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weight gain inspite of exercising,eating healthy and on bioidentical hormones

in last five years I keep gaining weight in spite of eating right and exercising regularly with cardio and strength training which at times i did it even with personal trainers. At some point I would get frustrated with weight gain and would join some diet programs like weight watchers or south beach diet etc.I would lose only couple of pounds and start gaining weight while I'm still on the program.I am in perimenopause right now . somebody suggested that it could be due to hormonal imbalance so I saw a doctor who specializes in   bio identical hormones.  it's been 8 months since I have been on this hormones. initially I lost couple of pounds and as before, started to gain weight again.I  am gaining weight at the rate of about a pound a month in spite of exercising and eating healthy and being on bio identical hormones.. I am on thyroid(armour) medication along with progesterone,testosterone,dhea,dha and vit d3.. Five years ago I did not have any difficulty in losing weight. I am not an obese person to begin with.
My doctor does not know why i am gaining weight.all my blood tests are normal.
Can somebody tell me what's going on with me? Anybody had this kind of problem before? how did they overcome it?
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Avatar universal
thank you so much for such a helpful response.
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Avatar universal
Studies show that weight gain is caused by being on a diet. The reason is,  restricting calories reduces strength, and muscle mass. Muscle burns calories. So when you diet you’re going to gain more weight. And a recent study in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine showed that tracking your diet in a food journal can actually boost your stress levels, which in turn increases your level of a hormone called cortisol, that's linked to weight gain.
FIBER: Get 25 grams of fiber a day the amount in about 3 servings of fruits and vegetables and you can boost fat burn up to 30 percent.
A European study tracked nearly 90,000 people for several years. Those who tried to eat low fat had the same risk of being overweight as those who ate whatever they wanted. You need fat to help process certain nutrients,  Many fat-free foods are loaded with sugar!
Greek researchers reported that eating slowly can boost levels of two hormones that make you feel fuller.
European study said people who ate moderately high levels of protein were twice as likely to lose weight and keep it off as those who didn’t eat much protein.
A New England Journal of Medicine study said that eating a diet high in protein and low in refined starches (like white bread) was the most effective for weight loss. Protein helps you burn more calories and because your body has to work harder to digest a Big Boy you stay fuller longer.
That being said I suggest the following!

The Peak 8 routine it will quickly raise your heart rate 8 times for very short bursts, with a cooling down period in between. Ideally you’ll be sprinting or cycling full throttle for 30 seconds with a 90 second cool down in between each outburst. 

This is the fastest way to lose fat and build muscle in the body. Peak 8 actually stimulates the growth hormone in the body. I encourage you to visit Dr Mercola’s site to learn more about Peak 8 fitness because I personally feel that it is one of the best ways to exercise, especially considering the speed at which you can lose fat and build muscle. 

I highly recommend you read this article and watch the videos on the page. It will give you all the information you need to know about Peak 8 – Flood Your Body With This “Youth Hormone” In Just 20 Minutes 

What you eat after Peak 8 training does matter 

It’s recommended that you do not eat sugar or carbohydrate for 2 hours after the Peak 8 exercise because these foods can impact the release of the growth hormone in the body.  The link is below 
http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2010/11/13/phil-campbell-on-peak-8-exercises.aspx 

Figure your heart rate by this formula 
The Karvonen Formula is a mathematical formula that helps you determine your target heart rate zone. The formula involves using your maximum heart rate (MHR) minus your age to come up with a target heart rate range (which is a percentage of your MHR). Staying within this range will help you work most effectively during your cardio workouts. 

an example of the Karvonen formula for a 23 year old person with a resting heart rate of 65 beats per minute (*to get your resting heart rate, take your pulse for one full minute when you first wake up in the morning or after you've resting for a while). This formula also includes an updated calculation of maximum heart rate (the previous formula was 220 - age, which has now been shown to be inaccurate): 

206.9 - (0.67 x 23 (age)) = 191 
191 - 65 (resting heart rate) = 126 
126 * 65% (low end of heart rate zone) OR 85% (high end) = 82 OR 107 
82 + 65 (resting heart rate) = 147 
107 + 65 (rhr) = 172 
The target heart rate zone for this person would be 147 to 172 

First thing in the morning before you get out of bed have a clock with a second hand and check your resting heart rate then figure your rate by the 
Karvonen Formula above.

You burn 30 percent more fat from doing cardio after a weights session as opposed to cardio on its own.
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Arlington, VA
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