Gain weight?? & without breaking the bank?
amerrick922
Posts: 5 Member
I've been super tiny my whole life. My weight has fluctuated between 132-138lbs since I was in 7th grade and I'm now 26 years old. I'm tall, 5'8" so although my weight is within "guidelines" as normal I still feel too skinny and am not happy with my appearance. Any suggestions on how to gain? I'm not looking to be super toned or muscular. Also looking for suggestions on food to purchase that won't break the bank. I've been trying protein powder, shakes, bars, etc. but they can be extremely costly so I've cut back on those a little since I didn't see much weight gain.
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Replies
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You don't need protein powders at all. They are simply there for convenience when you don't feel like eating a solid meal etc.
For protein:
-Chicken Breast is probably the best, cheap, and one of the lowest fat protein there is. Ground Turkey as well. You can buy these in bulk for really low prices and freeze them. Just de-freeze them by putting them in the fridge, takes a day or so.
Milk is great for gaining.
For carb:
-Home made steamed rice is always good for me. Oat meal as well. Beans, lentil, chickpeas. Whatever is cheap in your area.
Fat:
Don't cheap out on this. Olive oil is definitely worth your money for cooking.
Peanut butter is amazing for gaining.
Don't forget veggies either. Simply buy the season veggies of the month.4 -
Well if you gain weight, you won't get super toned or muscular looking, as you will be gaining around 75% of your weight in body fat, and that would be pending you follow a structured lifting program. If you need a list of items that are high in calories, I would recommend you look at this thread. You can either eat or drink calories and you don't need any type of protein bar or powder.2
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subcounter wrote: »You don't need protein powders at all. They are simply there for convenience when you don't feel like eating a solid meal etc.
For protein:
-Chicken Breast is probably the best, cheap, and one of the lowest fat protein there is. Ground Turkey as well. You can buy these in bulk for really low prices and freeze them. Just de-freeze them by putting them in the fridge, takes a day or so.
Milk is great for gaining.
For carb:
-Home made steamed rice is always good for me. Oat meal as well. Beans, lentil, chickpeas. Whatever is cheap in your area.
Fat:
Don't cheap out on this. Olive oil is definitely worth your money for cooking.
Peanut butter is amazing for gaining.
Don't forget veggies either. Simply buy the season veggies of the month.
@subcounter I really appreciate this insight. I am a beginner so I don't know a lot. I've tried to research but I find stuff on how lose weight even when I'm typing how to gain weight. I will definitely invest in chicken breast and ground turkey. I've been drinking more milk. I've been told before that peanut butter is good but I hate the taste of it
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Well if you gain weight, you won't get super toned or muscular looking, as you will be gaining around 75% of your weight in body fat, and that would be pending you follow a structured lifting program. If you need a list of items that are high in calories, I would recommend you look at this thread. You can either eat or drink calories and you don't need any type of protein bar or powder.
@psulemon My apologies, I did leave out the part about me going to the gym. I have a trainer and we do a little bit of everything including lifting. I guess my concerns are too that my body is already in shape with no effort. I was only 19% body fat and before 3 weeks ago I've never worked out before in my life. I don't think my trainer understands my concerns about being too physically fit for my personal liking but at the same time I was told that is the only way for me to gain weight (not sure how true this statement is)
Thanks for the thread of high calorie foods. It's awesome to know I don't need the protein powder,0 -
amerrick922 wrote: »Well if you gain weight, you won't get super toned or muscular looking, as you will be gaining around 75% of your weight in body fat, and that would be pending you follow a structured lifting program. If you need a list of items that are high in calories, I would recommend you look at this thread. You can either eat or drink calories and you don't need any type of protein bar or powder.
