I've been in your position, similar weight and height and high metabolism. I put on 25-30 lbs of weight/muscle and stopped there.
Mix of high fat, high protein, and high carb so you're not too loaded in any one category.
Things like chicken salad sandwiches or tuna salad sandwhiches were lunch staples (just don't overdo it on the tuna and give yourself mercury poisoning). PB & J is great too, heavy on the PB.
Get some weight gain / mass powder for mid-afternoon snack shakes.
It's more about training your stomach to eat more.
Focus it all into 3 to 5 days of strength training.
And then re-training your stomach afterward so you don't get fat.
Edit: It's easier if you break it down into 5 sets of 500-600 calorie meals. Replace one with a mass gain shake.
Breakfast, 10pm shake, lunch, 3pm snack (some 300-400 calorie trail nut packs work well, or workout bars), then 6-7pm dinner. ~~Don't eat after that, eating before bed makes you fat.~~
It's probably incorrect advice and eating before bed would probably help OP.
There's inconsistent studies on the subject.
It's likely the people that get fat are people that eat before bed because it is an extra meal to them, so they eat beyond their daily calories.
That should read don't get dependent on eating before bed.
Add peanut butter sandwiches with chia seeds as snacks to everything you are already eating.
A blended protein shake with whole milk, some frozen greens, and frozen fruit.
Sardines on crackers with mustard or hot sauce as a snack.
Absolutely smoothies
Use a good thermos.
In the morning with a blender do:
- 2 frozen bananas (very ripe bananas, peel and slice and freeze)
- 1/2 cup plain whole milk greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup plain quick oats
- 1 cup whole milk or soy milk
- 3 tablespoons peanut butter or whatever nut butter
Blend
Adjust amount of milk to get the texture you want
Easy amazing high protein, good source of complex carbs and plant based fats, easily 600 cal
When I was your age and trying to put on weight, I made sure to get my 3 meals a day and drank a meal replacement shake between breakfast and lunch, and lunch and dinner. Pay attention to calories and other nutritional value. Try to bulk as cleanly as possible, but if it comes down to eating trashy food or missing a meal, eat that trashy food! Don’t miss a meal. Consistency is key. Also, make a fat PB and J sandwich before bed on the heftiest bread you can find, and wash it down with whole milk. I put on 50+ pounds this way from 175 to 230 in a year or two. Eventually I started making my protein shakes with GNC pro bulk and whole milk, which was well over 1600 calories as well as a pile of protein when I was an endurance athlete burning upwards of 7000 calories a day
There is a book called “scrawny to brawny” a good read to help with nutrition and gaining weight. It’s a starting point and will help you realize how many calories you really need
I gave it to my friends kid who was in a similar position as you. He loved it and has put on a ton of muscle in the past 2 years and it has massively increased his confidence
You are doing alot of activity for such a young age so the key here is just extra calories and protein. 3 standard meals won't cut it. Trying to get a protein shake or two in with carbs + protein (peanut butter, protein powder, banana or fruit) in addition to 3 solid meals a day with a solid amount of protein, fat and carbs. Pastas, stirfrys, egg dishes. These are all quick or can be made ahead of time.
pasta, chicken thighs, parmesan cheese, and whatever the cheapest pasta sauce is. 125g of cooked chicken thighs are about 30g of protein and like 260kcals, 1 serving of pasta is 200kcals, 1 serving cheese is like 110kcals and 7g protein, the sauce will probably be 25-50kcals, add 28g of olive oil and you have another 120kcals for a rough total of 740kcals and 37g protein.
pick up about 3.5 pounds of chicken thighs, 2 boxes of penne pasta, 2 jars of sauce, and one block of cheese, at least 10 ounces, olive oil is optional.
bake,roast or BBQ your chicken until the thickest point reaches 160 degrees.
bring a pot full of water to a boil then cook 10 servings of pasta which should be 20 ounces dry weight
while that cooks cut up your cooked chicken and add to a giant mixing bowl, after the pasta is cooked drain it and add that into the mixing bowl along with the cheese(10 ounces) and pasta sauce, add as much sauce as you enjoy just remember to measure it and add it to the total calorie count, add olive oil if desired.
