18 yr old underweight male, some help?

jpmc512

Hi there everyone,

I am 18 years old. I weigh 118lbs, 52kg and 8.1st to those in the UK.

I am approximately 5' 11" / 6' tall and my chest size is 34" (85cm). My waist is around 29"

I know that I am underweight, and to become a 'normal' weight, I'd need to weigh around 130lbs, around 60kg and 9.5st. Please correct me if I'm wrong!

I was wondering if anyone had any advice for me to begin putting on weight. I'm a bit of a fussy eater and although I probably would've said I eat lots but don't put on weight, come to think of it I don't eat a lot.

I don't exercise / do cardio whatsoever, so I'm not very active. I do have a 20kg set of dumbbells, if this helps. I don't do any weights though because I've no clue whether it could do damage if I'm not putting on weight at the same time & I've no clue what exercises to do.

I am going on a school trip in the middle of March 2014 - I wanted to become a 'normal' weight by then. Do you guys think it's possible to do this and will it be hard work?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks again in advance

amartin7889

The problem is in your fifth paragraph. You aren't eating.

livingleanlivingclean

Your diary isn't visible so it's hard to know what you're actually eating. You need to eat more! If you struggle to eat enough calories, add fattier options. Fat is calorie dense and you will bump up your cals without a lot of volume.

Weight training would be beneficial for you - adding lean muscle mass would be a great way to help with your weight gain.

tross0924

You ever look at pictures of transformations that feature 18 year old males? There are a ton out there that go from underweighted skinny kids to hulks in just a few years. Quite a significant portion of the reason is that as an 18 year old male your body is making it's own perfect blend hormones that help. And the other part is hard work.

Eat 130 grams of protein a day. Eat enough fat and carbs so that you don't feel run down and can reach your calorie goal. And then lift. If you don't know what to lift or how to lift it, pay a trainer or use YouTube. Do a little research and then do a lot of lifting.

You aren't going to gain 12 lbs of muscle by March. But you will be started down the right road and headed the right direction.

billsica

find out TDEE and eat above that.

Start lifting heavy. like strong lifts 5x5. I would avoid cardio if I was you. Talk to your parents about going to a gym, or see if school has one. give it 2 years.

beallkm

Maybe this will help. I'm 50 years old and always been pretty thin. After recent deployments to Afghanistan, I lost over 20 lbs and ended up about 120 lbs. About two months ago, I started supplementing my calories. (I don't eat much either, but had to do something). Get food you do like and focus on high calorie healthy foods. I make protein shakes with protein powder, whole milk, a tablespoon of olive oil, peanut butter and sometimes ice cream to supplement my meals and always after working out. I've gained almost 20 lbs. in two months. Bottom line, you have to increase your calorie intake drastically if you want to make a difference.

neandermagnon

Look up Starting Strength and GOMAD. You're at the ideal age for that, you should be able to get some decent muscle gains, but you need to be prepared to eat. A lot. Ignore all the usual advice about low calorie density foods like salads, they're great for people who want to lose excess fat. But in your situation you need to make sure you're eating plenty of protein and calories, as well as hitting the weights. So go for foods with high calorie density, and that contain a lot of protein.

GradatimFerociter

Look up Starting Strength and GOMAD. You're at the ideal age for that, you should be able to get some decent muscle gains, but you need to be prepared to eat. A lot. Ignore all the usual advice about low calorie density foods like salads, they're great for people who want to lose excess fat. But in your situation you need to make sure you're eating plenty of protein and calories, as well as hitting the weights. So go for foods with high calorie density, and that contain a lot of protein.

I was going to suggest GOMAD, thus I concur with the above.

If you are unable to get in the gym for whatever reason at the moment though just do what you can at home. There is plenty you can do to make progress with what you have. It won't be optimum but such is life.

mustgetmuscles1

There is really only one way to gain weight and that is to eat more calories.

You definitely need to incorporate some form of full body resistance training though. Simple adding 15-20 lbs of fat to get to a "normal" weight range is probably more harmful than being underweight.

brandonzeciri

Buy a blender. Put at least 30 grams of whey protein in there, 16oz whole milk, a banana, and 2 big scoops of peanut butter. It's delicious and it will help you put some weight on. Drink that twice a day, plus three big (healthy/clean) meals a day.

Cardio training isn't always for losing weight, it's good to build endurance and a strong healthy body. Lace up those running shoes and run.

BodyBuilding.com has a bunch of really great free workout programs that you can use, a few specifically for college aged guys too. If you don't feel comfortable doing that then take those 20lb dumbbells and just lift them. They're not so big that they'll cause damage if you're performing something wrong.

Also, pushups, situps, pullups, body squats, etc... No pullup bar? Go to the park and use the monkey bars.

skinnyinnotime

Start loggin your food so at least you know how much you do eat, then increase on that.

If you don't want to or can't join a gym there's lots of body strength exercises you can do at home for example push ups, a great compound move which exercises several areas of the body.

Youtube is your friend for free workouts!

Good luck mate, you can do it!

