The Skinny on Being Skinny
By Steven Klapow

"A lot of women look at very thin women and say, 'Oh, I wish that were me,' " says Kate, a 36-year-old artist in Lake Placid, N.Y. But these women may not have the skinny on being skinny. Just as genetics predispose some people to easy weight gain, some people have a tendency to be underweight. Fortunately, there are ways women and men can safely put on — and keep on — the pounds.

Now 125 pounds, Kate says her lowest adult weight was 103 pounds. Her problems have ranged from anemia to constipation, and Kate was teased in high school for having a "boy body."

Gauge Your Skinny Quotient

To bulk up, first determine whether you have to. Multiply your weight in pounds by 700, divide that number by your height in inches, then divide again by your height in inches. This determines your Body Mass Index. A healthy BMI, says the American Dietetic Association, is between 19 and 25.

BMI, however, is only a gauge of how healthy — or unhealthy — your weight is. Evan Mestman, a registered dietitian with a master's degree in clinical nutrition and on the advisory board at cyfit.com, a health and fitness Web site, says you should have an evaluation by a fitness and/or nutrition expert who can customize a plan that's right for you.

Mestman says a body composition analysis can help you discover what drives your metabolism, and can reveal your body's strengths and weaknesses.

Once you've determined that you are what Mestman calls a "strong burner" — someone who has difficulty putting on weight because he/she burns more calories than he/she consumes — try these steps:

• Eat more calories than you burn. To gain weight, you have to take in more calories than your body uses. "Don't count calories — just eat more, more often," Mestman says. To figure out how many calories are burned by various activities, visit the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Web site.
• Eat when your body demands it. Alternate meals and snacks on a regular schedule — a meal at 7 a.m., a snack at 11, and another meal at 1, for example. "Never let your body go longer than four hours before eating again," Mestman says, and "don't forget to snack on a regular basis."
• Fat can be your friend. Fats can help you gain weight because they have more calories per gram than carbohydrates or proteins. The fats you consume should be monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. Be aware, though, that fat should not compose more than 30 percent of a strong burner's diet.
• Exercise wisely. Exercise three times a week, using short, intense routines that concentrate mostly on compound movements and muscle groups. Aerobic exercises tend to burn the most calories, can counteract your weight gain, and might not help you create a stronger appearance, so do them in moderation. To keep your cardiovascular workouts effective, limit them to three or four times per week at no more than 30 minutes.

Of course, before making any major changes in diet or physical activity, speak to your physician.

Keep in mind that results will not happen overnight. "Weight changes are affected by metabolism, regardless if it's loss or gain," Mestman says. "If it takes time and commitment to lose weight, the same holds true for weight gain."

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