Too skinny, anything I should be doing?

[MissWormwood]

I would recommend you to eats more healthy fats and more complex carbs.You could also try using whey protein.

That is horrible advice. Complex carbs such as oatmeal will fill you up so fast (1 cup = 150 calories). Good luck eating enough calories with this method.

 

[MissWormwood]

Very few, have the genetic ability to acquire a body builders physique.

Here is the good news though. You body will indeed adapt to the stress you place on it. If you perform an adequate weight routine 3 times a week for 6 months or so, you will indeed gain muscle. If you keep up with the routine, change things up a bit and keep making it more difficult, you will continue to gain muscle, because it must, to adapt to the stress being placed on it.

Now, in regards to gaining fat like you state, your body will add fat when your are consuming more calories than it needs to maintain the current body weight and the current energy expenditure. Eating too much sugar and processed foods can also play a role, which tend to cause more issues with readily storing fat in adipose tissue.

Stay away from refined sugars and processed foods and also perform aerobic activities besides weight lifting and you should see results.

You won't see any results with this. Seriously, everyone is lying to you and is not in the same situation. Fat people should not give skinny people advice.

Everyone has the ability to gain a bodybuilders physique, to say otherwise is a garbage statement. You just have to manipulate how much you eat. The basic bottom line is you need to eat more food each and every day. Not just one sitting. I hear it all the time "I eat so much food! I ate a whole pizza yesterday" One pizza may be 2,000 calories, but if it is the only meal you eat for that day than you only ate 2,000 calories for that day. You need more calories per day, not just one meal. Focus on this and you will see results.

As fat as aerobic exercise goes, you can do this but keep in mind it will only increase the amount of calories you need per day.

Again, good luck, you have quite the challenge ahead of you and a lot of bad advice coming your way from pretty much everyone. Keep in mind that food is food, calories are calories, no particular food with equal calories will make you gain weight faster over another. It is all about the calories. Thus the bodybuilding statement "Calories are king".

 

[grandvizier1006]

Hi,

I have read through the posts and see a lot of garbage information. I have the same problem you do and have been battling it for years. To fix the problem requires a sort of lifestyle change. You said you feel like you could eat anything and it would do nothing... I have felt the same way. Here is the key... you need to eat enough calories every day so that you will gain weight. You need to find how many calories per day that you need to gain weight. There are many formulas to figure this out but the easiest way to find out is to eat the same amount of calories every day for a week. If you don't gain weight, then increase that amount of calories by 500 per day. Use this new calorie total for the next week and if you still don't gain weight then increase it again. For example, I started eating 2,000 calories a day for a week, actually lost weight so I added 500 calories per day for another week putting me at 2,500 calories each day. Again I lost weight! I added another 500 calories, putting me at 3,000 per day. At the 3,000 cal/day I did not gain or lose weight so after a week I added another 500 calories putting me at 3,500 calories per day. At this amount I finally started gaining weight. I was able to gain ten pounds. Soon though I needed to up my calories again to keep gaining weight.

The problems I see in the other posts is people suggesting certain types of foods, e.g. good fats vs bad fats, low cholesterol, etc. Don't worry about any of this for now! It is extremely hard to eat 3,000 plus calories per day every day for an extended period of time. People who do not have your problem have no idea and are full of it if they think it is easy. It is very difficult and will be a large challenge for you, but it is the only way. Don't worry if it is healthy for now, you need to concentrate on eating enough calories. Once you can consistently eat enough calories per day than you can clean up your diet. But seriously, eat ice cream, eat straight butter, whatever it takes. Eating the calories will help up your appetite as well and will make it easier when you do choose to clean up your diet.

The other problem I see with the advice is how to exercise. A lot of the advice is going to make you burn a lot of calories which just means you need to eat even that much more. Personally I don't want to eat any more than I have to. I would recommend doing no more than 45 minutes of exercise per day. The exercise you should do is lifting weights, no cardio! Look up how to do "compound movements" such as squats, dead lifts, bench press, etc. Only do these exercises. Don't do to much weight cause you will hurt yourself. But you do need to increase the weight over time. Also, look up "progressive overload". This is the basic theory behind gaining muscle. Do 3-4 sets of each exercise and 8-12 reps.

You also need to go out and educate yourself. I would recommend checking out the natural bodybuilding community on youtube. Natural bodybuilding is basically what you need to do. Some good ones are "MattOgus" and "ChrisJones"(Pumpchasers)(POG). These channels are NOT christian , be advised, lot's of cursing, etc. But very informative and straight honest about how to reach goals.

