Anyone just simply underweight?

Hey everyone,

so I've been posting on here for a good amount of time now, and I really enjoy doing it in my spare time. I spend a lot of time on the weight gain forum, because well I'm trying to put on about 5 lbs, obviously. Anyways, the majority of posts I've read on here are from people recovering from an ED. Not that I'm discrimintaing, because I can assure you I'm not, but I was just wondering who else is posting on this forum because they are just simply underweight (Not from an ED..). I just want someone to be buddies with who can relate to my situation more.

I am underweight for a few reasons-

• I am naturally, genetically thin and have a fast metabolism
• I am a runner who is training for a half marathon
• I'm a young, growing teenager =P
• I eat pretty healthy (BUT AM NOW ADDING MORE SWEETS AND HEALTHY FATS TO GAIN)

Anyways, just curious who else is just underweight naturally or whatever, and also wants to put on a little bit of healthy fat and muscle.. ?

=)

I know what you mean! This forum has helped me so much, but I do sometimes feel like I am one of the only ones not recovering from an ED.

My situation is kind of similar to yours. I started XC last summer. I ended up moving to a different school, so I did not end up being on the team, but I was running throughout the summer. I did not increase my food intake and unintentionally lost weight... I did not realise I needed to eat so much more.

Anyways, I was down to 94lbs and 5'7.5". Even though I had stopped running, the weight did not reappear.. I even lost more! So I knew I needed to gain weight. Plus I need my period! I found this site about 2 months ago, and that's when I actually have started having success with gaining.

I've also always had a fast metabolism, heh. I never had a problem with being overweight even though I always ate so much! I also try to eat as healthy as I can, while still enjoying treats. :]

Holy cow, we seriously must be twins or something =0! Lol

My lowest was 104 at 5'8" and I had noo clue how thin I had gotten! It really shocked me A LOT! My doctor had made me stop running for a month or two while I got up like five pounds. Now I have to do like 3000+ on days I do long runs since I'm burning a lot and trying to gain! Gahh! Lol

Do you have any tips on how I can gain? Favorite recipes of yours or anything? And if you don't mind me asking, what weight have you gotten up to?

I know! I understand that. I just didn't really pay attention to my weight and it just dropped. I was surprised when I walked into the doctor's, and she was like "Do you even weigh 100 pounds?" Even when I was at like 94 lbs, my doctor didn't seem to concerned, which was kind of weird. My mom and others were though, and I knew I should be too.

My scale broke kinda - it's weird, there is some giant black line covering the first couple numbers - but I am able to see the last digit. Based on that, I think I'm at about 105-107? I am not sure how high my goal weight is... my mom originally told me 115, but I really want to make sure I get my period back and everything. I've only had it once in my life. :( (I started REALLY late 'cause of genetics)

That's great you are incorporating more calories into your day when you run, so that you can gain AND run. :-) Running does burn a lot of calories!

Things that have helped me are trying to plan my day a bit to incorporate the calories. A lot of times I end up with a lot of calories to eat at night, so I am trying to fix that. I like eating at night though, heh, and just try to make sure I get my calories in no matter what. One great food item is oatmeal... I really actually hate it when prepared conventionally though. It tastes mushy and gross to me, lol! What I do is put a bowl of milk with some cinnamon and rolled oats in the fridge overnight, and add more milk and cereal and toppings to it in the morning. Easy to make high calorie & yummy.. :]

omg this is wack! Lol I always end up with tons of calories at night too! =P. I'm working on changing this though cuz I fall asleep early after a long school/track day Lol.

I don't trust my scale. Whenever I get on it, it ranges from 108 to 111 Lol. But who knows? I'm trying as hard as I can to get to 115. Gahh!

How many calories do you take in on an average day to gain? I know it's different for everyone but just so I get an estimate, because I'm kinda unsure at the moment. I stopped having my period too =( I really miss it, amazingly Lol. I think this site can help me make sure I get all my calories though. I had been using Livestrong.com to keep track, but it is wayyyy too slow, but by using that, I put on about 3 pounds on 2700 a day without running. Wow I probably do need wayy more than 3000 a day one days I run! Gosh! Lol

Do you weigh yourself at the same time each time, and only once a week? :) I usually weigh myself in the morning. At least then, if you do it at the same time, you can see if you're gaining. 'Cause weight can fluctuate up & down like 5 pounds during the day because of many different factors, like what's in your stomach, and water retention & stuff!

I also was told when you first start gaining, weight can fluctuate because of water retention and such - especially during the first two weeks! Most people see a huge weight gain, but it ends up evening out.

