|
Is this an eating disorder or malnutrition?
Okay so to start off I am 20 years old, I am 5 ft 8in tall and I weigh 117lbs. I know I am slightly underweight with a BMI of 17.7
I am a model so I am at an ideal weight for the industry (sadly I know) however I also exercise and do not look unhealthy. I have muscles and fat on my legs.
I have a tall, lean figure by genetics, however in the past 6 months I have lost about 15 lbs. I used to weigh 130 and dropped to 115 through no specific action of my own. I do not eat a lot but I eat the same as I have all my life and I grew up at a normal weight my whole life. I've never felt hungry and when I did I ate. The only thing that has changed in the past six months that could account for my weight loss is the fact that I started exercising.
I drink a lot of energy drinks and protein shakes.
Now my question is in the past month I've noticed that I have started to ALWAYS be hungry. I will eat a meal and two hours later I will crave another type of food, or sugar, or fruit or a snack. I am alwayss thinking about food and I always satisfy my hunger but I am starting to worry that I am eating too much because I constantly crave food. At the same time, I get dizzy spells when getting up too fast, have trouble with digestion, and I don't really know why this is happening.
I'm not really sure what this is, I couldn't find an eating disorder to match my symptoms and I'm thinking I might just be getting the wrong kind of nutrition. If anyone has any information on what the problem may be please respond. If it is malnutrition how can I improve on it without gaining weight.
thanks!
[ ]
Want to answer more questions in the Health & Fitness category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Nutrition?
We are not doctors and we cannot and should not be making diagnoses.
Is what you are describing an eating order? Not in the fullest terms of the description of the words. You are underweight by about 10 pounds. This can be worse than being overweight by the same amount; as the body is looking to make up the weight by looking for stored fat that is not there. Also when a person turns fat into muscle they generally gain weight as muscle weighs more than fat.
My very non medical take on this is that if exercising is new to your routine and this seems to be the cause of your weight loss. Then you need to up you calorie intake to replace what you are burning. You do not have the fat reserves needed to make up what your burning and the energy drinks are not designed to do this for you.
My advise is to do the following.
1) See your doctor just to make sure there is nothing physically wrong to account for the weight loss. Also to get the doctors advice on a weight that is proper for you and will allow you to continue as a model.
The biggest problem you have right now is the dizziness upon standing. This is a sign, generally of a momentary drop in blood pressure. This could be due to your being underweight. This is what you need to have checked out by your doctor as there are other causes for this as well.
2)Find a nutritionist to work with who can design a diet plan to provide the proper nutritional intake to fit your life style.
A good nutritionist will be able to tell how many calories you need a day based on your activities and then plan a weekly menus for you to work and shop with.
If you want and can afford it I would also advice a third thing which is to have a professional trainer to work with.A professional trainer working with your nutritionist will keep you healthy and fit for your modeling assignments. Theses three things along with regular check ups with your doctor will keep you in the best of shape for your chosen profession. Models can look and be healthy without being bean poles and being sick all the time.
As a professional model the expense of a trainer and nutritionist may be tax deductible. Check with your tax advisor.
]
How often do you exercise? Also know that energy drinks speed up your metabolism, so that could be explaining why you are getting hungrier. Also, it's not uncommon for models to eat more during certain periods. Mainly because they are made to watch their weight, and it can sometimes lead to a bad eating disorder. If it starts to become a problem, even before it starts to, I would suggest making an appointment with your physician. Tell him/her how often you drink your energy supplements, any changes in activities, diet, etc. It can be stressful being a model, but remember, your health is more important than that.
]
More Questions: |