Bmi of less than 16 anorexic?

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Hi so I am 5'6 and weigh 96 lbs and I have been told that this is anorexia? But there are others who are truly anorexic at 85 lbs or lower, in order to gain they can eat 3000 calories. I tried eating only 1500 and I gained rapidly 4 lbs in a month, so does this mean that I should not even bother with 2500 per day?
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  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,618 Member
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    Straight up, you're hovering on the edge of a very unhealthy weight.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • mlyn0812
    mlyn0812 Posts: 31
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    The healthy range is 18.5-25 so at 16 you are considered really underweight. Does that make you anorexic? I don't know some people really are that thin naturally, but that is a very small percentage (they generally eat a lot of anything and have trouble putting on weight). If you're severely limiting your calories that's anorexia
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    Hi so I am 5'6 and weigh 96 lbs and I have been told that this is anorexia? But there are others who are truly anorexic at 85 lbs or lower, in order to gain they can eat 3000 calories. I tried eating only 1500 and I gained rapidly 4 lbs in a month, so does this mean that I should not even bother with 2500 per day?

    You tried eating 1500 calories... from what? Were you eating less than that?
    If the answer is yes.. then yeah, you could quite possibly have anorexia. Are you purposely restricting your calories?

    And yes, you are underweight.

    BTW, if you upped your calories TO 1500 calories and gained weight, that's your glycogen stores replenishing... it's not fat, and it's temporary. You should continue to increase your calories... probably about 100 calories a week until you hit your desired calorie goal...which should be at least maintenance as you don't need to lose weight, and should in fact gain.

    And lastly, speak with your physician to address any of your health/weight concerns.
  • manningania
    manningania Posts: 52 Member
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    Hi so I am 5'6 and weigh 96 lbs and I have been told that this is anorexia? But there are others who are truly anorexic at 85 lbs or lower, in order to gain they can eat 3000 calories. I tried eating only 1500 and I gained rapidly 4 lbs in a month, so does this mean that I should not even bother with 2500 per day?

    You tried eating 1500 calories... from what? Were you eating less than that?
    If the answer is yes.. then yeah, you could quite possibly have anorexia. Are you purposely restricting your calories?

    And yes, you are underweight.

    BTW, if you upped your calories TO 1500 calories and gained weight, that's your glycogen stores replenishing... it's not fat, and it's temporary. You should continue to increase your calories... probably about 100 calories a week until you hit your desired calorie goal...which should be at least maintenance as you don't need to lose weight, and should in fact gain.

    And lastly, speak with your physician to address any of your health/weight concerns.

    I upped it from 1200 and the maintamence is 1400 calories but I am not sure what is considered healthy. Do I reach 2500 calories per day? The weight gain was temporary? How does that work? Lol
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    Just cherry picking from your previous posts (ALL of which are to do with your eating disorder), this one stands out:
    Hello so I am anorexic. 5'6 and 96lbs. I saw a dietician yesterday she said to eat whatever and doesn't matter the amount. Does that mean go to mcdonalds and supersize it? Lol what do yu think I should do? Where should I start that won't terrify me?

    So yes. You're anorexic. You know you are, you've had multiple threads discussing it. Your husband is worried about you, you have a nutritionist telling you to eat. You need to stop trying to run from a diagnosis and stop seeking reassurance that you don't have a problem because you do. You know you do. Please keep seeking help. Lean on your supportive and worried husband. Concentrate on getting better rather than trying to deny that you have this problem. Acceptance of an issue is the first vital step to recovery.
  • mlyn0812
    mlyn0812 Posts: 31
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    Just cherry picking from your previous posts (ALL of which are to do with your eating disorder), this one stands out:
    Hello so I am anorexic. 5'6 and 96lbs. I saw a dietician yesterday she said to eat whatever and doesn't matter the amount. Does that mean go to mcdonalds and supersize it? Lol what do yu think I should do? Where should I start that won't terrify me?

    So yes. You're anorexic. You know you are, you've had multiple threads discussing it. Your husband is worried about you, you have a nutritionist telling you to eat. You need to stop trying to run from a diagnosis and stop seeking reassurance that you don't have a problem because you do. You know you do. Please keep seeking help. Lean on your supportive and worried husband. Concentrate on getting better rather than trying to deny that you have this problem. Acceptance of an issue is the first vital step to recovery.
    I have to agree with this. My initial reaction is 5'6 and 96 pounds is very very thin. To each their own but I'm two inches shorter than you and I know I would look like I was on the brink of starvation if I weighed as much as you do.
  • manningania
    manningania Posts: 52 Member
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    Just cherry picking from your previous posts (ALL of which are to do with your eating disorder), this one stands out:
    Hello so I am anorexic. 5'6 and 96lbs. I saw a dietician yesterday she said to eat whatever and doesn't matter the amount. Does that mean go to mcdonalds and supersize it? Lol what do yu think I should do? Where should I start that won't terrify me?

