I'm a Gainer ....help

Body builder here stepping in with some advice.  You need to drink more water.  You need 64 oz PLUS an extra 8 oz for every 15 minutes of exercise.   Weight training increases muscle mass.  Muscle is actually damaged and that's what causes it to build.  The damaged muscle will retain water for a while.  As it heals it will release water. If you're serious about building muscle, you have to step away from the scale.  Body builders are considered OBESE if judged only on their BMI.  Muscle weighs more per square inch than fat.  You'll lose inches and either stay the same weight or even gain.  Just last month I gained a few pounds and went down a size.  People go into shock when they hear how much I weigh.  They guess my weight at 30-35 less than I weigh.   Personally, I'd rather look damn good in my size extra small sweat pants and still be "overweight".  I am a lean mean 20% body fat.

 Also think about any hormonal changes you're experiencing or that you've made.  I got the Mirena IUD last Fall because it claimed no significant weight gain.  10 lbs of regain and a 1"x3" mass in my right breast 8 months later, I had the sucker yanked.  My body still hasn't returned to normal.   Years ago I had been on the pill with no weight gain or problems but now since I'm slightly underweight, my body immediately started grabbing pounds.   I am routinely a vicious low-carber and realistically do not eat enough of anything to mount on the pounds.  Before the Mirena, docs/people said I was getting too thin and eventually I acquiesced and started to increase my carb intake (healthy carbs ONLY!!) so that I'd stabilize. Now I practically force myself to eat 5x a day because although my impulse is to stop eating so I lose the weight, sanity tells me starving isn't the way to do it (that's how I destroyed my metabolism pre-op) but as soon as I realized I'd gained weight, I went back to my austere low carb plan and have been struggling mightily for the weight to come off.   So for now, I trust, I pray and I remain careful without having the urge to throw the baby out with the bath water.  That is to say, I'm not going into free fall mode of I'm gaining so I might as well enjoy it and I'm not behaving anorexically but I understand your struggle.  For me, I know it's a matter of time (some say about two months) before my hormone levels return to normal.  I still haven't even gotten my period yet so I know the hormones are still wreaking havoc in my body even though the IUD was yanked a little over 3 weeks ago. There are so many things that can account for weight gain without pigging out.  If you're totally honest with yourself and really watching your routine and eating, scrutinize your meds and such before slitting your throat.  Believe me, I understand the depression and fear of regain (check out my website http://www.mermaidonline.net).  Little by little I see the definition in my body returning so I know it's gonna be okay but weight gain--even when it's not your fault--can be a huge buzzkill. The funniest thing is that essentially 95% of my clothes still fit fine and I wear very form-fitting clothes.  It wasn't until i was getting weighed pre-op for the lumpectomy (the mass was benign, BTW) that I'd realized I had gained so much weight. Let's just say June-July have been daunting but I'm looking forward to a slimmer and more optimistic August. Good luck and God bless.