weight gain- help me get rid of it

My RNY was 14 years ago. I've had a 15 lb weight gain since Feb. I'm contributing it to the iron supplements that I had to start taking for iron deficiency. How do I get it off?  How many calories would you think I need to be at per day?

There is a daily thread on thr RNY forum, 'What are you eating today RNYers?' Why don't you check it out and see what people are eating.

There is no way iron supplements cause weight gain. Unless you are putting the iron in a milkshake or something. The only way you gain weight is by eating more calories than you burn. Star****ching your food and tracking everything you eat so you can tell where to cut back.

The only thing that changed in my diet and exercising routine was the addition of the iron supplement, so yes, I am bloated and have put on pounds.  I workout 5 times a week and watch what I eat but I've never had such a gain in a short amount of time.  

Could you be approaching menopause?  Sadly, our metabolisms change and we require less calories to maintain the same weight.

15 pounds since February is only roughly five pounds per month.  I say that not to minimize your gain, but to point out that a relatively small amount of increase in calories could very easily and almost imperceptibly cause your current situation.

Iron has no calories.  It can be constipating, especially if you just started taking it.  That may be part of your problem, although I doubt it's 15 pounds worth.  Iron in and of itself it cannot cause weight gain. 

Also, although exercise is great, activity generally counts for far less calories burned than we attribute to it.  

For whatever the reason may be, you are consuming more calories than you are burning. If you want to lose the weight or even stop the gain you need to figure out where/why.  The fastest and most accurate way to do that is to track your calories.  It's not fun, but it's not rocket science.  Sometimes simply tracking and the awareness of what we are putting in our mouths that goes along with it is enough to set things straight.

Lastly, we can't offer even educated estimates at the amount of calories you would want to shoot for without knowing your weight and your desired weight.  A sample of your daily menu would also be helpful if you want more specific feedback.  Many times we simply don't see the obvious in our own lives that others can spot right away.

Good luck to you.  Regain happens and if you've gone 14 years without having to deal with  more than 15 pounds that is awesome.  You can lose the weight, I promise.  It's just wanting it bad enough to look at every single thing your are eating and doing on a daily basis.