How to Gain Weight

What’s his caloric intake daily? How does he compare in size to the members of his family (father, mother, any older siblings, grandparents/cousins)? How much has he grown in the last 18 mos?

Senna is right in track. First do a food diary and get exactly what is the intake. Also need to understand grams of protein /day .Adding shakes is great but half the intake needs to be animal (meat) protein and not just the shake. (Whey) A good rule is 1.5 g /lb/day to start. In general if you want to get big you have to eat big, it’s that simple. Try limiting very carb heavy food early in the day which clearly will Make you feel bloated more easily. Been there , it’s tough.

Thanks guys.  We need to measure the caloric intake again (it has been year).  I believe it was around 1700 back then.   He has grown about 2 inches (and 5-7 lbs) in the last year.  He is built like I was - 5'11" and 140lbs until I was 26.  Could not put weight on at all costs.  Now I wish I had that problem.

That bloated feeling should be frequently felt while gaining.    Don't avoid it. Eat more.  A lot more.  And more often.  There is no magic formula other than increased calories.   Peanut butter is your friend.

1700 calories a day is low by half if he wants to gain weight. I think most of us have struggled with our sons at some point needing to gain weight. Best advice we got from a nutritionist was eat by the clock and cut out snacks.  4 meals a day at regular intervals with a shake as a supplement at some point.  Grazing is bad as it prevents them from putting a big meal on board at meal time.  My son's 2nd period teacher did a double take when he pulled out a thermos full of scrambled eggs in the middle of class the first time. She thought is was cool when he told her why.

Best thing we came up with on our own was put more of the foods they pound on their plate.  My wife is a super healthy food junky. She would cook a new balanced meal every night.  Unfortunately it wasn't always things the kids like and they would only eat enough to get away from the table. I finally convinced her to cook big potions of things like spegetti and meatballs early in the week and serve it to them 2 or 3 times through the week while we eat chopped salads.

@senna was spot on. Determining his normal daily caloric intake is Step 1 because you know this is what he needs to maintain his current weight at 140. At this point, the goal should be to add 500 calories to this number.

For example, if he is taking in 2000 calories per day, the new goal should be 2500 per day. This should be THE NUMBER until he starts to plateau at a higher weight. Then you can adjust higher from there.

Does he have an end goal weight by a certain deadline? For example, does he want to gain 15lbs by Spring Season/March 1st? If so, he has about 16 weeks, so all he needs to focus on is gaining one pound per week.

Training Strategy - is his current training strategy designed to gain Strength and Size? It could be his current strategy is more Strength and Endurance or Strength and Power based and that is why the muscle growth isn't occurring. Maybe ask his trainer? Lastly, lifting 3 days per week, especially during the off-season, is light on volume. Really needs to be 5 days per week.

Other factors to consider:

• Daily Protein, Carb, and Fat intake (all of these are on the labels.) These can be used to make sure the weight gain is healthy and diversified.
• Desired Body Fat Composition (measuring this will help to make sure the weight he is putting on is "good" and will have a positive impact on performance)
• Food Scale (Purchasing one of these to understand portion sizes)
• Rules of thumb
  • Food will always be better than supplements (if possible)
  • Protein - "The less legs the better." (Fish = best. Chicken = second best. Cow = 3rd Place)
  • "Eat a Rainbow Often" - Different colored vegetables. Variety is good for every meal.
  • Carbs - complex is greater than simple.

@InnerPro

• Protein - "The less legs the better." (Fish = best. Chicken = second best. Cow = 3rd Place)

what do you mean by best?  

@Around_The_Horn Should have communicated better there... Best = healthiest forms of protein due to fat, omega's, cholesterol...etc. Balance is key, so eating a variety is perfectly fine - unless there is a fish allergy

Our son has finally topped out at 190. He's got a thick build so we - and by we I mean my wife - put him (and my v-ball playing daughter) on a high-protein moderate-fat diet. Both kids focused on strength and flexibility. Lots and lots of fish (we live in San Diego and are very fortunate to have a wide selection of fresh ocean fish). Also supplements (fish oil, protein powder) and fruit, which my wife tells me is good for joint flexibility. I nod and keep my mouth shut.

