Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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My sister is 28 years old, 4'11" and 88 lbs. That's the lowest weight she's ever been and her doctors say she has lost weight. She's normally been around 95-99 lbs. She does not have an eating disorder, she's not on a diet, she doesn't even exercise regularly. However, what she eats is horrible: tons of junk food, microwavable dinners, she only eats conventional meat/SPAM/etc, lots of baked goods/sweets, etc. She has high cholesterol, she's on birth control but still gets her period regularly, she told me her TSH is fine, and that her doctors say that her MCV is low and she needs to eat more protein. But I don't know what could have caused this unintentional weight loss. I'm very concerned about her and I'll take into consideration anything you guys have to say.

flag	asked Jul 22 at 0:15 April S.♦ 11.9k●1●13●47

I do have to ask, a 4'11 female, is 88lb really too low of a weight? I would consider it low end of the scale and one wouldn't want to go lower... – wildwabbit Jul 22 at 1:10

IMO, that is a pretty low weight, even for that height. She was skinny enough to begin with so I don't know why her body would just lose the weight like that. – April S.♦ Jul 22 at 2:12

That is an extremely low weight for that height. Even her usual weight of 95-99 is a bit low. – Shari Bambino Jul 22 at 15:29

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April I can hear your love for your sister in your post. She's lucky to have you in her corner. I am sure if she keep pushing for answers she will find them. It sounds like her medical team has barely scratched the surface. That's a lot of weight to lose unintentionally or without explanation. If her doc(s) is dismissive she needs to get one who is not. I hope she gets some answers soon. For both of you. – Shari Bambino Jul 22 at 15:36

Thanks, @Shari. I hope we find out what, if anything, is wrong soon. – April S.♦ Jul 22 at 20:14

CD · Answer 1 · 2012-07-22 00:27:24Z UTC

April, My only suggestion is to ensure that she is working WITH her doctors. If they are not providing her with the type of care she deserves, then she needs to find a new ones. However, it would be extremely inappropriate to provide any type of advice for you and/or your sister in this situation. There are far to many unknowns. I am really sorry to hear about her situation, and I hope she gets this sorted out quickly!

TME · Answer 2 · 2012-07-22 01:19:04Z UTC

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Microcytic anemia and unintentional weight loss- she's young, but has she had a colonoscopy?

Disclaimer: without examining someone or knowing their complete medical history it would be impossible to figure out what's really going on. If you're unhappy with her physicians, getting a second opinion is always reasonable.

answered Jul 22 at 1:19

TME
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Obviously online its all a guess....and lets face it....she doesn't have and eating disorder as far as you know. Don't rule it out unless you accompany her 24/7 – JayJay Jul 22 at 1:23

TME, are you thinking occult bleeding? That's interesting, I was thinking Thalassemia Major (but I think I watched too much House). Given her diet it's probably a lack of B-12 and folate – CD Jul 22 at 1:30

My rec will do the trick then ;) – JayJay Jul 22 at 1:33

And if I'm following CD asks "occult bleeding" about the colon....well your gonna see that change in the stool. No need for he colonoscopy there. – JayJay Jul 22 at 1:35

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It's been a minute since I spent time on the hematology/oncology floors, but I think thal major would have been noticed by 28. I could be wrong though. I've been wrong before. It'll probably happen again. – TME Jul 22 at 2:27

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JayJay · Answer 3 · 2012-07-22 01:26:56Z UTC

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Feed the girl a liver, fruit and yogurt smoothie every day and see if that helps. Easier to add healthy things than take crap away....and if she is underweight anyway, why not? See if that helps. Otherwise I'll defer to the fact that we know way too little about the case nor do we have the access to physically examine your sister to make any more specific recommendation.

answered Jul 22 at 1:26

JayJay
18.6k●6●28

	She absolutely hates liver. I recommended taking B vitamins and to supplement with whey protein since she doesn't eat meat often. – April S.♦ Jul 22 at 2:01
	She wont taste the liver....you can hide 3 oz in there easily. Seriously...I can feed this to my finacky 3 year old, I'm sure your sister can handle it if she has ANY interest in her health. If not, there is nothing left to do nutritionally. She will need psychiatric care. – JayJay Jul 22 at 2:27
	Or further medical work up. – JayJay Jul 22 at 2:34
	I was attempting to give you an at home intervention that has little to no negative side effect and a possibility of resulting in improvement to her condition. However, everyone is liable for their own decisions as to what the will or will not do. – JayJay Jul 22 at 2:36
	I agree that adding some stuff to her diet instead of trying to get her to change completely is the way to go. And yes if she has no interest in helping herself there really isn't much to do. Hard to accept I know. – Shari Bambino Jul 22 at 15:31

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Potato Avenger · Answer 4 · 2012-07-22 00:28:12Z UTC

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Though many people often gain weight while under stress, some manage to lose it. Is your sister under a fair amount of mental stress?

answered Jul 22 at 0:28

Potato Avenger
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No, she's a registered nurse who works 3 days a week. She loves what she does. There's no family issues, boyfriend issues, etc. that I know of. – April S.♦ Jul 22 at 2:55

aseafish · Answer 5 · 2012-07-22 02:41:01Z UTC

In my teens, I weighed 86 pounds and was 5'1". I was skinny for sure but not ill.

If your sister is willing, and she very well may not be, I'd suggest real food that she really, really likes. You eat more when it tastes good, plain and simple. Without knowing her tastes, I can't suggest specifics. It's just that she has to love it or it doesn't work. Keep it natural, keep it real food, and don't skimp on fat or flavor.

Sara · Answer 6 · 2012-07-22 03:36:37Z UTC

I'd also add that she should get tested for infection. Unintentional weight loss is a symptom of some viral infections (I'm thinking HIV in particular, which may or may not be a job hazard depending on what kind of nurse she is) and of many parasitic infections. Probably not the case, but worth looking at, I think.

Please hack my sister

6 Answers