@psulemon My apologies, I did leave out the part about me going to the gym. I have a trainer and we do a little bit of everything including lifting. I guess my concerns are too that my body is already in shape with no effort. I was only 19% body fat and before 3 weeks ago I've never worked out before in my life. I don't think my trainer understands my concerns about being too physically fit for my personal liking but at the same time I was told that is the only way for me to gain weight (not sure how true this statement is)
Thanks for the thread of high calorie foods. It's awesome to know I don't need the protein powder,
Protein powders are supplements. You only need one if you struggle to get protein. Also, you can have low body fat and till not have good body composition. Either way, gaining weight can be made up of fat or fat + muscle. Both will end up increasing your body fat % (something you might enjoy). The advantage to the latter is if you do decide to cut back down, you will be leaner.1 -
amerrick922 wrote: »subcounter wrote: »You don't need protein powders at all. They are simply there for convenience when you don't feel like eating a solid meal etc.
For protein:
-Chicken Breast is probably the best, cheap, and one of the lowest fat protein there is. Ground Turkey as well. You can buy these in bulk for really low prices and freeze them. Just de-freeze them by putting them in the fridge, takes a day or so.
Milk is great for gaining.
For carb:
-Home made steamed rice is always good for me. Oat meal as well. Beans, lentil, chickpeas. Whatever is cheap in your area.
Fat:
Don't cheap out on this. Olive oil is definitely worth your money for cooking.
Peanut butter is amazing for gaining.
Don't forget veggies either. Simply buy the season veggies of the month.
@subcounter I really appreciate this insight. I am a beginner so I don't know a lot. I've tried to research but I find stuff on how lose weight even when I'm typing how to gain weight. I will definitely invest in chicken breast and ground turkey. I've been drinking more milk. I've been told before that peanut butter is good but I hate the taste of it
I hate peanut butter too - try spreading it on slices of apple,it hides the taste!
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@amerrick922 Sure no problem.
I would say this though, make sure you watch your macro's. For a beginner, I would recommend something like 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein, and 30% fat. Carb's are great for workouts, as you store them as energy for your coming workout. You will feel a lot more energy. You want to gain weight of muscle, not fat. Otherwise you will simply be skinny fat, which is not very desirable for most, as the fat usually hangs around the belly for men. Don't worry about being too toned, gaining muscle is usually quite tough, and its not something you can do in a day or so, its months and months of work. You can have a balanced body without being "too muscular", if thats what you want to achieve. Everyone have different goals here.
A good alternative to peanut butter would be almonds. There are affordable spreads & or just oils you can buy. You can simply eat whole almonds too, make sure they are not salted. I find them less intense in flavor compared to peanut butter.2 -
subcounter wrote: »@amerrick922 Sure no problem.
I would say this though, make sure you watch your macro's. For a beginner, I would recommend something like 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein, and 30% fat. Carb's are great for workouts, as you store them as energy for your coming workout. You will feel a lot more energy. You want to gain weight of muscle, not fat. Otherwise you will simply be skinny fat, which is not very desirable for most, as the fat usually hangs around the belly for men. Don't worry about being too toned, gaining muscle is usually quite tough, and its not something you can do in a day or so, its months and months of work. You can have a balanced body without being "too muscular", if thats what you want to achieve. Everyone have different goals here.
A good alternative to peanut butter would be almonds. There are affordable spreads & or just oils you can buy. You can simply eat whole almonds too, make sure they are not salted. I find them less intense in flavor compared to peanut butter.
@subcounter when I track the food on this app so far my macros have been close to targets. I guess this was also my queue to post a picture, I am a female lol. Now it might make more sense as to why I don't want to be super muscular and toned. I really just want to gain weight but maintain a flat stomach and nice legs.0 -
@amerrick922 It is even harder for women to gain muscles. Usually people think they will turn in to professional female body builders in a short amount of time with huge biceps and rounded shoulders if they re not careful but realistically thats not even possible. Most of the competitors, especially on heavier class, use steroids, male hormones. Natural women athletes can gain around only 0.5-1 pounds of muscle per month and thats being optimistic.