    So yes. You're anorexic. You know you are, you've had multiple threads discussing it. Your husband is worried about you, you have a nutritionist telling you to eat. You need to stop trying to run from a diagnosis and stop seeking reassurance that you don't have a problem because you do. You know you do. Please keep seeking help. Lean on your supportive and worried husband. Concentrate on getting better rather than trying to deny that you have this problem. Acceptance of an issue is the first vital step to recovery.

    But why do I gain off of so little calories compared to other recoveries?
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
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    Just cherry picking from your previous posts (ALL of which are to do with your eating disorder), this one stands out:
    Hello so I am anorexic. 5'6 and 96lbs. I saw a dietician yesterday she said to eat whatever and doesn't matter the amount. Does that mean go to mcdonalds and supersize it? Lol what do yu think I should do? Where should I start that won't terrify me?

    So yes. You're anorexic. You know you are, you've had multiple threads discussing it. Your husband is worried about you, you have a nutritionist telling you to eat. You need to stop trying to run from a diagnosis and stop seeking reassurance that you don't have a problem because you do. You know you do. Please keep seeking help. Lean on your supportive and worried husband. Concentrate on getting better rather than trying to deny that you have this problem. Acceptance of an issue is the first vital step to recovery.

    But why do I gain off of so little calories compared to other recoveries?

    Because you've damaged your metabolism from anorexia.

    After eating a higher caloric diet for a while, the weight gain will eventually plateau.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    Just cherry picking from your previous posts (ALL of which are to do with your eating disorder), this one stands out:
    Hello so I am anorexic. 5'6 and 96lbs. I saw a dietician yesterday she said to eat whatever and doesn't matter the amount. Does that mean go to mcdonalds and supersize it? Lol what do yu think I should do? Where should I start that won't terrify me?

    So yes. You're anorexic. You know you are, you've had multiple threads discussing it. Your husband is worried about you, you have a nutritionist telling you to eat. You need to stop trying to run from a diagnosis and stop seeking reassurance that you don't have a problem because you do. You know you do. Please keep seeking help. Lean on your supportive and worried husband. Concentrate on getting better rather than trying to deny that you have this problem. Acceptance of an issue is the first vital step to recovery.

    But why do I gain off of so little calories compared to other recoveries?

    Because you aren't gaining fat, your just experiencing the rapid gain of fluid and glycogen stores which people see after restricting for so long and having their stores depleted. You aren't giving yourself a chance to stabilise, you're seeing a gain and panicking. You need to be getting proper treatment from a proper ED therapist. You need to stop comparing yourself to other recoveries and decide that your recovery is more important that that number on the scale ESPECIALLY in the short term. Please get help. Real help.
  • derekj222
    derekj222 Posts: 370 Member
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    you gained on 1500 because your body saw it, latched onto it, in case you deprive it again. Once you eat more, you won't gain as fast...and will require more calories...to an extent
  • jesskilgannon
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    Just cherry picking from your previous posts (ALL of which are to do with your eating disorder), this one stands out:
    Hello so I am anorexic. 5'6 and 96lbs. I saw a dietician yesterday she said to eat whatever and doesn't matter the amount. Does that mean go to mcdonalds and supersize it? Lol what do yu think I should do? Where should I start that won't terrify me?

    So yes. You're anorexic. You know you are, you've had multiple threads discussing it. Your husband is worried about you, you have a nutritionist telling you to eat. You need to stop trying to run from a diagnosis and stop seeking reassurance that you don't have a problem because you do. You know you do. Please keep seeking help. Lean on your supportive and worried husband. Concentrate on getting better rather than trying to deny that you have this problem. Acceptance of an issue is the first vital step to recovery.

    But why do I gain off of so little calories compared to other recoveries?

    As stated before, your gains are due to glycogen stores replenishing in your muscles. This is not a gain of fat. If your body is gaining any mass at all, it is the result of your body panic-storing everything it possibly can, as a result of you starving it for so long. Most people see rapid gain when entering recovery from a restrictive eating disorder. The gains slow down, level off, and redistribute. The actual gain is irrelevant, as the entire goal of anorexia recovery is for you to become health-restored, whatever that means. This extreme obsession with very small weight gains (4 pounds in a month? really?) is very unhealthy and disordered, and you know fully well that the rest of it is disordered as hell.

