A little too thin

Ok, don't throw pies in my face. I took a four day trip last weekend (showing the Great dog Chippie) and as often happens when I travel, I lost a couple of pounds. So I am down to 117.5. I am 5'4" and my surgeon's original goal was 130 to 140. I planned to stop at 135 but easier said than done. Last doctor appointment I was 122 and he said that was fine, bmi 20.8 and not to worry. Well a couple more pounds are off. I really like being this thin, but I do think I would look better with 5 or 10 pounds on and my husband thinks I am too thin. I can't stand the thought of eating sugar and carbs to address this so I eat some big blobs of peanut butter as a healthy fat. I am 19 months out from surgery so I haven't hit the "rebound" gain phase yet but really don't want to lose any more and probably should get back to 120. Who knows the best way to do this without getting out of controll? Or do I just keep doing what I am doing and let nature take its course on the rebound. Guess I will see the doc and ask him. He says 5 pounds up or down is the time to do something. Any thoughts?
Diane

Well, I don't know about the best, but my favorite way is nuts and cheese, chased down with some wine.  I do that on weekends, and my weight bounces up 3 lbs!

yep, these are my absolute favorites too. i eat almonds and peanut butter daily but gotta up the cheese. aw gee, too bad.   and just got a bottle of my favorite wine that is for me only (hubby doesn't drink) so there!   diane

Hi Diane,
What a problem to have, eh?  Well for me increases in fat, like avocados, cheese and nuts work wonders.  Add some marbled meat into your diet and maybe even some real butter.   A little fillet with Gorgonzola cheese sauce and bacon should do the trick.  Just wrap the fillet in bacon before you grill it, and melt a little Gorgonzola on top. Sounds terrible, where do I sign up.  :)

Ha, you have the best ideas. As soon as I eat that I am sure I will gain two pants sizes!  Nuts and cheeses it shall be.  Diane

Who da thunk it?!  Trying to gain weight!  Life is interesting.  What a journey!

Janet

If it were me, I would enjoy it while it lasts :)

I think this journey entails a little up and down. There may be periods of time where you don't travel and tend to gain a little. Wouldn't it be easier if your starting point was lower?

I don't know...I think at 5'5" 122 - we are close...and, yes, I saw 117 once and thought I looked too thin...that said, as long as I'm not emaciated I think if I got back down there because I was travelling or sick or something, I would just hang out and wait for my body to level back off.

My observation so far is that the body will - and does - have a comfort/set point and I'd bet your natural tendency will be to eat a little more calories and your body finds its way.

What do I know? I just say don't try to gain or lose - free your mind a little. Just stay close to the scale and if you are getting above "alert" range - pair back - immediately. I think that is when we (as food addicts) must react. Don't let even 1 pound creep past.  Just my .02.

You are doing great!

yep. you are right. I really can't stand the thought of trying to intentionally gain weight when some day when I least expect it and have done nothing to deserve it, a couple of pounds will just appear. Dr. says don't be alarmed by fluctuations of up to 5 lbs either way. I do like my nightly blob of peanut butter and will do that and thats about it unless i drop more. but up a pound today for no explainable reason. you know what you are talking about! thanks.   Diane

Yeah, I know it's hard to believe but your body will adjust and you'll fill back out. Look at the picture at the top of my blog with me showing off my guns and see how scrawny my neck and chest are. Well, it's 2 years later and they're not like that now and I did nothing to cause this.

What works best for me to gain weight is peanut butter. I can eat a lot of it (calorically speaking) without getting too full. I would sometimes eat a half a jar a day when I was bulking. I think you count calories already? If not you might want to start, only because it's easy to eat a ton of calories worth of peanut butter.

Also, you can add butter to your foods, oils to your salad dressings, drink whole milk, eat full fat cheese, add cream cheese to foods, etc.

I found with the sleeve, gaining is all about fats since we can't fit much food in.