ok I have discovered that I am a tad underweight (under exageration), back ground info I am currently 5.7 feet and 113 pounds or 8.13 stone and have a BMI of 17.7, any advice
Welcome to the club If you're worried about it I suggest perhaps joining a gym and lifting weights and eating a lot - but healthily. Say around 3,000 calories. It'll do you no good just to eat lots of fatty stuff, obviously (and muscle weighs more than fat, so...). I notice you're 18 - usually around this age your body is still all confused (to use the medical term) after/still going through puberty, some people pile on weight then grow vertically, some people do just the opposite - grow up quickly then 'fill out' later on. It's nothing to be concerned about. But then there are people like me who are underweight no matter what happens, and for those people I suggest the gym (if they're unlike me and can be motivated to go ). I'm not a doctor, these are just tips people have given me over the years (unsolicited advice!).
I used to have the same problem, and now I feel great. Best advice to gain weight, regardless of muscle or fat is to count calories. I used to be really thin, that it does matter which kind of weight, anything was better than nothing. I overcame this issue by counting my calories. Literally I charted out all of my meals to ensure that I have roughly 2700 calories a day. Within like a month, I could great results. My stomach and chest weren't so flat. My face isn't hallow. And people said I looked great, which really boosted my self esteem. Eventually I kepted the same calories and started working out. Working out add muscles to my arms and made me look less lanky. It's a bit of work, but a major self esteem booster for me. Good luck and update us on your progress.
well I am currently eating as much as i am alowed because of a tight bugget and the last time i weight mysef I was 9.3 stone, I think I should be ok as long as I don't contiue to lose weight, and I have a long way before I have a serouse under weight problem, thats 7.2 stone or 96 pounds i believe
I am just not enought calerise as I need to thats all, I am typicaly getting 1200 calerise a day (I think it think sayed I need to on average eat 1453 calerise a day to lose 2 pound a week) and to gain weight I need more then double that just to gain a pound a week. I keep a watch on my weight and if somthing bad is happening, i can nip it in the bud or try and increase my intake as 3 times a week I cycle about 4 miles(round trip) to college and back at top gear up and down hills.
I suggest eating healthy, try to eat stuff with a lot of carbs, like bread, fruits, etc. Try to aim for 'complex carbs' as they're called. These are the carbs that come from the food listed before, they fuel your body all day, with no crash. Try to avoid 'simple carbs', basically anything with a lot of sugar in it (candy, cake, etc.) They won't help you have energy and they will add weight, but in the form of fat. Try doing some weight lifting. This doesn't mean you have to go to gym, you can use cans of soup, bags filled with clothes, a cat, anything that weighs a substantal amount and has a handle or is easy to grip. I suggest milk and/or juice jugs. You can do bicep curls, tri-cep extensions, a make-shift bench press (lie on a flat surface and push the jugs up), lat pull downs (put them above your head while sitting and pull down toward your shoulders), etc. Push-ups will also help. Eat healthy and have a lot of calories. The average teen-young adult male's ideal take in rate is anywhere from 2000 calories to 2500 calories I believe. As long as you 'burn' the calories by doing exercise you won't gain fat. But if you're exercising you'll gain weight because you're developing muscle. Red meat will give you bulk whereas white meat will help you gain lean muscle. The best meal plan is 4-5 small meals with good portions. These give you energy throughout your day, you won't overeat and feel stuffed, and as long as you're hitting your calorie mark with these meals you'll gain weight. Potatoes and other starchy foods will also help, I'm pretty sure. If all else fails, go to a doctor and ask for help.
As many people have already stated increasing your food intake is what you need to do. I saw that you said you have around 1,500 calories that you intake? If I remember properly inorder to gain weight you need about 3,000(double) the amount of calories. Plus you already seem to be quite active so it shouldn't be fat gained but muscle. However all the aerobic work you are doing won't increase your size you'll need weightlifting for that. However ultimately you should see as many possible choices and then logically try one and if you can talk to a nutritionist that'd be best cause they can work with you.
thanks guys for the advice but I am not incontrol of the amount of food I am aloud or the food budget and that is not likly to change until I leave home and I try and eat as much as I can any way, of what I can get my hands on.
