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Seriously underweight

Sweet P

Sweet P

Bluelighter
Joined
Mar 25, 2009
Messages
5,243
I'm getting a bit worried about my weight. I recently calculated my BMI, and it's currently at 15.5 which I know is very low. I've always been naturally thin, but my drug use has definitely made it worse. I'm wondering, am I seriously putting my health at risk by weighing so little? Last time I visited my doctor, he measured my weight and said that it could be starting to affect me - physically and mentally. If it is, what kind of symptoms should I be looking for? For the record, I don't have an eating disorder - it's just that meth totally kills my appetite, and since I'm using it almost every day, I tend to eat very little. :\
 
That would be a good question to ask your doctor, I wish I could answer but I'm not sure. From what I heard stuff to look for is having longer body hair (for some reason anorectics get this), low energy. I'm sure someone will know more.

My BMI is about 18, which is just slightly under normal and I'm skinny as hell, almost skin and bones. I tried meth twice. One of the reasons I didn't get into it at all was cuz the dealer wouldn't sell to me cuz I was so skinny and I was bigger than I am now. U gotta figure out some way to either eat more or take less meth otherwise u will soon find out the problems that come from being seriously underweight.
 
yeah 15.5 is real low, you're probably really underweight. being that underweight is just as unhealthy as being overweight. if you start losing a lot of hair, like being able to pull out a big clump of it every time you shower, that's one sign that you're probably too underweight
 
I'm wondering, am I seriously putting my health at risk by weighing so little?
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yes

btw, doing meth will seriously put your health at risk as well.
 
Thanks all. I don't think I'm showing any signs of sickness from being underweight, although I am looking really skinny. I'll talk to my doc about it next time I see him. I guess I should also try to force myself to eat more, even if I don't feel very hungry.

Mehm said:
btw, doing meth will seriously put your health at risk as well.
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I'm aware of the dangers of meth. But since I'm dependant on it, it's not a problem that can be easily fixed.
 
Cornishman said:
May I ask why you take meth?
Does it make you feel 'normal' or calm?

I only ask because I have a good friend who had problems with speed addiciton. (It turned out she had ADHD)
She was using the speed to self medicate, just to feel calm and normal.
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Yeah, I've heard meth and speed can have calming effects on people with ADHD. I do meth because it gives me energy and helps me to be productive (without it, I struggle to even get out of bed). So I guess it makes me feel "normal" in a way, but it does give me a buzz too.
 
Sweet P said:
I'm aware of the dangers of meth. But since I'm dependant on it, it's not a problem that can be easily fixed.
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The answer, then, is to become NOT dependent on it, so you make it a problem that CAN be easily fixed. Easy for me to say, but is there any other option?
 
When I was using meth I could absolutely not eat. I couldn't even force it down, even a few bites of bread would take a few glasses of water to get down my throat. What I could do though was drink sustagen. Another good way to get energy into you is with smoothies - a good one is a banana blended with some milk, honey and icecream - and put some cooked oats in it too, I've heard this is a really good thing to put weight on. I found it hard to even drink smoothies on meth, but if you just have it sitting there, try and take a big gulp every hour or so - better than nothing!
 
Footscrazy gives good advice by suggesting smoothies --- try drinking Ensure, which has lots of stuff in it that your body needs...hospitals give it to patients who have a hard time eating usually, and I have several skinny friends in their early 20s who also drink it on occasion especially when they have to skip a meal. You'll probably be able to stomach it. I hear ovaltine is also a good choice but don't quote me on that one...I know the Ensure will definitely help.

While the best harm reduction advice is to quit using meth --- the fact that you're worrying and how skinny you are is a good sign, so you can try to work on your health and eating well and getting your nutrients from now, before it can get any worse.
 
Sweet P said:
I know what it means - I just don't know why he'd called me that.

Do you think he was trying to insult me or something? 8)
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Protip: Don't let your mental issues blind you to what people say or type on the internet. Also, don't use them as an excuse to rage at innocent people or people who don't know who you are after you ask them for help and then they try to help you.

