Underweight?

[oneskineejosie]

Hi everyone,
I'm kinda new here and a lot of you seem knowledgable regarding fitness and nutrition so I have a question...
I recently calculated my BMI for the 1st time, and it put me in the "underweight" range. I'm about 5'6.5" and 112 lbs, I do cathe workouts 5-6 days a week (split between cardio and weight training) and I eat a healthy diet (whole grains, lean protein, lots of fruits and vegetables and of course some chocolate. Mmmmmmmmmm!!!). I'm really healthy (just had a physical), and I've been small my entire life.
I guess my question is: Just because my BMI says "underweight" does this mean I should try to gain weight? I'd definitely like to gain strength (esp. in my uper body), and what should I do to achieve my goal? I'd appreciate any advice!
Thanks,
Josie

 

[Flyweight]

If you are healthly, you are fine. You have room for "experimentation", so maybe try to bulk up a bit. That means lots of resistance exercises (weights) and a calorie surplus to build muscle. I tend to be on the "underweight" side of the BMI as well, so I use it as an opportunity to try different exercise regimes, etc. to see what my body will do. I've also been small my whole life and never had weight problems.

As long as you have energy and are healthy, have at it!!

 

[JenL13]

I would by no means try to gain "weight or fat", that does seem very small for your height but again everybody is built different. I would try to do w/o that include weights in them instead of just doing cardio w/o, if that is what you are doing now. I am 5'5"-5'6" and weight 130 but most people guess me at 120 b/c most of weight is lean muscle. Not sure that helps...

 

[JeanneMarie]

Hi Josie! I was in your boat for a long, long time. I was 5'7" tall and 110 lbs for years. Once I really got into Cathe's weight work, and gained some muscle in my upper body, I managed to gain about 8 lbs. I am now 118 lbs. Some charts still show me as underweight, but I am not. Your height and weight sound perfectly fine to me. If you are not happy with your definition, Cathe will help you with that. Good luck!

 

[oneskineejosie]

Thanks for your responses. I am trying to boost my caloric intake just a little (with healthy foods) in an attempt to put on some muscle. I know that I don't have a body type that is naturally muscular, but I'd really like to lift as much as Cathe someday!!!
Josie

 

[peanut1129]

Hi Josie,

Just thought I'd add my two cents. I am 5'2" and weigh around 100lbs. I have always been "underweight" according to the charts. I used to be really self-conscious about this and people always felt the need to make comments about how I should gain weight(that's a whole other story). Anyway....I recently started seeing a new internist and they said that in determining ideal weight your body frame has to be taken into account. I am very small--they use your wrist measurement as a guide. My doctor said that with my frame size 100lbs is actually perfect and that I shouldn't try to gain any signifact amount of weight. HTH