Usually women wants to gain size in glutes and little bit on the legs, and chest. I am not sure if thats your goal, did not specify where you want to gain size but I would recommend :- Deadlift: Possibly one of the best core strength exercise. Great for glute size as well.
- Squats: Another a must-do exercise in my opinion. It will give you a better balance overall, work most of your muscles. It will also show whats weak in your body, so that you can work on them.
- Dumbbell Squat Jumps: Another great exercise. Increases your explosive power, jumps, sprints.
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Hey, I am in the same boat as you but I have been at it off and on. I have been slim all my life and I want to tone up and gain a little muscle weight. My problem is not working out, it is trying to eat 2500 healthy calories a day consistently.0
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Hey, I am in the same boat as you but I have been at it off and on. I have been slim all my life and I want to tone up and gain a little muscle weight. My problem is not working out, it is trying to eat 2500 healthy calories a day consistently.
Calories and food are not healthy or unhealthy. A carb is a carb no matter where it comes from.0 -
trigden1991 wrote: »Hey, I am in the same boat as you but I have been at it off and on. I have been slim all my life and I want to tone up and gain a little muscle weight. My problem is not working out, it is trying to eat 2500 healthy calories a day consistently.
Calories and food are not healthy or unhealthy. A carb is a carb no matter where it comes from.
Macro nutrient wise yes
Micro nutrient is completely different
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trigden1991 wrote: »Hey, I am in the same boat as you but I have been at it off and on. I have been slim all my life and I want to tone up and gain a little muscle weight. My problem is not working out, it is trying to eat 2500 healthy calories a day consistently.
Calories and food are not healthy or unhealthy. A carb is a carb no matter where it comes from.
Macro nutrient wise yes
Micro nutrient is completely different
Health cannot be defined by your food intake though. It is a combination of a number of factors including diet/exercise/lifestyle. To gain weight, you require a caloric surplus. To lose weight, you require a caloric deficit. The micro's do not affect that fact.0 -
Health can be determined by what you
Consume, how else do we get the essential vitamins and minerals required?
If you are deficient in your micros You will be unable to train optimally.
1 -
To be honest though, it's pretty easy to hit micronutrient goals with a diet is full of variety. And health is less determined by micronutrients than it is body composition, activity and genetics. Otherwise, you wouldn't see stories like the twinkie guy.Health can be determined by what you
Consume, how else do we get the essential vitamins and minerals required?
If you are deficient in your micros You will be unable to train optimally.
This isn't to suggest that you shouldn't have a diet of whole foods, it just means that if you incorporate junk food, it shouldn't affect anything. And it certainly hasn't stopped me from performing well. Heck, many bodybuilders report having PR sessions after coming off their competitions and downing a ton of junk.
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trigden1991 wrote: »Hey, I am in the same boat as you but I have been at it off and on. I have been slim all my life and I want to tone up and gain a little muscle weight. My problem is not working out, it is trying to eat 2500 healthy calories a day consistently.
Calories and food are not healthy or unhealthy. A carb is a carb no matter where it comes from.
I consider healthy food to be whatever your body needs at the time. Much of that can come from "junk food" but not all of it. A carb may be a carb, but carbs are not the only factor. It doesn't really matter where a carb comes from. What matters is what it comes WITH. Eating a food that has only carbs is not nearly as beneficial as eating a food that has both carbs and micros.
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To be honest though, it's pretty easy to hit micronutrient goals with a diet is full of variety. And health is less determined by micronutrients than it is body composition, activity and genetics. Otherwise, you wouldn't see stories like the twinkie guy.Health can be determined by what you
Consume, how else do we get the essential vitamins and minerals required?
If you are deficient in your micros You will be unable to train optimally.
This isn't to suggest that you shouldn't have a diet of whole foods, it just means that if you incorporate junk food, it shouldn't affect anything. And it certainly hasn't stopped me from performing well. Heck, many bodybuilders report having PR sessions after coming off their competitions and downing a ton of junk.
