Unexplained Weight Gain

[pugsrule]

Hello all! This is my first posting to your forum! I was wondering if any of you could help me. You all seem very knowledgable about health and fitness.

I have been doing Cathe tapes for a few years (about 3). I work out 7 days per week. Lately, I have noticed that I am gaining weight, or kind of thickening in the middle. I don't know what to do. I am very discouraged. I always watch what I eat and don't feel like I can cut out any more calories.

Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!

 

[FitnessGoddess]

Hi! Welcome to the forum. In order to answer your question, I need to ask a question? How old are you? Women tend to gain weight around the middle as we get older if we are getting close to menopause. Unfortunately, it's not a matter of cutting calories but cutting out sometimes. It sucks, I'm there now!

The other thing to ask is how much cardio are you doing? You say that you're doing Cathe tapes but not which ones. Try mixing it up a little. It might help.

 

[pugsrule]

Hi! Thank you so much for your response. I am only 31, so I don't think it's menopause, although I guess it could be hormonal. I usually do four cardio tapes (step max, interval max, step jam, etc.) and I do one day of legs (either leaner legs/standing legs), one day of circuit training (usually circuit max) and then usually one firm tape.

I try to change it up, this is just what I have been doing lately. In the warmer weather I usually run a few days per week.

I don't know, I feel like I work really hard and for some reason am not getting the most I can out of it.

Thanks again!!

 

[Amy Steppe]

Have your thyroid checked. You may have an underactive thyroid. That was one of my problems.

At age 48, I am a size 2 to 4 petite (until I discovered my thyroid problem I was a size 12) and my waist has never been smaller.....I don't starve either. I attribute it to Cathe and the Firm -- but especially to Cathe. I work out 6 days per week and really rotate what I do -- but I never feel as though I've really worked out unless I have at least 30 min of cardio.....that is why I love the cardio pre-mix so much in the Intensity Series.

I think we can have great bodies at any age -- but we have to WORK very hard at it. I also think genetics play a role in how our bodies age. I have never had a cellulite problem, but neither did my mother. She was slim until her death at age 60.

Oh, I also gave up carbonated beverages, sugared or diet. They both tended to bloat me.I drink very weak raspberry tea and water now. I have one Coke mornings to wake me up (I am not a coffee drinker) -- mornings I tend to crave sweets...and have to watch it!

Didn't mean to go on and on, but I was about your age when my thyroid began to give me trouble (although I did not know it yet). A very low level of synthroid once per day is all it takes!

When I go to my doctor she always tells me I look great for and that most women would give anything to have my body at any age! She asks me how I do it and what gym I go to. I said none, I do advanced home workouts!

THANKS, CATHE!

 

[LizzieLiz]

Another possibility is maybe you are cutting too many calories? You have to give your body plenty of fuel, especially if you are working out everyday. If your body feels starved, it may react and do exactly the opposite of what you want.

You may also need a rest day - 7 days a week is a lot. How about letting your body recover for a day?

It looks like you're doing a lot of step. Part of it could be that your system has just become very efficient at this type of workout.

Lastly, maybe you could try some heavier weight training in addition to your endurance style lifting? Muscle will help you to burn more calories in general. Plus it feels great!

Just throwing some suggestions out there FWIW! Good luck, I hope you find a plan that works for you. ;-)

 

[pugsrule]

Thank you so much! These are all good suggestions! I knew I could count on fellow Cathe fans!

I look forward to being involved with your forum.

Have a great one!!

 

[Amy Steppe]

That is another great thought. The body can go into "forced starvation" mode and then when you eat normally again you gain weight because your body is accustomed to eating a low amount of calories.

And increased muscle does burn calories, so this advice is excellent!

I also agree 7 days straight is too much -- the body benefits from one or two rest days. I had to work on that one myself. I felt guilty when I took a day off.

Now I realize that rest and recovery help complete the fitness picture.

 

[trprwife]

I am having the exact same problem. I am soooooo frustrated. I know it isn't menopause in my case either because I am only 33. I notice that my body does this every so many months...like 8. I think what happens is your body gets used to doing the same old stuff and stops responding. My cousin...who is an aerobics instructor...says you have to shock the body every once in a while. I was doing 4 days of cardio and two days of weights....light. I am still doing 4 days of cardio, but one of them is Body Max, so with this workout, I have added an extract weight workout as well, even though the weights are a bit lighter. On my other two lifting days, I have made my weights higher. I was always worried about getting bulky, so I have always used light weights. I am getting over that fear after reading this forum. I have also noticed something with my body that doesn't make alot of sense, but, when I do alot of cardio, I tend to gain weight. And it's not muscle either because my stomach and waist line expand considerable. I have no idea why this is. Maybe I am eating more than I realize. I was running more than an hour 3x a week and gainning weight. I was so frustrated. You'd think I would be a stick. So I cut it back to 45 minutes and I've started dropping pounds again.

I can say this, I have always been told that when you hit 30, things change with your metabolism and body. I never believed it, but boy is it ever true. I swear every year on my birthday, my metabolism takes a nose dive. I have to work so much harder now that I ever have and I have to watch everything that goes in my mouth. I look at it this way, it is going to make me a healthier older adult.

Anyway, I guess what I am saying is maybe your body needs a change of senory. Try to shake things up a bit. I don't know how much weight you are doing, but maybe go heavier. I have always had trouble with my middle...I tend to be thick there....until I started doing some stability ball work for my core. I am still thick, but not nearly as much as before. How often do you do stomach. I notice that if I do stomach too much, I get thicker. I only do it about 3-4x a week.

Okay, now that I have totally talked your ear off, I am shutting up now. I hope I helped you a bit.

Kim

 

[honeybunch1]

Could I ask what sort of ab work you do? Make sure you are using proper form, exhaling on the positive portion of the move and inhaling on the negative. Also, try not to use heavy weights with ab work, especially with obliques.

I also agree with adding in a rest day.

Just Do It! :7