Pls help with my plan! 104lbs->99lbs!

I'm 5''1, 16 years old, and 104-105 lbs. I'm going for the leanest, yet healthy figure I can get (bmi of about 18.7. I know, I know i must sound ironic, but pls just read on). I have a very important performance/photoshoot in about 2 weeks, so I really want to look my best... The thing is...

Since school ended, I've gone through two weeks of very unhealthy diet... I was anxious to lose weight, so I went for a goal of 800 calories per day and no exercise... I think I probably lost 5 lbs (110 -> 105) and never gained that back.

Beginning on July 13, I decided to go for a healthier lifestyle... I started to do rope jumping for 30min per day, increased my calorie intake to 1000 per day (I admit... that is still way below the standard...), and slept for about 7-9hrs per night. However I think I've hit the plateau due to my previous low daily calorie intake... I got that out of my research today...So ever since July 13, I did not lose any more lbs...

I know that you will probably tell me to stop dieting since I'm already the standard weight... But the truth is that I really do want to look lean, and the bmi websites I've been to all tell me that 18.5 is the lowest bmi one can have but still be healthy. I want to go for 18.7... which is 99lbs...

Can somebody help me with my plan? I know that my method is not healthy enough, but I've set my mind on eating 1600+ calories per day and exercise after I get to 99lbs. Just in two weeks.. that performance/photoshoot is very important for me! (It's not for models so I'm not going for the standard of models at all...)

My menstruation started on August 1, if that fact is necessary for determining what I should do... I stopped jumping jope since the 1st (done yoga instead), and started jumping rope again today (5th). Due to my internship, I will only be able to jump rope for about 2-4 days per week, however I do walk/stand a lot on the job.

I eat mostly vegs & fruits, I'm not a vegetarian, but I tend to eat very little meat. I love tofu... and I try to drink milk/eat eggs& bean products to make up for the nutrition i don't get from not eating meat..

Please help!... Or... Please convince me to change my plan completely if you can... I'm pretty much ignorant in this kind of stuff... Thank you so much! =)

If you've hit a plateu, I really doubt you're going to drop 5-6 lbs in 2 weeks.

Your body is likely in starvation mode from eating too few calories, and is hanging onto what fat it has. You need to eat more!

The reason I said I doubt you'll drop those pounds is because when you up your calories at first, you'll probably gain a couple a pound or two (result of starvation mode!) But after that, you'll continue to see weight loss.

Also, it's considered healthy to lose only 1 ish pound per week. Losing 5-6 in 2 weeks is pushing it!

That's my two cents.

I cannot, and will not, endorse under eating as a method of weight loss, it is a total waste of time in the long run and dangerous in the short. If you eat normally (1500 calories), you will lose weight.  Furthermore, trying to lose 5-7 lb in a short time is another recipe for disaster, and is unhealthy

Now, having said that -- as a 16 year old, this is a perfect healthy weight goal. From the USDA/ARS Children's nutrition research center at Baylor College of Medicine:

A 61-in, 99 lb, 16 year old female has a BMI of 18.7 with is at the 26th percentile for age. This suggests that this girl is at a healthy weight. A healthy weight range for this girl would be 95-130 lbs.

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honestly, if you're on your period, it's probably just period bloat. drink more water, eat less salt (less salt, more food), you'll probably drop the weight after your period ends. i can gain up to 6 lbs, just because i'm on my period. it sucks =/

but yeah, ED's = no fun, so don't go down that route.

You're definitely under educated on the the way the body works. Extreme calorie restriction is definitely not going to get you where you want to go either short-term or long-term which you're starting to notice.

You want to eat more so your body has fuel to transform. Then you can also exercise more, including push ups and a little strength training. You can't get lean by starving yourself because your body needs to create muscle to create the lean look. Food creates the muscle.

Starvation eats muscle off your body as a food source which doesn't sound like the goal your trying to achieve. Your calorie intake is so restrictive that you can't put on any muscle to get the look

You want to think of calorie eaten vs. calorie expended. Eat more and then your body can enjoy and do more. I'd probably suggest 1500 calories but I'm not certain. And you probably need more protein through food sources or a protein powder smoothie.

Also the BMI is a nearly useless measure at high and low levels so don't obsess about it. A fit girl who's 105-110 is much more of an eye catcher then a really thin girl because of the sexiness and strength of her presence.

Think presence not thinness. Presence gets you noticed in performance and photo shots. And you'll also be happier with yourself.

Unless of course your going for the waif thin model look for an extreme photo shoot, then that's a different thing. Then just drop the water by taking a sauna on the day and rehydrate afterwards.

But you have to be delicate with your body. It's a gift not a burden :)

Above all love yourself.

thank you guys so much!! heron2004, you're right... I am extremely undereducated on the way the body works! I've looked through all the replies for a couple of times, and read many articles on dieting/metabolism/exercising in the forum... Now i'm setting my goal to about 1 lbs/per week or per two weeks, with a caloric intake of about 1300-1500 per day (i think i might need to do this gradually... right? since i've been consuming about 800-1000 cals before...). Is this healthy? I'm gonna get some more information, so this plan might change gradually for the better =)

Thank you so much again for raising my self-esteem, and i will learn to do that myself in the future =)

Now here comes my question... Now i know that my metabolism slowed down to match the amount that i was eating... is there anyway for me to increase my metabolism? I don't think that I can increase my activity level since school is starting soon, and i get back home at 6pm every week day because of my internship...

- On protein...My mom is pretty traditional on stuff like protein shakes, she believes that the best way to get the nutrition is by eating natural food... So what's the story behind the protein shake?...

- on meat... and i really do not like meat all that much... except maybe beef and chicken. But i think seafood is alright. Is it possible for me to get the nutrition by eating more tofu/beans to substitute for the nutrition in meat (for example iron?).

- on carbs. I don't know much about proteins or carbohydrates... obviously i've put too much attention on fats >.< the thing is that i love vegs & fruits, so except for the bowl of cereal that i have in the morning and some rice in the evening (i generally eat fruits & vegs for lunch), i don't think that i'm taking in any other carbs...

thank you so much!! for helping me and obviously, for reading my long posts... heheh. xD I'm from Asia, so in the past I've been struggling with the asians' general definition of beauty. 99% of the people see beauty in skinny, fragile-looking girls with bmi of about 16-17. I think now i'm ready to step out of the box and go for what's right and what i believe in... thank you so much... lol i'm falling for calorie-count.com in just 1 day! XD

only a person 100 lbs overweight would safely lose 5-6 pounds in 2 weeks.
its simply impossible to do that at your already healthy weight.

At the most, id say you could lose 2 pounds in 2 weeks.

Unless you ate nothing at all. Which by the end of 2 weeks, you'd be in a hospital instead of at your photoshoot. So please, treat your body well :)

Eating under 1200 calories for too long will only slow your metabolism and make weight loss even harder.

Glad to have been of service. My suggestion is take a little money and purchase one session with a registered dietitian/nutrionist in person. They are quite affordable and she'll give you a crash course on food so you'll feel more confident about the truth of eating since there are so many misconceptions out there from parents to friends to diet ads.

Always think 'inside out' not 'outside in' when creating yourself and your body.

Good Food + Good Fitness + Happiness = Nice Body. The positive energy flows outwards creating the ideal you. Most people think the opposite way they go from from the superficial layer (external) to the interior (calorie restriction) leading to poor results and unhappiness.

Think of being good to the inside first and you'll find it makes a world of difference.

Good luck with the real Asian ass-kicking you :)

Love always.