ASK GINGER - Serious T1 teen athlete frustrated with weight gain

Hey Ginger,

I'm in an feuling/fitness conundrum. I'm currently running between 20-25 miles a week, swim laps 2 hours a week, and I do 2 hourlong spin classes a week. I've also gained 25 pounds since last summer. ACK! It seems counterintuitive for an endurance athlete to restrict carbs; my pump says I consume on average 120 grams a day. I keep a detailed and as precise as possible food diary, and I see that I consume between 1400 and 1600 calories a day.
 
I'm frustrated, stuck, but more than all I'm looking for health advice geared towards a t1 athlete.

-Anonymous

Hey!

So, right off the bat, it sounds like you're totally UNDER-feeding yourself. You are REALLY REALLY active.

Is the 25 pounds fat that you can see on your body? Or do you still appear/feel lean but you've gained a lot of muscle too?

If you really are eating at most 1600 calories, the weight gain isn't surprising because you are SO ACTIVE that you're almost overtraining. Your body is very possibly responding by saying "Oh my god, this girl burns so many calories in a day but she only feeds me 1600...which is like, the amount I'd put an obese adult on in order to lose weight...so I'm gonna slow her metabolism way down in order to keep up with how active she is."

You need to eat more! Protein at every meal. Carbs especially for breakfast and after ANY workout (and whenever else for your blood sugar). And plenty of healthy fats like nuts, olive oil, and a little from meats.

What have you been eating?

Your metabolism is like a fire. You need to feed it "wood" or "food" to keep it running throughout the day. When you deprive yourself of enough food, it's going to slow down, cortisol (a hormone that stores fat) levels will rise and you'll retain more fat. Cortisol can also rise because of not enough rest or too much stress. Seriously can rise! Do you get enough sleep?

These are all seemingly small but significant things to think about.

Ginger