I need to gain weight/muscle, any help?

Ratatox
Ratatox Posts: 2
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
I wasn't exactly sure on where to post this or if I should, but I really need to gain weight/muscle. Anything will help.

I'm currently 5'9" and I weigh 96 pounds. I have an extremely high metabolism so it's very hard for me to gain weight. I eat to the point where I can't eat any more and even try pushing it past that.
I'm not a very good exerciser because if I don't have people telling me to do something I'll try to think of something else to do. That's just how I am, I know it's not a good thing.

I don't like my body size as I am a guy and it just looks wrong. I always wear a jacket outside even when it's summer time because of it but I wouldn't wear one if I looked bigger. My goal is to reach that by this summer. I would love to weigh at least 135 lbs by June.

Can anybody help me with this? Maybe talk to me on Skype or text me to keep me in tact? I'm probably asking too much, but I really need it and it's worth a shot asking.

Thanks for reading, it means a lot.

Replies

  • GetSoda
    GetSoda Posts: 1,267 Member
    Read Starting Strength by mark rippetoe. Take his diet advice.
  • hadj1888
    hadj1888 Posts: 2
    try upping your protien and carb intake kepping sugars and fat intake low you can do this by eating an exttra meal per day with chicken and wholewheat/brown pasta roughly about try this changing the meat from day to day im not really one for protein shakes but when im trying to gain muscle i use sci mx protein u can get from tesco etc its slow release so u can take this before bed also try doing compound moves in the gym such as deadlifts, squats and bench press all within the 12-15 reps to start off with once if you are knew to this and build up the weight and tecnique and change the rep range to 6-10 u will gain good lean muscle and strength will grow quickly
  • OverDoIt
    OverDoIt Posts: 332 Member
    Getsoda has great advice. Uncle Rip is the man. If you want to get bigger and stronger and lay a very solid foundation, training and eating like a powerlifter is the way to go.
  • aarondnguyen
    aarondnguyen Posts: 270 Member
    Saying you have an "extremely high metabolism" is pretty vague, especially if you're just starting out--and I assume you're not accurately tracking your calories. People often times overestimate how much they eat (when they claim to have 'fast' metabolism) or underestimate (when they claim to have 'slow' metabolism).

    Go to http://iifym.com

    Consistently eat in a caloric surplus while incorporating a workout routine into your regimen. How much weight you gain and how quickly you gain it all depends on how much of a caloric surplus you are consistently in. Gaining too quickly will increase chances of acquiring fat as well. But considering how much you currently weigh, this wouldn't be a concern personally.

    Just eat more.
  • 212019156
    212019156 Posts: 341 Member
    Your weight is extremely low. I would be eating super calorie dense food even junk food, lots of whole milk etc. You won't have to worry about getting fat. . The suggestion of Starting Strength is a good one as well its a good low volume high intensity weight training program which is what you need. Your weight gain goal may be a bit unrealistic based on what I suspect your metabolism is like.

    How many calories are you eating per day?
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Getsoda has great advice. Uncle Rip is the man. If you want to get bigger and stronger and lay a very solid foundation, training and eating like a powerlifter is the way to go.

    agree with this and up your calories to like 3500 a day …..I wish I had this problem :)
  • parker0303
    parker0303 Posts: 5 Member

    Can anybody help me with this? Maybe talk to me on Skype or text me to keep me in tact? I'm probably asking too much, but I really need it and it's worth a shot asking.

    You've come to the right place. It sounds like you need to learn a bit more about caloric intake and what exactly a surplus entails. Figure out your TDEE at the link above poster gave you and then try to eat 20% above that in calories. Use MFP to hold yourself accountable making sure you hit the goal number everyday.
    I eat to the point where I can't eat any more and even try pushing it past that.

    If this is constantly getting in your way you should change some of the foods you are eating so that they are very high in calories but do not actually make you very full. Remember not all foods are created equal in terms of calorie count vs satiety (how full they make you).

    Here are a few tricks in this department that should get you off to a good start

    -Buy a blender and make big smoothies. It's much easier to drink 1000 calories in a sitting than it is to eat them. Your go to smoothie should be whole milk + peanut butter (a lot) + chocolate whey + 1-2 bananas. Tastes amazing and will help you add a ton calories to your diet. If you are really ambitious you can add oats, olive oil (120 cal per spoonful) etc.

    -All natural Peanut butter. A big spoonful of PB can have 200 calories (more than 100g of chicken breast) but will not make you near as full. Add PB to everything like shakes, toast, bananas etc. If you want just eat it straight out of the jar and swallow it down with:

    -Milk drink lots of milk, as much as you can stomach in a day. It has a ton of calories and again doesn't make you as full as your food counterparts.

    -Ice cream, poptarts etc. These are very high in calories but are very easy to stomach and add to any meal. Sure they seem "unhealthy" but really its all relative. What is actually healthy and helpful for you may not be healthy for someone overweight.


    If you want, take a look at my diary as I am also trying to add weight. This will give you an idea of the type of surplus you need to eat.

