Slim (skinny) women with Osteoporosis, exercise dilemma for us.

Posted , 10 users are following.

Hi all,  I'm 64, diagnosed with severe OP (back) 3 years ago. Taking Forteo for 2 years, and then, from this Sept., Actonel for the following 3 years apx. My rheumatologist advised walking for exercise and a physio added back-strengthening exercises 3 times per week. I also have PMR which is treated with Prednisone and guess what,  was not one of those who gained weight while taking it!

My dilemma is this - with a 30 min. walk most days, plus the floor exercises   and a  big effort  at dietary improvement, I haven't a PICK of fat on my skinny bones. I weigh 9st. but don't really even look that heavy. 

Finally, I've read that it's better for your bones if you  carry a bit of weight. For me to go about this, I'd definately have to cut down on the exercise - which, in turn, wouldn't be good for the bones either. I constantly read on this forum, and others, about the impressive exercise regimes that lots of OP patients set for themselves. Not for me.

Anyone else with similiar dificulties or concerns??  Sorry for moaning. Thanks.

2 likes, 48 replies

48 Replies

Prev Next
  • Posted

    I am the same.  I am 66 and very skinny and need fat on my bones  Does anyone have any suggestions.  i am off sugar and wheat.  So scared if I fall I will be like humpty dumpty.  Moaning is allowed here. I am just 3 weeks into PMR and learning so much here.
    • Posted

      Well karen, the magic answer is probably "eat more, exercise less" " which can be seen in medical circles a as a complete  no-no . . .  I'll let you know what the rheumatologist says later . . . . .   J
    • Posted

      Karen, don't be in a hurry to try to put on weight as you have just started pred.  You may be one of those who does gain weight and will be happy that you started off with a low baseline.  But weight or not, avoiding refined carbs is considered one of the must dos for people wanting to eat healthily to combat inflammation.  
    • Posted

      I was told by the rheum to eat more chocolates to put on weight ...(cant remember the context)   
  • Posted

    I am jealous. I only wish I was 9 stone or 108 lbs. 

    Having said that I would think too much exercise would not be wise for someone so thin. I would suspect the minimum would do and then eats lots of cream and fattening things. I am drooling lol!

    I taught with a young lady years ago who had to even have food in her desk in the classroom because she ran out of steam very fast. She was very thin and no matter how much she ate never put on weight.

    The downside was she needed to eat every hour or she was in trouble.

    As much as I would love to have that predicament I can see the downside!

    • Posted

      Kathleen, I really do appreciate your problem and as you know my history, I still have a similar problem (sitting here munching Brazil nuts coated with 70% cocoa). I have now reduced to 167 lb (11 st 13 lbs) and still have around 2 stone (28 lbs) to lose before I can reach the the weight that I was when I got married in 1968. I'm not sure that this is possible but I mostly keep trying. Unfortunately it's not always easy to persuade the family that you are serious about losing weight and my daughter already thinks that I've lost too much, hence the chocolate coated nuts. But it is possible to very slowly lose weight just avoiding sugar filled drinks and foods.

      As for the ladies above, I, like you, somewhat envy their position although I can appreciate that if you desperately wish to increase weight and are failing dismally, the only real answer may be to slow down the metabolism a bit but that could involve making you feel like a slug and leaving you fuzzy. This is one area that I have not read up on or researched - it could be interesting.

      Brazil nuts all gone now!

    • Posted

      Hi Aristotle.   I think most of us are not the weight we were when we got married.  I weighed 8st 2lbs when I married (height 5ft 6ins) now I'm 9st 10lbs.  BMI normal range.  I think that just over 8 st would be quite unhealthy at my age (77).  I've recently read being a little overweight is better than being too skinny, nothing to fight illnesses with!

      You enjoy your Brazil nuts.  Do they actually come from Brazil?

