Anybody trying to GAIN weight?

Um. No. :noway:

But I know there are some MFP users who are -- keep looking and you're sure to find someone!

Eating 2800 calories a day.
I'm mostly doing arms and chest, I'm happy with my abs and legs and I ride my bike about 5 miles a day to and from work. Got any tips for me? Seems like no matter what I'm not gaining weight. I work as a chef so I'm on my feet all day moving around. Im thinking of starting this shake called "pure mass" which has 1000 calories a pop. Right now I'm drinking an ensure WITH every meal and getting 80g protein a day

East more! around 3500 calories I would say (not knowing your info) and lift HEAVY with exercises like squats and deadlifts. Work up to a high percentage (80-90%) of your 1 RM.

I am still cutting, but plan on bulking when I get down to 16% BF.

Wow!!!! 4000 calories?? How do you manage to eat that much? I guess I'm gonna try to up my calorie intake even more.

Whole milk, is you friend.

Love the quote in your signature. It is so true here on MFP

Agreed.
Starting strength is a great program.
Mark really knows his stuff.


4000 cals is tough, thats why I bump mine up gradually. I hate whole milk. But I can get 3k cals without much trouble. So another 2 protein shakes with milk and peanut butter and oats should do it.

Would be glad to help!! Always looking for fitness minded people who are striving for better body composition and not just losing weight.

I'm thinking I would be one of those women that is trying to gain but isn't anorexic. My problem is genetics and a very high metabolism. Been tiny all my life and it's cause some issues, like with trying to conceive, my BF is so low that my hormones and such get a little whacky. maybe a bit much info, but that's most of my motivation right now. My husband and I have been trying for over a year with no success.

I've started weight training with a friend of mine and go about 5 days a week, so going to the gym isn't much of a problem for me. My main problem is getting enough calories. Being on a limited budget doesn't help much so i've been looking for budget friendly ways of adding caolries. Peanut butter snacks, canned tuna. I've never been a big eater so I've had to just do small meals/snacks more often.

Always looking for tips and advise.

Two suggestions for you. First is junk food it is cheap and high in calories. if you are trying to gain you don't have to eat clean. Gain the weight then diet to cut the fat. You should be left with a net gain in muscle mass if you are training properly.

Secondly is an option known as GOMAD (Gallon of <whole> Milk A Day) that is 2400 extra calories per day. this WILL ad muscle, again if you are training properly. more info on this option here:

http://stronglifts.com/gomad-milk-squats-gallon-gain-weight/

As far as the junk food goes, I like to bulk slowly and cleanly. I know you can get by with eating cheap crappy food, but I feel better in general if I eat good stuff. If someone can eat mcd's everyday and bulk and achieve their goals, more power to em. I'd feel like crap if I did it tho.

I agree, but twinkles are cheaper than turkey and salmon.

^^spice up the protein shakes with protein and oats and PB. easy cals.

I do a lot of rice, loaded baked potatoes, oatmeal, chicken breasts, tuna, pastas, and stir fry. Money is the main reason I got too skinny!

add me if you like im also trying to gain

P90X is a good workout, however, it is not really for those that want to gain mass. It is a HIIT program designed to cut fat while trying to keep muscle mass. Stick with a VERY heavy workout plan of 2 or 3 times a week. As far as your diet, first find out what your maintenence calories are. Meaning the calories needed to not gain or lose weight. From there, you can add as many calories as you want to gain the amount of weight you want. For example, my maint, is ~2000cal. If I wanted to gain a pound a week, I'd have to eat 2500cal a day. Recognize this weight is not going to all be muscle. As has been said, you can then cut down to your desired weight. Rinse and repeat. As far as macronutrients, get at least 1g/lb of body weight for protein. I'd even say 1.5g/lb would be better. Protein builds muscle, if you're working out hard, you'll need as much muscle building blocks as possible. After that, it won't matter much where you get your calories from.