Safe Ways to Gain Weight for Teens
For some, it is almost too easy to gain weight; however, it can be nearly impossible for some to add pounds and/or muscle. Teens tend to showcase this problem as they move through stages of high metabolism. Through a healthy diet and routine weight training, weight gain can come at a safe pace.-
Gaining Weight the Right Way
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For teens, an image is everything. Being able to gain weight can be difficult. Do not resort to careless eating, unknown supplements, or steroid use to simulate a "quick fix." William Brink, fitness guru and nutritionist notes, "it's rarely one single thing a person does that is sabotaging their efforts to lose fat and or gain muscle, but a bunch of little things that have an accumulated effect."
How to Eat to Gain Weight
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To gain weight, you must eat. Sounds simple, but trust that this is often the most-difficult task for "hard gainers." No matter how often you are lifting, how hard you are training, or how nutritious you think you are eating, you will not gain weight if you are not loading your body with calories.
Vince DelMonte, fitness model and nutritionist, has put together this sample meal plan, which I often refer to:
8 a.m.
2 cups cottage cheese, light/low fat
3 cups bran cereal, all varieties
2 cups strawberries
1-2/3 tsp. olive, flax, hemp or salmon oils11 a.m.
8 oz. chicken breast, skinless
2-1/4 cups beans, green or yellow
1/4 cup black beans
1/2 cup chickpeas
1/2 cup cucumber
1 pepper (bell or cubanelle)
3/4 cup pasta
1-2/3 tsp. olive, flax, hemp or salmon oils2 p.m.
8 oz. tuna, canned in water
1 cup celery
1 cup cucumber
1 pepper (bell or cubanelle)
1 cup tomatoes
1 cup grapes
2 whole pita
2/3 tsp. olive, flax, hemp or salmon oils5 p.m.
8 oz. beef, lean cuts
2 cups potatoes
1-2/3 tsp. olive, flax, hemp or salmon oils
2 peppers (bell or cubanelle)
1/4 cup baked beans8 p.m.
4 oz. cheese, low or non-fat
2 cups blueberries
9 almonds, whole
To Add Weight, Add Weights
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If you want to gain weight, you have to eat; true. However, if you want to add muscle, you need to lift weights. Teens going through high-calorie-burning metabolic changes will find this difficult. Add a weight-lifting routine to your daily schedule. Start slow and increase in weight as your strength grows; this will come almost instantaneously at first, as you develop new muscle. Be aware of your limits and do not overtrain. All that's left to do is watch your weight rise on the scale.
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