Some Struggle With Low Weights
Diminutive, 5-foot-2 Trabuco Canyon resident Jennifer Kamenca has a problem few can relate to: She's too darned skinny. At 95 pounds, Kamenca is too skinny for size-1 women's pants and too tall for children's sizes - she's trapped in a clothing no-man's land with no skinny-wear boutiques in sight.
"It drives me crazy," Kamenca said. "It's difficult to gain muscle weight. I tried eating like crazy, but nothing works. It's a nuisance." For Cindee Brandon, ultra-thinness is a family affair: She, her dad, Tom, and boyfriend Joe Bynum are all too skinny; all have tried and failed to put on weight. "I eat everything," said Cindee Brandon, 5-foot-3 and 95 pounds. "I'd like to weigh 5 or 10 pounds more. I eat big meals and I snack during the day, I eat lots of goodies, but nothing works." While about one-third of Americans are overweight, nutritionists estimate that fewer than 5 percent share Brandon and Kamenca's problem.
The worst thing about being too skinny is nobody believes it's a real problem, sufferers say. It's frustrating for people, because they get no compassion. Gaining weight can be as hard as losing it. Evelyn Tribole, American Dietetic Association representative and dietitian treats many athletes locally who, like Brandon, are working to gain weight. Athletes and naturally thin people aren't the only ones who need help: Many elderly have a problem getting enough calories too, USDA nutritionist Anne Shaw said.
Oddly, few books address what people can do to gain weight without eating too much fat _ thought to contribute to heart disease and other problems. Nutritionists at the annual American Dietetic Association meeting in Anaheim in October agreed that the topic is virtually ignored in literature. They offered this advice for people who want to gain weight: First, look at what you are eating, said Nancy Clark, author of the Sports Nutrition Guide Book, which dedicates a chapter to healthful weight gain. "A lot of people say I eat a ton, but they don't eat consistently," Clark said. Most experts recommend a two-pronged approach to putting on weight: Start doing some weight training and increase your calories by 500-1,500 a day. The problem: Many skinny people just don't like to eat. The solution: Cranapple juice, Clark said. Just drink more juice. That's an excellent way to add calories to a diet. Don't load up on fat. Concentrate calories in small volumes of food so you get more calories without having to eat more. Good calorie-dense foods include dried fruits, fruit shakes, nuts, juices, Grape Nuts, fat-free granola bars, corn tortillas, beans and seeds. Many of these can be added to casseroles, salads and cereal or can be used to make a snack mix those weight-gainers can carry around to munch on. Using these foods you get quality calories instead of fat calories. It's all fat-free and healthy. If you stick with the food pyramid, you're not going to go wrong.
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