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What's a healthy weight?
I am 17 and I was bulimic for about four or five months and went from five-foot-six-and-a-half inches at 115 pounds to 95 pounds. I have not told anyone, and will not, so please don't ask me to, but I am back up to 110 - 112 pounds and pretty much graze throughout the day so I don't throw up. I mostly snack on white bread, fruit, potatoes, and cereal in large portions, but want to stop and eat a healthy, more balanced diet. The problem is, I am not sure what a healthy weight should be. Charts say I am too skinny, but I don't believe it because I know girls in the media are thinner than me and they seem fine. I want to be as small a weight as possible without being unhealthy. I skipped my period Oct. - Dec., but did get it in January. I have not lost any weight since then though, and I should have gotten my period about a week ago but didn't. I don't understand, it is so confusing, can you help me?
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♥ Hunny forget the media! Im 15 and I weigh about 110. Your 2 years older then me and I myself am as healthy as I could get. First off ... eat 3 meals a day. Breakfast is most important! Even if its small.. havea granola bar. Those are very healthy for you. They can even come in non fat. For lunch have a main dish (meat) try chicken if your wanting to stay fit. Have a couple vegis. Drink Water! Lots of Water. For dinner do the same as lunch. Then just have a little snack in between if you wish. Work out! Build muscle! Thats probably most important! I have healthy recipies if you'd like! Im BIG into cooking and HEALTHY cooking at that! I would love to help! Ask me anytime!!
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For most women, a healthy weight is one that allows regular menstruation, and is maintainable and sustainable when taking in a healthy, balanced eating plan. If the only way to attain a certain weight is by severely restricting your eating, that weight is not the healthiest, most natural weight for your body.
As far as a healthy weight for you is concerned, it's impossible to determine this based on your letter alone. Your diet is lacking many, many important nutrients. You don't seem to be getting calcium, vitamins D, K, B-6, and B-12, and may be getting little zinc, magnesium, and possibly iron. Depending on the cereal you are eating, you are getting little to no essential fatty acids. It also appears that you aren't taking in enough foods to provide your body with adequate complete protein. Some vitamin and mineral deficiencies take time to develop, but you are starting to see the effects of inadequate nutrition by the lack of your period. Many young women deny or severely limit their need for dietary fat; however, our bodies must have some fat to absorb vitamins A, D, E and K, assimilate calcium into our bones, and manufacture sex hormones such as estrogen. Women need estrogen to keep their bones strong and get their period. The amenorrhea is a clue that your body isn't making sufficient estrogen. If this continues, it can put your bones at risk for developing osteoporosis. You don't have to be an "old lady" for this to happen — it is seen in women in their twenties who have an eating disorder.
It was courageous of you to write in about your situation. It sounds as though you are still troubled, however, even though the purging has stopped. Not getting your period is a huge red flag that something is not right with your body. Amenorrhea (loss of periods) can happen if your weight is very low, especially if your body fat is too low, or if your diet is too low in fat. There can be other contributing factors, such as excessive exercise (which you didn't mention), so the low body fat/dietary fat could be the more likely possibilities in your case.
It's essential that you expand the variety in your diet; otherwise, you will experience negative physical results from a lack of nutrients. Eating from all food groups everyday is required to keep us healthy! This may sound like a daunting process, but if you break it down to small, manageable goals, even small bites, you could have a better chance for success. Try adding one new food at a time to your daily regimen. You can perhaps start with a good source of protein: fish, poultry, meat, or eggs. Once you are able to do this, you can add milk or yogurt to your cereal. It will help to satisfy your hunger, and provide much needed calcium in your eating plan. It may also help you to keep the amount of cereal you eat within a reasonable amount, instead of filling up on it at the expense of other nutritious foods. Next, you may want to add vegetables, one at a time. If you feel more comfortable snacking during the day instead of having full meals, that's fine. You can keep a few baby carrots, for example, in a small plastic bag in your backpack for easy access. In order to make room for a wider variety of foods, you may find the need to cut back on the amount of some of the foods you are currently eating. It would probably be a big help to have the guidance of a registered dietitian, doctor, or nurse knowledgeable in nutrition to help guide you.
Although you don't want to tell anyone about your situation, it really is the first step in dealing with your issues. Ignoring the situation doesn't make it go away. You stated that you want to be as small as possible. It would be to your benefit to discuss your thoughts and feelings about your body with a trusted adult. Perhaps there is a parent, religious leader, guidance counselor, teacher, doctor, nurse, or other relative that you could talk with and trust who can help put your body image in perspective. Addressing self-esteem is important in dealing with eating problems. If you see your worth only in terms of a low body weight, you aren't being fair to yourself — you are not recognizing all the positive attributes you possess. You may understand this on a logical level, but not on a feeling or emotional level. But it's great if you can take the risk.
Many celebrities — models, movie stars, and others — are incredibly thin and have recently told their own stories of the drastic measures they've taken to achieve an unrealistically low weight. Sometimes they smoke heavily, use drugs, and starve themselves to achieve a certain look. Make-up artists and film retouching hide the negative effects of these harmful behaviors. Comparing yourself to them doesn't make sense and isn't healthy.
Were you ever under a doctor's care? You can start with the school nurse or guidance counselor to get a check-up to see if you are okay. You have taken an important first step by describing what's going on here. As much as you are not interested, and as difficult as it can be, the next step is to tell someone in your life (if it's hard to talk, you can show them this letter to start).
Good luck
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