All I said was a carb isn't just a carb
When you require the amount of cals
That pro bodybuilding do, I'd imagine it would be hard to hit your daily total without some junk food.
I find 4.5k a struggle1 -
Whole Milk & Nut Butter0
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To be honest though, it's pretty easy to hit micronutrient goals with a diet is full of variety. And health is less determined by micronutrients than it is body composition, activity and genetics. Otherwise, you wouldn't see stories like the twinkie guy.Health can be determined by what you
Consume, how else do we get the essential vitamins and minerals required?
If you are deficient in your micros You will be unable to train optimally.
This isn't to suggest that you shouldn't have a diet of whole foods, it just means that if you incorporate junk food, it shouldn't affect anything. And it certainly hasn't stopped me from performing well. Heck, many bodybuilders report having PR sessions after coming off their competitions and downing a ton of junk.
All I said was a carb isn't just a carb
When you require the amount of cals
That pro bodybuilding do, I'd imagine it would be hard to hit your daily total without some junk food.
I find 4.5k a struggle
But it is. No matter how many times you write it, it doesn't change the facts. What does someones intake have to do with this discussion?0 -
To be honest though, it's pretty easy to hit micronutrient goals with a diet is full of variety. And health is less determined by micronutrients than it is body composition, activity and genetics. Otherwise, you wouldn't see stories like the twinkie guy.Health can be determined by what you
Consume, how else do we get the essential vitamins and minerals required?
If you are deficient in your micros You will be unable to train optimally.
This isn't to suggest that you shouldn't have a diet of whole foods, it just means that if you incorporate junk food, it shouldn't affect anything. And it certainly hasn't stopped me from performing well. Heck, many bodybuilders report having PR sessions after coming off their competitions and downing a ton of junk.
All I said was a carb isn't just a carb
When you require the amount of cals
That pro bodybuilding do, I'd imagine it would be hard to hit your daily total without some junk food.
I find 4.5k a struggle
Well a carb is a carb, but different foods have different nutrient profiles.0 -
Returning to foods. I have seen there are more nut butter about than just peanut. I have cashew butter and have seen almond, and last week hazel nut too, I even heard tell of walnut too. Nuts are good because they have, the better chain fatty acids, but that is a bit deep for me right now.
I think you are saying you are wishing to be just a little more rounded. I hope you discover your nutrient package to produce your preferred look.0 -
amerrick922 wrote: »Well if you gain weight, you won't get super toned or muscular looking, as you will be gaining around 75% of your weight in body fat, and that would be pending you follow a structured lifting program. If you need a list of items that are high in calories, I would recommend you look at this thread. You can either eat or drink calories and you don't need any type of protein bar or powder.
@psulemon My apologies, I did leave out the part about me going to the gym. I have a trainer and we do a little bit of everything including lifting. I guess my concerns are too that my body is already in shape with no effort. I was only 19% body fat and before 3 weeks ago I've never worked out before in my life. I don't think my trainer understands my concerns about being too physically fit for my personal liking but at the same time I was told that is the only way for me to gain weight (not sure how true this statement is)
Thanks for the thread of high calorie foods. It's awesome to know I don't need the protein powder,
No offense, but if you have not put any effort into it your not "in shape" Given our lifestyle, we need to either have a very physical job and/or do purposeful exercise to be "in shape".
Don't underestimate the value of a good strength program in shaping your body. Best of luck.
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amerrick922 wrote: »I've been super tiny my whole life. My weight has fluctuated between 132-138lbs since I was in 7th grade and I'm now 26 years old. I'm tall, 5'8" so although my weight is within "guidelines" as normal I still feel too skinny and am not happy with my appearance. Any suggestions on how to gain? I'm not looking to be super toned or muscular. Also looking for suggestions on food to purchase that won't break the bank. I've been trying protein powder, shakes, bars, etc. but they can be extremely costly so I've cut back on those a little since I didn't see much weight gain.
Oats - really cheap and excellent for weight gain.0
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