Underweight help pls
solskin78
Posts: 8 Member
Hi All
I am wondering if anyone can tell me their experience or advice on the issue of being underweight, and having difficulty gaining weight.
I'm 37, a woman, and have been underweight all my life, BMI 17.5, 43-44kg, and 5.2 height.
I have had 2 children and with both I gained 3 stone, which slowly came off within a year.
I don't exercise, occasionally have done weights to get bigger.
I've tried so many things to gain weight, eating cakes, to eating protein, everything. I counted my calories and used to eat 1200-1400, which shocked me. Since then I've increased to 1800-1900. But still no weight gain. No medical cause.
I don't have an eating disorder, never held the anorexic beliefs, I know I'm awfully skinny, and hate it, I hate how clothes look on me, and hate how people stare at my bony limbs.
Where am I going wrong?
Here's my daily intake:
Breakfast: croissant, orange juice, banana, choc cereal bar
Lunch: pasta in sauce or ham cheese sandwich, large latte, fruit
Dinner: sausages pasta/fries/mash, peas, cheesecake
Snacks: dates with PB, milk one glass, 2 digestive biscuits
I am wondering if anyone can tell me their experience or advice on the issue of being underweight, and having difficulty gaining weight.
I'm 37, a woman, and have been underweight all my life, BMI 17.5, 43-44kg, and 5.2 height.
I have had 2 children and with both I gained 3 stone, which slowly came off within a year.
I don't exercise, occasionally have done weights to get bigger.
I've tried so many things to gain weight, eating cakes, to eating protein, everything. I counted my calories and used to eat 1200-1400, which shocked me. Since then I've increased to 1800-1900. But still no weight gain. No medical cause.
I don't have an eating disorder, never held the anorexic beliefs, I know I'm awfully skinny, and hate it, I hate how clothes look on me, and hate how people stare at my bony limbs.
Where am I going wrong?
Here's my daily intake:
Breakfast: croissant, orange juice, banana, choc cereal bar
Lunch: pasta in sauce or ham cheese sandwich, large latte, fruit
Dinner: sausages pasta/fries/mash, peas, cheesecake
Snacks: dates with PB, milk one glass, 2 digestive biscuits
2
Replies
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swap the orange juice for full fat milk, add nuts and seeds and dried fruit to your snacks, avocado to your sandwich, look at granary or seeded bread, swap the digestives for a flapjack or protein bar.6
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TavistockToad wrote: »swap the orange juice for full fat milk, add nuts and seeds and dried fruit to your snacks, avocado to your sandwich, look at granary or seeded bread, swap the digestives for a flapjack or protein bar.
All the above. Plus I'd say you're not eating enough protein?
I sympathise - I was that size for years and even now I'm not much bigger. I hate being skinny and people don't understand.
Have you tried eating 4 or 5 smaller meals instead of 3? Once I started logging calories I realised I wasn't eating enough because I find it hard to manage big portions. Eating little and often has helped me to increase the overall amount I eat.2 -
log your food for a while to see where you are really. then add high cal foods as others have mentioned.1
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Ps if it helps, this is what I've eaten today (I'm 51 kgs and aiming to gain at least another 5kg )
Breakfast : porridge made with whole milk and added flaxseed; protein shake made with almond milk
Snack : full fat yoghurt and a banana.
Lunch : egg mayonnaise sandwich with granary bread;mango and pineapple smoothie.
Snack : dried cranberries, peanuts
Dinner : 2 chicken thighs with skin on;new potatoes with butter;mixed green salad and tomatoes with olive oil dressing.
I've also had a snickers bar and a couple of glasses of wine, not particularly healthy! Plus a hunk of cheddar cheese.
And even that came to only around 2400 calories.
Are you tracking your exercise - even just walking?0 -
@comptonelizabeth
Have you gained any weight so far on this sort of plan? It's so hard to fit all that food in y tiny body!
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I have gained weight already and have only been doing it for 2 weeks. Yeah it's not easy to start with but it's getting easier. Though right now I'm trying to get down a drink of full fat milk with protein powder - not enjoying it!0
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Ps are you certain there is no medical cause? I was told that by doctors for years - turned out 15 years ago I had (still have )ulcerative colitis. Which may have caused absorption issues. I've gained a bit more weight since my diagnosis.0
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Hi All
I am wondering if anyone can tell me their experience or advice on the issue of being underweight, and having difficulty gaining weight.
I'm 37, a woman, and have been underweight all my life, BMI 17.5, 43-44kg, and 5.2 height.
I have had 2 children and with both I gained 3 stone, which slowly came off within a year.
I don't exercise, occasionally have done weights to get bigger.
I've tried so many things to gain weight, eating cakes, to eating protein, everything. I counted my calories and used to eat 1200-1400, which shocked me. Since then I've increased to 1800-1900. But still no weight gain. No medical cause.
I don't have an eating disorder, never held the anorexic beliefs, I know I'm awfully skinny, and hate it, I hate how clothes look on me, and hate how people stare at my bony limbs.
