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gaining weight

P

paniak17

Mar 19, 2004
1,075
0
36
Northwest, Indiana
#1
i have recently been trying to gain some weight...im trying to get about 150% total fat of that daily value stuff in the nutrition facts...im 15, and i have no idea what im doing....im pretty skinny and im not gonna start lifting weights cuz im lazy...i figured this would be an easy way to gain some weight...any pointers?


EDIT: ive been doing this for about 2 weeks and i think its working...my scale is broke so i have no idea how much weight ive gained...last time i checked i was 125-128. what is the normal weight for a 15 year old that is 5'10ish and not muscular. thanks.

p.s. today i had about 200% total fat...is that unhealthy?
 
#2
So you're saying that you just want to pack on excess fat? Why? That would not be a healthy choice. I'm pretty skinny too, less so now but definitely when I was 15. Don't worry about it man, just go with it. Adding weight in the form of fat is not the solution.

brad cook
 
#3
Ok, you should not consider lifting just yet. At 15 you are still growing/developing. Some mild forms of lifting are OK, but general fitness is more beneficial at this stage.

Simply eating more means you will gain weight, though generally this will be fat. You should not eat more than your body needs. If you are skinny and want to bulk up, you should increase your caloric intake whilst increasing your activity level. Aim to gain lean muscle mass, not simply weight.

Ensure that you increase your daily protein intake as this is less likely to be stored as fat, although again, more than your body can use will be stored in this way.

Lastly, don't worry too much about it at this point in your life. At 15, you should be having fun!
 
#4
If you want to get fat, talk to Morgan Spurlock. He's the guy who did the Supersize Me documentary.

Eat fastfood three times a day, and you can literally watch your tummy grow.

-Mike
 
#5
paniak17 said:
what is the normal weight for a 15 year old that is 5'10ish and not muscular. thanks.

p.s. today i had about 200% total fat...is that unhealthy?
Click to expand...

200% total fat? 200% of what? RDI? If so, yes, that is very unhealthy.


www.halls.md/body-mass-index/bmi.htm

try this link. there is really no "normal" weight, but this calculator will head you in the right direction.

be extremely aware of the danger you could be doing to yourself by eating in the way you describe. my advice to you is to stop this silly diet and return to normal, healthy eating.
 
#6
Peter Squire said:
Ok, you should not consider lifting just yet. At 15 you are still growing/developing. Some mild forms of lifting are OK, but general fitness is more beneficial at this stage.

Simply eating more means you will gain weight, though generally this will be fat. You should not eat more than your body needs. If you are skinny and want to bulk up, you should increase your caloric intake whilst increasing your activity level. Aim to gain lean muscle mass, not simply weight.

Ensure that you increase your daily protein intake as this is less likely to be stored as fat, although again, more than your body can use will be stored in this way.

Lastly, don't worry too much about it at this point in your life. At 15, you should be having fun!
Click to expand...

thanks. trust me, ive been having a lotttt of fun and it gets really hard sometimes to eat correctly cuz im ussually never home. can you name somethings that have plenty of protien in them?
 
#7
paniak17 said:
thanks. trust me, ive been having a lotttt of fun and it gets really hard sometimes to eat correctly cuz im ussually never home. can you name somethings that have plenty of protien in them?
Click to expand...

Most people use a protein supplement, usually made from whey, because it is transported into the bloodstream quite easily.

in foods, look for lean red meat, poultry, leafy green vegetables, beans, nuts etc.

good nutrition is about a balanced diet. there is no miracle diet on the market that makes any nutritional sense IMHO.
 
#9
Peter Squire said:
Ok, you should not consider lifting just yet. At 15 you are still growing/developing. Some mild forms of lifting are OK, but general fitness is more beneficial at this stage.

Simply eating more means you will gain weight, though generally this will be fat. You should not eat more than your body needs. If you are skinny and want to bulk up, you should increase your caloric intake whilst increasing your activity level. Aim to gain lean muscle mass, not simply weight.

Ensure that you increase your daily protein intake as this is less likely to be stored as fat, although again, more than your body can use will be stored in this way.

Lastly, don't worry too much about it at this point in your life. At 15, you should be having fun!
Click to expand...

I agree with general fitness being a good example, but starting lifting at 15 isn't all that unhealthy if you continue to do your cardio as well. I was a football player, wrestler and shotput/discus guy in high school and am now a wrestling head coach for a high school and started lifting at 14.

Do remember though, if you get bulky at a young age, you have to keep working out, otherwise you get a nice gut like mine when that muscle turns to fat...which it will do...um...rather quickly.

As for trying to gain weight, low weight and high reps will definatly give you more lean muscle tone. That's what I'd reccomend personally.

None of that was to undermine what you said Peter, just my $0.02...
 
#12
paniak17 said:
is there any way i can gain muscle without lifting weights?
Click to expand...

Well, its splitting hairs, but resistance training is what will cause you to gain lean muscle mass. You don't necessarily have to lift weights, but you will not gain muscle unless you are resistance training.

