Posts by ohhmyyitslea

Original Post by peaches0405:

Yes, leah.  But here's a good rule of thumb:  If someone eats their normal maintenance calories and maintains at an underweight BMI, and they've been like that most of their lives then it's probably ok.  However, if a person has to diet and count and cut calories to get to that underweight goal, then it's probably not an ok goal for them.  It's not a weight that their body likes to go to.... Especially if they are a teen who is not sedentary and who is eating less than 1500 calories to get to that goal.  Once again, this is something that we cannot and will not support on this website.  Bottom line.

So when someone eats their normal maintenance calories and stays overweight, then their body is comfortable there, too? Yeah that logic doesn't exactly make sense...

As long as someone is not ill, being reasonably 'underweight' is not an issue. I'm 5'4, 110 pounds down from 132. When I was 14 I was six pounds away from being overweight and lost weight by eating 1300-1400 calories daily. I can eat 1600 calories a day now and maintain my weight now, yet any post I make I get flamed for 'undereating' because everyone seems to think I should be eating 2,000. Underweight is a relative term that does not take into account different body types.

Bottomline; she didn't state she was underweight or trying to lose weight in an unhealthy manner. She just wanted to know how accurate the breath tests were and she got flamed for dieting the same exact way I did to lose weight in a healthy manner. Explain that.

I wouldn't be persisting if this weren't such an often occurrence on these forums. Support is rare to come across.

I'd have to agree with the OP and a few others in this thread. There have been a few members that have been very rude in their suggestions and make many assumptions to support their claims. Like she insisted many times, please answer her original question rather than justifying your off-topic 'advice.'

Original Post by gi-jane:

You do seem to be on the defensive but I'm judging the situation based on your profile.... quote... "So here I am. I aim to take in no less then 1200 calories a day, no more then 1400, and I try and exercise at least three days a week. I'm hoping to see results soon. It feels good to be healthy again. =]"

Now it would be irresponsible of me not to point out for a start that the bare minimum a sedentary teen needs is 1500... and that since you're working out at least three days a week you are not sedentary.  If your profile information is out of date, fair enough...

You said you were 'lightheaded' on standing.... and that's not a good situation. So don't be insulted but if you really do have your health in mind, increase your food intake to a more normal 2000 cals a day and stop dieting.

You do seem quite on the condescending side, insisting I 'stop dieting.'

It's hard to believe anything else that you tell me when you can't even seem to give me an accurate number on what I burn. I burn 1,600 calories as a sedentary 17 year old. Not 2,000. 1,600. Yes, by a kids calorie-calculator. Not by CC's adult one.

You have not given me any helpful information on my original topic.

Original Post by gi-jane:

Being a healthy weight is a good start. i.e BMI 20 - 25.  People who are too light tend to have lower blood-pressure. I see from your profile that your BMI is 18.2 now and that makes you clinically underweight.  No wonder you're not well.  At 5'4" you should be around 120lbs.  Eating normally is going to help..... 1900-2100 cals a day is a good average for the typical young, active woman - 1200 has been silly, frankly.   Adding a little more salt to your diet could also help but I think it's your low body-weight that's causing the real problems.  Blood cholesterol is just a number... only becomes an issue if you're overweight, inactive, a smoker, a drinker.

I would recommend you go to see your doctor.  You shouldn't be fainting when you stand up and I think you have eating problems.  If you're underweight and on very reduced calories, you could have a hypoglycaemic problem and a weakened heart as well as low BP

BMI is a recommendation. I've been around this weight for over a year now, and my doctor has never brought it to my attention that I should weigh any more than I do now. According to kidshealth.org, because I am 17, for my height and weight, I am in the 20th percentile and in the healthy range. I burn 1600 calories a day because I am a sedentary student. Of course increased on more active days. This is according to a kids calorie calculator.

Blood cholesterol isn't just a number. High cholesterol can lead to many health issues like diabetes. I need to know if low cholesterol affects me because afterall, not all cholesterol is bad. Also, my sodium is higher than recommended; about 2500mg daily. Yet my blood pressure is still lower than usual. Should I increase salt more? Or maybe fat intake?