Where am I going wrong?
Here's my daily intake:
Breakfast: croissant, orange juice, banana, choc cereal bar
Lunch: pasta in sauce or ham cheese sandwich, large latte, fruit
Dinner: sausages pasta/fries/mash, peas, cheesecake
Snacks: dates with PB, milk one glass, 2 digestive biscuits
Honestly, most women I know are gaining at much higher levels of calories than 1800-1900. In fact, A lot of women I work with lose weight at that level. Add another 300 calories on top of that. Below is a good thread that will give you lots of ideas for higher calorie foods. Also, you might want to use this opportunity to add some muscle (through a progressive lifting program) to help improve your body composition, as opposed to getting to a point where you don't like your body and try to fix it after.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10326769/are-you-a-hard-gainer-please-read/p11 -
I tend to agree. Mfa sets my calories at 1980 to gain but I'm adding 200-300 to that.0
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I tend to agree with the above. The app sets my calories at 1980 but I'm adding 200-300 more at least.
Also - you may be active (on your feet a lot, always doing something )Even if you're not counting it as exercise.0 -
Omg guys you have to friend me! I am so happy to know there's people out there than understand me. It sure is hard to find motivation from others. I too am skinny,no health issues or disorders. It's SO hard to find clothes that fit or look nice. And hate when people say" u need to eat more" when they dnt know the struggle.
I just joined recently and have found this app helpful. I'm new to this but slowly I am tracking my calories. I'm 5.2 in height. And about 86pounds last I checked. I've been trying to eat between 1800 and 2000.but it's hard I must admit. So since I started working out to gain muscle I will start using protein powder to help w calories. We'all see how that goes. Fingers crossed.1 -
I'm going to do a few friend requests here
My struggle is that with heart failure, I sleep a lot...10 hours during the night, and a couple 2 hour naps during the day. I skip meals because of this.
I would like a few people to hold me more accountable and say "Hey! Do another snack tomorrow BEFORE your nap!"
In fact, the sleeping invading on eating time is so bad, I got a feeding tube put in. I get high calorie formula pumped at night. I still need to eat during the day, though!0 -
@sarahi_jesus
It is so hard to get the food in
It's a real effort for me
So much easier to skip or eat less, but that's why we're so skinny. I have sensitive taste buds so protein powder makes me sick, but good luck with it.
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I'm going to do a few friend requests here
My struggle is that with heart failure, I sleep a lot...10 hours during the night, and a couple 2 hour naps during the day. I skip meals because of this.
I would like a few people to hold me more accountable and say "Hey! Do another snack tomorrow BEFORE your nap!"
In fact, the sleeping invading on eating time is so bad, I got a feeding tube put in. I get high calorie formula pumped at night. I still need to eat during the day, though!
Could you set an alarm? You're supposed to be able to do this on the app but it never seems to work for me.@sarahi_jesus
It is so hard to get the food in
It's a real effort for me
So much easier to skip or eat less, but that's why we're so skinny. I have sensitive taste buds so protein powder makes me sick, but good luck with it.
I use an unflavoured protein powder and mix it with chocolate almond milk2 -
And next time someone tells me I'm skinny and asks why I don't eat more, I'm tempted to ask them why they don't eat less!2
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@comptonelizabeth
Yes I agree. I finally got sick of one particular woman who was so obsessed with my 'skinny' frame she would comment on it every time I saw her, and would talk about it to others behind my back, saying I'm sick. One night after a few glasses of wine she asked me again if I was ok, because I was looking too skinny, I replied 'would you say to X omg what's wrong with you, you've put on weight, why are you getting so fat, are you sick' she never mentioned it again.3 -
@comptonelizabeth
Yes I agree. I finally got sick of one particular woman who was so obsessed with my 'skinny' frame she would comment on it every time I saw her, and would talk about it to others behind my back, saying I'm sick. One night after a few glasses of wine she asked me again if I was ok, because I was looking too skinny, I replied 'would you say to X omg what's wrong with you, you've put on weight, why are you getting so fat, are you sick' she never mentioned it again.
It's really insensitive - some of us skinnies actually are sick! I try not to let it get to me but don't blame you for saying what you did. Why do people feel the need to comment on anyone's size,whether they're underweight or overweight? It's none of their damn business!0 -
[/quote]comptonelizabeth wrote: »I'm going to do a few friend requests here
My struggle is that with heart failure, I sleep a lot...10 hours during the night, and a couple 2 hour naps during the day. I skip meals because of this.
I would like a few people to hold me more accountable and say "Hey! Do another snack tomorrow BEFORE your nap!"
In fact, the sleeping invading on eating time is so bad, I got a feeding tube put in. I get high calorie formula pumped at night. I still need to eat during the day, though!
Could you set an alarm? You're supposed to be able to do this on the app but it never seems to work for me.
