[belldandy112]

#1072479

Uh … here. I had a lot of problems gaining back weight. When I was on Methimazole, my weight went back to where it was before I had active GD. But once I went off it, I lost weight again, even being within the range of normal (and in remission). There are literally three sizes of clothing in my closet: 2, 4 and 6. I don’t want to give anything away because I might need these clothes again one day.

I was 125 lbs and went down to around 189 very quickly; I’m also 5’3", so it was obvious. I ate healthy, but I also intentionally ate a lot of junk … cupcakes with buttercream frosting, fried chicken, etc., stuff that was high in calorie count. If you don’t want to go that route, the supplement Ensure is another option. Although it’s not too bearable. Once you’ve had Ensure, you always have that taste in your mouth.

I’m about 10 lbs. under my target weight. I just started a round of steroids, so I think I might finally get that remaining 10 lbs. back, if only temporarily.

[smeets]

#1072480

It is very difficult. At one point i got so desperate that i was drinking 2-3 Nurishment drinks a day between meals as a top up… what a stomach ache i had!

I am about 5"3 too but just cant get past the 41 kg mark at the moment, no matter what i do. I used to eat anything and everything but found that junk food made me more tired and i had no energy for anything which got me really down.

Are there partuclar foods you found helped?

Does anyone else know of any good weight gain tips?

[belldandy112]

#1072481

I recall eating a lot of rice and pasta-based dishes. But my body was craving the carbs, and that seemed to be a quick fix. (Well, that and sweets.) But you’re right — carby/sweet food is good for a quick burst of energy, but it doesn’t really tide you over. The food that really seems to stick with me the most is a big, thick steak. I can make that last all evening and even into the next day without getting hungry.

If you exercise, weight lifting can turn what body mass you have into muscle. That’s primarily how I cultivated my "bulk."

[Ski]

#1072482

Good conversation, you two! By the way, don’t weight lift while you’re actively hyper.

I have known people who have trouble gaining, and the lack of sympathy is incredible. I’m glad we have two of you, so you can share ideas. I wish I had a good answer ~ Ensure was the only think I heard that actually worked, but it sounds so unpleasant.

[smeets]

#1019560

Hi all,

Im 27 and have GD which im taking 100mg a day PTU for. I had lost weight down to 39kg (about 6st) and my weight has never gone back up over 41.2kg.

Having a really hard time gaining weight even though im having a balanced diet and trying to eat more protein foods etc. Its getting to the point where i feel quite depressed about it, am sick of the comments people make about me being thin, the fact that i can never find clothes to fit and more than anything i feel like half the person i used to be. i dont feel very attractive and its affecting my confidence too. In in my late 20’s and feel as though im missing out on being me because im so uncomfortable being this way

Has anyone else had similar issues with trying to gain weight? it seems that most of the support out there is for people trying to lose weight, and us skinny folk should just count our lucky stars that we can eat what we want and we "don’t have to worry about piling it on". If only they knew. lol

[belldandy112]

#1072483

Ohgoodlord! I just did a conversion, and girl, you’re right at about the same weight I was at when I was my very sickest! (Around 90 lbs.) Yes. Yikes …that’s a tough one … um … gosh …

Ski — Ensure tastes a lot like those canned diet drinks that my mom used to use back in the 70’s. I wish I could remember the name of that stuff, but it was VILE.

And definitely … get the "okay" from a doctor before embarking on any sort of exercise plan. Getting benched is no fun, but having a heart attack is worse!

Being too thin is more unattractive than being slightly overweight. Just my opinion. On me, anything under 110 looks bad because of my build. It’s not the numbers on the scale that matter, and people place way too much emphasis on this, IMHO. Especially those who are dieting. It’s how you look and fill out your clothes — how your face looks, and if you like what you see in the mirror. Appearing 10 years older than you really are? Pass. Changes happen to the facial muscles that I can’t really describe, not to mention the skin, and I’m talking all over. Putting it this way: you find out exactly where all the stretchmarks from adolescence are located, and some things should forever remain a mystery …

[smeets]

#1072484

Those canned drinks are awful. As i mentioned above the Nurishment drinks seemed to be the answer but they made me feel awful.

