Weight issue...again.

[Abbey]

I know I've posted about this before, but I can't seem to put any weight on. My husband constantly bags on it, (oh, all our 'friends' constantly talk about it. Well, why don't they get a life or talk to me? ) And now I have a whole host of other family members...oh, you're so thin!! You need to eat!

I DO eat. I force myself to eat 3 meals a day and am now trying to toss in a snack before bed. I'm eating high calorie foods as much as possible. (Peanut butter/jelly sandwhich right now.)

What I want to know is if any of you have used those drinks like Ensure. Do they work? I hate paying that kind of money if it's just a scam.

I don't think I've dropped any in the past few weeks. According to the weight index, I should weigh at lowest 151lbs for my height and age. I'm at 125, which is in the bottom 2% that I should be.

I don't feel bad or unhealthy. I only feel bad for the clothes that hang on me like a gunny sack and no money to replace them right now.

Just wondering if there are OTC products out there that help. I have no flipping idea HOW they help, but I'd give it a shot if I knew they actually worked.

Abbey

 

[GoingNorth]

Ensure plus has 350 calories, 25% of most required nutrients and is what hospitals use to get weight on patients or to help them maintain healthy weight.

I still, despite being overweight, drink a can of the stuff per day to make up for missing breakfasts or lunches.

You can get a generic version at Walmart and Walgreen's

 

[meowbunny]

Once upon a time I was skinny. I mean really skinny. My wedding gown was a size 0 and it had to be taken in. If I'd been born 20 years later, people would have sworn I was anorexic. Not true -- I ate like a horse. I tried everything to gain weight. Nothing worked and I do mean nothing. I even tried drinking 3 milkshakes a day for snacks. No luck. They didn't have Ensure then (I think) but they did have liquid supplements that I tried. They didn't work. I went to the doctor, he put me on a high-protein, high-carb diet. I think I gained 2 lbs in 6 months.

Like you, I got all the comments. I think what worked the best for me was lots of small meals throughout the day. I'd eat breakfast (eggs, bacon, toast, fruit). A semi-breakfast (usually bagel and fruit around 10 am). My big meal was lunch. Then something fattening like a milkshake around 2 pm. Dinner at 6. Ice cream or another treat at 8. Another snack right before bedtime. I did gain 6 lbs doing that for 6 months. In between, I'd munch on something. My guess is that I didn't give my metabolism time to burn off all the calories by eating and snacking so frequently.

Today, I'd give anything to be back to those days. It took a hysterectomy, a madman with a knife and a lifetime of bad eating habits but I finally gained weight -- at age 48. Now that I'm in my mid-50s, I weigh a whopping 172 lbs and have no clue how to lose it. Skinny is much better.

 

[Stella Johnson]

Have you had your thyroid checked?
I have plenty of fat I will gladly donate for FREE

 

[klmno]

I used to have that problem, Abbey. (I don't have it anymore.) It might be different for different people- but I used Ensure the very early stages of my pregnancy to make sure that I was getting vitamins I needed. I ended up putting on a lot of weight later, but I don't really think that is why. My layman's opinion is that Ensure will help with nutrition, but might not help with weight, if you're the type that will feel full after having one and not want to eat foods that put weight on you. Snacks didn't help me either. I think the only thing that did help was not snacking very much, or at all, getting more active physically, and eating unhealthy meals. That sounds bad, I know, but once I started putting on weight, then I could change my diet and such. I've heard it has a lot to do with metabolism and stretching a shrunken stomach. I'm no expert- listen to others opinions, too- I can just say that it used to be a major problem for me.

 

[susiestar]

Abbey,

I was in your position (needing to gain weight) until I had difficult child. Then I couldn't lose weight for the life of me.

As a teen, one of the reasons tehy put me on cortisone was to help make me hungry. It didn't work, but did give me major stomach problems. And other problems.

If you feel healthy and have energy then maybe there is not something to worry about?

I have found that thyroid issues can really impact weight. As for ensure, I can't stand it - never could. there are other protein powders that are helpful.

