Im 36 but my BMI is only 17 since i was 18 years old. how can i increase it?

all my life ive had people accuse me of eating disorders or mental problems. but no-one believes that my weight has been this naturally all my life (except my boyfriend belives me thankfully!). when i was pregnant some years back i only gained a stone and a half. after my child was born my weight plummeted to BMI of 16 while i was breastfeeding so i had to stop. i eat 3 times a day, i eat fish five times a week, love chips, pizza and anything pasta based. i eat about 8 eggs a week, love bread (wholegrain) and enjoy smoothies, cheese yoghurt and the odd chocolate bar (i prefer savory treats like crisps to be honest). but i dont eat a lot of junk food, i mostly cook for myself. but now as im getting older, being this thin at 5foot 7 isnt good. but my periods are regular, i get tired from time to time but nothing unusual, just motherhood really, i smoke and drink once a week when i go out with friends..ive no extremes of food or drink behaviours except for tea, i drink about 20 mugs of tea a day..i cant help that.

the doctor said my BMI is too low, to eat more and go on supplements (im on high multivitamins) but as ive no health issues just to come back for checkup in 6 months.

is there anything i can take to gain weight? has anyone else got this concern?

some advice would be so welcome!Im 36 but my BMI is only 17 since i was 18 years old. how can i increase it?
Deal with one problem at a time…

“20 mugs of tea a day”?

Sure you can help that.



I stopped smoking once…went through 10 days of Hell, but I did it.

I stopped drinking caffeine Coca-cola once…I still drink it but occasionally, whenever I want. I used to have to drink those a lot every day…not anymore.

I don’t even drink coffee anymore…not that I avoid it…I would still like a good espresso if the occasion would arise.



Maybe you just cannot gain weight because you cannot make fat reserves. Could be genetics (like Mick Jagger and his daughters) or you were born prematurely. I know a guy like that who still looked like a skinny teenager at 40 and had to carry ID if he wanted to drink in a bar to prove that he was at least 21. He was born at 6 months, eats tons of food, always hungry, since he cannot make fat reserves.



You seem to be in good health (no health issue and regular periods) and have a good diet (except those 20 mugs of tea a day, you must pee a lot).



The BMI does not apply to everybody, just most of the people but not everybody. It surely does NOT apply to you (no offense, but your doctor is a moron). The BMI does not apply to naturally very thin people, or skinny-fat people (NWO: Normal Weight Obese, light people with a high body fat percentage) or athletes who are heavy with a lot of muscle mass and a low body fat percentage.



At 5’7, you’d need to weigh 108/109lbs to get a 17BMI which is not that bad, just look like it because you’re so tall.



I’m 5’5 and I have a normal 120lbs/126lbs (BMI 20/21) weight but when I was breastfeeding, I got down to an 18BMI (108lbs) and also had to stop breastfeeding (after a year) because I was becoming underweight after having first lost all the extra weight I put on during the pregnancy. I did not stop breastfeeding because my BMI got low; I just got to a point where I had nothing more to give as far as fat reserves was concerned so my milk production stopped on its own.



What about exercising…aerobics and weight lifting? You’re not saying anything about that.

I’m not super thin but I cannot make fat reserves on my arms and unless I do weight training and get a nice little hint of a curve, due to muscle definition, my arms just look like weak skinny sticks.

Do some weight training, doing calisthenics (using your own body as weight…lunges, squats, crunches, pushups…) and use small weights so you can build up muscle mass. You can gain about one pound of muscle mass a month.Im 36 but my BMI is only 17 since i was 18 years old. how can i increase it?
No offense to your doctor but he doesn't know what he/she is talking about. BMI is a very inaccurate way to measure how "healthy" one is. For example, I have a client who is 6'0 and weighs 185lbs. According to the BMI calculator he is overweight. However, he is about 7% body fat (lean and ripped to shreds). The only way to get an accurate idea of how healthy you are is getting your body fat measured. Find a personal trainer who has their own set of Harpinder Calipers and is trained in how to use them (I prefer personal trainers who are Poliquin certified, you can check his website to find one in your area). Ignore your doctor!Im 36 but my BMI is only 17 since i was 18 years old. how can i increase it?
Cut back on the tea. Caffeine is a stimulant and it will reduce your weight. So will smoking, but you only do that once a week, so I doubt it's having much of an effect. Alcohol seems to be neutral.



That being said, I quite agree, BMI is a limited measure. What you need to know is the percentage of body fat. Unless it's in an unhealthy range, consider yourself blessed, most people would give their eye teeth to be able to eat what they want without getting fat. You could probably plump up by adding more simple carbs, white bread, sugary treats, junk food, that sort of stuff, but why eat the very stuff that makes us unhealthy? To judge by your diet, you'll live just about forever, and in good shape, too.