Nearing "Underweight", please help meeeee

Okay, so I know this is probably a totally overdone subject, because everyone always wants to know the same thing here (how to gain weight) and everyone always gives the same answer (EAT MORE! LIFT ALL THE THINGS!) and I totally respect those answers, buuuuuutttttttttt.....

I'm on topamax (which as some of you may know is sometimes prescribed in concert with phentermine for *drumroll* weightloss, except I don't NEED to lose any more weight). I am 5'9", 132 pounds, wanting to maintain or even bulk (I'm currently running PHUL because dem muscles). I AM STILL LOSING WEIGHT :sadpanda: . 125 is the border for underweight for my height. I do not want to be underweight.

Everything tastes like metal. I sometimes think licking my barbell would taste better than some of the food I've eaten recently.

If I am hungry, I am hungry for things like small amounts of mashed potatoes, a small cheeseburger, or fried rice. I'm having literally the most difficult time I've ever experienced getting my protein in. I drink protein shakes. I eat protein bars. I eat meat and greek yogurt and beans and shoe leather and I still come up short on my protein goals for the day.

I will admit that I don't log all of my dinners because my husband cooks at night and it's difficult to guesstimate what he's put into them, but he knows about my struggles and is heavy handed with butter, oils, fatty cuts of meats, carbs and calorie dense foods. I'm really just having a difficult time eating ENOUGH of the food he cooks.

I have no idea if my calorie goal is set correctly, or if it even matters because most days I'm not able to meet it anyway.

I have completely cut out any extraneous cardio to cut down on my calorie burn.

My diary is open, so if anyone wants to take a look, please feel free.

TL;DR: Medication suppressing appetite, doing what I've learned from reading other threads on this forum to try to meet my calories for the day, wanting to meet protein goals because I'm running PHUL, still losing weight, PLEASE HELP ME. :weary:

Stats:
Female
5'9"
132lbs and losing rapidly

Oh, and on this medication PEANUT BUTTER IS THE MOST DISGUSTING THING ON THE PLANET. don'tshootmeplease.
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Replies

  • MonsoonStorm
    MonsoonStorm Posts: 371 Member
    I'm going to go out on a limb here... would it be feasible to switch meds?

    topamax doesn't have the greatest side-effect panel... CAVEAT! I think topamax is a terrible med, I am wholeheartedly biased.

    Lamictal is a similar med for various conditions (caveat #2, obviously I have no idea what condition you are treating) and has a "nicer" profile - it is also weight neutral. Feel free to pm me if you want to chat.
  • MonsoonStorm
    MonsoonStorm Posts: 371 Member
    probably should have added something more useful!

    Regular things like avocado etc, can you manage nuts? I think I would be in heaven if I could munch on honey roasted cashews all day ;)

    uhm... as an absolute desperate measure, perhaps the gainer protein shakes? at least they could be made up in smaller amounts and sipped whenever...

    *whispers* Honey Roasted Cashews!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Exercise less so you don't need to eat as many calories...
  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
    edited June 2015
    I'm going to go out on a limb here... would it be feasible to switch meds?
    My exact thoughts!

    ETA: derpy spelling

  • 111grace
    111grace Posts: 382 Member
    lol you could have all of my overweight fat, I send it to you with pleasure :)
  • michellesz
    michellesz Posts: 428 Member
    Ice cream in your protein or weight gainer protein shakes made with whole milk. Maybe even add fruit for protein smoothie~yum.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    It looks like your diary isn't open at the moment. What are your macro targets? Since you say you're having a hard time reaching your protein goal, my first question is: is your goal reasonable and necessary?
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
    are you on topamax for weight loss or something else? I am guessing something else but it is not clear in you OP ...
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,050 Member
    As some have stated, talk to your doctor about changing medication if possible.
  • 52cardpickup
    52cardpickup Posts: 379 Member
    Blah, sorry, should've been clearer in my original post: I'm on topamax for seizures, and I can't really switch because a) I just titrated up to this dose and the prospect of switching over to a new medication again is just the worst, and b) there's not really any other medications I can switch to.

    I've been on lamictal (didn't work) and keppra (worked but caused major depression), and this is the last "new generation" medication I can try before attempting the older meds that have far worse side effects. Other than the weight loss, the topamax isn't giving me any guff, so I'd like to get my calories and macros sorted rather than switching meds.

    I lift four days a week for about about an hour, and cutting back on that isn't really in my game plan. Maybe I'm being unrealistic or stubborn or both, but I'd like to maintain whatever muscle I have.

    I opened my diary (it was open to friends only, sorry about that).

    Macro targets are:
    P: 108
    F: 50
    C: 280

    Which adds up to ~1990 calories a day, which would have me maintaining at 135 lbs.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Working out less won't make you suddenly lose muscle mass
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    So, your protein goal seems reasonable. (Sometimes, people start worrying about not meeting their goal, but when you ask them what it is, it's something insane like 250g and nobody ever told them they don't need that much). At this point, I'd say the first priority would be hitting your calories and not stressing so much about hitting your protein. You could hit your protein perfectly every day, but if you can't get in your calories, you'll continue to lose weight. Whatever tastes good, eat it. Fried rice is a great option, because you can hide little bits of egg or meat in it to get some extra protein. Would it be easier for you to eat more at your regular meals, or eat smaller things more frequently?
  • 52cardpickup
    52cardpickup Posts: 379 Member
    I think that's a really good point. I've been focused on getting my protein in, and it's hindering my efforts to get any kind of calories in at all. I think eating smaller portions more frequently is going to be better, because I've been trying to eat my "regular meals" and failing miserably. I think I've been terrible at planning, which has resulted in me having no "snacks" at my desk during the day. While I'm not hungry, this does nothing to fill my calorie needs, and leaves me with a large calorie deficit at the end of the day.
  • tristamdavis
    tristamdavis Posts: 21 Member
    I always go over my protein and my goal is higher than yours. To make sure of this I eat:
    1 whole hard boiled
    1 hard boiled egg white
    For breakfast every morning along with fruit, almond milk & oatmeal