I DO find that I have more energy, ability to focus, and feel better when I follow the "Zone" diet by Dr. Barry Sears. The books areeasy to find used. Basically it recommends eating 40% carb, 30% protein, 30% fat at each meal. My mom puts the protein powder(NOT sugar-free - she is allergic to the artif sweeteners like the rest of us) in a small cup of coffee and whisks it with a mini whisk. She says it really helps her keep weight on AND helps with her ADHD.

Do you want me to PM you the brand name (It is from WalMart) AND my super-yummy granola recipe that I make with it? Let me know.

Hugs,

Susie

 

[Abbey]

That's what I kind of thought about Ensure...loaded with vitamins, but doesn't really address the calorie issue. I don't want to sit and eat Big Macs all day (bleh), but have been trying to toss in other things. I drink a ton of milk, eat a lot of cheese, tortillas, beans, and am attempting the high fiber bread which I find disgusting. Give me Wonder Bread.

As a teen I was VERY tall and thin. Then college years...I kind of 'blossomed.' That's a kind way of putting it. Over the years I think I topped out at 190. That was about a year ago. Got sick, lost weight and basically lost all interest in food...except Taco Bell. Now that I'm in WI, they have Taco Johns!! It's my all time favorite. Haven't been there in years. I just need to find it now.

Toss in a truck load of stress...

Klmno - I think you're right on the mark. It doesn't take me much to fill up. I'm good with a few bites, which I truly enjoy, but that's enough. I'm actively trying to push that greater.

Yes, please PM me with any suggestions.

Abbey

 

[Hound dog]

Abbey

If you haven't had your thyroid checked.......please do. Hyperthyroidism is nothing to mess around with. It can get serious and deadly without warning. My Dad has hyperthyroidism. He's had too many close calls to count.

(we have lots of thyroid issues in our family)

Smaller meals throughout the day may be more helpful than the ensure. Although those are great to grab if you don't have time for a meal. Nichole's metabolism was so fast before her pregnancy that she had to eat at least 5 small meals a day in order to maintain weight, and often there were snacks tossed in too. She did this pretty much from birth.

Poor kid. Literally blew away on the playground on an exceptionally windy day when she was 7. Her teacher actually grabbed her by the ankle and it scared her so much she made Nichole go back into the school! (that's when those extra snacks were included lol)

Seriously though. Get your thyroid checked.

Hugs

 

[Lori4ever]

Please do have your thyroid checked. That really could be an issue. It will stop you from gaining weight if you're hyperthyroid. I have hypothyroid, so I gain instead. Lisa is right, it can be unsafe, if you don't treat it. Better to be safe than sorry.

 

[mrscatinthehat]

Come eat at my house. We all gain weight and can't lose it. easy child has finally even blossomed.

beth

 

[Abbey]

I had my thyroid checked...geez, maybe as much as 20 years ago. I don't remember the terminology, but they put me on some medication. What brought me to the doctor? My coworkers making 'thin jokes' all the time to me. It really PO'D me, though. Do I go around making fat jokes about you? Ohhhh...no, but thin jokes are ok.

If I can figure out a way to see a doctor with no insurance and no money, I'll do it. Guess I've got some research to do.

Abbey

 

[timer lady]

Abbey,

Since you are in Wisconsin, you can load up on cheeses, sausages & heaven forbid, tortes. If I could be there I'd whip you up a butter pecan ice cream torte for desert tonight.

Having said that, the tweedles pediatrician doctor had us use many of the dairy products & sausage snacks to bring up their weight & health when they were first placed with us (their were dangerously underweight). Ice cream every night.

As they gained the weight we backed down to yogurt, 1% milk & sherbet versus the high fat foods that helped jump start their weight.

Just a thought - you're surround by cows now!

 

[WhymeMom?]

