Gaining weight

rubiscot

Hi i'm new here.

Is anyone here trying to gain weight? Or has anyone had success in gaining and maintaining weight? I've realized that there is always help for people trying lose weight but not for those trying to gain weight.

So I'm just here to get support from people who were in the same situation as me.

Thanks

jbgolf52

You posted in the gaining weight section of the forum so the majority of people here are trying to gain weight. It all comes down to eating a surplus of calories and lifting heavy weights so you can build more muscle than fat. What exactly are you looking for?

rubiscot

Thanks. In terms of lifting weights (I don't do any at the moment), what do you recommend. I'm looking to gain weight but I don't have a real aim I just don't want to look skinny, If that helps but I guess my first aim is to gain 10kgs.

Thanks

AKDonF

Assuming you wish to add 10lbs muscle and not 10lbs of fat, then weightlifting is your friend. Do you have any experience lifting weights?

rubiscot

No, I don't.

AKDonF

You could definitely add 10 lbs muscle fairly easily by lifting weights and eating proper amounts. Do you have access to a gym? Do you know how many calories you are currently consuming? Do you have an understanding of nutrition?

rubiscot

I have access to a gym. I don't know how much calories i'm consuming but I know how much I need. I just downloaded the app so I will start monitoring my intake and I have a slight understanding of nutrition

AKDonF

There are several free basic lifting programs that can be used to provide instruction into training. Stronglifts 5X5, Starting Strength, etc. Just use Google. In order to gain weight, you need to eat more calories than you expend. The amount of calories you use is called total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). Many people here can help you determine your TDEE if you dont already know to do it. There are plenty of online calculators as well.

A decent starting point to gain would be about 500 calories above TDEE. There are three macronutrients (macros) that comprise food (four if you count alcohol) and those are protein, carbohydrates, and fats. They are accounted for in grams. 1 calorie of Protein = 4 grams, Carbohydrates = 4 grams, Fats = 9 grams. Databases on MFP have the calorie and macro breakdown of foods.

To figure your bulking diet,
- get 1gram of protein per lb. of body weight
- get 20-30% of your total calories from fats
- eat the rest of your calories as carbohydrates

Example. If you weigh 150 lbs and have a TDEE of 2100 calories, your diet would be:
- 150 grams of protein (150 X 4) = 600 calories
- 20% X 2100 = 420 calories (420/9=47) so, 47 grams of fat
- (600 P+420 F)-2100 = 1080 calories from carbohydrates 1080/4=270 grams

Summary: Calories 2100, Protein 150 grams, Fats, 47 grams, Carbohydrates 270 grams

That would be TDEE or AKA Maintenance

Add 500 calories total and get

2600 calories, 150 grams protein, 58 grams of fats, 370 grams carbohydrates.

Let me know if you have questions about how to figure your nutrition. In the end, just eat enough and lift hard and you will begin to see weight gain.

orfa2uk

If you want to gain mostly muscle (not fat, which I'm assuming is so) you need to do a number of things:

1.) Lift heavy weights down the gym, comprised of main compound movements which will help with size and mass. The reason to lift heavy is it puts your muscles under more stress, and then will repair itself bigger. If you haven't done much weight lifting before, I suggest maybe starting out very slowly to avoid the risk of injury.

2.) DIET - as mentioned by others, you need to be in a calorie surplus of around 500 over your TDEE. If you're regularly hitting the gym (4-5 weight lifting sessions per week) I would crank up your protein to 1.5 g per lb of bodyweight to help repair and build muscle. CARBS - stick to brown rice, sweet potatoes (low glycemic carbs).

I'm bulking at the moment, i.e. trying to gain weight and this is the basic way all people who are looking to add muscle do. I'm not sure if you are a hard gainer (someone whose body finds it difficult to put on weight). If that's the case, then its a slightly different ball game.

ForecasterJason

orfa2uk wrote: »

If you're regularly hitting the gym (4-5 weight lifting sessions per week) I would crank up your protein to 1.5 g per lb of bodyweight to help repair and build muscle.

Studies show that it doesn't take that much protein to build muscle. Granted I'm going slow, but I'm building a bit of muscle eating barely half that amount.

AKDonF

You don't need that much protein. 1g/lb. of bodyweight is enough on a bulk. Read this:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22150425

You also don't need to worry about type of carbohydrates in general. Broscience strikes again.

rubiscot

AKDonF wrote: »

There are several free basic lifting programs that can be used to provide instruction into training. Stronglifts 5X5, Starting Strength, etc. Just use Google. In order to gain weight, you need to eat more calories than you expend. The amount of calories you use is called total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). Many people here can help you determine your TDEE if you dont already know to do it. There are plenty of online calculators as well.

