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Olympian Michael Phelps famously claimed to eat 12,000 calories-a-day to support his five hours-a-day, six days-a-week exercise regimen, but such a high-calorie diet only works for someone like Phelps. Teen athletes need healthy eating plans customized to their unique nutritional needs and their workout routine.
Healthy eating plans differ depending on the sport. Wrestlers struggle to "make weight," yet football players seek to bulk up. Whatever the goal, the wrong diet puts unnecessary strain on young bodies and impedes performance.
Making Weight The Healthy Way:
Sticking to a healthy eating plan is especially important for wrestlers, boxers and other teen athletes who need to qualify for a weight class. The pressure to lose weight rapidly puts these athletes at increased risk for eating disorders, and wrestlers have even died from extreme weight loss attempts.
Healthy eating plans should focus on gradual and safe weight loss of no more than two pounds a week. Starvation diets or gimmicky cleanses are not advisable for athletes since these can result in muscle loss. Determine your ideal caloric intake using Shape Magazine's formula based on your goal weight and level of physical activity.
Almost any plan that reduces calories will enable teen athletes to lose weight, but teen athletes need a balanced diet for peak performance. The best healthy eating plans include whole grains, lean proteins, and lots of fruits and vegetables. Calcium is essential for bone health, particularly for growing teens. If your diet reduces your consumption of milk, cheese and dairy products, it might be necessary to take a calcium supplement.
Healthy Eating Plans for Weight Maintenance:
Depending on how active teen athletes are, they may need more than 2000 calories a day to maintain their weight during the athletic season. Use a calorie calculator to determine the number of calories needed to maintain your goal weight.
Bulking Up and Adding Muscle Naturally:
Some teen athletes, especially football players, want to bulk up and build muscles. High-calorie healthy eating plans and strength training can help teen athletes increase weight without using expensive bodybuilding supplements or dangerous steroids.
Gorging on pizza and donuts to gain weight sounds fun, but not all calories are created equal. Hollywood stars have gained weight for roles, but there's a big difference between how Renee Zellweger gained 20 pounds to play Bridget Jones and how Taylor Lautner gained 30 pounds of muscle to play werewolf Jacob in the Twilight movies. Taylor Lautner focused on gaining muscle, which is more difficult than gaining fat.
Lautner spent many hours in the gym, but he also understood the importance of eating right. Healthy eating plans start with a daily calorie goal. According to Men's Health, Lautner determined his calories using the following formula: goal weight x (workout hours per week + 9.5)= daily number of calories. To build muscle rather than fat, it's important to eat the right kind of foods. Tasty protein/carb shakes are a healthy way to refuel after a workout and to enhance muscle recovery. (Click here to calculate the ideal mix of protein, fat and carbs based on your goal weight.)
Building muscle the healthy way can take time. Estimate two to four pounds every 12 weeks. (Click here for more detail about how long it takes to gain a pound of muscle.) Athletes looking to lose weight should estimate no more than two pounds a week.
Steroid abuse and dangerous diets appeal to teens looking for an easy way to add muscle or lose weight, but there are no shortcuts to athletic success. Sticking to a healthy eating plan will improve athletic performance and protect growing bodies.
Email This
Olympian Michael Phelps famously claimed to eat 12,000 calories-a-day to support his five hours-a-day, six days-a-week exercise regimen, but such a high-calorie diet only works for someone like Phelps. Teen athletes need healthy eating plans customized to their unique nutritional needs and their workout routine. Healthy eating plans differ depending on the sport. Wrestlers struggle to "make weight," yet football players seek to bulk up. Whatever the goal, the wrong diet puts unnecessary strain on young bodies and impedes performance.
Making Weight The Healthy Way:
Sticking to a healthy eating plan is especially important for wrestlers, boxers and other teen athletes who need to qualify for a weight class. The pressure to lose weight rapidly puts these athletes at increased risk for eating disorders, and wrestlers have even died from extreme weight loss attempts.
Healthy eating plans should focus on gradual and safe weight loss of no more than two pounds a week. Starvation diets or gimmicky cleanses are not advisable for athletes since these can result in muscle loss. Determine your ideal caloric intake using Shape Magazine's formula based on your goal weight and level of physical activity.
Almost any plan that reduces calories will enable teen athletes to lose weight, but teen athletes need a balanced diet for peak performance. The best healthy eating plans include whole grains, lean proteins, and lots of fruits and vegetables. Calcium is essential for bone health, particularly for growing teens. If your diet reduces your consumption of milk, cheese and dairy products, it might be necessary to take a calcium supplement.
Healthy Eating Plans for Weight Maintenance:
Depending on how active teen athletes are, they may need more than 2000 calories a day to maintain their weight during the athletic season. Use a calorie calculator to determine the number of calories needed to maintain your goal weight.
Bulking Up and Adding Muscle Naturally:
Some teen athletes, especially football players, want to bulk up and build muscles. High-calorie healthy eating plans and strength training can help teen athletes increase weight without using expensive bodybuilding supplements or dangerous steroids.
Gorging on pizza and donuts to gain weight sounds fun, but not all calories are created equal. Hollywood stars have gained weight for roles, but there's a big difference between how Renee Zellweger gained 20 pounds to play Bridget Jones and how Taylor Lautner gained 30 pounds of muscle to play werewolf Jacob in the Twilight movies. Taylor Lautner focused on gaining muscle, which is more difficult than gaining fat.
Lautner spent many hours in the gym, but he also understood the importance of eating right. Healthy eating plans start with a daily calorie goal. According to Men's Health, Lautner determined his calories using the following formula: goal weight x (workout hours per week + 9.5)= daily number of calories. To build muscle rather than fat, it's important to eat the right kind of foods. Tasty protein/carb shakes are a healthy way to refuel after a workout and to enhance muscle recovery. (Click here to calculate the ideal mix of protein, fat and carbs based on your goal weight.)
Building muscle the healthy way can take time. Estimate two to four pounds every 12 weeks. (Click here for more detail about how long it takes to gain a pound of muscle.) Athletes looking to lose weight should estimate no more than two pounds a week.
Steroid abuse and dangerous diets appeal to teens looking for an easy way to add muscle or lose weight, but there are no shortcuts to athletic success. Sticking to a healthy eating plan will improve athletic performance and protect growing bodies.