Struggling to gain weight / Can't seem to put on any muscle

Thomas Wells5 said:My doctor kept pushing for a gastroscopy, but I flat-out refused because the thought of it scares the hell out of me. So, he sent me for blood work instead to check for that H. pylori bacteria. Turns out, I don't have it. After those tests, I actually started following some ground rules and felt better. I quit smoking, cut out coffee entirely, stuck to a regular diet—everything was fine. The only issue was if I overdid it with something really spicy, then the acid reflux would kick in. But then, predictably, I slipped up, started smoking and drinking coffee again, and the problems came crawling back. Now, I've cut out the caffeine again and I'm barely touching tobacco. I don't drink alcohol at all; I'm strictly sober. 🙂
I deal with a lot of stress, which I honestly think is the main culprit here.
I've also noticed my symptoms tend to flare up whenever I catch a cold during this winter season.
I have a question about nutrition: how should I eat to gain a little weight healthily without wrecking my stomach?

Just because you tested negative for H. pylori on a blood test doesn't mean squat, especially when it comes to why you're so thin.

vividsailor7 said:Just because you don't have H. pylori—and I see you even went so far as getting bloodwork done to confirm that—doesn't actually mean anything at all, especially when it comes to explaining why you're so thin.

So, if that's ruled out, what else could possibly be causing this weight issue?

Thomas Wells5 said:So what else could be causing this weight loss?

Look, you can't just sit there guessing. You need to get a gastroscopy, run tests for occult blood in your stool, and honestly, you should probably have your thyroid levels checked too.

vividsailor7 said:You really need to get a gastroscopy, a fecal occult blood test, and maybe check your thyroid hormones too.

Look, I understand the logic here, but this whole gastroscopy idea is absolutely terrifying to me. Honestly, I’d probably have a heart attack right there on the table from pure anxiety. I can barely handle even a little bit of indigestion, so I can't imagine what happens when they start shoving a tube down my throat. Lord, help me.😢,,
And regarding those thyroid hormone tests—is that a specific kind of blood work? Can my primary care physician just order that for me? Also, for the record, I've never actually seen any blood in my stool.

Thomas Wells5 said:😢Look, I get the logic here, but this whole endoscopy thing? It absolutely terrifies me. I’m pretty sure my heart would just give out right then and there from pure anxiety. Honestly, I can barely handle a little bit of acid reflux, so I can't even imagine what happens when they shove a tube down your throat. God help me.
And regarding those thyroid hormone tests—is that some kind of specialized blood work? Can my primary care doctor just send me for that? Also, for the record, I've never had any issues with blood in my stool.

I honestly don't understand why everyone acts like an endoscopy is such a nightmare.🤷
What's the worst that could happen? Absolutely nothing.
Besides, your GP can handle the referrals.
And that blood you're worried about? You wouldn't even be able to see it with the naked eye.
The standard protocol would involve checking your lipids, T3, T4, TSH, and CRP through blood work, plus a fecal occult blood test.
Once you have those results, you should take them to a gastroenterologist, and you'll go in for the endoscopy based on their specific recommendation.

vividsailor7 said:I honestly don't get why everyone acts like getting a gastroscopy is such a nightmare.🤷
It’s just a quick procedure, nothing more.
Besides, your primary care physician can handle the referral.
That blood you're worried about? You can't even see it with the naked eye.
The workup would typically involve checking your lipids, T3, T4, TSH, and CRP via a blood draw, along with a fecal occult blood test.
Once those results are in, you'd ideally visit a gastroenterologist, and you'd head in for the scope based on their recommendation.

Look, it’s partly because the mere thought of someone shoving something down my throat makes me nauseous—and yeah, I'll admit, I'm pretty squeamish. Plus, I’ve heard horror stories from others, especially regarding general hospitals... honestly, the staff at our local hospital in Indianapolis are total butchers, so I’m terrified. Get outta here! Anyway, since I just turned 18, I have to go sort out my supplemental insurance this Monday. I might try sticking to some herbal remedies first to see if they help, but if they don't, I guess I'll have to face the doctor. I'm already dreading it, though; I don't even know what to say to him when he starts lecturing me again, acting like he knows everything.😁