Thanks Everyone.  This is great information to digest.  InnerPro, one question.  You mention 5 days a week to lift.  He has a personal trainer who feels 3 days is the max.  He seems very focused on not building too much upper body strength since he is a baseball player.  This does seem to contradict what I have read and seen some places.  Can you elaborate on 5 days per week and are there concerns over too much upper body strength? 

@Miller2020, my son is doing the same, 3 days of power/strength and 2 days of speed/agility. His trainer is an expert with rotational athletes and overhead throwing athletes. They do a TON of core work. I don't even think there is a traditional bench press in the gym.

Eat more calories than you burn. Eat before bed, limit cardio and work out..which it sounds like he has down. My son learned how to eat and work out in college. He worked out in HS and that got him on track to get a scholarship etc but the real rubber met the road in college. He just didn't like food enough and eating period, to put on weight. Btw, he was 5-10 and 145lbs when he started working out in hs.

Been talking to a couple of families who are going through the same thing, as we are also (2023 son is 6'0, 155lbs). One family said the program they are training with has their son on a 4,000 calories a day diet. The son has gained 7.5 pounds over the past 4 weeks. Another family, whose son is a skinny 2021, said their doctor said the son's goal should be 6,000 calories a day.

But what we are finding as an obstacle with eating is being back in school and all the restrictions they have at school because of COVID. The kids aren't allowed to eat unless they are at lunch and at the designated lunch areas. So from 7:15am to 2:30pm, lunch is the only time they get to eat. So we have been packing huge lunches but it's still an issue. My son said you can only eat so much in the short lunch period without feeling sick in his next class.

@ARCEKU21 my son is growing through that at school now. On a good day they have a 30 minute lunch. Most of the time it’s 20 minutes.

@TerribleBPthrower posted:

@ARCEKU21 my son is growing through that at school now. On a good day they have a 30 minute lunch. Most of the time it’s 20 minutes.

Yup, 20 minutes here also. Been trying to get him to eat between school and practice, but they barely have enough time to change and get to the field.

@Miller2020 first a disclaimer...Your Personal Trainer knows your son and his needs better than we do. Just wanted to mention this because we are in no way advocating for change. We are advocating to ask questions....always.

You mentioned, "he seems very focused on not building too much upper body strength since he is a baseball player." When you look at your son, do you think this approach applies to him?  Some things to consider:

• Is my son's upper body strength/mass approaching a limit where on-field performance is negatively impacted due to a lack of range of motion?
• If my son lifted more to add size, could he add in more upper body mobility work to make sure he maintains his range of motion to maximize on-field performance?
• Am I satisfied with the results my son is getting from the current strategy?
• Am I seeing a return on my investment here?

These are always tough questions, especially the last two, but the fact of the matter is every parent who has a son who aspires to play the next level is not only competing against other players for those scholarship dollars, but they are competing against time. There is a finite development window and time/effort/money are assets that can't be wasted. There has to be a return on these investments. The clock never stops ticking.

Lastly, always remember, each player is unique with different needs, at different times of the year.

Hope this helps.

@ARCEKU21 posted:

Been talking to a couple of families who are going through the same thing, as we are also (2023 son is 6'0, 155lbs). One family said the program they are training with has their son on a 4,000 calories a day diet. The son has gained 7.5 pounds over the past 4 weeks. Another family, whose son is a skinny 2021, said their doctor said the son's goal should be 6,000 calories a day.

But what we are finding as an obstacle with eating is being back in school and all the restrictions they have at school because of COVID. The kids aren't allowed to eat unless they are at lunch and at the designated lunch areas. So from 7:15am to 2:30pm, lunch is the only time they get to eat. So we have been packing huge lunches but it's still an issue. My son said you can only eat so much in the short lunch period without feeling sick in his next class.

Snacks, snacks, snacks.  My 2022 gained 25 lbs this year through lifting and eating all the time.  He likes almonds, fruit, and Kind bars to eat between classes and lunch so he doesn't have to eat so much at lunch that he feels sick.  He also takes a protein/avocado/fruit smoothie with him each morning on his drive to school.  It's been said before, until he gets used to it, eating this much will make him feel like he's going to get sick but his body will get used to it especially if he's burning calories in the gym or playing ball.  Good luck, this was a harder task than I ever thought it would be.