It's good you're so determined, that will definitely help!! I shoot for at least 2500 calories a day. Sometimes I go over though, depending on what my family makes for dinner, or if I go hang out with my friends or something & we eat stuff. :] You have a fast metabolism and you run, so you'll definitely need more !! I would just make sure any running you do, try to make sure you eat back at least as much as you burned. Then your NET total should be 2500+ :) you seem to totally understand that though! & yeah, I would think your total calorie consumption would be 3000+! heh.

3,000 is still pretty low-ish for someone with your stats and activity level. It's the minimum amount for males, but when you consider that you run a lot (burning calories) and have a fast metabolism (burning even more calories) it is very likley that you'd need more like 3,500+.

I cannot say that I am currently  "skinny" like the toothpick I was @ 139 lbs , but even at the 180 I am today, I am not satisfied. I am tall so I feel I need more mass. But I can appreciate your situation because I've been there. I have helped many others come back to a healthy state along with myself. It seems to me that since you are a runner, what you really need is to increase the following: lean muscle mass in the calves, thighs, hamstrings,buttocks; endurance; and determination to achieve results. If you are going to go through the hard work of gaining weight, why not add a little extra work to gain in a manner that suits your body type and lifestyle. I recommend a 30-40-30 diet i.e. 30% of your caloric intake is protien, 40% if your intake is carbs & 30% of your intake is fats. No matter what your caloric intake is, apply that 30-40-30 as that is the ideal for gaining lean muscle mass. Most likely, on the days that you run, you probably burn about 2000 calories, slightly less on non-running days.  On your workout/running days you should consume 300+ more cals than on your days that you aren't working out/running.  So, a 3600 calorie diet using the 30-40-30 concept would look like this on workout days: Cals 3562, protien 269g, carbs 363g, fat 119g & non workout days like this: cals 3162, protien 269, carbs 263, fats 119. If you follow this, I assure you that in a couple of months you will not only feel stronger and have more confidence, but will notice that you are becoming thicker, but not fat! Thicker in muscle! To develop those calves thighs and hamstrings, I recommend calf raises with dumbells, then on a machine do leg extensions and hamstring curls.  It might seem like a awful lot of food to consume, and for a few weeks it will be hard and might even feel like "I cant eat no more, I am done." But if you eat smart, 6 meals a day about 3 hrs apart, and pay alot of attention to what you eat, you can eat small things that contain high protien, lean fats, etc.  It will be nice to gain some weight I am sure, but with a high calorie diet that is being suggested, better make sure you do it the right way, you dont want to be writing a book entitled " It's not a basketball", haha.  Avg girl BF is 21%, but you do want to be better than avg and shoot for 15%.

I'm underweight naturally too. I'm fifteen, almost sixteen. I'm 5'6" and my lowest was 100, my highest probably around 110 when I was more like 5'5". A year ago I just decided to eat healthier and didn't realize at first how much lower my calorie intake was. Before I knew it I lost weight along with my period, which was really irregular to begin with anyway.

I didn't really know that I had to gain weight until a little while ago, but I've been doing pretty well. I'm at 105 and trying to get to at least 110, and from there I'll decide how much more I want to gain.

Are you guys doing any strength training? I just joined a gym and recently started, and I love it! The days I do cardio I know I have to eat way more, which is hard. Basically what I do is eat A LOT of peanut butter. haha. Like my sandwiches for school have like 3 times more peanut butter than my friends. =D

So do you guys have any yummy, semihealthy, high calorie recipes? One of my favorites is a grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Make a normal peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and then put butter on both sides of it and grill it. Soo good. To make it even higher calorie, make the sandwich but make it like french toast. Crack an egg and mix it with milk and cinnamon if you like, and then put the sandwich in that and let it soak on both sides. Then grill it in butter, and you could even top it with maple syrup. =)

Hey lucky. :) Part of the reason I lost weight was changing my eating habits to be healthier as well! Good luck on your goal to gain.

When I originally started gaining, my mom would let me do no cardio because it would be too hard for me to gain weight. If I start doing it again, at least I know how to adjust my caloric intake accordingly. :) Strength training is good too, I have been trying to incorporate that in. I do some at home stuff, like situps, but actually hurt my neck doing them improperly lol! woops.

The grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwich sounds good. <3 I love PB&J toast! Probably similar?

Wow,  Good to see that there are other people like me! I have a super high metabolism as well - I can out eat most of the guys I work with and still not put on a pound! I am 32 years old and had hoped by this age I would have leveled out! I am 5'8' and currently weight 121 pds. I am taking my Paramedic course so my stress level is high right now, so I have been loosing weight again. (at the begining of the course I was closer to 128) I know that's not a lot of weight lost but I can definately tell - My bra size has dropped a whole cup size! I don't actually work out because I am too afraid of losing weight - about 3 years ago I was doing some major strenth training  for my job and still lost weight (prior to my strenght training I was 135 and then dropped to 128) .

