Too thin?

[lulubel]

Sorry if this is a bit long.

I'm a 5ft2 female. Back in 2005, I weighed my heaviest ever at 13 stone. I got a wake-up call, and gradually lost weight over the next few years, until I reached my current weight of (this morning) 7st3. This has moved me, in BMI terms, from obese to the very bottom of the healthy range - one more pound lost would make me underweight according to the BMI scale. (I'm aware of the flawed nature of the BMI scale, but mention it to give reference points.)

In terms that might make more sense to most of you, this is the equivalent of a 6ft man going from 18st down to about 9st8/9.

This winter, I've picked up a couple of fairly minor bugs, I'm struggling a bit with my cycling and not recovering very well (my legs ache most of the time), and I'm also having trouble getting my nutrition right during and after long rides - coming close to bonking, and suffering with headaches and exhaustion later in the day. My diet hasn't changed, and I didn't really have these problems last winter when I was half a stone heavier.

I think I'm fairly well muscled, for a woman - I certainly have very clear muscle definition all over my body - so my body fat percentage is probably lower than the "average" woman of my height and weight (whoever she is).

I'm starting to wonder if I've pushed it too far with the weight loss, which has been unintentional since I got below 8st (I haven't been actively "dietting" but obviously not eating enough to maintain my weight).

Any thoughts?

 

[Rob3rt]

Eat more, if in doubt speak to a doctor!

 

[GrumpyGregry]

How much liquid are you taking on board during and after these long rides?
What are you drinking?
What sort of intensity are these rides and are you fuelling for them?
Very ungallant to ask but how old are you?

Are you content with your current weight, appearance, performance?
Why have you continued to lose weight since hitting 8stone? Is that further weight loss intentional? If yes, why? If no why you doing it?

 

[Graham]

Sounds like you're not eating enough on your ride days. That half stone was maybe enough of a reserve to keep you going last year, but now its not there you need to eat more. Exhaustion later in the day suggests not enough calories. I have no medical qualifications though!

 

[fossyant]

Protein - get some more of that in you. Milk also. If you are regularly 'hitting the wall' then this does indeed sounds like you aren't eating enough. You shouldn't be exhausted.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Which figure on the BMI are you taking as the dividing between normal and underweight - it seems to vary?

I ask because at one time I dropped down to a UK size 2 and was still in the "normal" range (at 53kg (8 stone 4 lb) for my height) despite the fact I was very clearly stick thin and needing to put weight on. Getting back up to 9 stone 7lb (60kg) worked wonders and I re-found lots of energy I had lost as well as stamina, including walking some mountaineering routes in hours faster than before. I was also a lot healthier & happier because I could do what I wanted to do without too much thought about what I ate the night before (though I still have to be careful with the reduced adreanal gland issues causing shakes with K/Na balance issues in the blood stream)

Ironically I am now at the other end of the scale, but still thin (UK 8)... actually at the normal/overweight mark for my height which my GP & practice nurse are ignoring. I can only manage around 45 miles before I really need to consider what I am eating but have put that down to fitness more than anything else.

It does sound like you simply don't have the body reserves and after your winter ill, as well as your asthma, it is most likely you need to eat more and gain a touch of weight just to make sure your body has the vits & minerals it needs to repair your body after exercise (a lot of which are stored in body fat I think)

 

[wanda2010]

So a bacon/cheesburger with chips, washed down with beer/Guinness really is good for you?

 

[Rob3rt]

So a bacon/cheesburger with chips, washed down with beer/Guinness really is good for you?

Replace the beer/guinness with a milkshake and sure thing!

 

[Little yellow Brompton]

Which figure on the BMI are you taking as the dividing between normal and underweight - it seems to vary?

I ask because at one time I dropped down to a UK size 2 and was still in the "normal" range (at 53kg (8 stone 4 lb) for my height) despite the fact I was very clearly stick thin and needing to put weight on.

BMI is a statistical formulae for calculating the "fatness" of a population, it should never be used on an individual basis, it was never designed for that and can be wildly innacurate.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

BMI is a statistical formulae for calculating the "fatness" of a population, it should never be used on an individual basis, it was never designed for that and can be wildly innacurate.

agreed - but it did not stop the NHS using it as a measure with me when I was really ill. Luckily Lulubel is not using the NHS (and I have changed health authorities)!

 

[ColinJ]

I'm 6' 1" tall and got down to 10 st 10 lbs when I finished university. I felt cold all that winter, picked up bugs, was tired all the time, and just generally felt fragile.

