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DISCLAIMER: The info on these websites is from a variety of sources and I cannot guarantee its accuracy, effectiveness, or safety. When in doubt, please consult a physician.
This site was created with Netscape in mind, but should look okay in both Netscape and IE.
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To find your ideal body weight, you can either use one of the many interactive websites which can be found on my links page, or you can try to figure it out yourself. Many already-prepared charts are based on averages and don't allow for individual adjustments. To get a more reliable result, you must adjust for body frame and age.
First, find your body frame. Wrap your thumb and index finger around the smallest part of your wrist. If your thumb and index finger touch, you are medium build. If you cannot close your fingers around your wrist, you have a large build. If your fingers overlap, you have a small build.
Then find your body weight.
For women, calculate 100 pounds for the first 5ft. of height, then 5lbs. for each additional inch. For example, a 5'3" woman would be 100lbs + (5x3) = 115 lbs.
For men, 106 lbs for the first 5ft, and 6lbs for each additional inch.
Then adjust weight for body build:
Deduct 10% from estimated weight for small body frame,
Add 10% to estimated weight for large body frame
Then adjust for age: If you are 50+ years old, add 10% to estimated weight.
- If your activity level is sedentary (mostly sitting throughout the day, no regular exercise program), your calorie needs are 13 calories per pound.
If you are moderately active (mostly standing and walking, exercising about 3 times a week), 14 calories per pound.
If you are very active (daily vigorous exercise), 15 calories per pound.
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To get your BMI (Body Mass Index):
- Take your height in inches
- Multiply it by 2.54
- Divide that number by 100
- Multiply that number by itself. This is your "frame number".
- Calculate your weight in kilograms by multiplying by 2.2
- Divided frame number by kilogram weight to get BMI.
For example, if someone is 5'3", that's 63". Multiply 63 x 2.54 = 160. Divide 160 by 100, = 1.6. Multiply 1.6 by itself (1.6x1.6)=2.56. The resulting number is your "frame number". Now, if your weight is 103, divide it by 2.2, = 46.8 (weight in kg). Now take kg weight (46.8), divided by frame number (2.56), = 18.28. This is the BMI.
Normal BMI according to U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services, for women 19-34 years old is 19-25 kg.
If your target is a BMI of 22.5, multiply frame number by target BMI to get weight in kilograms, and convert that weight to pounds by multiplying it by 2.2. The result is the weight you need to be to reach your target BMI.
INSOLUBLE FIBER increases stool bulk and water content, speeding transit of stool through bowel. It's a natural laxative, prevents diverticulitis, and treats IBS and hemorrhoids. Some also decrease amount of bile acids in stomach (good for ulcers).
Best sources: Wheat bran. Corn bran, whole grains, dried beans and peas, popcorn, seeds and nuts, most fruits & veggies especially carrots, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, artichokes, broccoli, leeks, parsnips
SOLUBLE FIBER absorbs water and slows down food transit from stomach. Decreases cholesterol levels by washing bile acids from intestinal tract. Gives feeling of fullness. Helps maintain even level of blood sugar.
Best sources: Dried beans, whole oats, oat bran (although dried beans & legumes cause gas), rice bran, chick peas, black-eyed peas, lentils, sesame seeds, all fruits & veggies especially citrus fruits, apples, pears, sweet potatoes, carrots, okra, cauliflower, corn
To help heal ulcers, try the following:
- Try fiber, such as barley, oats, and kudzu, but avoid abrasive roughage like nuts, popcorns, and seeds
- Cut down on animal proteins and try a vegetarian diet temporarily. Animal proteins are high in arachidonic acid, a fatty acid used in the body's production of inflammatory prostaglandins.
- Drink a quart of cabbage juice daily. It has L-glutamine, an amino acid, and gefarnate, which stimulates secretion of mucous from stomach lining. Choose fresh, green, spring and summer cabbages. Also try celery juice.
- Drink cold water, a glass a half hour before and 2-1/2 hours after each meal.
- Try unripe plantain bananas.
- Try vitamins A, B6, E, and folic acid, as well as zinc (but don't take zinc on empty stomach). Take omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish oil, beans, and nuts.
- Try licorice, especially deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL).
- Drink cabbage juice. It's high in glutamine, which stimulates healing of the gastric lining
Drink aloe vera tea, and chamomile tea
- Eat fruit and drink fruit juices only a half hour before or 2 hours after a meal to reduce fermentation
- Chew food slowly and thorougly
- Vitamin C can be gas-forming; reduce dosage to 500mg a day. Iron upsets stomach, magnesium causes diarrhea and gas.
- Calcium - Tums contains calcium carbonate, which can cause gas and constipation because it's chalky. Instead, switch to calcium citrate, which is not binding and doesn't cause gas.
- Add milk-free acidophilus tablets to meals, such as Ileocecal tonic which contains quassia, bistort, ginger, angelica, and bayberry. Also try epazote, sweet annie, cumin, coriander, peppermint, turmeric, anise, and fenugreek.
- Eat when you're calm and your surroundings are quiet
- Chew food slowly and thoroughly
- Avoid washing food down with a beverage (my comment: even if you're choking?)
