Everyone tells me I'm too skinny

I'm currently on a business trip and am seeing people I haven't seen in almost a year back when I weighed 320 pounds.  I currently am 6'0 and 173 and eveyone is telling me I'm too skinny and need to gain weight.  I have no intention of gaining any weight but I'm trying not to lose anymore either and that is getting really hard to not do either.  Yesterday, I ate like a pig and still my burn is more than my intake:

Breakfast: Plain bagel with nothing on it and a small cinamon muffin: 450 calories

Lunch: Bob Evans Open faced turkey sandwhich with mashed and carrots: 600 calories

Dinner: Cracker Barrel chicken and dumplings, carrots, green beans, pinto beans: 750 calories

Snacks: 2 Bananas, Little bag of fat free mini pretzels, little bag of low fat animal crackers, 100 calorie snack: 700 calories

That is an intake of ~2500 calories.

My BMR is around 2200 and I run an hour a day that burns around 1000 so that gives me a daily burn of around 3200.  Since I'm on the road I eat more now than when I'm home, but my deficit is still going to cause a loss.

You know what you have to do: eat maintenance.

 

and congrats of course.

I'm only 5 3 1/2" and 109 lbs. and I manage to maintain on 3,000+ calories. So you should be able to get that much into your much larger frame.

Why are you eating fat-free pretzels and animal crackers? Eat foods with fat—the fat that is good for you—and the calories will add up fast. Nuts are a very good option, as are nut butters and avocado, etc.

Put peanut butter on your bagel. Two tablespoons is often as much as 200 calories.

Add olive oil to foods when you get the chance to cook. Again, the calories add up fast; and again, olive oil is good for you.

Choose calorie-dense whole grain breads for sandwiches. Many such have no sugar but quite a bit of fiber and protein. Switch your bagel to whole grain/whole wheat, too, if you haven't already.

Mix protein powder into some of your foods or drinks or simply add a protein shake as a snack. By the time I am done adding milk and fruit to my shake, there is usually anywhere from 300 to 400 calories in the blender.

Think about how to make the foods you eat now more calorie dense (but heathily so) and you should be able to up your intake without actually consuming a lot more food.

tell everyone to kiss it and keep doing what you're doing, since its obviously working! Congrats! Don't let others make you feel bad! They are most likely envious, having you as evidence to prove losing weight is possible makes them feel like crap. So go on wave your skinny toned butt in their face! haha

173 and 6' sounds like a perfectly healthy weight to me.   Congrats on a HUGE loss, and screw everyone that thinks your too skinny!  If you're running an hour a day, I bet your pretty healthy, so whatever.

I agree with petite's suggestions to add some more healthy fats to up your calories.  PB and nuts and things of that nature add up fast in calories but are super good for you.

Good luck and stay positive!  They're just not used to the new you!

in my experiences, when a woman loses weight, everyone assumes she's been on a diet.  when a man loses weight, they assume he's been very ill.  this seems to always be the case, even when the men could stand to lose weight more so than the women.  it's weird and i don't like to analyze it too much.

if you know you're healthy i wouldn't let their comments get to you.

I don't know how well this will go over with CC but instead of low fat low cal snacks tyou could try regular ones I'm sure that would increase you caloric intake. But if you have room keep your diet the way it is and just eat more.

Sometimes when I was working out 4-5 times a week, I was so busy I'd find that it would be dinner time ans I still had 600 calories to eat just to have a deficit of 1000 calories. If I didn't feel like stuffing myself with "healthier" foods I'd grab a cheeseburger of some sort from McDonalds, maybe not the healthiest choice but  it kept my calories at the right level and I would only do it once a week maybe twice.

BTW screw what other ppl think if you're happy(and healthy) then so what.

Congrats on the weight loss!  These people may be just adjusting to how you look now, as I'm sure you look really different than you did when you were heavier...but just because you look different doesn't mean that you really are too thin.  Keep doing what makes you feel good about yourself, and wait for these friends to adjust to your new frame. 

I'm 5'2, 128, and I eat as much as you do, and I work out a similar amount.  I only plan to lose about 3 more lbs so I'm not shooting for a huge deficit.  I used to run a lot more but found that my joints were rebelling so I've reduced running and replaced it with slightly less intense elliptical training and a lot more weight training.  The weight training is good because it doesn't burn quite so many calories (when compared with the approximate same amt of time of running), but I can still feel progress. 

I guess my suggestion to you would be to ease back a bit on the running, and maybe try a few days of weights/week.

Original Post by petite_powerhouse:

I'm only 5 3 1/2" and 109 lbs. and I manage to maintain on 3,000+ calories. So you should be able to get that much into your much larger frame.

Why are you eating fat-free pretzels and animal crackers? Eat foods with fat—the fat that is good for you—and the calories will add up fast. Nuts are a very good option, as are nut butters and avocado, etc.

Put peanut butter on your bagel. Two tablespoons is often as much as 200 calories.

Add olive oil to foods when you get the chance to cook. Again, the calories add up fast; and again, olive oil is good for you.

Choose calorie-dense whole grain breads for sandwiches. Many such have no sugar but quite a bit of fiber and protein. Switch your bagel to whole grain/whole wheat, too, if you haven't already.

Mix protein powder into some of your foods or drinks or simply add a protein shake as a snack. By the time I am done adding milk and fruit to my shake, there is usually anywhere from 300 to 400 calories in the blender.

Think about how to make the foods you eat now more calorie dense (but heathily so) and you should be able to up your intake without actually consuming a lot more food.

 yes!  this is prefect!  you're used to eating less, so you have to increase a little where you can.  instead of teh crackers and the pretzels, haev two oreos.  yummy with banana.  i'm not saying you should do this every day, but a couple times a week won't hurt,  you can afford it!

try yogurt with the banana, a low fat kind, btu not fat free.  creamy goodness packed with vitamins.  i love the LIBERTÉ brans (i live in quebec).  they have the best apricot yogurt.  mm...

I experience the same response as you, Mortal, and its totally aggravating. Some people say "you look great" while others whisper of anorexia...Losing weight and getting healthy is hard work and don't let anyone take away from your achievment. Your stats sound perfectly healthy and you should be incredibly proud. Keep up the great work!!

I second what petite_powerhouse said.  You are no longer trying to lose weight, so you need to stop eating like you are.  There's no longer any reason to limit your snacks to fat-free pretzels or 100-calorie packs.  Have more than just carbs for breakfast.  A bagel with peanut butter and eggs (NOT egg whites).  Stop eating the "lite" versions of foods and get back to the normal versions.  They have less filler and taste better anyway :)

Congratulations!!!

WAY TO GO!! I say screw the "nay" sayers and as long as you are maintaining your current weight whatever you eat is just fine as long as you eat well balanced meals...Congrats!!!