Is Anybody Here Like Me..???

Kia2878

I'm actually a strange one on here from looking through other threads.... I'm looking to GAIN weight and it's a massive struggle. It'd be great if there were others struggling too, for advice etc

HelloDan

My strategy is to eat lots!

Kia2878

LOL I've always eaten lots, just seems to have been lots of the wrong things perhaps.... I've always been this way and it's so annoying, even my GP gave up trying to fatten me up so now I'm doing gym too and changing my diet around.

HelloDan

So more seriously, what's you goal?

I assume you have a target weight, how far to go?
Also what kind of physique do you want to go with that weight, for the same weight, you can look very different?

Also remember the gym is good, but you need to eat even more to account for what you have used there.

Kia2878

My initial goal is to gain 12 lbs - that'll take me to 9 stone and would make a massive difference to my appearance. I'm currently 8 stone 2 lb and am tall (5 ft 10.5 in) so I'm very, very obviously skinny

The gym is about gaining strength as well as weight and my food intake is aiming for a minimum of 2,500 calories daily - I'm just about hitting that but only with the help of home-made protein shakes and gainer.

Ultimately I'd like even more weight but I'm all about setting short-term achievable goals so that I don't get disheartened

cazzer69

Hollands pudding, chips and gravy from the chippy for lunch and dinner.....sorted.
3000 calories a day at a stroke

HelloDan

Set both short and long term. The long term goal is the ultimate destination, but the short term goals are stepping stones on the journey. That way you have accounted for the bigger picture, but because you hit the smaller goals regularly, you see it's working and stay motivated.

Your only a couple of inches shorter than me, except I'm just over 15 stone, so not really comparable!

What kind of work are you doing in the gym?

farway

Hollands pudding, chips and gravy from the chippy for lunch and dinner.....sorted.
3000 calories a day at a stroke

Ho ho, and real stroke to follow in 30 years? ;-)

Lupercalia

Lift heavy weights and eat healthy foods at a caloric surplus relative to your TDEE. That should sort you out....best wishes. xx

KarenJanine

Lift weights, keep cardio moderate, eat around 300 cals in excess of TDEE and aim to get 1g protein per lb body weight. This should help gain more lean body mass rather than just gaining excess fat.

Kia2878

I'm doing mainly resistance training at the gym with a teensy bit of Cardio as warm-up / cool-down. My typical weeks exercise:

Mon: 1 hour Body Pump Class

Tues: 1 x Set of 10 Reps on 12 weight machines (2 each focusing on a muscle) with a tiny bit of bike / treadmill (this programme was devised for me by instructor) If I feel I can do more when finished I sometimes repeat

Wed: Same As Tues

Thurs: Day Of Rest (I do crunches and push-ups at home)

Fri: 1 hour Body Pump Class

Sat: Same As Tues

Sun: Varies - either normal gym routine or another day of rest at home. I normally end up going to gym though

HelloDan

Do you not like resting?
Going to the gym is important, but so is resting, it's when the body recovers and builds more muscle - adding weight and strength.

I would class the body pump as cardio, rather than strength training myself.

Have you ever considered using the free weights, rather than machines?
In particular, if you want to gain a bit of weight, I would use free weights, increase weight and the number of sets you are doing and drop the number of reps.

I would also have at least 2 2 and most likely 3 days of rest, so your body can recover.

Kia2878

I don't mind resting exactly - I just get very bored and really enjoy the gym. I've found body pump to be good for me as it does involve the weights (it does describe itself as a resistance class too) and I get quite proud of myself when I can manage a touch more weight than previously

If I do feel particularly achy though and still go to the gym I do take it easy and don't necessarily do my whole programme. If my legs are sore I'll skip anything that works them and the same for arms etc..

I think that is the main issue - my instructor set my programme out knowing what my aims were but since he's done that almost everyone has disagreed. I really need to set my own from looks of things. He also told me to see a change I need to workout 5 times a week, 4 times a week just to have a little progress, 3 times a week just to maintain any progress and twice a week just to get a touch fit!

LilMissDB

I wouldn't get too tied up in which strength training program you choose. I would stick with exercise that you enjoy but remember you need to eat the extra calories to account for it.

Some people are commenting that you need to gain muscle rather than fat, but remember that a certain percentage of body fat is normal and healthy and it sounds like you are below that (hence your efforts to gain weight!). So I'm suspecting that you do indeed want to be gaining fat (as well as potentially some muscle).

How you get there is to eat a surplus of calories as you know. Ie eat your 'maintenance calories' + exercise calories + some extra (perhaps up to 500kcal/day).

The tricky part is doing that, if you don't have the appetite for it. A lot of people find it easier to increase their calorie intake by eating little and often - grazing through the day. Not just when you feel hungry though, you need to plan to eat more regularly if your appetite doesn't lead you to eat enough naturally.

Aside from that, making the most of the food you eat will be important so that you don't have to eat buckets more food than you do at the moment. You can do this without being super unhealthy (which may have long term effects). You can make fortified milk by mixing skim milk powder with semi skim milk (I would still be careful not to overdo your saturated fats as you are still so young) and use it in cereal etc. You could also flavour it (or have it plain if preferred) and just drink it. Or put it in mashed potato or soups. Mix margarine or vegetable-based (olive/rapeseed/vegetable) oil with vegetables, potatoes, rice, pasta etc. Include foods that are high in good fats like nuts, avocado and seeds. Another easy way to boost calories is to add some dried fruit in - a lot of cals for a small portion.

Good luck - it can be a long, hard journey but it can be done. It sounds like your doctor is on board with you wanting to gain weight so you could also ask for a referral to a dietitian for a properly personalised plan if you meet your trust's referral criteria.

DarrelBirkett

Pretty much as said. Much like losing weight, you want to gain slowly so you can keep track. Look how many cals you are eating and keep adjusting. Something like 250-500cals over your TDEE each day after exercise. Look at a macro ratio (Protein / Carbs / Fats) of around 30 / 50/ 20. You can put that into your MFP goals and it will guide how much you should be eating per day.

If you are struggling to reach your cals per day through food, you could look into weight gainers meal replacement supplements though real food is of course the best choice. Just keep eating healthy.