weight loss worry

[Nemo]

Hi.
I had a baby a year ago, and I know some degree of weight loss is normal post partum.
In october someone I hadnt seen for a while said they thought I lost weight... and I freaked. I weighed about 10st 8. Around same time i had stomach pains and had an abdominal ultrasound of stomach liver gall bladder pancrease and kidneys and all came back fine. I also had a blood test that the doctor said couldnt be more normal.
I have had a really good run of not worrying over the following months, until today - my world has been turned upside down again, because another friend who saw me only a month ago said she thought I had lost wieght (looked thinner around face). I wieghed myself and I am about 10st 4, thats about a 3-4 lb loss taking account of clothes.
I am convinced I look gaunt in the mirror now and just spent the last half hour surfing the web about cancer.... this is the beginning of another run of health worries.
I have been eating lots of cake and sweets lately and all the wrong things.. Im sure my weight should have not changed.

Should I be worried?

[Alexy]

Im the same, im 17 5"7ish and weight like 8 stone 5 or something, which i think is slightly underweight:S And like, about a year ago, i was 9 stone 3/4, its got me in a panic, but im trying to believe that this weight loss is just due to stress? which can cause such things, and well, i know all my health worries have got me very worried most of the time, my mum also says i have alot of nervous energy..xx

[NervousNellie]

You're not alone! I have suffered a dramatic weight loss. When my 2nd daughter was born in October of 2005, I weighed about 190 pounds (not sure what the equivalent would be in the UK). I lost some of the weight over the course of 2 years. Last year at this time, I weighed about 165 pounds - today I weigh 132 pounds! I haven't done anything to try to lose the weight....it just came off!! I admit that I don't eat as badly as I used to. I've cut out fast food and only eat it once a month or so. I used to eat it daily for lunch. Even over the summer I weighed about 145 pounds. So I'm drastically dropping weight, but I am now in the healthy weight category for my height (I'm 5'6" and shrinking, lol).

All in all, losing about 3-4 pounds over the course of a month isn't that bad....I've lost 5 pounds in a week, depending on how stressful my week was and whether or not I ate all of my meals (I have a bad habit of skipping meals when I'm stressed out). Since all of your tests are normal, you have nothing to worry about. Enjoy an extra slice of cake!!

[LeeBee]

It's always a bit scary when you lose weight without meaning to - but then we put on weight without meaning to and people don't tend to think that it is the result of illness.

I think a loss of 3-4 lbs in 3 months or so is fine. I lost 1 1/2 stone in a 6 months. Haven't had a baby, just had a bit of lifestyle change, lots of stress and a bit of illness (viral). I was around 10 stone at the end of 2007, by July 2008 I was 8 and a half stone. It wasn't intentional, just happened.

Rapid weight loss because of cancer is huge and over a short space of time, like a few weeks. You've had perfectly healthy blood tests, your doctor is not worried - relax. You are physically healthy. Hormonal changes post-partum could be partly the cause, and the stress of looking after a new baby.

[jkse]

hi i have also been worrying about the same thing... i have had so many ppl tell me ive lost weight and it scares the crap out of me just fueling my ha...ive been the same weight for most of my life... ever since i was 13 i had a round chubby face and have had really big love handles no matter how much i exersized or ate right nothing happened...now all of a sudden ( i am 21 now) in the matter of like a month i have all these ppl telling me i have lost weight and its scary because i havnt even tried to loose it this time.... i am too scared to weigh myself but i can tell when i look in the mirror and my clothes are getting really loose as well, and to further add to this i have been having really weird bowel movements...my mom siad it just might be my hormones...but i donet know...but after reading these posts its a little reassuring