Why do I keep gaining weight??

A

amyfit30

Cathlete
Hi Cathe!!
I've got a real problem on my hands. I was in a bodybuilding competition last Oct. Ever since then, I've steadily gained weight! No matter what I do I can't seem to stop gaining. I took up running last April along with your step and weight videos to see if that would help stop the upward trend. Nope.
I've put on 20lbs in less than a year. I watch what I eat, though I'm not a fanatic. I get between 1500-2000cal/day. I run five days a week right now due to 2 upcoming races I'm training for. I also use your weight videos 4 days a week and do yoga 5 days a week.
Can you see what I'm doing wrong? I'm 5'1" and now 122lbs. I know I'm not overweight, but I'm very uncomfortable with my size right now. I'm not used to being over 110. I'll be 30 in a week, but I hate to think of this as a "normal" part of getting older.
I have gained some muscle, but there is more fat than there used to be. I eat 5 times a day and try to keep my fat intake at or below 30%. Carbs are usually at 50% and protein makes up the remainder.
Any advice would be great. I'm at my wit's end. Thanks for everything and I can't wait to get your new videos!! I ordered them today:)!

Thanks again!!

Aimee
 
I'm not Cathe, but...

Have you seen a doctor? Maybe there is a medical reason for your weight gain, like a thyroid problem.
 
RE: I'm not Cathe, but...

Well... I haven't yet, but I'm seriously beginning to think about it. Can it just clunk out all of a sudden?

Aimee
 
RE: I'm not Cathe, but...

Aimee,
Yup, a thyroid problem can come on suddenly, and it sounds like this would be worth further investigation. Any kind of unexplained weight loss or gain should be checked out by your doctor.

I'm 41 and still going strong. Metabolism doesn't slow significantly with age--it does, however, with inactivity, which increases with most people as they grow older. The slight slowing that comes with age can be offset with exercise.

Good luck and let us know how things go!
Maribeth
 
This may sound crazy but, maybe you are not eating enough? I was battling a similar problem not too long ago and I was severely frustrated. I was teaching several classes a week and really watching my eating. I started working with a trainer at the club I teach at and he said I needed to up my calorie intake significantly. I was burning burning burning and not fueling enough. Maybe not the case at all for you and I agree with the others that a trip to the doctor to rule out thyroid is essential, but I thought I would toss out the possibility. Good luck to you.
 
RE: Thanks guys

I'll call my doctor on Monday and set up an appointment. As for the needing to eat more, THAT WOULD BE AWESOME!! :) :) :)!!! He he he, how often do we get to hear that??
Seriously, I'll check and make sure all medical possibilities are ruled out before eating more.
Thanks for the tips guys.

Aimee
 
Do you keep a food journal so you're certain that your eating is not the cause? It's very easy, as you know, to underestimate the total amount calorie-wise that you're eating.

Hope you get to the bottom of this soon! I can sure dig your frustration - it's like I felt when I started to gain weight while taking Prempro. A trip to the Doc's is a good idea. Good luck, chick!
 
Thanks HB!! Yeah, I do Fitday everyday, unless my PC is down and even then, I'll write it all down. I'm making an appointment tomorrow and hopefully getting to the bottom of it.

Thanks again!!
Aimee
 
I wonder if it could also have been started by the very restricted diet you were on when you did the bodybuilding competition. Didn't you get down to under 100 lbs.?? Maybe going back to normal eating started the weight gain, but I have no clue why it would keep going... Did you stop smoking? That could contribute, but since you're using the food intake thingy, you know what you're eating, so that probably isn't it either...
Ok, that was extremely helpful, huh?
Sorry! Just thinking out loud!
Wendy
 
No, actually it is helpful. I did quit smoking back in July. So maybe that's just another factor. I think that diet may have caused my metabolism to slow also. I'm calling the doctor today to get a complete checkup and blood profile.

Aimee
 
Stopping smoking may have contributed, now that you mention it, but 20 lbs. sounds like a lot with your good habits.
 
You seem to be doing an awful lot of exercise in a week. How do you fit it in? Do you break them up into two sessions? I find Cathe weigth videos quite tough and would not do more than one a day. I also don't have the time to do more than an hour of exericse a day 4-5 (6 maximum) times a week. How do you fit it in?