Yeah, I could never get the MFP alarms to work for me, either. Alarms on my phone are sometimes ignored LOL I'm getting better about eating, though... it's just so annoying to always have to stop whatever you're doing every 2 hours to get something to eat. Spending 15 minutes, 6 times a day, is like 2 hours of your day just eating! And that's not including the food prep to go with it. Bleh...1 -
Oh, I can't stand it when people feel like it's okay to comment on how skinny I am. It's like, "Thanks for the news flash." I have a chronic illness, so I am on a specialized diet. It irritates me even more when people think I should "eat more". I didn't ask for the advice, plus it's worthless anyway. MFP is helping make sure I get all my nutrients in first since I struggle absorbing them, but I am figuring out how implement easy ways to add more calories as well.0
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I was told by someone that I was lucky wheni hit BMI 16.5 during a crohn's flare and they wished they had crohn's. Um no you don't!Oh, I can't stand it when people feel like it's okay to comment on how skinny I am. It's like, "Thanks for the news flash." I have a chronic illness, so I am on a specialized diet. It irritates me even more when people think I should "eat more". I didn't ask for the advice, plus it's worthless anyway. MFP is helping make sure I get all my nutrients in first since I struggle absorbing them, but I am figuring out how implement easy ways to add more calories as well.
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Oh, I can't stand it when people feel like it's okay to comment on how skinny I am. It's like, "Thanks for the news flash." I have a chronic illness, so I am on a specialized diet. It irritates me even more when people think I should "eat more". I didn't ask for the advice, plus it's worthless anyway. MFP is helping make sure I get all my nutrients in first since I struggle absorbing them, but I am figuring out how implement easy ways to add more calories as well.
Totally agree. I also have a chronic illness. Mfp seems to be helping (though I'm discovering I eat way too much sugar - especially today! ) It's great to talk with people who understand!0 -
@singingflutelady omg I used to get the "I wish I had Crohn's" garbage also! Ummmm...Be careful what you wish for. I can't even be mean enough to wish it upon my worst enemies!
@comptonelizabeth I have to control my sugar intake as well, even with fruits and honey. Apple season is not helping haha.1 -
@singingflutelady omg I used to get the "I wish I had Crohn's" garbage also! Ummmm...Be careful what you wish for. I can't even be mean enough to wish it upon my worst enemies!
@comptonelizabeth I have to control my sugar intake as well, even with fruits and honey. Apple season is not helping haha.
Oh I know! It's just that people don't know what it is an compare it to a stomach ache or ibs.
I can't eat most fruit
I miss fruit sooooo much 0 -
singingflutelady wrote: »@singingflutelady omg I used to get the "I wish I had Crohn's" garbage also! Ummmm...Be careful what you wish for. I can't even be mean enough to wish it upon my worst enemies!
@comptonelizabeth I have to control my sugar intake as well, even with fruits and honey. Apple season is not helping haha.
Oh I know! It's just that people don't know what it is an compare it to a stomach ache or ibs.
I can't eat most fruit I miss fruit sooooo much
I can't eat most fruit either. I have to cook them or eat some dried. I have to peel the apples and either steam them or make applesauce (I am in a sauce craze now). I really miss strawberries and grapes.1 -
I have UC and even my consultant once said he wished he had it so he could lose weight!0
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Mmmmmm, I want cheesecake with my dinner.0
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Lately when people say they wish they had my problem (eat all day, whatever I want), I've started saying "You're welcome to take it from me, because I don't want it!"... that usually shuts them up.
I also hate when people try to give me advice in what to eat to get more calories. For one thing, avocados and nuts are too expensive on my little Disability budget (avocados are 79 cents ON SALE... usually a dollar each). And/or I get the "just eat more"... well great, but there's the issue of my stomach only holding so much at a time. Trust me, I've learned my lesson about trying to stuff myself silly...I end up wasting food (and therefore money) by vomiting when I was warned by my body to stop, and I kept going anyway.0 -
Lately when people say they wish they had my problem (eat all day, whatever I want), I've started saying "You're welcome to take it from me, because I don't want it!"... that usually shuts them up.
I also hate when people try to give me advice in what to eat to get more calories. For one thing, avocados and nuts are too expensive on my little Disability budget (avocados are 79 cents ON SALE... usually a dollar each). And/or I get the "just eat more"... well great, but there's the issue of my stomach only holding so much at a time. Trust me, I've learned my lesson about trying to stuff myself silly...I end up wasting food (and therefore money) by vomiting when I was warned by my body to stop, and I kept going anyway.
Completely agree. I have ibd and cannot tolerate avocados or too many nuts,and yes they're expensive.
I've been feeling bloated and crampy from eating more (I suspect granary bread is the main culprit) Little and often seems to work best for me.0 -
We should eat like Hobbits... Breakfast, Second Breakfast, Elevensies, Afternoon Tea, Dinner, Supper... LOL3
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We should eat like Hobbits... Breakfast, Second Breakfast, Elevensies, Afternoon Tea, Dinner, Supper... LOL
That would be a dream come true if my stomach could handle that lol!
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