Why do I gain weight so easily?

Question
So for the past 2 weeks I have been exercising everyday and eating a little less than 1000 calories a day. I Lost 6 pounds! So yesterday I cheated and had 2 slices of pizza, a small burger and some fries. I gained back all 6 pounds I've lost!! However, my boyfriend who has been exercising and dieting with me for the past two weeks ate 4 slices of pizza, a large hamburger, and some fries and only gained 1 pound. I dont understand?!! How come he didn't gain as much as me and he ate more?! Is my metabolism THAT slow?! I am only 20 years old and my parent's metabolisms are normal. So I don't know whats wrong with me!

Answer
Hi Cathy,
Congrats on the weight loss.  6 pounds in two weeks is great.  The foods that you ate (pizza, burger, fries) have a lot of sodium in them and will cause your body to hold on to water.  So, much of your weight re-gain is water weight.  This will come off over the next few days as you go back to your weight loss intake of 1,000 calories.  

However, all of the 6 pounds may not be water weight.  If after 3 days you have not lost the 6 pounds, then you can assume the other is body fat.  This would mean that your splurge day cause a little fat gain.  If this ends up being the case, I would suggest the following:
1) Reduce the splurge day down a bit and keep the overall calories to no more than 2,000.
2) Keep all the splurging to one meal on that day.  This will reduce the body's ability to get into fat storage mode.
3) Keep the splurging to earlier in the day - say before 6 PM.  This will help you have time to burn off some of the excess calories before bed.
4) Drink plenty of water on your splurge day and the day after.  This will help your body flush out the toxins (yes pizza and burgers have toxins in them).
5) Perform cardio exercise on your splurge day and the day after.  Again this helps to speed the removal from the body, as well as burn off some extra calories.

As for comparing yourself to your boyfriend - don't do it.  You are a wonderfully unique individual and there is nobody else like you.  Your boyfriend has his own metabolism, and that does not mean because his is faster that yours is slow.  You lost 6 pounds in just 14 days.  that is great!  That is a sign of a healthy metabolism.  I think some tweaking to the day off and you will continue to lose weight.

You should expect to gain about 2 pounds from your splurge day.  But, those two pounds should come right off within 2 days after your splurge day.  Don't give up on the splurge.  It serves to up regulate your metabolism, which keeps your weight loss from plateauing.  It also is a much-needed psychological break from weight loss dieting.

I hope this helps,
Dr. Bret
doctoremery.com

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