UNDERWEIGHT OR WEIGHT-GAIN MANAGEMENT

Unexplained weight loss, or losing weight without trying, can be a cause for concern. It might indicate an underlying condition. Not all weight loss is serious. With 102 million men and 101 million women underweight, leads the world in being home to over 40% of the global underweight population as per a new study published in The Lancet journal.

While weight loss is the most popular topic to be discussed in India, as we stated above, there is a larger set of the population who require to gain weight for various purposes e.g., sense of well-being, appearance, fitness, recovery from some illness etc. As evident, being underweight can simply be a hereditary trait or some medical condition; in either case, for these individuals, weight-gain is literally a difficult / humongous task!

Unintentional weight loss may be a sign of one of the following medical conditions. On the other hand, many medications / therapies can cause substantial weight loss. All these possible reasons are to be investigated before getting to any weight gain strategy.

  • Muscle loss (emaciation)
  • Hyperthyroid
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Diabetes
  • Depression
  • Inflammatory bowel disorders
  • COPD (Compulsive Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
  • Heart ailments
  • Tuberculosis
  • Cancer
  • Immune disorders

Critical Conditions for Weight Gain Solutions

An important fact to recognize is that the poor body weight cannot be rectified without treating or solving the underlying medical condition; nevertheless, the ‘underweight’ itself is more difficult an issue to be managed than gaining weight. In fact, it demands more stringent changes in lifestyle than one can expect in other body weight issues.

  • Eating high calorie meals is important to increase body weight
  • Big portion meals at a time may not be compatible to poor appetite especially for underweight people
  • Smaller frequent meals are preferred for better result
  • While meals of high calorie are essential, rich protein content is key (whole grains, good fat e.g., oils, nuts)
  • Additionally, if preferred, lean protein and salads can be a good addition
  • Protein with vitamin supplements are good sources for extra amino acids and are easily digestible
  • These meal replacements or top-up protein drinks provide higher calories with good protein sources, which is better for food avers people or of poor appetite (especially during recovery from illness or surgery) and are ideal to build body mass
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