I didn't say I was fainting upon standing. I also didn't say I was on reduced calories... No, I do not have eating issues. It insults me that just because I am moderately thin people assume I have no idea how to be healthy. Would I be asking these questions if didn't have my health in mind?

Original Post by johnnypenso:

I have to admit I'm really enjoying this thread..you guys are hilarious...lol...

Lol I was thinking the same thing.

We have people who hate being asked to borrow weights, we have people who hate when the people they would like to borrow weights from get pissy. We have people complaining about people looking at them when you're in a public gym. We have people complaining about having to lug weights to a different bench when they are about to lift weights?! God forbid you lift the weights to move them elsewhere.

My favorite is how everyone seems to judge these 'gym bunnies' so harshly, but the second someone looks at them they get ticked or fear they are being judged. Is that not a double standard?

But I've been sitting here chuckling this whole time. Maybe we all need to take a deep breath and realize it takes all kinds to make this world. Relax. :)

Original Post by dolphinclick:

Congratulations on the weight loss!

Keep in mind that while 105 is a healthy weight for a 17 year old, it's considered underweight for an 18 year old.  At 110 pounds, you're at the very bottom of the healthy BMI range for a full grown adult.  While you don't need to gain weight, you really shouldn't lose any either. 

No online calculator is going to calculate your daily calorie burn completely accurately.  That varies from individual to individual and from day to day.  It takes a bit of trial and error to figure out how much you should be eating to maintain your weight, though many people find that if their diets consist of mainly healthy, minimally processed foods, they tend to naturally maintain their weight without counting calories.

Your academic schedule sounds stressful and reminds me (somewhat less than nostalgically) of my senior year in high school taking 4 AP classes plus 5 others.  If you can somehow find the time to fit some activity into your day -- it doesn't have to be formal excercise, just something to get you off your butt -- your body will thank you for it.  Incidentally, does your school not have P.E.?

Thank you for being kind and informative.

I know on paper it may say I will be 'underweight' soon, but much like our calorie calculators, BMI is just a rough recommendation. When I used to dance a lot it my BMI said I was in the heavier range for my frame because of the muscle I put on. Right now my BMI says I'm in the lower range of a healthy weight, but if you saw me in person I'm not a twig, I'm quite healthy in appearence, no bones sticking out or anything.

Mainly I want to put off the bit of weight I have put back on since my last diet, and to continue keeping off the weight. I'd like to fit into my jeans again. I know 5-8 pounds doesn't seem like much, but if you look at the measurements on my profile, it's a good inch around my thighs and hips, which is why I'm dancing into my jeans every morning.

Lately I've been trying to just eat less crap overall and stay around 1600 calories or slightly less. See, my problem is that I eat socially, I eat past when I'm full, and I eat because I'm bored. I've found out that if I try and resist these unhealthy behaviors, it's not hard to fall around 1600. I haven't lost any weight yet, but I am less bloated from sodium and feeling better.

Actually, I'm a dual enrollment student. I should graduate this year with my high school diploma and my Associates Degree in Business. My school does have physical activity electives, but I am fully off my high school campus to attend the community college full time. Taking eight classes this semester is killing me.

I don't want to come off rude because everyone did take the time to read my post, but I was asking advice so I can remain healthy. It's frustrating when I'm trying to discipline myself and resist bad food, and all I hear is "you don't need to lose weight." It's about as encouraging as, "don't bother..." Please be constructive.

Try logging your activities hypothetically, just to see what you might burn on an active day, and subtract the necessary calories from that. I'm pretty sure people usually do a 500 calorie deficit, but we're all different.

Well actually the kids calorie tool says I only burn 1600 calories a day, so the CC Adult tool is pretty damn accurate. And going by standards I absolutely shouldn't eat under 1200, so my target of 1300-1400 has been pretty right on.

I would be fine gaining weight if I have gotten any taller since sixth grade. But I grew immensely before middle school and when I quit growing is when I started to get heavier. When I started losing weight I was six pounds away from being considered obese for my age, weight, and height.

As stated before, I'm not active. I wake up, sit in class. Sit doing homework in between classes. Nap inbetween other classes because I'm exhausted. To put things in perspective, I take two online classes through my high school and six through the community college. The most work I do is on my car, which is hardly exercise.

But thanks.