I'm too thin

Smashing

pisces_cat wrote: »

Do you have \regular periods? If they were irregular I guess that might indicate a problem, but otherwise this is obviously your natural healthy weight and please don't worry

Exactly. If you have plenty of energy along with that, I fail to see the need for the beefcake diet.

briona

It is so so SO nice to read this thread! (Where's the *relieved face* smiley?!).

I'm 5'3" and weigh a little under 7.25 stone. All my life I have registered in the "underweight" category on those stupid height/weight charts. Doctors ask if I have an eating disorder and then don't believe me when I assure them I don't. Strangers comment on my weight all the time, telling me I'm too skinny or suggesting I'm anorexic! I would never approach a larger person and suggest they lose weight so I'm not sure why they feel they have the right to comment on my weight...?

Anyway, I can get my weight to around 7.5 stone – or possibly slightly over – but I just can't maintain it, so I will be following this thread with interest!

Briona

MrsTinks

Instead of assuming you are ovulating (as someone correctly mentioned this can be withdrawal bleeds and may not be periods!) then please speak to your GP about it again. They won't mind discussing it with you and might even refer you to a specialist to help you gain weight in a healthy manner with a diet plan etc. Being sent to a specialist does not have to mean you have an eating disorder, just that you could benefit from the expertise that someone holds in this particular area to reach the end goal

Healthy balanced diet will help - but regardless of all that I would suggest that if it's stress causing you to be unable to keep weight on then you need to find something less stressful!


Personally I was very thin when I was younger - up to about 16... then the hormones that gave me large boobs early on suddenly went into over drive and I went from a slim size 10 to a 16... ok the move from a cuddle 12 to a flabby 16 was actually made worse by being on the Depo injection... "small chance of a slight weight gain"... HA! 2 stone!!!

My GP commented a couple of times on me being a little on the skinny side... now they comment on me being the other end of the scale... *sigh* I love food sadly which doesn't help, but I really ought to get down the gym more :rotfl:

lostinrates

Smashing wrote: »

Exactly. If you have plenty of energy along with that, I fail to see the need for the beefcake diet.

In fact, while addressingany insufficiencies in the diet and any problems resulting from being ''too slim'' it seems counter intuitive to bulk up simply by eating a diet unbalanced in other ways.

OP, it would be worth keeing a food diary, I use calorie count because it gives charts which I like, (I'm losing weight though, not gaining, their is a board there for weight gainers though, but the food logs etc are all the same.) Its worth making time to do this over a period of time. As someone reasonably ''calorie'' and diet aware a few things were clarified to me using the calorie counter, but even more I like the pie chart clearly showing how balanced (or not) the diet you are eating is.

laurad85

Thank you everyone for your replies. I feel alot calmer today and have actually managed to eat quite a lot. Im a teacher so have ate little bits in between lessons and more at break and lunch. It was actually easier than i though. I think my job has a lot to do with my weight when i think about it, some nights i come in, work and then go to bed so im going to make more 'me' time and have at least a couple of hours watching tv or having a bath.

My doctor mentioned the possibility that if i came off the pill then i might find my periods stop but im the same weight i was before i went on and never missed a month so im hoping nothing has changed.

When i mentioned earlier that i was in a long term relationship i just meant i havent thought about my weight in a long time because he is happy with the way i look, i think this is why i was so shocked at the doctors!

Thanks again for your replies!
L

twinklie

I'm a tiny teacher too. And I know what you mean about the home work bed routine. I'm getting better though. Yey me.

Counting_Pennies_2

Sorry, I haven't had a chance to read the other replies so might contradict advice, or repeat it.

I had anorexia as a teenager, and I was told to plough through the food by the hospital I was sent to. It didn't work, I just had really bad stomach pains.

You need to do sensible eating as you suggest in your post. You don't have to have a diet of crisps, chocolate etc, although a little is always nice. Go for higher fat options, or eating more regularly, perhaps 6 small meals, instead of the three you have. Breakfast, a snack in the canteen, lunch, muffin in afternoon, and supper, maybe even an evening treat.

