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By Mary Hartley, RD
Director of Nutrition

I am an athlete and I need to put on 20 pounds in a healthy way. So what do I need to do?
Asked by anonymous on May 04, 2008 in Weight Maintenance



I work out at least 4 days a week for over an hour and I am very active during the day. I munch all the time. I am 5'11 and only way about 115 lbs. I need to gain weight...HELP!


Answer

I suspect that you are young and growing rapidly and, with all of your activity, you cannot meet your calorie requirements for weight gain. In theory, you have to eat 500 calories more than you require to gain about one pound per week. You probably need to increase your intake to more than 3000 calories a day and decrease your activity level too. When you “munch”, choose calorie dense foods like nuts, dried fruits, trail mix, and baked goods prepared with oil. Instead of drinking water or tea, drink high calorie beverages like juice, milk and shakes.



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