Yeah I don't see how you're gaining weight at 1500 calories a day with some amount of exercise unless you're like a 70 pound 5th grader. 1800ish calories is maintenance level at like 150 pounds as a sedentary person.
Heh, I am 5'2" and very light boned, my "maintenance level" is probably the bare minimum that an adult man can be without being a midget. There's 5th graders bigger than me. [Hell, I think my niece was taller than me around then - but she's on track to be a 6' tall woman or damn near] But also keep in mind, I effectively eat 12 hrs and fast 12 hrs a day because of my 2 meals thing - isn't stuff like that supposed to screw with your metabolism so it stores more than normal?
I'd not be shocked if some of it is water weight - a dietary thing for me because of neurologic stuff includes much more sodium than a normal person, since sodium helps nerve function - I've been under instruction to keep to about 3x the normal recommendations. [Although that probably needs to be revised regardless - that advice is around 5-6 years old now, and I'm starting to have high BP, back then my BP was regularly dangerously low on top of the nerve issues - unfortunately this GP down here doesn't do diet suggestions AT ALL and just refers to a nutritionist, thus why I talk about getting one - its under GP suggestion to do so]
I also wonder, since my night seizures have been gone for the past 2 years or so - if that was effectively giving me extra exercise when I was having them. I used to have seizures almost every night during my sleep. (I was unaware of them, but the wife would always make it quite clear that they happened - we're not big people and would sleep on opposite sides of a King for that reason - she'd love snuggling when we were awake, but the minute we were ready to nod off we'd roll to opposite ends, and even then sometimes she'd show me a bruise or two in the morning from a really long flail =/) I imagine they would, and I guess that would be a "drop in exercise routine" technically around when the weight gain started if so. Weird to think about.
Was a little annoyed at people giving me a hard time at first, but between this and some other thoughts that have popped into my head because of the hassling - there's a few tweaks I think I'll try short term before I get someone to properly advise me on some absolutes.
My immediate plan (before getting professionals involved in January) thanks to you guys:
1) Work on adjusting my diet to 3 meals a day (including shrinking lunch/dinner to make up for the additional calories from breakfast)
2) Try to add some super light cardio into the gym mix. (treadmill is probably lowest impact to avoid the sweating worries while I don't have a pro to advise probably, right? Besides pool work at least - which isn't an option till Jan)
3) Look at buying some small dumbbells/leg weights/other stupid small shit for some additional light cardio at home.
4) Try tapering sodium levels in diet a bit, see if there's a better sweet spot I can find before a nutritionist gets involved. Honestly, while the amount I'm intaking does seem to help with nerve function a TON, I really shouldn't have more than I need to maintain nerve function. If I only need say 150% compared to someone it'll be better heartwise and maybe water weight wise if I get it down there. (I plan around 200% from nutrional information blurbs, then I eyeball some extra with salting my meats and such)
