Weight Gain... HELP!!

givemeginandtonic2014

Hi all,

Can some of you please give some thoughts/advise on my diet? I'm one of those people who just simply cannot put on weight. To look at me one would think I smoke and drink a lot and rarely eat. People regularly point this out to me, which makes it worse given how hard i am trying. I am 29. I gave up smoking 5 years ago and now rarely go to pubs/clubs in order to avoid alcohol (maybe once per month). I weigh 11 stone but look just 9 stone. My thumb easily meets my small finger on my wrist. My doctor tells me that i am in good health.

I am attending the gym 3 to 4 times per week and gradually increasing the weight sizes on the machines. I am religiously following a programme which was designed especially for me by a successful trainer. The only effect this is all having is the appearance of belly fat, which just looks silly on a thin person. My diet is as follows:

Breakfast: Porridge, green tea
Morning snack: Nuts, banana, apple
Dinner: 2 chicken breasts, brocolli, carrots
Afternoon: Brown rice, eggs, banana.
Night: Nuts, apples
2 litres of water throughout the day
I have 2 scoops of protein per day.

This is my diet almost every day, with the dinner changing from chicken to salmon or steak every 2 to 3 days.

On paper one would think i am the size of a competitive bodybuilder. This is really frustrating me, can anyone give me a push in the right direction, and suggest something which i might be missing? I am willing to dedicate everything to this so any help is welcome. Thanks!

grantdumas7

If you are not gaining, you are not eating enough.

TheMetalMan0

Doesn't look like you're eating much. Eat big, get big.

Fithealthyforlife

Track calories and macros. Eat back exercise calories. Increase calories as needed. If you find you're moving too much, you might give meditation a try to calm that down, as it can burn a lot of calories.

rww59

I'm on SCD so this is similar to your food.
My best suggestion is baked beans.
Search my Roger's baked beans.

KingRat79

If you want to gain lean muscle mass there is no great secret, all you need to do is two things 1) be on a good strength based program and 2) eat the right amount of food.

Eating the right food isn’t just about stuffing your face with as much food as you can but its about eating smart, eating enough food, so that you are in a slight surplus with the right macro’s.

If you are in your first year of lifting, and still have the benefit of your noob gains with these two alone you should be piling on the muscle, if you’re not then either your not eating enough or your program is rubbish or both. If you’re not making any gains then you need to step back and re-evaluate what you are doing.

TavistockToad

If you are not gaining, you are not eating enough.

This. How many cals do you eat per day?

harphy

This looks more like a diet menu to me.

Eat more whole food, whole diary, butter, peanut butter, bread, pasta, fatty fish, olive oil, avocado...

http://healthmeup.com/photogallery-healthy-living/top-25-foods-to-gain-weight/16004/

LynseyZombie

Try putting carbs into your diet as you don't seem to get much, with your steak and chicken etc make some potatoes and eat pasta as well. I'm trying to lose weight so I don't like to eat too many carbs. Jacket potatoes are lovely. Unfortunately some people are unlucky to not be able to gain weight much. My partner would eat loads but not put anything on. All the fat goes to his stomach area and chest but he's looks skinny so I know what ya mean

givemeginandtonic2014

Thanks for the above posts everyone, they were all helpful. I now realize that I am not eating enough, if my diet report is visible on my profile you will all see that I have increased my food intake. I will keep you posted on how this is going and if anyone has any additional help or suggestions it would be great as I feel very much on my own with this plan.

AshWeir23

Im 24 and weigh 10st 1lbs, I've been trying for years to boost weight and when you're naturally skinny it is difficult. I've made some gains in weight after starting up going to the gym recently and as people above have said you need to eat more around 3000 cals plus I would imagine at your weight and if you go gym 3 times or more a week. Eat more carbs, sweet potatoes and mash potatoes are good to help with this! Good luck stick at it!

OverDoIt

When we are trying to gain there is one very important thing to remember when it comes to training for those who may be a little newer to the iron game. Volume and frequency are 2 key factors that may be hindering your gains. I would recommend working backwards and taking the time to see how your body responds. If you are training more than 4 times per week for more than an hour pull it back to 3 days at no more than 30 mins per session. Less is more at this stage of the game. However the key to remember is that intensity will have to be doubled and supersets will be the standard protocol. This formula will shock the muscles into hyper growth and allow more time for rest. While those muscles are restoring and repairing themselves you will find yourself hungry. You will be hungry because while taking the much needed rest your muscles will be crying like a little baby for food. when we overtrain and really throw our body into confusion we (most of us) find it harder to eat. I would recommend increasing your calories and eating every 3 hours. This makes it easier to get more calories in the day and keeps you from having to stuff yourself with larger less frequent meals. Stuffing causes bloating and gas and extra waste. If you have any questions feel free to ask we are here to help each other. I am not a guru, I do not have the magic answers, and there is no shortcut. You are playing a game of inches and size and strength are measured over time. Good luck and do not ever give up on your dreams.

givemeginandtonic2014

Thanks guys, it's great to hear some solid advice from people who know what's involved here

mrApocalypto

If you are looking to add mass and increase your overall strength nothing can beat free weights.
You have to do free weight exercises no machines. And it should be the basic free weights workout. You will see the difference soon.

fificrazy

You're not seriously complaining about "not being able to put on weight" eating a diet of nuts, tea and fruit are you? For a 27 year old guy, that sounds more like breakfast + a snack, not an entire days worth of food. :S A nonrestrictive eater over the age of 25 (male or female) should be able to maintain their set point weight on 2500 calories, so to gain you should make 3000 your MINIMUM. Eventually your appetite will catch up with your needs! An easy way to increase calories until then is adding cream, oils, nut butters, and easily digestible grains/pasta to your foods. I'm a 20 year old girl and my breakfasts typically consist of a fruit, oatmeal, and then either a mini bagel or graham crackers topped with peanut butter OR a biscotti OR a latte. If you can manage tea in the morning, surely you could manage a more energy dense beverage instead. And from there, it will become a lot easier to add more calories to your meals once you adjust to making changes. It's as easy as taking little steps like that!

fificrazy

Also, you're definitely missing some daily dessert in your diet... Just sayin'. Haha.

stevesilk

Some good comments on your diet. I would add something to the exercise part. You are best served doing a few heavy compound exercises with free weights rather than working on machines. By compund exercises, I'm talking about exercises that recruit multiple large muscle groups. Squats, Deadlifts, Bench Press, Bent over Rows, Pullups, etc. And don't overdo the time. This isn't a "go to the gym 6 days a week and work out 2 hours a day". You probably want to think about a 3x or 4x a week, There are several great new lifter workouts out there, like Stronglifts 5x5 and NROL. Look them up and see what fits your interests.

SteveJWatson

Where are the carbs?

Eat the carbs.

milileitner

I'm a 20 year old girl and my breakfasts typically consist of a fruit, oatmeal, and then either a mini bagel or graham crackers topped with peanut butter OR a biscotti OR a latte.

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