Male, wanting to GAIN weight.

BeQuickRBeDead

Hi there,

Unlike most people on here I want to go the other way and put on some weight. In the right way of course.
I'm 6'1" and as of this morning I was 173lbs. I am fairly toned but I hate being thin. I did try this a few years ago
and I got up to about 180 through a lot of eating and weights but I really want to bulk up a lot this time. I've been using
the fitnesspal app for a couple of weeks, trying to take in more calories than I had been. It's tough going, always
having to think about food, making sure I have enough food in the house. It's like a full time job.

Anyway, anyone in the same boat or with any advice feel free to jump in.

Thanks

LittleSpy

I'm sure you already know this, but if you're trying to build muscle, MFP probably automatically set your protein level lower than what would be optimal so you probably want to go into your "goals" and play with those macronutrient settings.

MsElphaba

My son is trying to gain weight after losing about 40 pounds after an accident in March. He has 2 Ensure Plus shakes a day and we give him whatever he wants of what I'm eating. I don't want him to put on just junk pounds, especially since he may have residual physical limitations that will make it harder for him to take off the weight. A lot of the problem thus far has been a lack of appetite, but the more we get him to eat, the more it seems to be coming back.

Good luck, I envy your problem. Wish some smart doctor would invent fat transplants!

cathcakey

My boyfriend's on this site for the exact same reason as you - and his stats are pretty similar to yours too. He's afc_don. Don't think there's much on his profile yet as he's only just joined, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind a friend request

aippolito1

Definitely lots of protein. If you've done this before, I'm sure you know that...but, protein shakes are a skinny boy's best friend!

Holton

Lucky you...envious of your dilemma!

skygoddess86

Jealous....but good luck.

lrmoore13

-Milk
One of the easiest, cheapest ways to put on weight. Drink it whenever you eat. Then drink a big glass before you go to bed. Then drink it when you wake up. I have seen some big (muscular) guys that drink almost a gallon a day. The good thing is you can get it in chocolate, strawberry, whatever...

-Nuts
A handful of almonds has about 200 calories and plenty of protein. Does not kill your appetite, and nuts in general have many health benefits.

-Peanut Butter
A big tablespoon of peanut butter can have over 200 calories. It is easy to eat and won't kill your appetite. Also has plenty of protein.

-Always eat a late night meal just before bed.

-Keep it natural, because if it is going to stick it is going to have to be a lifestyle change. i.e. don't binge on protein shakes unless you think you want to do that for the rest of your life.

-High intensity interval training. Try not to do much cardio, but lift weights heavy and fast. Do mainly Olympic lifts. Don't get into the habit of most typical weight trainers of focusing on one muscle and resting 2 minutes between sets. A good analogy is to think of the body type of a sprinter versus a marathon runner. Who would you rather look like?

CasperO

Don't be jealous ladies. This is what we call a "Hard Gainer" and in some ways this is tougher than what we chubbies have to deal with.

I'm a chubbie - a big mesomorph to sorta endomorphic body type. I'm a naturally big & strong guy who gets fat really easily. For me to have a fairly muscular physique, all I've got to do is keep the fat off. As long as I can do that, I can have a wrestler build without too much extra effort.

OP is an ectomorph, a naturally skinny guy. Born swimmer-runner type. If he wants to have the musculature, he's got to force his body to do something it really don't wanna do. He's gotta eat more than he really wants to (and I mean a WHOLE LOTTA FOOD - his hamster-like metabolism will burn up tons of calories). He's gotta lift like a demon and try to avoid wasting calories with any kind of cardio.

And here's the really crappy part. He's gotta keep it up - forever. If he ever stops feeding and weight training, within a year he'll be thin again.

Careful what you wish for.

Feed and train man,,, and good luck.

TalonaCat

Yeah, no envy here. I know this must be as tough for you as it is for us on the other side of the spectrum.

My husband is quite a bit that way. His metabolism is insane. Lots and lots and lots of protein. I've also seen that if he DOESN'T get a lot of protein, he becomes grumpy and lethargic.

Good luck, and I hope you find the help you're looking for!

BullDozier

I'm in the same boat (almost). I've been a hard gainer my whole life as well. Around 30, my metabolism hit the wall, and I started putting weight on around the middle, but I'm still not able to put on any weight through weight training. Currently, I'm trying to get rid of the spare tire around the middle and then I'm going to give it another go at putting on some lean weight.

A lot of good advice in this thread so far. The one big one I haven't seen, or missed if someone said it; chicken. It is the best friend of anyone trying to put on lean weight. Also, eggs. Protein shakes for snacks as well. Good luck!

BeQuickRBeDead

Thanks very much for all the responses and the advice.

Like CasperO said, it's not something to be jealous of. I would love to be in his shoes, basically just control my fat intake and do some cardio and be a naturally big guy.

Hopefully I'll see some progress though. The plan is basically to eat as much as possible and lift heavy. A pint of milk (thanks lrmoore13) at regular intervals and protein shakes when I can. I am trying to plan my week so that I know how much food to have in the house, and make sure I have enough to bring to work with me the following day.

Now, I have some cooking to do!