Was at the Dr today for my Militia physical

[aishah]

Sure 3% is definitely low for women especially of child bearing age but in reality all that is going to do if she is the height and weight she claims then it will simply in most cases cease menustration or her ability to get pregnant. No big deal.

it is a big deal, in the sense that below a certain percentage your body literally does not have enough fat to sustain life and it causes lifelong health repercussions. not just infertility. this goes beyond genetics or life choices. below a certain body fat percentage is actually extremely, immediately dangerous. i'm really hoping that the doctor got that number wrong.

obviously it's someone's individual choice to do that and i respect their choice. i guess i should keep that to myself now - i have a high body fat percentage (though not immediately life-threateningly high) at this point in my life and people do go all wacko on me about it sometimes and that sucks. but i do know a lot of people who don't realize the damage that overexercising or undereating or maintaining an extremely low body fat % can do to their bodies because it's not talked about as much, and i wish that i had known and had someone to support me, so i felt the need to speak up at least. i also really worry about that kind of standard being glorified here.

it's individual choice and i respect people's choice. i just worry. sorry about that.

(edited to add: and to put it in perspective, for women, below 11% is the point at which you usually lose your period and are at risk for infertility and osteoporosis. below 8% is the point at which your immune system is compromised and you start having issues with fatigue, being cold, memory problems, blackouts, etc. even men cannot maintain below 5% for long periods of time, as ender pointed out.)