So, I weigh myself every week, on an old second-hand scale in our basement. Mostly just as a reminder to keep myself eating well, I’m very much not a calorie counter.
Over the past few weeks (3, probably), I’ve been losing weight. Not in drastic quantities or anything - enough that I had a sort of reality check today. I’m used to gaining or losing a pound or two in the course of a week (workout schedule varies, I eat more or less, etc), so I don’t pay that much attention to minor variations. Today, though, the scale’s telling me I’m 100 pounds, which is way low for me. My average weight is about 115.) This is Weird Thing One. Doesn’t really alarm me, though I’m not fond of losing mass like that (means you get kicked around more while sparring).
Second Weird Thing: I’ve been eating a lot lately (which is why I’m weirded out by loosing wieght). Normally, I’ll have a yogurt or something for breakfast at about seven. Lunch is usually at about 11, consists of a sandwich (peanut butter and jelly or cheese), iced tea, string cheese, some fruit-product, and a cookie or two. Snack when I get home (usually about 3:30-4:00) of dry cereal or crackers or something. Dinner is usually late (8 or thereabouts), salad first, then pasta/veggie burger or other soy product/pizza/Chinese/etc. I’m very much a creature of habit when it comes to food, always have been. Recently, though, I’m really, really hungry. I’ll eat breakfast, be hungry again by 9 AM. By 2:30, I’m starved again. Two snacks between ‘getting-home munchy’ and dinner. And it’s not just a sort of ‘I could go for some food’ hungry, it’s a “my hands are shaky because I can feel my blood sugar is so low and my head is spinny” hunger. This is very bothersome to me.
Any ideas as to what causes this? I’d really, really rather not have to go to a doctor over this, but it’s getting on my nerves, so if there’s an easy fix for it, I’d really appreciate it.
This would be far fetched, but you may have a tape worm. You may also be anemic. In both cases go to a doctor, losing 15 pounds is never healthy for an average person, especialy, when you are on the low scale of weight.
I’m not qualified to give medical advice, but I find it telling that you don’t mention looking thinner or having your clothes feel loose. Both would be likely after the loss of 15% of your body weight. Check yourself on another scale.
If you’re hungrier than usual and you’ve increased your food consumption and have lost over 10% of your body mass in the past few weeks, you need to go see the doctor.
Sorry, but a message board is not the avenue you need to pursue.
also… it looks like you might be a vegetarian, and with your physical activity, maybe you need more protein/dairy type things… but once again, go to a doctor
Maybe your scale has finally gone on the fritz, and your hunger is totally unrelated.
Maybe some critical component of your diet has, unbeknownst to you, been changed by the manufacturer (your soyburger has switched to a non-fat formula), and no longer supplies your needs.
Are you sure you haven’t increased your activity level lately?
First, you need to establish whether or not you have really lost weight. As Waverly points out, if you have really lost over 10% of your body weight your clothes shouldn’t fit any more. If they do, buy a new scale. If they don’t, there are a few possibilities:
You are eating less but unaware of it.
You are burning more calories through physical activity but are unaware of it.
You are not absorbing all the calories from your diet.
You are excreting calories in your urine (diabetes mellitus).
Your body is burning calories for purposes other than physical activity.
If your scale is correct, why don’t you see your doctor and let us busybodies know what’s up.
You really should see a doctor. Only a few things cause weight loss with good appetite.
They are cancer, diabetes, and hyperthyroidism. If you are peeing and drinking more, prob. diabetes. Cancer is pretty unlikely to work that fast. Thyroid is a possible. What you describe is abnormal and you need to see someone about it. My best guess is diabetes.
Have you been really thirsty and having to urinate frequently? The hunger, thirst, weight loss and frequent urination group of symptoms usually means that the patient is diabetic. However, I am NOT a doctor, and as with the other posters, I urge you to go see one. This can’t be diagnosed or treated on a message board.
Are you stressed?
Have you been ill recently (especially someing viral) or feeling run down?
Have you been training harder?
How old are you? Could you still be growing?
Have you started any new medications?
Are you day 15-21 in your menstrual cycle (that can increase appetitie and raise BMR)?
If someone’s eating habits are unchanged, her activity level unchanged (presumed), and they’ve lost 15 of a 115 lbs… something is wrong. Period. Go to a doctor. That Is Not Normal and you can’t get a proper diagnosis on a message board.
Now, for the rest of you…
Nametag, pregnancy causes weight gain, not weight loss. Except in cases of excessive morning nausea (and rarely even then). I think that if NinjaChick was upchucking on a regular basis she would have mentioned that.
Irishgirl, the BMR rise during ovulation is an interesting guess, but ovulation doesn’t last three weeks, which is the length of time NinjaChick’s weight loss has been going on. I don’t think you can lose 15 lbs with that, anyhow.
Increased hunger/thirst with weight loss can be a sign of either diabetes or cancer or hyperthyroidism - and yes, any of those three can have a very rapid onset of this symptom. There are probably other, less serious things that can cause this, too. Which is why NinjaChick MUST go to a doctor and not a message board for advice. All of the above require in-person examination and various tests to diganose.
Repeating everyone else’s good advice: See a doctor. If you can’t afford one (or don’t have insurance), there’s sure to be a free (or very low-cost) clinic somewhere nearby, check around.
OK - I weighed myself again this morning on a different (less-ancient) scale. It said 103, which reassured me a little bit. I have noticed that my clothes have been a wee bit looser as of late, but I generally wear baggy everything, so it’s hard to really tell.
I have been under a lot of stress lately (finals coming up and my relationship with myparents is currently a mess), I’m hoping that that’s it. But I was also talking to my boyfriend about this this morning, and he shared the opinion that I’ve got to get myself to a doctor, so I’m going to try and find a clinic somewhere (I have insurance, but my parents have all the info and I’m not really in a position to get them to take me to the doctor). And now you’ve all got me scared that I’ve got cancer or something horrible, which isn’t helping my phobia of all things doctor-related. But thanks for the info, everyone.
** C K Dexter ** : Nope, got all my limbs in tact, but thanks for asking. Made me smile after getting the sanity scared out of me from the other responses.
(apologies to non-Stephen King fans)