Self Help

I know from your messages that so many of you are in a lot of pain about this! You have tried your darndest to put on the pounds but you’ve found that NOTHING WORKS! ‘Skin & bones’, ‘Skeletor’, ‘bean pole’, ‘maaga’… These are some of the names you’ve been telling me about
Many of you have people who put you down – don’t be one of them too! Cut yourself some slack. Whatever your size, remember you’re beautiful AND worthy of love girl! Even if it’s you who has to be the first one to give yourself the love. If you decide you want to gain weight then do it for health reasons or because you want to NOT because of what anybody else thinks.

1) ESTABLISH IF YOU REALLY ARE UNDERWEIGHT…
Body Mass Index (BMI) is not a perfect measure of whether or not someone is underweight or overweight but it’s a good starting point.
Put your weight and height into this website:http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/BMI/bmi-m.htm
and
press ‘compute BMI’.
If your BMI is less than 18.5, you might be considered to be ‘underweight’.

2) SEE A DOCTOR
If you are underweight, see a doctor to see if there’s an underlying medical cause. Some underweight people have an overactive thyroid or conditions that make it difficult for them to absorb the food they eat e.g. celiac disease, Crohn’s disease and worms & other internal parasites

If you’re only a little bit underweight and you’re healthy, your doctor might not see it as a problem. In this case, though one solution might be to gain weight, another solution could to explore finding different ways of looking at your size. You don’t have to be bigger to be beautiful. You’re gorgeous RIGHT NOW and so gaining weight will just be a bonus (if that’s what you decide you want).

3) HOW TO GAIN WEIGHT HEALTHILY
— a) DON’T FILL UP ON JUNK FOOD – this is not a good shortcut, you’ll end up with pimples and high cholesterol (at best)! You’re trying to gain weight not get heart disease! To be gorgeous you need to feed your body NOT with empty calories BUT WITH all the nutrients it needs for loads of energy, great hair, clear eyes, smooth skin, a sharp brain and the list goes on! You want a diet rich in phytochemicals, minerals, vitamins and fiber.
— b) EAT A NUTRIENT DENSE DIET that is also CALORIE DENSE.
Get advice about your specific calorie needs. If you want to gain weight a pound week (half a kilo) you’re looking at about 500 extra calories daily.
So eat your greens, your beans, your whole grains (e.g. quinoa, millet, brown rice) & other complex carbohydrates (e.g. sweet potato, African yam)
AND you can make tiny changes to your diet each day that’ll add the 500 calories.
e.g. Look for raw unprocessed ‘good fats’ like avocado, raw nuts & seeds and raw nut butters (almond butter, peanut butter). If you like hummus, make your own at home with chickpeas (garbanzos) and eat some of that too.
Add coconut milk to your curry or your smoothie (use coconut milk, in moderation, you don’t want to over do it. It’s calorie dense yes but it’s also high in saturated fat). Make smoothies with bananas, ground flaxseed (it’s over 70% good healthy fat and it’s SO good for you!) and add a nut butter and maybe some protein powder (you can go for plant protein if you don’t want dairy, whey based powder).
— c) EAT SMALL REGULAR MEALS
You may not have a huge appetite and so trying to stuff down the extra calories in 3 HUGE meals might seem a bit tough… So eat 6 small meals throughout the day.
Keep a food diary for the first two weeks so you know exactly what you’re really doing in the food department. Not just what you think you are doing! The food diary may reveal aspects of your eating habits you hadn’t even realized.
— d) EXERCISE
Now girl, if you want a sexy, shapely body you don’t just want to gain fat. You also want to gain lean muscle. This will add weight and also a toned, healthy look! So add weight training but, in your case, go for a heavier weight and lower reps: 5 – 12 reps. Try to do your resistance training (weights) 3 times a week and also incorporate cardio. Sure, all this exercise may make your weight gain a bit slower BUT you will be healthier and all the more glowing, vital and gorgeous for it!

Disclaimer: Now you know I’m not a doctor. Always take medical advice when you start a new exercise program AND to understand what is required for your specific situation.
I’m here rooting for you!
love
Kara
The Lifestylista ®
xox
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