i’m in need of some dietary aid, but first some back ground info. i’m 16 years old, 5’6.5", and 150lbs. As for body fat, i have no idea, but what i do know is that i am pretty chubby. as of 5 minutes ago my waist is 33.5", which from reading around, is too large for my height/weight. two weeks ago i began wendler’s 5/3/1 program, and my current maxes are a 200lb squat, 180lb bench press, and a 240lb deadlift (i know, pretty weak).
Now to the question. I have been debating what to do with my weight. On one hand, I could focus on dropping body fat, but some people seem to say that teens shouldn’t be worrying about this. On the other, i could maintain my weight and focus becoming stronger/healthier. and then there are some people who believe if you’re weak and have little muscle mass, it’s time to pack some meat on. I’m really stuck here and am not sure which path i should follow.
Without pictures it’s hard too tell, but I would not obsess too much about your waist size or bodyfat right now. I would suggest continue doing 5/3/1 for a while and build your strength up (btw those numbers are not too shabby at your age). You are young and as you age you should grow fairly rapidly. As you put muscle on, your lean mass ratio will improve, and as long as you are active you shouldn’t get too fat. Don’t do what I did and hold your gains back by not eating.
If you are maintaining your weight, try and figure out about how many calories you take in daily and try to eat about 500 calories above this. If you are currently gaining weight on your current diet, maintain that intake. Keep protein at about 1 - 1.5 grams per pound of body weight and if you are gaining too much fat, keep your carbs in the first part of the day and before and after your training. Protein and carbs have 4 calories per gram, and fats have 9 calories per gram (10 grams of protein=40 calories)
Hope this helps. Based on your comment about your lifts, remember to have patience. building muscle is a marathon, not a sprint. You have good lifts so far at your age, if they are accurate. When I was 16 I was a little lighter than you and benched 60 lbs. 18 years later my max is 300-310 lbs.
[quote]moperry00 wrote:
On the other, i could maintain my weight and focus becoming stronger/healthier.[/quote]
^This^
I would advocate that you eat a tone of food and lift heavy but you seem to have a hangup on your “chubby” waist. Since this is the case I would focus on eating at maintenance (When Hungry) and lifting heavy. I am not a supplement junkie but I would look into a one-a-day vitamin/mineral complex for general health and micronized creatine monohydrate if you are looking to gain muscle.
Go to the program section here and pick out a program that fits your goals. Once you have that program bust your ass in the gym and the rest should fall into place at your age, granted you eat enough.
