[skinnyminny]

I am 5"7 and 105 and that makes my BMI ( body mass index) 16.5. I was wondering if anyone is familar with these types of measurements? Are they takin into consideration everything? The number above suggests I am really underweight.. I think the normal is 18. My genetics are naturally prone to be thin, but does this suggests I am dangerously underweight. I eat at least 2,000 calories a day and am over all pretty healthy.. I just wanted someone elses opinion on the whole BMI thing.

[tarnalberry]

BMI is not accurate for the very athletic, and is only an approximation, but 105lbs at 5'7" IS definitely underweight. If you're concerned (and there could be good reason - being underweight brings its own health issues), you should talk to your doctor about finding what *your* idea weight is. While it is almost certainly higher than 105lbs, and is likely to be somewhere around 125-130lbs, averages you find on the internet or in a book just aren't going to take your family history and yourself as an individual into account. (Of course, doctors aren't always that helpful with this sort of thing...)

[skinnyminny]

Yea Ive never weighed more than 115 in my life but with this type of diet it is hard to keep the pounds on I guess a more accurate reading would be a bod pod or something, I know 105 is underweight but the last time I went to the doctor they werent too conserned but it worries me alittle, I worry I wont be able to get pregnat on down the road.

[queenofhearts]

skinnyminny, on Jun 28 2006, 04:46 PM, said:

Yea Ive never weighed more than 115 in my life but with this type of diet it is hard to keep the pounds on I guess a more accurate reading would be a bod pod or something, I know 105 is underweight but the last time I went to the doctor they werent too conserned but it worries me alittle, I worry I wont be able to get pregnat on down the road.

I think BMI is way inaccurate.

Just to reassure you, I am 5'8" & when I got preggers I weighed around 105. I had twins & gained nearly half again my weight during pregnancy! I looked like a potato with toothpicks stuck into it! But no serious complications. (I did have ferocious, nonstop nausea for the first few months, but got over it eventually & the babies were healthy & good-sized for twins. And this was when I was clueless & eating gluten, so you'll probably be healthier.)

So long as you have fairly good energy & your period is reasonably regular, you are probably okay. But if you are very fatigued or missing a lot of months, that is a sign that something's amiss, & gaining weight can definitely help.

By the way, my kids are 19 now & I weigh 127... & sometimes I miss my string bean days!

Leah

[CarlaB]

The BMI does not take into account muscle vs. fat. The only use it has is so you can see how your weight compares to the weight of someone a different height. As tarnalberry said, it's especially off for the athletic. If you have a guy who is a body builder and has the same BMI as a guy who is just plain overweight, I don't think it would be accurate to tell the bodybuilder he's obese!

You could stand to gain a little, but I know you've mentioned trying in other threads.

[BRUMI1968]

Another thing the BMI doees not take into account, though this matters more to those with high BMI, is WHERE you store your fat. That's why the waist to hip ratio is often considered better, or at least required to make good sense out of BMI.

Being underweight makes you more susceptible to osteoperosis, so adding weight-bearing exercise like liftiin weights will help. Other weight-bearing exercise like walking, yoga, etc. won't work as well if you are thin.

I'm 5'8-1/2 and weigh 130 - and according to the charts that's a bit underweight, but I don't feel underweight at all. I also carry it low - on the top I look super skinny, but on the hips and thighs I look pretty normal. I think one key for me is that no matter what I eat or don't eat at this point, I never wander more than three or four pounds over the course of a day - I'm damned near always 129-132 in the a.m. I think this means that it must be about my proper weight. Just my philosophy.

Good luck.

-Sherri

[skinnyminny]

Thanks for the help all of you, I know I have mentioned tryin to gain in previous threads, and I just want to make sure I am healthy is all that matters to me, I was just playin around on Web Md's site and realized that my BMI was relatively low. My mom tells me my metabolism with eventually slow down and I will gain I have been trying for at least 7 months but Ill keep on trying!

[BRUMI1968]

I wonder how old you are. I once had bronchitis for like six months and got down to 100 pounds (at 5'8-1/2). Man I could not gain that weight back. I drank protein drinks, ate like crazy, etc. I looked awful. But then something remarkable happened - I turned 22. Then I didn't seem to have any problems...thighs, butt, oh yeah, they were absorbing fat. The next thing you know I'm 140 pounds. What is the magic age, 24 years old or something?

[skinnyminny]

Yea I think time will take its toll on me, I am only 19 now.. so I am sure all this eating will catch up with me!

[CarlaB]

skinnyminny, on Jun 29 2006, 08:11 PM, said:

Yea I think time will take its toll on me, I am only 19 now.. so I am sure all this eating will catch up with me!

You age is probably part of the problem with not gaining weight. Don't worry, you might actually have to watch it someday!! I'm 43, 5'7 1/2" and looked horrible at 121. But when I was your age, I looked GREAT at that weight and even preferred to weight a little less than that. I would have been mortified if I got up to 131 back then, but now I consider it my ideal weight. If you're feeling healthy, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

[Felidae]

I am runway model tall and skinny, and have been this way my whole life. I am in my early thirties and according to the bmi, I am underweight. I eat constantly and I am fit. Nothing that I do enables me to gain weight. So, I don't how accurate they are. One good thing, since I work in the bush, the bears and cougars will go for my coworkers before me. LOL

[eKatherine]

To a great extent they have made arbitrary decisions where to draw the line. There are plenty of people who don't fit into the framework. Even among the perfectly healthy, there are lots of people who are just plain thin, and stay that way all their lives. For them it is as hard to gain weight and keep it on as it is for hefty people to lose it and keep it off.

A while back I read an article by a writer who was extremely skinny. She went though a special program where the participants were told to eat their meat first, then the vegetables, and only if they were still hungry did they get to eat the bread. It's not just calories you need to eat more of. Protein will tend to put on muscle, carbs and fat can only be used for energy or fat deposits.

[skinnyminny]

I do beilive some people are prone to be thin, I do not try at all and really it doesnt bother me until some one points out how tiny I am, but really I have a real thin frame. I eat protein for almost every meal and try to incorporate more gluten free carbs and lots of nuts. It just worries me sometimes when I realize I am "Underweight" but in reality I consider my self healthy.