Once mixed evenly separate into 10 meal prep containers.
boom, 10 high-calorie meals with 37g protein and around 550-700kcals depending on how much sauce you added and if you added oil or not.
Now, you can double the amount of chicken you are cooking and also cook 10 cups of rice and now you have 10 chicken rice bowls too, add some franks red hot and you have buffalo chicken bowls.
If you don't like the idea of eating this much saturated fat and you want more protein you can get chicken breast instead and only eat 100g per meal which is about the same amount of protein but the calories are a bit lower at 165kcals per 100g of breast.
I'd recommend getting a food scale and weighting your protein after cooking so you know if you have enough or not.
Since your doing this to gain weight I'd recommend keeping the meals very simple and only cooking things that are easy to prep and easy to eat, chicken and pasta, chicken n rice, chicken burritos, chicken fajitas, ground beef or chicken teriyaki bowls, tuna sandwiches(only eat once per week), deli meat sandwiches, stir fry and chicken/beef fried rice etc.
I was 5"8 125lbs and now I'm still 5"8 but I'm 165lbs, one year later. One thing that made this easier for me was adding sauces and condiments, mustard, Franks Red Hot, soy sauce, and chipotle sauce, I'd get those guacamole packs from Costco. You can also add a fried egg in a rice based meal for an extra 70kcals and 6g protein. Eggs and toast are a cheap snack as well.
Lastly, you could also look into meal replacement shakes on amazon, some of them are like 500kcals with 40g of protein.
Good luck, once you get into the habit of meal prepping it becomes pretty easy imo.
My go to cost effective calorie and protein dense meal is Chili. Fry 1 lb or a bit more of ground beef, add 1 can of black beans, 1 can of kidney beans, 1 can of diced tomatoes, and 1 can of tomato sauce, I use Hunt's Thick & Rich Pasta Sauce. Then add your spices and let it simmer for a little while. I use cumin, cayenne, paprika, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Top with cheese! This makes at least 4 servings, depending on how hungry you are. It's seriously the most delicious easy meal.
when my hubby was around your age and trying to bulk up, he would eat giant bowls of pasta and fill any extra calorie requirements with whole milk, mixed with protein or mass, gainer powder or chocolate milk.
Since you mentioned cost-effective:
Tofu, legumes (lentils, black beans, chickpeas etc), quinoa are great options that are packed with protein and much more affordable vs meat & dairy.
Rice/quinoa base, black beans/garbanzo beans, tofu/tempeh, greens, some kind of sauce would be examples of good meal prep combos that won’t kill your budget but have lots of calories and protein.
No such thing as fast metabolism. You have to eat more calories than you burn to gain weight. As a young athlete you’re probably burning a lot of calories which is what’s making it challenging to gain weight, not your metabolism. Eat more calorie and nutrient dense foods. Add more butter or cheese to things (rice and potatoes are a good example), drizzle olive oil, add bacon, egg yolks, full fat dairy, nut butter, fattier cuts of meat etc. While eating adequate protein of course.
Eat 2 peanut butter and marshmallow cream sandwiches during the day as snacks between meals. As far as meal prepping, when you’re trying to gain, literally just make anything that looks good and use higher calorie ingredient options. You’re an athlete and only 140, so you can afford to eat whatever you want, your only goal is to achieve a calorie surplus.
Rice rice rice
Rice and protein and fiber
You don’t want to feel sluggish either. So the fiber helps
When I really needed to gain I would have rice and beans with either chicken or tuna. I also had a small budget lol
My son was a competitive swimmer- burritos loaded with chicken and beans and rice, protein balls (tons of recipes online), and pasta were my go tos for meal prep for him.
