Exercise/Running advice needed

[rowech]

I'm at a loss. I have spent the last seven weeks running four days a week. (T, Th, S, S) I have done three different kinds of runs:

1. Flat run of 3 miles usually taking 35-40 minutes.

2. Sprint training where I will go at a 3 mph walking speed for two minutes and sprint at a 7 mph running speed for one minute. This workout I usually do for 36 minutes.

3. A fat loss program on my treadmill that will vary the incline and speed. I usually do this on level five which puts a walking speed of 2.6 on an incline of 2 and then a running speed of 3.8 on an incline of 7. I usually do this one for 44 minutes.

My typical daily food:

Breakfast -- bowl of whole grain cheerios with almond milk or bagel thin with weight watchers cream cheese.

Lunch -- PBandJ sandwich, small bag of pretzels, soy yogurt (strawberry) and 32 ounces of water.

After work -- handful of wheat thins or wheat english muffin with jelly

Dinner -- varies but is typically pork, fish, or chicken with a green vegetable and some sort of potato.

After dinner but before 7 pm -- wheat thins, light popcorn, etc.


I do have a thyroid issue which might complicate things but I do take a daily pill for it. In doing all of these changes in six weeks, I've gained 5 pounds. I'm beyond frustrated with this and feel like I'm doing everything the way I'm supposed to be and nothing's working right. Any advice?

[DaddyTorgo]

Yikes - that's a toughie...I don't really see where you could cut out much in the diet, that's for sure. And that excercise doesn't sound horrible - I wonder if it's the thyroid issue still?

[Draft Dodger]

you feeling any different? seeing any physical changes?

[MacroGuru]

Based upon what you posted on the food side...it's not balanced in the areas it needs to be in...it looks like it is high in starch carbs.

Combine that with a thyroid issue it could be part of the problem.

Also, if you didn't have a lot of muscle in your legs, this is building it up and muscle weighs more than fat and I could definitely see the gain there, especially in the legs.

[lordscarlet]

Have you gotten leaner and/or seen a difference in your waste?

Have you entered the caloric information into a site (such as FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal) that will tell you the breakdown of your calories? That looks like a ton of carbohydrates.

[Icy]

Agree with others that there are a ton of carbs in that diet (wheat in almost every meal).

There are a lot of different theories, but i agree with the one saying that you need to reduce carbs to lose fat, eating more proteins instead to build muscle.

I would eat way more vegetables/salads and chicken/tuna like you do in the dinner. Then in the meals between the important ones, eat stuff that fills your stomach without a lot of calories, like some fruits (that have sugar but at least also give you more vitamins and also lots of fiber that makes you feel less hungry for the following meal).

The exercise seems fine and yeah have on mind that if you were not training before, you will be gaining muscle that is heavier than fat.

[rowech]

I see my doctor tomorrow for my yearly physical so I plan on addressing some of these things with him and the thyroid will be addressed. He's been unable to solve anything with it because no matter what level he prescribes, my body produces less...almost as if my body decides that the pill is doing the job for it.

As for physical changes, etc. I used to play soccer and am at 275 now so I have pretty strong legs to start with. I've always been much more athletic than people would believe. I can play full court basketball without dragging too much. You can see the hint of a physique that used to be there and I'd say almost all my weight is in my gut. My legs, arms, and even upper chest really look fine and as if there's not much to cut there.

As for the carbs/fiber issue...isn't wheat always the better choice? Don't you need carbs to get the energy to workout?

[lordscarlet]

My generic recommendation would be a diet that is 40% carbs, 40% protein, 20% fat. Preferably the fat will be Essential Fatty Acids that you get from things like peanuts. I'm not positive on the calorie intake.. I think it's generally your goal weight * 10 + 200 or so. However, at 275 I imagine your goal weight is quite a bit lower than your current weight. Perhaps 2500-3000 calories? That sounds like a lot to me, but I'm 100 pounds lighter than you are.