Maybe you could change what you buy? Like buy stuff for sandwiches (meat, bread, cheese, condiments) so that you're getting major food groups in an inexpensive (and tasty) way. Eggs (which can be pretty cheap) are good for protein and stuff like that. You could have eggs and toast. You can scramble them, fry them, poach them, boil them, etc. Do you have any kind of 'discount' grocery store? Like where I live we have Save-a-lot and Aldi which sells good food for about half price of what the regular grocery stores are selling the same stuff for.
You're eating enough and you're not losing weight, so I think the best thing for you to do would be to accept your weight for now until you can take practical steps to heighten it (i.e. a change of diet). Besides, BMI is a pretty outdated system and doesn't really indicate health. I eat like a horse and I'm still underweight. It happens, and it's not a bad thing. One day, we'll be trying to lose it all again ; )
My BMI is 15. I'm pretty tall (6'3") and very thin, but these are my natural characteristics. While I don't exactly eat healthily (I pretty much live off of lots of junk food), if anything I should be overweight considering my diet. Anyway to my point, BMI can be pretty misleading, as while I am underweight I'm not at a stage where my body is shutting down etc. as the scale would suggest. So just follow the advice above and you should be able to put a little on, but other than that I wouldn't worry about it too much.
You might need to lift more weights and eat some more, like 5~6 times a day. Of course, these meals must be healthy (please check with a nutritionist, google or a gym trainer) and less junk foods in between. I'm not sure if I'm underweight, I'm 5.74 feet and 145.5lbs. I had been training hard for the last 4 months with a personal trainer and he is really effective in guiding me in basic nutrition principles. Hmm... I need to reach at least 154lbs in another month.
You dont necessarily need to lift weights - lifting weights without proper nutrition will do nothing and it might even hurt you. I suggest you work on your diet first. If you can't afford more healthy foods, is there a soup kitchen or a food bank nearby? You dont have to be ashamed about going - you could even volunteer there in exchange for a proper meal. This would also give you something you could put on your resume for when you finish college. In terms of working out - continue cycling and do calisthenics. These are simple exercises that require no equipment. I gained almost 10kg of lean muscle over the fall/winter just by doing calisthenics and eating a well balanced diet. After you reach a plateau with calisthenics you could try some weights if you want to gain more muscle mass.
Hi Britshlad This thread certainly brings bad memories my way,it also reads as though all of us "british lads" have an underweight problem. My only advice is to always be aware that you need to eat more and never allow yourself to skip a meal.Always try to eat a balanced diet including plenty of carbohydrates(potato,bread pasta,cereal etc). If finances are stopping you from getting enough food you could try getting more for your money by switching to supermarket own brands or changing where you shop to a cheaper place such as lidl or aldi.My local supermarket sells items near there sell by date at a very reduced price,i personally look at reduced items before buying full price stuff which i find a great way to shop when on a tight budget. I started my strugle to gain weight about a year ago and have managed to go from well under nine stone to nearly 11 stone.Here in the uk we seem to hear of so many peoples battles to loose weight with doctors running free dieting clubs etc,but no one ever seems to realise that our battle to gain weight is equally difficult but never thought about. Good luck.
those weight ranges are only guidelines, for the average person. Some people are naturally under that weight range, some are over it. Could be many reasons for it, but if you are healthy and happy with your body, don't worry yourself with being the "proper" weight.
haha, well as someone at the very high end of healthy bmi (24.3) I have to watch that I don't overdo basic sugars (I have a carb tooth, no sweets need apply) and I can tell you that a very cheap way to get more calories without eating total crap is to eat more carbs, think white bread and pasta, anyway, just a suggestion, all my experience is with trying NOT to gain weight, and I know thats the stuff i have to avoid or I'll need bigger clothes >.<
