BMI of 15, but eat very well?

[LostinThought]

EDIT: I miscalculated: my BMI is in fact 16.5

Hi everybody, I'm looking for some advice on my situation.

I am 20 years old, male. I am 6.0 feet, and I weight 8 stone 10. This makes me BMI at 16.5, a couple points under the recommended 18.

I don't understand why I am so skinny, as I eat a very good diet. A typical day for me at university will consist of:

Breakfast: A whole grain bagel with turkey slices, butter, black pepper and salad. A large banana and a packet of Belvita breakfast biscuits.

Lunch: A brown bread sandwich stuffed with chicken, turkey or ham, again with salad and condiments. Perhaps another banana and a packet of Go-Ahead biscuits and/or a Nutri-Grain breakfast bar. (If I am not at uni I might not have a sandwich and just settle for some toast and yoghurt, and snack my way through lunch)

Dinner: Home cooked meal, usually some form of meat with carbs and starch and vegetables. Shepard's Pie, lasagne, curry and rice, roast dinners, chicken stir frys, baked potatoes...that kind of thing.

I drink milk every day, take Wellman multi-vitamin after every dinner. I drink plenty of water (clear urine), decaf black tea and non-decaf green tea and I don't drink soda ever.

Between meals I often snack of various things, perhaps a packet of wholegrain crackers or some natural yoghurt. I don't eat sweets, but might eat chocolate and biscuits and occasionally eat baked things as a treat (donuts, cream cake etc).

Clearly I eat well enough and this isn't a problem. I've never had an eating disorder, but perhaps didn't eat quite enough during my teenage years as I used to be thinner. The rest of my brothers are also thin, and my older brother is even skinner than I am.

I would like to know if my diet and weight are affecting my health, and what I can do to put on weight? I have considered seeking a doctor but I don't feel unhealthy. I'm not often ill, although I do sometimes get anxious at times of stress, and tend to hyperventilate. My resting heart rate is usually between 60-70.

Any thoughts? Anybody else out there who are light but still healthy? I've been looking over the internet and from what people have been saying on other forums, a BMI of 16 is DANGEROUSLY underweight. Surely that's pushing it a bit if I feel good day after day?

[Lilharry]

If you are worried then go and see your doctor, but remember BMI is just a guideline and can be very inaccuate. Everyone is different and your genes have a huge role to play, so that fact that your family is also skinng says a lot. Also, at 20, you could even still be growing so using up a lot the energy your consuming doing that. I wouldn't focus too much on the BMI number. If you eat healthily and you feel healthy then you are healthy. But get a second opinion if you are still worried just to ease your mind.

[butterfly00]

A BMI is just one of many indicators of body fat and general health. It is primarily used to identify people who are grossly over weight.
You sound veryhealthy other wise. I personally was in the underweight catorgory my whole life, this doesn't mean you are unhealthy.
If y ou wanted more information to understand how the BMI is interpreted and used or general info on diet and health I would suggest seeing a nutritionist. They give great understanding about alot things actually. GPs are too busy to give in depth info and most have no nutrition training anyway.

[Edie]

If you feel healthy, you probably are.

As a child I was always underweight. My doctors were concerned but could find nothing wrong and concluded I was fine. I was very healthy and active, and ate large amounts. When I developed health problems I ballooned - though they were nothing to do with being underweight.

It sounds like you are just naturally slim. If it worries you, you could double-check with your GP, but it really doesn't sound like you have anything to worry about. If you do need to put on weight, your doctor can advise you the best way.

[gwhite73]

Some people just have very fast metabolism. If I ate half of what my brother eats, I'd be obese in no time. He is 8st 7 and has never put any weight on, despite a very poor diet and lots of alcohol.

You don't sound like you would be a smoker, but smoking tends to keep the weight off people also.

I would take comfort in the fact that you feel healthy. It could be worse, you could be struggling with your weight. Some people eat so healthily and still they become overweight -- imagine how frustrating that must be for them.

[Steve37]

EDIT: I miscalculated: my BMI is in fact 16.5

Hi everybody, I'm looking for some advice on my situation.