Splitting up the calories like you're doing is good as well. Ideally you would have about 6 meals a day of generally equal calories.

[Icy]

Originally Posted by rowech

As for the carbs/fiber issue...isn't wheat always the better choice? Don't you need carbs to get the energy to workout?

Yes you need carbs to get the energy to workout... but as you want to lose weight and not to compete at high level, you need to enter in a deficit of energy through exercise and lowering the carbs (energy) you take, so the body will use the stored fat to produce that energy that the exercise demands and that you are not providing by eating.

It's not the same to workout and eat to get the best level from your body for a competition and/or to gain muscle, than to try to lose weight burning your stored fat. Think on bodybuilders, they eat a ton in the weight and mass gain cycle, and then cut the carbs in the definition cycle to lose fat.

[lordscarlet]

OK, I had to make up a lot of stuff, but what I gathered with some guesses was:

428 fat calories, 805 carbohydrate calories, 246 protein calories. 1,472 calories total, with a 54/17/29 carb/prot/fat ratio.

What we thought was right -- a little high on carbs. In addition, there is a school of thought (at a minimum, maybe it's 100% fact?) that if you eat too few calories, your body will store fat because it is starved. 1,500 calories seems fairly low. Perhaps I under estimated the number, but that is something else to look at.

here's what I used:

multi grain cheerios, 1.5 cups
** couldn't find almond milk on this site
pb&j sandwich
2.5 oz bag of pretzels, salted
12 wheat thins
small baked potato
4 oz chicken breast
1/2 cup green beans
18 wheat thins

[Neon_Chaos]

Dinner should be the lightest meal of your day. You're most likely not burning that food when you're sleeping.

Typically, the proportion of food intake from heaviest to lightest would be:

1. Lunch
2. Breakfast
3. Dinner

[Icy]

Umm now i'm lost, a 275lbs male, eating 1500 calories per day and exercising for 40 minutes per day 4 days per week (probably burning over 500 calories per exercising day), should be losing weight for sure.

I don't know what is going on and what else to say, ask your doctor as you have planned.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

OK, I had to make up a lot of stuff, but what I gathered with some guesses was:

428 fat calories, 805 carbohydrate calories, 246 protein calories. 1,472 calories total, with a 54/17/29 carb/prot/fat ratio.

What we thought was right -- a little high on carbs. In addition, there is a school of thought (at a minimum, maybe it's 100% fact?) that if you eat too few calories, your body will store fat because it is starved. 1,500 calories seems fairly low. Perhaps I under estimated the number, but that is something else to look at.

here's what I used:

multi grain cheerios, 1.5 cups
** couldn't find almond milk on this site
pb&j sandwich
2.5 oz bag of pretzels, salted
12 wheat thins
small baked potato
4 oz chicken breast
1/2 cup green beans
18 wheat thins

I'd guess the chicken is probably more like 8 oz and probably more in the way of the vegetable but other than that, it seems about right.

Couple of other things I thought of that people will often ask -- We do go out once a week, typically Saturday so that will be higher than the other nights. I don't drink alcohol at all. Usually have one can of coke zero with dinner and a glass of OJ in the morning. The rest of the day, it's water.

On the starvation thing, this is what my wife believes to be the problem. Is this something that is legit? Everything I read seems to make it seem like it's hogwash. Most calorie counters will tell me I need around 3300 calories a day to lose weight.

So are my best options for protein just more lean meats?

[rowech]

Originally Posted by Icy

Umm now i'm lost, a 275lbs male, eating 1500 calories per day and exercising for 40 minutes per day 4 days per week (probably burning over 500 calories per exercising day), should be losing weight for sure.

I don't know what is going on and what else to say, ask your doctor as you have planned.

My treadmill counter tells me it's usually between 500 and 550 a workout.

