Underweight Diet Treatment

Being underweight is defined as the condition in which the Body Mass Index, or BMI, is below 18. BMI is calculating the weight of a person divided by the square of the height. This fundamentally measures the spread of a person’s mass over the area of the body. Being underweight can be caused by many problems like illness, low calorie intake, the overuse of stimulants, over training in endurance sports, anorexia, and psychological reasons. The treatment for underweight is usually just to eat more than the amount of work being done so as to build up muscle mass, bone density and fat reserves. Not treating this condition can result in many diseases: women can suffer amenorrhea – the lack of a menstrual period, hair loss in both men and women, and osteoporosis due to lack of bone density and the degradation of tissue connected with the bone.

Regaining weight after being underweight is an arduous task that is akin to losing weight since it requires a concerted effort to retrain the body and mind into knowing that it is deficient. This is especially difficult in people who have lost a substantial amount of weight due to psychological disorders like anorexia and bulimia. The first task is to set a target weight to achieve at the end of a distinct period like three months or one month. Ideally, this target should be a ten to twenty five per cent increase in weight. The next step is to gain weight correctly and not haphazardly eating excess fat. Start by an intake of supplements like vitamins A, D, E, C, K and B. Further, supplement the intake of minerals like potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, and zinc by over the counter mineral supplements – this starts the healing process. Eating larger portions is something that is difficult due to the reduced size of the stomach and the psychological feeling of being full. It is important to have food that is tasty and extremely palatable so that there is no reluctance towards mealtimes. The diet should consist of a lot of greens and vegetables and sizeable quantity of protein from dairy, seafood. Protein in the form of assorted nuts too should be part of the daily diet. Over a period of time, consciously start to add just a little more oil when cooking. It is better to use healthy oils such as flaxseed oil and olive oil. Eventually, you will reach the ideal BMI between 20 and 25.

At the stage of the correct BMI, it is time to increase your intake of food to larger portions dramatically, while keeping the fat levels constant. This is because exercise will now play an important part. Jogging, walking, cycling are the most important forms of cardiovascular exercise that should be done so that the muscle mass and bone density start to increase.