NEED GAIN WEIGHT

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Hi there,
A friend recommened that this was the best place to find out how much calories your going to need to bulk up. I've been skinny most of my life and badly want to gain weight to a point where I'm not fat and not skinny. Ive bought weight gainers and yet to see what it can do for me as its coming in the post.
My target is per day 2036 calories a day. Thats a lot.
I currently work in a call centre which means sitting in the office all day along for 12 hours. I see myself fit as I play football and cricket at least once a week. Im only 22 (Im still dreaming of becoming a footballer lol)

Are their any recommendations of item of foods I can eat in order to help me reach my 2000 or so target per day.

Replies

  • Kate_UK
    Kate_UK Posts: 1,299 Member
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    Things like peanut butter sandwiches are good as they are high in calories.
  • Hernandezedw
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    Meat. And lots of it.
  • jellybaby84
    jellybaby84 Posts: 583 Member
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    Haha, I'm not sure this is the right place for you to be posting about gaining weight - not if you want friends anyway! (joke)

    I don't know - nuts? fatty fish? creamy sauces?

    You could just gorge on junk food but that wouldn't exactly be healthy.

    You could work out with weights to bulk up your muscle weight.
  • leelu
    leelu Posts: 136 Member
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    are you sure 2000 calories is enough? if your a young male that exercises that doesnt seem like enough to be Gaining weight - check all your input are correct.

    I would think you should be looking at healthy carbs and protein, (whole grain bread and cereals, meat, nuts, eggs) but if your looking to build muscle you will need to keep up the weights as well
  • Keefypoos
    Keefypoos Posts: 231 Member
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    as far as I am aware
    you need to aim for a 20% increase over your maintaince Kcals so a 22 male being 5' 11" and Weighing 150lbs lightly Active needs


    2,413 Kcalsor there abouts to bulk up you gotta add 20% to this making 2895 Kcals
  • Nuclear_Synthesis
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    Lots of protein, low fat. Chicken, eggs, nuts etc.. You need to work out too to bulk up seen as you dont want fat, you want muscle
  • tiggersstar
    tiggersstar Posts: 193 Member
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    i could eat 2,000 cal's just with pudding......not sure why you think 2,000 cal's is a struggle?

    :flowerforyou:
  • Keefypoos
    Keefypoos Posts: 231 Member
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    i could eat 2,000 cal's just with pudding......not sure why you think 2,000 cal's is a struggle?

    :flowerforyou:

    I can so relate to this!
  • Nuclear_Synthesis
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    Now i want cake!! Haha. Na, you need to make sure its the right calories though, which is when it becomes a problem. A whole cake isnt going to get you very far =p
  • sqenixs
    sqenixs Posts: 6
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    To gain weight I started eating 2600 cal per day but it's a real struggle for me, mainly because I don't get up early enough in the day. I did manage to eat 2600 for a straight week but saw minimal weight gain, so I'm thinking of trying to go up to 3000 a day but I'm not sure how I will get the extra calories since I already can barely do 2600.
  • glitterbonez
    glitterbonez Posts: 1 Member
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    Yeah you will need more than 2000 calories or so a day to gain weight most people eat around 2000 and maintain their weight if you add in 500 more calories a day to 2500 you would gain maybe 1 pound a week maybe not because your metabolisim might kick in and burn it all you need alot of calories to gain weight it is hard. If you want to the best source of nutrition would be drinking supplement drinks such as ensure and boost plus they dont taste that bad you can also pour them in a dish and freeze it and eat it as ice cream. When I had to gain weight I was on 4 a day and still didnt gain that much and the pluses are around 350 cal each so thats an extra 1400 calories i was eating in addition to 2000 so your metabolisim speeds up quite a bit if your starting to feed it more than its use to if you were starving your self of nutrients. Other wise try peanut butter, nuts, cheese, dark chocolate higher calorie nutritious foods
  • shauna121211
    shauna121211 Posts: 575 Member
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    If you want to gain weight and not get fat, you need to hit up the gym and eat lots of lean protein! The muscle heads that are always at the gym work really hard and eat lots of lean meat and veggies to bulk up. Tuna, Chicken, Eggs, Protein shakes....
  • redwithglasses
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    While I am jealous of your situation, I totally feel for you. It doesn't matter which side of the body-image coin you are on, you want to feel good about yourself.

    Try looking at a diabetic diet for a frame of reference, because those keep carbohydrates down and blood sugars stable. That will help maintain your metabolism which, for you, means building muscle tissue.

    NOW, add about an extra half serving of protein for every meal, and use coconut milk, avocados and nuts for fats. That should bring you in at about 2100kcal/day, maybe 22.

    Good luck!!
  • auba2004
    auba2004 Posts: 12
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    just a question....have u been checked for hyper thyroidism???? my brother is 15 and is on the football team but hes reallllllly skinny! Hes tried eating more to bulk up and nothing was working...turns out he has hyperthyroidism! Over active thyroid. He just got on meds so hopefully it helps!..in the mean time eat cake..lol jk jk
  • verair
    verair Posts: 63 Member
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    Let me just say....

    YOU'RE SO LUCKY. :explode:
  • sportsforfun
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    I have the same body type as you where it is very hard to gain weight. In order to gain I have been focusing on a 3,500 calorie diet per day so your 2,000 cal/day diet is way too low. I would shoot for at least 3,000 to gain any weight. Also, you want these calories to be very good calories where you eat 1.0-1.5xBW in grams of protein and 2.0-2.5xBW in grams of carbohydrates. Your carbs should be whole wheats, grains and such.Try to space your meals into 5 or 6 meals a day. This increases your metabolism so you will feel hungrier throughout the day. This will also help you gain muscle and not just pack on all fat while you gain. Lifting weights 3x a week will also help you so you don't gain all fat.

    Some good foods for you are: Chicken, eggs, milk, yogurt, lean beef, oatmeal, brown rice, sweet potatoes, tuna, fish, whole wheat pasta, low fat cheese, a good protein drink/weight gainer is also a must.

    If you need some other ideas on foods or how to eat enough, check out my food diary. Just remember, have something to eat every 2-3 hours.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,701 Member
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    Hi there,
    A friend recommened that this was the best place to find out how much calories your going to need to bulk up. I've been skinny most of my life and badly want to gain weight to a point where I'm not fat and not skinny. Ive bought weight gainers and yet to see what it can do for me as its coming in the post.
    My target is per day 2036 calories a day. Thats a lot.
    I currently work in a call centre which means sitting in the office all day along for 12 hours. I see myself fit as I play football and cricket at least once a week. Im only 22 (Im still dreaming of becoming a footballer lol)

    Are their any recommendations of item of foods I can eat in order to help me reach my 2000 or so target per day.
    Height and current weight?