AlongCame_Molly

Eat more food. A LOT more food. You need calorie-dense foods, like pasta, full-fat cheeses and dairy, peanut butter, whole wheat breads, and olive oil.

If you are going to be working out to bulk up, you need to be getting plenty of protein to build muscles. A supplement shake might be in order for you.

stt43

If you want to put on size then get a beginners bodybuilding program, one which has a good reputation which lots of people have used successfully. It'll probably be best if you start with a full-body workout three or four times per week. You'll have to join a gym or buy a lot of equipment, as there is only so much you can do with some 20kg dumbbells. If the dumbbells are your only option then you'll have to look up bodybuilding exercises which you can do with them.
Eat around 2200 calories every day. If you don't put on weight with this amount after a week or two then eat another 100 calories per day. Keep adding calories until you are putting on around 0.5-1lbs per week.
Try to get around 0.8g of protein per pound of bodyweight, around 0.4-0.5g of fat per pound of bodyweight, and as many carbs as you can.
Consume plenty of fruit and vegetables to get all the micronutrients you need, and make sure you drink enough water.
You could take a creatine supplement if you wanted, but it's not necessary. Perhaps an omega 3 fish oil supplement too.
Get at least seven hours of sleep a night.
If you're lucky you may be able to put on 10+ lbs of muscle by March.

uconnwinsnc

Put the TV on, get that video game controller, get a bag of chips and some tasty candy. Order some buffalo wings, get a pizza, have some soda. Sit back and watch the progress.

Being someone who was overweight much of my younger life, I never could understand how people couldn't grasp the concept of gaining weight. Just eat a lot until you are at the weight you want to be.

JosephWilson86

Exercise and eat more. Google beginner dumbbell exercises. Eat 4x per day. Each meal should leve you feeling very full. Split the meals up with half being a fatty meat like beef and the rest being a starchy carb like potatoes, rice, bread or pasta.

Pushups, pull ups, shoulder press, squats, curls and kickbacks should be a great start for you.

Matt24442

get a gym membership or buy a power cage then look up Jason Blaha's 5 x 5 routine.

watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAuARgqS6aQ

jpmc512

Hello guys, many thanks for all of your answers! It's given me a lot of motivation to do something about this now! So roughly I'd need to be looking at around 2300-2500 calories per day. It really will be hard for me to do this because I think I'll lose hope but I'll try my best!

Do you guys think that it's possible for me to do this by mid-March 2014? Even if it isn't all muscle and some fat, I don't mind.

I'll keep you guys posted!

Put the TV on, get that video game controller, get a bag of chips and some tasty candy. Order some buffalo wings, get a pizza, have some soda. Sit back and watch the progress.

Being someone who was overweight much of my younger life, I never could understand how people couldn't grasp the concept of gaining weight. Just eat a lot until you are at the weight you want to be.

Am I right in thinking that this isn't the best thing to do? I'd need to be lifting as well to ensure that this isn't just fat?

Also - another question I wanted to ask.. someone said above to get 7 hours sleep a night.. sometimes I get far less than this, I was wondering if I stayed up longer, does this burn more calories? It's weird because I hear people say to people that want to lose weight to get lots of sleep.

stt43

Do you guys think that it's possible for me to do this by mid-March 2014? Even if it isn't all muscle and some fat, I don't mind.

You should be able to put on a few pounds per month of muscle for the first 6 months or so, if you do things right and stick with it, and there will always be a little fat too.

Also - another question I wanted to ask.. someone said above to get 7 hours sleep a night.. sometimes I get far less than this, I was wondering if I stayed up longer, does this burn more calories? It's weird because I hear people say to people that want to lose weight to get lots of sleep.

Yes, you will probably burn off more calories while awake than asleep. Sleeping is important for repairing/building muscle properly - if you don't get enough rest then this just won't happen effectively. People say sleep is important to losing weight, partly because rest is important (if they are exercising a lot and eating low calories), and also because when you are asleep you aren't going to be eating food.

alibala68

Don't worry. Surely, it is possible.
I lost weight due to a surgery, and it was hard to me to eat for a while. I am 183 cm tall, and I was 67 kg before surgery but it dropped down to 57 after surgery. I was in terrible mood. First of all, I started going to gym regularly. It was very helpful and I got my appetite back very soon. Then I had a 3500 calories diet and after 3 month I was 65 kg. Unfortunately, I broke my diet and I stopped going to gym, but I maintained my weight . I have started that plan again for a month, and I am now 67 kg. So,
1- Exercise
2- Eat well ( 8 small meals per day, eat every 2 hours)
3- Sleep 8 hours (not less, not more)

SideSteel

Track your intake, get on a lifting program, and monitor your change in bodyweight and increase intake as needed if you are not gaining.

celtbell3

My 15yo son is small for his age, too, and is very conscious about it. He does eat everything in the house, though, so sometimes it really doesn't have to do with eating. Your metabolism is just high right now and your hormones are working at finding the balance you need to put on the size you want. Good luck sweets!!!