Anonymous: My mom says that I eat too much and that I need to lose weight. But I found out that I'm 10 pounds under weight. But since my metabolism is fast I eat a lot. But she says I eat too much. I try to tell her that I weigh too little but she won't listen she just keeps complaining. 
What do you think I should do?

Friend: Dear Anonymous,

The first thing I’ll tell you is to go see a doctor with your mom. Even though you continue to tell her you’re underweight, maybe she just needs to hear the facts straight from a professional physician. If you’re having symptoms of having little energy, respiratory (breathing) problems, weak immune system (you’re constantly sick with a cold or fever), or when you get a cut and it takes a lot longer than usual to heal, you should really talk to a doctor about your health.

Do you know for a fact that you have a fast metabolism or are you just assuming things? Some cases of weight loss can be genetics, metabolism, anorexia, or an infected parasite (don’t panic about the last one, that’s a very rare case).

I recommend going to a nutritionist as well to see if your diet is right. You mention how you eat a lot but it doesn’t always matter on how much you eat but rather what you eat. When I say this, I don’t mean that you should run to the nearest all-you-can-eat buffet or stuff yourself with a bunch of vegetables, I mean that you should check to see if you’re getting enough calories, vitamins, nutrition, etc.

One way to gain weight in a healthy manner could be exercise. Believe it or not, exercising can help a person lose weight and gain it. When you exercise it can help build up muscle and you know what they say – muscle weighs more than fat.

You say that she keeps complaining – try and find out what she’s complaining over. Is she complaining directly about your weight or is there a different reason behind it? Maybe she’s just stressing over something at the moment. Maybe she sees you from a different perspective, try and see it through her point of view. If anything, I’m sure she’s willing to meet you halfway.

Don’t be too hard on your mom; she’s only trying to be a parent that wants to see a perfect daughter/son. If anything, try and explain your view on this to your mom.  Show her how you’re eating, maybe sit down and have a meal together. If she doesn’t see that you are underweight, really open her eyes and mention how being underweight can cause major health issues and problems later in life. She may tell you you're just speaking nonsense but it will grab her attention.

One thing I wanna tell you is to not feel bad. You shouldn't think anything negative like, "Am I really fat?" or "Maybe I should cut down on my eating." Stop. When you're hungry it's perfectly normal to eat and since you have a fast metabolism, you can afford to eat more. Don’t be discouraged just because your mom won’t listen, it takes a few tries to get a point across and this one you just have to put in a little more effort.

I hope everything goes well with you, your health and your mom (:

~(Chingu) 친구