I'm a Gainer ....help

Okay this is too weird. I have been closely watchingmyself overthe last 2 weeks, as i went from 144 lbs to 150 lbs, like overnight. I did start lifting weights, but that's a whole lotta muscle for such a short time. Then 1 week later today after eating healthy and limiting calories to 1400 or less I am 153 lbs, naked first thing in th emorning!!!! Ughhh!!!! I feel devastated! Like regain really is inevitable. I have been doing aerobic excercise 3 times a week and weights 3 times. I am getting in at least 6-10 cups of water a day. I'm not perfect, i do eat a bit of something sweet daily, but not enough to cause a 9 lb gain in 2 weeks and this isn't new. I have for a while now eaten a bit of sweet. Today I am determined to do the all liquid time out plan. I failed all the times I tried before. But I have to stop these 9 lbs NOW!!!! I am wanting to be around 140lbs, so i am 13 above what i want. I am sooo FRUSTRATED< DEVASTATED< DEPRESSED>UPSET>ANGRY>HOPELESS FEELING> WHY IS IT SO HARD????? I am 2 yrs 4 months post op and my husband and i just don't get how i can be gaining on the limited amount of food i am eating and generally i choose healthy! Thanks for advice, love, support

Sorry I do not have the answer.  i am in the same boat with you.  My story is about the same.  I have not gained as much, but I have to fight it every day.  It seems I can not control the situation.  I weighted 131.6 this morning.  I want to weigh 125.  i was there once for about 5 minutes and then I started the climb back up. Patricia 262/130 RNY 3/11/2005 

For two days I was down to 214 , a little tease from my scale. I have been about 220 for the past couple of weeks and getting very depressed. I know I need to get in more exercise Just need my kick in the butt to get me moving. I know some people suggest you "shake up" your routine like maybe add some more calories since you are exercising . Just a suggestion. I will be two years out Sept. 28 so I hope this isn't the beginning of the end. Sandy

it was once suggested to me that if you are working out sooo hard you might need more calories...our bodies hold on to everything if it thinks its starting to starve. Also I personally would push more water...water seems to work the best for me...stops hunger, stops cravings, stops constipation, stops fuid retention....the more the better I say ;-) I truly do wish you luck...this is still the hardest journey of my life Diana RNY 9/17/03 360/196/still aiming for 180

You know what? The same thing happened to me. At 8 months out I started on a stall that ended up lasting over a year. At 1 1/2 years out, I started gaining slowly at first, then more and more. I tried to get it in control, but it wasn't working. So now I am hoping I can get a revision to a DS because my doc said it is possible for some people for the RnY not to work properly for some reason. I did have a GI done and all it showed was some regurgitation, but the PA said that is okay because the ***#@$ diabetes has returned and I still have severe sleep apnea, along with severe arthritis in my back and legs. She is fairly certain the insurance will approve me so I will see the PA in a couple of weeks who is monitoring my diet and a new surgeon who performs the revision to a DS. Any questions, PM me.

Hello, In the 15+ years of trying to loose weight, I have read A LOT about diet and exercise.  I remember reading that when you first start lifting weights your body holds on to a lot of water.  I has to do with the tears in you muscle and the process of building the muscle.  I wish I could remember what book it was in, I think either one of Bob Greene's books or The Body for Life book.  I really hope I am not misquoting.  The author said something to the effect that he wished his clients would stay off the scale for 2 weeks because they ALWAYS gain water weight.  It could have even been Jim Karas, he wrote The Business Plan for the Body.  Don't get freak out just yet.  That is a lot of fat to gain in 2 weeks, I really think it would be nearly impossible with our altered digestive system to eat an extra 31,500 (3500 calories= 1 pound) calories to gain 9 pounds.  In the old day maybe LOL!   I think the best thing to do is keep working out, EAT NORMAL FOOD TO BUILD THOSE SEXY MUSCLES and of course, drink more water.  Don't feel hopeless, you are working so hard, all that hard work will pay off!  You can do it!

Erin, I appreciate what you have to say, i know I had heard that before to. Today I asked our personal trainer dude here at work and he said he had never heard that and that when you exercise you need more water d/t sweating. BUT I KNOW I have heard that initially with weight lifting you gain weight from holding water. It never made any sense as to why, but your explaination about the tears i can buy. I am going to increase cardio, decrease weight lifting and WRITE everything i put in my mouth down! Thanks, Melinda

Hi Melinda, I would increase the cardio but keep the weight training. You've only been weight training for 2 weeks. It doesn't make sense to stop or decrease it. How much can you really be doing after only 2 weeks?  Also  you should try adding more protein and drinking more water. 6 to 10 cups a day really isn't enough. So you're no doubt retaining water. Restricting water intake actually makes your body hoard what it does get in. Good luck Earl

Melinda,  my initial thoughts were along the same lines as Erin's and Diana's. I have definitely heard that when you begin an exercise routine or really up your routine that the body will naturally hold on to my fluids. I believe that Willow knows alot about this and would be a great source for info if she's around. What Diana said is true too~if you're burning off an extreme amount of calories due to exercise then you need to feed the body for fuel or it will go into starvation mode. I have found that this journey is one of trial and error and everyone is different, LOL!!! Don't get upset, just try a few minor adjustments and see if anything helps. There is no possible way (even with a few bites of things you normal wouldn't eat) that you could gain that much  weight in that amount of time. Good Luck and keep us posted on how things are going.

I am so in the same boat as you are right now!! Got on the scale and 3 lbs appeared, like from nowhere.  I write everything down that I eat, don't vary the menu too much and have something sweet almost every day, but I have always done that, since my first Halloween as a WLSer (my surg was 7/8/05)  I have talked to some people who say that this is kind of normal at the 2 year mark and that for me also, it is my age (41) so things start changing.  WHAT?!  I am not ready for this kind of change......I try to drink enough water usually about 70 ozs but maybe that isn't enough.  I know that I don't get enough calories in ( I can barely make my minimum some days) but I also don't work out as hard as you do (exercise has NEVER been my friend).  I can tell you this.....don't despair. Sometimes our bodies do what it wants to do, no matter what we want it to do.  Keep doing what you are doing and if you are making changes, make only one at a time so that you can track the change, what the results were and go from there.  Keep a positive attitude and  smile on your face~ it really does help.  Remember, nothing tastes as good as being healthy or thin feels! Anjanette