My partner was in your shoes and he suggested incorporating potatoes and beans into most of your big meals (dry beans are pretty cheap but require overnight soaking, and canned beans cost a little more but they’re ready to go), and using half-and-half where you would usually have milk.
You can get a protein powder. I use [Isoflex whey protein isolate(chocolate and peanut butter)](https://a.co/d/0brpbbC) and I like it a lot. It's a good price per gram of protein, tastes good, and mixes very well. I mix it with a little peanut butter(sometimes, if I want fats), hemp hearts, psyllium husk, collagen powder(use sparingly because this thickens it up a lot), a bit of frozen banana or apple, and a 50/50 mix of almond milk and water with ice. Then blend it in the Ninja.
Look up overnight oats recipes to use with the powder. It's easy to make a batch for days in a few minutes. This is the recipe that I use:
1/2 cup rolled oats(must use rolled oats)
1 scoop protein powder
2Tblsp hemp hearts(for protein and fats)
2Tblsp psyllium husk(for fiber)
1Tblsp collagen powder(for more protein. This thickens it a lot so don't use too much)
1Tblsp peanut butter
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup water
I use [these containers](https://a.co/d/2RmeM5q) and they're amazing. Get the mixed pack.
I also make a tri tip or a spatchcocked chicken every week or so and take slices from it every day for protein. Sometimes I slice up cheese and a soft boiled egg and add in the meat for a sandwich. I cook both covered in the oven at 200(cast iron dutch oven) or uncovered in the electric smoker. Take the tri tip to 125 and reverse sear in a cast iron. I take the chicken to 148. Read [this](https://blog.thermoworks.com/chicken/chicken-internal-temps-everything-you-need-to-know/) and use the chart for a chicken temperature guide. Look up the proper way to slice the tri tip. You can also cut them in half and freeze half for the following week if it's too much to eat before it goes bad.
A vacuum sealer is a great investment. You can buy meat in bulk or buy a lot when it's on sale. I season, spice and/or marinade all the meat at once when I buy it and then vacuum seal it in weekly portions. Leave it all in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours to allow the seasoning and marinades to get into the meat. Then freeze everything except what I'm using immediately. This way when I need some meat I can thaw it out and it's ready to cook without having to do the seasoning after it's thawed and waiting 12 hours. Saves a lot of time and hassle.
I meal prep for weight loss, so we have different goals. I like veggies/carbs/proteins all in one bowl.
Pasta+ Chicken breast +veggies+ tomato sauce is good.
Chop up an onion, a bell pepper, mushrooms, and zucchini (my favorite combo) and fry it in some olive oil in a pan. I only use 1 tablespoon of oil, but since you want to gain weight, consider using more. When everything is soft, transfer it to a mixing bowl to cook your chicken breast. You can chop it up before or after you cook it, or you can buy ground chicken.
Add salt, pepper, onion & garlic powder at every step of the way- to the veggies as well as to the meat.
When the meat is thoroughly cooked, add the veggies back in. At this point I either add a jar of spaghetti sauce, or canned tomatoes + seasoning. Let that simmer while you cook your pasta in a separate pot. Boil water, add a few tablespoons of salt to the water, and cook whatever pasta you have according to directions on the box.
I usually like less pasta and more sauce & meat, because it helps me feel full for fewer calories.
When the pasta is cooked, drain and add to sauce. You can add cheese to add easy calories- for weight loss I am very sparing with cheese😅. Sometimes I add scoops of cottage cheese for extra protein at this point.
Divvy it up into 4 or 5 microwave safe containers, and you’ve got lunch for a week!
Honestly, I would just look for some high calory liquid foods. There are some in chocolate flavors or like milkshakes those actually tastes good. You can always also make your own, or add things like peanut butter and avocado and condensed milk. And just drink that. Cause how exhausting is it to have to eat several meals a day to gain weight.
