Am I close to becoming underweight?

[Anonymous]

I am 5'3" and 101 pounds in the morning, but 104 by night (if you know what I mean). Am I close to becoming underweight?

[Taeyeon0424]

I'm 5"2' and I range from 102 to 104.
You might be a little underweight.
But as long as you are keeping your body nice and healthy (eating balanced meals, exercising, etc.) then you're alright ^^

I'm from Japan, and in Japan there was this girl that was almost 80-90 pounds or something and she was about my height. But she was completely healthy. She just can't gain too much weight :/
Everybody's body is different and has a different way of growing.
As long as you don't feel unhealthy, you don't have to worry.

It might be nice to ask your doctor too :)

[prettyinpink8]

I am 5'11'' and 131 lbs and I think you may be just slightly underweight, but it's hard to tell just based on this because it all depends on what body shape you have/how the weight is distributed etc. Try an online BMI test to find out. Hope I helped :)

[Asker]

okay, thanks! :D

[jacquesvol]

You certainly are skinny.
Try this BMI calculator: www.mayoclinic.org/bmi-calculator/itt-20084938

[Lyndsielee666]

You're already underweight. Normal weight for someone whos 5'3 is 110.
I only know this because I'm that tall and I weigh 93 and my doctors on my ass about it. Heh

[gonebeforethesunsets]

Thats with me too!!! Someone understands

[slightlycurious]

Pretty sure I haven't been 101 since middle school. I think you can afford to have some steak and a good dessert tonight.

[cheeseysouffle]

I think you are very close if not under already. If you don't mind me asking. Why so low?

[Asker]

Oh, well I was at 106 last year, but I decided to lose weight, but I kind of got really lazy so I didn't really lose much. And, I guess it's a natural weight because I don't do ANY sports or exercise at all which is probably bad so I'm a skinny-fat, aha, so I want to become healthier and exercise/eat well and when doing that, I want to make sure there is a certain point where I don't become totally underweight. What do you think that is?

[cheeseysouffle]

Well I ran your BMI at someone at the age of 17 and you are at that point. The "skinny-fat" think your talking about is that your muscles aren't really developed. If you drop to low, your body is going to begin to start to cannibalize on it self and certain functions will start to break down due to lack of nutrients.

If you are concerned about getting healthy, losing weight really shouldn't be the goal right now. I can do some stuff on diet, but you're going to have to go look for someone else about exercise.

Would you like me to create a basic profile so you can get healthy without losing any more weight? We can do it in here or you can message me and we can do it in private if you would feel more comfortable.

[cheeseysouffle]

btw, you're better off going to a certified dietitian, but that costs money and I'm sort of free. I'm getting my information from textbooks on dietetics so it's not just something I found on the web that sounds right.

[Asker]

Oh okay. Can you create that profile on me getting healthier without losing weight here, if that's okay. A reason why I don't exercise much is because I'm lazy and when I try to exercise a little even, I tend to lose weight anyway.

[cheeseysouffle]

Yes, that's what I was going to do. I was going to calculate the approximate amount of calories you need to stay at the same weight and explain how to gain weight. Also, I was going to explain how a healthy diet is set up so you can start out doing it on your own.

Though I get the exercise thing. You should exercise... but then again so should I. My computer loves me to much.

I'm just going to need your age and if you weren't comfortable with sharing that, I wanted to give you the option of privacy.

[Asker]

Sorry for the long reply, but I'm 16, almost 17.

[cheeseysouffle]

would you describe yourself as:

sedentary (little or no exercise)
lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week)
moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week)
very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week)
extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training)

[Asker]

Sedentary, definitely. The only exercise I get is walking to and from classes besides the neccessary walking.

[cheeseysouffle]

You and me both.

Okay so remember these are just equations that are based in theory, but I find they work pretty accurately. Your BMR is 1319.25. This is sort of like your metabolism. If you lied in bed and did absolutely nothing all day, this is the amount of calories you need to stay alive and maintain proper body function. This is important for you because it sounds like your body has very little stored energy. Once you gain weight, this number will begin to go up.