@InnerPro posted:

@Miller2020 first a disclaimer...Your Personal Trainer knows your son and his needs better than we do. Just wanted to mention this because we are in no way advocating for change. We are advocating to ask questions....always.

You mentioned, "he seems very focused on not building too much upper body strength since he is a baseball player." When you look at your son, do you think this approach applies to him?  Some things to consider:

• Is my son's upper body strength/mass approaching a limit where on-field performance is negatively impacted due to a lack of range of motion?
• If my son lifted more to add size, could he add in more upper body mobility work to make sure he maintains his range of motion to maximize on-field performance?
• Am I satisfied with the results my son is getting from the current strategy?
• Am I seeing a return on my investment here?

These are always tough questions, especially the last two, but the fact of the matter is every parent who has a son who aspires to play the next level is not only competing against other players for those scholarship dollars, but they are competing against time. There is a finite development window and time/effort/money are assets that can't be wasted. There has to be a return on these investments. The clock never stops ticking.

Lastly, always remember, each player is unique with different needs, at different times of the year.

Hope this helps.

Thanks so much.  This makes a lot of sense.  I think he could get much stronger before limiting his field performance.  I will have a conversation with his trainer to make sure we outline what is best for him.  you are so right, time is getting closer!

@chazball posted:

Snacks, snacks, snacks.  My 2022 gained 25 lbs this year through lifting and eating all the time.  He likes almonds, fruit, and Kind bars to eat between classes and lunch so he doesn't have to eat so much at lunch that he feels sick.  He also takes a protein/avocado/fruit smoothie with him each morning on his drive to school.  It's been said before, until he gets used to it, eating this much will make him feel like he's going to get sick but his body will get used to it especially if he's burning calories in the gym or playing ball.  Good luck, this was a harder task than I ever thought it would be.

We were doing this before covid hit. He was taking Lenny & Larry's cookies with him to school and he would eat them between classes. But now with the new eating restrictions at school, he can't do that anymore.

But I do see him actively making an effort to eat more at the main meals. When we were in Florida for the WWBA, he saw how some if his older teammates were ordering food. They were also ordering an extra main item. So he has started to do that also.

@ARCEKU21 posted:

Yup, 20 minutes here also. Been trying to get him to eat between school and practice, but they barely have enough time to change and get to the field.

I've been giving my son extra breakfast and then he eats a protein bar on the way to school. Someone else mentioned eating a snack between classes. My son's school does not allow them to do that. Masks on when not sitting at lunch. He'll also eat between school and the gym.

As mentioned it would be a caloric surplus. An athletic body type adult male in the 5'10-6'1 range would need around 2500 cal/day to maintain. Monitor it thru an app for about a week to 10 days with him eating normally. Find out what the average is and add 500 to that number. If it's 1700, 2200-2300 sounds about right. There is more high level stuff like calculating TDEE, but for now I'd keep it simple and stick with a 500 calorie surplus.

Just make sure it's decent food and not pop tarts. Carbs are fine, especially when the goal is weight gain, just stay away from a ton of processed sugar.

For my kid it basically became a hard choice...eat like it's a crappy job now to get his calories or get slow gains. It took him several weeks to breakthrough but now he is getting well spaced out calories on the weekend. The weekday it is a bit of a struggle with the strict eating rules his school has but he does get the net calories by days in and the appropriate macros. There are a lot of good suggestions here but if your kid is serious about this he has to treat eating like his workouts. 

disclaimer: I'm not a nutritionist and have no background in it.

with my son (6'2"/180), me was struggling to get and keep weight.  always  has.  he eats massive amounts but tends to only eat 3x/day.  i started him eating a little more often and it seems to have worked.  it's tough, though, bc his diet and body aren't exactly programmed that way.

currently, he's still at online school. he had dipped down to 172 following oral surgery (wisdom tooth extraction does not play nicely with trying to gain weight).  he starts at 9, goes to noon, lunch until 1230, school until 2.  after that, he lifts in the garage, does homework, then either does skills work or practice.  dinner is in there, depending on practice time.