- Don't gulp or sip liquids, and don't drink thru straws or from small-mouthed bottles or water fountains (my comment: ...but IV fluids are allowed)
- Avoid beverages that are carbonated
- Don't overuse antibiotics or cold medicines
- Avoid beverages that are too hot or too cold, because they "shock" your system. Also, hot food digests slowly, while cold food digests more quickly; either of these can cause gas.(my comment: How about beverages that are "too wet"?)
- Quit smoking and chewing gum (my comment: How else am I suppose to calm my nerves?)
- Belching causes more gas (my comment: but it's so much fun!)
- Eat smaller portions of food, but more often
- Avoid the gassy foods - cabbage, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, turnips, cucumbers, radishes, onions, melons, leeks, garlic, peas, beans, carrots, potatoes, parsnip, tomatoes, corn, beer, coffee and raw vegetables in general (my comment: Is paper allowed?)
- Avoid whipped foods, like whipped cream, souffles, puffy fried chip things, etc.
- Don't lie down after eating; instead, go for a walk after meals. (my comment: After avoiding all these foods, who has energy for a walk?)
- Try an over-the-counter gas medicine, such as Gas-X, Phazyme, simethicone, etc. They personally haven't worked for me, but they work wonders with a lot of people. I've heard that Gas-X works better for stomach gas than intestinal gas, and Charcoal caps work better on intestinal gas than stomach gas.
- You may be lactose intolerance. Try taking Lactaid tablets before eating any dairy foods, or have your doctor test you for lactose intolerance (I'm not sure how reliable this is though). You may also be intolerant to wheat products (celiac disease).
- Artificial sweeteners, such as NutraSweet and Sorbitol, can cause gas.
These have always worked for me. Some may sound weird, but they actually do work!
- Drink ginger tea or take ginger capsules.
- Chewing on fennel seeds sometimes helps me.
- Increase calcium and magnesium.
- Drink papaya juice; it contains digestive enzymes.
- Eat watermelon; it has a calming, antacid effect.
- Go for a walk, especially if the weather is nice.
- Smell a newspaper. For some reason, the ink helps relieve nausea
- Lie down with a heating pad on your abdomen
- Try to go to the bathroom; it relieves some of the pressure
- If you're sitting, try sitting back in your chair with your butt towards the front of the seat, almost like you're semi-horizontal
- Lightly massage your upper stomach in a downward motion towards your abdomen
- Sniff lavender-scented oil
- Don't eat or drink anything acidy, like orange or tomato juice, and stay away from fatty foods
- Eat a piece of plain white bread, or plain crackers
- The best anti-nausea medication I've tried is "compazine". You can get more info through the Drug links.
- Pepto-Bismol helps just about any GI problem, and it also has mild antibacterial effects. Be aware that it can turn your stools black.
- Double-Strength Mylanta tablets help me.
- Suck on ice cubes. This is especially helpful when you're dehydrated but you can't even keep down water.
Peanut butter seems to help me if I've got those sick hunger pangs that feel like my stomach is trying to digest itself. But if I eat more than 2-3 tablespoons it can make me feel queasy.
- Do not eat white mushrooms raw. Contains 3 natural toxins, 2 of which are destroyed by cooking.
- Potatoes - remove green parts of skin and sprouts; they are toxic
- Peanuts and peanut butter can contain alfatoxin, a toxic mold.
- Alfalfa sprouts contain canavanine, a natural toxin.
- Beans, peas, & other legumes contain toxins which are killed by cooking.
- Sprouts of all legumes should not be eaten raw
- Spinach, chard, & beet greens contain oxalic acid, which depletes your iron & calcium; cook lightly to deactivate oxalic acid
- Celery - remove brown or pink patches, which are toxic fungus
- Cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, brussel sprouts, collard greens, mustard greens, & other cruciferous veggies shouldn't be eaten in great quantities raw because they can cause gastric distress
- Squash and eggplant must be cooked well
- Many people have a genetic predisposition to stomach problems.
- People who have asthma, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), heart murmur, mitral valve prolapse, and other diseases/weaknesses of the the muscles, have a greater chance than the general public of getting one of the other diseases (e.g. if you have IBS your chance of being asthmatic is higher, if you have heart murmur your chance of IBS is higher, etc.)
- Parasites can mimic IBS, such as Giardia and Blastocytis hominis.
- If you analyze one stool specimen, you have a 40% chance of detecting a parasite that's there. Second sample - 60%. Third sample - 70%. For the parasite giardia, the chances of getting a reliable result even after the THIRD specimen, is 40%!
- Parasites thrive on carbohydrates, so if you have a parasite you should limit intake of carbos, including wheat and dairy products, sugar, fruits and fruit juices. You should also take acidophilus and hydrochloric acid. Also, take garlic, pumpkin seeds, and black walnut extract, as well as an active form of artemisia (wormwood) and a special extract of grapefruit seed once used by Amazon Indians.
- Dr. David Reuben's Quick Weight-Gain Program, Crown Publishers, New York,
Copyright 1996, ISBN #0-517-70205-3
Library lookup:
1. Leanness - Prevention, 2. Leanness - Diet Therapy, RA784.R48, 613.2'4-dc20
- Get this book at Amazon or Borders or Barnes & Noble or Books.Com.
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