[MJ4H]

Lift some weights before running to increase your metabolism.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by rowech

On the starvation thing, this is what my wife believes to be the problem. Is this something that is legit? Everything I read seems to make it seem like it's hogwash. Most calorie counters will tell me I need around 3300 calories a day to lose weight.

So are my best options for protein just more lean meats?

In the short term, I think there is some merit to the starvation angle, but seven weeks seems too long to still be in the adjustment period for your body. At that length of time, your body would have accepted this as "status quo" by now. My understanding is that most adjustment periods like this take place over 2-3 weeks at most. So your body shouldn't be storing up fat anymore, at least not as a carry over from your previous diet.

I think this has to be related to your thyroid issue somehow. It's simple physics and one I use myself to maintain my weight. More energy burned than energy consumed == lose weight; and the math you're giving on your workouts comes out to almost 4000 calories a day as a break even point. A daily 2500 calorie deficit is huge--you should definitely not be gaining weight.

With respect to protein, you can eat more nuts/fiber-vegetables (beans, celery, etc.), or you could maybe add a protein shake to your diet. That would probably help.

[Icy]

Originally Posted by rowech

My treadmill counter tells me it's usually between 500 and 550 a workout.

Yeah that was my guess for your weight and running 40 minutes, even when treadmill counters are not really accurate, but at least a base.

I don't understand how aren't you losing weight eating only 1500 calories and exercising 4 times per week.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Icy

Yeah that was my guess for your weight and running 40 minutes, even when treadmill counters are not really accurate, but at least a base.

I don't understand how aren't you losing weight eating only 1500 calories and exercising 4 times per week.

Yeah, me either. I should adjust the numebrs a bit. It's around 3800 cals per workout day, and around 3300 on non-workout days, if my math is right. So every week rowech burns around 25,000 cals. We're estimating 1500 calories. Since that does seem on the short side and we have a couple dining outs per week, let's say we add around 300 calories per day on avergae. That's still just 1800 cals average, which comes out to around 12500 cals, half his cals burned.

At 12500 calorie loss per week, he should be dropping around 3-4 pounds per week, IIRC (around 3500 cals per pound lost). In seven weeks he should be some 30 pounds lighter, at least.

[spleen1015]

I'm not an expert or a doctor, but I do have my own experience to form an opinion on.

September of 2009, I weighed 285 and started a weight loos contest at work. I went from eating 3000-4000 calories a day down to 1800 calories a day and started exercising 6 days a week for an hour. I lost 12 pounds the first week, 7 pounds the next week, 4 the next, then 2. I lost 2 because I had ramped up too fast and my knees needed a break.

Starting in week 5, I kept exercising 6 days a week, but cut my diet down to 1200 calories a day.

I lost 60 pounds in 3 months doing things this way.

This past September, I entered the same contest, but only worked out 4 days a week and ate 1800 calories. I averaged 2-3 pounds a week in weight lose.

Based on that you are doing, I think you should be down 15-20 pounds in 7 weeks.

I you noticed any changes in how your clothes fit? Maybe you've gone from a 40 inch waist to a 38? Pants are looser?

There was a woman in the same program I was in who was doing water aerobics 5 days a week and she gained weight because she was build muscle. She could get into smaller clothes, but she didn't lose weight.

Good luck man. I think the best thing is to talk to you doctor and if you don't get any answers there, seek help from someone else.

[rowech]

I have been as high as 310 a couple of times before. About 1.5 years ago and I switched to taking my thyroid pill at night which is not a doctor recommended practice. It's typically to be taken on an empty stomach in the morning, an hour before eating anything. Once I switched the weight just came off naturally to get me down to 273. This is the third time in probably the last five years I've got myself back down to 273 and I hit 273 and it doesn't budge no matter what I do.