he wakes up at 730 and i've gotten him to immediately eat a banana and drink a glass of milk.  then he does his morning routine (why does a 15 year old feel compelled to shower before a zoom call???) and eats breakfast (usually leftovers from dinner last night).  between his first and second class, he eats a gatorade protein bar.  lunch at 1230  (more leftovers).  snack or shake after class is over.  then a pre-workout drink.  shake after lifting, dinner.  shake before bed. 

with this eating schedule, he's eating a little less volume at each meal but only by slightly.  he also (just my  observation) spending less time "getting rid of" excess calories via the plumbing.  my theory is the body can't handle too many  calories at one time so it rids itself of them.  by spacing out the calories more, he's more efficient in absorbing them.   again, not a dietician/nutritionist/doctor.

in the past month since surgery, he's up to 183.  hopefully he can hold it and keep up his eating schedule. 

Lots of great advice on here already. Only other items I would add are:

• Get an 800-1000 calorie bfast in every morning. It isn’t hard, and it puts him waaay down the road first thing. Sample for a 10 min 1k cal bfast:
  • 3 scrambled eggs
  • 1/2 cup cheese
  • Pat of butter
  • 1 chicken apple sausage (or 4 oz of any other protein)
  • 1 burrito size tortilla
  • 1 avocado
• Uncrustables & chocolate milk are your friend.

How does he gain weight? The calories that he's taking in have to be greater than what he's burning. If he's maintaining weight, that means he's not eating enough. If he's losing weight, that means he's not eating enough. You have to take in more than what you're burning.

So this topic got me wondering what all my son eats/drinks to gain weight. Here are just a few of the things he consumes: ton of white milk, almond vanilla milk, honey roasted mixed nuts, bananas, strawberries, cantaloupe, chicken breast, fish, 5 or six eggs a day, peanut butter, salad with organic romaine lettuce, cheese, tomatoes with Caesar dressing and croutons, honey wheat bread, snack peppers, grilled cheese with ham or bacon, and protein shakes.  If he goes to eat out somewhere he doesn’t drink any soda...just water.  He’s 17 so I was lucky to get that info out of him.  I’m sure there’s more than just those things.

One of the problem we run into is that my son is a picky eater. Doesn't like milk, eggs, bananas, avocados, etc. He is a plane jane type of eater.  The only time he consumes anything with milk in the name is a milk shake. We have been trying to get him to drink protein shakes at night.

Thanks Everyone.  Lots of great advice!!!  I already started sharing this info with him and we are working on a plan.  So glad to know we are not the only ones with this issue...

My son is the same way. I finally started making him drink an Athletic Greens drink every morning. He asks at least once a week if he can skip and I tell him, sure, if you start eating all of these different things. Add to it, my wife grew up a very competitive gymnast and doesn't support the eating for sports mentality. A lot of the girls she competed with had major issues with eating later in life. She'd let him eat poptarts every day if she could.

I found a protein brand called Garden of Life that my son actually really likes. He eats the bars all the time for snacks and drinks the shakes like it was chocolate milk.

my 2022 has had major problems gaining weight. He has been stuck at 6'1", 165 for one year now. Lifts 4-5 times per week. He is strong , but lean. He used to have huge meals, but then would spend forever on the toilet, and couldn't seem to gain.  Finally has started to have a big breakfast. 3-4 eggs and a large amount of oatmeal with bananas or other fruit in it. Glass of milk. His goal is to ingest 3000 calories/day. If he doesn't, he simply won't be able to put on weight. He is naturally lean...strong, but lean. If he didn't have ambitions to be an athlete then i would be fine with him staying just the way he is.

  When i was his age I weighed the same or even less, then went to work on a dairy farm. Would wake up at 4 am, have a quick slice of bread, then milk and feed. Would come back in at about 9am, and eat about 6-8 eggs, 6-8 pieces of toast, maybe some ham or bacon. Depending on the time of year, would go out to work with a sandwich, as I was often out in the fields and didn't have time to come back. Would have a snack before afternoon milking and feeding, then a big dinner around 8pm. Sometimes had to work afterwards. It was a lot of work, and lot of food. I shot up to 180 in 6 months.

