Healthy weight?
#167495 - 04/06/05 06:44 AM
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I think that due to IBS I am a bit underweight. I am sure many of you have dealt with this in the past. I am currenctly trying to regain some of what I have lost. What is a healthy weight for a 20 yr old girl at 5'6? thanks so much!
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Well, personally, I think its relative! I'm 5'8 and feel great at 135-140. I'm currently a bit (ok, a lot) heavier than that right now, its been a rough year for me and I tend to put on weight instead of lose it! I think the medical "people" say that at 5 feet for a girl you should be 100 pounds and every inch over that you should add 5-8 pounds so at 5'6 you should be in the 130 range?? But I've also had a dr tell me that when I was 135 pounds, I was 15 pounds OVERweight??!!!  So, I don't put too much stock in what the medical "people" say!!
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Taking it one day at a time.....
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Arbitrarily picking a weight doesn't take into account factors like bone structure and build, or muscle, which weighs more than fat. Everyone in my family is "dense", we weigh a lot more than people think we do for our size. So I'm 5'2", and I range between 125-130. If it were a perfect world, I'd weigh less than that, but the truth is that I look and feel healthy at this weight, and I'd really have to drastically diet to get any smaller. To give you an idea, 125 is what doctors would consider the upper limit of what I should weigh for my height.
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Casey- we're the same height and at about the same weight- I dont' like hwow I look when its less then 120, why I'm fighting to keep my weight level.. since I actually did drop below that recently... but I am muscular
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Dietetics Student (anticipating RD exam in Aug 2010)
IBS - A
Dairy Allergic
Fructose and MSG intollerant
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According to BMI (Body Mass Index) a healthy weight for 5'6" is anywhere between 124lbs and 155lbs - but I'd qualify that by echoing what Michele, Casey and Amie said: it's very relative. That calculation does not take into consideration body composition (particularly lots of muscle).
However, that seems to be more a concern if the number is coming back telling you're overweight (i.e. if you weighed more than 155 lbs). If you weigh less than 124 though, you might want to think about trying to gain some. Still though, it's quite relative. You know best if you need to gain or lose weight.
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That's my ideal weight range at the same height (not that I'm anywhere NEAR that atm), but I am typically very muscle-ly and have gigantic shoulders!  You really ARE dense, aren't you? In a clever way.
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Weight is a major issue for me. I am 20 and 5'6 and I weigh 108. Its soo hard for me to gaina nd I hate the way I look. My lowest was 102. My doctor and I have a good relationship, everytime I vist he jokingly calls me fatso LOL. But on the IBS diet it hard to gain weight. Its even harder when you have D at least once a week that flushes out everything you ate.
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...shouldn't be too hard! I know you can't have the high-fat stuff, but that's not a good idea for putting weigh on healthily anyway. LOTS of carbs and low-fat protein is the way to go...and sweet treats like ADBs! Plus, snack all the time - it's good for your IBS too.
I took Immodium daily (1 tablet every morning) when stabilising and it really helped me. Maybe you should consider this?
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Hey, I'm also 5'6 and 108 pounds! That's with a 3 pound gain since October '04. My highest weight was 132 pounds at age 17; my lowest 104 pounds during my first year of IBS (10 years ago) and then again this past summer due to some infection (which started up the IBS symptoms after being stable for a while--sigh).
I'm 28 with a medium frame and feel my best at 125 pounds, but I know it will take a while to get there. Also, I try not to focus too much on what the scale says but more on how I feel. Right now, I feel like my head's really big compared to my body.
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How many Hollywood women do you see who look like lollipop sticks as their bodies are too tiny for their heads! 
How you feel is the best way to go by...I'm supposedly a bit heavy at MY ideal weight of 126 pounds, but it's what I feel happy at. Jus gotta get there now!
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i am 5'1 and i weigh approx 85 pounds. in highschool i weighed almost 120. as you can see this is A HUGE DROP. When im feeling at my best i usually can get up to 92 but for some reason i can't exceed it. People are constantly judging me and assuming that i am anorexic. My family asks if i am eating every day. I tell them ask my roomates as they know i am eating CONSTANTLY, sometimes so much that i get sick just from eating too much!!
I keep trying to explain that when i lost the weight, i lost all my muscle, and thats why im so small. I try and go to the gym to try and gain muscle back but am constantly yelled at that i dont need to lose any weight. I try explaining that i dont want to lose weight i just want to feel better and get some muscle back but so far im stuck in the 80's. I keep trying thou...
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If you can do nothing else...smile 
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I am currently at 130, and am 5'5
Before the IBS diagnosis I weighed about 150 which was I think slightly overweight for me personally, but I always felt and looked fine at around 145. I am a heavier than I look person! My friends could never believe I was over 135 because I have a small top half, my weight is all on my legs and thighs which is easier to hid than a tummy or big boobs!
I don't know myself since the weight fell off and can't believe that I fit into a smaller size of clothes but was still happy and healthy up to 145 and a clothes size bigger.
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S.
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Haha.
Back when I weighed 260, nobody could believe it... I was obviously overweight, but I didn't look it quite to that extreme.
I'm not really *that* tiny. I have big legs and I'm broad - wide hips, thick waist, broad chest, etc. Depending on the item of clothing and who makes it, I wear anywhere from a 5 to an 8, sometimes even a 10. I know people my height who would be horrified at being that big. I'm still kind of adjusting to it myself... I have to keep reminding myself that I was really, REALLY sick when I was a size 0-1.
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Thanks for the help everyone!
