Constant weight gain for 3 years despite diet and exercise

Question
QUESTION: Hello, I am DESPERATE for help. I am 32 years old, female, 5'5, 132 pounds. My entire life I have weighed between 120-125 pounds. I have always eaten healthy and exercised. 3 years ago I started seeing a personal trainer and introduced strength training to my exercise. I lost 25 pounds in 10 months (so I got down to 100 pounds). I was eating exactly the same, just strength training in addition to the cardio I had always done. My trainer quit and so I tried to keep training myself. I eat EXACTLY the same and exercise EXACTLY the same. I wear a heart rate moniter and burn between 600-700 calories per day at the gym. I go to the gym 7 days a week. I eat between 1400-1500 calories per day. I had my RMR tested by a RD and it is 1390 at complete rest. So, I should be able to eat over 2000 calories a day without gaining weight. As I said, I eat 1400-1500. I have been steadily gaining weight ever since the extreme weight loss. I now weigh more than I ever have. I have cellulite and do NOT look like I am dieting and exercising. I am that person in the gym sweating all over the machines because I am working out so hard. I count every calorie and weigh all my food. I don't eat in restaurants. I have had my thyroid tested via blood tests and am completely healthy. No one can figure out why I am not losing weight. CAN YOU PLEASE PLEASE GIVE ME SOME GUIDANCE? I don't understand why I am not losing weight, and why I have gained so much, despite eating an average of a 700 calorie a day deficit. PLEASE HELP ME!!!
Thank you so much... any advice with an action to take would be greatly appreciated.

ANSWER: Dear Laurie,

This sounds like a dilemma, but I will throw a few things out to you.

First of all it sounds like you are 7-12 pounds over what you weighed a few years ago and you are desperate about this; you work out daily, weigh and measure all your food, and count all your calories.  Honestly, this sounds like you are obsessed with your weight and diet, and this can just compound your misery because it's your complete focus 24/7 in your life....

Second, if you can eat 2000 calories per day without gaining weight, yet you eat 1400-1500 per day, sometimes you slow down your own metabolism (especially after 3 years) and your dietitian may even recommend that you INCREASE your calorie level--I had a woman with the same issue just last month, and she increased her calories without gaining weight, so I can vouch that it works!  Your body is used to running on 1500 so it won't let you lose; consider increasing to 1800 or 2000 for a week and then go back and forth every other week so your body does not adjust to a low calorie level and you should be able to lose.

Third, do you know your body fat percentage?  If you gained a few pounds while working out this hard over 3 years, it could just be muscle weight.

I am concerned that you are spending this much time focusing on getting down to what your weight was 3 years ago, and worrying about what your thighs look like--our bodies definitely change as we age and there isn't anything you're going to be able to do as time goes on, but to stay in the best shape you can.  I'm going to put myself out on a limb here and suggest you find a counselor who deals with body image issues.  Because I'm certain once you speak to someone about what the real issues are, you will be able to live a long and happy life without the obsession of calories, weight, and every detail of what you see wrong with your  body....  This is probably not the answer you were looking for, but I assure you it will help in the long run.

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

QUESTION: Thank you for the response! I had my body fat tested in March and it is high- 29%. For someone who exercises the way I do, it is very strange that it would be so high. My dietitian has also suggested that I eat more. However, I have a very sensitive digestive system and eating more than small amounts of food are hard on it. My dietitian has suggested eating more and I tried, but it just gives me stomach aches. And you are dead on- this is completely taking over my life. Everything I do now centers around my food and exercise, but only because I feel like I have tried everything and nothing is working! I just feel that for the amount of dieting and exercising that I do, my body should look better- I have a lot of cellulite and fat, and don't look like someone who works out everyday. If I could be at this weight and be super tight and toned and healthy looking that would be fine with me- I could handle a different body in that way. But I work SO HARD and look like someone who doesn't try at all. That is what is so upsetting.
So, if it is difficult for me to eat more (I could probably stand eating 1500-1600, but when I ate 1750 for a few days I was so sick), should I cut back on my exercise instead? What exercise routine would you recommend if I were to stay with the same calorie level?
Thanks again!!! It is so great to get your help!!!

ANSWER: Hi Laurie,

I'm so glad you were not offended by my suggestions--I know I don't have any good answers for you...
I wonder why eating 1750 calories gives you stomach aches?  That is curious... Perhaps there is some type of digestive issue?  Are there certain foods that bother you? Or things that make you feel more bloated (wheat? milk? fiber?)

It certainly sounds like you should look rock-hard for all the working out.  I wonder about this: you said that working with the trainer got you down to 100 pounds, and after the trainer quit you "tried" working out yourself, but gained the weight back.  Maybe it was something she was having you do that really burned more calories... perhaps another trainer could help?

I have heard that cutting back too much on calories slows your metabolism, but not exercising too much, so I can't imagine any benefit that you could get from exercising less.  I am not educated on exercise routines so I really can't comment on what a good routine would be...  

I would suggest seeking out a professional in your area who you could speak with in person; whether you start with a trainer, a dietitian, or a counselor, you'll be off to a good start to either solving the problem or feeling better about where you are now.

Let me know !

laurie

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

QUESTION: Thanks again for your response. I am currently seeing a registered dietitian who also can't figure out why I can't lose weight. She suggested that when I got so 100 pounds I may have done damage to my metabolism and therefore my body wont release any weight. Here is where I am confused: I have had my RMR tested and know that my metabolic rate is normal. I wear a HR monitor so I know how many calories I am burning during my workouts. So, if I am eating less than I am burning, shouldn't I be losing weight regardless? I mean, how to movie stars lose and gain weight the way they do? People lose and gain all the time- why would I be having problems?? It is so confusing!

Answer
Hi Laurie,

Good that your RMR is normal: this means your metabolism is not messed up!
The calories burned is really just a calculation done by the machine--it can't tell how many calories you are actually burning for your body composition.

Yes, if you are eating less than you burn you should be losing weight; but there are too many variables here... everyone is just different.

You point out that movie stars lose and gain weight--if they were doing the right thing they would be GAINING, right??!!  they go on those crazy crash diets and dehydrate themselves to fit into a dress next Friday, and then gain it back when they start eating again--or maybe they get liposuction and plastic surgery....

You also need to give this some time and find a happy balance; there are some roles that stress hormones play and there's a chance that all this obsessing about the weight is actually causing physical effects in your body as well as emotional ones.  I hope you are still considering speaking to someone about what all this is doing to you; I really think that is a huge key to finding the answer.

1. Prev:Nutrition & Dieting
2. Next:protein quantity