Does Losing Weight Make You Taller?

Should you lose weight to gain height?

The short answer is NO.

Now, delving a bit deeper into the matter, the answer remains negative, albeit with an interesting twist. Shedding excess weight may indeed create the optical illusion of increased height, particularly among individuals classified as obese.

When your stature is more streamlined, it naturally gives the impression of greater height compared to someone carrying excess weight. Furthermore, if you have a lower body mass or reduced weight, your body's growth efforts tend to emphasize muscle development, which can contribute to an enhanced sense of height. Conversely, if you are overweight, your body tends to prioritize fat accumulation, rather than muscle growth. It's worth noting that the ideal course of development for an individual should involve an increase in muscle mass rather than fat accumulation.

In essence, while the direct impact of weight loss on your actual height remains negligible, the perception of height can be influenced by your body's overall composition and the distribution of weight.

Furthermore, it is worth noting that obesity can have a significant impact on the body's bone metabolism, ultimately affecting its structural integrity. This, in turn, can increase the risk of developing osteoporosis, particularly in areas such as the spine, joints, and hips. Osteoporosis is a condition characterized by weakened bones, making them susceptible to bending and breaking, often resulting in a loss of height.

In summary, shedding excess weight will not magically increase your height. However, it is important to recognize that weight loss can mitigate factors that may hinder both current and future height potential.

How to know if you are overweight?

You can try different formulas to calculate healthy weight and height for each person, but the most popular one is the Body Mass Index (BMI). This easy and inexpensive method helps you know if you are underweight, normal, overweight, or obese. Below is the BMI formula to measure your weight relative to your height [1].

After getting your own BMI score, you then compare it with the WHO’s standards to find out which category you are in.

• Less than 18.5 – You are underweight.

• Between 18.5 and 24.9 – You are healthy or at an optimum range.

• Between 25 and 29.9 – You are overweight.

• Between 30 and 34.9 – You are at obese class I.

• Between 35 and 40 – You are at obese class II.

• Over 40 – You are at obese class III.

However, this score is for adults only. Since children and teens are still growing, they should use the CDC’s BMI charts [2].

• Under 5% - Your children are underweight.

• Between 5% and 84.9% - They have a healthy weight for their height.

• Between 85% and 95% - They are at risk of being overweight.

• Over 95% - They are considered overweight.

How to lose weight and get taller?

After understanding which category you fall into, it is time to learn how to lose weight if you are at risk of being overweight or supposed to be overweight.

Pay attention to your diet

If you want to lose fat healthily, you have no choice but to increase your intake of greens, fruits, and beans. Avoid foods high in calories and fat because they only increase the amount of fat in your body. Try to consume more foods rich in necessary nutrients to reduce body weight and contribute to height gain.

Include more protein

Adding more protein from brown bread, oatmeal, quinoa, nuts, and whey protein is highly recommended to support muscle building and weight loss. Besides, avoid refined foods like white bread and white flour because they easily get stuck in the intestine and create toxins.

Avoid skipping any meal

You tend to skip meals, but this just slows down your metabolism and you end up eating more than you should. Skipping meals also affects your energy levels and mood, making you feel laid-back all the time. And this might prevent you from concentrating on working out or doing anything.

Get regular exercise

Aside from eating correctly, doing exercises regularly is one of the most effective ways if you want to lose weight and get taller. While you work out, you will burn extra calories in the body. The more calories you burn, the less fat you are going to have.

Swimming is an effective sport that helps burn body fat, tone muscles, and keep a healthy metabolism. Moreover, if you swim regularly, it actively engages the spine, supporting your vertical physique. Cycling is another good way to shred extra calories and help strengthen the bones in your legs, allowing you to lose weight and increase height efficiently.

You should engage in aerobic exercises to focus on stretches to promote all fitness factors. They not only burn high levels of calories but also enhance growth hormone production.

Be patient and consistent

If you want to lose weight, grow taller, or do anything in life, you need to work really hard to reach your goals. Make particular goals for weight loss and height gain, and set your mind to completing them.

What are the benefits of losing weight?

Although weight loss might not deliver benefits for height gain, you can get some good things from losing a couple of pounds.

If your height is concerned, better posture plays an essential role. Most overweight people struggle with several postural problems since they have to carry extra pounds that tighten their joints and tissues, resulting in pain, inflammation, and joint impairment. And over time, this excess pressure on joints might make them “shrink” in height. That is why weight loss is the ideal method for better posture!

• Less belly fat helps enhance the function of the core musculature.

• Losing fat surrounding the midsection makes the spine bend easier.

• It also promotes the mobility and flexibility of the joints and muscles.

• Less weight means better joint health.

• Decreased body mass lowers the load on the spine, improving physical stature.

Is there anything else? Losing weight also results in:

• Reduced blood pressure

• Lower triglycerides

• Improved heart health

• Better mobility

• Reduced pain

• Enhanced sex life

• Lower risks of heart diseases

• Improved mood

• Improved sleep

• Enhanced self-esteem

That said, weight loss is especially helpful for clinically obese people. It means taking back control over their life once more and living longer.

In a word

Losing weight doesn't directly result in an increase in height, but the journey is far from futile. Shedding excess pounds can play a pivotal role in reducing the risk of height loss later in life due to obesity-related ailments such as osteoporosis. Moreover, it contributes to enhancing your posture and bestows a multitude of health advantages.

With all these benefits in mind, what's not to appreciate about this endeavor?

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