Protip: You can ignore any of the above if you want to. Just because I type an imperative sentence doesn't mean you have to even read it, let alone follow it! :p ;)
 
Thanks footscrazy and purple_cloud for the advice.

An Iz said:
Protip: Don't let your mental issues blind you to what people say or type on the internet. Also, don't use them as an excuse to rage at innocent people or people who don't know who you are after you ask them for help and then they try to help you.

Protip: You can ignore any of the above if you want to. Just because I type an imperative sentence doesn't mean you have to even read it, let alone follow it! :p ;)
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Protip: Calling an open transsexual "boyo" is like calling a homosexual "faggot". Not the best thing to say on a harm reduction forum! My mental issues have nothing to do with this.
 
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^ I don't think he knew either your gender/sexual orientation. Just sounded like an off the cuff sentence to me.

I would also recomend smothies/protein shake. You could make a shake with vanilla protein powder, sugar and some good oil of some description (I would recomend Udos but Flax or even olive oil would do). If your only using olive oil then add in some natural peanut butter for EFA's. That will hit the 3 main food types (carbs, protein and fat). Add in a good multivitiman and you could pretty much live off them. I would seriously recomend AGAINST that though as there are various minerals, enzymes, nutrients that you can only get from eating a balanced healthy diet.

I also second the advice to get help for your meth addiction. You don't have to give it up forever but knocking it on the head and enjoying it several times a month rather than every day is much healthier for both mind and body. Good luck :)
 
Being significantly under weight causes very significant problems in the long term. Your body must be lacking in all the vital vitamins and minerals you need to stayhealthy.
When you do eat why type of things do you have?
I suppose the best long term solution would be to kick the meth habit, obviously that's not as easy as all that though...
 
Thanks, everyone. I do appreciate all the advice. The smoothies/protein shakes sound like a good idea. When I do eat (especially if I'm having a day or two without meth) I have a balanced diet. Usually three decent sized meals a day, with snacks in between. But I think I have a fast metabolism, because I've always struggled to gain weight, even before I started using drugs.

Unfortunately I've been entering one of my depressive phases over the last week, which tend to reduce my appetite even more. I'm hoping I'll recover from it soon, before I lose any more weight! :\
 
When u do eat I wouldn't worry about what u eat that much. I don't mean, eat junk food, but definitely don't limit fats for example. Just eat what u want. At this point I would say any calorie is good for u. Also fat has more calories per gram than carbs or proteins, I think double that of carbs so u can eat less and get more calories. Eggs are good in any form, they are high in fats and protein and vitamins/minerals which ur body is probably missing. U can supplement the eggs with some carbs in high calorie fruit or whatever else u want like ice cream, cookies. Eating anything is better than nothing.

When I tried to gain weight in the past I would supplement my diet with a shake from egg yolks, whole milk and heavy whipping cream. Might sound gross to some, but it's high in nutrients and calories, great for people who need extra calories. And yes, eggs are good for u, especially when ur BMI is 15.5
 
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Z Y G G Y said:
When u do eat I wouldn't worry about what u eat that much. I don't mean, eat junk food, but definitely don't limit fats for example. Just eat what u want. At this point I would say any calorie is good for u. Also fat has more calories per gram than carbs or proteins, I think double that of carbs so u can eat less and get more calories. Eggs are good in any form, they are high in fats and protein and vitamins/minerals which ur body is probably missing. U can supplement the eggs with some carbs in high calorie fruit or whatever else u want like ice cream, cookies. Eating anything is better than nothing.

When I tried to gain weight in the past I would supplement my diet with a shake from egg yolks, whole milk and heavy whipping cream. Might sound gross to some, but it's high in nutrients and calories, great for people who need extra calories. And yes, eggs are good for u, especially when ur BMI is 15.5
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Good point. I'm not too picky about what I eat... I don't count calories or focus on eating healthy. It's all balanced. When I'm hungry I can eat meat, veges, fruit, bread, pasta, and usually plenty of junk food between meals too hehe. I'll try making myself some smoothies during the day, like people have suggested. I think I'm also gonna set myself a goal to keep my meth intake at a minimum over the next month - just enough to keep the withdrawals away. Hopefully that should improve my appetite.
 
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