Former skinny guy syndrome

Fithealthyforlife

I was reading about the former fat guy syndrome. I have it. But I was never fat. I've always been thin, and for the last few years I was pretty skinny with both low bodyfat and muscle. Now after about 8 weeks of eating more, I've gained about 4 lbs, which is a good, pretty clean rate. Lifts are going up at a rapid pace, I feel like my muscles are more solid now, etc. But there's also this weird fat gain. No one else would notice it. But I can actually feel it everywhere subcutaneously, even if it's only a few millimeters. I'm like hyper sensitive to fat because I had so little for a long time. It's so weird to feel a little more everywhere. Just figured I'd mention this, because it's not just former fat people who have these issues when gaining on purpose.

I'm still a little afraid of losing all my definition and looking like someone who doesn't work out for a while (i.e. afraid of becoming thin-fat for the first time in my life). it's going to be a strange phase. But it's worth it, because I have a lot more energy, my muscles are bigger when I flex, I've gained strength in a month that would have otherwise taken 4-5 months for me, etc. Oh, and I'm finally making my arms bigger for the first time in my life. I've always had small arms. Now that I'm eating more, I have the ability to lift harder and recuperate, so I can really hit my arms hard now for the first time.

stevesilk

A couple of points to consider. Gaining weight without gaining any fat is challenging, because you will be feeding your body an excess, and allocating ALL of that to muscle is unrealistic. But consider your macronutrient percentages when planning in out your eating schedule, and focus on the protein component first. Then focus on the healthy fat portion. If these two are in balance, then add the carbs in to hit your goal (assuming 1 lb per week or something in that range).

Keep track of your weightlifting workouts, lift heavy and get plenty of rest. All of these are important to build muscle. And remember to rest on your rest days. I would not be adding any special cardio to your plan as it sounds like you are lean enough.

Don't be afraid to slow down the weight gain if you are seeing too much weight in fat, but realize that some % will be fat. Your focus should be on the lean mass increase, and keeping track of your measurements as these will be key in determining whether you are on "schedule" or not.

Best wishes moving forward.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

Just remember it's much easier to lose fat than it is to gain muscle.

TheRealParisLove

You may find that some of the added fat looks nice. Less boney hands and feet, and a younger looking face are just some of the benefits of gaining a little body fat. Another bonus is that the extra fat will give you more strength when doing explosive lifts. Your body will happily reallocate the energy needed to your muscles when attempting 1-2 rep sets at very heavy weights.

My husband works in construction and has to lift some very heavy lumber by hand at times. He finds it much easier to be carrying and lifting the wood (several hundred pounds per beam, sometimes 400-500 lbs) when his body fat percentage is in the 12-14% range versus the 8-10% range.

After you are done putting on muscle, you can always cut fat later. I've always found cutting much easier than bulking. Congrats on your weight gain!

Fithealthyforlife

You may find that some of the added fat looks nice. Less boney hands and feet, and a younger looking face are just some of the benefits of gaining a little body fat. Another bonus is that the extra fat will give you more strength when doing explosive lifts. Your body will happily reallocate the energy needed to your muscles when attempting 1-2 rep sets at very heavy weights.

My husband works in construction and has to lift some very heavy lumber by hand at times. He finds it much easier to be carrying and lifting the wood (several hundred pounds per beam, sometimes 400-500 lbs) when his body fat percentage is in the 12-14% range versus the 8-10% range.

After you are done putting on muscle, you can always cut fat later. I've always found cutting much easier than bulking. Congrats on your weight gain!

Awesome reply! Thanks.

I agree. I actually lost too much fat over the past 5 years (not to mention muscle). My eye sockets were starting to look weird from so little fat (I guess I was/am really in the single digits). My face was really getting too thin for a while there. I think I'm going to look better with a little more padding. I don't really like the overly cut/shredded look anyway. Just want to be bigger and muscular looking. Bulky is ok if I get to that point eventually. 9-11% bodyfat is probably ideal for me anyway.

