weight gain

[misscolorful]

hi im 37 and want to get fit and a healthy weight b4 im 40.im doing lite n easy which is a calorie controlled program.i have been to the gym every day for a month and done three personal training sessions and have gained nearly 1 kg and a half.its so disheatening and i feel like giving up and throwing it all in and not putting in an effort.Any thoughts and why have i gained weight it is so frustrating an d ive tried so hard.

[misscolorful]

well barb in all my efforts and expenses Ive worked out Ive lost about 8 to 9 kg in 8 months.If I continue losing weight at this rate I definately will not be a decent weight at 40.It will be 42 by the time I reach a decent weight and 43 by the time I reach ideal weight.How ever its not that bad cant complain Im lucky that I can still lose weight and havent stuffed my body up completely over the years of losing putting on and I always lost 26 kg fairly quickly.(maybe thats why things didnt work).Ive heard losing weight slowly is the best way.Besides this diet isnt your traditional or starvation diet.Its healthy not obsessive and allows for junk food every now and then.Im cooking and looking after the meat department most of the time now and my sister is cooking and looking after the vegie side of things.Im doing two training sessions a week at a fairly good deal.And occasionly boxing.

[Barb135]

I don't know of any vitamins that will cause you to gain weight.  

I'm happy that you've lost some and I hope you can keep it up.  I'm also glad that your sister is preparing home cooked meals for you; I hope they are healthy, with lots of lean protein, veggies, complex carbs, low/no fat dairy, good fats, etc.  And that you are watching your portion sizes.  It doesn't matter how healthy the meal is; if you eat more servings than you should, you still won't lose weight (or keep it off).  

I hope you will get back into exercising, even without the personal trainer.  The idea is for you to learn what to do, then keep it up on your own.

If there is some way we can help you do that, please let us know.  

[misscolorful]

Hi barb Ive gone through severel ordeals and have maintained exercise and lost about 6 to 7 kg.Although I have cut down my personal training sessions to once a week but I find myself not going to gym hardly any other time.And my weight has hit a plateu.My sister is doing good home cooked meals for me.And I recently bought vitamins they seem to be putting on weight but its only three days Ive been on them so Ill at least use the months supply I bought and then judge from there.Ive been thinking about increasing my personal training again but its so expensive.But I think my weight loss has got some to do with his help.

[misscolorful]

Its my birthday today and I cancelled going to dinner coz Id put on weight.My tests are all positive my iron level thyroid cholesterol and everything.  im eating porridge for breakfast which Ive skipped breakfast half my life and my trainer got me to eat breakfast.Im training three times a week.Im drinking a cup of warm water and lemon juice in the morning.Everything Im doing supports losing weight and Im doing everything Im capable of doing.Im taking chinese herbs.Eating fish eggs natural yoghurt with blueberrys ect and putting on weight.Im spending alot of time money and effort.Do I continue or just throw the towl in and do nothing and sleep in bed all day.At least then Id have a real reason.

[Barb135]

Those are all thyroid tests -- the TSH is for Thyroid Stimulating Hormone; Free T3 and Free T4 are the actual thyroid hormones and will tell you exactly what they thyroid is producing, while TSH is a pituitary hormone.  

You might want to check out the thyroid forum -- I am also a member of that and there are several others from Australia on there and they are familiar with these tests also, so I'm sure your doctor would know what they are.  

"Normal" blood work  only means that your levels fell within the lab's reference ranges -- that doesn't mean they are "normal" for your body.

[misscolorful]

whats TSH stand for and whats free T3 and free T4 levels will the doctor know about these America is a bit more up to date and advanced how should I explain it to him to get these levels tested.

[Barb135]

You aren't old enough to have that much weight problem because of age.  When I was your age, I weighed about 100 lbs and never dreamed I'd have a weight problem......

Sorry -- still sounds to me like you have a thyroid issue (or maybe PCOS or insulin resistance) regardless of what the lab report says.... if you can let me know the levels of your TSH, Free T3 and Free T4, I can give you a better comment.

My daily thyroid regimen and my every 2 week vitamin B12 shots are serving me very well and so long as I eat right and exercise I do okay........meaning I don't gain anymore and if I'm really careful, I can actually lose........

