Why Did I gain this weight (and what can I do??)
#277730 - 08/09/06 08:20 AM
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Kgrl17
Reged: 08/09/06
Posts: 5
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hey,
I've had IBS for about 5 or 6 years but I've always worked out and eaten healthy so I was thin unless I was bloated from food. About 3 months ago I started gaining weight and have gained around 20 pounds and it just continues to go up. I record everything I eat a(I eat around 1200-1500 calories a day) and I work out and weight train about 6 days a week.
It's gotten so bad that I wont even leave the house anymore. I can't even get my old pants up my thighs and all I wear are big t-shirts because I can't afford to keep going out and buying new clothes every week.
Does anyone have ANY suggestions? I'm 17 years old so it's not like the weight is coming with age and I'm really healthy but this is seriously making it so that I don't want to even live anymore.
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I'm not really familiar with this but could it be related to a thyroid problem? Or have you started any medications? It would be good to bring it up with your doctor and they could possibly run some tests.
If you think it might just be food related, try keeping a food diary and posting it on here. Many people count their calories and post the food they eat every day on this board. We could offer some feedback on your diet that way.
I would definetly see your doctor though.
Kat
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Kat
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Hey there. A couple of thoughts - my first was that maybe you should *increase* your calories, since, for an active person, they're pretty low. But I don't think that's the right logic - I know, for me, it's easier to lose weight with calories around 1600 rather than down by 1200, but if you've always had them that low, your body's probably used to it.
My next thought was that it might be something medical. Which would suck. But might not hurt to get checked out, especially if nothing else in your routine has changed.
But then there's this - before you gained the weight, you said you were thin, right? Without knowing specifics it's hard to say, but this could just be a late spurt of your body developing and filling out, especially if it's in your hips & thighs.
But it's still a relatively fast weight gain, so it might not be a bad idea to see a doctor. Though I say again, even if this didn't cause the gain - if you work out so often, you need more than 1500 calories a day. (Unless that's a new thing since the weight gain. But for regular lifestyle, it doesn't sound like enough.)
Sorry I couldn't help more.
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jaime
ibs-a (mostly d) // vegetarian
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Quote:
Does anyone have ANY suggestions? I'm 17 years old so it's not like the weight is coming with age and I'm really healthy but this is seriously making it so that I don't want to even live anymore.
I started gaining weight around age 18, even though I went through puberty 7 years before that. (!!) Oh, and I gained 3 cup sizes at age 22 for no good reason at all. So your body is still filling out in your late teens.
However, if you really feel like this is out of control, you should definitely see a doctor. It can't hurt to take a look at your diet: not just the calories part, but whether you are getting enough fruits and vegetables, whether you are having a little food all day long and not just gorging on 1 or 2 meals, etc.
--AC
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Thanks for the suggestions  I can see what you mean about the low calorie intake but my body has always eaten like this so I don't know why I would all of a sudden have the weight gain. Also, I may not have mentioned that I also lost all of my muscle. I used to be around 105 with visible abs and arm muscles and now I have done everything to change up my routine and keep doing the work but I don't see any results.
BTW, the only medication I'm on is is bentyl. And even if it were a thyroid problem, wouldn't I still be able to keep in shape because of how I work out and eat? Thanks again
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Make a visit to your MD or GYN and ask if you can see an endocrinologist. Maybe its hormonal???????
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I didn't change my eating habits either, and when I was 18 I just gained 10 lbs out of the blue. My totally unscientific theory is that sometimes your body just decides that you need to gain or lose some weight.
I would definitely go see a doctor. Thyroid stuff can cause weight changes as can some other things. Your doc can also tell you what a healthy weight range for you might be. I know now that 5'2" and 99 lbs was not the right weight for my build once I reached 18, and that I'm stronger and healthier at 115-120 lbs. I just wish I didn't waste so much time at ages 18-22 stressing over it and eating unhealthily because of my obsession with staying the same weight as I was at age 12.
--AC
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Yeah Astrochick you may just be right about that. I was around the same weight as you (98 pounds). When I gained 10 I was totally fine with it and thought I looked better because I was all muscle still. I went to the doctor today though and the scale said I gained another 5 pounds (that's 19 since beggining of july while eating and exercising the same). He's going to do a blood test tommorow but he didn't seem to worry. I understand that is a healthy range for my weight but I thought he would be concerned b/c it came in such a short time with healthy habits.
It may just be that I'm growing more but I look pretty unhealthy now. My chest is a lot bigger and I don't have a bit of muscle left anywhere no matter what I do. So I guess I'll see what the blood test says and hope I don't keep gaining.
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Just about the muscle, it's probably still there, just covered. Unless you noticed that you're weaker, that you can't lift what you used to, I'd assume that your body, doing its womanly thing, just added a layer of fat. So you can survive through the winter, when the foraging runs out. Thanks, bodies. But seriously, the muscle's probably still there, just not visible because you have a little body fat - it sounds like you had hardly any before.
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jaime
ibs-a (mostly d) // vegetarian
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if you're gaining weight on the scale it's very unlikely that you're losing muscle. like jaime said, it's probably just under a growing layer of fat. so you're not losing muscle, just muscle definition. so I wouldn't worry about muscle wasting or anything like that...
also if you're doctor's not worried and you're still in a normal/healthy weight for your height and age, I wouldn't be too worried either. like AstroChick, I gained about 20 lbs between age 18 and 20, just as part of growing up. I went from 100lbs to 120lbs. it was a bit freaky at first but I eventually "grew into it" so to speak and though I've lost almost no weight now according to the scale (I'm 22, still around 120lbs) I have a lot more muscle definition than I did then (mostly from working out - I've gained a lot of muscle and lost some fat, so it evens out.)
so long as your doctor doesn't find any problems, your body probably knows what it's doing. just keep treating it well - eating well, exercising etc. - and you'll get along just fine
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