GAIN WEIGHT

While most people have problems losing weight and combating obesity, a great number of people also want to, put on weight. As they need to do so.

“Impossible!” ,it’s not impossible, or improbable, there are good number of people who are very thin and are desperate because they aspire to look attractive with well defined muscles and sexy curves.

Some reasons of being underweight:

1. Very rapid metabolic turnover.
2. Very high stress levels.
3. Problems with absorption.
4. Hyperactivity.
5. Excessive exercise.
6. Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia.
7. Hyperthyroidism.
8. Depression.
9. Wasting illnesses.
10. Eating too little.
11. Unbalanced eating patterns.
12. Eating too much of only a few foods.


Solutions:

Rapid metabolism: If you’ve been born with a rapid metabolic turnover, then you need to increase your daily intake of healthy foods to compensate for the rate at which you burn energy. Make use of six or more smaller meals a day, increase your intake of carbohydrates to provide the energy you are burning, and if necessary, take a carbobooster formula. If you need to gain weight, you’ll need to make sure you’re following the basic rules for healthy eating.

Which means eating regularly; something starchy at each meal (bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, cereals, etc); plenty of fruit and vegetables; daily servings of pulses, nuts and seeds; and a regular source of vitamin B12. Increasing the amount of energy – dense food will help – using oils, sprinkling or blending nuts and seeds in dishes where appropriate, and consuming other relatively calorie-dense foods such as dried fruit and avocados, can also help. But remember that eating junk food in order to gain weight is not a healthy idea. Ensure that your diet is healthy and nutritious.

Very high stress levels: If you’re constantly exposed to very high stress levels and anxiety at work or at home, then you should try and address the underlying problem by consulting a clinical psychologist to help you cope.

Problems with absorption: There are a variety of clinical conditions that can cause poor absorption of food. Patients suffering from coeliac disease, cystic fibrosis or steatorrhoea (inability to absorb fats from the gastrointestinal tract), are often underweight and have trouble gaining weight.

Such patients need to be treated by a doctor who will prescribe the required medications, such as enzymes, to aid digestion. Because of the complexity of such absorption illnesses, it’s always a good idea to consult a clinical dietitian who’ll work out a balanced diet that compensates for the absorption problems.

Hyperactivity: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the conditions that can make gaining weight a problem for children. The reason is that such children are so physically active that they burn up energy at an alarming rate. It is essential to ensure that these children eat a balanced diet, and plenty of it.

ADHD kids need snacks between meals, especially in the late afternoon when they often go into a total dip because their blood sugar levels are at rock bottom. Don’t tell such children to wait till teatime. Give them a healthy snack when they say they’re hungry. You’ll find that they’ll be much calmer afterwards.

Excessive exercise: Exercise is good, but excessive exercise is not. some people push themselves mercilessly until they reach a point of exhaustion and if they don’t ensure that they are putting back the energy they’ve used, they’ll struggle to gain weight.

KEEP SLIM FRIENDS AND BECOME SLIM

A new study has shown that overweight youth are twice as likely to have overweight friends.

Lead author Dr Thomas Valente, professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine insists that the findings certainly raise health concerns because when kids start associating only with others who have a similar weight status it can reinforce the negative behaviors that cause obesity.

"Although this link between obesity and social networks was expected, it was surprising how strong the peer effect is and how early in life it starts," he added.

In the study involving 617 students ages 11-13, the researchers found that overweight adolescents were more likely to have overweight friends than their normal-weight peers.

They also found that overweight girls were more likely to name more friends, but less likely to be named as a friend than normal-weight girls.

"Researchers tend to focus mainly on health consequences when talking about weight with adolescents," said Valente.

"But we also need to be sensitive to the reality that there can be a social cost for overweight youth as well.

“Interventions should take these peer constructs into account, he says. For parents and educators, this may mean being conscious of potential social consequences that children may suffer as a result of being overweight; and acknowledge that many of the behaviors which contribute to obesity are social in nature,? he added.

The study appears in the Journal of Adolescent Health.