What is healthy for 5'4"

Here's some background....

I'm 5'4....I stopped counting when I hit 110 pounds last month

I just just started weighing myself this week and now i'm fluctuating between 106-109  (i'm 22)...which means i definitely lost 2 pounds over the last month...which seems like a lot for 110pounds.

My measurements - 32DD, 25 waist, and i think my hips are a 31 or 32.....Is it better to go with weight or measurements....I know my BMI is low but are the measurements healthy? I think my body fat percentage is a lot lower too b/c i run 7 miles 6 days a week....I'm not sure if that plays a factor. 

Should I put on some weight?...should i start counting to put on weight....or will my body "naturally" go to where it should be? 

The definition of a 'normal healthy weight' is a BMI between 20 and 25. If your BMI goes below 19 your body is likely to start skipping periods which is a sign that it's unhealthy. At a BMI of 18.5 you cross into being 'clinically underweight'. It has nothing to do with measurements, I'm afraid. If you're still losing weight that suggests you're simply not eating enough.... malnutrition is the natural partner to being underweight. The combination of the two can be very nasty.

For someone 5'4" therefore you become clinically underweight at 108lbs - a dangerous situation to be in long term. Below 111lbs and you're at risk of menstruation problems. 116lbs would be a BMI of 20 and would put you less at risk of health problems.

I don't know what you're eating right now but if you're very active you're going to need about 2500 cals a day as a starting point. If you don't gain weight at that level, increase by another 500 cals and so forth until you start seeing some gains.

Every one is different when it comes to finding a healthy weight - some people are healthy at BMI’S of 19 while others are not.

You will find a healthy weight by first gaining to a BMI of at least 19 and then starting to eat a normal amount of calories for some one of your age/height/activity level ( which you can work out using this website)

Basically, people usually find and maintain a healthy weight for them by just eating enough calories and letting their body dictate where it feels healthy.

I recommend doing toning exercise, especially for your core/midsection so you will feel better about yourself and therefore not care as much about what the scale says.

I found that toning my body improved the appearance and how I felt mentally too, and doing something positive for my body makes me care less about my weight.

You are not far off a healthy weight so hang in there - you are almost there! Look in the weight gain forum to learn the healthiest ways to gain weight, if you do not already know about them.

I was actually in a similar position to you - I am about 5 ‘ 5 and was110 lbs or less for a long time, until I decided to gain weight recently because being at a BMI of 18.5 and under puts you at risk of developing many healthy problems and I wanted to avoid it, and also to make my body healthier.

I did abdominal work and a toning class at the gym once a week and I the weight I gained came on easily and without feeling uncomfortable

I'm 5'2", but when I was 105 lbs (still 'healthy' but close to underweight which would have been 102) I had almost exactly your measurements.  32 DD, 25 inch waist, and 32 hips. 

But then I started losing my periods, so I gained... and then gained a little too much.  Whoops.  I still had my periods around the perfect BMI (for me) of 110, so I'm trying to get down to that again.  I'm 119 now.

Just wanted to let you know I was in a similar situation, and the measurements really didn't play much of a part in anything.

First of all, normal is considered between 18.5 and 24.9.  You are in that range.  However, BMI is also relative to body frame and ethnic background.  For example, Asians have different BMI criteria.  If you eat when you're hungry, and have a balanced diet, there is no reason you should try to put on weight, especially if you have a small frame.

I mean, you're a 32DD, so you obviously have a high enough fat percentage and a small frame.  Body compsition is a MUCH more important indicator of health. 

I have an extremely small frame (28DD at 5'6"), and a 17 BMI.  But with a totally normal body fat percentage, I still have periods every single month, and take in 2,000 cal/day.  If you are comfortable, and your Dr. is not concerned, BMI doesn't really matter.

FYI: There is more and more research emerging to suggest that lack of menstruation is not the best indicator of underweight.  In fact, in the diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa will likely be changed in the upcoming edition of the DSM to remove amenorrhea as a criteria for AN because it is not a reliable indicator of being dangerously underweight. There are many women who reach BMI's of 15 and below who maintain their period. 

Kaila, I think it makes sense to use the tools on this website to calculate the amount of calories you need to maintain your weight.  Check your typical intake against this number and see where you fall.  If you're concerned about continuing to lose weight, bump up your calories.  If your default (i.e., non-calorie coutning mode) is to eat less than you need to maintain, you need to establish a new default by adding in some extra calories each day.

Toning exercises seem like a great idea...and maybe cutting down the cardio a bit.  I kind of wanted to cut the scale out of my life once I got to my maint. weight only b/c i find that when I count I get really obsessive.

I'm at a lower risk of losing my periods b/c i'm on the pill (my doctor put me on it b/c of the running...to keep my hormones in check for low body weight)....I do agree it's a poor indicator of too much weight loss.....I can't believe that though...woman maintaining there period with a bmi under 15!

is there a max/ amount of working out you should be doing on maintenence....does an hour of running 6 days a week seem like a lot?  i feel like it's really hard to switch from weight loss lifestyle to mait. lifestyle!

Some people on this site would strongly discourage a person with your BMI to run, especially for an hour a day but if you TRULY do actually like running, and if it is your “ thing” that you enjoy and feel a sense of achievement out of, then no one should stop you doing what you love; as long as you are doing it for the right reasons, you should not be doing it to maintain a low weight.

With a BMI of about 18.5, yes, it is okay for you to run, but you MUST eat back your exercise calories.

If you burn 400 calories running for an hour and you do not eat an extra 400 calories to compensate you will lose weight. A lot, in fact; 3500 calories to lose a lbs, to 4 - 500 too little a day amounts to about a 1 lbs loss each week.

The only trouble with cardio is, is that it can make it hard for people at low weights to maintain as it can be hard to eat all those extra calories to compensate.

So if you would find it difficult to eat one extra meal a day ( 400 - 500 calories burned from an hour of running is the size of an average meal) then do not run for as long, or as often.

Running is something slim people should only do if they LOVE it; there is no need to do an hour of running most days unless you love it because there are other types of cardio that benefit your body just as much.

I would be really careful, your BMI of about 18.5 is very low and any more weight you lose would put you at risk of many health problems; it sounds extreme, but it is true!

As a trainer, I would recommend you run 4 days week and for the 2 days you used to run, do strength and resistance training; it will change the way your body looks by improving muscle tone

Let me know if you want me to send you those toning exercises!

And be careful! Remember, you can’t afford to lose any weight, so if you DO lose weight it would be sensible to take a step back and reduce your running until you gain the weight back.

Cutting back is easier then doing the same and having to eat significantly more to gain ( 2500 MINUMUM calories to gain)

If you're running a lot your training your body(muscle proteins, fat reserves) to be lean.  If you're eating a balanced diet(higher on carbs if you run that much) your body will take the shape it needs based on the stresses you are presenting.