Yes, some medications cause weight gain --you might try asking your doctor for something that doesn't have that side effect.  If you have certain "precursors" (such as medical issues) that cause weight gain, it's best to try to eliminate them before spending a lot of time/$ on weight loss efforts that probably won't work.

[misscolorful]

I found out what my problem is my medication puts on weight.I am doing 3 personal training sessions a week and it has been a month now at 3 training sessions a week and Ive only lost 1.5 kg.Im not doing lite n easy anymore I cant afford both to do the training sessions is 200 dollars a fortnight and that is discounted.Training is expensive here In Australia.Im eating grilled fish poached eggs yogurts dark rye bread with no butter and chicken and avocado and salt and pepper ect and plenty of water sometimes I eat junk food but I usually go for the better choice junk food if you know what I mean.It stinks I have to go to so much of an effort and invest so much money but Im trying to be positive about it Ive heard positive change is all in the mind and my trainer is good and encouraging he even gives me extra time sometimes and comes in sometimes on days when he usually doesnt.I guess I have to stay on track and not give up.Its a pain in the ***.sometimes I do but its an investment in my health and it will pay off in the end .OHHHHHHHHHHHH when I was younger it was so much easier and better.I ate crap never exercised and never put on weight.My metabolism was so good.I havent had a problem with weight untill I went on medication.

[Barb135]

Since you both have had thyroid tests and say they are "normal", I would love to know what the results are because some people can fall into the "normal" category on the lab report and still have hypothyroidism because some doctors (and labs) still use outdated reference ranges AND what's "normal" on the lab report, may NOT be normal for you -- your body may need different levels of thyroid hormones.  I struggled with this for a long time before I finally got a doctor who will treat my symptoms, rather than the lab report.  If either of you care to send me a PM, I will try to help you with this AND I suggest that maybe you'd like to check out the thyroid forum as well since there's a ton of info there.  

shikinah - the older we get, the more prone we might be to thyroid issues and yes, menopause CAN affect your weight as well.  If all of your hormones are not at the right levels, you could be affected.  I had a hysterectomy when I was 45, but I didn't begin to gain weight until my thyroid whacked out -- it just so happened, that I quit smoking about the same time, so we all (doctors AND myself) put the weight gain down to quitting smoking at first, but then when I found that diet and exercise were not doing anything for me, we had to dig deeper.  That's when we found the thyroid issue.  

If you continue to gain weight in spite of diet and exercise, then I'd suggest that either you have a health issue, you are eating either the wrong foods or too much; OR you aren't getting the right type/amount of exercise.  I'm usually more inclined to follow the health issue track.  

[misscolorful]

i went to the doctors and got thyroid test done my thyroid and iron is ok its normal.it turns out if i had not have exercised everyday for that month and a half i would have put on much more weight.I went to personal trainer he gave me program I did it once the next day did personal training with him and the next day lost approximately 1 kg. I havent worked out at all this week and have put on 3kg and Ive eaten some junk lately.Im due for personal training today.I thought I would do three sessions a week since Im more motivated to go when Im doing a session with him and I work harder.The weight loss last time was great and if that continues every time I have a session with him that would be fantastic.And I have to get serious about losing weight its affecting my health and breathing and throat capacity especially when lying down.My sister bought how weight affect breathing in sleep to my attention and I really noticed it in my throat lying down in bed this morning and I had to get up walk around sit down take a drink of water and let my throat adjust to normality.I gave up smoking went cold turkey and I thank God that I did give up smoking and it now no longer bothers me because it really affected my health my feet smokers cough my lungs my eyes stains on my hand and teeth and even a legion in the breast.Now it has been a year since ive given up and thankfully all those symtoms have gone recovered and restored to health.But now my weight is a serious issue.I cannot stop the junk food and overeating and discipline myself with exercise like I did with the smoking issue.Its a big problem for me and I have lost alot of weight only to gain more 5 times over.I really want to be a healthy happy 40 and Im 38 in two months.