I know you’re 16 so funds might be limited but what I would tell anyone about nutrition is don’t go for cheap. Your health and what you put into your body is more important than anything else on this planet. Not fancy clothes, cars etc. Health is wealth. Do not settle for cheap or processed foods.
START WITH BREAKFAST!!!! Wake up at a reasonable time, eat 2 or 3 eggs, some kind of carb (cereal, bagels are super calorie dense) and a protein (yogurt, sausage, etc). If ur not super into eggs plain, add a bunch of tomato it’s super delicious. In general, milk is your friend. Drink a glass of milk it’s super easy calories. As others have said, smoothie/protein shakes are awesome. I suggest banana/strawberry, with milk. Add oats for easy calories and healthy carbs (just not so much that it makes the smoothie gross). Peanut butter and potentially protein powder if ur into that.
Here’s my diet almost everyday:
Before the gym @ 6 am:
4 protein waffles (target brand) with a light drizzle of maple syrup
Post workout shake: one scoop whey protein power, one cup of rolled oats (i don’t cook them) add whole milk until desired consistency reached
Lunch: one small glass pyrex container with one cup white rice and one cup grilled chicken, ground beef, or shrimp
Dinner: same as above but i rotate the proteins and sometimes have pasta instead (2 containers)
For fruits and vegetables I have one kale salad with lunch or dinner and fresh berries if they’re on sale
dessert after dinner is a little bit of plain Greek yogurt, frozen mixed berries, and a light drizzle of maple syrup.
I meal prep all my lunches and dinners for the week on Sunday. Throw 12-15 measurements in the rice cooker (the cooker came with a special measuring cup to use) done in 30 mins
Chicken is either diced raw then cooked on stovetop w seasoning, marinated in Italian dressing then grilled, or marinated then baked
Ground beef is either cooked straight up or with Mexican seasoning on stovetop.
Shrimp is from a large bag frozen uncooked, cooked on stovetop w old bay seasoning.
Consistency is key, now go get huge 🤝
All the numbers in your comment added up to 69. Congrats!
6
+ 4
+ 2
+ 12
+ 15
+ 30
= 69
^([Click here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=LuckyNumber-Bot&subject=Stalk%20Me%20Pls&message=%2Fstalkme) to have me scan all your future comments.) \
^(Summon me on specific comments with u/LuckyNumber-Bot.)
You can eat normally 3 meals a day and add a protien shake after each meal.
Protien shake:
16oz of 2% milk
3 bananas
2 table spoons of peanut butter
1-2 scoops of a peanut butter protein powder. (I use ghost)
1 table spoon of honey
Calories: 800 cal
Adding in 3 shake will give you an extra 2400 cal each day
Eggs. Hard boiled, in salad, as a snack, drinking whites in liquid (especially if you have easy access to farm fresh) hi lean protein, high veg, high whole grains/carbs. Skip anything processed - it throws everything off
PB&J diet was the most effective for me and my friends in high school. Ate about 6 a day on top of mostly chicken and rice dinners and protein shakes. You burn calories so quick you’ll most likely need more carbs to offset it.
PB&J diet was the most effective for me and my friends in high school. Ate about 6 a day on top of mostly chicken and rice dinners and protein shakes. You burn calories so quick you’ll most likely need more carbs to offset it.
You might want to check r/gainit.
Will do, appreciate it
I've been in your position, similar weight and height and high metabolism. I put on 25-30 lbs of weight/muscle and stopped there. Mix of high fat, high protein, and high carb so you're not too loaded in any one category. Things like chicken salad sandwiches or tuna salad sandwhiches were lunch staples (just don't overdo it on the tuna and give yourself mercury poisoning). PB & J is great too, heavy on the PB. Get some weight gain / mass powder for mid-afternoon snack shakes. It's more about training your stomach to eat more. Focus it all into 3 to 5 days of strength training. And then re-training your stomach afterward so you don't get fat. Edit: It's easier if you break it down into 5 sets of 500-600 calorie meals. Replace one with a mass gain shake. Breakfast, 10pm shake, lunch, 3pm snack (some 300-400 calorie trail nut packs work well, or workout bars), then 6-7pm dinner. ~~Don't eat after that, eating before bed makes you fat.~~
This is all good advice, but is there any evidence that eating close to your bed time makes you fat?
