two thin?

Question
Hi Karen

A coworker at my job has been doing a diet that I never heard of; but I did find a lot of articles in news about it on the internet. I was wondering your opinion on this diet. Thanks.

She is thin, very thin. She eats a low-calorie, very low fat diet. She is cold all the time. Her food intakes is mostly fruits, vegetables, some nuts, chicken breast. She does eat 5 small meals a day, of which I also do, but her calorie intake is so very low.

What also bothers me is that this diet does NO exercise. None. "Never thin enough" seems to be the goal. Exercise may make you look bigger.

I read the articles where a lot of people think this is a great diet, because the bodyfat percentages are really low, many less than 3%. But I don't know, I think that this "skiny" look over long term is JUST not a good idea!

What do you think?

Answer
Hi Michelle,

The diet you are describing is definitely *not* something I would recommend!  It does not sound nutritionally balanced, and eating a very low calorie diet does not lead to successful long-term weight loss. Also, it usually causes loss of lean muscle tissue; one of the effects of this is that a person's metabolism will be slower and it will be easier to gain weight.

You can find my suggestions for promoting healthy weight loss here:

http://www.getfitwithkaren.com/WL-Tips.htm

Extremely low body fat percentages (such as the 3% you described) are not healthy; having too little body fat is a health risk just as having too much is a health risk. A healthy body fat percentage for women is roughly 21-32% (the healthy percentage goes up a bit as you age).

As for the exercise part, exercising is extremely important for promoting weight loss and helping to maintain a healthy weight. Many studies show that those who exercise are much more successful at losing weight and keeping it off. Not to mention that exercise has many other health benefits as well.

Obviously, I don't agree with the "super-skinny" look, and for most women it is just not possible to maintain this look while eating a nutritionally adequate diet. I hope your coworker is able to consider moving towards a healthier approach to eating and exercise (and accepting her body at the size it's meant to be).

Hope that helps!

Karen
www.getfitwithkaren.com

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