Gradual weight gain

Question
QUESTION: Hi Laurie,

I was hoping you could help me / shed some light on my situation.  I apologize in advance for the length but i want to give you all the background information on my situation.

I'm 24yrs old, 5'4 and my weight is 10 stone 2lbs.  I have gradually gained excess weight over the past 7-8months and really don't know what to do. I acknowledge for my age and height this is not technically overweight, however it is noticeable and over a stone heavier than my "normal weight".  Since the age of 17 my weight has fluctuated from 8st 10lbs to 9st 3lbs usually dependent on how much i eat/exercise, but I've never been any heavier than that (including my time at uni when i was drinking and eat lots and when i have been travelling).

In April 2008 i was in my last year at university and was 9st 3lbs i then unintentionally lost a lot of weight quite quickly (due to a bout of severe depression) and got down to 8st 4lbs in less than 2months.  Over the next year i gradually put that weight back on, in June 2009 i was 8st 11lbs (which i was happy with) and decided to go to the gym as i had stopped going running as much so wanted to get fit again.  Since then i started gaining weight a few lbs here and there.  In September 2009 i sought advice from a trainer at my gym as i had got up to 9st 3lbs again despite going to the gym 4 times a week so i was little concerned and wanted to tone up.  My trainer altered my routine at the gym and also suggested that i overhauled my eating regime.  I started eating breakfast something like cereal or yoghurt (which i never used to do) and started having no carbs after 2pm so would have carbs such as pasta and rice for lunch then protein n veg for tea, which was fine but i continued to put on weight. I was concerned because i was going to 4 gym classes a week (a mixture of aerobics based classes, a dance based one and a pilates/yoga based ones) and also going for a run/swim or general gym session on top of that so i went to the doctors December '09 for some tests, they tested me for thyroid issues, diabetes and some cell count thing which all came back fine.  I seemed to plateau a bit around 9st 10lbs then in February i did a 7 day detox where i cut out salt, meat, wheat, dairy, caffeine and alcohol with the intention of flushing my system and hopefully kick-starting my metabolism.  Yet I somehow managed to gain a pound on the detox! Since my detox i have gained another 5lbs making me 10st 2lbs. I'm at the end of my tether as it seems that no matter what i do i gain weight rather than lose it. My trainer is absolutely baffled and has no idea what to do with me now other than putting me on an extreme diet which i don't really want to do.  I eat healthily (although i do indulge in the occasional chocolate bar), i don't drink a lot of alcohol, i don't drink tea or coffee, any crisps or yoghurts i eat are fat-free/low fat varieties, if I'm hungry i fill up on fruit or carrot sticks or extra salad with my tea and i exercise 4-5 times per week yet i keep gaining weight.  I appreciate that some of the weight will be muscle but not all of it.  My clothes either don't fit anymore or are quite tight.  It's really affecting my confidence and getting me down.
Some friends have suggested that perhaps I'm over-exercising and my body has gone into storage mode so that everything i eat it stores.  Is that possible?

I'm going travelling in July and I'm concerned what will happen to my weight when i stop going to the gym 4 times a week, I'm unhappy enough with my body now i don't think i could handle gaining more weight and i want to focus on having a good time whilst I'm away.  After coming through the depression I'm back on track in all aspects of my life this is the only thing that's bothering me and i think weight is something you should be able to have some control over due to exercise and eating, i seem to be doing the right things but getting the opposite results. Frustrating!
Any suggestions? Anything would be greatly appreciated.

Jill

ANSWER: Dear Jill,

Well, I certainly understand your frustration and I do appreciate all the details so I know a bit more.  I'm glad to hear you had tests done at your doctors and ruled out the most obvious suspicion(thyroid).

I have not heard of "over-exercising" causing one's body to go into storage mode. However, I am familiar with this "storage mode" phenomenon occuring from eating too few calories!  Do you have an idea how many you are eating?  If you go on these very low calorie diets occasionally (less than 1000 per day) you can cause your body to start conserving energy and ultimately have a lot of trouble with your weight going up and down over the years.

The truth about exercise (and do confirm this with your trainer) is that it is not as helpful to promote weight loss as it is to maintain a healthy weight and prevent gain. Even if you are working out hard for an hour on four days a week, chances are you are burning about 2400 calories... that is about 2/3 of a pound.  So it really won't lead to as much weight loss as it feels like you are burning when you are doing it!

My best guess is that sometimes you are eating more than you realize: A snack here, a treat there--it happens when we are constantly watching our weight: We are doing soooo well on our diet we want to allow ourself a little treat and so we have a candy bar one day and maybe join friends for take away the next night and then have a bad day so cheer ourself up with a bit of ice cream.... it seems harmless because most of the time we are eating so well!!  But it adds up to maybe one pound of weight gain a month--hardly noticeable at first, but then so puzzling... where did this weight come from? I've been eating so well and exercising!

My advice is to keep a food diary. You can use a pretty paper journal or there are loads of online sites that let you record your food intake and then they calculate your calories for you (livestrong.com has the daily plate; fitday.com; myfooddiary.com, etc). Hopefully this will bring to your attention a few hundred calories a week you weren't aware of.

Otherwise, my best advice is to try not to focus so intently on weight. Constant dieting damages metabolism and keeps otherwise happy and productive women preoccupied with food and body image and calories and suddenly you can hardly enjoy anything in life without worrying about it!  Unless your weight continues to increase without reason, try to enjoy yourself, buy clothes you feel good in, and focus on eating healthy and exercising--not weight loss.

Do let me know how it's going before you go on your trip!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Laurie

Thanks for the response.  I do already keep a food diary (started it in January) but i might try one of those websites that can calculate your calories as you suggested as I'm not sure how many calories i eat - maybe 1300-500ish per day.  I don't think i eat too much but maybe i do without realizing it so I've decided to really watch my portion size to see if that helps.  I wouldn't mind so much if i could maintain a weight (even if it was slightly heavier than my normal/ideal weight) but it's the fact that i keep gaining that scares me - where will it stop!!

One further question - can food intolerances make you gain weight?

Jill

Answer
Dear Jill,

Great that you already have been keeping a food diary; keeping track of the calories and portions may give you some answers.

Food intolerances are more likely to make you lose weight, actually. They would precipitate some sort of symptom like abdominal discomfort, bloating, or diarrhea and may not be absorbed well in the body (that means all the calories would not be available, eventually leading to weight loss).

If you do keep gaining weight be sure to visit your physician again. They'll re-check, run more tests, and look harder to discover the underlying issue, as this is not normal.

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