My Doctor is forcing me to gain weight

So...My mom has been concerned about my weight.

why i have no idea. im 5'3 115-116 pounds, it flunctuates from week to week like a normal body does. So i had went to the doctor for a totally different reason and she decides to bring up my weight problems and i had admitted to her that 8 months ago when i started my diet you couldve considered calling it "starving myself" because i only ate special K cereal, and a dinner less than 200 calories every day which only put me at around 500-550 calories a day. Yes, i know thats not healthy what so ever. So i realized this after about 3 months ago and decided well..maybe i'll up my calories more since im working out almost everyday for about 45 minutes doing free weights, and cardio exercises. SO my eating habits became semi out of control. My portions were getting bigger, i would constantly crave food but would sometimes try to fight them, but i would judt give in. I knew it was because i have deprived myself from those foods w while back, but even though i look better than i did when i was 110 im still not happy. I weigh 116. My doctor is trying to make me gain weight when im totallt against her idea because she expects me to be 125-130 pounds by May4th. by doing this she told me i need to stop working out so much, eat 2,000 calories a day, im not allowed to eat anything sugar free, and she told my mom she wants to put me opn supplement pills and im not allowed to look at the bottle? I think thats a little wierd. She had also told me in the long run if o dont gain weight, im going to be to skinny to have children because my period has stopped since ive been dieting.(Is this normal for a teenage girl to go through this??)  A year ago when i WAS 125-130 pounds, i was miserable and i had a belly and i did not like it what so ever! And now im happy with my weight because im not to skinny and im not to big which is what im happy about. When i first started dieting my goal weight was 117 and im just a little under so im pretty happy now. When i eat i usually eat i high carb/cal breakfast to keep me going through the day like Special K cereal with banana or on weekends whole wheat pancakes with SUGARFREE syrup, peanbut butter and a banana. And that fills me up. But i think ive gained my weight back from all lost because ive let it all go this past month or so.

About my doctor, i have no idea what to think because its stupid if you ask me..And so do many other people ive talked to. So please someone help, and tell me what your input is and what i need to do

Original Post by mackey828:

She had also told me in the long run if o dont gain weight, im going to be to skinny to have children because my period has stopped since ive been dieting.(Is this normal for a teenage girl to go through this??) 

well...theres youre answer, you have stressed your body to the point where it no longer trusts you, resulting in no period. your docs reccomendations of eating adequately (2000 is not alot, fairly average) and easing up on the exercise are an attempt to get your period back, or else you risk osteoperosis and infertility when youre older.

you havebt said how old you are but youre likely to be still growing (guessing young as your mum went to the docs with you). it may be that 125-130 is your natural weight, if you dont restrict food and gradually go back there you may find you grow slightly. that being said, 5'3" and 125 is perfectly healthy. my best advice would be to listen to profesionals ** and try to stop counting calories, your young so enjoy yourself.

** although, i think a gain of 15lbs in a month may be excessive so you may want a second opinion

It's not stupid.  What is stupid, however, is ignoring medical advice and asking 'many other people'....  who presumably aren't medically qualified.

Any doctor only has one objective and that is to keep their patients alive and well.    You may or may not be clinically underweight but you're not well....  Your periods have stopped and that isn't normal in a healthy teenager.  It is normal in a sick teenager.  That's why your weight came up at the consultation even though you went for a totally different reason.   The body is all one piece... every part affecting every other part.   A responsible doctor looks at the whole patient not just the part patient wants them to deal with.  That's why you've been told to eat 2000 cals a day (not a weight-gain amount btw), ditch the diet foods and stop exercising so much.     You've confessed that you used to eat very little - and you knew it wasn't healthy - so your doctor will have seen that as a danger signal for disordered eating, of course.  Your mother was obviously very concerned about your wellbeing... and she sees you every day presumably.   They're trying to look after you.... maybe stop being so hostile.