A decent starting point to gain would be about 500 calories above TDEE. There are three macronutrients (macros) that comprise food (four if you count alcohol) and those are protein, carbohydrates, and fats. They are accounted for in grams. 1 calorie of Protein = 4 grams, Carbohydrates = 4 grams, Fats = 9 grams. Databases on MFP have the calorie and macro breakdown of foods.

To figure your bulking diet,
- get 1gram of protein per lb. of body weight
- get 20-30% of your total calories from fats
- eat the rest of your calories as carbohydrates

Example. If you weigh 150 lbs and have a TDEE of 2100 calories, your diet would be:
- 150 grams of protein (150 X 4) = 600 calories
- 20% X 2100 = 420 calories (420/9=47) so, 47 grams of fat
- (600 P+420 F)-2100 = 1080 calories from carbohydrates 1080/4=270 grams

Summary: Calories 2100, Protein 150 grams, Fats, 47 grams, Carbohydrates 270 grams

That would be TDEE or AKA Maintenance

Add 500 calories total and get

2600 calories, 150 grams protein, 58 grams of fats, 370 grams carbohydrates.

Let me know if you have questions about how to figure your nutrition. In the end, just eat enough and lift hard and you will begin to see weight gain.

Thanks so much for this. I'll do all the calculations on line for my TDEE and from there i'll be fine. Thanks again.

rubiscot

orfa2uk wrote: »

If you want to gain mostly muscle (not fat, which I'm assuming is so) you need to do a number of things:

1.) Lift heavy weights down the gym, comprised of main compound movements which will help with size and mass. The reason to lift heavy is it puts your muscles under more stress, and then will repair itself bigger. If you haven't done much weight lifting before, I suggest maybe starting out very slowly to avoid the risk of injury.

2.) DIET - as mentioned by others, you need to be in a calorie surplus of around 500 over your TDEE. If you're regularly hitting the gym (4-5 weight lifting sessions per week) I would crank up your protein to 1.5 g per lb of bodyweight to help repair and build muscle. CARBS - stick to brown rice, sweet potatoes (low glycemic carbs).

I'm bulking at the moment, i.e. trying to gain weight and this is the basic way all people who are looking to add muscle do. I'm not sure if you are a hard gainer (someone whose body finds it difficult to put on weight). If that's the case, then its a slightly different ball game.

Thank you too, this information is very helpful. BTW i'm a hard gainer but i'll try all the things you said.

rubiscot

AKDonF wrote: »

You don't need that much protein. 1g/lb. of bodyweight is enough on a bulk. Read this:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22150425

You also don't need to worry about type of carbohydrates in general. Broscience strikes again.

Thanks again.

ndj1979

rubiscot wrote: »

orfa2uk wrote: »

If you want to gain mostly muscle (not fat, which I'm assuming is so) you need to do a number of things:

1.) Lift heavy weights down the gym, comprised of main compound movements which will help with size and mass. The reason to lift heavy is it puts your muscles under more stress, and then will repair itself bigger. If you haven't done much weight lifting before, I suggest maybe starting out very slowly to avoid the risk of injury.

2.) DIET - as mentioned by others, you need to be in a calorie surplus of around 500 over your TDEE. If you're regularly hitting the gym (4-5 weight lifting sessions per week) I would crank up your protein to 1.5 g per lb of bodyweight to help repair and build muscle. CARBS - stick to brown rice, sweet potatoes (low glycemic carbs).

I'm bulking at the moment, i.e. trying to gain weight and this is the basic way all people who are looking to add muscle do. I'm not sure if you are a hard gainer (someone whose body finds it difficult to put on weight). If that's the case, then its a slightly different ball game.

Thank you too, this information is very helpful. BTW i'm a hard gainer but i'll try all the things you said.

ignore the diet part except for the calorie surplus…

jenglish712

and most people find a gram of protein per pound of lean body mass to be more on target, though if you are fairly well built already it may not matter as much. For me, at 1g/lb by the time I hit protein, I was way over on fat (since my sources were largely meat and one can only eat so much chicken and fish) thus had a hard time getting enough carbs. Your mileage may vary.

emma5wallace

Hi I am in the same boat as you there is heaps of help out there took help people loose weight but not to gain. I don't know what foods in should eat to gain healthy weight. I am currently 6st 11 and I can east anything and no weight gain I must be doing something wrong. Emma

emma5wallace

rubiscot wrote: »

Hi i'm new here.
I'm in same boat no help out there for gaining weight