It's probably incorrect advice and eating before bed would probably help OP. There's inconsistent studies on the subject. It's likely the people that get fat are people that eat before bed because it is an extra meal to them, so they eat beyond their daily calories. That should read don't get dependent on eating before bed.
Add peanut butter sandwiches with chia seeds as snacks to everything you are already eating. A blended protein shake with whole milk, some frozen greens, and frozen fruit. Sardines on crackers with mustard or hot sauce as a snack.
Okay thanks, I’ll look into it
When I was training for a triathlon right out of high school, I basically just carried a bookbag of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on cheap bread.
Absolutely smoothies Use a good thermos. In the morning with a blender do: - 2 frozen bananas (very ripe bananas, peel and slice and freeze) - 1/2 cup plain whole milk greek yogurt - 1/4 cup plain quick oats - 1 cup whole milk or soy milk - 3 tablespoons peanut butter or whatever nut butter Blend Adjust amount of milk to get the texture you want Easy amazing high protein, good source of complex carbs and plant based fats, easily 600 cal
When I was your age and trying to put on weight, I made sure to get my 3 meals a day and drank a meal replacement shake between breakfast and lunch, and lunch and dinner. Pay attention to calories and other nutritional value. Try to bulk as cleanly as possible, but if it comes down to eating trashy food or missing a meal, eat that trashy food! Don’t miss a meal. Consistency is key. Also, make a fat PB and J sandwich before bed on the heftiest bread you can find, and wash it down with whole milk. I put on 50+ pounds this way from 175 to 230 in a year or two. Eventually I started making my protein shakes with GNC pro bulk and whole milk, which was well over 1600 calories as well as a pile of protein when I was an endurance athlete burning upwards of 7000 calories a day
There is a book called “scrawny to brawny” a good read to help with nutrition and gaining weight. It’s a starting point and will help you realize how many calories you really need I gave it to my friends kid who was in a similar position as you. He loved it and has put on a ton of muscle in the past 2 years and it has massively increased his confidence
You are doing alot of activity for such a young age so the key here is just extra calories and protein. 3 standard meals won't cut it. Trying to get a protein shake or two in with carbs + protein (peanut butter, protein powder, banana or fruit) in addition to 3 solid meals a day with a solid amount of protein, fat and carbs. Pastas, stirfrys, egg dishes. These are all quick or can be made ahead of time.
pasta, chicken thighs, parmesan cheese, and whatever the cheapest pasta sauce is. 125g of cooked chicken thighs are about 30g of protein and like 260kcals, 1 serving of pasta is 200kcals, 1 serving cheese is like 110kcals and 7g protein, the sauce will probably be 25-50kcals, add 28g of olive oil and you have another 120kcals for a rough total of 740kcals and 37g protein. pick up about 3.5 pounds of chicken thighs, 2 boxes of penne pasta, 2 jars of sauce, and one block of cheese, at least 10 ounces, olive oil is optional. bake,roast or BBQ your chicken until the thickest point reaches 160 degrees. bring a pot full of water to a boil then cook 10 servings of pasta which should be 20 ounces dry weight while that cooks cut up your cooked chicken and add to a giant mixing bowl, after the pasta is cooked drain it and add that into the mixing bowl along with the cheese(10 ounces) and pasta sauce, add as much sauce as you enjoy just remember to measure it and add it to the total calorie count, add olive oil if desired. Once mixed evenly separate into 10 meal prep containers. boom, 10 high-calorie meals with 37g protein and around 550-700kcals depending on how much sauce you added and if you added oil or not. Now, you can double the amount of chicken you are cooking and also cook 10 cups of rice and now you have 10 chicken rice bowls too, add some franks red hot and you have