Tag Archives: Weight gain

Straight, No Chaser Reader Request: What’s a Healthy Approach to Gaining Weight?

Personal Training, Diet and Nutrition, , , , , ,

gain-weight-the-healthy-way
If you are even an occasional reader of Straight, No Chaser, you likely never thought you’d see the day when promoting weight gain was the topic of discussion. However, there are multiple medical circumstances for which weight gain is warranted, such as after an illness, in the presence of malnutrition, or during pregnancy. There are still other instances in which you may simply make the choice to gain weight. In either of these cases, you would do well to understand that all weight gain isn’t created equal, and if you’d like to gain weight, you should do so in the healthiest way possible. Just be sure to coordinate any such efforts with your physician. You really want to try to avoid any unnecessary strain on your heart.
gain-weight-and-be-h
To that end, here are 5 quick tips to help you along.

  1. Exercise. The type of exercise (strength training) that increases your muscle will add pounds. It is true that for the same volume, muscle weighs more than fat.
  2. Eat more frequently. Specifically, you should aim for 5-6 small meals per day, and make sure you don’t allow more than 4 hours to pass without eating. Also be sure to eat a healthy snack before going to bed. Remember sleep is the time when your body repairs and replenish itself. Loading up on nutrients before bedtime will help your muscles grow and stay strong.
  3. Eat a variety of foods. This increases the likelihood you’re eating a nutrient-rich diet. A diet deficient in vitamins and nutrients leads to your body scavenging your muscles for the energy it needs. Make an effort to include whole-grain foods, fruits and vegetables, lean protein sources, nuts and daily products.
  4. Change what and when you drink. Understanding that fluids in general may be appetite suppressants, change your habit of drinking beverages, and consume them at the end of your meal. You would also do well to remove the “empty” calories of sodas with healthier fruit, milk or juice smoothies.
  5. Concentrate and combine. You can accumulate a lot of nutrition (and calories) by choosing foods delivering the same nutritional value in smaller servings. Think of dried fruits as an example. You can also create higher-powered meals by adding items such as nuts, cheeses, granola or potatoes as would be appropriate for any given meal

Burger made out of pills
Remember, the real name of the objective is health, not weight gain or loss. You can be relatively healthier at any body shape or size than you are right now. Just apply a few tried and true principles, and you will be on your way to your personal goals.
Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic.
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Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new books There are 72 Hours in a Day: Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and The 72 Hours in a Day Workbook: The Journey to The 72 Hours Life in 72 Days at Amazon or at www.72hourslife.com. Receive introductory pricing with orders!
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Straight, No Chaser Reader Request: What’s a Healthy Approach to Gaining Weight?

Personal Training, Diet and Nutrition, , , , , ,

gain-weight-the-healthy-way

If you are even an occasional reader of Straight, No Chaser, you likely never thought you’d see the day when promoting weight gain was the topic of discussion. However, there are multiple medical circumstances for which weight gain is warranted, such as after an illness, in the presence of malnutrition, or during pregnancy. There are still other instances in which you may simply make the choice to gain weight. In either of these cases, you would do well to understand that all weight gain isn’t created equal, and if you’d like to gain weight, you should do so in the healthiest way possible. Just be sure to coordinate any such efforts with your physician. You really want to try to avoid any unnecessary strain on your heart.

gain-weight-and-be-h

To that end, here are 5 quick tips to help you along.

  1. Exercise. The type of exercise (strength training) that increases your muscle will add pounds. It is true that for the same volume, muscle weighs more than fat.
  2. Eat more frequently. Specifically, you should aim for 5-6 small meals per day, and make sure you don’t allow more than 4 hours to pass without eating. Also be sure to eat a healthy snack before going to bed. Remember sleep is the time when your body repairs and replenishes itself. Loading up on nutrients before bedtime will help your muscles grow and stay strong.
  3. Eat a variety of foods. This increases the likelihood you’re eating a nutrient-rich diet. A diet deficient in vitamins and nutrients leads to your body scavenging your muscles for the energy it needs. Make an effort to include whole-grain foods, fruits and vegetables, lean protein sources, nuts and daily products.
  4. Change what and when you drink. Understanding that fluids in general may be appetite suppressants, change your habit of drinking beverages, and consume them at the end of your meal. You would also do well to remove the “empty” calories of sodas with healthier fruit, milk or juice smoothies.
  5. Concentrate and combine. You can accumulate a lot of nutrition (and calories) by choosing foods delivering the same nutritional value in smaller servings. Think of dried fruits as an example. You can also create higher-powered meals by adding items such as nuts, cheeses, granola or potatoes as would be appropriate for any given meal

Burger made out of pills
Remember, the real name of the objective is health, not weight gain or loss. You can be relatively healthier at any body shape or size than you are right now. Just apply a few tried and true principles, and you will be on your way to your personal goals.
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new book Behind The Curtain: A Peek at Life from within the ER at jeffreysterlingbooks.com, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and wherever books are sold.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright, Sterling Initiatives, LLC. 2013-2015

Straight, No Chaser: The Adverse Health Effects of Obesity and Why You Gain Weight

General Health and Wellness, Health Prevention, , , , , , , , ,

obesity1Obesity.jpg
Earlier, we identified the differences between a ‘normal’ weight and being overweight and/or obese. Today’s goal is to help you understand specific risks of carrying extra weight.  We’ll also set the table for losing weight by discussing why weight gain occurs.  It bears repeating that none of this has anything to do with the perception of one’s physical attractiveness.
Let’s focus on three considerations.
1. What are the health risks?
As body weight increases, so does the risk for several different medical conditions and illnesses, including the following:
• Arthritis
• Cancers (breast, endometrial, and colon)
• Diabetes
• Gynecological problems (abnormal periods, infertility)
• Heart disease (heart attacks, heart failure, hardening of the arteries)
• High cholesterol
• Liver and gallbladder disease (gallstones)
• Sleep apnea and other respiratory problems
• Stroke
In the event that these risks are just words on a page, learning a little bit about some of them might provide the motivation needed to avoid them.
2. What is a realistic goal for weight loss?  What’s the balance between family predisposition and the foods I eat?
No matter what I tell you today, it’s unlikely to turn you into a supermodel. The goal (independent of your consultation with your own health care provider) is to get you to optimize your situation based on the things you can control. Yes, genetic factors do play a role in obesity, but beyond that you are more than able to close your mouth and get off your…couch. You are able to limit your fat and caloric intake and put down the salt shaker. Yes, genetics count, but behavior and environmental (culture, socioeconomic status) consideration play at least as much of a role. These latter considerations can even jumpstart your metabolism beyond your genetic predisposition.
3. Why do I gain weight if I’m still active?
The most simple way to answer this is that weight gain occurs from an energy imbalance.  You’re taking in too many calories, and/or you’re not engaging in enough physical activity. It’s an equation, and the weight gain occurs when you’re on the wrong side of the equation. It’s not much more complicated than this. Either do less of the eating, more of the activity, or both.  I mentioned in a previous post on caloric counts that you must have an excess of 500 more calories expended than you ingest daily every day for a week just to lose one pound.  It takes work.  This is the simple answer as to why fad diets don’t work long-term.  You can’t cheat the equation.  The moment you stop being diligent, you’re headed in the wrong direction.  Your weight loss plan must include lifestyle changes for the long-term.
In the next post, we’ll identify some very simple methods to combat obesity based on the information provided to this point. Feel free to ask any questions or submit any comments you have.
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