Thomas Wells5 said:Look, I just had this gut feeling that they’re going to shove something down my throat, and honestly, it makes me nauseous just thinking about it. And yeah, I know, I can be pretty difficult to deal with! Plus, I’ve heard some horror stories from other people—especially regarding those run-of-the-mill local hospitals. Down here at our hospital in Indianapolis, the staff can be total butchers, so I’m terrified. I’d rather just stay away! Anyway, since I just turned 18, I have to get my supplemental insurance sorted out by Monday. I might try using some herbal stuff first to see if it helps; if that fails, I guess I’ll have to face the doctor. But I don't even know what I'm supposed to say to him. They always just lecture you, "you know this, you know that," and it's exhausting. 😁

The psychological aspect plays such a massive role when it comes to a gastroscopy.
If you're dealing with nausea and pain, you could try taking Pepto-Bismol (which has a herbal base) to see if it helps.

vividsailor7 said:It’s more about the psychological aspect during a gastroscopy.
If you're dealing with nausea or pain, you might want to try taking some Pepto-Bismol.

Honestly, I’ve never really had stomach issues before... just the occasional bouts of nausea depending on what I eat. If it's heavy stuff, I feel it; if it's light, I'm fine. Right now, though, I'm paying the price because I just demolished a massive deli platter—sausage, cured ham, cheese, the works. I know I shouldn't have, but I couldn't help myself.😁 I suppose I'll give that Pepto-Bismol a shot, but I think I'll try my grandmother's old herbal remedy first.😁

Thomas Wells5 said:I’ve honestly never had actual stomach pain before, just those occasional bouts of nausea depending on what I eat. If the food is heavy, it hits me; if it's light, I'm fine. But right now? I'm miserable because I just demolished a massive deli platter—sausage, cured ham, cheese, the works. I knew better, but I couldn't help myself; I just devoured it 😁. I might give that Pepto-Bismol a shot , but first, I'm going to try mixing up my grandma's old herbal remedy . 😁

That's basically what Pepto-Bismol does.

So, this guy claimed that after just one month of using that tonic, his stomach issues completely vanished—and apparently, they haven't come back even three years later. Now, I’m sitting here wondering if that's actually realistic when you're taking the supplement you all keep recommending 🙂

I’ve been under a massive amount of stress these last few months, and a handful of people have already mentioned that I look thinner. Honestly, it caught me off guard because my appetite hasn't changed at all.🤷 Maybe I'm even eating more than usual?
Is it actually possible for stress to drain you enough to cause weight loss?! I'm starting to worry there might be something else going on.

Yeah, stress is an absolute killer. Honestly, if you’ve been losing weight because of it, you need to deal with that ASAP—get ahead of it before it turns into gastritis, thyroid issues, or just a whole mess of other crap. I get it, getting rid of stress isn't some easy fix, but you’re better off tackling it now while you're still healthy rather than waiting until things go south and you're forced to deal with the fallout later.

Good luck 🙂

Thomas Wells5 said:The guy mentioned that after just one month on that supplement, his stomach issues completely vanished—and they stayed gone even three years later. Honestly, I’m a bit skeptical if those kinds of lasting results are actually possible with the specific products you guys are suggesting here.🙂

It sounds like you're dealing with the exact same struggles I am. You really have to come to terms with one reality: you have to take matters into your own hands. You need to overhaul your diet as much as humanly possible and figure out what actually works for your unique system. That was my journey; now, I finally have a clear idea of what I can tolerate and what I shouldn't even look at, let alone eat. I’ve cut out roughly 40% of everything in my pantry, and frankly, it’s made life much easier. For me, pork and anything heavy or roasted is strictly off-limits—maybe some chicken once in a while if I'm feeling lucky.

Now, Pepto-Bismol drops are quite effective, but they come in such tiny bottles and feel pretty overpriced for what you get.
If you're looking for something to supplement your meals, check out Glucerna. I’ve started drinking it myself; it's still too early to see any real changes, but based on the feedback from people on various forums, it's great for gaining weight back. Plus, it tastes decent and is packed with calories.

Hey everyone! Sorry if this topic already exists—please don't delete it, just let the mods move it if needed. So, lately, everyone keeps hitting me up with "Man, you lost weight!" and honestly? When I look in the mirror, I'm seeing the same thing. I remember being exactly 152 lbs at 5'11", but now I've dropped down to about 132 lbs. What could be causing this? Should I actually go see a doctor? I’m eating normally and everything, but this sudden drop is pretty weird, right?

