Body weight is normal, can you continue the diet?

Being slim is a dream for many people. Many people are struggling desperately to get to the ideal body weight with strict diets. In fact, there are also people who still have the desire to lose weight even though their weight is already in the normal category. Usually this happens to people who are not satisfied with their body shape and want their body to be slimmer again. Is it healthy to stick to a diet even though you already have a normal weight?

Is my body weight normal?

Ideal body weight can be known easily from the body mass index (BMI) or in English it is called body mass index (BMI). You can calculate your BMI using the following formula:

From these results, consider the following weight categories.

Underweight: <18.5
Normal weight: 18.5 - 24.9
Excess weight: 25 - 29.9
Obesity: ≥ 30

However, the IMT does not provide a comprehensive evaluation. For example, because there is no calculation of the percentage of fat, there is no consideration of gender, age, waist size, physical activity, and not considering ethnic factors.

If I am at a normal weight, can I still continue the diet?

As explained above, the ideal BMI is to the limit of 18.5. In general, you can still be considered normal before you cross that line. However, when your BMI crosses this limit, you are in the underweight category.

Like when you are overweight, being underweight can also cause various health problems. Especially in people who do a diet program that is not right. What are the health problems that accompany people who are underweight?

Malnutrition, vitamin deficiency, or anemia

As you know, the human body needs various kinds of nutrients, vitamins and minerals to carry out various activities and body metabolism. If you go on a diet program until your body is very thin, you can lack the nutrients your body needs.

This causes your body not to carry out the process properly and can even cause various health problems. For example, when you don't eat meat, you can become deficient in iron and protein. You will lose body strength because the muscles are broken down into energy and have a decreased metabolic ability due to iron deficiency.

Lack of iron can cause anemia. In addition, you will feel energized throughout the day and will always feel weak.

Osteoporosis

If you are deficient in vitamin D and calcium, your body will take what it needs from your bones. As you know, bones contain calcium. If the calcium reserves in the bones are continuously taken, the bones will become porous and you are at risk of developing osteoporosis.

Weakened immune system

When your body weight is below normal, there is a disruption in your body's defense system. In other words, you will be more susceptible to disease.

Increase the risk of postoperative complications

People who are under normal weight are also prone to postoperative disease complications than those who have normal weight.

Not fertile

For you women, your menstrual schedule will be disrupted even if you are very thin. This indicates that your egg production process is disrupted and can lead to infertility.

Men who are too thin have also been shown to be less fertile because the quality and production of sperm cells will be impaired. Therefore, both men and women should stay focused on maintaining a normal body weight.

Impaired growth and development

This disorder occurs mainly in children and adolescents. Teenagers really need nutrients for the growth and development of their organs. Lack of nutrients will cause stunted their growth and development. Therefore, basically, excessive diet is not recommended for teenagers.

Instead of constantly dieting, it's better to exercise to form the ideal body

If your body wants to look more attractive, then continuing to lose weight is not the right step. It's a good idea to do physical exercise or sports. With physical exercise, you can burn fat in your body parts.

The problem is, the percentage of fat in the body also affects how your body looks. In addition, with physical exercise, you can also tone the muscles that make you look fit. For example with sit-ups to tighten the abdominal muscles, squat to tighten the thighs and buttocks, push-ups to tighten your chest, and so on.