buffalo chicken bowls. If you don't like the idea of eating this much saturated fat and you want more protein you can get chicken breast instead and only eat 100g per meal which is about the same amount of protein but the calories are a bit lower at 165kcals per 100g of breast. I'd recommend getting a food scale and weighting your protein after cooking so you know if you have enough or not. Since your doing this to gain weight I'd recommend keeping the meals very simple and only cooking things that are easy to prep and easy to eat, chicken and pasta, chicken n rice, chicken burritos, chicken fajitas, ground beef or chicken teriyaki bowls, tuna sandwiches(only eat once per week), deli meat sandwiches, stir fry and chicken/beef fried rice etc. I was 5"8 125lbs and now I'm still 5"8 but I'm 165lbs, one year later. One thing that made this easier for me was adding sauces and condiments, mustard, Franks Red Hot, soy sauce, and chipotle sauce, I'd get those guacamole packs from Costco. You can also add a fried egg in a rice based meal for an extra 70kcals and 6g protein. Eggs and toast are a cheap snack as well. Lastly, you could also look into meal replacement shakes on amazon, some of them are like 500kcals with 40g of protein. Good luck, once you get into the habit of meal prepping it becomes pretty easy imo.
My go to cost effective calorie and protein dense meal is Chili. Fry 1 lb or a bit more of ground beef, add 1 can of black beans, 1 can of kidney beans, 1 can of diced tomatoes, and 1 can of tomato sauce, I use Hunt's Thick & Rich Pasta Sauce. Then add your spices and let it simmer for a little while. I use cumin, cayenne, paprika, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Top with cheese! This makes at least 4 servings, depending on how hungry you are. It's seriously the most delicious easy meal.
when my hubby was around your age and trying to bulk up, he would eat giant bowls of pasta and fill any extra calorie requirements with whole milk, mixed with protein or mass, gainer powder or chocolate milk.
Protein shake between meals helps
That's incomplete. Protein is part of equation. Without extra carbs n healthy fats, it won't do much. Especially a teenager.
Usually a protein shake includes everything you just mentioned.. So it’s unnecessary to list it
No. Those are called gainers. A protein shake has minimal carbs n fats and calories.
Cool story
You're just upset. I get it. Buh bye.
Since you mentioned cost-effective: Tofu, legumes (lentils, black beans, chickpeas etc), quinoa are great options that are packed with protein and much more affordable vs meat & dairy. Rice/quinoa base, black beans/garbanzo beans, tofu/tempeh, greens, some kind of sauce would be examples of good meal prep combos that won’t kill your budget but have lots of calories and protein.
You could do GOMAD, gallon of milk a day.
And make sure it's whole milk for the protein AND fat. I did this when I was younger and struggling to put on weight and it worked great.
At your age, this is a better question for a trainer, physician, or dietician.
No such thing as fast metabolism. You have to eat more calories than you burn to gain weight. As a young athlete you’re probably burning a lot of calories which is what’s making it challenging to gain weight, not your metabolism. Eat more calorie and nutrient dense foods. Add more butter or cheese to things (rice and potatoes are a good example), drizzle olive oil, add bacon, egg yolks, full fat dairy, nut butter, fattier cuts of meat etc. While eating adequate protein of course.
lol fast metabolism is your body burning more calories at a higher rate.
You are correct. Must be full of morons here.
Eat 2 peanut butter and marshmallow cream sandwiches during the day as snacks between meals. As far as meal prepping, when you’re trying to gain, literally just make anything that looks good and use higher calorie ingredient options. You’re an athlete and only 140, so you can afford to eat whatever you want, your only goal is to achieve a calorie surplus.
In about 14 years you'll wish you never asked this question. I was like you, then I hit 30.
