Looking to GAIN weight

Pengu · Post by **Pengu** » 10 Aug 2006 11:33

I really want to gain some weight. I'm not annorexic and I do not have a thyroid problem. I can eat a tub of icecream before bed and nothing will happen.

Last year, I was on a high-calorie, high-protein weight-training regimen that allowed me to gain 8lbs before I got pneumonia and lost it all. I'm getting back on track with this regimen, but 8lbs with 6 months of hard work at the gym and gross protein shakes really wasn't good enough for me.

I'm looking to gain 15-20lbs and keep it on. Currently, I drink 3 protein shakes a day between my 3 meals and have a snack in the evening. Each shake provides 360 calories when mixed with 2% milk which means I'm adding more than 1000 calories a day on top of my meals. I don't think my stomach can hold any more food than that. Is there anything else I can do?

shreddaily · Post by **shreddaily** » 10 Aug 2006 11:42

uhhhh count your lucky stars!!!

But ,yeah if your body refuses to put on fat, the only way to gain weight is to put on muscle.(This isn't a bad thing, trust me you won't look like those weight lifters on TV unless you take hormones or something) Don't fool yourself and think doing tons of reps of light weights every day will get you anywhere...it will only get you lighter. I know it seems masculine, but, heavy weights low reps and days off is the only way "hard gainers" can put on weight. Or atleast thats what my research has found.

theres lots of stuff on this interweb thingy, read any articles that AREN'T trying to sell something, they got good info.

jon · Post by **jon** » 10 Aug 2006 11:54

How many calories are you eating a day?

It may seem like you are eating a lot now but maybe your caloric intake is still too low. Finding out how much to eat is a trial and error process. You need to determine you mainteince requirement and from there you can play with your caloric intake to add or gain weight. Find your maintaince and then add 250 calories a day to that for a couple of weeks and see how it goes. If that is not enough up another 250 calories ect...

Eating to gain weight is not just a matter of eating everything in site. You need to be eating good quality foods as well.

What is your current diet like 40/40/20 protein/carbs/fat? 40/30/30? What are you main sources of carbs? To gain weight you should be focussing on eating lots of oats (quaker oats are ok but steel oats you cook yourself are better), eat lots of brown rice, and maintain a good in take of green veg like brocolli.

As for proteins you major source should not come from shakes. THERE IS NO SUBSTITUE FOR FOOD. Focus on getting protein from eggs (egg whites you can get on their own are fantastic), chicken, turkey, and other good meats.

Your body needs fat so make sure you get a good intake as well. But try and focus on getting good fats from sources like nuts that will also provide you with protein.

Before bed you want to make sure you are eating slow digesting protein and not whey. Whey is easily absorbed by your body and will not keep you going through the night. Focus on cassein proteins from sources like milk instead or get some cassein protein supplement.

Consider a weight gainer powder, make your own weight gainer (there are lots of receips on the net) and take it after every meal and before bed.

If all else fails start drinking LOTS of milk (and I mean LOTS and all the time).

As your probably know weight training is important. But just as important is following a real resistance training program. Focus on the big moments: squats, deadlift, bench, pullup, chin ups, dips .... You need to use heavy weight that you can manage in a range of 6-10 reps. Leave any girly 15-20 rep programs behind you and train like a man. Lots of girls are worries about getting huge but without anabolics this is impossible with their level of testosterone. If getting huge was so easy everyone you see at the gym would be big instead of really skinny or really fat like people at most gyms.

In the end just make yourself eat until you feel sick and focus on real food instead of supplements.

(Note: I really need to take my own advice)

hackeysnacker · Post by **hackeysnacker** » 10 Aug 2006 11:59

a lot of protien supplements don't really do anything unless you use the protien as it is digesting or shortly after it has digested - if you were to play footbag/workout shortly after a shake it would have the most benefits for your muscles. Try eating a lot of bananas throughout your day.

Spontaneous Spaz · Post by **Spontaneous Spaz** » 10 Aug 2006 12:51

Pengu wrote:I really want to gain some weight. I'm not annorexic and I do not have a thyroid problem. I can eat a tub of icecream before bed and nothing will happen.

Last year, I was on a high-calorie, high-protein weight-training regimen that allowed me to gain 8lbs before I got pneumonia and lost it all. I'm getting back on track with this regimen, but 8lbs with 6 months of hard work at the gym and gross protein shakes really wasn't good enough for me.

I'm looking to gain 15-20lbs and keep it on. Currently, I drink 3 protein shakes a day between my 3 meals and have a snack in the evening. Each shake provides 360 calories when mixed with 2% milk which means I'm adding more than 1000 calories a day on top of my meals. I don't think my stomach can hold any more food than that. Is there anything else I can do?

you have a tape worm, it's eating everything you eat... so u can't get fat. GET IT REMOVED AND U'LL BLOW UP LIKE A BLIMp!

SandWraith · Post by **SandWraith** » 10 Aug 2006 14:26

jon wrote:But try and focus on getting good fats from sources like nuts that will also provide you with protein.

Amen, brother. I don't have much advice in the way of weight gain, but I do think it important to say that you should be careful what you eat. I would shy away from 2% milk and most other sources of saturated fats (such as ice cream), and definitely avoid fast food-- trans fats lower good cholesterol, raise bad cholesterol, and raise triglyceride levels, all three of which are bad for you. Try adding more oils to your foods such as salads, sandwiches, pasta, or most anything else: unsaturated fat oil such as sunflower oil, canola oil, peanut oil, and really almost every plant oil contain a good amount of calories while still being good for you. On top of that, they add a nice taste to many things.

