Dangers of being underweight?

Hi guys, I've just joined this sight but have been lurking for a few weeks. It seems like a great community :)

Anyway, Im an 18 yo girl,  5ft 6, 92lbs, and have been suffering from anorexia for about 3 years. I have been in recovery since last november and managed to gain from my lowest weight of about 86lbs up to 102lbs. However about 2 months ago I slipped and lost around 10lbs.

Although my weight slipped I have actually made a lot of mental and emotional progress in the past few months. I no longer feel guilty about eating, dont deny myself food that I used to enjoy, find it much easier to go out to eat & drink socially etc. In short, my life has got back on track and Im starting to live a normal 18yo life!

I used to see my treatment team every week but now they have said to me that they don't see the point in us meeting so often now and that we can reduce our appointments to once a month. They have told me that if I dont want to gain the weight back and get healthy then its fine for me to maintain the weight I'm currently at (I have stabalised my weight and have not lost for about 3 weeks now).

My question is, are there any risks at me staying this weight? I think my bmi is around 15 which my treatment team said isnt life threatening as long as I dont lose any more, and that as long as Im eating enough then my health is not at risk in the short term (though I realise there is a risk of osteoperosis in the long term).

Sorry for the long post. Im just confused what I should be doing now - if I am able to enjoy life and be happy is it necessary for me to gain the weight back?

Original Post by scarlotti09:

They have told me that if I dont want to gain the weight back and get healthy then its fine for me to maintain the weight I'm currently at (I have stabalised my weight and have not lost for about 3 weeks now).

What that really means is that they don't think they can help you any more and they'd rather spend their time helping someone else that needs them more urgently and is willing to cooperate fully.  Sad really.

It isn't OK to be chronically & severely underweight, of course it isn't.  It may not be immediately 'life-threatening' but it damages your body over time.  If you're only eating enough to stay underweight then you're malnourished... even if your food choices are relatively good.   This leads to loss of bone-density, iron & other vitamin/mineral deficiencies, a much weakened immune system (making you more susceptible to illness), difficulty in the body repairing,..... can also mean infertility (I doubt you have regular periods, for example), heart-problems, digestion problems, dental problems, hair-loss, anxiety, depression,... all kinds of nasty things.  By age 30, if nothing changes, your prognosis is that you're a bent and withered old woman... aged before her time. 

Regardless of what your treatment team says, understand for yourself the implications of remaining in your current state.  Restoring your weight to a more healthy 125lbs or so is entirely in your hands.....  You can opt for a life of increasing ill-health, childlessness and premature ageing.  Or you can opt to match your improved mental state to your weight and experience truly good health.

Seems like a no-brainer to me.

What gi-jane said. Just because you refuse to gain weight (and so your treatment team has stopped helping you) does not mean your health is ok at this weight; and the longer you stay at this rate, the higher your chance of infertility, arthritis, osteoporosis or any of the other real problems you will likely face.

Promotion of starvation diets or habits that exhibit signs of an eating disorder ("pro-ana", "pro-mia", etc.) is prohibited.

big mistake , you are very much in danger , you so need restore your weight but only you can make the decision to do it . i am a higher bmi than you and i could stay where i am but i dont want to , i want a life to be a happy and healthy i feel this isnt possible at a low weight . im 27 ive had this illness for 14 years in the beginning i maintaned a very low bmi i hadnt any health complications so i thought that was ok , now 14 years have passed and my body is in such a mess i have the bones of a 90 year old , im infertile , i have missing teeth due to a bad diet a hernia . ask yourself do you want this ?i think you need to go back to your team and say i want to gain to healthy bmi and i want your help . your young and have your whole life ahead of you nip this in the bud now dont leave it to late

Original Post by tessa1223:

big mistake , you are very much in danger , you so need restore your weight but only you can make the decision to do it . i am a higher bmi than you and i could stay where i am but i dont want to , i want a life to be a happy and healthy i feel this isnt possible at a low weight . im 27 ive had this illness for 14 years in the beginning i maintaned a very low bmi i hadnt any health complications so i thought that was ok , now 14 years have passed and my body is in such a mess i have the bones of a 90 year old , im infertile , i have missing teeth due to a bad diet a hernia . ask yourself do you want this ?i think you need to go back to your team and say i want to gain to healthy bmi and i want your help . your young and have your whole life ahead of you nip this in the bud now dont leave it to late

 You are SO brave to share. You brought tears to my eyes. I pray that you can regain your health.

Here are some risks associated with being underweight, regardless of the cause. 

"those who are underweight are prone to infection due to weak and easily compromised immune systems and tend to have low muscle mass, hair loss, and in some cases disrupted hormone regulation. Being underweight can also derail intake and absorption of vital nutrients, including amino acids, vitamins, and minerals, leading to increased risk of osteoporosis and anemia. In addition, underweight women are prone to amenorrhea and possible pregnancy complications."

you can read the entire article here

Thank you for the replies and for the reality check. I've realised that gaining weight is the only option if I want a healthy, long, happy life. Its just difficult when you've been given "permission" to stay at a low weight that feels "safe" and "comfortable" for the ED. I really want to get married and have children, so I'm going to use this to motivate me to gain weight.

tessa1223 thank you for sharing your story, you have inspired me so much!

Scarlotti, I am so glad to read your reply!

You show that you can think along the right lines, so that's a step in the right direction.

Keep those thoughts in your head, keep coming here for help and support, and you'll do it.

Good luck!

its ok , but please please take heed , you can do this , h xx