# Need help gaining weight!



## slido (Jun 28, 2009)

Hi everyone,

im 21

5ft 8"

140 pounds (usually)

Skinny build.

I have a manual job labouring and i work out 4 times a week and i cannot for the life of me put any weight on. Ive always been this way. Its not like im not strong. Ive always been physically active in many different sports. But for example i almost dont have a chest, abs are toned and my arms are toned but there is no size. Legs are similar.

I just want to put some weight on!

Heres a diary of what ive eaten today is there anything wrong?

Breakfast:

2 whole eggs scrambled

Lunch:

Brown Pasta with tomato sauce mixed with 1 full can of tuna

Dinner:

Gammon, Mash potato, Garden Peas, Sweetcorn, cauliflower

Evening snack:

Peanut Butter on toast

I do often miss breakfast in a morning, i always struggle to eat in a morning i never feel like it, however i am forcing myself to do so.

Can anybody give me any advice? Ive tried protein shakes and dont have a problem with them, just didnt see any results after using them for 2 months apart from some bad smelling gas!

thanks guys


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## Big Dawg (Feb 24, 2008)

slido said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> im 21
> 
> ...


2 eggs for breakfast and sometimes you don't even eat them? There's no such thing as a hard gainer mate, just a hard learner. You're not eating enough, it's very simple. How about reading up on some bulking articles? There's plenty on the internet.

Aim for 6000 calories a day and around 600g carbs. Then we'll see if you can't gain any weight.


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## interloper393 (Nov 11, 2005)

i was in the same boat buddy, i could never gain weight, so heres what i did..

For every meal (i was having 4 a day) i cooked a bit more than i could eat, then eat as much as you can, then after i had a pint of full fat milk, for some reason theres always room for it lol, it helped me get more calories in and stretch my stomach a bit more and i gradually increased the amount i could eat... like you i used to have 2 eggs and 3 bits of toat cut into soldiers (dont laugh lol) now i have 6 eggs and 8 bits of toast, a shake and sometimes a few weetabix 

I was about 8 stone then, now im almost 13


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## JoeCrow (Jun 4, 2009)

Aim for 6000 calories a day and around 600g carbs. Then we'll see if you can't gain any weight.


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## JoeCrow (Jun 4, 2009)

interloper393 said:


> i was in the same boat buddy, i could never gain weight, so heres what i did..
> 
> For every meal (i was having 4 a day) i cooked a bit more than i could eat, then eat as much as you can, then after i had a pint of full fat milk, for some reason theres always room for it lol, it helped me get more calories in and stretch my stomach a bit more and i gradually increased the amount i could eat... like you i used to have 2 eggs and 3 bits of toat cut into soldiers (dont laugh lol) now i have 6 eggs and 8 bits of toast, a shake and sometimes a few weetabix
> 
> I was about 8 stone then, now im almost 13


Lean 13 stone?

JC


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## Big Dawg (Feb 24, 2008)

JoeCrow said:


> Aim for 6000 calories a day and around 600g carbs. Then we'll see if you can't gain any weight.


Jeezus christ! You'll gain weight alright. And be fat.

<SIGH>


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## interloper393 (Nov 11, 2005)

JoeCrow said:


> Lean 13 stone?
> 
> JC


was around 17% bodyfat so not too bad lol


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## Will101 (Apr 14, 2009)

Yes, I agree - need to eat more!

I had the same problem - naturally skinny and very high metabolism.

I would be careful of the "eat anything and everything" route as I think not only would it take ages to get rid of the fat afterwards but also it gets you into bad eating habits which may be hard to change. I also think you may find that there is a time delay between eating the food and putting the fat on (obviously&#8230 point is you might actually overdo it and not adjust your food intake quick enough and end up going too far the other way!

For starters I would get yourself some bulking shakes. Forget the pure protein ones at this stage, go for a serious mass gainer and drink these twice a day religiously. (you can make these yourself from recipes on this site)

Next up, get into the habit of eating breakfast. Just get into the habit first, then worry about what it is exactly you are eating.

Lastly, get your head around the fact that it is ok to eat&#8230;a lot. Just make sure it is good, healthy, clean food you are eating a lot of and not too much crap. My typical daily diet would look a bit different from most on this site as I really do struggle to put on weight and still bulking but while trying to keep body fat to 12% max. Currently I'm at 16 stone and currently my diet looks something like this&#8230;. (note: I appreciate there is loads wrong with this diet. However, it works for me and I do change it around quite a bit according to how my body reacts in order to maintain fat % levels&#8230

Breakfast - 100g porridge oats with honey or fry up.

Mid Morning - Mass gainer shake, 2 tins tuna + mayo in 2 wholemeal pitta

Lunch - 150g wholemeal rice / pasta with 125g chicken and tomato sauce + motzorella / cheese + lots of olive oil

Mid afternoon - Mass gainer shake, 2 rounds cheese and tomato sandwiches (wholemeal bread) or tub of cottage cheese and ryvita wholemeal biscuits.

Dinner -Chicken Curry, rice, nann and cheese+spinach side dish.

