Am i at a good weight?

by Phoenix
(Belleville, IL, USA)

I am 5' 5'', 91 pounds and I am a 13 year old girl. Is this a healthy weight or am I underweight? People always say I look too thin and that I should eat more. I have a good medical history, but I do have pulmonary catch syndrome. For a while I took ibuprofen (prescribed by my doctor) 2 times a day. The end of my left rib also points outwards instead of towards my body. My left rib is also almost an inch higher raised then my right rib cage. Besides that I have a good medical history. People in my family are mostly at a normal weight and have never been underweight during their entire lives. I eat so much food, healthy food, yet I still don't gain weight! Lately I have even dropped from 101lbs to 91 pounds. So, am I at a good weight?
Thank you.

Low BMI and eating well

I calculate your BMI to be 15.1. This is a low reading and indicates the amount of body fat to your height and weight is low. You are therefore underweight for your size, but you are clearly aware of this which is why you have got in touch about this. It is important to understand that you should not worry about this, but you are right to question it and I would suggest talking to your parents about this.

There are lots of reasons why you could be underweight and your parents should consider taking you to the doctor to get this checked. The important thing is this is not likely to be a serious problem so I can reassure you about this. You could have a hormone condition, a problem with food absorption in your bowel or an increased metabolism for various reasons. By going to your doctor he or she can check you for these and examine you to make sure there is nothing wrong.

Chances are you will gain weight in time. The important thing is making sure you are enjoying life, eating well, having lots of time playing and carrying out all the normal things a 13 year old would normally do. I hope this helps you and I wish you luck, but do talk to your parents about your worries, they’ll be very understand I am sure.




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