Can’t gain weight

[Librella]

I’m not really sure where to put this as it overlaps stomach problems and anxiety. I’ve posted about my weight loss before. I just keep losing weight. I weight 82 lbs and I’m 4’11 but that’s still quite low. I get full so quickly I can’t eat very large meals. I continue to have other symptoms that make it difficult to eat at all some days. I have anxiety around eating now from the symptoms. I’m working with a therapist, nutritionist, and primary care doctor. The doctor is concerned as I just keep losing weight, they want to see me monthly now. I don’t know how this is happening when they can’t find any medical issue besides the SIBO which I’m treating now with the nutritionist. I keep thinking there must be cancer they haven’t found yet. My parents both had cancer and wasted away, now the same thing is happening to me. I’m at the point of wondering if I need to check myself into a ward or take steroids or something because this is too hard! Very embarrassing too as none of my friends or family know how much I struggle and they wonder why I don’t eat much around them.

[ankietyjoe]

Do you keep track of what you're eating?

I think it's important at this point to have a food diary to know exactly what's going in. If you're not eating enough, you'll keep losing weight no matter what.

At least you'll have a number to work from, and maybe adapt your diet around that.

[Librella]

Do you keep track of what you're eating?

I think it's important at this point to have a food diary to know exactly what's going in. If you're not eating enough, you'll keep losing weight no matter what.

At least you'll have a number to work from, and maybe adapt your diet around that.

I have a meal plan from my dietician, the problem is I have trouble physically and mentally being able to eat the required amount, between the low appetite from depression/anxiety and actual GI symptoms.

[ankietyjoe]

I have a meal plan from my dietician, the problem is I have trouble physically and mentally being able to eat the required amount, between the low appetite from depression/anxiety and actual GI symptoms.

I'm not talking about a meal plan. A meal plan is easy. I mean actually writing down and recording what you are actually eating. Unless you know that, you cannot possibly measure whether you can put weight on or not. There is a big difference between not being able to put weight on, and not eating enough food to even maintain the weight you are.

If you are only eating 1000 calories a day (for example), of course you will lose weight, and it would have absolutely nothing to do with cancer, right?

If you know that your weight loss is from calorie deficit because it's written down in black and white, your mind may relax enough about cancer/random disease to allow your digestion to heal a bit and for your appetite to return.

My 'break even' point is around 2500 calories a day. If I eat under that I lose weight, if I eat more than that I put weight on. Now this is approximate, there are more factors at play than just simple calories, but it's a good rough estimate for me.

However, there have been 3-4 periods in my life where stress or anxiety have been so high that I could barely force down (and I really do mean force down) 500 calories a day. The last time was when I moved house in 2018, and my appetite just quit on me (extenuating circumstances). I was writing down everything I ate, because I also know that healthy eating is the cornerstone to good mental health. In a 6 week period I lost around 22-24 pounds, and it took me around 3 months to regain my full appetite. But I knew what it was because I was writing it down. I think this is what you need to do too. Weigh and measure what you eat, then you'll know what you're working with.

[Librella]

I see what you mean. Yes it would probably reassure me if I saw it was just a calorie deficit. I’ll look into keeping a proper food diary.