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...does weight-loss affect one's brain? I'm not saying I'm dumber since I lost weight (at least I don't think I am--lol!) but I do feel as though my anxiety became more severe. So, I try to be positive but sometimes I do get disappointed and worried when I'm weighed at the doc's office and there's no change. That's when I have to remind myself: "But you ARE feeling so much better!" Plus, I'm no longer having dreams about eating. Now that's progress! 
OH, those Hollywood Lollipops! They always look so sad and dull, beyond hungry, when they're on the red carpet. Who knows? Maybe some of them are suffering from IBS too.
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Even when I was at my ideal weight and super healthy I had to be really careful in chosing clothes or I looked like a weight lifter...that or a brick wall! And then I never went below a 12 english in clothes...isn't that an 8???? Now I'm officially obese but I'm only a size 14 english (10???).
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LOL, my face always stayes the same size no matter what LOL. People always tell me oh I wish I was your size, and I"m like...Not if you had IBS causing it.
I do feel better. I was telling my boyfriend that I haven't had a major major attck in almost 2 months now! I've has little spats, but ti didn't really last longer than a day. I do feel better, and I feel like there is hop. I just get discouraged when I go to the doctors office and my weight has only inched up like 2 pounds LOL. My mom puts alot of pressure on me to gain weight, but for some reason my body is not having it. Do they ever discuss meeting up for this site, I would love to meet some of the people who can identify with me.
What kind of stomach problem caused your relapse. Mine was H.Pylori. I am so nervous that I'll get soemtype of infection and have to take antidbiotics because I am working too hard to have it messed up by some infection LOL.
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Trapley
#167950 - 04/07/05 10:20 AM
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lalala
Reged: 02/14/05
Posts: 2634
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I'm glad you're feeling better! It does sound like you're making real progress! I wear the same outfit every time I go to the dr's office to get weighed, because I want to make sure if I gain weight it's because of my body not my new boots! Or that my weight loss is due to an outfit not my eating habits which would only concern my doc more. I always get weighed fully clothed but they don't take that into consideration when they look over your charts and see that in the winter (when I'm in my boots and big coat) I was four pounds heavier than the spring (when I'm wearing a skirt, sandals, and a light sweater). LOL! It's nice to have a dr who cares though.
My stomach problem last summer was really never pinpointed. There was s stomach bug going around work, which is what I got, but when I went into immediate care the dr believed that based on my symptoms I may have had giardia. He had had it too and has treated many people for it, so he felt pretty sure. I was treated with flagyl, which definitely helped, but my IBS (triggered by stress and just not eating that well) got a good kick-start. I'm really worried about getting something at work, because it seems someone's always out with some stomach problem. I just make sure to wash and disinfectant my hands, bring my own bottled water, never eat the treats my coworkers bring in (and there's always homemade snacks there!). I work in the circulation department of a library, which means I work with the public and handles thousands of materials a day, so I have to make sure I clean my hands well! People who come to the desk like to cough on me for some reason or hand me their cards they just had in their mouths. Once I opened a DVD case to find a bloody bandage inside! ANother time a coworker found a razor blade being used as a bookmark. I can't tell you the number of times items come back with mysterious sticky goo on the covers or with toilet paper marking pages! Ewwww!
Sorry to go on so long. It's my gift!
Edited by Maria!Maria! (04/07/05 10:21 AM)
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Re: Trapley
#167955 - 04/07/05 10:30 AM
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trapley
Reged: 03/16/05
Posts: 43
Loc: Miami, FLorida
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LOL, WoW I never thought of the work environment as being so risky LOL. I never imagined people do that type of stuff witht heir books eeewww. I have been blessed to work at a job that is very flexible with everyones schedule so when they're sick their either stay home or get sent home.
Yeah I want to gain weight, but I am not going to let it consume me. Theres a person on the board who had a really good quote.It said pain is imminent, but suffering is optional. That is soo true.I have found that even when I am having an episode, I need to maintain a posistive attitude. The negative attitude is what was leading to my depression. How are you doing with your IBS? HAs it susided since flaring up during the last recourrance?
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The quote you had about suffering is really good. I guess it's all about not dwelling on the pain. Sometimes I dwell on the past--my IBS was at it's worst when I was in college and I always felt bitter that I couldn't live and just be young and crazy! (Well, I did act crazy, but those stories are super secret!) However, I did learn just how strong of a person I am and how to be a healthier one.
I've been doing much better with the IBS since October. I've only been having one attack a month, which does get me down when I have it but the effects don't drag on beyond that one day. I also feel these attacks are related to my menstrual cycle. I'll be starting a new bc pill next week, so we'll see how that one goes! Right now my main problem has been anxiety. I think having been sick for so long last year, plus the weight loss, plus some heavy family issues, I just really isolated myself. So, I was having panic attacks and just not feeling like going out. I finally shared this with my dr and with some cognitive behavioral therapy w/ a counselor and some meds (whoohoo!), I'm doing better! I think, I hope. I mean, I am able to go to work, grocery shopping, but I'm going on shopping trip with my mom, an aunt, and cousin this weekend and I'm kind of NERVOUS. I haven't been clothes shopping in a long, long, long time, so I really deserve this, I feel. Because of the recent weight loss, I need pants that won't fall off! Oh, and underwear. Loose underwear is such a pain.
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and I have't worn a 4 since I was in my early 20's.. sometimes I can wear the 6's now- without ANY bloat... but I prefer a 8... they are comfy...and not restrictive... and sometimes wear a 10 even.. and I was up to 12's being tight before I started this diet!
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Dietetics Student (anticipating RD exam in Aug 2010)
IBS - A
Dairy Allergic
Fructose and MSG intollerant
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