Wow this feels good to know that I am not the only one who has this problem!

lucky & aske; That happened to me too! I started eating super healthy and didn't know how many calories I was eliminating from my diet! Gosh!

And kiki, noo you definetly are not the only one! I dropped almost a whole cup size too and I hate it!

I can't weight to get some weight back and fill my clothes out better!

As long as we have our PB, we can do this =P

I wanted to say thanks for posting this because I get really worried people who are just gaining weight for a reason that is NOT an eating disorder are being alienated because most people who come here respond to every WG post talking about their ED.

haha You described me to a T!

But one thing is missing for me:

• my stomach hates everything I put in it and everything it comes in contact with.

I do track, xc and indoor and running is my passion! I im like the same situation as you guys. When my weight gets too low the Dr. won't let me run track wich really drives me crazy! Competition+endorphins+the sound of my feet on the pavement=peace

Hey,

Not sure if I count exactly as part of this group, but after being fairly normal as a child i lost weight a few years ago by eating a bit healthier (i ate ridiculously badly)  and due to stress, and ever since i have had a really hard time keeping it on. It doesnt help that I am on medication that supresses the appetite AND boosts the metabolism, plus although I almost never exercise (bad me, i know) I am on my feet working as a server in a busy restaurant nearly 60 hours a week, plus walking is my mode of transport (ends up being 1 hour per day of walking at least). In the last year with this lifestyle my weight has gone from 130 at 5'7"  to 115 and falling, and when I bend over my ribs are now prominantly visible through two layers of clothing. talk about gross:P

Ha so cutting a long story slightly shorter, I now have the same issues as you guys - and i need to at very least stop losing, if for no other reason because I am now wearing clothes from grade nine... ie when i was 14. I am now 20 and three inches taller lol and thats just sad. So I am on board!

First question - I have a severe nut allergy (peanut and tree nuts) but I eat a lot of cream cheese... any other suggestions for similar products that are calorie dense?

Hey hockeygirl, I think avocados would be something new for you to try? They have a lotttt of calories and tons of other health benefits.

So guys, I weighed myself yesterday morning for the first time since last Sunday (Easter) and I have put on a pound =). Slowly and surely... Lol

Congrats =)! I gained about a pound too! I don't know if it's real weight or just water weight, since I just recently started eating more...

Yeah I'm really hoping mine's not water weight... How long does it take for water weight to like settle or whatever? From Easter up til yesterday, and after eating more than usual last week, do you think my gain was water weight? Grrr I'm starting to think it is!

Maybe, I don't know...I'm pretty new at this. :s

Given that you are predominantly healthy - your body isn't going to have the same kind of reaction to food that someone with an ED would have. Anyways. I sincerely doubt that your body is hanging onto water-weight from Easter, that was a long time ago. If you want to make sure the weight you've gained isn't water weight, keep eating more! Actually, its probably best that you keep a consistent calorie level. i know I myself have a fast metabolism, and its been my experience that it revs up to more calories pretty quickly. So then starting to eat any amount less causes me to lose.

We have close to the same stats actually, and it takes me 3600+ to gain 1/2 lb to a pound a week, entirely sedentary save grocery shopping. I know I am recovering from an eating disorder, but I was in your shoes when I was your age. Not to write a journal here - but I think that being so tall and thin and getting picked on for it because all my friends were shorter is what kinda spurred it on. Anyways! Oh man, when I was your age I had to drink 16oz milkshakes everyday after school. I was 5'7" then and weighed 103 lbs. I did that literally every day for a year. End of my freshman year, I was 5'8.5" and 107. >.< My brother is the same way. He's almost 30 and eats 3,000-4,000 calories a day (probably more since he's blessedly unaware) and he's all of 150lbs at 6'1".

Kinda new to this whole thing. I've been pretty much the same size since I was 14 or 15 and I'm almost 28 now. I weigh around 80 lbs and 5'2". I've always been skinny. I've always eat what ever I want when ever I want but I can never gain weight. I was 79lbs when I got pregnant with my son and I was really happy because I new I would gain weight and hopefully keep some of it like my mom did. I got all the way up to 112 lbs but as soon as I had him it all went away :( I was actually disgusted with the way that I looked after I had him. I've been to doctor after doctor and no one would help me gain anything. They even kicked me out of a ED group because I wanted to eat fried chicken and mashed potatoes!! But normally every doctor said was to eat more and that's it. I know I have a super fast metabolismbut that doesn't help me know what's good to eat that will stick around long enough to do some good. I found this site a few days ago and thought I'd give it a try. I never really paid attention to how many cals I eat a day. I do drink Ensures because I run around all the time with my son and might not get a "healthy meal" in.  So any tips on whats good and fast and packs on the calories will be helpful!   :)

Also I was wondering if there was any exercise programs that are good for ppl like me. I need to get stronger but I don't want to loose more weight.

Thanks for listening! :)