    Some of my son's teammates have no problem putting on weight, and are already close to 200 lbs. When they hit the ball it simply goes farther. My son will be lucky to get to 180 lb by the time he is a HS senior, but if he gets to that he will be an impressive blend of speed and power. Pitching is a whole different story. I think that weight gain helps there, also, but I know of quite a few kids who can really sling it, and they are skinny as hell.

@ARCEKU21 posted:

One of the problem we run into is that my son is a picky eater. Doesn't like milk, eggs, bananas, avocados, etc. He is a plane jane type of eater.  The only time he consumes anything with milk in the name is a milk shake. We have been trying to get him to drink protein shakes at night.

My kid as well but he had his come to Jesus moment when the trainer told him about calories and getting the most out of his program. He told him all the hard work can't be just in the gym.  He did it and praises the gospel of the trainer and I am left biting my tongue for being ignored again.   

I absolutely HATE protein-powder that contains sweetener or flavor of any kind. There are a few companies that sell unsweetened and unflavored products. One company I like is Naked Nutrition -- www.nakednutrition.com. They have a product called Mass-Gainer. Some of their flavored products are called "Less-naked" meaning they have added a little sweetener and flavoring--these taste much better than other products. My son had a lot of difficulty gaining weight--still does. It is essential for a player to EAT a lot and EAT proper foods. This can be supplemented with protein shakes and it helps if they taste good!

Of course the EASIEST way to gain weight is to turn 50.

Or 40 and 30

@ABSORBER posted:

Of course the EASIEST way to gain weight is to turn 50.

For me it was 60.

The reason to have kids is the opportunity to say dad stuff and embarrass them. After my kids grew and before they filled out (daughter was 5’10” 120, son 5’11” 135 after big spurts) they were built like rails. If it got windy I would yell, “Tie xxxx to a tree before she/he blows away.”

My boy does not easily gain weight, despite eating up to 5,000 calories per day.  A month before he turned 18, he started taking the low dose of creatine (5 g) once a day.  This did seem to help him add upper body muscle. 

Be sure to read up on creatine if you decide to have your boy take it.

@Texas1836 posted:

My boy does not easily gain weight, despite eating up to 5,000 calories per day.  A month before he turned 18, he started taking the low dose of creatine (5 g) once a day.  This did seem to help him add upper body muscle.

Be sure to read up on creatine if you decide to have your boy take it.

I want to mention that creatine is safe if taken correctly, but isn't really for gaining weight per say. Weight increase will usually happen as muscle mass increases, but most athletes take this to help them get over a plateau that their current program has them at. The real problem with creatine is that some idiots think 5 scoops = 5x stronger. Went to school a few years back with a genius like this, and it landed him in the ER with kidney issues that required IV fluids to flush. 

@ReluctantO'sFan posted:

I want to mention that creatine is safe if taken correctly, but isn't really for gaining weight per say. Weight increase will usually happen as muscle mass increases, but most athletes take this to help them get over a plateau that their current program has them at. The real problem with creatine is that some idiots think 5 scoops = 5x stronger. Went to school a few years back with a genius like this, and it landed him in the ER with kidney issues that required IV fluids to flush.

I agree.

I'll also add that in my limited experience (from years ago) 5 scoops = 5x time spent sitting on the toilet!

@ABSORBER posted:

I absolutely HATE protein-powder that contains sweetener or flavor of any kind. There are a few companies that sell unsweetened and unflavored products. One company I like is Naked Nutrition -- www.nakednutrition.com. They have a product called Mass-Gainer. Some of their flavored products are called "Less-naked" meaning they have added a little sweetener and flavoring--these taste much better than other products. My son had a lot of difficulty gaining weight--still does. It is essential for a player to EAT a lot and EAT proper foods. This can be supplemented with protein shakes and it helps if they taste good!

My 2022 has been using Naked Mass for almost two weeks.  Decided to try it after reading another parent's success and a little research myself.  I can see extra weight on him already.  He is eating a TON but I've now started to try to make it as easy and accessible as possible for him, even though it's a lot of work for me, I think we are making more progress because I've stepped in a little.  Making sure there are EASY options in the fridge seem to be helping a lot.  So even though he should do it, I'm prepping veggies/fruit that can go in a smoothie and leaving ready to go in fridge, stocking meat drawer with grab and go protein (cubed cheese, chicken skewers, steak cubes), trailmix made with weight gain nuts (and M&Ms because he's a teen boy) already bagged up in largish single serving portions, I just made protein balls that are small enough they can come out of the mouth of a shaker bottle so he can have them in his backpack and pop them in his mouth under his mask between classes. The biggest hit was disposable soup spoons right next to the peanut butter jar, and the Horizon milk boxes that don't have to be refrigerated in the mud room.  He grabs those as he heads out the door, regardless if he's eaten or not. 