I hope you don't mind me asking, but I am a little curious as to how many hours a day you spend exercising.
 
RE: I'm not Cathe, but...

Say it ain't so, Maribeth, about the insignificant decline in metabolism! I always thought that metabolism declined 5-10% per decade after 30(?) & for someone who has always struggled with weight issues that's pretty significant! I've found that I need to exercise quite a bit more the older I get (I'm now 46) or am I imagining that I need to do more? Can you straighten me out? (well, straighten out my notions about metabolism, that is!):)

Leslie
 
Amy, I hope you're feeling better. Now, I have a question for you. What type of competition did you enter. Bodybuilding, Fitness or Figure. I am interested in the figure competitions. Do you place? And what type of training/diet did you have.

Thanks for the info.
 
RE: HB, Kim, and Heidi

HB, I think so too. I've got an appointment set for next Mon in the afternoon. I want to nip this in the bud!!
Kim, I get up and run at 5 a.m. for 40 - 60min. Then I do weights around 2 or 3. Then I'll do yoga around 7:30
Heidi, I did bodybuilding. The diet was very low carb. I hated it, but I stuck with it and got down to 6% bodyfat. It wasn't healthy, and I couldn't even keep up with my mom shopping. She always tells me to slow down! It was a great accomplishment though and I was very proud of myself. It took more strength and determination than I knew I had. If you do a competition, please do the figure or fitness, because they don't want us to get below 10% bf. Not the healthiest for a woman, but not as bad as the 8% or below that you have to be for bodybuilding. Good Luck:)!!

Aimee
 
RE: I'm not Cathe, but...

Leslie,
Sorry, but it IS true--the decline in metabolism traditionally associated with aging is a primarily a function of inactivity-related loss of muscle mass. There is a small percentage (2-3% last time I checked) that may be the result of a slower rate of cell turnover, but the biggest reason for weight gain associated with age is inactivity.

The tendency to store excess body fat is genetically determined, but lifestyle influences it to a great extent. Variations in body type is the primary reason that exercise programs, particularly strength training programs HAVE to be individualized. If everybody were the same, one size would fit all.

Tell me a little about what you are doing in your workout program. Maybe it just needs a little tweaking. It may just be a matter of working smarter rather than more.

Take care!
Maribeth
 
RE: HB, Kim, and Heidi

WOW! That is amazing. I would die of exhaustion. I think it is more realistic to exercise for an hour a day. I wouldn't be able to concerntrate at work otherwise.

I usually try to do something after work, but then I miss out on going out because I have to come home and work out. Mind you, I prefer to go home after work anyhow as I need the physical exertion to wake me up. If I could afford one of the city gyms then that would be ideal, but they are sooooooo expensive and I'd rather spend that money on a facial.

Can you manage to fit in your social life and work as well?


Yen
 
RE: HB, Kim, and Heidi

Yeah, I guess. My social life usually consist of my kid's football, cheerleading and soccer games right now. In the spring and summer it's baseball. With some wrestling in the winter. I guess I've got it kind of nice because I work for the school system out here and I'm off at 1 p.m. everyday. So, that really helps alot. But if I have a lunch date lined up, I'll wait till later on so I can go eat;-)!!

Aimee
 
RE: I'm not Cathe, but...

Maribeth,
I'd appreciate any input you could give me. I have currently worked some muscle training into my routine-power hour twice a week & sometimes Circuit Max in between for a "lite" hit on the weights. I also normally do 4 cardio workouts as well ranging from 30-60 minutes depending on whether I take on some weight work as well. I have been debating whether to add some "heavy weight" workouts for awhile instead of power hour, but I'm concerned that I will overbuild. I am one of those "fortunate" ones that builds muscle very easily & found out by a miscalculation of the weight I was using that I am lifting heavier than Cathe in Power Hour after only 4 weeks! So far I'm reasonably happy with my results but I think I'm hitting a plateau & I'm not quite where I want to be in terms of size & definition. I'm not so concerned about the weight on the scale since I'm not overweight or even close per the latest magic numbers as being able to fit into certain of my clothes!

Thanks!

Leslie

P.S. To all others--I didn't mean to highjack this thread!!!:)
 
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