In the past, I lifted and ran in combination and it wouldn't go past 273. I've run solely like I'm doing now and it tops at 273. This time I thought by switching my pill and losing that weight it would finally be a great chance to get past 273 but alas...same results. It's baffling to me. Unfortunately, if something doesn't flip, it'll be the same thing as the other times because I'll get frustrated and quit, going right back up to 300+. It sucks to believe you're doing everything right and it's just not working.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by rowech

I have been as high as 310 a couple of times before. About 1.5 years ago and I switched to taking my thyroid pill at night which is not a doctor recommended practice. It's typically to be taken on an empty stomach in the morning, an hour before eating anything. Once I switched the weight just came off naturally to get me down to 273. This is the third time in probably the last five years I've got myself back down to 273 and I hit 273 and it doesn't budge no matter what I do.

In the past, I lifted and ran in combination and it wouldn't go past 273. I've run solely like I'm doing now and it tops at 273. This time I thought by switching my pill and losing that weight it would finally be a great chance to get past 273 but alas...same results. It's baffling to me. Unfortunately, if something doesn't flip, it'll be the same thing as the other times because I'll get frustrated and quit, going right back up to 300+. It sucks to believe you're doing everything right and it's just not working.

Since you've had plenty of prior experience doing this I would definitely say you should talk to your doctor, maybe a nutrionist, maybe a trainer...you should definitely get like...professional help to figure out what's got you stalled there...

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by rowech

I'd guess the chicken is probably more like 8 oz and probably more in the way of the vegetable but other than that, it seems about right.

Couple of other things I thought of that people will often ask -- We do go out once a week, typically Saturday so that will be higher than the other nights. I don't drink alcohol at all. Usually have one can of coke zero with dinner and a glass of OJ in the morning. The rest of the day, it's water.

On the starvation thing, this is what my wife believes to be the problem. Is this something that is legit? Everything I read seems to make it seem like it's hogwash. Most calorie counters will tell me I need around 3300 calories a day to lose weight.

So are my best options for protein just more lean meats?

There are a lot of options for high protein foods. Some of my favorites are quinoa (a grain) and lentils (a bean). I would avoid shakes or anything like that. Searching "high protein foods" will give you a lot of sites on Google, I don't know what agendas certain ones may have, but meat is not your only option. Peanuts and eggs are also high in protein. Eggs obviously add a lot of fat and cholesterol, but you can look at using Egg Beaters or the like.

Originally Posted by MJ4H

Lift some weights before running to increase your metabolism.

[digamma]

Do you have a heart rate monitor? Do you know what you are getting your heart rate up to in your exercises?

[rowech]

Originally Posted by digamma

Do you have a heart rate monitor? Do you know what you are getting your heart rate up to in your exercises?

Usually between 125 and 140 depending on which workout and at what point in the workout.

[CU Tiger]

I feel your pain...I top around 297...and can plummet to ~270 easily from there just a losing battle it seems.

I am 263 right now and thats the lowest Ive been in years. What I did, and I am not going to recommend it because Im not a doctor etc., when I hit a plateau that lasted 3 weeks, I went onto a strict low carb diet for 10 days and added diet pills (a home made E.C.A. stack like the old stuff) it took 3 days but on the 4th day I lost like 4 pounds...I stayed on it 10 days (I am talking near 0 carbs I basically subsisted on tuna and lean chicken for 10 days) and now have gone back to a balanced 1800 calorie approach and have lost 1lb each of the last 3 weeks.

[Sun Tzu]

Well...there's a lot of great advice in this thread. The only other advice I'd give you is to scratch the wheat thins and replace them with a whey protein shake. Several studies have shown that regular intakes of whey helps build lean muscle tissue while simultaneously eliminating body fat. You can pick up a tasty whey shake at "The Vitamin Shoppe" online for around $20, and it should last you a couple months.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by Sun Tzu

Well...there's a lot of great advice in this thread. The only other advice I'd give you is to scratch the wheat thins and replace them with a whey protein shake. Several studies have shown that regular intakes of whey helps build lean muscle tissue while simultaneously eliminating body fat. You can pick up a tasty whey shake at "The Vitamin Shoppe" online for around $20, and it should last you a couple months.