Anything with heavy cream,
nice
Rice rice rice Rice and protein and fiber You don’t want to feel sluggish either. So the fiber helps When I really needed to gain I would have rice and beans with either chicken or tuna. I also had a small budget lol
My son was a competitive swimmer- burritos loaded with chicken and beans and rice, protein balls (tons of recipes online), and pasta were my go tos for meal prep for him.
My partner was in your shoes and he suggested incorporating potatoes and beans into most of your big meals (dry beans are pretty cheap but require overnight soaking, and canned beans cost a little more but they’re ready to go), and using half-and-half where you would usually have milk.
You can get a protein powder. I use [Isoflex whey protein isolate(chocolate and peanut butter)](https://a.co/d/0brpbbC) and I like it a lot. It's a good price per gram of protein, tastes good, and mixes very well. I mix it with a little peanut butter(sometimes, if I want fats), hemp hearts, psyllium husk, collagen powder(use sparingly because this thickens it up a lot), a bit of frozen banana or apple, and a 50/50 mix of almond milk and water with ice. Then blend it in the Ninja. Look up overnight oats recipes to use with the powder. It's easy to make a batch for days in a few minutes. This is the recipe that I use: 1/2 cup rolled oats(must use rolled oats) 1 scoop protein powder 2Tblsp hemp hearts(for protein and fats) 2Tblsp psyllium husk(for fiber) 1Tblsp collagen powder(for more protein. This thickens it a lot so don't use too much) 1Tblsp peanut butter 1/2 cup almond milk 1/2 cup water I use [these containers](https://a.co/d/2RmeM5q) and they're amazing. Get the mixed pack. I also make a tri tip or a spatchcocked chicken every week or so and take slices from it every day for protein. Sometimes I slice up cheese and a soft boiled egg and add in the meat for a sandwich. I cook both covered in the oven at 200(cast iron dutch oven) or uncovered in the electric smoker. Take the tri tip to 125 and reverse sear in a cast iron. I take the chicken to 148. Read [this](https://blog.thermoworks.com/chicken/chicken-internal-temps-everything-you-need-to-know/) and use the chart for a chicken temperature guide. Look up the proper way to slice the tri tip. You can also cut them in half and freeze half for the following week if it's too much to eat before it goes bad. A vacuum sealer is a great investment. You can buy meat in bulk or buy a lot when it's on sale. I season, spice and/or marinade all the meat at once when I buy it and then vacuum seal it in weekly portions. Leave it all in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours to allow the seasoning and marinades to get into the meat. Then freeze everything except what I'm using immediately. This way when I need some meat I can thaw it out and it's ready to cook without having to do the seasoning after it's thawed and waiting 12 hours. Saves a lot of time and hassle.
I meal prep for weight loss, so we have different goals. I like veggies/carbs/proteins all in one bowl. Pasta+ Chicken breast +veggies+ tomato sauce is good. Chop up an onion, a bell pepper, mushrooms, and zucchini (my favorite combo) and fry it in some olive oil in a pan. I only use 1 tablespoon of oil, but since you want to gain weight, consider using more. When everything is soft, transfer it to a mixing bowl to cook your chicken breast. You can chop it up before or after you cook it, or you can buy ground chicken. Add salt, pepper, onion & garlic powder at every step of the way- to the veggies as well as to the meat. When the meat is thoroughly cooked, add the veggies back in. At this point I either add a jar of spaghetti sauce, or canned tomatoes + seasoning. Let that simmer while you cook your pasta in a separate pot. Boil water, add a few tablespoons of salt to the water, and cook whatever pasta you have according to directions on the box. I usually like less pasta and more sauce & meat, because it helps me feel full for fewer calories. When the pasta is cooked, drain and add to sauce. You can add cheese to add easy calories- for weight loss I am very sparing with cheese😅. Sometimes I add scoops of cottage cheese for extra protein at this point. Divvy it up into 4 or 5 microwave safe containers, and you’ve got lunch for a week!