    • Posted

      Did that BMI calculation out of my head (don't forget it's an old one).😀  I actually weigh 65.7! kilos.
    • Posted

      Hello Constance.de

      I dis actually manage to get down to 11st 5lbs just efore xmas 2014 but blew it all on things to which I am intolerant and ended up mid year at about 11st 13lbs. Then in November, the Alendronic Acid pills (which had lactose in them as a hidden ingredient) caused me to increase in weight to 12st 7lbs. Since I am now only 5ft 4ins (down from 5ft 6ins) this put my BMI well into the overweight category again. Since giving up the AA in early April, things are becoming more normal at 11st 13lbs again and if I can work on straightening my spine, I may get a bit of height back. The extra weight that I carry probably does my bones some good especially with the exercise regime which I now follow, being very careful and vey aware of the consequences of overdoing things. I'm very gradually increasing the pressure from the weights that I use but my muscles are still complaining so it seems to be two steps forward and then one step back for a while. It's going to be a lengthy process.

      I believe that Brazil nuts won't grow anywhere else other than Brazil (source BBC TV) so they should be Brazilian and were very crisp and tasty.

    • Posted

      I really must proof read before I post, my favourite keyboard is getting a little unresponsive!
    • Posted

      The mistakes I make are embarrassing - I was an  English teacher for goodness sake!  Mind you I studied archaeology.  I never imagined I would end up as an English teacher!!  Result of emigrating to Germany in 1971 when there was a serious shortage of teachers.
    • Posted

      I am jealous of your chocy covered Brazil nuts. Can't them here (Middle East)
    • Posted

      Hi Constance, You might be needed in the UK? There's a serious shortage of teachers here in the UK now!   One school tried an experiment by employing Romanian teachers which turned out to be a complete disaster.  Main areas are the core subjects - maths, English and science.
    • Posted

      Quote - The Brazil nut is the only internationally traded seed crop which has to be collected from the wild. The full Portuguese title for Brazil nuts is castanhas-do-Para, 'chestnuts from the vast ocean'. Brazil isn't the world's biggest producer of Brazil nuts – that's Bolivia, which produces about 50% of the world's supply. Unquote
    • Posted

      Many UK teachers are running away to the Middle East...better pay and lifestyles. my daughter taught in London and would never return to teach there again. She would go anywhere else in Asia or Middle East (currrently teaching in Middle East)
    • Posted

      I am on a lot of medications for a range of health issues and these tend to cause one to put on weight and make it extremely difficult to lose weight.

      I notice other people eat more than I do so it is more complicated than just food.

      I am limited with exercise as well.

      We might be able to choose to take the drugs for osteoporosis but that is not the case for diabetes or crohns.

      I did lose weight when I could not eat at all for several weeks with Crohns but that is pretty awful.

       

    • Posted

      Hi Kathleen, When it comes down to it, the whole human body is really still a mystery and we are still very primitive in our attempts to thwart what nature intended or possibly what is built into our genes. I still think that it is better to go with the natural way rather than try and modify what shouldn't be modified.

      You and I both do what we can and what is within our capability.

      Kindest Regards

      Colin.

    • Posted

      I think I might be considered a little old!!!  Also, no way have I ever wanted to teach children.  I tried it once for six months, 11 year olds, that was enough. I only taught adults - commercial English, also further ed in night school - ages 20 - 80!!

      The shortage in England is understandable.  Years ago there was a glut and students realised there was little chance of a good job when finishing college/university.  

    • Posted

      I was 150 lb when I was 15.  By the time I got to Uni I was 135 and still about that early married life. Childbearing and rearing, I gradually came down over the years, and for a long time between 121-125.  Went through several years thinking that sizing had changed as I had to start buying smaller and smaller trousers.  Finally weighed myself again and was at about 110.  This was shortly followed by a precipitous slide down below 105, plus by then I'd had undiagnosed PMR for over a year.  So, don't envy me my weight.  I don't think it's really healthy and none of my clothes (even the new small ones) fit properly.  Even the wrist loops on my Nordic walking poles are too big.  I used to imagine that I would be a thin old lady.  I didn't know what that would actually entail.  Now I try to remember to visualize myself with a strong, solid skeleton, strong and flexible like a young tree!
    • Posted

      Main reason now is the hours required plus you have to have a degree and a PGCE plus goverment interference and of course dear old Ofsted.
    • Posted

      You really must stop this daydreaming Anhaga. I believe it's one of the side effects of getting older!! smile
    • Posted

      Visualising myself as thin worked, didn't it?  Of course it took about twenty years to move from plumpness to ridiculously slight....smile
    • Posted

      Yes there is. Oral form, not the IV. And I now know why I reacted so badly when switched from IV to tablets - and told it was all in my head!

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.