    I have seen your multiple threads asking if you have an eating disorder. Why are you wasting your time asking these questions? We cannot give you reassurance that you don't. We cannot lie and tell you that you are healthy. Regardless of your state of body health (which I gather is suffering badly), your extreme fixation on weight and calorie restriction is a strong enough indicator alone that the state of your mental and emotional health is in a bad place.

    As someone who is also recovering from a restrictive eating disorder, I advise you to speak with your husband or another trusted support person. Your health can improve. Your fear can be conquered. But you will not achieve these things sitting around on a calorie counting website asking for people to lie to you and tell you you're fine. You already know the answer to that.
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
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    There is a mixture of terminology here.

    An adult at your BMI is UNDERWEIGHT. You should try to gain to a BMI in the range of let's say 20-22.

    Anorexia is a DISORDER. It has to do with a MINDSET of a poor body image... One that sees himself as "FAT" even though you are actually UNDERWEIGHT. You certainly are NOT fat and should actually gain.

    Now, for the prescription at hand. The nutritionist just wants you to eat. I do think, personally, that eating HEALTHY is the best route to go and introduce STRENGTH TRAINING. Minimal cardio would be desirable for you at this time unless you are really overcompensating. Focus on Proteins to aid in building LEAN muscle mass. Gaining a little FAT along the way is certainly not a bad thing in your case... Drink milk shakes, drink protein shakes, eat whole foods... No need to clog your arteries with a lot of transfats and fast foods to gain weight... Just eat and take advantage of the fact that you can create the body that you truly would desire to have.

    Best wishes to you.
  • manningania
    manningania Posts: 52 Member
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    Does anyone know when to stop consuming 2500-3000 calories? What happens once the weight is met? How many calories should be consumed?
  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
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    Does anyone know when to stop consuming 2500-3000 calories? What happens once the weight is met? How many calories should be consumed?

    Once you reach your goal weight (which should be A LOT more than you weigh now), you'll have to recalculate your TDEE to figure out how much you can eat then. However, right now you should just focus on getting back to a healthy weight ASAP.

    Are you seeing a physician for your eating disorder? It sounds like you're having a lot of anxiety! You should seek professional help.
  • delicious_cocktail
    delicious_cocktail Posts: 5,797 Member
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    A BMI of less than 16 is underweight.
    Trying to lose weight at a BMI of less than 16 is indicative of anorexia.
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
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    Anorexia is not a weight but a psychological issue that is just one of the many ways (others are medical) that can lead you to such an unhealthily low weight. Yes, you need to gain and badly.
  • DaniJeanine
    DaniJeanine Posts: 473 Member
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    Anorexia is not a state of being, or a given condition--it's not like being anemic. Anorexia is an emotional disorder characterized by an "obsessive desire to lose weight by refusing to eat."

    So what you definitely are is underweight. Pretty significantly. Only you know if it is due to an obsession for weight loss or fear of food. I would speak to a doctor, rather than a message board community about this. This is a serious health discussion that will require a serious professional's opinion. Good luck, and I hope everything works out well for you.
  • Eleonora91
    Eleonora91 Posts: 688 Member
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    Even though we don't know your activity level, even if you were completely sedentary you would probably need MORE than 1500 kcals/day to mantain your weight.
    If you calculate your TDEE accurately you will find it out.
    Considering this, I highly doubt you've been gaining weight because of that amount of calories. This happens all the time to people in here when they gain water weight while being on a deficit. Even if you were actually eating enough to gain 4 lbs in a month, honestly... isn't that the purpose? Do you want to stay at your weight forever? People who are in recovery do eat 3000 kcals if they want to (and they obviously gain weight) but everyone needs a different amount of time to gain enough weight and get to a healthy weight.
    So, no, you're not gaining weight too fast and I doubt you're even eating enough - which is critically important if you want to get better, soon.
    I haven't read all of your posts but do you have a doctor? You should be following a eating plan so that you know you're eating enough.
  • 6pixie6
    6pixie6 Posts: 7 Member
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    Anorexia is a disease, not a weight.
  • Sarasmaintaining
    Sarasmaintaining Posts: 1,027 Member
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    OP, you need to get counseling. No on here is going to be able to help you with your issues, you need professional help.