There is definatley nothing positive about being underweight. I feel so frail sometimes, like a 60 year old woman! I dont know if anyone else has a problem with the cold too? I cant stand it! In winter its okay as wearing a padded jacket is normal. But i dread summer. Especially the British summer time. While everone else wears gorgeous summer clothes i cannot for two core reasons:

1. Despite it being a warm sunny day, the slightest breeze and i am freezing! its probably the fact that i have no excess fat to keep me warm.
2. While everyone wears all those gorgeous summery clothes, i have to wear a cardigan over EVERYTHING just so that im not cold. Bare arms? No way! I would freeze. Also, it doesnt help when people are always gawking at how skinny your arms are.

Asa female in her late 20’s i know i am missing out on things by having these hang ups… nothing that a little bit of weight gain wouldnt help with but its just not happening

[hyperm]

#1072485

Hey,

My weight goes up and down depending on how controlled my levels are. My sis however, had the op around 7 years ago (was hyper) and now is on the highest possible doze of thyroxine and yet they still can’t get her controlled but instead of gaining weight she is so thin its worrying. ” title=”Sad” /> A UK size 8 hangs on her and she is round 5ft 8" – its a shame as like you she is very aware of it. At the beginning we (as in her 4 sisters) were so envious that she could eat like a horse and not pile on a pound – now its very worrying when we see her in short sleeved tops etc as she looks as though she is starving herself.

Unfortunately the docs can’t offer any more advice and basically she was told to bulk up on carbs and starchy foods.

Not much help I’m afraid but you are not alone.

x

[belldandy112]

#1072486

I’m very cold intolerant, too. Living in Alaska was a nightmare. Sub-zero weather is bad enough, but when you don’t have any fat padding, it felt like dry ice was being rubbed all over my body whenever I went outside. I also had a lot of pain at night because my muscles seized up; I think this had to do with the sudden change from arctic temps to in-home temps.

In Texas, there is extreme A/C in all of the buildings during the summer. Yes, 100 degree weather is hot, but I don’t know why businesses feel they have to crank it down to 65 degrees inside. At one workplace, I wore winter gloves with the fingers cut out because my hands got too cold to even type or write. I don’t expect my superiors to accommodate me at the comfort of others, but honestly? Some public places are kept way too cold. No wonder the U.S. consumes so much fossil fuel. I keep my A/C set at 78 degrees, and that’s about fine for me in the summer, but for most, it’s a sweatbox.

I prefer winter clothing to summer clothing — all those cute jackets, sweaters, and boots. Cardigans look darling, IMHO. ” title=”Smile” />

[SharieS]

#1072487

Hi, I have had noticeable weight loss (bones starting to stick out-can see every rib), although I didn’t get as low as you, I went down to 48kg. I am normally around 52 kg. I am not exercising at all (still hyper) and I have been eating double portions at every meal, and making sure I eat something every 2 hours. In the past week, I have stopped the weight loss, and have gained 1kg! I don’t always feel like eating, but force myself to do so. I haven’t been taking any meal supplement drinks as the smell makes me nauseated. I am hoping that when my Methimazole starts to work, my weight loss will stop and I won’t have to eat so much food.

[belldandy112]

#1072488

Methimazole worked really well for me … it got me back to my pre-Graves weight. I think I remember going five pounds over my usual, but that wasn’t any big deal. It’s not like I was cumbersome.

I’m really torn on the issue of eating high-carby, sugary foods, or "snacking" too much. What I keep in mind is that I’m forming eating habits when I do this. If I ever go hypo — and that’s a probability — I don’t want to carry over any bad habits, such as eating pizza, cake, etc., or snacking a lot. So I’m trying to eat healthy and eat plenty, if that makes any sense. For example, choosing foods that I like but that can be modified into a low-calorie meal. My current favorite is grilled chicken Caesar salad. The dressing and croutons = nothing but carbs and fat, but the rest of the salad is actually comprised of stuff that’s good for you. Same thing with hamburgers. I’m getting accustomed to eating them without the bun. So if or when I need to watch my weight, it will be an issue of portion control and not having to "eliminate" foods. ” title=”Smile” />

[mamabear]

#1072489

I wanted to say hello and welcome.
Being thin is just as bad as being overweight in my eyes. People look and comment just the same and peeves the person off just as bad.
I was thin always have been, I am 5’8" and at one point very built lifted weights and everything in high school and was a jock.

