Too Skinny

[katkit0598]

All my life I have been on the thin side. Towards the end of middle school I really thinned out as I got taller but didn't really gain a proportionate amount of weight. Even through highschool I was pretty much stick thin. In addition I never really gained much in the boob department which made me appear even thinner. Now I am soon to enter college, I am 5'4/5'5 and i weigh around 105 pounds. Part of it is I have never been a sports kind of girl and I have little muscle weight on me, and this makes me look super tiny. You can see my ribs and overall I look kind of frail. As far as I know I am not severely underweight by any means, but I am surely am smaller than most people my height.

On top of all that, I don't think I eat enough. I really don't find myself getting hungry very often, so I have to remind myself to eat. Also, even when I do eat, I eat super tiny servings and get full extremely fast, where I don't feel like I can eat more.
Like I will take 2 or 3 bites of something and feel like if I eat any more I will get sick. Or ill be able to eat most of a slice of pizza, get to the final bite, and feel too full to just eat the one last mouthful.

I consciously want to eat more so I can gain some weight, so its not a mental thing where I am not allowing myself to eat, and its not me subconsciously limiting myself.... I don't know what it is.

I am happy with my body. I don't long to gain weight in a way where I obsess over it or worry too much about it. But that being said, I feel like I would look much healthier if It put on a few pounds, but I don't know how to do it when my body seems to resist weight gain so much.

[Heather]

Reading this, my only concern (and so it's what I want to start with, because having a certain body size isn't a health issue) is what you're saying about the trouble you're having with eating, because a person need to be able to eat more than a few bites of food to be and stay basically healthy and well. And sometimes either physical health issues (like intolerance to certain foods) or mental health issues can be at the root of something like that.

Have you ever talked to a healthcare provider about this in terms of the trouble you have eating? If so, what have they said?

(We can also talk about the body image stuff you're struggling with, too, I just want to start by addressing what sounds like a reason for real concern about your health.)

[katkit0598]

Yeah the body image stuff is for sure on the back burner because like I said, I am pretty happy with my body, but its become increasingly clear to me that I don't think I am eating enough which is my main concern.

And I don't want to end up exaggerating anything by saying I only eat a few bites of food, because while that is sometimes the case it isn't always the case. There are plenty of days where I will eat a normal amount. ("normal" being based off what I see those around me eating) But there are more days where I eat very little.
for example, in the last 24 hours (some of which I have been sleeping for of course) I have eaten half a hamburger for breakfast/lunch, some crackers with hummus and medium french fries for dinner, and a couple chicken nuggets this morning for "breakfast". Also its pretty obvious that I am not eating balanced meals on a regular basis.

I have brought it up with my doctor but we didn't really go in depth. We just discussed my weight and I explained that I don't find myself getting hungry all that often. And he reminded me that for my size I probably wont need to eat as much as a lot of people to feel full, but it is still important to make sure I am getting enough nutrition. ----Which at this point I am beginning to question because I feel kind of tired these days, and I am finding myself eat less than usual before getting full.

[Sam W]

Hi Katkit,

Okay, so it sounds like it might be time to check back in with your doctor about this, especially if you think it might be affecting your energy levels. Do you find that there are certain things that will make you hungry, or certain situations that seem to really make the "oops, didn't eat for 10 hours" more likely?

You may also want to see if you can find a nutritionist to talk with, if for no other reason than to have someone who can help you figure out how to get what your body needs out of the food you do eat. Do you have any sense of where you could look for one?

[katkit0598]

There arent really any things that make me particularly more hungry.. sometimes when I am bored and not busy i will realize it though. And as far as situations that make me realize i havent eaten, there isn't much either. I suppose if the food is out in front of me, or someone offers to get me food/take me somewhere to eat then that usually make the "oops" happen (but thats kinda obvious)

And as far as talking with a nutritionist, I dont really know what/who I would be looking for. I go to the doctor at a local hospital, is a nutritionist someone who I could (probably) find there?

[Sam W]

So, something you could try is to essentially set a reminder (on you phone or computer if that's possible) to help you remember to eat. You could see how that effects your energy levels and your mood in general.

There are a few places to start looking. One would be to ask the doctor if they know a nutritionist they could refer you to. You could also try someone like a school nurse, who may at least have resources that they can direct you to.

[katkit0598]

I think that sounds like a great idea to try. Especially because I think I will eat more if I eat many small meals per day instead of trying to eat 3 larger meals. (since I get full so quickly)

Im going to try that for a few days Also I will start looking into contacting a nutritionist for sure because I know that on top of not eating enough, I am really not eating balanced at all.

[Heather]

I would also add that if you have told any doctor what you have told us here -- that you can only take two or three bites of food without feeling sick -- and they did not express real concern and start investigating that seriously, that doctor isn't doing their job. At all. Human beings of any size -- including infants! -- should be eating more than a few bites of food a few times a day, and not feel ill when they eat more than that.

If you did not tell your doctor that, you really need to, whether that's a GP or a specialist like a nutritionist. But really, personally, I think you need to start with a GP here, not a nutritionist, since a nutritionists' job is really about helping someone find out *what* they should be eating, which isn't really a solution to your problem, and also won't likely involve testing to, for instance, make sure you don't have some kind of obstruction in your digestive system, something like celiac, etc. That's more in the realm of an internist.

I'd start with your GP -- as that's a general practitioner who can refer you to the right speciality care, rather than you trying to figure out what kind of specialist you need yourself, since you're not a doctor -- be sure you are really filling them in with ALL the details, and then see what they suggest from there. If they aren't referring you to any kind of testing or a specialist, then I'd say your next step is to see about switching to a different GP.

[katkit0598]

Thanks Heather! I have an appointment with my GP on Monday. In addition, using the timer has been working well for me. I am able to eat small amounts every 2 hours, and when combined they equal about the size of 3 normal meals per day. Of course this method isnt ideal, but its much better than the alternative (which was eating like 2 times a day and feeling ill). Once I talk with my GP hopefully we can get this sorted out.

[Sam W]

I'm glad the timer is working well as strategy while you wait to see the GP! And fingers crossed that the visit with them goes well and you get some answers and suggestions.