Hey there... I was just sitting here thinking about things, and I felt like I should probably say something... maybe? It’s hard to know if anyone is actually listening, I guess. Everything feels a bit scattered lately. My head is kind of all over the place, honestly. Just one thought leading to another, like a messy trail of breadcrumbs through a park or something. Anyway, I just wanted to reach out. I hope everyone is doing okay... mostly okay. That's the goal, right? Just staying afloat. kaže:
So, I guess things have been getting kind of rough lately... like, my stomach issues have basically become my new daily routine. It’s just constant. I think it's because I've been getting so worked up over everything lately—just constantly on edge and getting frustrated. It feels like my nerves and my gut are totally synced up in the worst way possible. Maybe that's just how it goes when you're stressed out this much? I don't know. It's just hard when it happens every single day.🤷
Thanks so much for the advice! I really appreciate it. 🙂

I mean, honestly... that whole thing where you’re constantly getting worked up? I really think that’s more of a symptom than the actual cause. Like, it's just a sign that something else is going on under the surface. I guess what I'm trying to say is... maybe you should keep looking for an actual diagnosis. Just a thought.

Thomas Rodriguez14 said:Hey everyone! Sorry if there's already a thread like this, please don't delete it, just move it if a mod needs to... Anyway, lately everyone keeps telling me I look like I've lost weight, and honestly, when I catch myself in the mirror, I see it too. I remember being exactly 147 lbs, I'm 5'11", and now I've dropped down to about 132 lbs. I'm wondering what could be causing this and if I should probably head to the doctor. I'm eating normally and everything seems fine, but this weight loss feels weirdly sudden...

For someone that height, a healthy BMI range would be roughly 132 to 176 lbs for an adult, so that weight you mentioned is right at the bottom edge, basically bordering on underweight.

To give you a better answer here, we really need more info... like how old you are, if you have any underlying health issues or symptoms (especially anything digestive), how much you're working out or what kind of activity you get, and if you smoke at all.

...

Donna Johnson16 said:Based on that height, a healthy BMI range would be roughly 130–175 lbs for an adult—so that weight you mentioned is basically hitting the floor, right on the edge of being underweight.

To actually give you a decent answer, we'd need to know how old you are, if you've got any underlying health issues (especially digestion stuff), how much you work out, and if you smoke.

...

First off, thanks for the reply. I'm 20, totally healthy, my stomach is fine, I don't really do much exercise, and I don't smoke.

Thomas Rodriguez14 said:First off, thanks for getting back to me. So, I'm 20, totally healthy, digestion is fine, I don't really hit the gym much, and I don't smoke either.

In that case, there’s really no reason to freak out just yet; you gotta wonder if there's some other stressor hitting you lately, which you probably already know deep down. College finals, work drama, relationship stuff, money issues—all that can seriously drain a person.

But look, if this weird, unintentional weight loss keeps happening, you definitely need to go get a full checkup from your doctor.

And yeah, I know I'm gonna sound like a nagging parent here—but a healthy young guy needs to stay active (honestly, I hope you meant like, organized activities when you said you don't do it too often) because that stuff has a massive impact on how your body and mind actually function.

...

I’ve always figured my metabolism was pretty standard. I stay at a "normal" weight (BMI of 21), and honestly, I feel like I only gain weight if I overeat.
For the longest time, my daily intake hovered somewhere between 2,000 and 3,500 calories, and that was my sweet spot for maintaining my weight.

But lately—over the last three or four months—I’ve actually started losing weight! I’m eating the exact same amount, roughly 2,500 to 3,000 calories, without changing a single thing about my routine... yet here I am, six pounds down in just three months. I have some pretty late-night habits too, like grabbing a burger at 1 AM right before hitting the hay... and somehow, I wake up the next morning weighing half a pound less. How does that even work? I’m not exercising, I haven't been under any crazy stress... nothing!
What could be causing this?
Look, it’s not like I’m complaining—I’m actually pretty thrilled about it 😍 But at the same time, it’s a little unsettling... is there something wrong with my health?

Thanks in advance for any insight you can share 🙂

Go through things systematically and settle the dilemma once and for all😉