Your biggest enemy will be your appetite. I'm sorry you have this problem. People with normal metabolism's cannot understand and will hate you for it. I'm sure you hear "I wish I had your problem" all the time. Hope this helps and good luck.

Thanks. I'm not sure if I want to become a bodybuilder, though. That would pretty much be the opposite problem of being over-muscled. I just need some weight gain and a bit more muscle. I'm not expecting something like shredded abs in 3 weeks or whatever.

 

[alsughasoughaiuyfygh]

.

 

[bhsmte]

You won't see any results with this. Seriously, everyone is lying to you and is not in the same situation. Fat people should not give skinny people advice.

Everyone has the ability to gain a bodybuilders physique, to say otherwise is a garbage statement. You just have to manipulate how much you eat. The basic bottom line is you need to eat more food each and every day. Not just one sitting. I hear it all the time "I eat so much food! I ate a whole pizza yesterday" One pizza may be 2,000 calories, but if it is the only meal you eat for that day than you only ate 2,000 calories for that day. You need more calories per day, not just one meal. Focus on this and you will see results.

As fat as aerobic exercise goes, you can do this but keep in mind it will only increase the amount of calories you need per day.

Again, good luck, you have quite the challenge ahead of you and a lot of bad advice coming your way from pretty much everyone. Keep in mind that food is food, calories are calories, no particular food with equal calories will make you gain weight faster over another. It is all about the calories. Thus the bodybuilding statement "Calories are king".

Ever heard of genetic predisposition and body types?

 

[MissWormwood]

Thanks. I'm not sure if I want to become a bodybuilder, though. That would pretty much be the opposite problem of being over-muscled. I just need some weight gain and a bit more muscle. I'm not expecting something like shredded abs in 3 weeks or whatever.

With your body type and trouble gaining weight you will never become bulky unless you take some type of steroids or have some serious dedication to nutrition and the gym. Lifting weights and gaining a bunch of muscle is a common misconception among the general public. If going natural (no steroids) it is nearly impossible to gain more than 5 pounds of muscle per year.

"Ever heard of genetic predisposition and body types?"

Of course, body type plays a big role, but if you are naturally skinny (ectomorph) than it will be very difficult to get bulky. But either way, you will gain no weight if you don't eat enough and it doesn't matter what you eat. There are no "healthy" foods or "bad" foods when it comes to gaining weight, there are just calories.

 

[bhsmte]

With your body type and trouble gaining weight you will never become bulky unless you take some type of steroids or have some serious dedication to nutrition and the gym. Lifting weights and gaining a bunch of muscle is a common misconception among the general public. If going natural (no steroids) it is nearly impossible to gain more than 5 pounds of muscle per year.

"Ever heard of genetic predisposition and body types?"

Of course, body type plays a big role, but if you are naturally skinny (ectomorph) than it will be very difficult to get bulky. But either way, you will gain no weight if you don't eat enough and it doesn't matter what you eat. There are no "healthy" foods or "bad" foods when it comes to gaining weight, there are just calories.

You just contradicted what you said previously.

 

[MissWormwood]

You just contradicted what you said previously.

I'm not sure how I contradicted myself. It would be helpful if you would elaborate since this is a forum and the only way I can know what you are thinking is if you type it out. I get the vibe you are irritated with my post given that you have only been negative towards me and contribute little to this person's real problem. Seems like you are just being a troll, maybe you should go spend some time making some youtube comments, there are lot's of trolls there and you will fit right in. This is a Christian forum, if you have something to say, let it be helpful.

That being said, how did I contradict myself?

 

[bhsmte]

I'm not sure how I contradicted myself. It would be helpful if you would elaborate since this is a forum and the only way I can know what you are thinking is if you type it out. I get the vibe you are irritated with my post given that you have only been negative towards me and contribute little to this person's real problem. Seems like you are just being a troll, maybe you should go spend some time making some youtube comments, there are lot's of trolls there and you will fit right in. This is a Christian forum, if you have something to say, let it be helpful.

That being said, how did I contradict myself?

In post 42, you claimed; "everyone has the ability to have a body builders physique".

I asked you about genetics and body type playing a role in the type of body one has and you agreed this was an important factor in post 46.

So, does everyone have the same ability for a body builders physique? Or, does genetics and body type play a major role in the type of body we have?

When I think of a body builders physique, I think of someone that actually looks like a body builder.

You also state a person can only gain 5 pounds of muscle in a 12 month period without using steroids? What are you basing this statement on?

 

[MissWormwood]

Thanks for the reply.

"does everyone have the same ability for a body builders physique? Or, does genetics and body type play a major role in the type of body we have?"