[shikinah]

I sympathise with you because I have the same problem. Due to depression and Pneumonia I ended up piling on loads of weight while ill. So I decided to start a weight loss programme with 45mins exercise daily.Only been doing this two weeks and ive gained weight. When I use to excercise before within days I was losing 2 pounds a day and that is when I was 45, I am now 50 and gone through menopause I wonder if this has anything to do with it. When I cut the calories really low I dont have the energy to continue, everyone knows I dont really over eat and Ive been told my throid is fine. I stopped smoking about a year and a half now and thats when the weight also piled on.

[Barb135]

Please go see your doctor and get your thyroid checked.  You can only go with the "muscle theory" for so long.  I worked out for months and gained, gained, gained......here I am today, actually losing, without a lot of work, because my thyroid med is right and I eat good...........get checked

[misscolorful]

I am still gaining weight well so my scales say probably about 3.5kg now and have continued carrdio and a bit of weights everyday.Its frustrating and my eating is ok.Pll have said I have lost some weight.My trainer says its muscle and the first 2 weeks would have been unprductive but Im just getting so frustrated feel like giving up its been 7 weeks now and I weigh more than when I started.my clothes dont feel any loser and my scales are gaining weight it seems so pointless.

[twehner5]

Did you take your body measurements, by chance?  

*IF* you are gaining muscle, muscle is denser than fat, so you *WOULD* be slimming down...  Please, if you haven't taken measurements, do so as soon as possible and then do it once/month.  It can be SO encouraging!!!

Definitely take Barb's advice and have some medical testing done if in doubt...

Be faithful to your food diary/journal AND do both cardiovascular AND weight-training, with the emphasis on cardiovascular workouts.

[Barb135]

With your weight bouncing up and down --- I think you need to talk to your doctor and get your thyroid checked.........I did the same thing for years and now my thyroid has stopped working and I will be on med for the rest of my life --- not a bad thing because the right med makes me feel good --- just do it.  If you don't know what tests to get done, send me a PM, I'll help you.........

[misscolorful]

thanks barb for your comment ive exercised every day continuesly and now ive put on 2 1/2 kg I just figure it cant be the calorie intake because im eating a bit extra like fish eggs  or yogurt and my pt said eat plenty of fish eggs and yogurt i only eat a little of this so it cant be to less calorie intake.I just figure it may be muscle as ive never exercised this much and long b4.When i was 34 i ate more and exercised less and lost weight.I dont reaaly no whats happening but Ill stick to muscle gain or else Ill give up and throw the towl in.3 years couldnt make that much of a difference to my body I was eating more and exercising less and the weight fell off.Either that or the stupid scales that read different every time i get on them.

[Barb135]

Because you are getting regular exercise, along with your "lite n easy" diet plan, you  maybe be building muscle, which could account for the weight gain.  Although a pound is a pound, muscle is denser than fat, so as you burn fat and gain muscle, it's possible for your weight to increase for a time.  

Another thing --- this one is most likely -- your diet plan may be cutting calories TOO MUCH and your body could be thinking that there isn't going to be enough calories, so it hangs on to what's already there.  

You need to make small changes -- only one at a time -- that you can live with over the long term -- we call them "life style changes", rather than changing your entire diet all at once.  When you change too many things, too drastically, your body doesn't know what's happening and it will hang onto fat in order to prevent starvation.  

I'm not familiar with your "lite n easy" diet plan, but if you aren't eating enough calories you won't lose weight.  

I'd recommend that you start a food diary -- med help has a great one -- that will calculate how many calories you need/day to maintain your current weight, based on your current height/weight/exercise level.  Then you will have to create a calorie deficit - by either eating less or exercising more (it's usually easier to do both) in order to lose weight.  It's generally accepted that it's safe to lose 1-2 pounds/week.  

I'd also recommend that you begin using the weight and exercise trackers here on med help to help you keep up with calories used, etc.  

Last, but not least, I will recommend that you talk with your doctor to make sure you don't have underlying health issues that may cause weight gain and/or inability to lose, such as hypothyroidism, PCOS, insulin resistance, etc.  

If you are interested in developing a healthy lifestyle and losing weight safely, please stick around and we will do all we can to help you reach your goal.