A human’s weight and lateral size vary throughout a lifetime. Although there are 3 basic body types for people; however, every category of persons has the potential to increase/decrease size either voluntarily or involuntarily. Since the 1830s, people have depended on the body mass index, BMI, as a guide for standard weight and height for a person. In recent times, it has been proven that this approach has limitations. Knowledge as to how to increase or decrease weight and the time period to achieve them should be common.

The public’s awareness about overweight people far outweighs that of underweight people. Some of the consequences of overweight is obesity and other related complications as diabetes and heart disease. For underweight people, such issues as mental health challenges and low self-esteem could be equally detrimental.

Increase/decrease in weight will involve: habits as relates to diet primarily then rest and level of exaction to work. For extreme cases where a person has difficulty gaining weight, then incorporating heavy weights into their exercise regimen will be necessary.

• Your Guide to Health – Chapter 5: Foods that Build the Body
• Your Guide to Health – Chapter 6: Protein Foods for Health
• Your Guide to Health – Chapter 7: Minerals your Body Needs
• Your Guide to Health – Chapter 8: Vitamins to Keep you Healthy

The information provided in this series ‘Your Guide to Health’ are based, in part, on the book “Your Guide to Health” written by Dr. Clifford Russell Anderson. The following is meant as public enlightenment rather than as an alternative to engaging the services of a qualified medical professional. ‘Your Guide to Health’ is available on Amazon.

People have varying body structure, size potential and growth patterns. Some unusual growth pattern of a person could be due to disease. At other times, it is unrelated to negative causes; it could be due to the hormonal timings and changes in a person. Your Guide to Health in Chapter 9 (Controlling Your Weight) gives details on the different body types. The chapter focuses on:

• Dangers of being overweight
• Ideal weight
• Why people are sized differently
• Approach to losing weight
• Approach to gaining weight
• Ideas on growing taller

The video below gives some photographic analysis on the limitations of the BMI.