You asked 'what i need to do'.... very simple.  Listen to your doctor and cooperate with them rather than thinking you (or your friends) know better.  Good luck

This is not just about weight numbers but how you are treating your body. Regardless restricting like you have and sounds like are,lack of period etc are danger signals. Your mom and doc are fearful because they know the damage this can cause and also how much more it can spiral. You want to catch this early so you can have a "normal" life. Did your doctor or family suggest going to therapy or outpatient treatment? If not can you ask? I am not sure what the reasoning is or if you misunderstood about 15 pound in a month so I would use your voice and ask. I do see the need at your age for 2000 at least calories and to allow your body to reach its set point. I hear that you are fearful of being heavy but it does not have to be all or nothing. Please talk to your doctor about your concerns and the ?'s you stated here

aw im sorry that you were sort of ambushed and what not with being told to gain weight so just take a breath and try to understand what they are doing.  Eating 2000 cals a day is not a really a weight gain diet....2500 is minimum for a sedentary female trying to gain around a pound per week.  2000 cals you probably will hardly gain anything. 

Your mother is your mother and therefore is concerned about you and she might even overreact to alot of this stuff.  Your on and off dieting and lots of excercising are probably just concerning her and she simply wants you to be healthy.  Your loss of period is 99% likely due to this and gaining weight is pretty much the only way to get it back.  10 pounds will not kill you, it will make you healthier. 

Once you get up to a higher weight and you have your period back then if you are really unhappy about you weight then you can talk to your doctor then about a HEALTHY way to loose maybe 5 pounds SLOWLY.  i dont think this will be neccessary however and also a good thingto add would be weight training excercises to your weight gain and to cut out the cardio.  Cardio simply burns off calories which you will not want while weight training hardly burns calories and a pound of muscle compared to a pound of fat are very different which is why many people say muscle weighs more than fat because it kind of does.  But you will have to eat back the calories you lost while doing these activities.

Original Post by gi-jane:

It's not stupid.  What is stupid, however, is ignoring medical advice and asking 'many other people'....  who presumably aren't medically qualified.

You asked 'what i need to do'.... very simple.  Listen to your doctor and cooperate with them rather than thinking you (or your friends) know better.  Good luck

 Exactly, I would have put more into my response and try to offer some advice, you already have all the advice you need.  You have already seen a medical proffessional that, and I would put money on this, knows more about what is better for you in the long run and for right now then you do. 

Listen to the doctor, not trying to sound harsh, but everyone in these forums would be in aggreeance, if they were all to read your post, that your doctor is correct and the right plan of action would be to listen.

Maybe you can ask you mom if she would consider allowing you to see a nutritionist, or ask you Dr. about refering you to one.  Get a second opinion, someone who's is completely qualified in giving  nutritional information, not that your Dr. isn't but if you (or your mom) are concerned, wouldn't it be better to go to someone who's entire profession has to do with food and exercise?

Don't ignore medical advise, your friends haven't been to medical school, most of us on this site haven't been to medical school.  But it is your body, you are the one that has to live with it every day.  If you are concerned about the advice you have been given you have every right to ask for a second opinion.  Good Luck!!!

From what I'm guessing, you're a teen, and I think your doc is trying to keep you growing through these years. You demonstrated a dangerous behavior, but as long as you are not restricting any longer and understand why it was dangerous, you are at a perfectly normal weight for your height / age. A second opinion couldn't hurt.

Maybe they're trying to re-start your metabolism? Also, what is your body fat percentage? Losing your period usually comes with low body fat, it doesn't necessarily relate to pounds.  And there can be a million other factors (stress, hormone levels, shock, etc.) 

I think your doctor's concern comes from the right place. You should focus on good nutrition, a healthy body, and proper exercise, not a number on the scale, especially as you are in good shape. And as you're having a health problem, it can't hurt to try their way for a month or two, and try something different if it doesn't help.

