exercise and even have a cross trainer in the house.
All my family and friends know about my appetite and they can't understand my weight gain.

I was gaining weight on the same diet despite working and going to the gymn 6 days a week.

It's my Gp that says sometimes ppl just gain weight and we don't know why. I've done a cortisol urine check. My throat bloods are fine.

Other health professionals have suggested metabolic tests. My Gp has refused.

She has said there are no tests she can do, or refer me to that could investigate unexplained weight gain.

It's ruining my life, and that's no exaggeration.

@Torvean

Yep. I paid and used the app the NHS use. From that the dietician has said its definitely not diet related.

I've always had a small appetite the app prove that. I eat under 1200 calories each day. I vary my exercise and even have a cross trainer in the house.
All my family and friends know about my appetite and they can't understand my weight gain.

I was gaining weight on the same diet despite working and going to the gymn 6 days a week.

It's my Gp that says sometimes ppl just gain weight and we don't know why. I've done a cortisol urine check. My throat bloods are fine.

Other health professionals have suggested metabolic tests. My Gp has refused.

She has said there are no tests she can do, or refer me to that could investigate unexplained weight gain.

It's ruining my life, and that's no exaggeration.

Can you see a different gp? Not everything that might effect your weight will be easy to identify it might take multiple visits, tests and some time to identify what's the problem. Probably would help to get a GP who is on board with figuring it out.

So you gained 21 pounds in 4 years which means that every months your weight went up by half a pound (250 gr) . It is normal to put on weight as we age, it takes more discipline often to avoid it.
21 pounds in two months is very different than 21 pounds in 48 months.

I would think that it is very easy to put on a couple hundreds grams per month.

It is incredibly hard to know exactly how much one eats and the calories go up very quickly.

Cronometer.com is totally free and can help you understand where the calories come from.

You haven't told us what you eat. Calories count, but 100 calories of broccoli are processed in a different way than 100 calories of a diet chocolate bar. From driving inflammation up to developing obesogenic species in your gut.

Can you tell us what you eat over the week, how much of it is fresh vs processed.
Exercising too much might actually make losing weight harder.

I understand your frustration and maybe we can help you make the adjustment to change direction.

My guess is peri-menopausal weight gain. It impacts some women much more severely than others. I would research and adapt an anti-inflammatory diet if I were you.

Hi @Torvean this sounds really frustrating. Do you feel well otherwise?

What do you eat in a typical day?

Not to judge - I'm training to be a functional nutrition counsellor at the moment so genuinely interested!

I recently had a gynae procedure and the Dr and nurses all said as women get middle aged most gain weight, even eating the same things they've eaten all their life. They said its to due metabolism slowing down and hormones.

I stated gaining weight in my 30s. Im now early 40s

It's not a small amount of weight it a lot. I have a low calorie count and I'm very fit. That's always been the case since I was a child.

So no disrespect to you , and I appreciate you trying to help. But it doesn't explain my issue.

I have a Gp that won't do anything.

@rainbowninja

Hi *@Torvean* this sounds really frustrating. Do you feel well otherwise?

What do you eat in a typical day?

Not to judge - I'm training to be a functional nutrition counsellor at the moment so genuinely interested!

If your willing to send me your email privately. I'll email you a 2 week section of my food diary. Its completely accurate, I see no sense in lying when you're trying to get help.I used this as evidence for the dietician too. But a second opinion never hurts.

It shows not just calories but, protein, carbs, fats, salt, sugar etc. It also includes exercise and fluids I've taken in.

@Torvean are you on medication?
Like you I was a slim built all my life and the only time I had uncontrolled weight gain when when I was put on experimental drug for a genetic condition I have. Even after stopping the drug, it took quite a while to come back to my normal self.

I would suggest you try reducing your physical activity for a couple of weeks. I am slim but whenever we are on holiday and I don't hit the gym, I come back lighter.
What you are doing is not working so try different. If you are eating low carb, try low fat or vice versa. There is no one diet fits all.

Try going process free to a couple of weeks as well. Nothing that comes in a jar or wrapped in plastic and definitely not any "low" whatever or diet product. Point at fibre content within your calories.

Use the free website cronometer.com to log every morsel. I know you have done it before, but I do it daily to check my micronutrients and it is incredible how quickly one reaches 1200 calories. . Just do fresh for two weeks. No scanning barcodes or meals.

As a PP said, inflammation is a killer for losing weight. So reduce your animal products for a couple of weeks, think soy, vegetables, fruits, fresh herbs (oregano, thyme have the highest anti dietary inflammation index ) , have some anti inflammatory herbal teas such as viola tricolor or some moringa tea for blood sugar controlling.
If you drink cow milk, try switching to a plant alternative .
Think green juice in the morning (celery, kale, parsley maybe 1 or 2 carrots, arugula ).

IF you can, try eating fermented foods as the same time you are introducing a lot of fibre but possibly natural ones. Sauerkraut is easy to make and so are fermented vegetables.

I understand your frustration and my very last piece of advice is to try reddit / ask doctors if you are getting no where. There is also a sub for reddit / nutrition .

Good luck

Hi. Thank you for your post it's extremely informative and useful.

I don't follow any low carb or low fat diet.

I don't eat red meat. I only eat chicken or fish. I eat a lot of fresh food.

I don't use ready meals or order take away.

I gave a 2 week diary to the dietician I was referred to. She said my diet was excellent. And it was the first time she'd seen one that she did not need to alter.

The only 1 thing she said was to have a little bit more protein. She suggested milk but I can't tolerate the taste. But I eat yoghurt and cheese

I even joined slimming World. They couldn't give any advice. So I left.

I now have liver changes and my periods have stopped

And the only way to improve that is to lose weight.