    For snacks I do:
    1/2 Fat free cottage cheese
    0% fat plain Greek yogurt (chobani, stoneyfield, or Fage)
    1/4 c unsalted Pistachios shelled
    1/4 c raw unsalted whole almonds
    If you don't like peanut butter, you can always give almond butter a try! I use Hampton farms 100% natural (made with dry roasted almonds only)
    Tuna packed in water
    Lentils (I use as a side dish to dinner many times--SUPER high in protein)
    Carb master chocolate milk after I work out (higher protein than regular milk & lactose free!)
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
    Blah, sorry, should've been clearer in my original post: I'm on topamax for seizures, and I can't really switch because a) I just titrated up to this dose and the prospect of switching over to a new medication again is just the worst, and b) there's not really any other medications I can switch to.

    I've been on lamictal (didn't work) and keppra (worked but caused major depression), and this is the last "new generation" medication I can try before attempting the older meds that have far worse side effects. Other than the weight loss, the topamax isn't giving me any guff, so I'd like to get my calories and macros sorted rather than switching meds.

    I lift four days a week for about about an hour, and cutting back on that isn't really in my game plan. Maybe I'm being unrealistic or stubborn or both, but I'd like to maintain whatever muscle I have.

    I opened my diary (it was open to friends only, sorry about that).

    Macro targets are:
    P: 108
    F: 50
    C: 280

    Which adds up to ~1990 calories a day, which would have me maintaining at 135 lbs.

    so why don't you add in a serving or two of talenti gelato at the end of your day which would give you an additional 200 to 450 calories a day ….

    everyone wants more ice cream right?
  • 52cardpickup
    52cardpickup Posts: 379 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Blah, sorry, should've been clearer in my original post: I'm on topamax for seizures, and I can't really switch because a) I just titrated up to this dose and the prospect of switching over to a new medication again is just the worst, and b) there's not really any other medications I can switch to.

    I've been on lamictal (didn't work) and keppra (worked but caused major depression), and this is the last "new generation" medication I can try before attempting the older meds that have far worse side effects. Other than the weight loss, the topamax isn't giving me any guff, so I'd like to get my calories and macros sorted rather than switching meds.

    I lift four days a week for about about an hour, and cutting back on that isn't really in my game plan. Maybe I'm being unrealistic or stubborn or both, but I'd like to maintain whatever muscle I have.

    I opened my diary (it was open to friends only, sorry about that).

    Macro targets are:
    P: 108
    F: 50
    C: 280

    Which adds up to ~1990 calories a day, which would have me maintaining at 135 lbs.

    so why don't you add in a serving or two of talenti gelato at the end of your day which would give you an additional 200 to 450 calories a day ….

    everyone wants more ice cream right?

    yesssssss except I'm so not hungry by the end of the day I think I might vomit if I try to cram it in there. maybe I should keep it at work and have it at lunch/mid-afternoon instead? time of day really doesn't matter, right? and who in their right mind is going to steal my gelato from the work freezer?
  • yellowantphil
    yellowantphil Posts: 787 Member
    This may not help, but sometimes drinking lemon juice helps stimulate my appetite. I feel like the extra acidity helps me digest food (although I could be completely wrong about that). But I tried that just now and I am still very full, so it doesn’t always work.

    I feel like I had an easier time maintaining my weight when I ate whatever I wanted: carbs, sugar, anything bad for you. But I can’t really recommend starting the Skittles Diet, even if it does somehow give you enough calories. Maybe drink some fruit juice? That’s a lot of calories that should digest fairly quickly, so maybe you could eat again not very long after having it.
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
    I think the snacks at work idea is the best one. You really only need to eat a doughnut or muffin or snickers over your maintenance to gain weight.
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Blah, sorry, should've been clearer in my original post: I'm on topamax for seizures, and I can't really switch because a) I just titrated up to this dose and the prospect of switching over to a new medication again is just the worst, and b) there's not really any other medications I can switch to.

    I've been on lamictal (didn't work) and keppra (worked but caused major depression), and this is the last "new generation" medication I can try before attempting the older meds that have far worse side effects. Other than the weight loss, the topamax isn't giving me any guff, so I'd like to get my calories and macros sorted rather than switching meds.

    I lift four days a week for about about an hour, and cutting back on that isn't really in my game plan. Maybe I'm being unrealistic or stubborn or both, but I'd like to maintain whatever muscle I have.

    I opened my diary (it was open to friends only, sorry about that).

    Macro targets are:
    P: 108
    F: 50
    C: 280

    Which adds up to ~1990 calories a day, which would have me maintaining at 135 lbs.

    so why don't you add in a serving or two of talenti gelato at the end of your day which would give you an additional 200 to 450 calories a day ….

    everyone wants more ice cream right?

    Careful of this guy.....he's a known ice cream pusher, currently behind bars (chocolate).

  • skylarartemis
    skylarartemis Posts: 1 Member
    I was on Topamax for several years and it caused me to be dangerously underweight. The only way I was able to gain weight was by getting off of it.