Sudden weight gain

I’m eighteen, and I’ve always been on the thinner side, eating whatever I wanted without much thought, though perhaps I overindulged occasionally... yet nothing ever seemed to stick. But then, out of nowhere, I’ve gained five pounds in just the last two weeks, which absolutely terrified me because my diet hasn't changed at all, yet the weight just appeared... Now I've started doing 150 crunches every single night and running for thirty minutes once a week, but the weight mostly settled in my hips, making me look more "average," though I'm constantly haunted by the fear that more will follow. Any advice or suggestions?

Get a full hormone panel done—definitely include a thyroid check along with a complete blood count.
It probably wouldn't hurt to start by seeing a gynecologist for an ultrasound; they could also write you a referral for the hormone testing while you're there.

And maybe you should go ahead and double-check the scale too?

Sophia Wells72 made a solid point: go see a doctor. Sudden weight gain like that can be a red flag for underlying medical issues—hypothyroidism being a big one, or other hormonal imbalances. I also think it’s worth mentioning that sit-ups aren't some magic bullet for losing weight. They just build up your abdominal muscle mass through anaerobic training. If you actually want to shed pounds, you need aerobic, full-body cardio. Think running, swimming, or something similar.

I'm totally on board with that—you absolutely have to get your hormones checked, especially your thyroid levels.

fadedmarlin402 said:I also feel it’s worth noting—though I suppose it goes without saying for some—that abdominal exercises don't actually contribute to weight loss. They merely increase the mass of the abdominal muscles through anaerobic training...

Bottom line. 👍 I was under this same misconception for quite a while before I was properly educated on the matter. Which is why I stick to light jogging.

I’ve started working on my abs to tone things up and ensure that any extra weight I've gained doesn't settle right there in the midsection...
Does anyone have recommendations for effective leg and glute exercises that will firm everything up without making me look like a professional bodybuilder?

There are plenty of them out there. You can definitely find those answers in the Recreation PDF, but honestly—it might be worth looking into why you’re seeing such sudden weight gain. I mean, I suppose it could be improper training techniques, though I find that hard to believe.
Moving this over to Recreation.

Losing 5 pounds in 5 days? Please. If you're seeing that on the scale, it’s mostly just water weight, and honestly, if your scale isn't even calibrated right, you're just chasing ghosts. Everyone tells you the same thing, though—go get your hormone levels checked first before you drive yourself crazy.

And let’s get one thing straight: doing 150 crunches isn't some magic trick to melt fat away. You lose weight by eating less, plain and simple. Doing endless sit-ups is probably the least helpful thing you could do right now. Focus on running or some actual cardio instead.

Sophia Wells72 said:I
am moving over to Recreation.

Either she’s playing fast and loose with her health by claiming a 5 lb loss in two weeks, or something is genuinely wrong with her—in which case, exercise isn't going to fix it.

Dana Reyes5 said:Maybe she’s exaggerating—losing 5 pounds in two weeks seems a bit much—or perhaps there is actually some underlying issue going on where exercise alone won't cut it.

It is certainly possible she's being a bit dramatic, though I suppose everything she needs to do was laid out by her doctor; at this point, it’s really up to her, and I guess it depends on which medical report we happen to be looking at.

The only reason I moved this thread over here was because of this specific question:

copperbison34 said:Does anyone know any good exercises to tone my thighs and glutes without ending up looking like a professional bodybuilder?