So I went in for a biometric screening yesterday thru work...
Blood pressure should be less than 120/80,
mine measured at 90/60! Whoo yay for lowered stress levels haha
HDL Cholesterol should be 50-100mg/dL
mine was a flat 40. Which is considered "undesirable (low) but the nurse tech guy said it's fine for me because I'm vegan.
My LDL Cholesterol was so low it couldn't be measured by this particular testing station (lol)
Optimal would be less than 100mg/dL so I'm guessing I was way beyond optimal levels.
Triglyceride results were not able to be read either, normal reads at 45-149mg/dL and out-of-range (low) is less than 45....gonna have to check in with my regular Doc to get this stuff read, I like seeing how my health rates against charts, it's fun to read those silly meaningless numbers!
Finger poking blood glucose results!
50-139mg/dL is NORMAL
Which puts me at a fat happy 81 totally within normal for a change.
Now for the all mighty Body Mass Index, Waist Curcumf & Body Comp
My Height 5'1.
My Weight 90.5 (WHaaat?!?!?! lol I thought I was 95 geez)
My BMI 17.1
"Below Recommended Less than 18.5 Talk with your health care provider about a healthy eating and physical activity program" lol Ummm...I'm just a tiny person and I'm plenty healthy, thanks!
Waist circumference: 22.00 inches. (under 35 in. is desirable range)
Alright here is where it gets fun...
Body Composition %...
Women 18-40 years old should be 21-33.9%...
I just turned 26 years old this past Sunday...I have 4.5% Body Fat :D
The guy that was explaining my results faltered at the cholesterol again at the BMI and yet again here at the body comp, supervisors were called in to make sure the readings were accurate. I asked why all the hubbub they said they never get people as tiny as me in "this area"
(I live in a fat city apparently)
AAAAANYWAY...
8 months ago my boyfriend and I tested our body fat% and we were both about 10-11%, not bad, I joked I wanted to get down to 3%....I didn't actually expect it to happen!!!
I mean, yeah I'm active, I run every on lunch break at work (just 1 mile!) and I walk the dogs, do showertime wall push-offs (standing push ups) and lift tiny 3 lb weights few times a week to tone my tiny arm muscles lol
But wow...anyway, so I showed my results to my mother (bad idea right? know...) when i went to visit the other day and she FLIPPED OUT!
"Your brain isn't getting enough fat"
"You stop having periods lower than 15% body fat!"
"You're sickly"
"I'm taking you to see a doctor!"
"Are you eating right?!"
"You need to eat meat again!"
*sigh*
It's the first two replies of hers that got me thinking...does the brain need fats? I eat fats once in a while, peanuts, avocados, oil when i share a stir fry meal with my daughter.
And is it bad not to have periods? i really don't mind ya know? No crazy hormone attacks, no random pimple breakouts, no need to waste money on tampons and such...not bad at all!
Anyway, I'm fine with my 4.5% body fat, I don't feel sickly or TOO THIN, I DO have muscles, (just not in my arms, I'm a lower body kinda gal) I DO feel healthy, energetic, a desire to be active and outdoors, i am happy, in love, lowered stress levels, i don't have ANY weird illnesses, no asthma, diabetes anything...
WHY THE HECK DOESN'T VEGANISM HAVE A COMMECERICAL!? Or a billboard or SOMETHING
or is this just our secret way of thinning the population so only the open minded survive? ;) j/k!
Seriously though...let me know about the period and brain fat things, I'd love to read some opinions!
Replies
The healthy female body has periods... it just means that your body is releasing the unused egg and the unneeded uterus lining. If you run, or are very active you may not have your period. This is not a sign for alarm unless your BMI is super under weight. A healthy body fat % for female athletes is 14-20%, women need at least 10% body fat. Fat is needed in the body to cushion organs and it is needed in the brain because it creates a shock resistor for when you move or hit your head. Fat is also an important part of the nervous system.
How many calories are you consuming as day? I feel like they need to do more research on the body composition of raw vegans but if you are consuming 2500 a day and exercising then you need more calories. remember compensation. I wouldn't worry about your period (unless trying to conceive) most female runners lack them. I would go see a gyno to be sure everything is in working order (besides that).
I really could care less about my period, my boyfriend and I read up a few things on the subject and i am not concerned at all.
fat however, i have recently taken to devouring an avocado every day and due to my crappy budget the past 3 weeks i have thrown some rice and or beans in my diet, i pretty much only am able to eat raw maybe 30% right now due to $$ :( but i am still working out like a maniac, the last few days i have consumed roughly 2600-2700 calories (on average) but it does not seem to be enough and my job is so fast paced (usually!) that i feel i cannot make time enough to keep eating ahhh! even when i have smoothies galore stocked up in the fridge.
i saw a naturopath doctor last thursday, she was awesome, she is concerned about my lack of menses and my lack of body fat, she tested me again and we discovered I am now at 4.0% body fat on the dot, it went down? i vote marginal error.
the only other thing she was concerned about is my shortness of breath that has made itself known the last few months, stress i am sure. referred to a pulmonary specialist yay.
i get bloodwork results back next week, will see where we go from there.