The Flip Side

In recent years, with eighty percent of the population being overweight, the majority of attention has been drawn to those who are too short for their weight. There is still a portion of those remaining who are underweight. According to CNN, in 2012, approximately two percent of Americans are underweight. For this small slice, gaining or even maintaining weight is a huge problem. Depending on the reason for the thinness, many who cannot gain weight are the envy of those who gain too easily and therefore get little sympathy for their plight. In fact, often the question of an eating disorder is brought up when no disorder is the problem, which has to be aggravating.

There can be many reasons for being underweight. Anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder, can be one reason, but it is not the only one. Illnesses such as cancer, tuberculosis or AIDS are known to cause weight loss. Weight loss is NOT the same as being chronically underweight.

In many ways being chronically underweight is similar to being chronically overweight, such as genetic contributors. If mom and/or dad were thin, then there is a good chance that their kids will be thin as well. Stress can affect both conditions: in the overweight, it adds fat; in the underweight, it robs them of an appetite. Just like most obese people have their calorie burning metabolism on low flame, the chronically underweight have their metabolism on a high burn. Think of the difference between a Prius and a Hummer. Prius gets about 50 miles per gallon of gas. Hummer get about 9-18 miles per gallon. The Prius, therefore, needs less fuel than the Hummer. The overweight folks are Prii and the underweight are the Hummers. Try to run a Hummer on what you put into the tank of a Prius and you will be doing a lot of walking or filling; the same goes for those who are underweight. They burn more fuel. Sometimes a LOT more; therefore they have to eat more to break even. Sometimes more than is comfortable to eat at one time. Even with that, if they get sick or stressed, they can lose whatever weight they have managed to gain. Exercise is good, but can become a problem when you are already burning everything you eat.

What can be done?

The trick is to pack more calories into the same amount of food. This can be done by adding extra butter or coconut oil onto vegetables, starches and the like. Milkshakes can be punched up by using good grade ice cream, chocolate, peanut butter, and some Carnation Instant Breakfast or something similar. Too much sugar can add weight, but also can become a problem for the liver. Puddings can be made using evaporated milk instead of whole mile. Powdered milk will add calories and protein, but remember that the more protein you eat, the more water you have to drink to flush your kidneys. Remember you want “good” weight, not fat.