I would agree and if you want a great high end shake get Lean 1. It is made by Bill Romanowski's company and is the best protein product I have ever used. You can get it online at nutrition53.com or Hi Health if you have any of those where you live.
Nutrition Supplements by Nutrition53 - Privacy Policy

Thyroid issues are tough and sometimes there is not a lot you can do. My ex had thyroid issues and exercised like a fiend and had a tough time with weight. I would definitely work closely with your Doctor and a nutritionist to try and tailor something specific.

[lordscarlet]

Oh, I would also agree with the suggestion to work on muscle, it will greatly improve your progress.

[RainMaker]

Hi rowech, this is an area I think I can help. I've lost over 50 pounds in the last year now and had struggled like you did for awhile. I was also rather athletic back in the day and could control my weight up and down.

First off, are you weighing yourself at the same time? Our bodies can fluctuate by sometimes 5-10 pounds throughout the day. Basically fecal matter, what's in our digestive system, and water weight. So if you're going to track your weight, I'd do so at the same time in the same situation. Preferably first thing in the morning after you hit the bathroom and before anything enters your body. It's as close as you'll get to an accurate weight (and even then you'll likely see fluctuations based on what you ate last night, etc).

With that out of the way, the simplest way to explain weight and weight loss is this. It's calories in vs calories out. Yes there are fancy diets that will help you get certain nutrients and maybe suppress appetite, but at the end of the day all that matters is how many calories you are consuming and how many you are burning. So if your body needs 2500 calories a day just functioning, and you eat only 2000, you're 500 calories in the black. For ever 3500 calories you're in the black, you'll lose a pound. So at a 500 calorie deficit, you'll lose around a pound a week.

So what you need to do now is figure out approximately how many calories a day your body needs to just function. Fill out this calculator and then multiply it by 1.2.

BMR Calculator

Now this is the number you should at least start to work off of. Now you'll want to eat around 700-1000 calories under that if you can, although any amount under will allow you to lose weight. Any ways yo can burn more calories in a day is a plus, so do that. But don't go by what it says on a treadmill, those calories burned statistics are usually off by a lot. Just assume every workout is inching you closer to your goal.

Now for the important part. You need to track calories. There are sites like FitDay.com that let you do it online, or you can just carry around a journal. It sounds like a huge pain in the ass, but it's necessary. In a few weeks you'll know what certain meals are calorie wise and won't have to be as detailed. But till then, you have to figure out how many calories are going into your body. You have to figure out what foods are real calorie dense (peanut butter for instense even though it is good for you). Overestimate the number if you have to when calculating. Trust me on this, it will teach you what foods you can eat a lot of and not have a lot of calories added to your total and which foods are big no-nos. And if you're a stats junky, it's kind of fun trying to get meals into your daily goals.

If you gained 5 pounds, you simply were consuming more calories than your body was burning. That's what needs to be remedied. And while working out more is always good, the easiest way to lose weight is in the diet. So I'd continue doing what you can workout wise but really put your focus on how many calories you are consuming a day.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by rowech

On the starvation thing, this is what my wife believes to be the problem. Is this something that is legit? Everything I read seems to make it seem like it's hogwash. Most calorie counters will tell me I need around 3300 calories a day to lose weight.

It's mainly bullshit thrown around. It's based off a really old study and the people in the study still lost weight. You won't add weight eating too little, all that would happen is your metabolism could slow down a bit which isn't a good thing. But you'd still lose weight. It's impossible for your body to store fat if you are starving it. It needs energy from somewhere.

Originally Posted by rowech

So are my best options for protein just more lean meats?