Pushups, chinups, swimming, rowing etc don't involve lifting weights, but you are using your own body weight or water to cause resistance. You will gain a degree of muscle this way.

jmb - i agree with your post - it's really not much different to my advice. to clarify, i personally train a 15 year old currently, and his program involves light weights with high reps. as he grows older, i will increase his load. the jury is still out on the physical effects of weight training at a young age, some say it causes damage to the growing bone and tissue, others disagree.

as a general rule, i like to err on the side of caution. one of my reasons is that young people who begin weight training are often very eager to get to the heavier weight lifting which i believe is dangerous.

hope this helps
 
#13
Take steroids. I wouldn't recommend it, but you're not going to get muscle any other way. You need to exercise in some way shape or form, and I wouldn't recommend that either.

As for your diet, 150% or even 200% fat is not a problem. In fact, you should probably be eating at least that much. I know I eat at least double or triple what most people eat because I'm still growing. As a strong believer of Atkin's, I'd recommend you eat lots of carbs. I don't think it would be healthy per se, but you'd put on weight. Eating lots and lots of fat will make you ketotic. You'll lose your apetite that way. Doing the food pyramid is all you need to put on weight: eating mostly carbs (grains as well as sugars) with some meats and fats will make you gain weight like crazy. Forget vegetables and fruits by the way, they're not going to help you.
 
#14
Ericman197 said:
Take steroids. I wouldn't recommend it, but you're not going to get muscle any other way. You need to exercise in some way shape or form, and I wouldn't recommend that either.

As for your diet, 150% or even 200% fat is not a problem. In fact, you should probably be eating at least that much. I know I eat at least double or triple what most people eat because I'm still growing. As a strong believer of Atkin's, I'd recommend you eat lots of carbs. I don't think it would be healthy per se, but you'd put on weight. Eating lots and lots of fat will make you ketotic. You'll lose your apetite that way. Doing the food pyramid is all you need to put on weight: eating mostly carbs (grains as well as sugars) with some meats and fats will make you gain weight like crazy. Forget vegetables and fruits by the way, they're not going to help you.
Click to expand...

Sorry Eric, but you still need resistance training to gain muscle even when taking steroids (which is highly unrecommended!)

Yes, eating lots of carbs will make you gain weight - in the form of fat. When you eat lots of carbs, your body releases insulin to break them down into units it can use for energy. High glycemic index carbs get broken down quicker, which is why sugary food is often what people crave - its the body's way of telling you that it needs energy and fast!

The effect of eating loads of carbs is that the body doesn't need to use them all at once to keep its energy level up, and so it stores the leftovers as fat. It is the body's way of stock-piling energy for famine times. It is unlikely that most westeners will ever go starving, but the body doesn't know that. This is one reason why obesity is probably going to dominate health issues in western populations in the future.

The Atkins method works on the principle that restricting the carbohydrates in the diet means that none get stored as fat. Realistically, the success of this kind of diet is due to its users eating less total calories. Eating 150 - 200% RDI of fat is not healthy, and it is misleading to suggest that it is.

The equation that has lasted for centuries still holds true:

More energy output than energy input will cause weight loss

More energy input than energy output will cause weight gain.

It's that simple.
 
#16
Bottom line - you still got some growing to do, so don't sweat it!

Get plenty of exercise and try to eat as well balanced a diet as you can! Sure lift some weights.....or do some resistance training - low weight hi reps will give you plenty of muscle tone.

Next few years you might find your metabolism changes and you struggle to keep weight off.....eating lots of fat also has a secondary problem in that your system can end up having arteries harden and block and your cholestorol could suffer....so go easy on the fat.

Plenty of good quality protein form lean meats and poultry, and fish if you like it will help. Try to get your carbs uprocessed too, and plenty of fibre in your diet.

Then make sure you exercise at leats 3 times a week for 30 mins, and se how the next few years pan out! :)
 
#17
i don't know if i'm allowed to do this, but there is another forum that i frequent called discussfitness.com. it's a smaller community, and the people are really cool. (just like most of the people here at talkbass.) they'd be glad to help you out over there.

you should be fine if you lift weights 3-4 days a week. but just make sure you eat A LOT. and sleep A LOT. you will definetly put on some lean weight.

you don't really want to eat fat though. it's not horrible for you, but you shouldn't base what you eat and how much of it on total fat grams. try to eat healthier food, and like i said... eat a lot.
 
#19
Meat, Macaroni, honeybuns and plenty of excercise-- it's working for me. I posted a similar thread here a few years ago, and since then I've gained quite a bit of weight, nearly all of it being muscle. I was 6'0 an around 140ish, now I'm 6'1 at a comfy 173 and climbing.

Just make sure that you do many different types of excercise to accompany the eating so that the weight you put on is muscle. Fat sucks and is unattractive. And keep in mind that while it may seem useless trying to eat alot as it seems that it just makes you excreet more, it does help a little no matter how fast your metabolism is. I'd recommend staying away from extensive cardio excercise though, unless you can eat excessive quantities to compensate for the calories you burn.

PS: I just finished a 600 calorie honeybun with 37g of fat a few minutes ago. :p
 

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