Original Post by mackey828:

So...My mom has been concerned about my weight.

why i have no idea. im 5'3 115-116 pounds, it flunctuates from week to week like a normal body does. So i had went to the doctor for a totally different reason and she decides to bring up my weight problems and i had admitted to her that 8 months ago when i started my diet you couldve considered calling it "starving myself" because i only ate special K cereal, and a dinner less than 200 calories every day which only put me at around 500-550 calories a day. Yes, i know thats not healthy what so ever. So i realized this after about 3 months ago and decided well..maybe i'll up my calories more since im working out almost everyday for about 45 minutes doing free weights, and cardio exercises. SO my eating habits became semi out of control. My portions were getting bigger, i would constantly crave food but would sometimes try to fight them, but i would judt give in. I knew it was because i have deprived myself from those foods w while back, but even though i look better than i did when i was 110 im still not happy. I weigh 116. My doctor is trying to make me gain weight when im totallt against her idea because she expects me to be 125-130 pounds by May4th. by doing this she told me i need to stop working out so much, eat 2,000 calories a day, im not allowed to eat anything sugar free, and she told my mom she wants to put me opn supplement pills and im not allowed to look at the bottle? I think thats a little wierd. She had also told me in the long run if o dont gain weight, im going to be to skinny to have children because my period has stopped since ive been dieting.(Is this normal for a teenage girl to go through this??)  A year ago when i WAS 125-130 pounds, i was miserable and i had a belly and i did not like it what so ever! And now im happy with my weight because im not to skinny and im not to big which is what im happy about. When i first started dieting my goal weight was 117 and im just a little under so im pretty happy now. When i eat i usually eat i high carb/cal breakfast to keep me going through the day like Special K cereal with banana or on weekends whole wheat pancakes with SUGARFREE syrup, peanbut butter and a banana. And that fills me up. But i think ive gained my weight back from all lost because ive let it all go this past month or so.

About my doctor, i have no idea what to think because its stupid if you ask me..And so do many other people ive talked to. So please someone help, and tell me what your input is and what i need to do

From my own personal experience, I can say that you coming very close to having the mind of an anorexic. I don't mean that in a harsh or degrading way, because I was one. I did much like you did, cut back my calories excessively, lost my period, craved and thought about food constantly, knowing the nutrition stats on foods, etc. I know that is something you don't want to hear, but I wouldn't want you to get trapped into an eating disorder. Mine cost me so much- money for treatment, time from school, almost lost some of my friends, lost of emotional pain (especiall on the part of my parents), my parents trust, my health, and so much more. I realize that even though I gained confidence in my body while I was in my ED, I lost so much more that was important to me. What you say you are eating now (special K and banana or whole wheat pancakes, sugar free syrup, pb, and banana) sounds pretty good as long as you are eating a normal serving and are eating more meals throughout the day. Just listen to your mom and your doctor. I know that gaining some weight may seem stupid or scary, but ultimately the doctor knows what is healthy. If a weight range of 125-130 is what he says is healthy, then you should listen to him. And once you get your weight back up, you'll be able to exercise again and do it within moderation to get toned up.

Get a second opinion, as someone else said, a specialist. Your behavior is disordered eating, even if you are happy with your weight right now.  I would talk to a nutritionist, etc, and really find out what you are supposed to be doing.

However, I disagree with the quitting working out part.... in my personal, unqualified opinion.  I think that by not working out, you start to feel worse about yourself, even if you don't weigh any different, etc.  I think that by gaining muscle, you can look just as good, if not better, being 125 rather than 116.

Just to give you a comparison, I am 5'6" and my goal is 145-150 (range, flucutations, etc).  While I am currently 162ish, my body is more muscular than most. I don't have a belly, feel moderately comfortable in a two-piece, etc.

How long have you lost your period for?

The images portrayed by the media give unrealistic ideas of weight and that has a huge impact on how women view their own bodies. 

If a trained medical professional tells you you need to gain weight then I would tend to listen to them.  They aren't telling you that just to be contrary to your views they are telling you that based on years of training and medical knowledge about what bodies need and require to be healthy.

Loss of your period can be starting signs of more serious things to come especially with too lower weight as others have said and can have very serious long term impacts on you and you could do damage now that you will strongly regret when you reach an age when you want children.

If you are unsure, get a second opinion so that you know its not just a clash between you and your doctor but if/when the second doctor recommends the same thing you need to either face up to the fact that your view of yourself is slightly skewed as to what a healthy view actually is and that may mean talking to someone.