IAMWILL
March 9th, 2009, 11:04 PM
Well, I suggested this, it got support, so I thought I would create this guide.
Hope this helps you!
Gaining Healthy Weight
(Before reading please see note at bottom of page)
Do you find it hard to gain weight? If so, you're probably the envy of family and friends. It seems as if you can eat as many cheeseburgers and chocolate bars as you would like, and still not register an ounce.
Yet little do people know how much you'd love to put meat on your bones, perhaps to feel less lanky, to be able to wear certain clothes without appearing scrawny, or to just be healthier.
Many people blame their low weight on a fast metabolism and tendencies to fill up faster on smaller meals, yet these are not the only factors why some people are underweight. There are many reasons why people may find it hard to gain weight. Genetics can obviously play a role, but individual personalities and the environment can be strong factors.
For example, there are people who tend to move around more, burning more calories than they take in. They're either always the first ones to volunteer to pick up after a spill, to do the chores, to walk everywhere, or to play a lot of sports. This level of physical activity is not a bad thing, but being aware of it is important in understanding the factors affecting one's weight. In teens, the inability to gain weight may signal a condition known as "failure to thrive," which means a kid is not growing appropriately for his/her age. This may be caused by an illness, or eating patterns dictated by a parental idiosyncrasy. Whatever the suspected cause for being underweight or for unexpected weight loss, and as much as some people may be happy about being thin, as opposed to being fat, it's important to discuss the matter with your doctor.
If you want to have a nice shapely body to go along with this extra weight, you're going to need to work out so that you put the weight on in the form of muscle as opposed to the form of fat. A combination of aerobic exercise and strength training for the whole body is recommended to healthily gain weight. Healthy weight gain, just like healthy weight loss, takes time and requires a conscious effort to apply good habits.
Good Ways To Gain Weight
Have meals with the right balance of proteins, carbohydrates, and the right kinds of fat (such as unsaturated and monounsaturated fats, olive oil, canola oil, pistachios, almonds and walnuts).
Eat foods higher in calories, vitamins, and minerals, as opposed to higher in fat or sugar.
Pack more nutritious calories in each serving. For example, you may add grated cooked eggs to mashed potatoes, ground chicken to soups and gravies, cheese in casseroles, eggs, and soups, and nonfat dried milk in soups, shakes, milk, and mashed potatoes.
If you get too full too fast, try having more high-calorie foods or slices of foods as opposed to consuming the whole thing (raisins versus grapes, granola and Grape Nuts versus corn flakes, mango slices versus the whole mango).
Limit drinking beverages to a half-hour before and after a meal.
Drink mixed juices (apple/berry, peach/orange/banana as opposed to one juice beverages) for a higher calorie intake.
With moderation, you may add in good fat sources to meals such as nuts, avocado, olives, and fatty fish (salmon and mackerel).
Snack in between meals. Nuts, dried fruits, and yogurt are good options, but it's also important to find nutritious foods that you will enjoy.
Have a nutritious snack before bedtime, such as a peanut butter sandwich
Try these things, and you should be able to gain some weight. If not, after a few weeks or so, consult a doctor so you can talk about your weight. And don't be nervous or embarrassed, it's a health problem. You're not embarrassed to go to the doctor if you have the flu right? Same thing here.
What you should try to get to:
As a rough rule of thumb, women should be at least 105 pounds for the first five feet of height, and another five pounds per inch after that; men should be at least 106 pounds for the first five feet, and an added six pounds per inch.
How To Healthily Build Muscle
Many people think that working out to the max everyday is the best way to gain muscle fast. This is not at all true. The best way to gain muscle mass and strength is through a variety of simple things. The most important thing though, is consistency.
First off, you want to eat healthily. Building muscle is much like gaining weight, you need to eat a balanced and healthy diet, and follow some basic guidelines. Read the food suggestions above, they apply here nicely.
Say you want to build up your upper body (including abdomen and torso). Instead of doing 100 pushups, 50 pull-ups, and 100 sit-ups a day, and pushing yourself to the max, try starting with 5 or 10 of each, and work your way up.
Also, it is critical that you only work out EVERY OTHER DAY. When your muscles are over used, they can be strained, pulled, or tore, which is really bad. What you should do is work out one day, rest the next, work out again, then rest another day. Keep in mind that sports and other activities are great ways of building muscle, but also have the same effects as workouts, so you want to build your workout schedule around those. Another very important thing is always stretch before you work out. Without stretching, you have a much higher chance of injuring yourself, and you will not be able to perform as well.
As an example, say I wanted to build up my arms for summer. I have basketball practice Monday, Wednesday, and a game Friday I would want to:
Monday: I feel like I still need some exercise after basketball practice. I'm going to do only 10 pushups, pull-ups, and sit-ups.
Tuesday: I feel great, maybe sore, but I think I can still work out. DON'T. Rest that day, and let your body recover.
Wednesday: Another easy basketball practice. Okay, this time I'm going to do 15 pushups, pull-ups, and sit-ups.
Thursday: Still feeling like I can push myself.... DON'T. Even if you feel like you can work out again, let your body rest. It needs it, even if you don't notice.
Friday: Big game tonight! Great workout, I'm all amped up! I'm going to do 20 pushups, pull-ups, and sit-ups today!
Saturday/Sunday: I'm SO TIRED. MY MUSCLES ACHE. Okay, maybe I pushed myself a little to hard, I'm going to rest today AND tomorrow. I still am going to stay active though.
You can personalize your schedule and workout to fit your needs, expectations. The bottom line is, don't push yourself, only work out every other day, and be consistent.
Hope this helped everyone, PM me if you have any more questions.
Note to all: The first part of this thread was not written by me. I copied and pasted most of it from this cite: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=52231 Rights to the beginning of this guide belong to them, the second half, to I.
