Q. I am trying to gain around 15 to 20 pounds. I’m 5-foot-7, 150 pounds and 17 years old. I swim two to four hours a day and lift weights three times a week. I also eat three HUGE meals and have a protein shake every day. Do you have any good ideas for me to gain weight?
A. For expert information on the topic of kids and nutrition, I spoke with Rachel Geik, a registered dietitian and sports nutritionist for Purdue University’s intercollegiate athletics department as well as coordinator of the nutrition, fitness and health program in the university’s foods and nutrition department.
Your first priority should be to focus on consuming adequate calories every day, Geik said. Gaining weight can be a difficult undertaking for a growing young person. Typically, teenagers are seeking ways to lose weight.
She explained that energy (in the form of calories) is primarily used to meet basic needs, such as respiration, blood circulation, brain function and body temperature maintenance. For young people, a significant number of calories also go toward basic growth and development. The leftover calories can be spent on your goal of developing new body mass.
Building muscles is a costly process in terms of energy and calories, Geik said. In fact, you need roughly 500 calories per day above and beyond your basic needs to gain just 1 pound per week.
“You can estimate your daily calorie needs (not counting the extra 500 daily needed to gain weight) by using the Energy Needs Calculator provided by the Children’s Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine,” Geik said. You can find the calculator at www.bcm.edu/cnrc/energy_calculator.htm.
Once you find out how many calories to aim for, the challenge is to fit consuming them into your active day. “If your schedule allows you to eat more often, I would recommend that you do so,” she said. Perhaps you can eat a snack in between breakfast and lunch, between lunch and dinner, and in the evening. Or, try eating five to six “mini-meals” each day.”
Many times, people interested in weight gain put too much emphasis on protein intake and overlook their need for carbohydrates.
Since carbohydrates are the main fuel used in physical activity (including swimming), you should be sure to consume plenty – about 50 percent to 60 percent of your total calories – in the form of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, milk, yogurt and starchy beans.
This will fuel your exercise, and spare the protein in your diet for muscle repair and development.
And speaking of protein, think food first!
Whole foods naturally contain “packages” of nutrients that work best together, but engineered shakes and bars lack that powerful quality, Geik said.
Aim for a daily protein intake of 80 to 130 grams. How much is that?
For example, 100 grams of protein is the amount found in 6 ounces – the same size as 2 decks of cards – of lean meat, poultry or fish; 16 ounces of skim milk; 1 cup of low-fat yogurt, 2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter and 1 cup of starchy beans.
Above all, be consistent. If you are erratic and wavering in your eating patterns, then your progress toward your weight goal will also be erratic and wavering.
Trainer tip: Up to 80 percent of obese adolescents will become obese adults, and their chronic conditions will exacerbate with time, according to a report earlier this month in the Albuquerque Tribune. The current cost of treating diabetes in the United States is $138 billion.
As our overweight children become obese adults, the rate of diabetes will triple. Now more than ever, teach your kids the basics of healthy nutrition and regular exercise; otherwise, they will be paying for it later.
– Nicki Anderson is a certified personal trainer, author and owner of Reality Fitness in Naperville. Contact her at RealityFitness1@@aol.com or see www.realityfitness.com.
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