I would say yes. Chicken, turkey, extra lean ground beef, some lean steak cuts, pork tenderloin, seafood, etc. But don't underestimate eggs. You can do a mix of egg whites and a yolk and it tastes nearly as good as straight eggs. Eggs are a complete protein too and one of the healthiest foods you can eat. Dropping the Cheeriors/Bagel in the morning a few times a week for a big batch of scrambled eggs will help get your protein levels up.

[RainMaker]

Also, looking at your diet I see a few things.

- Drop the wheat thins or limit them dramatically. Stuff like this is usually the biggest culprit in adding calories to our day. You don't really think much about a couple handfuls of them here and there but it really adds up. My guess is that you're eating more than you think. That's why measuring and tracking is so important.

- While peanut butter is good for you, I'd try and limit it when trying to lose weight. It has a ton of calories in it since it's mainly fat. You want to mix one in every once in awhile, but maybe shift to a sandwich with lean meat on it.

- Going with an egg white/egg mix in the morning with maybe some lean turkey bacon or a slice of toast.

I know I sound like a broken record, but measure everything. If it says a tablespoon of cream cheese is x calories, measure out a teaspoon and mark those calories down. The only time I got my weight loss in gear was when I started realizing what I'm really eating and not just estimating.

[rowech]

After visiting with my doctor, not too much was resolved. He's at a loss as much as I am. He's decided to bump my throid dosage up from 15 to 20 which he seemed to think is a prett big deal. I'll have to see what happens with that.

He said I could go to a dietician but it sounded like I was doing most of the right things so I wouldn't get too much out of that for how much it would cost. He suggested like RM said to write stuff down to really make sure there are no hidden calories throughout the day. He said he didn't suspect there were going to be that many but he felt it needed to be done.

He also suggested doing a normal walk at about a 3mph clip on days where I wasn't working hard at the running. I'm a little worried about that because often times what I've found is that my body needs that extra day of recovery. Granted, it's only a decent paced walk instead of a more difficult workout.

What exactly would someone recommend in terms of brand, type, etc. if I decided to try the protein shakes? I know Sam's Club has a lot of stuff at decent prices but I'm not sure exactly what they have. In addition, are these typically taken after working out or as meal replacements?

[RainMaker]

I don't know why you'd want to go the whey route. If it fits into your caloric goals, then I guess it's fine, but just seems like a waste. You're trying to maintain a deficit calorie wise, and these are calories you're adding that is not in food form (likely less filling and satisfying).

The goal should be reducing calories and/or increasing calorie output. Whey is just adding to your calories. If you're using it to replace the wheat thin, then that's fine. But I think you'd be more satisfied just having a chicken breast instead and somewhat satisfying your desire to eat. When I'm losing weight, I just hate wasting calories on stuff I drink.

[Sun Tzu]

If you do the comparisons you'll find that a couple handfuls of wheat thins (processed garbage) contains more calories than a whey shake (typically around 100 calories) which will help his body in numerous ways. If he drops the PB, which frankly I'd recommend doing, then the whey would pick up his protein intake as well.

[RainMaker]

I don't disagree. Just saying a chicken breast would give him the same benefit. When I'm losing weight, I'd rather eat my calories than drink them.

[Sun Tzu]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I don't disagree. Just saying a chicken breast would give him the same benefit. When I'm losing weight, I'd rather eat my calories than drink them.

I can see your point, I just recommended whey based on the studies that found it helps reduce body fat.

[rowech]

Update...

1. Thyroid amount was bumped to 200 after doctor visit. It has now been there at 6 weeks.

2. Adjusted my breakfast meal to include more protein. Now I eat a Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage Egg Biscuit. About 260 calories in one but a lot more protein compared to what I was eating.

3. Lunch I've kept generally the same but I've tried to take our leftovers from dinner to lunch a bit more. That way I'm eating some extra protein at lunch time.

4. I've been doing what I guess is called High Intensity Interval Training. I've scaled my time to workout back to 25 minutes but I'm flying for a minute every three minutes. I've also bumped the incline up on doing these workout in an effort to burn more calories. I do this 4-5 times a week.