Hope this helps you!
Gaining Healthy Weight
(Before reading please see note at bottom of page)
Do you find it hard to gain weight? If so, you're probably the envy of family and friends. It seems as if you can eat as many cheeseburgers and chocolate bars as you would like, and still not register an ounce.
Yet little do people know how much you'd love to put meat on your bones, perhaps to feel less lanky, to be able to wear certain clothes without appearing scrawny, or to just be healthier.
Many people blame their low weight on a fast metabolism and tendencies to fill up faster on smaller meals, yet these are not the only factors why some people are underweight. There are many reasons why people may find it hard to gain weight. Genetics can obviously play a role, but individual personalities and the environment can be strong factors.
For example, there are people who tend to move around more, burning more calories than they take in. They're either always the first ones to volunteer to pick up after a spill, to do the chores, to walk everywhere, or to play a lot of sports. This level of physical activity is not a bad thing, but being aware of it is important in understanding the factors affecting one's weight. In teens, the inability to gain weight may signal a condition known as "failure to thrive," which means a kid is not growing appropriately for his/her age. This may be caused by an illness, or eating patterns dictated by a parental idiosyncrasy. Whatever the suspected cause for being underweight or for unexpected weight loss, and as much as some people may be happy about being thin, as opposed to being fat, it's important to discuss the matter with your doctor.
If you want to have a nice shapely body to go along with this extra weight, you're going to need to work out so that you put the weight on in the form of muscle as opposed to the form of fat. A combination of aerobic exercise and strength training for the whole body is recommended to healthily gain weight. Healthy weight gain, just like healthy weight loss, takes time and requires a conscious effort to apply good habits.
Good Ways To Gain Weight
Have meals with the right balance of proteins, carbohydrates, and the right kinds of fat (such as unsaturated and monounsaturated fats, olive oil, canola oil, pistachios, almonds and walnuts).
Eat foods higher in calories, vitamins, and minerals, as opposed to higher in fat or sugar.
Pack more nutritious calories in each serving. For example, you may add grated cooked eggs to mashed potatoes, ground chicken to soups and gravies, cheese in casseroles, eggs, and soups, and nonfat dried milk in soups, shakes, milk, and mashed potatoes.
If you get too full too fast, try having more high-calorie foods or slices of foods as opposed to consuming the whole thing (raisins versus grapes, granola and Grape Nuts versus corn flakes, mango slices versus the whole mango).
Limit drinking beverages to a half-hour before and after a meal.
Drink mixed juices (apple/berry, peach/orange/banana as opposed to one juice beverages) for a higher calorie intake.
With moderation, you may add in good fat sources to meals such as nuts, avocado, olives, and fatty fish (salmon and mackerel).
Snack in between meals. Nuts, dried fruits, and yogurt are good options, but it's also important to find nutritious foods that you will enjoy.
Have a nutritious snack before bedtime, such as a peanut butter sandwich
Try these things, and you should be able to gain some weight. If not, after a few weeks or so, consult a doctor so you can talk about your weight. And don't be nervous or embarrassed, it's a health problem. You're not embarrassed to go to the doctor if you have the flu right? Same thing here.
What you should try to get to:
As a rough rule of thumb, women should be at least 105 pounds for the first five feet of height, and another five pounds per inch after that; men should be at least 106 pounds for the first five feet, and an added six pounds per inch.
How To Healthily Build Muscle
Many people think that working out to the max everyday is the best way to gain muscle fast. This is not at all true. The best way to gain muscle mass and strength is through a variety of simple things. The most important thing though, is consistency.
First off, you want to eat healthily. Building muscle is much like gaining weight, you need to eat a balanced and healthy diet, and follow some basic guidelines. Read the food suggestions above, they apply here nicely.
Say you want to build up your upper body (including abdomen and torso). Instead of doing 100 pushups, 50 pull-ups, and 100 sit-ups a day, and pushing yourself to the max, try starting with 5 or 10 of each, and work your way up.
Also, it is critical that you only work out EVERY OTHER DAY. When your muscles are over used, they can be strained, pulled, or tore, which is really bad. What you should do is work out one day, rest the next, work out again, then rest another day. Keep in mind that sports and other activities are great ways of building muscle, but also have the same effects as workouts, so you want to build your workout schedule around those. Another very important thing is always stretch before you work out. Without stretching, you have a much higher chance of injuring yourself, and you will not be able to perform as well.
As an example, say I wanted to build up my arms for summer. I have basketball practice Monday, Wednesday, and a game Friday I would want to:
Monday: I feel like I still need some exercise after basketball practice. I'm going to do only 10 pushups, pull-ups, and sit-ups.
Tuesday: I feel great, maybe sore, but I think I can still work out. DON'T. Rest that day, and let your body recover.
Wednesday: Another easy basketball practice. Okay, this time I'm going to do 15 pushups, pull-ups, and sit-ups.
Thursday: Still feeling like I can push myself.... DON'T. Even if you feel like you can work out again, let your body rest. It needs it, even if you don't notice.
Friday: Big game tonight! Great workout, I'm all amped up! I'm going to do 20 pushups, pull-ups, and sit-ups today!
Saturday/Sunday: I'm SO TIRED. MY MUSCLES ACHE. Okay, maybe I pushed myself a little to hard, I'm going to rest today AND tomorrow. I still am going to stay active though.
You can personalize your schedule and workout to fit your needs, expectations. The bottom line is, don't push yourself, only work out every other day, and be consistent.
Hope this helped everyone, PM me if you have any more questions.
Note to all: The first part of this thread was not written by me. I copied and pasted most of it from this cite: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=52231 Rights to the beginning of this guide belong to them, the second half, to I.