To maintain an unhealthy BMI?

[AliceScarlett]

Anything between 16.5 and 18.5 is OK with me, for me. I won't let it get above 18.5.
I have not noticed any physical health problems (apart from being bloody freezing all the time). I don't look emaciated and I eat healthy food, but about 1300 cals a day.

DH disagrees, he worries and thinks I'm "being anorexic" and is concerned about how it might effect my fertility (we are going to start ttc in 6 months).

I think I'm fine and BMI isn't the be all and end all of healthy weights anyway.

1300 isn't enough and I'm surprised you're not consistently losing weight with those calories.

Well if you think you're fine and if you're unconcerned about what your DH thinks why on earth are you wasting time asking here?

Everyone is different but if you are planning to start ttc it might be a good idea to get checked out by the doc and have a general health check while you're at it. Good luck!

Tell us what you would consume in a typical day please

If you are restricting your diet to maintain an unnaturally low/unhealthy BMI then that is not a good idea. I think your DH is right to be concerned about your fertility tbh.

I imagine you are quite young and that the health impact of this could hit when you are older.

Go and speak to your GP and see if they think it's ok.

Your post is basically saying - "I'm not going to listen to my DH or anyone else, no matter what they say"

I'm not sure why are you bothering to ask us, or are you simply looking for responses from people who agree with you?

1300 cals a day is how I've lost 2st recently!!

What's wrong with your BMI being above 18.5?

No I'm genuinely open to feedback and other opinions. I am a bit worried I'm in denial about the downsides of being underweight.

1300 isn't enough and I'm surprised you're not consistently losing weight with those calories.

That depends entirely on OP's height and activity level. 1300 could be quite enough for some people. Though obviously I would worry about the combination of a) the OP being under 18.5 and b) OP's DH perceiving her to be showing signs of an eating disorder. I would be inclined to believe outside opinion on the matter rather than my own, if I were the OP.

You say BMI isnt the be all and end all and doesnt really matter yet dont let it get above 18.5? Why, if it doesnt matter?

I wouldn't lose weight on 1300 calories a day, I'm not particularly active right now (long hours in an office) and don't burn more than that. I'm BMI 21. I could be 18.5 and still be perfectly normal, with normal wobbly bits.
So I don't at 18.5 or 1300.

What I do at is your comment about not letting it go above 18.5. Also that you know you eat 1300 calories.

Too much awareness of and adherence to numbers suggests a relationship with eating that isn't entirely casual and easy.

Being naturally slim is healthy. Not letting your BMI go above 18.5 suggests an eating disorder to me, sorry

Hmmm...might be nothing to it. TTC could go either way, 1300 isn't loads but is about right for the BMI you are maintaining, and despite what people may think, some would not be able to maintain that BMI on those calories, but a higher one. I suppose you'd only be able to say for sure over 10 years and fewer people would maintain that daily calorie intake over 10 years due to it being slightly lower than average, but that said there is a proportion of people who would average that generally, and I have no idea in practice what weight they maintain.

If you are happy and healthy - and I mean that in the full spectrum - properly happy, not diet obsessed, and properly healthy in the full sense - it seems to be a non-problem and only time will tell if that is the case, and it may well be.

1300 is really low, it should really be 1700-2000 depending on activity levels. You will be at a higher risk of miscarriage if you do conceive due to being underweight. Do you think you might have anorexia?

I maintain on 1300 because of being underweight, I'm assuming my body is trying to put on weight, so it will if I eat "normally".

Over 18.5 and I'm scared of being fat and undoing all the good work I did last year losing 4 stone.

What do you mean you won't let it get above 18.5? That sounds a little worrying up me.

Being cold permanently is a sign of being underweight.

There are plenty of health issues with being underweight; weakened immune systems, increased risk of osteoporosis, reduced fertility, increased risk of nutritional deficiencies.

Have you been underweight for a long time?

Yeah your right on the one hand I dismiss the bmi then on the other I don't want to be in the healthy range.

Would it increase risk of miscarriages?? Cripes.

Been underweight for 9 months.

What would happen if you got back into the healthy range?

I've always been naturally slim. 5'5 and only 7 stone when I had my first baby about 16 years ago.
Then it stayed at about 8 stone for 10 years.
Then I had another baby in my late 30's and now 11 stone roughly.
I eat about 1200 a day and don't lose any weight,
It's more worrying that you're worried about going over 18.5

Over eaters can flip to being anorexics. I can't diagnose you, OP, but I think you need to seriously consider that's where you're at. Friend went thru this (like 30 yrs ago). Nobody realised, they all praised her for weight loss without seeing she had shifted her binge eating disorder to a different set of eating misbehaviours.

BMI isn't the be all and end all. But you attitude to it is poor. Your going to try for a baby soon, you realise you'll have to increase your calories and put weight on to sustain a healthy pregnancy? How do you feel about that?

I don't think I do have anorexia because I know I'm not fat