How to Gain Weight Healthfully?to can't believe how thin you are! It must be so great to eat whatever you want. I wish I had your problem. Of course, it wouldn't hurt you to put on a few pounds. You sure would look healthier!
" "Hey, stick! Do you have anorexia or what? Don't you ever eat?"
These excerpts from real-life exchanges are just two examples of how cruel people can be to the underweight. Some observers think that naturally thin people must have an eating disorder because of their appearance; others are envious because they wish they could indulge in high-fat foods without a second thought. Even in a society where thin is in, being too thin can be just as emotionally and physically devastating as being too heavy. Our society has little understanding or sympathy for people who can eat all they want and never gain a pound.
Causes of Being Underweight
A person is considered to be underweight when he or she is 10% to 15% or more under the ideal weight as indicated on a standard height and weight chart.L2 Such a condition can be caused by heredity, poor eating habits, or disease:2'3 Hereditary causes of being underweight center on high metabolism. Being underweight can be caused by a tendency to burn more calories than are taken in.' Many researchers believe that people have a natural "set point" for their metabolic rate that deter-mines how quickly and efficiently calories are used in the body. Metabolism also may prevent people from reaching unrealistic goals with regard to weight gain.4 Poor eating habits may also play a role in being underweight.
The same concept applies to eating as to metabolism; not consuming enough calories can lead to a person burning more calories than are taken in. High-calorie foods may be lacking in the diets of some under-weight people. Other underweight people may include high-calorie foods in their diets but simply do not consume enough total calories to gain weight.Weight control disorders resulting from anorexia, bulimia, or other diseases should be treated by a doctor and are not considered here.
Effects of Being Underweight
Being underweight can cause a variety of physical problems. Women who are underweight are at increased risk of amenorrhea, a reproductive system disorder characterized by a complete absence of menstruation :3 Under-weight people tend to have lower bone mass than people of normal weight, which may place underweight people at risk for bone fractures and osteoporosis." Being female, over 65, and underweight can increase the risk for hip fractures!' Being too thin can also shorten the life expectancy for men and women.
" The dangers of being underweight are gradually being discovered. Some studies have shown that being underweight may be as dangerous as being overweight. Government weight guidelines now include data showing that being too thin is as dangerous as being too heavy, and people who are obese by government standards are living longer than those who are underweight.
Being underweight can cause psychological problems in addition to physical problems. Anna, a young woman who spent her youth, teenage years, and early twenties as an underweight person, recalls what life was like for her during that time. "It was like a never-ending night-mare. f hated to go to school because the kids made fun of me all the time.
They called me names like 'concentration camp victim' and 'twig.' Many nights I would cry myself to sleep because I hated the way I looked so much. I tried everything I could think of to gain weight eating as much high-calorie food as I could, using commercial weight-gain products, even not exercising in hopes that I'd get fatter. Nothing worked. When I graduated from high school, I was five feet eight inches tall and still weighed 98 lbs. So many people had told me that I was ugly that I believed it must be true. I spent 6 years in therapy trying to get my sell-esteem back. Thank God I finally began to gain weight when I graduated from college. I'm actually a little overweight now. If I had to choose between being this way or being the way I was, there's no question in my mind that I'd choose to be like I am now. People say and do things to under-weight people that they'd never dream of saying or doing to people who are overweight.'
If you are underweight, gaining weight safely is not just a matter of continuously gorging on food. Gaining fat pounds will increase a person's actual weight but will not make him or her any healthier. Diet and exercise plans are available for those who wish to gain weight safely. You should first consult a physician to determine the cause of being underweight. If it has been deter-mined that the underweight condition is not due to dis-ease, a combination of diet and exercise can be prescribed to gain lean body mass. Such a weight gain plan should include a diet that is high in complex carbohydrates and low in fat. About 60% of the caloric intake should consist of complex carbohydrates,° which can be obtained from foods such as pastas. Fat intake should be low (about 10% of total caloric intake), since gaining weight in the form of fat is not healthy."-10 Protein should make up about 30% of the caloric intake, but protein supplements are not recommended 4,10 since their use could damage the kidneys.
An underweight person must exercise to gain muscle mass. The exercise program should be a combination of weight training and endurance training.' 10 About 80% of the exercise program should consist of weight training, with the other 20% consisting of endurance exercises such as aerobics.° Fairly heavy weights should be used with fewer repetitions to gain lean body mass,° since more repetitions with lighter weights will not increase lean body mass as effectively. Stretching and calisthenics can be incorporated into the weight training as well." Weight training can help underweight people (and women in particular) gain upper body strength that may be lacking!' Exercise is also important because it improves cardiovascular fitness and may deter osteoporosis.'
The important thing to remember about such changes in diet and lifestyle is that they must be continued on a long-term basis. It may take 6 to 12 months to see results,' and if the program is halted, any weight gained may be lost again.° A person must maintain a lifetime commitment to gaining the weight and keeping it on. As always, consult your physician before starting any exercise or diet program.
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