However since no one does absolutely nothing all day the amount you need to maintain your body weight is somewhere around 1583.1 calories. If you go under this number, you will lose weight. If you increase your exercise, you will lose weight.

To gain at least one pound a week, which I think is a pretty safe goal, you need around 2083.1 calories. 3500 calories equal 1 lb, 7 days in a week * 500 calories will get you to 3500 calories.>>

[cheeseysouffle]

As far as diet goes, you need to focus on trying to balance it to 40% carbs, 30% fat, and 30% protein. Do the best you can since you are living at home with your parents or guardians.

Carbs will give your body energy that it needs to function. Fat will fill you up faster, but it is necessary for your body to absorb all vitamins except for C and the Bs. Those vitamins are water soluble. Protein is necessary for your body to build and perform functions.

Good carbs can be found in vegetable, fruits, and "complex grains" like rice and quinoa, which is super tasty. Fats that you should focus on are olive oils, vegetable oil, and fish oil. Since olive oil can be a bit pricey, use it as a seasoning instead of using it to cook with, like in salad dressing. Proteins, while good, can easily hide fats. the 40-30-30 number is just a guideline with a lot of wiggle room. It's just a good goal.

[Asker]

Oh I see. I looked at this website and it said "It is best to gain weight slowly and steadily. This will help to ensure that your weight gain is in the form of lean body mass and not excessive fat. Don't try to gain more than 1/2 pound a week." whereas you say that I should gain 1 pound a week? What point is it where I should stop?

[cheeseysouffle]

Okay, I agree with what the website said, because it sounds like a safe approach as well. I think a good place to stop is when you reach your ideal body fat percentage for your age group instead of going by BMI. Since I don't really know your personal eating habits and it sounds like your parents control dinner, I think you should evaluate how balanced the food it is you eat. Instead of controlling all meals, just focus on one and then gradually start looking at how you can change your second meal.

Also, I know a lot about food and nutrition, which is a lot about weight loss. While it is important for weight gain, you need to be equally as focused on exercises. I don't have any training in physical fitness, but I can give you a good place to start.

[cheeseysouffle]

Sorry, wrong person. Let me catch up real quick

[cheeseysouffle]

Okay, wrong person but the advise is the same. I'm sorry, I'm a bit tired today.

[Asker]

Ohkay. By the way I calculated my body fat percentage using three different site, but I got completely different responses. Using this one [bmi-calculator. net/body-fat-calculator] I got 23. something I forgot%. Using this one [healthcentral. com/cholesterol/home-body-fat-test-2774-143. html] I got 18.1%, and using this one [lowcarbdiets. about. com/library/blbodyfatcalculator. htm] I got 11.3%. I'm pretty sure I'm not fit enough to get 11% so what in the world is happening?

[cheeseysouffle]

This is why doctor's tell patients to use the BMI scale. While it's inaccurate, body fat percentage is very easy to mess up if you don't measure yourself exactly right. Unfortunately it's just a ball park estimate if you do it yourself.

I just tried out the one on WebMD. I know everyone makes fun of the site, but it is recognized as an accurate source. This matched my results when I got it done at a university for a grade so try this one out: https://www.webmd.com/diet/body-calculator

It will also give you a ballpark for your ideal weight and will talk you through what each thing means.

You don't have to be fit to have 11% body fat. If you have any where from 10-13% you have the bear minimum amount of fat for your body to function properly. It doesn't have anything to do with muscles or anything like that.

[Asker]

I tried to try it, but you have to be at least 18 :/

[cheeseysouffle]

That's because if you're under 18 you require certain level of vitamins and minerals that are completely different from people above the age of 18.

Did you know that after around you 30's, the body doesn't absorb calcium the same as when you are younger? Osteoporosis starts in your 20's but signs don't show until you become older in age. It's a silent disease. There are countless of other diseases like this.

I'm not trying to scare you, but at your age and /especially/ your weight, your focus needs to be more on nutrients and health, no on weight.

[sherryhorror]

i am 5'0" and I'm usually around 95-96 pounds. I've been told its normal.

[Princessofpersia]

Yeah that's not healthy try building some muscle or eating more :)