[linds]

I am having a great deal of trouble actually gaining weight. I know I have been told over and over that it takes time to put on weight. but i am under 95lbs now. and my pants which are a size zero are falling off of me. Everyone else seems to think i should be greatful to be skinny but when i am buying skirts that are a size 10-12 in little girls when i am 21. i feel its definately time to put on weight no matter how i have to do it. any ideas would be great. thanks.

[Drama_Queen]

Question is how long has it taken for you to get diagnosed? How long have you been gluten-free? I am now going on 2 months of being gluten-free and I am still losing weight, lost 26 pound in 2 months and am still losing. My doctor says it takes 6 months to a year for your intestine to start working properly again and actually absorbing what you take in. Talk to your doctor about your concern.....maybe they can help you, also look at how much vitamins and fiber you are taking in.....I am actually overdoing the amount of vitamins I get in my food. This is helping my energy at least. I have lost alot of bone density and alot of muscle according to my doctor.

Main conern, how much of it is muscle that you are losing? How much of it is bone density? and How much is fat? Is there another underlying condition that has made your weight so low?

Excellent questions for the doc and dietician.....

Don't despair...you are not unusual.



Hang in there

[Robina]

linds, on Oct 4 2006, 01:51 AM, said:

I am having a great deal of trouble actually gaining weight. I know I have been told over and over that it takes time to put on weight. but i am under 95lbs now. and my pants which are a size zero are falling off of me. Everyone else seems to think i should be greatful to be skinny but when i am buying skirts that are a size 10-12 in little girls when i am 21. i feel its definately time to put on weight no matter how i have to do it. any ideas would be great. thanks.

Okay... I'm a personal trainer... not a nutritionist... but... I did go through nutritional training when getting certified... and I have worked with many exerienced nutritionists past/present... so... a few thoughts...

Supplement your diet with protein shakes... this will help preserve lean muscle tissue... I have tried allllllll sorts of shakes... and the best, most natural and nutritious ones that are gluten free that I have found come from http://www.jayrobb.com plus they taste fantastic (I use the egg white protein shakes w/ Almond milk bc I'm trying to cut out dairy). Now when I say supplement your diet with these... I do not mean replace... I mean add to...

Also... try getting on a good resistance training program (weights or machines)... if you're already doing this... change it up... your body gets used to what you're doing very fast... and if you're doing any cardio... keep doing it for the cardiovascular benefits but do less of it... e.g. 20 minutes 4 times per week instead of 30 minutes a day...

PM me and we can talk about your current diet and exercise so I can try to help you make some changes... I normally charge for this sort of stuff since that is my business... but... I have no problem giving some advice here and there for free as long as people don't take advantage of me... know what I mean?

[CarlaB]

Look at the big picture -- how to get healthy again, rather than just gaining weight. Eat several small meals per day (some can be protein shakes), and be sure to include protein in each meal. Also focus on veggies. Eliminate sugar, alcohol and caffeine. Get lots of rest. This will enable your body to have the energy it needs to heal. As you heal, you should gain weight.

Also, when you exercise, don't push it right now. Weight training or some other strengthening exercise (even pilates or yoga), will help. Don't overdo it right now. If you put too much exercise on top of illness and stress, you risk fatiguing your adrenal glands ... this is what I did. I'm not saying exercise alone will do this, but once you fatigue the adrenals, then your exercise is very limited for a long time!

Again, make your whole lifestyle focused on getting healthy again and the weight will come. Don't just focus on the weight itself.

[Robina]

CarlaB, on Oct 15 2006, 12:46 PM, said:

Look at the big picture -- how to get healthy again, rather than just gaining weight. Eat several small meals per day (some can be protein shakes), and be sure to include protein in each meal. Also focus on veggies. Eliminate sugar, alcohol and caffeine. Get lots of rest. This will enable your body to have the energy it needs to heal. As you heal, you should gain weight.

Also, when you exercise, don't push it right now. Weight training or some other strengthening exercise (even pilates or yoga), will help. Don't overdo it right now. If you put too much exercise on top of illness and stress, you risk fatiguing your adrenal glands ... this is what I did. I'm not saying exercise alone will do this, but once you fatigue the adrenals, then your exercise is very limited for a long time!

Again, make your whole lifestyle focused on getting healthy again and the weight will come. Don't just focus on the weight itself.

Couldn't have said it better Carla... except for the adrenal part... didn't even think about that...

[CarlaB]

Robina, on Oct 15 2006, 05:29 PM, said:

Couldn't have said it better Carla... except for the adrenal part... didn't even think about that...

Thank you. I wish I could forget about the adrenal part!! I used to be really into fitness till about two months ago ... exercise was invigorating, when I was done I'd get a cup of coffee! What I was doing was stimulating my adrenals, and I didn't even know it. I have to say, between the illness and the excessive stress we've had in our lives, it was too much for me to handle. Since I've stopped working out, I've lost 5 pounds. I started doing some yoga (totally different for a weight-lifter!!!). I'm going to keep it up because it requires a lot more stregth than I thought it would and it's relaxing, which is helpful for the adrenals, but I was just thinking that this week I might start going to the gym for no more than 30 minutes, eat a while before I go, then eat again as soon as I return, that should help lower the release of cortisol so it doesn't put any stress on my adrenal glands ... it takes at least a year to recover from adrenal fatigue. It's been a very difficult process trying to recover from this.