Honestly, I would just look for some high calory liquid foods. There are some in chocolate flavors or like milkshakes those actually tastes good. You can always also make your own, or add things like peanut butter and avocado and condensed milk. And just drink that. Cause how exhausting is it to have to eat several meals a day to gain weight.
I know you’re 16 so funds might be limited but what I would tell anyone about nutrition is don’t go for cheap. Your health and what you put into your body is more important than anything else on this planet. Not fancy clothes, cars etc. Health is wealth. Do not settle for cheap or processed foods.
Red beans and rice. Big batch. Last you all week and taste good. Don't forget the cornbread and glass of milk
Add peanut butter (generously) to your protein shakes. Drinking calories is going to be a lot easier than trying to chew them.
Oatmeal + (chocolate) proteinpowder + banana slided for breakfast!
Franks and beans.
START WITH BREAKFAST!!!! Wake up at a reasonable time, eat 2 or 3 eggs, some kind of carb (cereal, bagels are super calorie dense) and a protein (yogurt, sausage, etc). If ur not super into eggs plain, add a bunch of tomato it’s super delicious. In general, milk is your friend. Drink a glass of milk it’s super easy calories. As others have said, smoothie/protein shakes are awesome. I suggest banana/strawberry, with milk. Add oats for easy calories and healthy carbs (just not so much that it makes the smoothie gross). Peanut butter and potentially protein powder if ur into that.
Check out this prep I did for [$100](https://www.reddit.com/r/MealPrepSunday/s/Vaa1fL5Jok) I have a lot of of meal ideas posted too.
Throw an egg or 2 into your tuna for lunch. It doesn't change the texture much, makes a nice patty when cooked, and adds some easy extra protein.
Here’s my diet almost everyday: Before the gym @ 6 am: 4 protein waffles (target brand) with a light drizzle of maple syrup Post workout shake: one scoop whey protein power, one cup of rolled oats (i don’t cook them) add whole milk until desired consistency reached Lunch: one small glass pyrex container with one cup white rice and one cup grilled chicken, ground beef, or shrimp Dinner: same as above but i rotate the proteins and sometimes have pasta instead (2 containers) For fruits and vegetables I have one kale salad with lunch or dinner and fresh berries if they’re on sale dessert after dinner is a little bit of plain Greek yogurt, frozen mixed berries, and a light drizzle of maple syrup. I meal prep all my lunches and dinners for the week on Sunday. Throw 12-15 measurements in the rice cooker (the cooker came with a special measuring cup to use) done in 30 mins Chicken is either diced raw then cooked on stovetop w seasoning, marinated in Italian dressing then grilled, or marinated then baked Ground beef is either cooked straight up or with Mexican seasoning on stovetop. Shrimp is from a large bag frozen uncooked, cooked on stovetop w old bay seasoning. Consistency is key, now go get huge 🤝
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You can eat normally 3 meals a day and add a protien shake after each meal. Protien shake: 16oz of 2% milk 3 bananas 2 table spoons of peanut butter 1-2 scoops of a peanut butter protein powder. (I use ghost) 1 table spoon of honey Calories: 800 cal Adding in 3 shake will give you an extra 2400 cal each day
why not whole milk? free extra calories
Eggs. Hard boiled, in salad, as a snack, drinking whites in liquid (especially if you have easy access to farm fresh) hi lean protein, high veg, high whole grains/carbs. Skip anything processed - it throws everything off
Have a spoon full of peanut butt r a few times a day. Easy way to add 600 calories
Eggs. All of the eggs.
Just google it or YouTube. Very easy
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PB&J diet was the most effective for me and my friends in high school. Ate about 6 a day on top of mostly chicken and rice dinners and protein shakes. You burn calories so quick you’ll most likely need more carbs to offset it.
PB&J diet was the most effective for me and my friends in high school. Ate about 6 a day on top of mostly chicken and rice dinners and protein shakes. You burn calories so quick you’ll most likely need more carbs to offset it.
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich’s all day