I liked the name 'Thin Man' when I first heard it in the movie, Charlies Angels. The Thin Man in the film is a lean-bordering-on-thin villain. But this post is'nt about him. Its about the thin men and thin women of this world. These are people who weigh less than normal for their height and are made to remember this fact every day of their life.
1. So, just what is thin or underweight?
1. So, just what is thin or underweight?
One is clinically thin or underweight if her/his Body Mass Index (BMI) is below 18.5 kg/m2. In an informal context, as per the harebrained rules of 'thinness assessment'', anyone who looks more lean or thinner than majority is considered thin.
2. It must be great to be thin, everyone is trying to lose weight after all.
Its a myth that everyone in this world wants to lose weight. The aspiring young actor who came to me to gain weight didn't. Neither did the underweight lady who wanted to have a baby. Nor did the teenage girl who was painfully shy about being very thin. All these lovely people made me speak out a lot on this subject in DNA, issue dated 28th Feb 2010
Being thin is not pleasant. Here are some things which a thin person has to battle with, in a social and emotional context,
Teasing (...silly nicknames like skinny, patlu (Hindi for thin)...)
People politely ask them if they don't eat enough.
Jokes are cracked at their expense.
They are used as an example to make children eat more (...if you don't eat your food you will become thin like THAT uncle).
They are bombarded with ridiculous weight gain tips, and more...
Teasing (...silly nicknames like skinny, patlu (Hindi for thin)...)
People politely ask them if they don't eat enough.
Jokes are cracked at their expense.
They are used as an example to make children eat more (...if you don't eat your food you will become thin like THAT uncle).
They are bombarded with ridiculous weight gain tips, and more...
 |
| Being thin is not pleasant. |
I know, I know, the above is quite similar in content to what an obese person has to deal with. But, don’t you know? Insensitivity is an evil which has the same thought pattern across the planet.
3. Why does anyone become underweight?
Various reasons including,
- Inadequate diet
- Excessive physical activity, not matched by an adequate diet
- Hormonal imbalance e.g. Hyperthyroidism
- Eating disorders e.g. Anorexia Nervosa
- Severe stress accompanied with symptoms like loss of appetite
- Malabsorption disorders which prevent the body from using consumed nutrients
- Wasting diseases (like cancer, AIDS) cause substantial weight loss
4. Why is being underweight unhealthy?
Just like overweight, being underweight makes an individual prone to the health problems like,
- Chronic fatigue
- Susceptibility to infections
- Reduced fertility
- Poor bone health resulting in osteoporosis and fractures
- Muscle weakness
- In women, underweight has poor pregnancy outcome e.g. Intrauterine Fetal Demise (IUFD), Low Birth Weight (LBW) infant and premature birth
- Mood fluctuations and impaired concentration
5. What should an underweight man (or, woman) NEVER do?
Never act on weight gain tips like those given below, for they will only make you nauseated, spike your cholesterol levels, lighten your wallet, dishearten you and most importantly never help you gain weight.
• Gorge on fried foods e.g. pakoras, bhajjis, puris, French fries, fritters
• Binge on 6-7 eggs per day.
• Drink at least 2 liters of milk daily
• Eat almonds. 24/7.
• Consume plenty of ghee, butter, cheese, lard, mayonnaise, margarine. Well, anything `fat'.
• Consume a protein supplement.
• Eat more, more, more.
• Drink/eat some unpleasant `natural’ medicine.
Most of the above weight gain tips are based on the absurd notion that to gain weight one has to do the OPPOSITE of what it takes to lose weight. This is absolutely wrong and has no basis in nutrition science.
These tips also focus only on eating only one type of high calorie food and in large amounts. Big mistake, as one cannot just start eating a high calorie food (like ghee, butter, margarine) in substantial amounts without knowing if the calories being provided to you are `healthy' i.e. dont leave you with another problem like high blood cholesterol.
I insist, `Please don't try these stunts at home’. Going on an unsupervised self-diet, for any condition is similar to self-medication (when you pop pills without consulting a doctor). Its unhealthy and can be dangerous.
I insist, `Please don't try these stunts at home’. Going on an unsupervised self-diet, for any condition is similar to self-medication (when you pop pills without consulting a doctor). Its unhealthy and can be dangerous.
6. What should an underweight individual do?
Making an individual gain weight is something best left to a qualified (ideally with Bachelors or Masters degree in Nutrition or Dietetics) dietitian.
Weight gain using diet alone is very much possible and can be done. However the individual should have no other health problems which interfere with the weight gain process. The procedure involves application of dietetics principles for creating a positive energy balance, which includes- consumption of foods which aid in increasing your caloric intake and yet, don't deviate you from a balanced diet.
So there you go, everything about being underweight. The diet plan?
For that you need to contact me :)
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Diet plan for underweight, I am underweight, Underweight-The stigma, What is underweight
So there you go, everything about being underweight. The diet plan?
For that you need to contact me :)
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The Nutrition Omnibus and A Fistful of Nutrition © Raksha Changappa
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