Then I piled the weight on and felt good apart from being too fat and unfit.

Eventually, I got fit and back down to 11 st 10 lbs, but still felt a bit underweight and I was again susceptible to illness.

I got fat and unfit again, then eventually started losing weight and getting fit again - seeing a pattern yet? That time, I stopped losing weight when I got to about 12 st 10 lbs and felt that I was close to my ideal weight. I was cycling well, had loads of energy, felt healthy, just great really! (I put it all back on again, but that's another story ... )

So ... I reckon you can overdo weightloss thing, and I think you might have done just that! I'd be tempted to put 7 or 8 pounds back on and see how that feels.

 

[wanda2010]

Replace the beer/guinness with a milkshake and sure thing!

Make it a Guinness punch and I'm in

 

[Little yellow Brompton]

agreed - but it did not stop the NHS using it as a measure with me when I was really ill.

That's because it's cheap and simple. Of no use to man nor beast as a diagnostic tool , but cheap and simple.

 

[lulubel]

Thanks, guys. Some interesting replies.

That's because it's cheap and simple. Of no use to man nor beast as a diagnostic tool , but cheap and simple.

LYB, please don't turn this thread into an argument about BMI. I'm aware that it's flawed, as I said in my original post, and threads that turn into arguments often put off other people who have some helpful advice for the OP.

How much liquid are you taking on board during and after these long rides?
What are you drinking?
What sort of intensity are these rides and are you fuelling for them?
Very ungallant to ask but how old are you?
Are you content with your current weight, appearance, performance?
Why have you continued to lose weight since hitting 8stone? Is that further weight loss intentional? If yes, why? If no why you doing it?

Lots of questions there. I'm 39 - let's get that out of the way.

My fluid intake is plentiful. At the moment I'm drinking just water, but start using Nuun tablets when the temperature reaches 20C. This has always worked fine for me, so I don't think that's the problem. I always have a banana when I get back after a long ride, and chuck some salt on my lunch, which I have within the next hour, to replace any lost sodium and potassium.

Intensity is moderate - not easy, not hard, a long way from flat out.

I'm content with everything except feeling crap after long rides and having achy legs. I look thin around my shoulders, but I can cover that up by wearing t-shirts with a bit of a sleeve in the summer. For the first time in my life, I have great legs! (My OH tells me being thin ages me, but I've just reverted to my natural hair colour - mostly grey - to demonstrate that I'm embracing being nearly 40, not shying away from it.)

I've continued to lose weight because it hasn't stopped, despite increasing my food intake. Every time I start eating a bit more, I lose a couple more pounds, which suggests to me that I'm undereating all the time and my body is in starvation mode. I cycle around 10 hours a week and consume at least 2,500 calories every day. I was calorie counting, until last October, when I finally accepted that the maintenance calories the website had set for me were far too low, and decided to go it alone. I'm a bit scared of doing this because last time I tried going it alone, I gained 2 stone.

Which figure on the BMI are you taking as the dividing between normal and underweight - it seems to vary?

It does sound like you simply don't have the body reserves and after your winter ill, as well as your asthma, it is most likely you need to eat more and gain a touch of weight just to make sure your body has the vits & minerals it needs to repair your body after exercise (a lot of which are stored in body fat I think)

I have a BMI of 18.5 at the moment, so I think I'm using the lower scale. My OH tells me I look thin. I don't mind looking thin if it means I can leave men standing on climbs (which it does). I do mind feeling knackered.

That's a good point about vitamins and minerals. I hadn't thought of that, although I do take a good (Quest) vitamin and mineral supplement in addition to my healthy diet.

The other thing I wondered is whether my body fat percentage is low enough that my brain is refusing to release any fat for energy unless it's necessary for survival, and is forcing me to slow down instead.

 

[Saluki]

Um, if this isn't an indelicate question, have you wormed yourself lately?

I only ask as I went down to about 9st 3lbs (I am 5'8" and 'athletic' build) and I got colds, felt like hell, could barely get out of bed and was exhausted. I ate a lot to put on weight and was still losing. I was easily consuming 3000 calories a day (I worked with horses at the time so pretty active) and was getting thinner and thinner. I got a blood test and stool test from the doc who said that I had a 'parasitic infestation' and gave me a worming powder. This sorted me out quite quickly. Doc says that its not particularly uncommon amongst 'active' people.

Anyway, just a thought.