How did I get so fat

[Jumboprawns]

I have gained 5 stone in a few years. Doctor gave me blood tests and only found low iron and vitamin d. Told me I was simply eating too much and I need to give up cake.

Personally I’m sure I do need to give up cake but the state I’m in is odd as I’ve not changed that much in my diet over the last few years but the weight is continually piling on.

every year I’m up a dress size. The last two years I’ve been on some diet or the other and I never seem to lose anything. Or I might lose a pound in a month. I’ve spent my whole life being underweight so I’m totally stuck as to what is happening to me and I have no idea what to do to diet as I have tried to cut back and nothing changes.

I accept I am older (38) but I see my friends the same age and none of them have put on 5 stone so easily. I feel fatigued all the time. My hair is falling out and I just feel awful. I don’t want to go back to the doctors as he seemed annoyed I thought my weight was anything. Other than my own fault. Especially now the blood tests didn’t really reveal anything worth noting. Can age alone really transform a metabolism this badly? My dh agrees to haven’t changed a lot in my diet so it’s not all in my head. I just keep getting fatter.

While your diet hasn’t changed, your portions have. The amount you have gained and the timeframe of it both suggest a gradual, consistent increase in your calorie intake. The first place to start would be cutting back on meal/portion size as well as snacking and seeing how that goes. There are around 3500 calories to a pound, so even a couple of restaurant meals with drinks at the weekend can really add up.

You can certainly pursue further testing to put your mind at ease. However, excess fat will also mess with your hormone levels and can cause issues like what you’re describing.

+1 to all the health things mentioned by PP.

Some of your story resonates with me as I was always underweight, then over the past 10 years started gaining weight, and any efforts to lose were very slow.

I realised a lot my problem was being much more sedentary every day: In my younger years I didn't own a car and used to walk 90minutes per day in my commute. Later I drove to work, and the shops, and even later started working from home. It turns out I hardly ever move.

Then consistent over-eating "small" amounts: I never used to snack or drink alcohol, but then started having 3 biscuits daily, a slice of cake on the weekend, and maybe a bottle of wine. Occasionally I would binge (e.g. eating a whole packet of biscuits) on junk food, but not everyday. Some days i would have a few pints in the week. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are healthy.

All of this added up. Even if I would try to work out for a month (e.g. doing weights 2-3 times a week). It wasn't enough to make up for 0 movement the rest of the time or consistent over-eating by "small" amounts.

I think because there were lots of "little" things, and the slow burn, I didn't clearly see the difference between when I was thinner vs larger. However, when I put everything together there is a massive difference of calories in vs calories out.

Maybe think about your lifestyle, diet and exercise when you were thinner and not putting on weight. Be honest with yourself about what is different now. But still do all the health tests recommended by others because it may be an underlying condition and nothing about your own behaviour.

Sending solidarity. I hope you find a solution soon!

I think on another thread recently someone did a calculation that just 150 cals extra over your calorie requirements, per day (equivalent of 2 biscuits or a dollop of mayo) would result in nearly a stone a year.

Very easy to do and doesnt require any degree of overeating as it were.

Some people experience symptoms associated with low thyroid while their thyroid is still in the normal range.

Worth finding a private doctor who would be prepared to prescribe thyroxine and see if that makes any difference. If not, you can rule that out.

I would go straight to an endocrinologist, if I were you. Don’t waste more time with your useless GP.

If you’re based in London I can recommend a very good endocrinologist (I think she does private as well as NHS, but not sure what hoops you need to jump through to see her under the NHS).

Everything takes ages with a GP in the UK, I find. OP is definitely better off going straight to a specialist if she has insurance / can afford it.

I’m not sure it would be my first thought to start taking thyroxine and spent lots of money on private healthcare without even attempting to track my food intake and get my vitamin and iron levels back up, or having a basic thyroid function test but if you can afford it OP, perhaps it’s worth seeing an endocrinologist for their opinion however they also might ask you to consider looking at your diet if you want to try to lose weight. Even if you got on thyroid medication tomorrow you would still have to make some effort with this side of it as I understand some of the thyroid meds may make it easier to lose weight but don’t melt off 5 stones of fat with no other effort involved.

Why would that be the first port of call?

If OP starts looking at her diet that should be the first step.

OP has already had a normal thyroid test result. Vitamins and minerals will make zero difference to weight.

I know two people for whom thyroxine cleared up their symptoms despite a thyroid result in the normal range.

Another thing to rule out is Cushing’s - particularly as OP reports weight gain on her face.

It could be PCOS but I developed it in my 30s and I didn’t put on any weight.

