QuestionMaybe this is more than one question, but hopefully you will be able to answer some of it. I am 26 years old. At 18 I was at my healthiest, very active, lots of exercise, and weighed about 120-125 lbs. (I am about 5'4"). During my second year of college, I was less active and also ate very low fat, low calorie foods. I was eating lots of split peas and some beans because they were cheap, and some vegetables (mostly salad) and a little fruit juice, and milk. I ate this way for about a year or a year and a half. I got down to about 107 lbs. Since then, I have gone back to my old way of eating. I guess compared to the food guide pyramid, I get about the reccommended amounts of fruits and vegetables, a little more dairy and meat, a little less grains. I don't tolerate carbs well, I think I'm hypoglycemic. My hunger comes on very suddenly, I have to eat NOW, I get extremely cranky when I'm hungry, and I MUST have protein and fat NOW. I get very irritated if I'm at someone's house and have what I think is a hypoglycemic attack (Have not been tested), and they offer me an apple. NOOOOOOO! I need calories, I need protein, I really need fat, I need it now! So my questions are.... could hypoglycemia be a factor in my inability to gain weight? I have heard that this usually causes weight gain, does it cause weignt loss or resistance to weight gain in some people? I have had my thyroid check, it appeared normal. I don't understand why I cannot gain weight. Actually, I can gain weight when I'm pregnant, I've had two children and been able to gain plenty of weight while pregnant, but it comes right off in about 8 weeks. Other new moms hate me for this, but truthfully I'd like to keep some of the weight! I can't find info on being underweight, it seems only people with eating disorders are underweight in America. I don't have an eating disorder! Sorry this is so long, hope you have time to read it/ reply. Thank you so much if you have any suggestions.
AnswerDear Bethany,
For your height, your healthy weight is between 104 and 145 pounds. So you are within. You might want to try gaining some muscle and it's doable. Since protein and fat is appealing to you, hopefully, strength training will help.
You might want to try testing your "first thing in the morning" temperature measurement for a month. Do it with rectal thermometer before you get out of bed, right after you wake up. Keep a journal of your meals. Try to figure whether your hunger pangs are related to your temperature in the morning and the foods you ate this day.
When you do that, please feel free contacting me again.
Tanya Zilberter, PhD
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