To think that I understand my own body?

You look really boney around your joints.

I suspect you need some support at the moment. If you have had an issue before I think it has crept up on you again.

When I was running miles every day for something to do during lockdown I lost some weight unintentionally (was slim to start with) and looking back on photos from that time I can see my face does look quite gaunt. If you are small to start with and not a huge eater it is easy to drift into looking a bit unhealthy even if you are not officially underweight. You might need to look at your diet again to make sure you are fuelling properly for your new level of activity.

1500 calories is a diet for losing weight. Which you don't need to do. That is concerning in itself.

If a bunch of people are saying it separately you should probably pay attention.

If everyone "knew their body" no one would have eating disorders would they?

@mylittledoggie Why do you think that your family has made those comments? Do they struggle with their weight? @woolshop makes a good point about perhaps reassuring them.

If you are eating 1500 calories of highly nutritious food and you feel healthy with lots of energy ignore the comments but if you are thinking you need to loose more weight I would think you may be at risk of developing body dysmorphia. Maybe you should consult your GP for a blood screen to ensure your body is getting the necessary nutrients. Then you can reassure your family.

Looking at your shoulders, wrist bones and arms I can see why they're concerned, to be honest. To me you look as though you're beginning to tip into underweight/anorexic territory.

You have a lovely figure but most importantly you feel healthy.

I don't think it's necessarily about what you look like. It's about what's going on in the part of the picture you covered.

@VyeBrator Of course both can look fine. Most people aren’t on extreme ends of the weight spectrum anyway.

@mylittledoggie Is your family generally loving and supportive towards you, or do they tend to be critical? For me, that would determine whether I’d take any notice of them! My Dad can be very critical, whereas if my late Mum made a comment, I’d know that she was genuinely concerned, iyswim.

There's slim making you feel good, fine.

There's underweight and restricting calories while exercising making you feel good, which could be tipping into an eating disorder/body dysmorphic/exercise addiction issue.

BMI of 18, 1500 calories at 5' 8", exercising, makes me wonder about the latter.

You need someone to look at you and be honest. Are you gaunt in the face? Can you count ribs?

Per some proper PT advice to get you the body shape you want, along with some nutritional advice.

Being overweight can (and does) often make the face look haggard, due to the droppage and jowls caused by that.

Do what makes you feel good and don't be listening to things others often only say to make them feel better.

Give it another 10 years when most previously overweight people will have lost it with WL injections, and this myth will conveniently disappear from MN.

My daughter has a BMI of 18 generally but whenever she is stressed or unwell, it drops. She doesn’t have a healthy relationship with food. Maybe your family are worried about you?

I was very underweight a few years ago and definetly looked haggard, now I've gained a little weight I dont look as old 😅

Somtimes, losing weight can make your face look haggard unfortunatly

That's a myth that only ever seems to get peddled on Mumsnet.

It's perfectly possible for both to look fine.

I can also share my anecdotal evidence of fat people looking old and having really bad skin (thanks to smoking and eating crap). But at the end of the day both you and I believe in what makes us feel better

At that height for a BMI of 18.2 you would be around 120lbs.

If you exercise every day then your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is 2,300 for that weight.

Even if you were sedentary you would need more than 1500.

I think you've already acknowledged you need to increase your calorie requirement to maintain your weight.

I would reccommend using a TDEE calculator with your exact information which will set you in the right direction.

@broccolienthusiast Yes, either extreme can be aging. As @devilspawn says, facial lines are the main issue when you’re very thin. Hence the filler!

Maybe internally, but outward physical appearance I don't agree at all, lack of fat makes wrinkles more prominent and faces look saggy and jowls look more pronounced. It's why people get filler. Every white person I know who's thinner looks a lot older than they are, sometimes even by a decade or more. My mum is a bit overweight and despite eating crap and smoking for 40 years she looks a decade younger than my MIL who is very slim and active. That's only one example, but I'm struggling to think of anyone I know at all who looks older.

@devilspawn Some people just don't look good thinner, and especially from 40s onward it makes you look older.

But it’s the excessive fat that ages you more