Octopussoir Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 Ive been keeping my body fat percentage below 4% for over 2 months now and have had a couple time where ive gotten "sick" out of the blue. Now, when I was heavier and higher bf i never got sick and always remained healthy(even when others around me were sick for weeks). My question is: since my bf% has remained so low for so "long" now, is my immune system weaker? Ive heard it does weaken it, but I dont want to lose my definition or really gain anymore bf!! Please help. I do train an ENT Doctor and he said right now it might be a sinus infection(which ive never gotten, but yet again he is a doctor and was guessing on what it could be based on my symptoms(sore throat, ears clogged lungs feel congested). Is there any NATURAL remedy I could take to boost my immune system outside of just fruits and veges(which I get plenty of)? thanks,~jimi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 Just gain some fat and you'll be fine. Nobody should be under 4% for extended periods of time or at all. Bodybuilders do it for maybe 1-2 weeks only and that is still unhealthy. 2 months is way too long. Really you shouldn't even drop under 5%, and 6-8 is probably optimal for health but if you get over 5% you should feel considerably better. Immune systems get so weak when bf drops so low because you don't have any consistent fuel. You can only store so much sugar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veganitaliana Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 Definitely, I think you need to up your calorie intake and make sure you're getting enough calories for your body weight-check out www.nutritiondata.com . That doesn't necessarily mean eating more fat, however. I'm not an expert but 4% sounds dangerously low to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DV Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 Depending on the source, essential body fat for males is 2-4%. That means essential for normal physiological functioning. If you are under 4% then perhaps you're at less than essential for your body and it's effecting your immune system functions. Please consider that if you were to become hospitalized right now for an illness or a traumatic injury, you might not be fed anything for days or even a week depending on your level of consciousness, needed operations or other reasons. You do not have any storage fat so you would probably die when your body uses up the small amount of essential fat you have for energy. As stated before, even competitive bodybuilders remain at essential levels for 1 to 2 weeks at a time. The only people I can recall who have stayed that low for longer periods are either ill or imprisoned. It's not healthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Octopussoir Posted July 10, 2007 Author Share Posted July 10, 2007 well hell. i like being this lean though. i guess more beans rice and nuts are in my near future Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crystal Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 Don't worry too much about adding a few %'s of bodyfat, even with it higher, you will probably still look really lean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veganitaliana Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 well hell. i like being this lean though. i guess more beans rice and nuts are in my near future Fruit! The magical food... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zack Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 well hell. i like being this lean though. i guess more beans rice and nuts are in my near future Fruit! The magical food... He's talking about adding body fat...you know that right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veganitaliana Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 well hell. i like being this lean though. i guess more beans rice and nuts are in my near future Fruit! The magical food... He's talking about adding body fat...you know that right? I thought the body could convert carbs and proteins into fats for storage, but hey, I'm not an expert. I mean, don't we "fatten" livestock with more carbs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zack Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 Yeah, fruit is a hard and expensive way to do it though. I get all my carbs from fruit and I'm losing body fat like crazy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Octopussoir Posted July 10, 2007 Author Share Posted July 10, 2007 Yeah, fruit is a hard and expensive way to do it though. I get all my carbs from fruit and I'm losing body fat like crazy. Ditto, but my body wont let me go any lower!! And yes the good stuff is hella expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DV Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 Your body converts all excess calories (be they from carbs, protein or fats) into fat for storage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veganitaliana Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 Your body converts all excess calories (be they from carbs, protein or fats) into fat for storage. That's my point. You have to increase your calorie intake versus how much you consume. You can gain body fat on anything, including fruit, if you're eating more calories than you consume. As to the expensive part, since I became raw my grocery bills have reduced dramatically, but I also grow a lot of my own stuff too, so maybe I'm not a reference for the financial aspect. Ever thought of mono-meals of just bananas for example, which are pretty cheap? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belleadonna Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 Try beta glucan too. Awesome stuff for the immune system. http://www.nsc24.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odidnetne Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 Vegan ice cream....to SAVE your health...incredible eh? I'm just kidding, your plan of rice & beans & nuts & seeds is good, but don't forget the avocado! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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