5. About once every three weeks I run 3 miles straight on flat ground....just to see how well I do. First time was early on and it was somewhere around 36 or 37 minutes. Second time was in the middle and I had it down to 34:27. Ran it this morning and had it down to 30:31.

6. I've lost 7 or 8 pounds in the six week period. It's a little slow but for the first time in a long time I don't feel defeated and feeling like my workouts are futile. If I don't feel things are going well, I know I can bump up an incline, bump a speed, extend the workout a bit to know it'll push me just a little more past my comfort level.

7. There is a definite difference in my legs. I have some solid musle both in both the upper and lower legs. There's a noticeable difference in terms of how my ankles look. Things definitely show in my legs.

8. You can also notice small changes in my face and neck. I had to get an extra hole put in my belt and I had to get a new pair of jeans. Still carrying a lot of weight in the gut but like I said, I'm optimistic because for the first time in a long time, I'm at least noticing something.

My goal is to be 250 by the end of May. That gives me 16 weeks to lose 16 pounds. Not sure if it'll happen but that's the goal.

[rowech]

I've started to lift weights and I'm gaining weight like crazy. I've been at it in a week and I've gained four pounds. I realize that it's not muscle but what's the point of doing this if it's going to just put the weight back on? Is there any kind of explanation for why I would start weight training and weight would pour on? Body reaction of some sort?

[duckman]

You're putting on water due to the strength training. Perfectly normal. Also, muscle is denser than fat, so you may see a slight uptick in weight before dropping again. I would take regular measurements of your chest and stomach around the belly button (bi-weekly). If you see your stomach shrinking and your chest getting bigger while you're weight staying the same or even going up, you are still losing fat.

[DaddyTorgo]

You really should be joining us over in the dynasty forum in the weight loss thread rowech! We're a friendly and supportive bunch!

[rowech]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

You really should be joining us over in the dynasty forum in the weight loss thread rowech! We're a friendly and supportive bunch!

Didn't realize there was such a thread.

I should probably update this one too...down 60 pounds total, can run 5 miles in about 53 minutes, into XL clothing for the first time since college. (15 years)

Duckman -- thanks for that. Hopefully, things will balance back out over the next couple of weeks.

[DaddyTorgo]

Indeed there is - best thread ever!!!

[GoldenEagle]

I would try eating a low-carb diet for a month and see if you get results. As others have said, start lifting weights. If you are not paying for a gym membership, look into a CrossFit affiliate if you have one near you. I have started doing Crossfit/following a Paleo diet and the results have been pretty dramatic.

[Desnudo]

Are you weighing yourself at the same time during the day? Your weight can fluctuate a lot during the day. I've seen a four pound difference over the course of a day. I'd try weighing yourself in the morning and in the evening to see.

Water retention is the only reasonable explaination on how you'd gain 4 pounds of weight in a week unless you are eating like five or six big macs daily as an addition to your diet.

[RainMaker]

If your diet hasn't fluctuated, it's likely a temporary gain in water weight. Your body will hold on to more water to help rebuild your muscles. It is impossible to gain 4 pounds of fat in a day unless you ended up eating 15,000 calories or something.

[Mike Lowe]

Haven't read all of the responses, but don't understimate the importance of a weight regiment to keep metabolism high.

Best advice: You don't want to run yourself to death and look like a marathon runner, and you don't want to be the muscle-freak dude at the gym who ONLY lifts. Get a good balance, keep up with the diet which looked good, and get rest.

Stay away from ALL soda including "diet" or "zero-cal" BS.

[Mike Lowe]

Oh yeah, and quit weighing yourself! BMI!

[RainMaker]

Yeah, weighing yourself daily will always cause odd results. Water weight fluctuates by a lot. I can eat some Chinese food and "gain" 5 pounds which then go away the next day. Just keep hitting the weights.