Underweight but healthy?

CoderGal

I don't think it's that big of a deal. I don't see why the people here often pick on people who are slightly underweight but say only encouraging things to the morbidly obese people who constantly binge. It drives me insane. You're a tiny person! If you have a small bone structure you are probably just fine! If your cheeks aren't all sunk in, if you aren't weak, etc. then I wouldn't worry about it. 1600-1800 calories is a lot of vegan food so I doubt you are trying to starve yourself! You are probably nice and full. If your doctor isn't worried about it, then I wouldn't be worried about it either.

Whew, beyond full really! I can get to about 1200 pretty easily and be full but I have to push myself to 1600...

I eat vegany sometimes and I would starve on 1200. It concerns me when people live on that number. I was on the 1200 calorie diet before and when I stopped I could still eat over 2000 of healthy foods and not be overly full. Except at first, I was bloated all the time because I wasn't use to food. The full factor is probably the fact you were use to low calories speaking, or you have one much larger then the other meals a day. With regular intensity exercise my body tends to want over 2200 calories a day (I go up to 3500 sometimes). Yes I've managed a whopping 3500 cals on days and don't gain the next. I'm hovering over you in height though so I'm sure you could survive on less if you're not killing yourself with exercise. Just make sure you're not coaxing yourself that it's ok because some people say it is. Unhealthy thoughts are not ok. Don't try to lose or gain. Just focus on healthy food and make sure you're getting enough of it. There's nothing wrong with being under weight when you're healthy, unless those unhealthy thoughts are there.

The thing with anorexics is everyones constantly trying to get them to eat. If you were in the middle of the healthy BMI range people would probably still worry if you started eating slightly less. But you shouldn't take that as a reason to try and stay incredibly thin. But that shouldn't stop you from a reasonable goal either. You're probably already bombarted with a bunch of people telling you to eat more no matter how much you binge yourself. And if those people are over weight that probably doesn't make much sense to you. Want to stay thin and healthy? Eat a sensible amount, and exercise. You'll also see several anorexic threads around here with peoples before and after pictures. You'll notice all of them look incredible when they pack on some muscle. It's not the weight number that's the problem. Lift heavy and you'll find that the larger in weight you are the better you'll look. I wish I could do the same but my back is shot :P

Anyway I don't understand you people, being hungry is the worse feeling in the world :P

Ocarina

I don't think it's that big of a deal. I don't see why the people here often pick on people who are slightly underweight but say only encouraging things to the morbidly obese people who constantly binge. It drives me insane. You're a tiny person! If you have a small bone structure you are probably just fine! If your cheeks aren't all sunk in, if you aren't weak, etc. then I wouldn't worry about it. 1600-1800 calories is a lot of vegan food so I doubt you are trying to starve yourself! You are probably nice and full. If your doctor isn't worried about it, then I wouldn't be worried about it either.

Whew, beyond full really! I can get to about 1200 pretty easily and be full but I have to push myself to 1600...

I can totally relate being vegan and having a hard time getting the calories up. I don't have a hard time persay getting to 1600 but I always feel very full and satisfied eating that much whereas with meat + cheese and processed foods I was always hungry under 2000. I think it's just all about how you feel, consult a doctor for more information, and go from there. We can only provide personal experience.

mlc323

I could not have said it better myself... being underweight isn't good (or healthy) but there are easy ways for you to boost your caloric intake while still maintaining your vegan lifestyle by adding healthy fats (avocado is god's gift, I PROMISE YOU!).

You've admitted to having destructive thoughts regarding weight/eating so make sure you are in CLOSE contact with a RD/MD regarding your diet. Shoot for 5-10 lbs of weight gain and you will be on the right track. Also, too boost your caloric intake in a vegan way, be sure to consume LOTS of fruits and legumes and nuts in moderation!

mistimn

There are ways to meet calorie intake I don't care who you are or whether your vegan or not. You could eat two tablespoons of pb in the morning and reach your goal eating regular after that. I think 1200 is extremely low. If your doing yoga on top of working out your exhausting your body...yoga isn't just for the mind... it's a workout as well. Don't even get me started on what you could be doing to your bones...diseases aren't just onset through over eating they come from under eating as well.

saxmaniac

I'm underweight too! I am 5' 9" 145lbs at peak and i have some muscle. Without the muscle i would be like 130 something lbs. However I eat 2200 calories a day and i lift very intensely. I even am underweight when i mess up and gain a couple of lbs from fat lol

At 5'9" you'd have be be 120lbs to be underweight by BMI.

LuckyLeprechaun

But see, the lowest weight for my height is 94 lbs, and I fluctuate between 89 and 90... so is the 4 lbs really going to make that much of a difference?

why are you thinking in terms of what the lowest possible "healthy" weight is for your height?

My advice would be to aim for 110 lbs, as a initial goal weight. Aim at a daily calorie intake of around 2000.

LuckyLeprechaun

Even on a vegan diet (why are you choosing vegan? Is it so you can still exercise restrictive control over your food?) you can add a variety of different kinds of oil to nearly everything you eat, which increases the calorie count without adding a lot of volume.

lovethemgorillaz

Even on a vegan diet (why are you choosing vegan? Is it so you can still exercise restrictive control over your food?) you can add a variety of different kinds of oil to nearly everything you eat, which increases the calorie count without adding a lot of volume.

