Are you a thin teenage boy and having trouble gaining weight? Here are some healthy ways to approach this common concern.

Teenage boys who want to gain weight usually have to approach it from two fronts.  The first is diet and the second is weight training.  What you want is to put on muscle and some fat, but you don’t want to just put on fat.  In order to gain muscle weight, you need to lift weight in an appropriate, safe way. The YMCA or local gyms usually have a trainer who is experienced in instructing teens in how to safely weight train.  You may have a coach or trainer at your school who can instruct you.

At the same time you are building muscle, you have to take in enough calories to support your growing muscle mass. It’s easier if you eat five meals a day; breakfast, lunch, after school, dinner and before bed. Include five servings of fruit and vegetables a day, but the calories will come from protein such as hamburger, eggs, chicken, peanut butter, cheese, milk, beans, pork, nuts, etc.  You also need fat so put butter or margarine on your toast, eat whole milk yogurt, have pasta with cheese, and have a milkshake every night made with whole milk, ice cream and fruit.  Avoid eating “junk” such as chips, soda, cookies and candy as they will damp down your appetite and prevent you from eating the high calorie quality foods you need.  To gain weight while working out, you need to consistently eat more than you are hungry for five times a day.  If you have a family history of high blood pressure or high cholesterol, check with your doctor before you start a diet higher in fat.