Let's talk weight (and whether I need to gain any)

C. Beth Run.

Barefooters
Jul 6, 2010
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Okay, so I'm going to start this post off by saying that I'm aware I'm VERY lucky to have the "problem" I'm going to write about. My parents didn't give me tallness genes or voluptuous genes, but they did give me me skinny genes. (The skinny jeans, however, I had to buy myself. :p )

I have a fast metabolism, and since I've been running more mileage, it seems to have gotten quite a bit faster. That means I've inadvertently lost weight.

I eat when I'm hungry. I do eat 3 meals a day but also "graze" in between. I eat a lot of healthy stuff (whole grains, fruits, veggies, protein) but honestly I also have a sweet tooth and eat too much junk food. Overall I think it's a decent diet, and I'm pretty happy with it. (In college I was way too obsessive about what I ate, and I'd prefer to err on the side of freedom now!) I eat a little before I run, and in the several hours after a long run, I eat a lot. I think my daily calorie count is probably somewhat low just because I've never had a large appetite, so my portions tend to be on the small side.

I'm at the same weight I've been at, at my other "skinniest" times (most recently while breastfeeding, another metabolism-boosting activity!) My doctor hasn't been concerned about me being underweight, but my BMI says I am. I'm 5'2", 99 pounds, BMI 18.1. (18.5 is considered the low end of normal/healthy.) I don't seem to have any issues related to being underweight. (For instance, my cycles are more regular than they've ever been, and I'm sorry if that's TMI.) I feel good and don't get sick often. I think I look healthy, but lately my jeans won't stay up so I have definitely gotten skinnier! I don't know what my body fat percentage is. It's naturally low but right now it's probably really low.

Here's a recent photo. You can see my legs have gotten really skinny--they were always chicken legs, but running has really gotten rid of most of the fat on them.



So my question is, should I try to gain a few pounds? If so, I'm assuming I just need to target healthy, higher-fat foods like nuts and seeds? I'm not sure if I should even be concerned; my body just seems to settle at this weight when I have a lifestyle that involves burning a lot of calories. But I wonder if I really should weigh a bit more for any health reasons.

Thoughts?
 
You can be either too

You can be either too overweight or too underweight. What does your doctor say?
 
TJ--Last time I asked my

TJ--Last time I asked my doctor, she thought I was fine. She said BMI is very limited in its usefulness for various reasons. I think she just looks more at overall health instead of a somewhat-arbitrary figure like BMI. My other numbers like cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure are all good, and have all gone down a bit since I started running.
 
If you're at a healthy weight

If you're at a healthy weight with healthy readings/stats, then I wouldn't worry about it. :)
 
So are you asking us "Do you

So are you asking us "Do you think I should gain weight to be healthier" or "Do you think I should gain weight because I look too skinny"?
 
Abide--I'm more concerned

Abide--I'm more concerned about the health aspects. Would gaining weight make me healthier in the long run/healthier in the short term/help me as a runner? "Looking too skinny" is so subjective so it's not something I want to worry too much about.
 
I think if you feel good,

I think if you feel good, just keep doin what you're doin...

Now, if you want to gain weight, I have seen other people I know gain weight by getting stronger...by way of Whey shakes, Muscle Milk or otherwise.

But really, you are the ultimate, perfect body type for a runner. As long as you don't feel sickly, I say stick to what you're doing.
 
Thanks, Mary. I think

Thanks, Mary. I think I probably need to adopt my doc's attitude--worry less about a number on a scale and focus more on whether or not I'm healthy & feel good.
 
I agree. Numbers are far less

I agree. Numbers are far less useful then how you feel. I think if you are undernourished you'd feel it and certainly see it in your cycles. Your body would also likely slow its metabolism down a bit and you'd probably actually be hungry enough to eat larger portions if you were starving yourself. I highly doubt your body would let you accidently undernourish it.
 
 You'll probably see a lot of

You'll probably see a lot of opinions on this one! The Gregorek tables put your ideal weight at 110 pounds with 13% body fat. Theoretically, I say body composition is a lot more important than weight. For a smaller framed woman, I always think it is advisable to have a weight lifting/resistance training program, not only to promote greater physical strength, but also boost bone density. Doesn't seem like a big deal when you're a young whipper-snapper, but it will be a big deal when you are an old fossil like me. Muscle weighs more than fat, so putting on a few pounds of muscle, or converting some of your fat to muscle could get you up there in the triple digits :).