I say anyone can attain a bodybuilder's physique because it is just a matter of gaining enough muscle. Genetics will play a large role. Genetics is what determines how the muscle looks on each person. Genetics also may make it easier for one person to gain muscle over another. But in the end I believe everyone is capable of gaining enough muscle (over time) to achieve that "bodybuilder's" physique. Although, I guess it would matter most what someone considers a bodybuilder's physique. I consider a bodybuilder's physique to be one that has a noticeable amount of evenly distributed muscle and low body fat. Certain people will look better than others and I think this has to do with genetics, but anyone can gain enough muscle and lower their body fat percentage to look like a bodybuilder. Keep in mind I am talking about natural bodybuilder's physique, not someone on steroids such as Rich Piana or Arnold. Someone going natural will never look like those guys.

"You also state a person can only gain 5 pounds of muscle in a 12 month period without using steroids? What are you basing this statement on?"

I am basing this on watching (again, "natural") bodybuilders such as Matt Ogus. He and others have youtube channel's that shows their progress from year to year. They typically "bulk" up for most of the year and then cut their fat. By the end of their cut they are usually have only gained about 5 pounds, usually less. 5 pounds of muscle may not sound like a lot but is a very noticeable gain. People do tend to gain more weight when they are starting out lifting weights, but I would attribute this to denser bones, retained water weight, other lean tissue gains, etc. Actual muscle gains in terms of weight are actually pretty low.

I also have seen this through my own personal experience. When I first started lifting I did gain about 15 pounds in the first year (and stayed at same BF percentage). But after 5 years, have only gained another 20 pounds. And I actually have a slightly higher BF percentage, so some of that is fat.

Many websites will tell you that someone can gain 15-20 lbs of muscle per year. This could be true I guess, this has just not been my experience. Going back to genetics... I think each individual has a genetic limit that they can obtain, so a continual 15 lb gain (or even 5 lbs) in muscle is unrealistic year after year. Eventually, every person would need to take steroids to keep gaining muscle. So to answer your question, I am basing this on personal experience and my own opinion based on that experience (and also others opinions such as trainers or other bodybuilder's).

 

[bhsmte]

Thanks for the reply.

"does everyone have the same ability for a body builders physique? Or, does genetics and body type play a major role in the type of body we have?"

I say anyone can attain a bodybuilder's physique because it is just a matter of gaining enough muscle. Genetics will play a large role. Genetics is what determines how the muscle looks on each person. Genetics also may make it easier for one person to gain muscle over another. But in the end I believe everyone is capable of gaining enough muscle (over time) to achieve that "bodybuilder's" physique. Although, I guess it would matter most what someone considers a bodybuilder's physique. I consider a bodybuilder's physique to be one that has a noticeable amount of evenly distributed muscle and low body fat. Certain people will look better than others and I think this has to do with genetics, but anyone can gain enough muscle and lower their body fat percentage to look like a bodybuilder. Keep in mind I am talking about natural bodybuilder's physique, not someone on steroids such as Rich Piana or Arnold. Someone going natural will never look like those guys.

"You also state a person can only gain 5 pounds of muscle in a 12 month period without using steroids? What are you basing this statement on?"

I am basing this on watching (again, "natural") bodybuilders such as Matt Ogus. He and others have youtube channel's that shows their progress from year to year. They typically "bulk" up for most of the year and then cut their fat. By the end of their cut they are usually have only gained about 5 pounds, usually less. 5 pounds of muscle may not sound like a lot but is a very noticeable gain. People do tend to gain more weight when they are starting out lifting weights, but I would attribute this to denser bones, retained water weight, other lean tissue gains, etc. Actual muscle gains in terms of weight are actually pretty low.

I also have seen this through my own personal experience. When I first started lifting I did gain about 15 pounds in the first year (and stayed at same BF percentage). But after 5 years, have only gained another 20 pounds. And I actually have a slightly higher BF percentage, so some of that is fat.

Many websites will tell you that someone can gain 15-20 lbs of muscle per year. This could be true I guess, this has just not been my experience. Going back to genetics... I think each individual has a genetic limit that they can obtain, so a continual 15 lb gain (or even 5 lbs) in muscle is unrealistic year after year. Eventually, every person would need to take steroids to keep gaining muscle. So to answer your question, I am basing this on personal experience and my own opinion based on that experience (and also others opinions such as trainers or other bodybuilder's).

Well, I was a division one college athlete and never used PED's and I gained 10 pounds of muscle in less than a year. And since my body fat also decreased, it likely was more than 10 pounds of muscle, because I also lost fat weight, during the same time period.