I was a vegan before I developed an eating disorder but had stopped for a while and when it did develop. I chose my diet for the health benefits, for animal rights, for the economical and environmental positive impacts it has, and for religious reasons. It makes me feel very good health wise by eating a vegan diet too.

FlaxMilk

Ignore everything you are told on here and work with your medical team. Ignore goal weight suggestions and calorie suggestions from people outside of your team, especially strangers on the internet. Get second opinions professionally if you want them. Once an eating disorder enters your life, it's not as simple as 1 + 1 = 2. Work with your team on what's going to be livable for you--emotionally, physically, mentally. Best of luck to you.

elm2008

Not vegan, but vegetarian. I'm 5'1 and around 97ish lbs, meaning my BMI is just at underweight. I struggle to get to 1200 but I feel like I eat a TON, and a very wide variety of foods, all very healthy. I am not one to rely on breads/pastas/avocado (I feel like avocados are now the holy fruit, people are obsessed) so that's in part why I'm not necessarily high with calories. I get almost all my nutrients and take a supplement when I don't hit, get around 50-70g protein, I think i'm healthy. I would say the same for you, however with a recovering ED, I dont want to say anything as I am not a doctor. you should discuss this with them.

aproc

How are you so sure your 'hitting your calorie and nutritional needs' if your underweight? You need to discuss this with a doctor. If you are going off of bmi....overweight is one of the terms that should be taken lightly because some people with a good bit of muscle who are far from overweight are considered 'overweight' according to bmi since it's just based off height and weight. However, if it's saying your underweight then your underweight or very close. My suggestion is to find a nutritionist or some other professional. I can't give advice since I am not certified in that area yet but I would definitely want to be at least at the 'healthy' range on bmi. And aiming for the lowest possible number on the healthy range isn't good either. Sounds like something that will just lead you down the path to an eating disorder if you don't already have one. Thats exactly how I got sucked into it.

Robin_Bin

It is possible to be "underweight" by the standard charts and be healthy.
Those charts are based on averages. They can't take into account all the important factors such as frame size and muscle:fat ratio, any special vitamin needs, etc.
However, it is not good to take advice on medical issues from a bunch of strangers, most of whom don't have medical training or professional nutritional counseling experience on the Internet.
Given what you say about your previous eating issues, I'd guess that you are not healthy at your current weight. But I don't know. You ran down your body with an eating disorder and still haven't gotten up into the standard weight range, and you felt the need to ask, so I expect you haven't made up the nutritional needs yet. See your doctor, check on things that are especially important for someone in late teens and still developing. (Yes, even after you reach your full height, bones, brain and other parts of your body are not done yet.)
Good luck!

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

Read my blogs on here--might help a little.

Please dont be offended by my post-i only mean to help. My perspective is that your mind is still somewhat distorted for you to ask this question. Deep down inside you know it isn't healthy for you to maintain your current weight. You could EFFORTLESSLY add 500 calories by adding 2 tbsp oil, 1 oz nuts, and avocado to your day--but you havent. You are choosing to stop at this weight and want validation--I've been there and done that but in the end you are only harming yourself. The way i see it is that you currently have one foot in the door of recovery and one out. You have to commit to being HEALTHY and not just a certain weight or the very minimum acceptable weight. Your initial question alone gives me reason to believe that your mind is not completely out of that negative place so I encourage you to continue gaining.

nmolate21

BMI values are pretty skewed. I am 5'4" and weigh 95 lbs. I am fairly healthy: meaning I work out at an above average rate (considering how much the average American works out), am moderately healthy diet-wise, but still consume some "unhealthy" food and drink beer and wine. However, I try to balance these things with a balanced diet of healthy nutrient-dense foods and moderate levels of work-out, considering I'm on my feet a lot anyway (I am a waitress, and am on the go a lot). I have NEVER had an obsession with losing weight, and I have never dieted. All of my blood work came back VERY normal, and my doctor told me to "keep up the fitness and good work". I just want to gain a few pounds for my own personal fitness goals, and the desire to be physically stronger. This goes to show BMI measurements are not necessarily a good indicator of health, and if this girl eats well and exercises, she's probably in pretty great overall health. So to all of you people condemning this girl for being "underweight", it's highly likely that, if she is in fact in speedy recovery from her past eating disorder, she's probably in a much healthier state than you are. Many of you who are "overweight" (and I don't mean bodybuilder type of "overweight") could stand to take a few health related tips. Aaaaand, off my soapbox.

metacognition

Go by how you feel. Obviously extremes at either end of the spectrum will be unhealthy, but the human body has more genetic variations in a given population than what is encouraged under the BMI scale.

At 4'11" and 97 pounds I felt weak, craving, freezing all the time, and susceptible to colds / flu. I was not even underweight. But my body was sending me warning signs. I quickly boomeranged up a about 10 pounds in a month after the sudden onset of a two - week fever, a month of weakness in the limbs, and near constant food cravings.

Even though I did not look super skinny at a BMI of 19 - I certainly did not feel good.

But genetics vary. I once had a roommate in college who was 5'6" and less than 100 pounds. She was springy, energetic, never dieted, happy, and went mountain hiking as a hobby.

Is there any medical reason for you to gain weight aside from the slightly lower BMI number ? How do you feel ?