Help! Completely unexplainable weight gain!

I'm a 19 year old male, 5 5, 150lbs (up from 145lbs in the last month). Here's the deal...

So last month college ended. I was eating 2500cals a day, 200g of protein, getting 5-10 servings of fruits and veggies, and exercising every day, liftin hard and heavy with our wrestling team 4 hours a week (squats, bench, etc, the big lifts), running for 2 hours, and walking to all my classes (probably 2-3 hours a week). I got 4-6 hours a sleep a night, but like 12 on the weekends cuz id be sooo tired.

Since that month, I've continued with the same lifting and running, but i obviously dont walk around as much. Also I started back doing martial arts a couple times a week, nothing too hard. Another difference is i sleep around 10hrs a day, and i eat 2300cals a day, around 200g of protein, still eating tons of produce.

I think this is a reasonable amount to maintain at 145lbs. However, each week i gained about a pound. This is like eating an extra 500cals a day, meaning i really burn 1800cals a day with all the exercise im doin which cant be right. I mean my basal rate is 1650. I weigh all my food on a scale, dont eat anythin without a nutritional lable, and even count spenda and spices and other things, so my calories cant be off. I NEVER go over 2300 cals.

SO WHY THE HECK AM I GAINING!

Could the food labels lie? I am just destined to be fat (everyone in my family is SMALL though)? Am i growing, because I havent gotten any taller... AHHH! Im about to give up because even when i watch wat i eat i will gain.

You used to get 5 hours of sleep on average weekdays, now you get 10. Five waking hours burns about 500 calories. This makes sense because you're gaining a pound a week, and 500kcal*7= 3500kcal, the exact amount of calories in a pound of fat. You're sleeping more now (keep doing it, it's healthier), but in turn your body needs less fuel to keep itself running because you're not awake as long as you used to be.

Also, since it's summer, you're probably not "working out" your brain as much. It's scientifically proven that sitting at a desk and studying/stressing about homework or a test burns more calories than simply relaxing in a desk chair.

Just cut your daily intake until you start to maintain, and then cut 20% under whatever that is if you want to lose those extra pounds you gained.

Hope it works out for you. :]

Good ideas but...

I burn 60cals sleeping, and 100cals awake, so really with those extra five hours im burning 200 extra cals (cuz its a 40cal difference each hour), not 500, so the weight gain couldnt be that fast.

Also, I dont understand why i would be only  burning 1800cals a day even tho i exercise daily. i would think its at least 2100-2200, especially since 1800cals is only 150 cals more than my BMR.

This is how i figured it out...

1660cals (BMR) plus 400cals (for running a half hour, lifting an hour, and whatever other exercise i do that day) plus 240cals for thermogenesis of food (basically 10percent of my calories). that gives me 2300cals. plus i eat sooo much protein so the thermogenesis should be even higher.

Original Post by xmohamm1:

Good ideas but...

I burn 60cals sleeping, and 100cals awake, so really with those extra five hours im burning 200 extra cals (cuz its a 40cal difference each hour), not 500, so the weight gain couldnt be that fast.

Also, I dont understand why i would be only  burning 1800cals a day even tho i exercise daily. i would think its at least 2100-2200, especially since 1800cals is only 150 cals more than my BMR.

This is how i figured it out...

1660cals (BMR) plus 400cals (for running a half hour, lifting an hour, and whatever other exercise i do that day) plus 240cals for thermogenesis of food (basically 10percent of my calories). that gives me 2300cals. plus i eat sooo much protein so the thermogenesis should be even higher.

I thought that most calculators factored in the thermogenesis aspect for you. Isn't it part of your BMR?

Nah, ur BMR is how much you burn awake, laying in bed doing nothing, having fasted for 12 hours. it usually accounts for 60-70 percent of ur burn, and thermogenesis is 10, and activities are 20-30 percent depending on how active u are...

any help btw...ive research all possible ideas and i still dont get it. unless i have a tumor in my stomach or something, or hypothyroidism.

Original Post by xmohamm1:

Nah, ur BMR is how much you burn awake, laying in bed doing nothing, having fasted for 12 hours. it usually accounts for 60-70 percent of ur burn, and thermogenesis is 10, and activities are 20-30 percent depending on how active u are...

any help btw...ive research all possible ideas and i still dont get it. unless i have a tumor in my stomach or something, or hypothyroidism.

In the end, reality obviously matters more than anything an online calculator has to say. If the only way for you to maintain is to consume less calories, then so be it. 

Have you taken your measurements?  If so, are they bigger? Are your clothes getting tighter?  If not, it's probably not fat, so you shouldn't be too concerned.  The scale can't distinguish between fat, muscle, bone, or water.  It's a very poor judge of whether you've gained fat. 

It is possible that you're gaining muscle, and muscle gain is generally accompanied by a fairly large temporary water gain.  I realize that you're getting less excercise than you were before since you're not walking all over the place anymore, but honestly, removing that energy drain plus the added bonus of extra sleep could be sending a signal to your muscles that they have enough extra energy to grow now.  You're young, you're male, and you're lifting heavy weights and giving your body enough energy for muscle growth.  Sounds like you're gaining muscle to me.

I second dolphinclick. I don't think you need to be cutting down on calories. The other thing is that you are likely to still be growing at 19, maybe not so much in height, but you'll be putting on muscle and probably have increased bone density if you've been lifting.

Keep it up!