Keep in mind, muscle is 70% water is heavy, in relation to fat.

 

[thenumb]

Hello,

Please have a look at my friends transformation as he sounds a lot like you. He now has his own youtube channel on how to meal prep for "hard gainers".

Here is his transformation video (kind of douchey but he's a great guy and like a little brother to me)

 

[faroukfarouk]

May I suggest proper diet?

LOL

 

[isbjorn995]

i am trying to exercise, but it's not going so well. I weigh only 119 pounds at age 20. That may have to do with the fact that I have always been underweight for my age--my birthweight was 2 pounds, 4 ounces!

What sort of exercises and foods would bulk me up? There's tons of stuff out there about weight loss, but I have the opposite problem. It's very discouraging to go to the gym, and despite my best efforts and desire to lift as much as I can, everybody else there is stronger than I am and seems to have gotten results. My lack of results discourages me, but it might be my fault since I don't think I work out enough, nor is there anyone there to tell me what or how to do things. So I could be doing everything wrong without even knowing it.

You remind me of my brother. He too eats pizza and stuff and don't get weight. It's the way we are and how God made us. Some people's skinny, some people's fat, and that is depending on the skeleton, not on your food habits.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

As others have already mentioned, whether your want to bulk up, or lean out (I do both throughout the year), diet really is key.

Everyone has their own way of doing things, but I can share what I do.

Right off the bat, protein is essential. Whether you want to put on muscle during a bulk up, or make sure you're preserving muscle while cutting, you want to make sure you're getting in adequate protein. Based on what you said you're current weight is, (in accordance with the 1 gram per pound method), you should making sure you're getting at least 110-120 grams of protein per day. If you're protein's not at the right level, all the hard work in the gym could be for naught as you'll see very little progress.

In terms of controlling your mass, carbs are a huge factor. In the wintertime when the primary focus is putting on muscle, my carb intake gets higher...in the spring months when I'm cutting up for pool/beach season, my carb intake gets much lower.

Ideally, you want to be hitting your numbers with real food. Far too often people try to rely on protein shakes or "mass builder" shakes... It's okay to supplement your regular food with a protein shake here or there...or if it's a day when you were really really busy and didn't have time, replace a meal with a protein shake. However, the ideal scenario is always real food.

I've been at both ends of the spectrum. Some years back, I was around 230lbs (overweight)...not the good kind of 230...the kind of 230 with a 38 inch waist lol. I did a variation of the carb cycling/paleo diet, and dropped to 160lbs (I'm 6'1" as a point of reference).

Over the last 2-3 years, the focus has been putting on muscle (while staying lean). I've put about 20-25 pounds of lean mass on during that time frame. This last winter during "bulk up" season, I was about 190-192...right now (just finished up spring cut) I'm at around 180-182.

Here's a sample of what my diet looks like during each part of the process.

Bulk up season: (5 meals a day)
Meal 1: 4 egg whites, 2 whole eggs, oatmeal
Meal 2: Chicken & Rice
Meal 3: Pork & Potatoes
Meal 4: More chicken & rice
Meal 5: Steak, Broccoli, and potatoes (small serving of fruit for dessert)
(Total caloric intake around 3200-3500)

Cut up season: (4 meals a day)
Meal 1: Eggs & Bacon
Meal 2: Chicken & Broccoli
Meal 3: Bison & Carrots (one of my favs)
Meal 4: Steak, green beans, and a small serving of fruit for dessert
(Total caloric intake around 2000-2200)

In both instances, I'll occasionally toss in a protein shake throughout the day.
(usually on days when I'm hitting a larger muscle group)

This is just a sample, I switch up the meats and the veggies typically...and I'll toss in a 2-3 cheat days per month. (to keep my sanity)

...and obviously, you have to put your time in, in the gym. (I typically try to hit each muscle group 2-3 times per week)

The biggest mistake you can make going into it, is expecting fast results. People see pictures of guys like Mike O'hearn and think "with a couple of years of hard work and eating right, that where I should be"...that's a sure fire way to set yourself up for disappointment. Guys like him are the product of not 2-3 years of hard work...they're the product of 15-20 years of hard work.

For reference, this is Mike O'hearn (at age 44):

Part of the problem is that the (largely unregulated) supplement industry is filling people heads full of nonsense making them think that "if you just take this supplement and work out, you'll look like this in a year"...yeah, not so much lol.

 

[Ada Lovelace]

How are things going for you, @grandvizier1006 in regards to your desire to gain weight?