Also, it's a good idea to minimize your intake of highly processed carbohydrates. Refined cereals, white bread, and some pastas are examples of this. The problem is that these carbohydrates are quickly digested and absorbed into the blood, which results in a large spike in blood sugar and consequently a large spike in insulin production. Repeating this process for years can lead to failure of the pancreas and the onset of Type II (adult onset) diabetes. Whole grains have a lot of calories and are a lot better for you.

Sorry this wasn't much about gaining weight.

Spontaneous Spaz · Post by **Spontaneous Spaz** » 10 Aug 2006 14:37

...or you could just be going through a stage...

the world champs of eating have the fastest metabolisms, maybe you're destined to be one of them, i'm guessing its ur metabolism that's breaking down your foods so quickly, keeps you lean and not fatty.

my advice: get rid of ur tapeworm, stop excersizing for a week, eat fatty and chocolatey foods for all 3 meals, and get that tape worm removed

btw, wut is ur weight now, and wut do u want it to reach?

pips · Post by **pips** » 10 Aug 2006 15:17

I can't really help you out here, since my goals were always the opposite, but I remember one time when I was trying to lose weight, I ate good and weight trained and ended up gaining like 10 pounds of muscle weight in a week or two. I did it all at home too (5 pound weights and my own body weight) if you can't get to a gym.

Definitely eat good and weight train with more weight and less reps, though. That's vague, but yeah. I can give you my old training routines for an idea if you want, or you can find stuff on the internet and in magazines. As a girl, I like reading Muscle and Fitness Hers.

Hope that helped some.

gangsta · Post by **gangsta** » 10 Aug 2006 19:35

Good advice guys! Low reps, heavy weights + protein protein protein!

Guest_2 · Post by **Guest_2** » 10 Aug 2006 21:01

You're already fat

lol, jk! jk!

Protein before workout!

!!!!

Trust!

xXLoss_of_ControlXx · Post by **xXLoss_of_ControlXx** » 10 Aug 2006 23:24

just dont do anything for a week or so and eat really fatty foods(dont overdo it tho)...

then turn that fat into muscle.... if you want

thats what the bodybuilders do when the want to get more muscle mass

EDIT whoops, just read Spontaneous Spaz's reply

jon · Post by **jon** » 11 Aug 2006 09:29

xXLoss_of_ControlXx wrote:... then turn that fat into muscle.... if you want thats what the bodybuilders do when the want to get more muscle mass

The is totally incorrect.

Also you want protein both pre and post workout but it is more important post workout. You want to take it with a high gi carb that will cause your insulin levels to spike, allowing for a more efficient transfer of the protein into your muscles.

jimmyjames · Post by **jimmyjames** » 12 Aug 2006 13:32

If you're having trouble downing lots of protein shakes, I'd suggest Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey, fruit punch flavor. I mix it with orange gatorade powder and water, and it tastes amazing. It tastes like a sports drink and nothing like a thick shake.

BenRea · Post by **BenRea** » 12 Aug 2006 15:27

you arent the only one peng, im skinny as a stick and i cant gain a pound. damn metabolism.

Chim-Chim · Post by **Chim-Chim** » 12 Aug 2006 23:09

Eat 3 full meals a day + take your vitamins and you'll put on some weight no problem.

james_dean · Post by **james_dean** » 12 Aug 2006 23:17

Chim-Chim wrote:Eat 3 full meals a day + take your vitamins and you'll put on some weight no problem.

No, not really. I'm the same, it pretty much doesn't matter how much crap I eat I don't put on weight. This doesn't bother me I'm perfectly happy with my weight right now, but simply eating 3 full meals a day and some vitamins won't cut it. Our bodies digest the food as quick as we can eat it.

sniikeri · Post by **sniikeri** » 14 Aug 2006 09:30

I lived the whole week in Frankfurt with junk food and I actually lost weight. I'm thin but when I got home everyone told me I looked even skinnier than before.
I don't think I'm too thin though and don't plan starting to gain some weight.

JoFa · Post by **JoFa** » 26 Aug 2006 20:26

I'm the same way, I can eat tons but I never get fatter. I'm pretty happy with my weight, but I would definitely prefer to be a little heavier.

Of course, I'd much rather be prone to be skinny than to be fat, so I'm thankful.

Guest_1 · Post by **Guest_1** » 27 Aug 2006 07:01

So, here's how:

Your body does not want to put on muscle because you have such a low body fat %.

What you need to do is get the body fat % up, and then you can put on muscle. So! Eat a ton of crap food, and once your body fat % is up, your body will allow you to put muscle on.

Yay! Any other questions, Dr. Rose will answer

gangsta · Post by **gangsta** » 27 Aug 2006 08:13

Are you really a doctor?

I'm not saying you're wrong or anything, but it is possible to gain muscle with low body fat. Builiding muscle mass requires more calories than are expended during lifiting. This is why body builders stress low-fat foods and Protein, Protein PROTEIN! They have to eat ALOT to gain and keep muscle, and if any of it is Junk, they will put on fat also.

That being said, why do you think it's not possible for a skinny person to put on weight?

As long as they eat correctly (alot), with lots of protein, it should be no problem. I'm a 'hard gainer' (probably what youre referring to) with less than 5% body fat, and I had no problem adding 10lbs of muscle without an increase in body fat, with my workout regime coupled with eating alot of high protein, high carb, and low fat foods.

For your own good people, do not eat alot of junk food! It's just as easy for a person with low fat to gain muscle as it is for that same person with alot of fat, provided you eat correctly! This was already discussed in Peng's topic.

Looking to GAIN weight

Looking to GAIN weight

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