Help! I've gained 10 Pounds and I Can't Get it Off

I have gained 10 pounds over a year-and I can't seen to lose a pound. I am working out 8 hrs a week and eating great. I am also working with a trainer 2 times a week. I am hypothyroid but my thyroid was good and I am taking synthroid. I am very frustrated. Eating great--grilled and baked. Chicken and salmon mostly..... any suggestions? Debbie V.

Dear Debbie,
I'll probably need some more information, but here are my first 3 thoughts off the top:

1. Your synthroid may need to be adjusted (even though your level is fine, if the doctor knows you are gaining weight with no reason, sometimes they'll tweak it up a bit--my doctor told me that the level being fine could just mean your body is working harder to keep it that way)

2. As much as you are working out, you've gained muscle weight and not fat weight. How long have you been working out this much? Are you still in the same clothes you were a year ago, but just paying only to the number on the scale, even though you may be perfectly happy with your body size?

3. You are eating more than you realize: The #1 best advice I have for anyone watching their weight is to keep a food diary. Writing down what you eat makes you more aware and we usually find that we've been eating things and ignoring them (grabbing a quick drive thru lunch one day, ordering pizza for the kids one day, having a piece of cake at an office party one day--things we hardly ever, ever do--but they all add up).

A weight gain of 10 pounds in a year can be a result of a mere 100 excess calories per day. So you may be eating these treats only once a week or you may have become a tiny bit less active for some reason--walking 15 minutes more a day or cutting out a small amount of food (3 hershey kisses or one extra slice of bread) can make all the difference.

Let me hear back from you with a bit more information.