I started off the year at an abysmally low weight because I was sick, but have very gradually gained nine pounds! Pinterest lead me to the site Skinny Got Curves, which has recipes as well as a list of 10 common mistakes people make when trying to gain weight. It's definitely right about consistency being key. I started tracking my food intake to identify the problems with my eating habits and work on changing them. I hadn't realized just how few calories I was eating until they were all added up for the day, or how frequently I skipped meals since I started college. I get full very fast and loathe that feeling, so instead of increasing food at meals I added in a fourth meal. It's just a smoothie, but I use a full fat Bulgarian or Greek yogurt that is high in protein, fruit, chia seeds, and a nut butter or protein powder. Sometimes I'll add raw oats to it as well. I started carrying packets of nuts I like (Trader Joe's has some yummy flavored ones) and trying to snack on them more often. My doctor also had me start taking this liquid protein drink called Liquacel. It comes in this peach mango flavor that is pretty tasty, and you can drink it fast and get in 16 grams of protein. You can order it from Amazon.

 

[grandvizier1006]

How are things going for you, @grandvizier1006 in regards to your desire to gain weight?

I started off the year at an abysmally low weight because I was sick, but have very gradually gained nine pounds! Pinterest lead me to the site Skinny Got Curves, which has recipes as well as a list of 10 common mistakes people make when trying to gain weight. It's definitely right about consistency being key. I started tracking my food intake to identify the problems with my eating habits and work on changing them. I hadn't realized just how few calories I was eating until they were all added up for the day, or how frequently I skipped meals since I started college. I get full very fast and loathe that feeling, so instead of increasing food at meals I added in a fourth meal. It's just a smoothie, but I use a full fat Bulgarian or Greek yogurt that is high in protein, fruit, chia seeds, and a nut butter or protein powder. Sometimes I'll add raw oats to it as well. I started carrying packets of nuts I like (Trader Joe's has some yummy flavored ones) and trying to snack on them more often. My doctor also had me start taking this liquid protein drink called Liquacel. It comes in this peach mango flavor that is pretty tasty, and you can drink it fast and get in 16 grams of protein. You can order it from Amazon.

My personal life has led me to almost forget about gaining weight. I ought to at least consider something like those smoothies, though.

 

[Ada Lovelace]

Sorry to piggyback onto Grandvizier's thread, but I thought I'd post a question here instead of starting up a whole new one just to ask it.

Does anyone know why I'd be losing weight even though I'm eating more and exercising with the same duration and intensity as previously? When I was eating under 1000 calories a day (not deliberately, but just with my schedule being packed) I wasn't losing weight. Now that I'm eating more, I am. This is infuriating. I'd been very proud of having gained weight and gotten buff this spring after starting the year very ill. This week I noticed that all my clothes are too loose, so I weighed myself and I'm back at 110 (I'm 5'9). What the frick. I have endocrine issues, but they've been under control. What's the point of even trying if efforts have a counterproductive effect.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

Sorry to piggyback onto Grandvizier's thread, but I thought I'd post a question here instead of starting up a whole new one just to ask it.

Does anyone know why I'd be losing weight even though I'm eating more and exercising with the same duration and intensity as previously? When I was eating under 1000 calories a day (not deliberately, but just with my schedule being packed) I wasn't losing weight. Now that I'm eating more, I am. This is infuriating. I'd been very proud of having gained weight and gotten buff this spring after starting the year very ill. This week I noticed that all my clothes are too loose, so I weighed myself and I'm back at 110 (I'm 5'9). What the frick. I have endocrine issues, but they've been under control. What's the point of even trying if efforts have a counterproductive effect.

What kind of things are you eating?

Calories In/Calories Out isn't as viable of a theory as people thought it was in the past...it's more about where your calories are coming from.

For example, if I were to eat 1500 calories a day that included 300 grams of carbohydrates, I'd gain...if I eat 3,000 calories a day that included less than 50 grams of carbs, I'll drop 5-10 pounds per week.

 

[bhsmte]

Sorry to piggyback onto Grandvizier's thread, but I thought I'd post a question here instead of starting up a whole new one just to ask it.

Does anyone know why I'd be losing weight even though I'm eating more and exercising with the same duration and intensity as previously? When I was eating under 1000 calories a day (not deliberately, but just with my schedule being packed) I wasn't losing weight. Now that I'm eating more, I am. This is infuriating. I'd been very proud of having gained weight and gotten buff this spring after starting the year very ill. This week I noticed that all my clothes are too loose, so I weighed myself and I'm back at 110 (I'm 5'9). What the frick. I have endocrine issues, but they've been under control. What's the point of even trying if efforts have a counterproductive effect.

Do you think you have lost mostly fat weight or muscle weight?