How can someone eating so much be underweight?

[hollman]

One of my friends (or - to be more precise - the girl who lives in the room below mine at Uni) is underweight, and yet she eats massive amounts of food - especially cheese which is really fattening isnt it?

 

She is 168cm tall, and weighs 48kg - a bmi of just 17. Less than 18 is considered to be underweight.

 

She is a vegetarian - which i guess has something to do with it - but she eats big meals and snacks loads in between. How can she be underweight? (NB: doesnt smoke, doesnt use drugs, drinks occaisionally (e.g. socially)). She doesnt exercise a massive amount (apart from rock climbing and salsa dancing)

 

How does she do this, is there any risk of being slightly underweight like that, and if so what action should she be taking??

[darkblue]

What kind of food is she snacking on?

 

It's not a huge risk to her health - but it is still unhealthy.

[DN]

My daughter's ex boyfriend was like that. He came to our place for Chistmas dinner one time and ate a full meal - an hour after having dinner at his own house. At Pizza Hut one time they had an 'all you can eat' lunchtime buffet - 27 slices he put away. And he could have hidden behind a beanpole!!

[darkblue]

I'd love to be blessed with a high metabolic rate.

[melrich]

Her metabolism is probably very efficient. Also though she may not exercise much she must be very fit to participate in rock climbing so her whole system is likely to be efficient at using her intake as energy.

 

Being a vegetarian would help also as this would likely be a low fat diet.

[hellogoodbye]

Or she could have some type of ED. I hate to bring that up but its a possiblity. I know a few athletes that are dealing with ED's. Its a possiblity or she just has a great metabolism.

[lostlove]

yeah...she probably has a very high metabolism. also, if she is very active, then that may also play into it. there is, of course, always the possibility that she is bulimic, but that is doubtful-- i know people like this as well...and like i said, they just have high metabolisms naturally.

 

one more thing-- sometimes the charts for what is underweight can be a little bit wrong. for example, i have a bmi of 16.8, but i am not considered underweight for my age. muscle mass is another thing that is not taken into account...you cannot truly get a completely accurate evaluation of your weight healthwise unless you go to a professional.

[BillyJean714]

I can relate, but she also has to realize that just because she has high metabolism, doesn't mean that she can take advantage of it consistently by eating lots of cheeze, fats, and oils. Although she may appear healthy, she could be at risk for other diseases such as high cholesterol. But, I'm not hating, because I think that it is an advantage to be able to scarf down unhealthy food, and still lose weight without trying.

 

Just a tip: She has to make healthy eating a habit though. Once women reach their mid-twenties and into their early thirties, that's when the child-bearing days kicks in, and the body automatically slows down the bmr so that women can store up more protective cushioning to make it ideal for pregnancy. That's typical for a woman's physiology, not always the case, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

[hollman]

Bit more detail...

 

She's only just taken up the rock climbing and salsa in the last couple of weeks.

 

She doesnt have an eating disorder as someone suggested - as i said, she eats a lot.

 

She eats a mix of healthy food (stir-frys, pasta, etc) and snack food (chocolate, crisps, etc) and also takes vitamin supplements to make up for the lack of certain vitamins in vegetarian diet. Oh - and of course the massive amounts of cheese!!!

 

I guess the high metabolism thing could be true. She has an advantage like me of feeling the immediate effects of alcohol quickly, but then disposing of the stuff quickly too. During a pub crawl, we were both feeling very relaxed quickly, continued drinking and remained at a similar level all night, and were both sober by the time we got home. Following morning we were about the only people in the house not nursing hangovers, even though we had both drunk more than some of the others. Perhaps it is the same thing with food?

 

I don't eat as much as her, and have a higher BMI (pretty much the optimum weight) but i still eat more than some people i know who are overweight. However - I eat a lot of meat, and less healthy food!

[RayKay]

Some people just have high metabolisms....the bad thing is often if you just get by based on your high metabolism it comes back to you later if you don't exercise, limit food intake and so forth!

 

She may also be malnourished and missing essentials depending on her diet or have a metabolic disorder.

 

Also...if she is a veggie, she may eat more to make up for it. As a vegetarian in the past (for 10 years) I had to eat lots of whole grains, veggies, fruits, dairy, soy, etc to make up for the physical activity I did and get the nutrients I needed...meat is very calorie dense, so you need less of it. And while cheese can be fattening..not all of it is (it's often also in the under 30% of calories from fat limit), it's also about calories and the rest of her diet..it may balance out well with everything else so she is taking in less fat and calories from the cheese than you think. Cheese is fine in moderation..it often gets a bad rap

 

The one issue is...you can be what is called "skinny fat"...very thin but have very poor muscle tone, health, and also build up cholesterol and plaque in your heart and organs. So no matter what weight, you should aim for a healthy diet and exercise.

 

Some cheese is also good for you, but she should be careful of massive quantities...as a vegetarian she does not need to ensure she gets protein, but lots of cheese is not always the best option.

[hollman]

Hi,

 

The cheese thing is to the extent that it has become a joke within the house. She (jokingly) stuck a sticker taken from The Sun saying "i'm too sexy" on a packet of cheese yesterday - or to be precise, on MY packet of cheese... so I'm bound to get a few funny looks when i make a cheese sandwhich tomorrow!!! Have you ever tried sitting in a friends kitchen with a girl and she asks them if she can have some cheese to eat??!!

 

I'd say her muscle tone was reasonable - i.e. not poor, but nothing to get excited about.

 

I've been paying a little more attention to what she eats and drinks - she seems to regularly drink alpha-soy drinks (although she drinks regular milk as well). She seems to eat a fair amount of whole grains too. The dairy is obviously covered by the cheese!!! Doesnt drink tea/coffee at all, but water or fruit juice instead.

 

At least she generally seems to cook most of her food from scratch herself, which is obviously healthier than buying ready made stuff.

 

One other question - would high metabolism account for slightly "hyperactive" behaviour (not sure if that is the right word). She is a really fun person to be with, and tends to stay up late, get up early without being tired, start water fights in the kitchen at 1am, start watching films at 2am, etc.