Maintaining a Healthy Weight

Help Losing Weight

Some people with a chronic disease have trouble losing weight. Excess body weight, especially around your stomach, can increase shortness of breath. Being overweight also puts you at higher risk for many diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

A good weight loss plan that includes all food groups is recommended for safe and healthy weight loss. Avoid "fad" diets or diets that do not allow for a balanced diet as outlined by the Food Guide Pyramid.

It is also important not to lose weight too quickly. Slightly decrease your intake of food so that you're losing one-half to two pounds per week. Rapid weight loss is usually a loss of fluid or muscle, rather than extra body fat.

Once you have decided to try to lose weight, it is important to look at both the quality and the quantity of foods eaten each day. Most people can make improvements in both areas. For example, choose graham crackers instead of oatmeal cookies for a healthier sweet treat. Then pull out four crackers for the snack instead of sitting down with the whole package, which increases the chances that you will overeat. Healthy weight loss will decrease your shortness of breath, decrease the risk of acid coming back up the esophagus (gastroesophageal reflux); and increase or improve your overall fitness, energy level, and sense of well-being.

Help Gaining Weight

Some people with a chronic disease are underweight because the effort of breathing takes extra energy. This weight loss is usually unplanned. If you are underweight you may need to make an extra effort to maintain a healthy weight. Maintaining a healthy weight is vital to keeping your muscles and your ability to fight infection strong.

Eat several small meals and snacks throughout the day. This is important because a large meal crowds the diaphragm causing increased discomfort and shortness of breath. A loss of appetite or feeling tired can also cause you to eat less than normal at your meals. Snacks are often vital to replace those calories you missed.

Use "calorie boosters" such as fats and oils as a way to boost your calorie intake. This allows you to eat more calories with the same amount of food.

Choose high calorie drinks to improve your calorie intake. Water, tea and coffee fill you up without giving you the extra calories you need to stop weight loss or improve weight gain. Non-alcoholic and decaffeinated drinks high in calories such as juice, milk, and nutrition supplements are good choices.

Ask your doctor or registered dietitian about calorie booster and/or nutritional supplement options. They can help you choose foods wisely to get the most out of your meals and snacks.

Calorie boosters include:

• Butter / margarine
• Cream cheese
• Dried fruit
• Dry milk powder
• Granola
• Honey/ sugar
• Peanut butter / nuts
• Vegetable oils

This information has been approved by Katie Warren, M.S., R.D. (October 2006).