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22 years
I eat a lot, especially carbs, but I don't gain weight! Is there any way possible for me to gain some weight?
Oct 18, 2014
2nd opinion

Dr. Zakia Dimassi Pediatrics
In order to properly address the underweight problem, we must first recognize the cause.
1- Insufficient and/or inadequate caloric intake: in order to maintain your current weight, your caloric intake should be about 2434 Calories per day. To gain 0.45 kg per week, you might increase your required calories by 500 per day. This of course has to be paralleled with muscle enhancing training. You can achieve this by adding cheese to the dishes, or nuts (like cashew nuts, wall nuts etc) and honey to your fruit salad,
2- Sources of caloric loss: the most common causes for poor weight gain are * hyperthyroidism (when the thyroid gland secretes too much thyroid hormones; this is usually associated with other symptoms including tremors, nervousness, inability to tolerate heat, dry skin etc.). This is diagnosed by measuring two hormones in the blood : thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroxine (free T4).
*celiac disease: due to gluten (a wheat protein) sensitivity, the intestines become unable to absorb all the nutrients because of a constant state of inflammation. Celiac disease may be associated with thyroid disease as well. Diagnosis relies on measuring specific antibodies in the blood +/- biopsy of the intestines.
*Diabetes: we think of diabetes in individuals with recent abrupt weight loss, especially if there's strong family history of diabetes at an early age. Blood sugar level taken during fasting will tell if this is the case or not.
I advise you to check with a family physician to make sure you do not have an underlying pathology to explain your weight problem. If all is well, then you need to follow a diet and sports program to work it out.
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