Can you be underweight and healthy
I am currently about 7 stone or just under and I am 5'0 (BMI 19.1) which is a healthy weight for my height but I still look a bit chubby (yes I do work out/exercise so that is not the issue) so I'm looking to lose about a stone to be about 6 stone. I know this would take me to slightly underweight for my height but I'm looking for a way to do it healthily. I have been that weight before but I didn't have a period for about 6 months and felt faint most of the time which I'm looking to avoid.
My typical diet is around 1200 and an example of what I eat in a day would be a round of cheese on toast for breakfast (300 calories), chicken and rice for dinner (500 calories), and then around half a bottle of wine or 4 shots of vodka (400 calories). I know my diet is awful lol and I should eat more nutritious foods to lose weight. Any ideas of foods I should eat or supplements/vitamins I should take to lose the weight healthily?
My typical diet is around 1200 and an example of what I eat in a day would be a round of cheese on toast for breakfast (300 calories), chicken and rice for dinner (500 calories), and then around half a bottle of wine or 4 shots of vodka (400 calories). I know my diet is awful lol and I should eat more nutritious foods to lose weight. Any ideas of foods I should eat or supplements/vitamins I should take to lose the weight healthily?
Original post by Anonymous
Any ideas of foods I should eat or supplements/vitamins I should take to lose the weight healthily?
Without wanting to be flippant, healthy foods would be a start. Calorie counting is flawed simply because everyone processes food differently. In practice your weight is determined by a range of factors including sleep, exercise and diet. The way to lose weight and keep it off is to make gradual changes to a range of areas in your life that you can sustain. You should then lose weight, again gradually, but actually keep it off. Ignore supplements and vitamins too, with the possible exception of one or two. They are not a substitute for receiving what you need from a healthy diet, and if you have a healthy diet you won't need them.
As I say, I do recommend that you look at your sleep and see if you can improve it. Most people don't sleep enough. You should be aiming for 7-8 hours a night, and to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day. If you do those two things the quality of your sleep will improve dramatically and you should see a difference in how you feel during the day. Equally, you cannot lose weight solely through exercise, but finding something you enjoy and are motivated to do that you can do regularly will have significant health benefits for you.
When it comes to diet, you should be aiming to eat a range of fruit, vegetables, seeds, nuts, pulses and spices every week. With a few basic changes it really isn't difficult to do. For example, today for breakfast I'm going to put probably ten different types of nuts and seeds in a bowl (just whatever I have in the house), chop up a couple of pieces of fruit to put on top, then put greek yoghurt and good quality granola on top, mix it up and put some good quality honey on it. For lunch I'm going to make a salad. Again, a simple balsamic or white wine vinegar dressing in the bottom of a bowl, some leaves and then whatever I have the fridge (some mix of celery, cucumber, tomato, chilli, radishes, spring onions, mushrooms and cabbage at the moment). Mix it all up. Healthy lunch.
Most of this comes down to what you actively buy and keep in your kitchen. If you buy a range of healthy foods and make a point of eating them (nuts are one of the best foods you can snack on) you can get a more healthy diet pretty much overnight. But buy the foods you like and experiment with them. You'll be surprised how quickly your diet can change.
Also, drinking alcohol regularly is fine, but cut it down to a glass an evening. Half a bottle a day is too much, from both a health and losing weight perspective.
If you're interested enough to read about this stuff, I'd highly recommend Food for Life by Tim Spector, or if you don't want to read the book look up the interview he did with Steven Barrett on the CEO podcast. Completely changed how I approached food and the changes I made have had a significant impact on how I feel day to day, and that's without me losing weight.
Best of luck.
To answer the main question, No, not healthy.
Original post by Surnia
To answer the question in the title - NO! It made you ill before so why are you doing it again?
You don't need to need to lose weight, you need to work out to tone up, and for that you need plenty of protein in an overall healthy diet.
You don't need to need to lose weight, you need to work out to tone up, and for that you need plenty of protein in an overall healthy diet.
as it says in the post, I do work out. I run and lift light weights, I'm trying to get skinny not muscular
While a person can be underweight and healthy, you need to focus on improving your diet and daily exercise regime not going into calorie deficit to lose even more weight.
Reduce your wine consumption and add some fresh fruit, raw vegs, pulses, vegan live yoghurt, nuts and fish if not allergic.
Do some short youtube exercise workouts on the sofa or sitting in a chair.
Drink more unflavoured still water.
Is your booze included within your daily calorie count?
Reduce your wine consumption and add some fresh fruit, raw vegs, pulses, vegan live yoghurt, nuts and fish if not allergic.
Do some short youtube exercise workouts on the sofa or sitting in a chair.
Drink more unflavoured still water.
Is your booze included within your daily calorie count?
Original post by londonmyst
While a person can be underweight and healthy, you need to focus on improving your diet and daily exercise regime not going into calorie deficit to lose even more weight.
Reduce your wine consumption and add some fresh fruit, raw vegs, pulses, vegan live yoghurt, nuts and fish if not allergic.
Do some short youtube exercise workouts on the sofa or sitting in a chair.
Drink more unflavoured still water.
Is your booze included within your daily calorie count?
Reduce your wine consumption and add some fresh fruit, raw vegs, pulses, vegan live yoghurt, nuts and fish if not allergic.
Do some short youtube exercise workouts on the sofa or sitting in a chair.
Drink more unflavoured still water.
Is your booze included within your daily calorie count?
Yes, I eat/drink around 1200 calories total and I am losing weight so I don’t want to further reduce my calories. I already exercise a good amount as well
Original post by black tea
I think you feeling faint and not having a period is a clear indication that weight is not healthy for your body... A BMI of 16.4 is not "slightly underweight", it is cachectic.
I think I had those symptoms last time because I didn’t lose the weight healthily, whereas this time I’m going to do it in a healthier way
The entire point of the concept of "underweight" is that you are under a healthy weight. So obviously not.
Have you discussed your diet plans with your GP?
Have you discussed your diet plans with your GP?
Original post by artful_lounger
The entire point of the concept of "underweight" is that you are under a healthy weight. So obviously not.
Have you discussed your diet plans with your GP?
Have you discussed your diet plans with your GP?
Haven’t discussed it with a GP, they would probably just say I’m a healthy weight now so leave it, but I’m doing it for aesthetic reasons which isn’t really a doctor’s domain
Original post by Anonymous #1
I think I had those symptoms last time because I didn’t lose the weight healthily, whereas this time I’m going to do it in a healthier way
if you think so...
The answer to your question is complicated. To say it short, yes, one can be healthy and underweight, but it is not your case. Some people's body structure just not fit to be underweight and some will just look a bit chubby. Most women are built to be a bit chubby, otherwise they could not hold a baby inside of them in a healthy way.
Just like Surnia said, you've done it before and it made you I'll, it has to show you something....
Just like Surnia said, you've done it before and it made you I'll, it has to show you something....
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