I am 20 years old, male. I am 6.0 feet, and I weight 8 stone 10. This makes me BMI at 16.5, a couple points under the recommended 18.

I don't understand why I am so skinny, as I eat a very good diet. A typical day for me at university will consist of:

Breakfast: A whole grain bagel with turkey slices, butter, black pepper and salad. A large banana and a packet of Belvita breakfast biscuits.

Lunch: A brown bread sandwich stuffed with chicken, turkey or ham, again with salad and condiments. Perhaps another banana and a packet of Go-Ahead biscuits and/or a Nutri-Grain breakfast bar. (If I am not at uni I might not have a sandwich and just settle for some toast and yoghurt, and snack my way through lunch)

Dinner: Home cooked meal, usually some form of meat with carbs and starch and vegetables. Shepard's Pie, lasagne, curry and rice, roast dinners, chicken stir frys, baked potatoes...that kind of thing.

I drink milk every day, take Wellman multi-vitamin after every dinner. I drink plenty of water (clear urine), decaf black tea and non-decaf green tea and I don't drink soda ever.

Between meals I often snack of various things, perhaps a packet of wholegrain crackers or some natural yoghurt. I don't eat sweets, but might eat chocolate and biscuits and occasionally eat baked things as a treat (donuts, cream cake etc).

Clearly I eat well enough and this isn't a problem. I've never had an eating disorder, but perhaps didn't eat quite enough during my teenage years as I used to be thinner. The rest of my brothers are also thin, and my older brother is even skinner than I am.

I would like to know if my diet and weight are affecting my health, and what I can do to put on weight? I have considered seeking a doctor but I don't feel unhealthy. I'm not often ill, although I do sometimes get anxious at times of stress, and tend to hyperventilate. My resting heart rate is usually between 60-70.

Any thoughts? Anybody else out there who are light but still healthy? I've been looking over the internet and from what people have been saying on other forums, a BMI of 16 is DANGEROUSLY underweight. Surely that's pushing it a bit if I feel good day after day?

I'm 6ft and just under 14 stone. My BMI says i'm obese lol i'm nowhere near that! BMI is a load of rubbish, because it doesn't take into account muscle mass.

[LostinThought]

Thanks for these replies, they are appreciated.

My portion sizes are usually pretty large, especially for dinner. My mum takes pleasure in feeding people so our dinners are usually enough for two, sometimes even three people!

My lifestyle at University is quite active. I am a training actor, and so a lot of my training is learning movement, Yoga, Tai Chi, as well as doing physical theatre stuff. I have quite a long journey, so I am doing a lot of flights of stairs a day. The joys of studying in London!

I have never fainted, although if I have been a few hours without a meal I can get what feels like low blood sugar and get anxious and sort of light headed. I do have a large appetite and seem to require a meal more often than most other people who don't seem to give it a sh*t.

Hair loss is not a problem, it reaches my shoulders and I rarely notice it falling out http://static1.tsrfiles.co.uk/4.25/images/smilies/smile.png

My main worry is that I have an overactive thyroid. Obviously I would need to go to a doctor to get this checked out, but I fear the blood test.

[Edie]

If you were previously a typical weight and have lost weight, then that could be due to developing an overactive thyroid. But it sounds like you have always been thin and as your brother are also thin, it's probably just how you are genetically.

If you have an overactive thyroid, then your thyroid gland in your neck would be enlarged. Your doctor would be able to feel it, even if it is not large enough to be visible. So if you're worried then it would be a very quick job for your doctor to decide whether this is worth investigating further.

[Lilharry]

Blood tests are nothing to worry about. I just look the other way and I don't even notice when the needle goes in. You will be fine.

[LostinThought]

Um...yeah I can't actually feel my thyroid gland at all right now, not even with my head right back :blush: My brothers and I have always been thin, except when we were chubby toddlers, hehe.

Maybe if the thought keeps bothering me or I notice anything unusual, it's worth a check up. I do plan to start a beginner's weightlifting routine in the Spring, so hopefully that will help me build muscle and get heavier.