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Underweight and Healthy buddies need!

Hi,

I'm 5'7 and weigh 122. My ideal weight is 115 and toned. I know most people think that is underweight but I have a smalll frame and have always been thin.

If there are any other women like me out there please share.

I'm looking to lose about 7 pounds and start working out everyday again. I eat three balanced meals a day that average out to about 1,200 calories a day. I started drinking a herbal diet tea with senna leaf in it to help.

Kandi

For your height, 118 is a BMI of 18.5 and dieting to get to the lowest healthy BMI is not recommended.  You might think that the BMI guidelines just don't apply to you because you're small and thin, but the place that they go off is when you have more muscle than average and your BMI calculates to being overweight.  As this is not the case with you, go with 18.5 or your current 19.1.  Please note that teens have a special BMI chart that accounts for their growth patterns.

Senna is a laxative and as such should not be taken on a regular and continuous basis.  It is specifically to help with constipation, but continued use will cause you the same problems as any other laxative.  Once your constipation is gone you should not continue taking it.

Laxative abuse is very, very serious. Laxatives remove water from your system, which can result in electrolyte imbalances. Throw your electrolyte levels off too much and you can have a heart attack. You also have risk of developing a lazy bowel, which is where your body becomes too used to laxatives and the muscles of your colon as a result are thin and weak and unable to push out your poo. It can also result in  tremors, dehydration, nausea, bloating and gas, and in the long term ulcers, colon failure, infections of the gut and the biggie, death. Digestion Health: Laxative Abuse Dangers

An adult woman needs 1200 calories per day to survive, a girl under 21 or an adult man 1500 per day bare minimum, and a boy under 21 1800 per day minimum. However, this is when you are sedentary. If you work out, and unless you are very short or very small you will need much more.

If you are 21 or older use CC's tools to work out your BMR: http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/calories-bur ned.php 

If you are under 21, CC's tools are inaccurate and you should use this calculator instead: http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/bodycomp/bmiz2.html as you are still growing. Yes, even in the later years - there's more going on inside of you that you simply can't see.

Eating too low a calorie intake, or having a deficit from your BMR greater than 1000 results in something called "survival mode", where your body holds every last thing it can get in expectance of a famine. Water, food, calories. Explained:

• Dieting & Metabolism - This article explains starvation mode and why undereating is counter productive.
• The Body Neglected - This is what happens when you undereat for an extended period of time. 

However, your current BMI puts you in a healthy weight range. No matter your frame size, your goals are underweight - and this is not healthy at all.

The physical dangers that come with undereating and being underweight are numerous. You put yourself at risk of osteoporosis, of loss of fertility as you have lost your period, hair loss, electrolyte problems, a weakening of the immune system, low blood pressure, blood disorders such as anemia, heart problems, and even death. The mental woes that come alongside can be just as devestating. Depression is common in undereaters, as well as distorted perceptions and problems like Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

Calorie Count's mission is to promote healthy and sustainable weight management and this does not include weight loss to an unhealthy weight, or using methods that are harmful to you in the long run.

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Sara
Calorie Count Volunteer Moderator

Thanks for the additional information and input. I am healthy though and not in "starvation mode." lol I zig zag my calorie intake. One day I may eat 1,500 calories and only 1,100 the next day.

Also, senna can be used as a laxative if taken in higher doses. If taken in small doses (I have a cup a day) it helps stay regular which helps with weight maintenance.

My goal is 115 because with any weight lost you will gain 2 to 3 pounds back. So when I am done I will be a healthy, toned, slender 118.

Thanks.

While you may believe that taking Senna tea on a daily basis to remain regular is harmless, it is not.  There are other options for regularity which include fiber and castor oil.  If you are not regular, consider consulting with your doctor to find out why you are not.

• http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/8831 6/dieters_tea_danger_in_a_cup.html?cat=51
• http://library.findlaw.com/2000/Jan/1/126906. html
• http://www.tinajuanfitness.info/articles/art0 62403.html
• http://www.everydayhealth.com/specialists/dig estive/babyatsky/qa/dieter%27s_tea/index.aspx
  

If your goal is 118, then don't put down an underweight goal of 115.  Calorie count does not support underweight goals.  Women in particular experience weight fluctuation throughout any given month due to horomones and water retention.

Hey,

I know what I'm going to say isn't what you want to hear, but since I have similar stats, I want to chime in.

I'm 5'7 1/2" and have been holding steady at 117...Like you, I have very fine bones, narrow shoulders, small bust, long thin fingers and toes...so I thought my weight was okay.  However, recently I have been feeling weaker...so I have decided to get back up to about 123, and I am currently trying to gain weight.

I'm not going to tell you what to do, because I will be the first to admit that some people are just meant to be thinner...but before you try to lose those last 7 pounds, take a couple of weeks to really listen to your body and find out what it wants.  Are you trying to lose those last pounds for "vanity"?  Will it really be healthy for you?  Would it be better just to tone up what you have instead of trying to lose?

Okay, enough of my soap box.  I hope you reach your health goals :)