    Also make sure you are lifting weights instead of "exercise" cardio type stuff. There have been some good replies as to what programs can help.
  • schminnie
    schminnie Posts: 8
    You've got some excellent responses! I echo reading Starting Strength. One piece of advice from that book is to drink a gallon of whole milk on top of your regular diet. You could even make it chocolate milk...that banana chocolate smoothie with olive oil and PB is a rockin idea, too.
    As for exercise motivation, maybe a simple weight training program that is already laid out for you will help. Just stick to the program and increase your weights each week. Again, read Starting Strength for a program. Some of the book is available online via the wiki if you want to check it out now. StrongLifts 5x5 is also a good resource.
    Because you are so light and, I assume, pretty much untrained in terms of strength, I bet you will start looking forward to going to the gym to lift after only a few weeks--you're initial strength gains will come extremely quickly and be pretty exciting. It's addicting. Also, if you lift heavy weights, weight training will make you VERY hungry afterward, so take advantage of that. Be sure you sleep a lot once you start training--you're a growing guy :-)
    Remember, this is completely doable. Football players, bodybuilders, powerlifters, strongmen, and many others have gone before you. Hardgainers CAN and DO become hulking beast meatheads. Also, weight lifting is challenging, fun, and interesting--it will teach you so much about yourself and give you tons of pride and confidence. Your body image will improve before your actual appearance even changes. This is a really exciting time for you! Enjoy your project and keep us updated. Make yourself proud :-)
  • schminnie
    schminnie Posts: 8
    I forgot to mention that you should get checked by a doctor or nurse practitioner if you haven't already. Because you are so underweight, it's important to rule out any underlying thyroid or other hormonal issues, etc.. And if you think depression or anxiety may play a role, be sure to be proactive about seeking treatment for that, too.
  • xenu01
    xenu01 Posts: 117 Member
    Have you had your thyroid tested? Maybe just make sure you don't have hyperthyroidism or something?
  • Ulfgard
    Ulfgard Posts: 49 Member
    Your age and activity level might have a lot to do with your low weight. I was tall and extremely skinny at your age, and as soon as I hit 21, 22 or so I actually started to gain some weight. From about 17-20 I was 6 ' and 120-130, just to give an idea of how scrawny I was. I ate continuously throughout the day.



    If you are trying to gain weight/ muscle try looking at bodybuilding.com. There are a lot of programs to follow that have exercises and food guides
  • pipiloco22
    pipiloco22 Posts: 1
    Listen do not eat simply to eat what i mean by that make your body want to eat. How do you do that Breaking down the muscle tissue. Now you have to start lifting heavy weights to tear the muscles which will cause to gradually eat more over time and eventually Youll be a Buff Dude. How much muscle do you expect to gain within a year it all depends start with a 300 calorie surplus and as your body begins to become accustomed to the heavy weight your bodys caloric needs will go up. Number 2 and very important no cardio as in no running etc. And number three rest one day between workouts train 3 a week not too much because you will burn too much calories you want most of the calories that you consume to get into the muscle dont burn it off. Last but not least sleeping increases HGH what i do whenever i lift heavy i take a nap probably for an hour after lifting heavy to increase my testosterones levels. Trust i know i used to be a 300lb powerlifter follow these basic principles and youll grow. Be patient this is a lifestyle it will take years. As with me i got tired of 300lb and over the years ive lost significant amount of weight im 225 lb now and going down to 185. Goodluck
  • vanessaedokpayi
    vanessaedokpayi Posts: 3
    Try eating Large amounts of food in small time go to a buffet put everything on your plate and just stuff at one time enjoy ! And for gaining muscle I suggest strength training or workout with dumbbells for 1 hour or so 3 days a week
  • kitty2470
    kitty2470 Posts: 7 Member
    Hi I'm 43 now but had the,same problem as you in my teens,& 20's. Your metabolism may slow down as you get older as mine has.My solution used to be eating the,same sized meals/calorie intake as a 6ft man would need and,snacking on high calorie,foods such as,peanuts,walnuts,etc chocolate, full fat yoghurt instead of low fat, cakes etc. I had,to eat that,way consistently for months,to gain weight but it did work. you may need to gradually get used to having bigger meals and,snacking more often even when you don't particularly feel like eating. Keep your life as stress free as possible, I know,stress affected my weight terribly. :smile:
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Please see a doctor and get advice from specialists.
  • Of_Monsters_and_Meat
    Of_Monsters_and_Meat Posts: 1,022 Member
    Please see a doctor and get advice from specialists.

    ^^^Whatever she says you should do. really.
  • Ratatox
    Ratatox Posts: 2
    Thanks for all the great responses! I didn't expect to get so many so quickly. I'll most definitely check out the Starting Strength book and try out some of those smoothies you guys were talking about. (I love smoothies.)

    I also looked up Hyperthyroidism and it kind of sounds like me, I'm for sure going to go have that checked out now.

    I was doing more of cardio exercises but my brother has weight set in the other room I'll probably start using.

    Thanks again!
  • larainemmccolley
    larainemmccolley Posts: 1
    hey I am a lady 56 yr old. I need to gain weight and tone my body espically arms, mid section, I have hypothyroidism if that helps . I think that is part of the problem
    thx
  • robinerikson
    robinerikson Posts: 60
    My nephew was so thin before but after going to the gym he became buff. He told me that he was under a gaining program. He had his own gym instructor who helped him do the proper way of exercising and proper food to eat.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Thanks for all the great responses! I didn't expect to get so many so quickly. I'll most definitely check out the Starting Strength book and try out some of those smoothies you guys were talking about. (I love smoothies.)

    I also looked up Hyperthyroidism and it kind of sounds like me, I'm for sure going to go have that checked out now.

    I was doing more of cardio exercises but my brother has weight set in the other room I'll probably start using.

    Thanks again!

    yeah- get cleared with the doctor- that's never a WRONG answer.

    but I would steer clear of cardio- not that cardio is the devil- it is a tool- but when you are gaining- and having a hard time eating- all you are doing is creating a bigger hole to fill with food essentially..

    Lifting and eating at a surplus- you are young and have loads of space to pack muscle on... so get to it and take advantage if you are cleared with the doctor!

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