Can you be underweight at 5'9 154lbs?

I was told recently that bmi is not always reliable to determine if someone is underweight. I feel like I lost too much wieght, my rib cages are very visible and I feel weak. Do you think the whole bmi thing is bs?

Replies

LivingtheLeanDream

You might just store your weight in different areas - 154 doesn't sound too light for being 5ft 9 but everyone carries weight differently, some have larger frames, some smaller so the same weight on a person of the same height can look very different.
If you are feeling like you are too light then its time to gain a little.
BMI is just a guide line. If you feel weak you probably aren't eating enough.

ReenieHJ

What are your calories? What kinds of foods are you eating? Are you drinking enough water, eating enough protein, sleeping well? Have you been over-limiting certain foods(carbs, meats, etc) or calories? How long have you felt weak? There's lots to consider besides your weight.
I'm 5'9" and weigh 136. There's a spectrum of numbers you can be in to be considered normal BMI. It's the 'feeling weak' comment that worries me.

Mellouk89

Ok I was relying too much on the bmi scale, someone I know said 5'10 155lbs is underweight under any circumstances and it triggered my anxiety.

sijomial

Don't think you are quite understanding what the BMI range means - it doesn't mean everyone your height should be mid range or any other part of the range. It's not saying that the bottom / middle / top of the range are better for everyone.

It's simply suggesting that MOST people your height (our height in fact) will find their healthy weight / best weight SOMEWHERE in the very wide range.

Personally I prefer to be near the top of the range and 154lbs would make me feel too small / skinny / weak.
If I was prepared to diet down to 154lbs I'd either by very low body fat or have to sacrifice some muscle. Stocky build / not longed legged / via large ribcage all contribute to pushing my "best weight" towards the higher part of the range.

It would make me a better cyclist if I cut down to 154lbs and I'd no doubt still be healthy but personally it's not the physique I prefer. Lowest adult weight was 157lbs when I wanted to be light for motorcycle racing but I didn't like being that small.

No BMI isn't BS. It's just mis-used, mis-understood and people don't get that the relatively small number of genuine outliers (as opposed to the many wannabe outliers) don't negate it's a useful indicator, but not the only one.

Mellouk89

ReenieHJ wrote: »

What are your calories? What kinds of foods are you eating? Are you drinking enough water, eating enough protein, sleeping well? Have you been over-limiting certain foods(carbs, meats, etc) or calories? How long have you felt weak? There's lots to consider besides your weight.
I'm 5'9" and weigh 136. There's a spectrum of numbers you can be in to be considered normal BMI. It's the 'feeling weak' comment that worries me.

I don't know for sure how much calories i'm eating because I eat out a lot. I eat just about anything, I feel weak as in I don't have as much energy, i get more irritable.

PAV8888

You're smack dab in the mid point of what a lot of calculators would call an ideal weight for your height. I mean is it really ideal for you? Who knows. But unless you are exceptionally muscular chances are low that you would be under-fat. Definitionally I am not so sure you would be defined as under-weight even if you were, in fact, under-fat.

Mellouk89

sijomial wrote: »

Don't think you are quite understanding what the BMI range means - it doesn't mean everyone your height should be mid range or any other part of the range. It's not saying that the bottom / middle / top of the range are better for everyone.

Ok but if say I had a larger frame, bigger bones, could I be clinically underweight at 5'9 154lbs or is it not possible under any circumstances?

ReenieHJ

Mellouk89 wrote: »

sijomial wrote: »

Don't think you are quite understanding what the BMI range means - it doesn't mean everyone your height should be mid range or any other part of the range. It's not saying that the bottom / middle / top of the range are better for everyone.

Ok but if say I had a larger frame, bigger bones, could I be clinically underweight at 5'9 154lbs or is it not possible under any circumstances?

We don't know you so it's hard to say. See a dr. if you're truly concerned about your weight or your weakness. As far as if you're underweight or not, I doubt it. I think it could be possible you're undernourished in some way(the weakness factor) but that's a different thing altogether. But I'm not a doctor.

You haven't given us any details such as how much you've lost or how fast, or what you eat or pretty much anything else. Who told you you were underweight? Just basing an opinion on 1 question, I'd have to say no, you're not underweight.

Mellouk89

ReenieHJ wrote: »

Mellouk89 wrote: »

sijomial wrote: »

Don't think you are quite understanding what the BMI range means - it doesn't mean everyone your height should be mid range or any other part of the range. It's not saying that the bottom / middle / top of the range are better for everyone.

Ok but if say I had a larger frame, bigger bones, could I be clinically underweight at 5'9 154lbs or is it not possible under any circumstances?

We don't know you so it's hard to say. See a dr. if you're truly concerned about your weight or your weakness. As far as if you're underweight or not, I doubt it. I think it could be possible you're undernourished in some way(the weakness factor) but that's a different thing altogether. But I'm not a doctor.

Yes i'm trying to eat more, but I noticed that I stopped feeling hunger for some reason the more I dieted down. I don't think I ever feel hungry.

PAV8888

Your lack of hunger and week-ness do not sound particularly good and would be somewhat concerning to me, regardless of your current degree of lean-ness (though even more so if you are very lean).

What does "trying" to eat more mean? Most people should be able to eat to maintenance (i.e. a level at which they are not feeling particularly week due to lack of food and at which they don't lose weight) without any problems!

Mellouk89

I thought I was eating at maintenance but I keep losing weight. I usually eat 3 meals a day approximately 700 calories each. I will add a couple of hundred of calories to my meals because apparently that's not enough. I just don't feel good at that weight.

sijomial

Mellouk89 wrote: »

sijomial wrote: »

Don't think you are quite understanding what the BMI range means - it doesn't mean everyone your height should be mid range or any other part of the range. It's not saying that the bottom / middle / top of the range are better for everyone.

Ok but if say I had a larger frame, bigger bones, could I be clinically underweight at 5'9 154lbs or is it not possible under any circumstances?

You would have to be extremely lean - essential body weight levels.
Highly unlikely that you would be that lean and not know about it.

Feeling underweight and clinically underweight are very different things.

unknown

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Sunshine_And_Sand

OP. I second going to see your doctor. See if the doctor wants to blood work. There may be something going medically that’s causing you to feel that way, and it may be treatable. You won’t know unless you get it checked out.

NicbPNW

Maybe you aren't eating the right things if you never feel good OR there's an underlying medical reason for it.

jseams1234

I'm starting to feel that whenever a BMI "outlier" appears they should by default be required to post a picture of their physique...

kimny72

Mellouk89 wrote: »

I was told recently that bmi is not always reliable to determine if someone is underweight. I feel like I lost too much wieght, my rib cages are very visible and I feel weak. Do you think the whole bmi thing is bs?

The BMI chart is just a general range where most people will find a healthy weight. It doesn't mean every weight within that range is healthy for every person. As others have said, it's doubtful you are unhealthily thin at that height and weight, but if you feel unwell, it can't hurt to get a check up and mention your concerns to a doctor. They would be able to gauge your health far better than any of us can here.