I've also noticed that average body fat/slightly chubby people have far more strength and endurance than skinny or ripped people, so your husband's experience makes sense. I can feel the difference already even just gaining a pound or so of fat. It's like having a buffer in case you run out of calories. More muscle and slightly more fat (up to a reasonable point) probably results in less wacky blood sugar shifts too. I'm hoping to never have to worry about diabetes. I also never realized there is a synergistic effect until recently...a little more fat helps you build muscle better. You can't stay perpetually shredded and expect to put on much muscle.

Now it makes sense why chubby women who outweighed me by 40-50 lbs always had more muscle mass and strength than I did and gained muscle faster than me, despite having far less testosterone. it's all diet related. You need a surplus to gain weight. Being the guy who was perpetually skinny, not eating enough, not working out hard enough (b/c I lacked the stamina due to lack of calories in my diet) and perpetually in the 6-7% body fat range was actually tough on my body, apparently!

And if I do end up over 10% or whatever feels like too much for me personally in a year or so and if I decide I want to do a slow cut at that point, I'll be sure to ask for advice here!

andresconejo

I had always been a fat/chubby guy until like 10 months ago, now, i am at 4% fat and i kinda like it because i feel light and really good with myself but im maybe too skinny, so im actually trying to gain weight but the part of this that scares the hell out of me (really) is gaining back too much fat but i want to form some muscle and i need fat to achieve this! So i understand ur position. so... BUMP

Fithealthyforlife

I had always been a fat/chubby guy until like 10 months ago, now, i am at 4% fat and i kinda like it because i feel light and really good with myself but im maybe too skinny, so im actually trying to gain weight but the part of this that scares the hell out of me (really) is gaining back too much fat but i want to form some muscle and i need fat to achieve this! So i understand ur position. so... BUMP

Yeah, I can understand that. I was supposedly 6% in the past, and can't be too far from that right now either. But in my opinion, the increases in stamina and strength from gaining weight seem to be well worth it! I always looked muscular, but that was only because my body fat was so low. but in reality I only had an average or sub-average amount of muscle. Most people with my current amount of muscle are probably more like 165 lbs, so you can't really see it on them. I plan to have a lot more than I have now when I'm that weight, so it's all good.

rose228822

I was reading about the former fat guy syndrome. I have it. But I was never fat. I've always been thin, and for the last few years I was pretty skinny with both low bodyfat and muscle. Now after about 8 weeks of eating more, I've gained about 4 lbs, which is a good, pretty clean rate. Lifts are going up at a rapid pace, I feel like my muscles are more solid now, etc. But there's also this weird fat gain. No one else would notice it. But I can actually feel it everywhere subcutaneously, even if it's only a few millimeters. I'm like hyper sensitive to fat because I had so little for a long time. It's so weird to feel a little more everywhere. Just figured I'd mention this, because it's not just former fat people who have these issues when gaining on purpose.

I'm still a little afraid of losing all my definition and looking like someone who doesn't work out for a while (i.e. afraid of becoming thin-fat for the first time in my life). it's going to be a strange phase. But it's worth it, because I have a lot more energy, my muscles are bigger when I flex, I've gained strength in a month that would have otherwise taken 4-5 months for me, etc. Oh, and I'm finally making my arms bigger for the first time in my life. I've always had small arms. Now that I'm eating more, I have the ability to lift harder and recuperate, so I can really hit my arms hard now for the first time.

I forget sometimes that there might be others that have the opposite problem or issue than me which is being too thin.
I think it's great that you have been able to add definition and I think though it may feel weird at first for you (and very understandable) that you will get used to the added weight because it will not look bad on you since you are also adding muscle and definition. A big congratulations on your accomplishments and take care

mustgetmuscles1

I found this article very helpful.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/general-philosophies-of-muscle-mass-gain.html

For my first bulk I tried to "lean bulk" Ended up just spinning my wheels. Total FFB syndrome. The problem I had was having such a small surplus I was unable to see if weight goals were on target. My weight can fluctuate 5 lbs in a day so seeing a 2 pound weight gain over a whole months is almost impossible.

The happy medium bulk is working for me and putting the fun back into this.