I am a 44 year-old female and weigh 125 pounds, and a very active mother of four. I have been on a no-carb diet for over a year. At first, the weight came right off and I lost 10 pounds. Slowly I have regained what I lost.
I exercise 4 times a week for 60 to 90 minutes and lift weights. I eat plenty of vegetables, some fruit, mostly chicken and fish, sometimes beef. I don’t drink alcohol, nor eat dessert. I try to consume no more than 1800 calories. I do not want to gain any weight. Help! – Maggie
Sounds like you have everything under tight control, supermom! If your diet approach was effective for you, it’s unlikely that just continuing it has caused you to regain weigh. If you really thought it was to blame, you’d have abandoned it, right?
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Perhaps the problem lies elsewhere. Was 115 pounds even a reasonably sustainable weight for your frame? You lift and exercise frequently – perhaps you’ve gained some lean tissue. Don’t forget that your body eventually adapts to a regular exercise regimen so that it needs more challenge to produce change. Outside of structured exercise, has your physical activity waned?
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A slow regain despite a well-planned base diet can be the result of extras sneaking in. Finishing off kids’ plates, smoothies and creamed coffee drinks may be taking their toll. It only takes an extra 100 calories per day to gain 10 pounds over a year. [100 cals. x 365 days = 36,500 calories. Divide by 3,500 cals./lb. fat = 10 lbs. fat] Just a tablespoon of regular dressing or a few bites of cheese (1 ounce) contain 100 calories. As you can see it doesn’t take much to undo your initial progress.
– Debbie J., MS, RD
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