OK, so I'm 162 lbs and 5'10. Really lean and looking to get to a target weight short term 165 and long term 175. I've been eating 4-5 times a day, loading up on high carb foods like potatoes, bananas, whole grains, even carb drinks and getting the right mix of proteins and fats throughout the day. I've also been working out 4 times a week for about a month now, but I seem to be stuck on 162 despite eating like its a full time job! Anyone out there find a way to gain weight without eating potato chips and t-bone steaks? I'm trying to gain weight, not from fat! For someone who has maybe been in a similar situation and had gains, what did you eat to get to that point? By the way, if anyone works out at 24 Fitness on 1960 and needs a workout partner, let me know. Thanks.
I'm like 5'9" and 125 lb, so I'm also thinking about gaining some weight, but I think 165 is borderline chubby aint it?
You guys think you have problems. I'm 19, 5'4", and barley tipping triple digits. Those weight gainers seem to work. I tried it last summer and it was going well until I just got lazy and tired of the taste.
No. It depends on your build, but for most guys that would be normal or even a little low. It's understandable to want more muscle. As for you, you might blow away in the wind. You're probably just a small-boned body build. "165" looks very different on different people. I don't know how you stay that skinny... though the infamous "Ferdinand" is 6'0" and 150, and used to weigh less. He lives on red meat and french fries and sugar drinks, and doesn't work out all that much. It's not fair. Anyway, sorry if I don't have much sympathy but you guys are lucky. Switch metabolism with me. I can't imagine trying to gain weight... and failing. Surely there's enough good, cheap food in the world to be able to gain that weight... just as long as you're exercising. (lift heavy weights with fewer reps)
Why gain weight unless it's for sports? You'll naturally get fatter as you get older. Enjoy your high metabolism while you have it. If you want to look better, just work out.
You'll want to focus on the neglected food groups such as the whipped group, the congealed group and the chocotastic. Be creative. Instead of making sandwiches with bread, use poptarts. Instead of chewing gum, chew bacon... And remember, if you're not sure about something, rub it against a piece of paper. If the paper turns clear, it's your window to weight gain. Bye bye, everybody!
If you are working out 4 times a week, you are burning a tremendous number of calories. You'll need to replace those calories, and more, if you want to gain weight. The_Conquistador recommends a protein shake to fill in those calories. Be careful, however, to make sure you eat enough fiber in your diet. The combination of protein shakes and not enough fiber was the genesis of the infamous "Train stuck in the station" thread.
I have the correct answer. I am 6'0 and I used to weigh 127 (in my late teens to early 20's). Couldn't gain weight. I tried a bazillion different things, none of which worked. Finally, I went to a nutritionist named Keith Klein who told me what to do. What follows is an account of advice he gave me, and which I followed. I gained 30 lbs of muscle in a relatively short amount of time. Of course, now I'm 36 and I have put on fat (I currently weigh 175). You must do both of these: Diet Forget trendy diets. Eat 6 meals a day - high calorie and low fat. Before breakfast, eat a tuna sandwich, banana, yogurt, and a glass of milk. Eat that again between lunch and dinner. And eat it again after dinner. Half of the liquid you drink each day should be water, the other half fat-free milk. Exercise Only do anaerobic exercise. This means weightlifting. Do not do aerobic exercise. Begin with a 5-10 minutes of running to get your heart rate up. Then begin weightlifting. Lift very heavy weight with few reps. Balance your weight groups (I did back & biceps one day, next day would be chest & triceps, then abs and legs). When you are finished, walk a treadmill for a few minutes for a cooldown (don't just stop - not good for you). Work out three days, then take one or two days off, then another three days. It is VERY important to perform the exercise with the eating. If you don't exercise, all those calories you're shoving down your throat will turn into fat, and you will balloon. Oh... you should quit smoking, drinking, and you should get plenty of sleep, but if you're doing that weightlifting, you should be ready for some sleep at night. I did that plan. It was very, very uncomfortable. I didn't like tuna, and I was constantly eating... forcing myself to eat when I wasn't hungry. I spent tons of money on all that food. And the weightlifing was unpleasant - I was going to a gym and it was humiliating to see guys there lifting lots of weight while my skinny ass was not able to lift much. But it worked. And, in fact, I would like to lose some of my gut and bulk up. I'm intending to get back on that plan, but I might add some aerobic exercise to lose some fat.
[RANT] I've been down that road man. I was miserable being thin. People just don't understand it. Though it's not socially acceptable for people to say to a fat person, "Wow! You're so fat!", people have absolutely no problem saying to a thin person, "Wow! You're so skinny!" But the truth is, a thin person who is unhappy with his weight can be just as miserable as a fat person. And it doesn't help to have people constantly commenting about it. [/RANT]
You know what's worse? Being skinny with no chest, pipecleaner arms but still a relatively big gut. That is not a good look. I've tried going on similar weight gain/muscle building programs but I never could keep it up. Just don't have the willpower.
That's pretty much where I am now. I carry all my weight in my upper body. My legs are still thin, and my arms are okay. I don't know what to do about the gut.
droxford has it pretty much spot on. the important part about the 6 meals a day is that your spacing out your calories every three hours so that your body is only getting so much at one time and not storing extra calories as fat. make sure you have protein at every meal and eat alot of it throughout the day. with that in mind, you definitely don't want to take any weight gainer. they contain too many calories per serving, and more importantly too many sugars which will basically go straight to fat. you'll be gaining the wrong kind of weight. the most important thing for your body to gain muscle is alot of rest. going to the gym four times a week is more than you need especially if your doing the same excercises more than once. workout each muscle group only ONCE per week. it doesn't sound like alot but your muscles don't grow when you're working out, they grow when you're resting. if you don't give them time to recuperate they won't get any bigger, you'll just overtrain which could actually lead to strengh loss. that's why you see alot of people trying to gain weight never get bigger. they're working their bodies to hard and they;re probably lifting too light of a weight. so you must lift heavy weights. for example if your doing four sets of bench press you want your first set after warmup to be something you can only lift about 8 times and your final set to be a weight that you can lift only 1 or 2 times. lifting light weights wont stress your body enough and your muscles won't grow. droxford is right, it's can be just as frustrating being thin as it is being fat. it might not be fun changing your diet and eating all that chicken or whatever you choose to get your protein but it's very possible to gain alot of muscle.
i think its also important that you start slowly and not burn out. if you start off killing yourself you're never going to like doing these exercises. i started with some jogging, and then decided to lift weights. now i go to the gym everyday. because i like working up a sweat. what i do is day 1 - chest n triceps day 2 - cardio (40 minutes jogging) day 3 - back, abs n biceps day 4 - cardio day 5 - legs day 6 - shoulders day 7 - cardio its probably not as beneficial as prioritizing with building muscle mass for one time period, and then going on a cut later, but i like doing all these stuff. i'm about 5' 5" and 133 lbs. by the way, dont bother working on your abs until you've lowered your body fat. all those ab crunches will only push out your gut fat and make your waist bigger.