A Dr I saw and a radiologist suggested metabolic tests by gp refused.

I take thyroxine and gabapentin.

I was on the contraceptive depo but I stopped it 18 moths ago.

Since this started I've asked my Gp for help. I even formally complained. They still refuse to do anything.

They even said there are many ppl the same as me.

I was under 8 stone when it started. I was even prescribed nutri juice.

Sorry to clarify I've not gained 21lbs in 4 years. I've gained 6 stone.

@Shelddd sorry I missed your point. I've spoken to 2 Gps at the practice. Noone helps.

@cormoran I honestly can't do green juices or fermented vegetables they make me gag.
I do eat veg but it's only carrots, peas, beans , sweetcorn , peas, spinach. That's mainly it.

But I eat all fruits apart from grapefruits. Though I do eat more ones that have less sugar. I eat them fresh, not blended or anything.

@Cormoran sorry . My first post should have said 6 stone over 4 years. Which if it was even is 1 1/2 per year.

Oh, I read 1 1/2 stone , so 21 pounds. Apologies
6 stones is an awful lot, no wonder you are distressed .

How long have you been taking gabapentin? A quick look on pubmed and it is associated with the QUOTE "well known side effect of weight gain" . It also seems to cause water retention.

Did you try talking to your neurologist about taking alternative drugs ?

I think I've been taking Gabapentin for 3 years. I was prescribed it by gynae to manage endometriosis.

I asked my GP about weight gain with it. She said it was very rare and ppl only gain 7lb max.

I'm going to call my Gp about that.

They fobbed me off about the depo injection causing with gain. Till I did my own research. Then they said it takes at least a year for any weight loss related to that.

They know exactly how I feel about taking medication that cause weight gain.

I posted on ask a Dr page on Reddit, so thank you for that. Even if its not answered as its already on page 3 its worth a try.

Here come a bunch of medical papers

==START==

On Pubmed, there are plenty of articles on weight gain as a side effect of gabapentin.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=gabapentin%20and%20weight%20gain&sort=pubdate&size=200

1. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32338847/
   "Large increases in risk of adverse events were seen with pregabalin (blurred vision, cognitive effects, dizziness, peripheral edema, sedation, and weight gain), gabapentin (blurred vision, cognitive effects, sedation, weight gain)"

2. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30852339/
   Body weight (BW) gain may be induced by perampanel (PER) administration, similar to the well-known adverse effects of valproic acid and gabapentin

3)pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27345098/
Their most frequent adverse reactions are of neuropsychiatric nature and include fatigue, dizziness, sedation, somnolence, and ataxia; peripheral edema and weight gain are also frequently described

4. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26992271/
   QOL(quality of life) analysis showed significantly worse scores in the SPC+G (gabapentin) arm for weight gain

5. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16234878/
   Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) that promote weight gain include valproate, carbamazepine and gabapentin.

There is reddit sub on gabapentin:
www.reddit.com/r/gabapentin/ and weight gain is quite common
www.reddit.com/r/gabapentin/search/?q=gabapentin%20weight%20&source=recent&restrict_sr=1

Since you are not taking it for epilepsy which would /might cause issues if you were to interrupt medication, I would define toy ask whoever prescribed it to you that you are given an alternative, such as metformin which has shown some efficacy in endometriosis pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=endometriosis+and+metformin&sort=pubdate&size=200
Metformin will not only help your endo but help you lose weight as well.

And if your doctor says there have been no report of weight gain on gabapentin, point to her that you have been complaining of unexplained weight gain for years, and did she report it so you enter the statistics? How many like you have been reporting it to their doctor and these haven't reported it further?

On the diet front, poultry is very bad for endometriosis almost as bad as red meat
"A quite unexpected result was the rise in endometriosis risk with increasing intake of poultry, albeit this was not as robust as seen for red meat. " www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6330594/

==END ==

I wasn't talking about smoothies but juices with a juice extractor. There are repair mechanism called Sirtuins, we have several of them SIRT 1 has been recognised as a regulator of inflammation and a possible help for endo. (sorry can't help it , here is the paper obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jog.12252 )

I follow not only an anti-inflammatory diet but a strict inflammation lowering diet to control tumours, and regularly, in a paper I read, endo will be mentioned.

Hi @Torvean

Thanks for clarifying, that makes more sense and as pp said, no wonders you are frustrated. I'll PM you my details in case you still want me to look at your food diary.

Thank you !
@Cormoran, I really do appreciate all your effort. My endometriosis itself is small. So the gynae pain specialist said the pain was more likely to be neuropathic and that's why she picked it over an Opiod.

I've caught out my Gp lying to me twice. Twice she's denied things written on letters by outside specialists. She didn't realise I had my own copy of the letter.

I formally complained to the practice manager by email. Instead of her investigating my comments. She gave a copy of what I said to the Gp. That Gp then called me, and again talked over me , and refused to do anything.
The next day I got a reply from the manager saying she hoped we had worked things out.

I worked frontline NHS for about 15 years. I'm sure that's not how you respond to formal complaints.

In my experience, dealing with a genetic disorder very few doctors know about in Australia, more than lying it is a bias and ignorance. In your doctor's mind, your medication causes no weight gain, therefor, your weight gain can't be blamed on your medication, even if she is seeing you putting more and more weight.

Change doctor if you can.

Thank you. I'll email that to you when the app starts working again.

@Cormoran I've spoken to 3 of the 5 GPS. All useless.
However. I've decided I'll reduce medication on my own. And I finally feel that I'm losing weight.
While still on same diet and exercise.

Clothes are feeling looser. I wish tbe weight would come off my face first. But hey.

@Torvean best of luck