While some of our society wants to lose weight, some of them want to gain weight, and the majority of the demand for weight gain is young people. In fact, the most interesting part is that individuals who have previously struggled with obesity can then consult nutritionists to gain weight. In fact, the main problem in obesity and inability to gain weight is disrupting the balance of our metabolism.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people use a body mass index (BMI) to calculate whether they are overweight, a healthy weight, or overweight. Using BMI is considered a good measure of a person's weight because it compares their weight to their height. For example, a 170-pound person may not be overweight if they are too tall, but they may be overweight if they are too short.
A person can easily calculate their body mass index. Let's explain this with an example. To calculate the body mass index of an individual who is 160 cm tall and weighs 78 kg;
1. First, the length is converted to meters. 160 cm = 1.6 meters
2. The value found is multiplied by itself: 1.6 x 1.6 = 2.56 square meters
3. Then, the value found is divided by kilos: 78 / 2.56 = 30.4
Whichever this value falls into the following ranges, its weight is interpreted accordingly. The individual we gave as an example falls into the obese class.
-
Low weight: less than 18.5
-
Normal/healthy weight: 18.5 - 24.9
-
Overweight: 25.0 - 29.9
-
Obese: 30 or above
Being underweight can cause health problems, just like being overweight. Not everyone who is underweight experiences the negative side effects or symptoms of being underweight. However, some people may experience the following symptoms related to underweight:
Osteoporosis: According to a 2016 study, being underweight increases a woman's risk of osteoporosis, in which bones are brittle and more prone to fracture.
Skin, hair or dental problems: If a person does not get enough nutrients in their daily diet, physical symptoms such as thinning skin, hair loss, dry skin or poor dental health may occur.
Getting sick frequently: If a person does not get enough energy from their diet to maintain a healthy body weight, they may not be getting enough nutrients to fight infections. As a result, that person may get sick more often, and recovery from common illnesses such as colds may take longer than usual.
Feeling tired all the time: Calories are a measurement of the energy a particular food can provide to a person. . Not eating enough calories to maintain a healthy weight can make a person feel tired.
Anemia: An underweight person may have low blood counts, known as anemia, which causes dizziness, headaches, and fatigue. are more likely to have it.
Irregular menstruation: Underweight women may not have regular menstrual periods, menstrual pauses may occur, or a teenager's first period may or may not be delayed. Irregular or absent menstrual bleeding can cause infertility.
Premature births: According to a study published in the International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, a woman who is pregnant and underweight may experience premature birth before birth.
Slow or delayed growth and development: Young people need nutrients to build and develop healthy bones. Being underweight and not eating enough calories can mean that a person may not develop as expected. Doctors call this 'failure to thrive'.
Why do we have difficulty gaining weight?
In fact, there may be one or more reasons for this situation. It is difficult to prepare a nutrition program to treat a weight problem whose cause cannot be determined. Among the main reasons:
-
Digestive system problems
-
Hormonal diseases characterized by fast metabolism, such as hyperthyroidism
-
Intestinal parasites
-
Absorption disorders
-
Anorexia and bulimia diseases characterized by fear of gaining weight
-
Psychological reasons and accompanying appetite problems
-
Eating disorders
-
Used some diseases
-
Serious chronic diseases such as cancer
-
Irregular eating and long-term crash diets (starvation, strike, etc.) are included.
Gaining weight may be a little more difficult than losing weight and usually getting support from a nutritionist. is required. This process requires a lot of patience, adaptation and effort. At the beginning, necessary tests are performed with the support of a physician, and nutritional therapy is started simultaneously with drug therapy according to the existing disease.
What should we do to gain healthy weight?
Meal patterns. It is of great importance. Small but high-calorie foods should be consumed. Loss of appetite is often observed in individuals who cannot gain weight. For this reason, the calories of small portions should be increased. For example, honey can be added to the milk to be drunk at breakfast without increasing the amount, or olive oil can be drizzled on the cold cuts plate.
Inflation of the stomach should be prevented by consuming liquids before meals. Liquid foods such as soup and soft drinks should not be consumed before and during meals. If desired, it can be consumed after the meal.
For snacks, nuts such as walnuts, hazelnuts and peanuts, and smoothies prepared with fruits can be preferred.
>Fruit compotes can be preferred instead of salads at meals from time to time.
It is very important to improve nutritional quality. Adding minced meat when cooking pasta or adding meat/chicken/fish to vegetable dishes may be the right choice.
Full fat milk and yoghurt group can be preferred. Slightly fatty meats such as mutton and lamb can be preferred for cooking.
Instead of very intense exercises that will burn fat, exercises that strengthen and increase muscle structure should be preferred and consultancy on this subject. support should be taken
Sweet consumption should be kept to a certain limit. Because sweets can cause loss of appetite by increasing/decreasing the release of some hormones.
Read: 0