Guess I am of the opinion if it ain't broke don't fix it......How do you feel? Are you tired or do you have pain? If you are physically feeling okay, but just tired of the jokes I would try to come up with "blistering" comments in retort to the skinny jokes......After menopause I'm thinking your weight may change......or at least be redistributed.......enjoy the thin years and work on the comments... "yes, I can eat ANYTHING and not gain weight"........"some people have to spend years in the gym for a body like this"........"yes, I have to wear granny panties to fend off the men"...........you get the idea?????????????

 

[Fran]

Deb, 65 lb weight loss is a big deal. It's not like you have been this way all your life. It is a sudden weight loss that doesn't seem to be related to a regular weight loss program.
It wasn't too long ago that you were upset with your weight being too high. Now you have gone the total opposite direction.
I'm pretty sure anorexic's think they feel well and think everyone should mind their own business because they know they aren't too skinny or unhealthy. I don't have a clue whether or not you have a bit of an eating disorder or not. I'm just saying that your rationalization sounds similar to what I have read when anorexics talk about themselves.
On the other hand, maybe your weight is stable at this point and it's where you want to be.
You have moved, been stressed to the max on many different levels which could account for the increased calorie consumption with no weight gain.

Ensure taken regularly will help keep you from being nutritionally depleted not to mention the loss of calcium from your bones that often happens with a severe weight loss. It is worth the money. Putting your cash towards your health and preventative nutrition isn't excess but necessary.

 

[Genny]

difficult child fluctuates between a size 2 and zero. She eats - fast food, chips & dip, etc but can't gain weight. She hates the skinny jokes, so I understand. She recently had a full physical and everything was normal, including her thyroid. However, she's been like this her whole life. Since it's such a drastic change for you, I recommend you find a clinic with a sliding fee scale and get thee to a doctor!

Genny

 

[Abbey]

Love the retort comments.

The only time I was way over this weight was when I was on Prednisone. I gained 40lbs the first month. Was on it for 2 years...continued to gain. After I went off it, I couldn't lose the weight.

I honestly think it is stress, and this last year has been a heck of a year. I'd sleep a lot from depression. Jared was working full time through the dinner hour so the need to make the 'family dinner' wasn't important.

I understand what you're saying Fran. Maybe I'm in denial, but I don't think so. I'll do some reading on it.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Abbey

 

[Nomad]

My son tends to be underweight and if he is under stress, well...it gets worse. He does get comments from folks and it is hurtful.
He is learning to ignore them. He does layer his clothes carefully. Just like folks who are trying to control areas that are bulging, he is controlling the appeareance of areas that are a little too thin. He went to one doctor, who suggest he eat something like 5000-6000 calories a day to gain a few pounds...but he didn't feel comfortable doing this and I don't blame him. It seems a bit high. His fiance and myself feel that he should simply add more calories to his daily routine by eating what he normally eats...making sure he gets at least three meals a day in and then adding in one or two high calorie snacks. He likes ice cream, so he sometimes makes himself a shake. He is seriously thinking of getting his thyroid checked. One thing I do find concerning about my son is that he goes back and forth taking a vitamin supplement and I do want him to take this daily since I suspect that if he is under stress, he has days where he doesn't eat too much.
You might want to discuss this all with your doctor...get your thyroid checked, double check about vitamins and find out if stress can be a factor for you and what might be a possible solution. Keep in mind that there is a wide range of acceptable weights for individuals...the doctor will tell you exactly where your minimum is. I don't think you are doing this, but be careful not to let outside folks overly influence you. If you have a doctor you trust, have him or her help guide you.
Wishing you well.

 

[Star*]

There is a free program called Communicare - they are all over -

Get in, get your thyroid checked. think you are hyperthyroid.

 

[Shari]

Get the thyroid checked, and I'd drink the ensure just to cover the nutritional bases.

And if those things check out, know what I'd do?

LIVE AT TACO JOHN'S AND EAT CHURROS!!!!!

YUMMMMMMMMM!!!!!

 

[flutterbee]

When I was anorexic, I was told to drink Ensure and milkshakes. Maybe make a milkshake using Ensure instead of milk?

In any case, I would definitely do the Ensure for the reasons Fran suggested.