Dangers of Underweight

I wrote yesterday about the Skinny on Being Thin and how people who are underweight or thin are not necessarily happy about being thin and don't always appreciate drawing attention to their weight. It is estimated that 8-9% of the population is underweight.

Just as there are many negative health consequences to being overweight, being underweight can also result in poor health.

Definition of underweight:
Body Mass Index less than 18.5 kg/m2. For example, a woman who is 5'6" would have to be less than 113 pounds to be considered underweight. A man who is 6' would have to weigh 137 pounds or less.

Personally I don't think BMI is the best measure. Looking at the example above, a woman at 18.5 is thin, but not that thin, but a man at 137 pounds and 6' is way too thin. The limitation with BMI is that is does not take into account body fat percentage.

Another way to think about underweight is with body fat percentage. Men have essential body fat of 2-5% where woman have essential fat between 12-15%. Anything lower than that for men or women can be associated with health risk.

Dangers of underweight:

• Prone to infection, comprised immune system
• Low muscle mass
• Hair loss
• Irregular hormone regulation
• Osteoporosis
• Anemia
• Pregnancy complications (or inability to get pregnant)
• Menstrual irregularities

Causes of underweight:

• Genetics. Some people are simply genetically thin with a high metabolism.
• Illness. Many illnesses have a side effect of weight loss including gastrointestinal illnesses, cancer, HIV, hyperthyroidism, and any illness that causes loss of appetite or medications that lead to loss of appetite.
• Psychological. Eating disorders or depression can lead to weight loss.
• Athletics. Many athletes maintain a very low body fat percentage to get a competitive edge over their competition
  

Labels: Tara Gidus, thin, underweight

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The Skinny on Being Thin

With the obesity epidemic we are facing in America, it is hard for some people to imagine being underweight. Many people who are thin, believe it or not, do not like to be called "skinny." Being labeled skinny can be just as offensive for someone who is thin as being called fat is to someone who is overweight. People who are underweight are viewed differently in our American society than people who are overweight. But don't assume that they are happy with their bodies or that they appreciate you telling them how "lucky" they are.

I have counseled many people on how to manage their weight, both overweight and underweight. I would much rather counsel someone who needs to lose 50 pounds than someone who is trying to gain 10. For someone who is underweight and is trying to gain weight, it is incredibly frustrating. You are probably thinking, "They can have some of my weight," but it is not that simple (and they don't appreciate you telling them that, either).

Weight gain is the opposite as weight loss, of course, and someone who wants to gain weight needs to eat more calories than they are taking in. In order for the weight to come on as muscle instead of fat, exercise is vital. Many underweight clients have told me that they just feel sick when faced with the notion of eating more calories because they feel like all they do is eat all day long. Exercise burns more calories, so balancing how much exercise to do with the right amount of calories for weight gain takes concentrated effort.

Be sensitive to all body shapes and sizes, and compliment someone on their achievements, not on their waistline.

Photo courtesy of istockphoto

Labels: Tara Gidus, underweight

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