I would then also snack during the day on anything savory. Only rule I have is no sugary drinks / food and no total rubbish like crisps / chips / snacks etc. it all needs to have a decent nutritional value even if it is slightly high in fat.

Hope this helps a bit mate.


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## Big Dawg (Feb 24, 2008)

^ See that's what I'm talking about. If you have a naturally fast metabolism then you really need to pound down the food. I'm talking about force feeding yourself to the point where you're almost sick just to gain 1lb every month.

The reality is that this is probably necessary for about 3% of the population. The other self-proclaimed "hard-gainers" just eat like girls and simply have to start eating like men to gain weight.


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## JamesWilson (Jun 28, 2009)

Eat 10 times a day and you will be fine. You need to have a diet, very important to eat right food and provide your body with the proper nutrients.


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## slido (Jun 28, 2009)

ok so i should pretty much eat wotever and whenever i can?

Is there anything in particular i should stay away from, ive noticed someone said sugary drinks and crisps. Anything else? Or is it just a case of all calories are good calories when it comes to gaining?

I mean for the most part my 3 usual meals of the day are pretty healthy, with some complex carbs, proteins and some greens. Should i not worry too much about what i eat with the other 3 meals?

thanks


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## HJL (Apr 26, 2009)

some people eat whatever they see. This is ok, but if you eat all the foods that dont do good for your body, or way to many carbs then you may put on fat.

as you say your skinny, i take it you dont mind a bit of fat.

each meal must contain carbs, protine and good fats. have a read up on here in the diets section mate. there is an EXCELLENT article at the top of the page that tells you everything you need to know for now.

The other 3 meals are just as important, missing 5 good meals a week may not make any difference in the short term. but look back in 3 years, and you may be bigger if you had put the effort in to making those meals count.

the best advice i can offer is to read articles in diet section at the top

http://www.uk-muscle.co.uk/food-diet-nutrition-info/


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## Jonferimonic (Jun 23, 2008)

Dude i was a skinny bastard for ages, used to go the gym heaps and had a physical job and similarly didnt put on any weight - because i didnt know what the hell i was doing.

All due respect mate you obviously dont know how to eat properly and likewise i imagine you dont know what you should be doing in the gym to grow.

Firstly, what you are doing isnt working so something has to change. You have a high metabolism, you work a physical job and go to the gym 4 times a week - YOU ARE OVERWORKING YOURSELF. Sorry for the capitals but thats the truth of the matter you are burning way more calories than you are consuming which means in way, you are starving yourself.

You dont have to workout 4 times a week to grow.

So, your diet. You need to eat lots of good nutritious calories. Look at it this way - **** IN, **** OUT. You get out of your body what you put in so stop eating any junk food straight away. And most of us like a drink but with your metabolism alcohol is your enemy, moderation is fine but binge drinking more than once or twice a week will f*ck your system up.

Three to four big main meals a day plus your shakes. That is your best starting point to aim for.

Get your supplements sorted too. Definately get amino acids into your supplementation, they are crucial to growth.

Your gym sessions, you will always get a million different 'routines' from a million different people but skinny bastards dont need to get all comlex, you need BASICS. Twice a week get down the gym and rip into the ones that will shock your body into growing SQUATS, DEADLIFTS & BENCH PRESS. If you go hardout on these beauties you will only need to train twice a week. The rest of the time you should be in pain(which means your body is repairing itself - GROWTH in other words)

good luck, msg me if you want anymore help mate

im not a pro im just very opinionated haha


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## Androgen (Jun 4, 2009)

Ultimately you need to eat more. Its that simple. However, you shouldn't prioritise or be concerned with conditioning during a weight gain phase. The basic principle of calories in V's calories out is the only real equation you need to consider at this stage.

I respectfully disagree with any generalised view that consuming 5-6000 calories each day will make you fat. We could analyse the effects of insulin response to simple carbohydrate, low fibre diets with regard to fat storage, but genetics vary from one individual to the next so there are no "carved in stone" rules.

It would, however, be fair to say that excessive calories derived from sugary sources have a proclivity to encourage fat storage and insulin resistance. But once again, if you have an extremely active metabolism, the chances are you'll stay lean regardless of what dietary principles you adopt.

There are some immediate modifications needed to your diet and training before any weight gain will be realised. First of all, as previously established, you don't eat enough calories. Secondly, you're over-training. Working out 4 times each week on top of a manual labour job & probably consuming no more than 1200 calories daily, equates to starvation from a bodybuilding perspective. Your metabolism is basically an adaptive mechanism which carefully regulates itself to either thrive on an abundance of calories or (in your case) 'just survive'.

You have a number of options available to you and if you're serious about gaining weight, you'll put in the time and effort to research the subject. However, one or two simple changes to your current approach will positively kick-start the process for you.

We've already established that increasing calories is a necessity in the pursuit of weight gain. In order for the increase in calories to take effect, it can't be in response to an increase in energy expenditure (additional labouring, longer in the gym etc) Maintaining your current lifestyle, but increasing your calories, will result in weight gain.

