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WELL-BEING

I am a 24 year-old-boy and my height is 5.7 m but I am under weight. I am right now low on self confidence since my friends tease me about this. I want to gain weight. Please help.

Manjunath R

Why didn’t you give me your weight? Sometimes people just perceive themselves as underweight but in reality they are not. Nevertheless, don’t take any of those remarks made by your friends personally. It will only get you more depressed. Your outlook to living should not be to meet society’s standards of attractiveness but health and fitness so that your body is strong enough to face any potential health risk. There is this saying which I believe holds good for anyone down in the dumps: “The best cure to grief is action.”

Well, in order to help you change your situation, I am planning this diet for you based on your height and age. (It would have been helpful if you could have provided information on your lifestyle, i.e living alone or with parents, degree of skills to shop and cook etc.) You should follow it for a minimum of three months to see some changes. They may not be huge but they will definitely be in the right direction.

The key to gaining weight is eating nutrient dense meals/snacks atleast six-seven times a day So, here goes: Kcal requirement/day = 2,200- 2,800

On waking: 1 glass of tea; Breakfast: Three-four idlis with sambar and coconut chutney and one apple/two plain home cooked dosas with green chutney/omeltte made from two eggs, tomatoes, onions and capsicum with three slices of toast and fresh mausambi juice/one plate of uppma with coconut chutney/double layer cheese and tomato sandwich with one glass of milk/ragi porridge with whole milk and dried fruits.

Mid Morning: Two chikkis/one bowl of sprouts/one glass of ragi malt/ one fruit (either banana,mango, custard apple, pineapple) /two-three biscuits/one mathri/one vegetable cutlet/ fruit milkshake.

Lunch: Two-three chapathis (with ghee) along with two fresh vegetables, a cup of dal and curds with one helping of salad/ fish curry and one-and-a-half bowls of rice/chicken curry/one bowl of spagetti with chicken and spinach gravy/grilled chicken sandwich with a vegetable salad/a plate of pongal with a helping of sprouts/a plate of bissibellebhath with a glass of buttermilk/a plate of curd rice with two fresh vegetables.

Tea: One-two helpings of paneer tikka with capsicum and tomatoes/ one-two glasses of coconut water/a glass of fresh fruit juice/a helping of bhel/ a helping of sprouts with cucmbers, tomatoes, onions and a dash of lime/a fistful of dried fruits (almonds, apricots, raisins, dates, cashewnuts). Predinner: A bowl of chicken mutton broth/soup.

Dinner: Two chapathis with a bowl of dal and one vegetable/ a bowl of Khichdi along with a salad and curds/ fruit bowl. This diet should be followed along with regular exercise like resistant training, cardio training and muscle toning.

Dr Parul Dubey



Iam 21 years old, weighing 45 kgs with a height of 5 feet 6 inches. My problem is that I have very thin wrists and forearms, I want to increase the size of my wrists and arms. My other problem is I don’t have a good grasping power, I tend to forget whatever I have studied moments ago. Please advise.

Sameer.

Forgetting after reading is an age-old problem, unless it is very seriously affecting your daily schedule, please ignore. We have all gone through this during our student days. If you think this forgetfulness is severe and of recent onset, please see your family doctor first.

Exercise, probably of good intensity like lifting heavy weights or playing heavy physical games like tennis will be of help to improve your wrist and arms. Again, grasping power should improve with regular exercise, you need to gradually increase your exercise capacity.

Dr Arpan Deb Bhattacharya



I am 21 year girl and my weight is 55 kg and height is 5.5. My problem is I am not in good shape. My hips and legs are very fat compared to my torso. What can I do to increase my breast and reduce my hips. Please help.

At the time of puberty, hormonal changes are responsible for breast development, also it depends on how much breast tissue you were born with. Are your periods regular? This tells how good your brain-ovary axis is working. If your periods are scanty, there may be shortage of the hormone. But if your periods are normal, you can get some benefit from local application of cream.

Lastly, as most people will favour, breast reconstruction surgery is the answer. This is done by plastic surgeon and I beleive it has a significant cost. Regarding your thighs, you can go to the gym and incorporate exercise into your daily routine.

YOUR QUESTIONS

Every week, Living will feature an interactive column, ‘Well-being’, where your questions on health, fitness, diet and nutrition will be answered by experts in these fields. Send your questions to Living, c/o Deccan Herald, # 75, M G Road, Bangalore-560001 or mail us at living@deccanherald.co.in