Skinny support. Calorie surplus & workout advice welcomed

harrybeano

Hey, quick introduction: I’m 27, have been skinny my whole life. I’ve always disliked the feeling of being full and bloated so have continuously skipped meals if I didn’t feel hungry enough. Now I’m creeping to my 30s I have a desire to really increase my overall size. I’m currently around 130 lbs and have a target of 3000 calories a day. I’m a flexitarian, only eating meat on occasions so seek my protein goals elsewhere such as nuts, beans etc.

I’m finding it difficult to ‘force’ the food down. Although I know it’s something I need to do, it’s still a mental and physical challenge to eat almost twice as much as I normally do.

I’m hoping there’s some other people who are on a similar surplus journey as myself. It seems most people are in a deficit and most of my family say I’m “lucky” that I have this challenge (which is really annoying as my weight is something I’m relatively self conscious about). So would love to have a few ‘friends’ on here to help motivate and support each other.

My work out plan is going to be 6 days a week. Focusing on:
Chest and back,
Legs,
Biceps and triceps
Rest
Repeat

I’m welcome to any advice and tips regarding diet and workouts. Thanks for reading

frhaberl

I’m not on the same journey as you, but happy to offer encouragement and advice.
At 3000 calories, what is your predicted weight gain pace? I’m wondering if it might be helpful for you to work your way up to your target pace more gradually. It can take some time for our systems to adjust to change in food volume, and gradual increase may feel more sustainable with less of the feeling of fullness and bloating.
Another thing that might help is keeping your fiber intake steady. I know I’ve had some weeks of discomfort when increasing my fiber too quickly or getting back to “normal” after a week of lower fiber.
Finding calorie dense foods that you enjoy can also be helpful. Nuts and nut butters are a good option, as are healthy fats like olive oil and avocados (great additions to almost any food).
Drinking calories can also feel easier than eating them. There are calorie dense drinks like Ensure if you need something quick and easy, but you can also make your own calorie dense drinks by adding more of those healthy fats to your favorite smoothie.
Hope this helps. I have a loved one who was teased a lot for being “too skinny” and know body shaming hurts in all directions. My hope is that you will find a weight where your body and mind are strong and healthy and the voices of those who are critical don’t matter.

harrybeano

Hey, thanks for you reply.
Around 1lb per week is my current goal for weight gain.
A few days I’ve actually managed to have just over 4000 calories, with like you mentioned the help of healthy fats such as nuts and nut spreads, as long as I keep my meals relatively spaced out I can manage but as I’ve only really started it’s keeping the routine that’s a bit of a struggle. So if a good eating time is missed it can knock on to the other meals meaning I have to pack it down and this having the uncomfortable feeling I’ve never been a fan of. However I know it’s something I know I have to overcome and take on the chin.
I’ve been researching some high calorie shakes to make at home that should really help on those days I’m really not feeling eating so much.
In regards to fibre I’m not really tracking that and could be something I need to look in to. With that being said my metabolism is pretty high and the toilet has been visited far more often (sorry for tmi).
Sorry to hear about your loved one, hope they’re happy now

ninerbuff

It's easier to eat more food if you do it every couple of hours. They don't have to be full meals, just something with high calories.


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Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition