Expert: Ryan Hale - 8/1/2011

Question
I've suffered from an eating disorder in the past, and recently I've relapsed a bit and begun working out more intensely. (Cheerleading has ended, so I felt like I needed to up my regimen.) I've had terrible headaches, been very tired but unable to sleep well, been occasionally dizzy and lightheaded, and had some stomach pains. Could these be signs of being underweight?
Also, at 5'6" and 107 pounds, how many calories should I be eating if I do 15 minutes of core training and 30-45 minutes of cardio (treadmill - 12% incline at 4.6 mph) 6-7 days a week, and 30 minutes of yoga a couple times of week? When I looked on daily caloric online calculators, I receive vastly different answers. I'm pretty confused. I'd also like to gain 3 or 4 pounds, as I'm afraid I'm underweight... Thank you for your time.

Answer
Emma-  Your symptoms sound like they could be connected to not getting enough calories to support your activity.  Your activity sounds ok to me, although the 12% grade on the treadmill sounds pretty extreme.  In fact, unless you are training to do a hill climb, it could really affect your gait pattern and biomechanics.  In other words, it's not really beneficial for training for running/walking.  I'd take it down a few notches.

The other aspect is your eating.  Your activity is ok if you support it with enough energy from food.  It's impossible for me to say how many calories you need  for your height/weight/activity level/body type/etc.  I'd suggest going to your doctor to see if everything is ok medically and ask for a referral to a nutritionist to work with on your eating habits, health and making sure you have the calories to gain the weight you want and still stay at a healthy level.  The only website I recommend for nutritional info is the U.S. government's website on food and nutrition.  It's put out by the health department and has some really good info on it.

Ryan