According to my doctor, my current weight of about 112 pounds is underweight for my height of 5'6.

I weighed 150 in Feb. 2004. I hit my goal of 120 in June 2004. Since then I have lost 8 more pounds on maintenance. I also started exercising, mostly aerobic walking, 3-5 days a week. I get enviable amounts of good fats, protein, vitamins and minerals in my diet and probably average 1200-1600 calories a day, and 30-60 carbs.

I have gone up the "carb ladder" and incorpate whole grains and fruit into my diet, and have becoming very relaxed about eating things with small amounts of sugar listed in the ingrediants.

My concern is that while I wouldn't mind gaining a few pounds at all... I just don't want it to turn into a 20 pound gain and shatter all of the work I've done just far.

So, as dumb as it may sound, how would one go about gaining 5-10 pounds and then STOPPING? I guess I'm just afraid that if I start eating to gain weight, I won't be able to start and will end up gaining more than I want to.

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

Do you just keep losing weight or something? I don't even know how you would gain weight and then maintain it like that. Plus you have added carbs? How much do you eat a day *food wise?*

Typical menu (lately):

B: Protein shake made with Hood 2% Milk

Morning Snack: 3 hard boiled egg whites chopped up and mixed w/ mayo

Lunch: Turkey or roast beef sandwich on lc bread w/ mayo and homemade coleslaw, plus veggies and dip. Sometimes with fruit.

Afternoon snack: Another protein shake or cottage cheese

Dinner: Meat and veggies... I eat a lot of meat (used to work for a meat company). Pot roast, chicken, roast beef, turkey, pork... prepared various ways and pared with salad and veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus.. etc.

Late Night Snack: Celery sticks and 3-5 tablespoons of Peanut butter, glass of Hood milk

I am not trying to lose weight but I do make a very conscious effort to eat healthy and keep my body "moving" throughout most of the day. I usually walk about 1-2 miles a day... but that's more for relaxation purposes than exercise.
My menu may seem "diet-ish," but its actually very satisfying.. I always eat full-fat products, such as cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese, salad dressing, etc. and never eat anything fat free. I eat hefty portions and good cuts of beef and other meats. I snack pretty much throughout the day... I really don't feel like I am dieting at all.

I think I am going to make an appt. with a dietician at my school to see what he or she suggests about what I am eating.

If you add/change one food item a week, you can effectively monitor your weight gain. What you want is to gain less than a pound per week. As you get near your goal again, drop/change one item a week until the gain stops.

For a start, I would recommend replacing the Hoods milk with real full fat milk.

I think the dietician is going to tell you that you are not eating enough calories. 1200 to 1600 calories is really a weight loss range, not a maintenance range for someone your age and height and activity level, and it is very doubtful you will be able to gain anything at that range. You may be able to up the calories by doing things like slipping in a bit more mayo on your sandwiches, increasing your portion sizes a little, and I agree, switching to whole milk. Another way to do it, is to eat the same way you are eating, but add a Boost shake (or 2) to your daily routine.The shakes are very healthy and will add in the calories in a nutritious way. You probably need to be around the 2000 kcal range or even more. It's good that you are going to see your nutritionist!

If you're happy and feel fit and well I personally wouldnt bother changing anything - I think with low carbing your body finds its own ideal weight. You're lucky you've gotta few pounds to play with.

Jo

I don't think you need to be changing anything. I asked my doctor the same thing. He said there is no set wieght that you should be for anyone. Since then, I have no interest in the hight/weight ratio. As long as you are comfortable and feel healty, who cares at what hight and weight you should be. I'm happy the way I am.

Thanks for your responses. While I am pretty comfortable with the way I am now, I do catch certain glimpses of myself in mirrors and think "wow, maybe I am too thin." I've gotten downright bony with no curves whatsoever. I would like to fill out just a little bit, to regain some sort of shape. But alas... just as we can't "spot reduce" certain areas of the body, I suppose we can't "spot enhance" either. While I'd love a few extra pounds in my butt and chest, I'm afraid they'd end up in my tummy or thighs. I think I'm going to start weight training more, or maybe take a body scupting class, to gain a little muscle in these areas.

I think that is probably true with the exception of females whose weight gets low enought that they lose their menses. I think that's our bodies way of telling us "enough is enough!" and is good indicator that weight is too low. Many physicians will use that as a cut-off point for weight loss. I'm not saying that's the case with the OP, of course, since she didn't mention that.

I do think it would feel pretty tricky to work so hard to loose weight and then need to gain a bit back. I imagine I would be a little concerned that I didn't inadvertantly start myself back on the path of gaining too much back!

Two years ago I was in your shoes coco, I was told i needed to gain a few and so I tried to but couldn't handle those few extra and it led to gaining it all back.

If you do decide to get a few lbs back on, make sure its as well planned, controlled and monitored as ur weight loss regime was. Changing ur body weight either way is fiddling with the mechanics of ur body so loosing and gaining should be regarded with the same level of seriousness. Like you souldn't eat less than a cerain amount a day, don't over stuff urself especially w crap. It should be a slow process.

What is your body fat level? Not body mass index, but body fat. I think 22-33% puts you into the healthy category.

I also believe if you feel good, then who is to second guess what you should weigh.

Does the doctor say that being underweight at your current level is dangerous or just maybe not fitting into his/her weight table?

Your menu looks yummy at satisfying to me. I wouldn't worry about it. When you mentioned not having curves, though, it occurred to me that you might start doing some weight training. This would add some weight as you gain muscle and also curve you up a bit.

I pray to have your "problem" some day in the future!!

Thanks Mammac. One of the reasons I went to the doctor in the first place was because I was having trouble sleeping. The bones in my legs, hips, and back start to ache horribly after 2-3 hours of sleeping on one side, so I would wake up a few times during the night in pain and have to turn over. I knew this was obviously a verrrrry bad thing. The doctor said that my weight and BMI are considered underweight, and I need to gain a few in order to get some more "cushion" on my bones to prevent sleeping discomfort. I also can't sit in hard chairs for long periods of time because my "butt bone" starts to ache. I don't want to be bony!! I just want to be fit and trim I agree with you that weight training is a good idea. I started going to a 30 minute beginning strength class twice a week. I also plan on consulting a nutritionist to make sure I am I don't have any vitamin deficiencies and I'm getting the right amounts of calories/fat/etc.

Steph-z: The last time I checked body fat, I think it was around 17%. Is that considered dangerous?