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Re: [at-l] Weight Gaining Help Needed
At 04:02 PM 11/11/97 -0800, you wrote:
>To some of you this may seem like a silly request, but I need ideas for
>gaining weight. After a recent surgery I spent almost 2 weeks on an ice
>cream, pudding and soup diet. I lost more weight than I wanted to, and
>am having trouble gaining it back, something I need to do before I leave
>in late Feb. to begin my thru-hike. Does anyone have any suggestions?
This is not a silly request. I know nothing about the surgery, but the post
operative diet probably was protein and calorie deficient for you. Your
body is possibly investing your current dietary supplements in efforts to
heal the wound, maintain your current functioning, and leaves very little
for storing nuts away for winter (so to speak). It is _very_ difficult to
catch up after a starvation phase. It is extremely important to get
adequate calories and protein to avoid muscle loss. It is extremely
important to regain fat a protein stores prior to a thru-hike.
Dietary supplements such as Carnation Instant Breakfast, Ensure (and its
clones), Power Bars (and clones), and similar items will help, assuming you
are consuming a full regular diet. There is little to be gained with any
vitamin supplementation, and be cautious about snake-oil peddlers in the
usual health food stores. A consultation with a dietitian is a very good idea.
You need to focus today on restoring fat and protein, healing the wound,
and gradually increasing muscle tone and activity. If you begin a weight
program too early, you will slow healing, injure stressed muscle, and burn
calories that are needed elsewhere. You may inadvertently increase your
risk for injury and hypothermia on the trail in late Feb.
That care of yourself, and allow a convalescence. Good Luck!
Bill Thorneloe
Atlanta, GA
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