Put grated cheese on most meals to add the calories. It does taste yummy too. You can still have your veg underneath the layer of cheese, so still have that nice fresh taste.

Have a glass of semi skimmed milk (whole if you can stomach it) with your breakfast. Your stomach might not be used to lots of rich food, so do build up slowly. Try a croissant with your breakfast.

Red meats will also help. Make some lasagne with cheese sauce on top of the pasta sheets. Some nice grated cheese on top. Think about some garlic bread to go with it.

In terms of milkshakes, the nutrition drinks are called build up, but I do remember them tasting particularly dreadful when I was asked to have them, that was over 15 years ago though so it might be different now. How about making your own with milk, fruit and a dollop of ice cream, or popping to dare I say it MacDonalds for one.

You can still eat salads, perhaps have a Caesar salad dressing to add some calories, and a buttered bread roll to go with it.

Just regular eating.

It does work I promise, I now have two little ones, conceived naturally, so
it is possible for your body to go into shut down mode. In some ways it is your body saying it doesn't have enough to support you and a growing baby, so hope it goes well for you.

x

Lauralou

Hi Laura.
I am a bit like you. i'm 5"4 and i weigh just under 7 stone. I recently went to my doctors about my weight and he asked if i have periods and i said 'yes' and all he said was im not underweight if im having periods (even tho i am underweight)
My weight hasnt effected me getting pregnant, am currently trying but unfortunatly not become a mum yet! I have ovualted, seen it with my own eyes by using ovualtion tests!

I am also trying to put on a little weight, my weight has never affected me before as this is how i naturally am, all my family are skinny!

I think the tips you have received are excellent, let us know how you get on if they work!! I may give them all go as well!:D

[Deleted User]

In a similar situation, 5'4 and under 7 stone when I wanted to have a family,I wasn't properly ovulating and I KNEW i needed to gain more weight, using presciption milkshakes and a balanced eating more diet I got to nearly 8 stone before concieving our son within 4m of trying. With all the stress of a newborn and running around when he was 6m and i weighed around 7stone, I conceived again unplanned and went back to prescription milkshakes and eating full fat stuff to gain the weight. Be careful though at 30 weeks with my first I had only gained 3 lbs, was told to stop work and rest, managed to gain a pound a week, he arrived naturally in 4 hrs at 37weeks weighing 7lb1. I found I lost all the weight and 2lb more following childbirth and weighed less then when he was conceived.

I'm one of those people when I'm stressed or upset I can't eat, not interested, I eat for survival and sometimes enjoyment.

Main point, you need to be of a weight where you ovulated naturally, not due to the pill and you have a healthy diet to provide the best for your future.

Skinny doesn't mean you can't necessarily conceive but you need to know how your own body works and where your cut off limits lie.

Good luck.

tandraig

Can I just say - this chart the doctors are now consulting is in my humble opinion complete and absolute b*sh*t!
as said before, am just about 5 foot tall and as a teen weighed about 7 stone, then in twenties and thirties weight yo-yoed due to pregnancy and breastfeeding - and guess what - I KNEW when my weight was either too high or too low!
am now in mid fifties and am still about 5 foot tall, but weigh around 8 stone and feel thats fine! (I still wear between a size ten or twelve depending on the cut of outfit) but i went up to 8stone 8 on last visit to doc - and he called me bordering on obese!!!! cheeky sod! i was discussing this with my son-in-law last weekend and he is a highly qualified fitness trainer who works for a university - he too thinks the chart was put together by an anorexic who has no idea of healthy levels of weight!
the chart doesnt take into account that someone who is into weightlifting for one thing has a lot of muscle - this weighs much heavier than fat and although their bodies may be highly toned and they are fit, they would register as overweight or obese! or someone whose genes ensure they are lean no matter how much they eat!
so if you are feeling well, dont obsess over food, and are fit and having normal periods (being overweight may affect these too) then dont worry too much - you are probably within what is a wide range of normal!