So, a very crude and simplistic strategy to initiate weight gain would be to stick with your original menu, but double up all portions - 4 whole eggs, double serving of pasta, 2 cans of Tuna, 4 pieces of toast and peanut butter etc. By doubling the amount of calories you're consuming but not increasing your energy expenditure, weight gain will occur.

It is also arguably more beneficial to the hard-gainer to eat 3 to 4 large meals each day as opposed to 6-8 smaller ones, as this will often slow down the metabolism and encourage the body to store more calories.

Apart from diet, you really need to decrease the amount of time you spend in the gym also. I'd personally recommend training 2 days per week with at least another 2 days rest in-between each workout. Stick to basic exercises, heavy weight and low reps: 5x6 is an ideal range for weight gain and muscle growth in my experience. If you have a sensitive metabolism, don't aim for failure on every set; this will only create an state of over-training. Stick with 6 reps but increase the weight so you're only reaching failure on the last 1 or 2 sets of each exercise.

Try this for 8 weeks:

Breakfast: 100g's of Porridge oats made with skimmed milk. Add to it 1 medium sliced ripe banana, 2 heaped desert spoons of raisins, and the equivalent amount in chopped nuts.

4 whole eggs on 2 pieces of wholemeal toast.

Lunch: 1 can of oil packed Tuna fish divided between 2 wholemeal pita-breads with mayonnaise & salad

1 real fruit organic yogurt

50g's of Cashew nuts

1 banana

Dinner: 250g of lean mince mixed with 1 can of baked beans

2 soft brown rolls with a small amount of butter

Late night snack: 250ml of skimmed milk, 25g's of a quality protein powder, 2 tablespoons of desiccated coconut and 1 banana. Mix all ingredients in a blender.

50g's of Cashew nuts.

In addition to the above, feel free to consume 1 or 2 extra protein shakes (same formula as "late night snack") If this is inconvenient during the day, 1 or 2 pints of skimmed milk will suffice.

With regard to your workout, I believe the following will be of benefit:

Day 1: Bench Press 5x6; Clean and Press 5x6; Seated EZ bar Triceps Extensions 5x6

Day 2: Dead-Lift 5x6; Barbell Curls 5x6; Squats 5x6

And above all - don't become an insomniac like me /


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## Jonferimonic (Jun 23, 2008)

Androgen said:


> First of all, as previously established, you don't eat enough calories. Secondly, you're over-training. Working out 4 times each week on top of a manual labour job & probably consuming no more than 1200 calories daily, equates to starvation from a bodybuilding perspective.
> 
> It is also arguably more beneficial to the hard-gainer to eat 3 to 4 large meals each day
> 
> Apart from diet, you really need to decrease the amount of time you spend in the gym also. I'd personally recommend training 2 days per week


Um, didnt i just write that but worded different..?

Glad you concur with my opinion :beer:


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## Big Dawg (Feb 24, 2008)

slido said:


> ok so i should pretty much eat wotever and whenever i can?
> 
> Is there anything in particular i should stay away from, ive noticed someone said sugary drinks and crisps. Anything else? Or is it just a case of all calories are good calories when it comes to gaining?
> 
> ...


No you shouldn't eat whatever you want. You've been doing that for years and you're still skinny right?

You need to plan a very high calorie diet and follow it to the letter, day in day out for a year. Consistency is the key. If you don't you'll just end up continuing to eat like a girl.

Aim for 6k calories of clean bodybuilding food and see how you get on. If you stick to it you will gain weight.


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## infrared (Jun 30, 2009)

Drink blue top milk. If youre thirsty, instead of tea / coffee have some milk. This can easily bump up cals if you struggle.

Energy dense foods will help.


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## Will101 (Apr 14, 2009)

AlasTTTair said:


> No you shouldn't eat whatever you want. You've been doing that for years and you're still skinny right?
> 
> You need to plan a very high calorie diet and follow it to the letter, day in day out for a year. Consistency is the key. If you don't you'll just end up continuing to eat like a girl.
> 
> Aim for 6k calories of clean bodybuilding food and see how you get on. If you stick to it you will gain weight.


This is good advice.... listen to it! Especially the "plan" bit as this is so important IMO otherwise you will just continue to make it up as you go along and never really have any idea what is working or not.


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## slido (Jun 28, 2009)

thanks everyone for your advice, its all being taken in. Im going to try exactly as you have all said and see where i am in 6-8weeks. I will follow the diet laid out by Androgen as a starting point.

I knew you guys ate more than normal but wow i never thought we would be talking 5k-6k cal! Im going to get myself sorted out with the nessecary food and keep hitting the gym, but perhaps a little less often.

Thanks again for your honest words, its good to see this non b/s approach!


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## All4n (May 30, 2008)

Not everyone takes in 5-6k cals per day mate. I'd get very fat very fast on that amount. It's all person dependant on bodyweight, BF%, metabolism and activity levels. Some people have very fast metabolisms so need high amounts of cals. Also the more LBM you have the more cals you will need.


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