I'M 16 YEARS OLD AND I'M REALLY SKINNY

[RYAN1234]

I'm a 16 year old boy currently completing my GCSE exams, So the other day a friend of mine looked at my arm while i was wearing a short sleeve shirt and he said "You are really skinny!" and i replied "how so" and my friend said "look at my arms" and after looking at his arm i realized that i was indeed quite skinny compared to him, my friend is probably 5 ft and 9 inches which around the same height as me but he told me that he weighs around 65 kg whereas i only weight 52 kg. I then began to do some research and read this article of which is stated that the average 16 year old should weight around 63-65 kg which made me feel really quite bad about myself. I generally have a family background of which all the boys and men are skinny but as i found out recently even my 14 year old cousin weighs almost the same as me which really bothered me because he is a good 2-3 inches shorter than me. This thing about me being underweight is really stressing me out even though i'm not the skinniest guy, or shortest, in my school it still annoys me how i'm probably the the skinniest guy out of my group of friends. I know this i a really stupid thing to be stressing about but i am generally worried about my health. I do have a fairly nice body ( e.g. abs + considerately large pecs and quite large parts of leg muscles like calves and quads etc ) but still i want to know whether i am quite underweight and need to fix up or that my condition is normal for someone of my physical characteristics. P.S i have seen and checked my BMI but i still don't think its reliable enough. Thank You for reading and please may i have a response that will help me out.

[Justine Greenwood]

Hello Ryan1234,

Thank you for your post. I am sorry you are feeling so worried about your body type during this pressurised GCSE exam time.

In order to get the full picture, I would really appreciate a bit more information about yourself. I'd like to know:
1. What is your diet like? Tell me your typical foods for the day. As long as you are eating a healthy, balanced diet you will be getting all the minerals and nutrients you need for development.
2. Tell me about your exercise regime?
3. What did you calculate your BMI as? How tall are you?
4. Is your weight stable? Are you losing weight at all?
5. Do you generally feel fit and well? If you have no symptoms of illness and are feeling well then I see no cause for concern.

Please remember that it is not always easy to compare yourself to others. There are 3 basic body types:
Ectomorphs - have a narrow-shaped body, are thin faced, with little fat or muscle. This is the ideal body type for long-distance runners.
Mesomorphs - have a wedge-shaped body, wide shoulders, narrow hips, muscular. Ideal body type for sprinters.
Endomorphs - have a pear-shaped body, wide hips, wide shoulders, can have a lot fat on body, arms and thighs.

A person's ideal body weight depends on their body type, age, gender, height, the size of their bones, and their muscle size.

If you are still concerned, please make an appointment with your GP or local community pharmacist who will be able to advise you further. I do however have no concern over the information you have given. If you would like to reply answering my questions I may be able to give you more specific guidance.

Good luck in your exams - try not to worry too much.

Justine