Revisiting this topic. It is become a topic of daily discussion in our household. We are still trying to get weight on my son, rising junior 6'1" 165lbs. I have even laid down a challenge for him that if he gains 15lbs by next high school season I would buy him a new glove.  Problem is that he gets full so quickly that it makes his stomach hurt if he keeps eating and then when that happens, it puts him off from trying to eat large quantities. One thing that we have find that he does seem to like is we found a recipe to recreate the Jamba Juice Orange Dream Machine smoothie. Instead of using soy milk in the ingredients, we have been using vanilla protein shakes.

I was talking with his fitness trainer about a couple of kids who have come through our high school program the past couple of years. One was a recent first round draft pick and another who is currently in college will probably be a high pick. If you look at their freshman year pictures to their senior year pictures, it is a big difference. They put on around 25-30 pounds. The trainer told me that the boys were taking creatine, whey protein, and BCAA's. I am not sold on going to that extreme, but am open to any suggestions right now.

In reading through some old threads on the forum about weight gain and supplements, one of the posts that caught my attention was one that suggested look at the GNC MASS XXX as an option for high schoolers. It has a high amount of calories and protein, and minimal amounts of creatine and BCAA. So a little bit more conservative than other similar products. Anyone have any experience with that product?

I think the next step is to also try to create an eating schedule/check list for him. List different options for each eating time and have him mark off that he ate and what he ate at each time. But I am worried if that is going a little too far and being a little too controlling. His mom seems to think that if he had a schedule and checklist that he would be more prone to eat more often because it is laid out for him. His mom said remember he is a teenager with a girlfriend. You have to lay everything out step by step if you want it to get done. (LOL, like chores).

My kid has been cycling on creatine for a couple of years now. I have no concerns about it safety if it is NSF certified. I think his caloric intake like lifting should be an incremental increase. Maybe do 5% more calories every other day until he can reach his goal.

My son is very similar, but 10 lbs lighter. He's always eating and working out. He just had his annual checkup and we talked with his doctor about it. She thinks he still has an inch or so to grow but should start being able to put weight on. His metabolism is so high she said it has been basically impossible for someone like him to add any significant weight for the past couple of years.

My son drinks a ton of whole chocolate milk, snacks on protein bars, and also eats a couple of uncrustables throughout the day for snacks. Now that he's driving he will also stop for a jersey Mike's sub when he has time.

Lefty gained both muscle and a little extra padding by using Naked Mass. I believe it was recommended on this very thread. He originally used it as his protein after a workout but it left him full for too long. So now he does a smaller serving of a normal whey protein after a daytime workout and then Naked Mass with ice cream at night.  Food during the day is pretty healthy and lean (the way the rest of the family eats) so we have to get the extra in somehow.  
He’s added muscle bulk with creative over the summer. But we are doubling the time off in the cycle because I’m a nut.

Don’t put in weight just to put on weight. Make sure it’s carbs and protein mixed with lifting. My son was 5’11” 135 freshman year. He was 6’ 160 soph year. Junior year he was 6’1” 165 and 6’2” 175 as a senior.

I was 6’1” 180 by soph year of high school. But both my wife (5’8”) and daughter were also physical late bloomers. Freshman year of high school my 5’10” daughter was 5’9” 120.*

He did everything right you’re supposed to do to gain weight. It wasn’t until soph year of college he was up to 195. Until college the other sports (soccer and basketball) had him running off weight. There was no way in hell I was going to tell him not to play other sports.

* She did a visit to a Big Ten when 5’10” 135 summer after freshman year. The coach loved her height. She added weight lifting could get her up to 170. In the parking lot my daughter joked she would have to change her name to Butch. She played at 150 and didn’t look it.