I had some issues with a cat that had rabies and lost a lot of weight.
Then after dealing with that a few years later after having a baby i was sick and lost weight as well.
Got better but then when my 1st child was about 6 I was told I had Graves and got thin as well but also knew fromreading that after being hyper you will gain a lot of weight due to eating the same way as if you were still hyper. So i watched what i was eating and during PTU I gained some weight back and I got pregnant (purposely after being ok’d by dr. to try) and after all of that a few kids later (4 total), I am about 10 lbs above where I was 7 years ago and can’t loose it. I am healthy and eat well so I dont care.

I also had the same attitude back then so that might differ me from many of you. I hated being called skinny but I finally went with it and said well I’m thin so what. Or I said yep bet you wish you were me. Just so people would stop talking about it. It did work because no one wants to see a skinny girl and then comment about it then have her get all Ego minded and say yeah i know ROFL. I even had someone say to me (this was just a few years ago when I was having "thyroid Storm"),very sarcastically… "oh you are so thin, it must be so nice being so thin and eating what ever you want and not have to care about a thing and you have kids so it must be so great that you don’t gain weight WOW for you". I was shocked at the sarcasm oozing out of her mouth. All I could muster up was "Yeah it’s great, I have Graves’ disease which is basically Hyperthyroidism and I’m on meds because my levels are so off the wall that my heart races so fast and I could wind up damaging my heart and all of that is so great becasue I can’t keep weight on and who knows how skinny i’ll get even after all the food Itry to keep down." She shut her mouth apologized and walked away.
Some times people have no clue what is going on…….. I always say this
Don’t judge someone because they walk past you and bump into you and get angry at you. You never know what is going on in their life that they don’t see what they just did. They might have just lost a loved one or is so stressed and busy in their life that they didn’t even realize you were there in front of them.

Someone did that to me once and she yelled at me that I bumped into her. I looked at her and was about to say something so mean because I was so mad that she thought I did it when she in fact was the one who did it. I saw her eyes and knew something was wrong with her. I stopped and said are you ok. She looked at with me this worry in her face a bit shocked a total stranger bothered to ask her, She said "no I am not and I am sorry for bumping into you, thank you for asking. I’ll be fine". She smiled and walked away. Just goes to show you that everyone is going through something and not all of us know what to say or we seem to say the wrong thing at the wrong time.

If someone comments on your weight. I would say I have some thyroid issues I am working on but thanks for asking. ” title=”Very Happy” />

[belldandy112]

#1072490

Mamabear — thank you for your insightful post. I don’t think that anyone would envy me when I was at my skinniest. There’s a difference between being thin and being thin and being perceived so because of an illness — and I think in my case, it was obvious that I was quite sick. I was asked if I had anorexia, bulimia, cancer, HIV … you name it.

Whenever someone asks, I always say that I have a "metabolic disorder." I know that’s sort of fudging the details, but I don’t want anyone going home to "Google it." I look at my health issues as being mine to solve, and I really do NOT want anyone feeling sorry for me because they think that I’m in any way "disabled" by this disease.

[crazymom]

#1072491

I can undestand how you are feeling,i was down to 96 pounds at one point. I’m 5’7 so I was a walking stick with buldging eyes sweating and shaking.I would tell husband people must think i’m on drugs.I would gain and lose depending on my docs appointment tying to find the right dosage of meds.Finally had the surgery in jan of this year.Today i’m gaining weight hopefully it stays on i’m at 120 pounds and feeling good, but as i’ve learned duing this disease its one day at a time.Best of luck to you .

[Tiffany]

#1072492

Halelluja I found this thread!!

Was diagnosed with Graves in 04 which once on medication resolved itself fairly quickly. I had lost a lot of weight and even though I was euthyroid for 4.5 years I was never able to put weight/muscle back on. I’m having a recurrence of GD now and am losing (not weight cause I don’t have any to lose) again. I’m losing me.
I am cold and weak all the time.
I always pull people up now when they comment on how thin I am, like it’s an enviable thing. I point out that it’s really not polite to comment on people’s weight fat or thin. I would never say to someone ‘my goodness, you’re so fat!’ There is not much I wouldn’t do for an extra 10 kg, I would feel stronger….and happier!

Tiffany

[Author]

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