Underweight Male

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Glitch267
Glitch267 Posts: 32
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
I am starting a bulk. I am 5'7, 108 pounds and 18 years old and in college. My goal is to gain about 2 pounds a week and eat about 3000 calories a day.

For exercise, I am doing a lifting program that has me doing a full body split every other day. When I don't lift, I do light cardio for 30 minutes. I am doing cardio since I want to be able to transition to running easily when summer comes. I also walk a lot. Since I am in college and live in town, I am walking easily 3 to 4 hours a day with a backpack on.

For diet, I am eating at least 3000 calories a day. I eat at least 150~200g protein a day. I eat plenty of fats since I eat peanut butter, nuts, eggs, etc. Other staple items are grilled chicken, pork, beef, eggs, whole wheat bread, 2 quest bars a day, pure protein bars, and nuts and other items. I eat lots of fruit, about 5 pieces a day. I also eat lots of vegetables, so I'm not worried about that. I don't have much dairy since I don't like milk and other dairy is not available. I also drink 4 cups of coffee a day and two cups of tea. This all amounts to at least 3000 calories a day.

I figure this will lead to about 1 or 2 pounds a week. Does this seem right? I think 2 pounds a week will be okay for me since I'm underweight and young. I would love to be 118 by thanksgiving (that's 5 weeks away so I need to gain 2 pounds a week). How high should I bulk to until cutting? I don't want to look chubby.

Replies

  • PwrLftr82
    PwrLftr82 Posts: 945 Member
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    You're going to look chubby. Even if you don't gain a disproportionate amount of fat, you are so thin/underweight now that it's going to screw with your mind completely. Two pounds/week sounds reasonable in your case--just eat those 3000 calories and, if you're not gaining at the rate you expect, adjust your calories. Weight gain, like weight loss, isn't linear...so you might gain 1 lb one week and 3 lbs the next. Look at averages to keep yourself on track. Pick either a duration or goal weight gain and stick to it.

    That's probably more protein than you need (recommended is about 1g/lb of LBM), but if it works for you, then go for it.

    The cardio, as you know, isn't necessary and can even be detrimental during a bulk. Why not concentrate on gaining now and focus on running when you start your cut.
  • PwrLftr82
    PwrLftr82 Posts: 945 Member
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    MrM27 wrote: »
    Eat, lift, sleep..........rinse......repeat.

    That's the TL;DR version of my answer :p

  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
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    Protein is very high, I would get more carbs in, maybe 50% of your diet.
  • ishakamir
    ishakamir Posts: 2 Member
    edited October 2014
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    I was 138 pounds last month and now i'm 147 .. 9 pounds/month!!, i eat 2800 calories daily and around 120 gm protein +\- 20 gm .. and exercise 3 times\week .. i don't recommend cardio or walking that much as it burns your calorie intake (get a bike or something) you should left though, and you should decrease that amount of caffeine intake as it's a weight reducer, good luck dude.
  • yeyixiao
    yeyixiao Posts: 4
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    Carbs are your best friend when it comes to gaining weight. I'm hoping you're getting at least 30 grams of fiber a day! You do a ton of cardio man, too much imo. I was gonna say, 3000 calories when you're only 108 pounds is crazy! But since you're doing that much cardio then go ahead and eat BIG! Good luck dude, keep us posted!
    Btw I'm eating at 3000 calories a day and I'm 19, 5'10 and 147 pounds.

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