Other than that it’s food and exercise diary time.

@Mirabai she has low vit D and low iron which have all these symptoms of fatigue and hair loss. I could not even walk up stairs without feeling awful when I was anaemic (period blood loss)

What do you actually eat?

I think you need to rule the more serious things out first. If she has Cushing’s for example, she needs to know!

When the more serious and treatable things are ruled out then you’re left with diet and exercise.

When I ate bread/bready products, my face used to go up and down in fullness all the time, I could look at myself and think that I'd had some sort of reaction to something it was so bloated and big and then it would go down again and round and round it went

Im not allergic to wheat or gluten or anything, I just think it doesnt sit well with me, also noticed my ankles and finger joints were better when I didnt eat it

The vits and minerals will make a difference to OP feeling fatigued and tired/hair loss so she should supplemnet those and have another test in 6 months

People are so reluctant to just eat less and look at diet, falling over themselves to find some other reason it might be.

If OP is stringent about her tracking and knows exactly whats going in, thats one thing but thats not been said.

This is completely the wrong way round

She's put on 5 stone, of course her face is going to be bloated. Probably about a stone of that weight gain is water weight.

Sure, but she will already have been prescribed iron and Vit D due to the results. However, low levels of those won’t cause weight gain.

I would definitely get another opinion. Good luck.

It’s not bloated per se, but a puffy face that goes up and down.

Same thing. Mine used to do the same as I say.

Hi @Jumboprawns I'm really sorry to hear about your struggles. Rapid weight gain, fatigue, and hair loss can be complex issues. While age can impact metabolism, your symptoms might be worth a second opinion. Have u considered consulting with a different healthcare professional or a nutritionist to explore potential underlying causes?

@Mirabai we don’t know how long she had been taking them, Cushing has more symptoms than this anyway. Hair falling out, tiredness and low energy are all typical symptoms of low iron and vit D and low energy will lead to being more and more inactive and probably gaining weight. You can ask your GP to do a cortisol test. I’m not saying don’t get help most of us have said start by examining your diet whilst you are looking for answers, because there is a likely higher possibility it’s that than a rare disorder like cushings? (It is rare)

Potentially peri-menopause? I started at 36 and the first signs were weight gain/inability to loose weight even with tracking kcals eating less than I should & walking lots.
Did doc do hormone bloods?

I'm with your Dr on this one. The most likely reason for being over weight is consuming more calories than you burn.
Eat less. Move more.

It’s not so much a question it’s likely to be Cushing’s - it’s unlikely - but to rule out the more serious or unusual stuff first so you know what you’re dealing with. I’d want to rule out that, hyperparathyroid, PCOS, CFS.

Once that’s done there’s nothing left but diet and exercise.

Low iron and Vit D don’t cause weight gain, so that’s only part of the picture. I’ve had anaemia and low Vit D and the supplements didn’t make a huge amount of difference. Iron stopped me from feeling faint, but that’s about it.

While your diet hasn’t changed, your portions have. The amount you have gained and the timeframe of it both suggest a gradual, consistent increase in your calorie intake.

This is exactly what I was going to say. While you may think you are eating the same foods, I'm willing to wager money you are eating bigger portions. This is common right across society including in restaurants.

You will also be a lot less active. I used to walk to catch the bus everywhere, walk to/from bus to school and college. I did sports at school, in my 20s I was out every weekend dancing. I had bar jobs where I was on my feet for hours at a time.

By the time I hit my mid 20s all of that pretty much stopped and by 30 I was obese. If you'd asked me I would've said exactly the same as the OP.... I've not changed what I eat.

*I think you need to rule the more serious things out first. If she has Cushing’s for example, she needs to know!

When the more serious and treatable things are ruled out then you’re left with diet and exercise.*

Why are people so keen to find excuses or reasons for being overweight beyond it being nothing but their own fault?

It's not an either or. Nobody is suggesting the OP tries to change her diet and access they're simply saying she needs to be completely honest with herself and keep a diary of exactly what what HOW MUCH she is eating. She needs to weigh and measure everything so that she can understand what she's consuming.

IF that turns out to be nothing that would cause weight gain she can present that information to a Dr to push for further investigations.

But diet and exercise is the first thing to look at, its the most basic and most obvious. Only if those things are right and the patient still has unexplained symptoms, then you start looking for other reasons.

Why on earth would you explore something quite rare or not that common over something that is applicable to most of us (we eat too much).

And as others have said repeatedly no one is saying the low vits/iron is the cause for weight gain, its a reason for her other symptoms. But being overweight would cause her to be tired and lacking in energy too