Keep your diet healthy with high calorie density, high nutrient density foods, add in some weight training (big muscle groups, lower reps, heavier weights) and make sure you are getting plenty of rest. As long as you are doing the right stuff, your body will balance to the right weight.

And just a side note, I've noticed over the last year, as Trail Runner magazine has carried more and more pictures of women racing ultras, that some are slivers and some are downright burly. The top females are all over the place on that one, really. It has made me question if there really is an "ideal" weight or build for female distance runners in mixed terrain.
 
txtenderfoot

txtenderfoot said:
...... converting some of your fat to muscle could get you up there in the triple digits :).



How do you convert fat into muscle?

Even it it were possible, does she have any to spare?
 
TXTenderfoot--I think those

TXTenderfoot--I think those ideas are great. Weight-bearing exercise is particularly important for me since white, small-framed women are at higher risk of osteoporosis. I do some weight/resistance training. I guess it could always be more, but I usually get in some specific, targeted exercises (to help my ITBS) about 5x/week and various other areas of the body a couple of times per week. Eating healthy, calorie-dense foods is probably great fuel for my body considering my lifestyle & metabolism. Tonight nutty trail mix sounds really good so maybe my body's craving that type of good fat/protein.

Very interesting about the elite ultramarathoners. I wonder if there is more variety in body type with elite ultra runners than with elite lower-distance runners. If so, maybe it's because in ultras a strong mind is just as important as a strong body? And of course strong minds come in all sorts of bodies....

Thanks again for the input!
 
I think that, your cycles are

I think that, your cycles are a good indicator that you're at a healthy spot for you. You are eating healthy foods and if your body settles there on it's own without effort on your end to lose, you are feeling strong and energetic, then you're fine. I'm with Abide on this one...ask yourself if it's a matter of health or image. Some folks are just small :)
 
Do you know roughly what your

Do you know roughly what your intake is daily?
 
If your bloodwork checks out

If your bloodwork checks out and you have no reason to think you have malabsorption problem like celiac, it's likely no problem at all. Some people are just small.Trust your body. If your doctor has not checked to make sure you have enough of the essential nutrients like B12 and vitamin D, you might want to consider asking if she could make sure it checks out, but you would know by getting sick and being tired.
 
Zumba--I really don't know

Zumba--I really don't know what my daily intake is. It might be interesting to track it sometime and see.

jschwab--That's probably not a bad idea. My annual physical is in a few months, and I'll talk to her about that. Thanks!
 
Longboard:"How do you

Longboard:

"How do you convert fat into muscle?

Even it it were possible, does she have any to spare?"



Ahh, good catch of my clumsy wording, Longboard! If I had a scheme for directly converting fat to muscle, I'd be a wealthy man!!

What I should have said is if you readjust your body composition to a higher muscle to fat ratio, you'll gain weight. As for the "Does she have any to spare?" question, a person can be pretty thin and still be carrying too much fat. Take me for instance . . .
 
You sound like you have a

You sound like you have a body that's operating at near optimum. Why worry? Just don't run out of good food to feed your engine. To me, the most telling bit was the TMI stuff. If your body is stressed for nutrients, you'd be shut down or irregular. I think of all those anorectic stories I've heard. Run well!
 
Beth, I won't worry too much

Beth, I won't worry too much about it. I am in the same boat as you I also am 5'2 and 102 lbs(funny thing is that people think I weight less than I really do) I eat five to six meals a day but unlike your meals my meals are not small(asked my husband I eat way more than he does).

The bottom line is that if you feel good and healthy then you are. So don't worry about it and count your blessings.
 
I'm glad to hear more

I'm glad to hear more confirmation that I should just "Don't worry, be happy (and skinny.)" :)

As for whether I have any fat to spare--I probably shouldn't be trying to get rid of more fat (though if I increase my mileage more it might be unavoidable) but I would love to gain muscle, for sure. I have, however, had to realize I'll probably never have legs that really LOOK muscular. I see some women who run who have these amazing legs--with perfectly muscular curves. That's just not my body type--and that's okay!