Healthy Ways Of Losing And Gaining Weight / Question
Published: March 2, 2000
Dear TeenHealthFX,
I am very thin for my age and height. I'm almost 16, 5'5 and barely 100 pounds. It is mostly because I'm very athletic and I have an extremely high metabolism. It is not as if I do not eat well. I eat 3 - 4 meals a day with all my daily servings from the food groups, but I still can not gain any weight. I get teased at school for being so skinny and I wanted to know if you have any suggestions of who I can see or what I can do to gain a little bit of weight.
Signed: AKA Toothpick
Dear AKA Toothpick,
Being teased at school is no fun and it probably makes you feel pretty sad, maybe even depressed. Talk to a family member about it and make an appointment to see your doctor.
A high level of activity in combination with growth dramatically increases your energy requirements. This means that although you may be following the basic food pyramid because you are a very active teenager and you are still growing, you need more food! Some teens have a very fast metabolism that makes it extra difficult to gain weight. Make an appointment with your doctor to discuss your concerns. He/she may have you go to a nutritionist to come up with an individualized meal planning system.
In the meantime, see our question, called Eating Healthy. This is the food pyramid with some special considerations for teenagers. Also, try to stay on the high end of the servings in order to put on some weight. Eat more often using 5 - 6 smaller meals daily.
Signed: TeenHealthFX
More than four in 10 young women become pregnant at least once before they reach the age of 20 - nearly one million a year teen pregnancies a year 
