Fast Metabolism

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jack1336
jack1336 Posts: 38 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Hello. I do the 5x5 strength training workout, eat a total of 3,000+ calories a day. I work out 3-4 times a week (every other day). I drink a lot of milk (1%) and almost every day go for a brisk and therapeutic walk for 20 min at night. I also take prescription adderall and lexipro. And yet I can’t seem to gain alot of muscle. Not only that. My weight doesn’t change at all: ranging between 197-200. One week I’ve seem to have lost weight. I also have fat on my body and I don’t know where it’s coming from. I think some might even be on my chest. Can someone please tell me what I’m doing wrong?retki1ybhs51.jpg
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  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    edited August 2018
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    If you aren't gaining you are consuming maintenance calories.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Swap the 1% for full fat milk to start with if you're trying to gain? You can't gain muscle without fat, unless you go for a bit of recomp?
  • PaulChasinDreams
    PaulChasinDreams Posts: 439 Member
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    Calculate your BMI. Figure out what you burn on an average day and what you need for calories/macros each day to gain muscle mass. Make sure you get in adequate amounts of protein to feed and grow your muscles. Lot's of different science/research/theories on the best amount and ratios of macro's to take in while trying to put on lean mass. So read up on it, try it our for awhile and see if that works for you and adjust from there. I'm friends with power lifters and bodybuilders and have been in power lifting myself in the past pretty seriously and I can say we see a lot of variance between macro ratio's with folks bulking. You're calories/macro ratios you take in to hit your goals will also depend on your cardio work too in relation to your weight lifting.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    also the adderall can speed up metabolism as well. any of those kinds of meds can have an effect on metabolism as its a stimulant so it can also cause appetite supression too. are you finding that you arent as hungry?. you will need more calories like they say and fat. can I ask why you are taking adderall with lexapro? as there are major interactions taking the 2 of them together as the lexapro can increase the effects of the adderall. I would ask your dr asking why if he didnt tell you already.

    and its an amphetamine(adderall) so it can have a negative effect on testosterone too so that can make it harder to build muscle as well,it can also cause rhabdo. ive read it can cause a catabolic state. so maybe some of the more informed people here can look into their resources and its possible thats one reason.
  • jack1336
    jack1336 Posts: 38 Member
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    Hey
    sardelsa wrote: »
    Ok first off.. what are your goals? What are your stats? Based on your bodyfat% (at least from what I see in your photo) I would reconsider bulking at this time. Maybe look into recomp (maintaining your weight to lose fat and gain muscle over time) or cut down a bit more before you bulk, you want to be fairly lean since when you bulk you put on both fat and muscle, and you want to give your body the best chance of putting on the most muscle.

    So what you do will depend on your stats and goals.

    My Goal is to be lean and buff. Big Arms, Chest, abs, the works. I take in 3,700 calories daily.
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    also the adderall can speed up metabolism as well. any of those kinds of meds can have an effect on metabolism as its a stimulant so it can also cause appetite supression too. are you finding that you arent as hungry?. you will need more calories like they say and fat. can I ask why you are taking adderall with lexapro? as there are major interactions taking the 2 of them together as the lexapro can increase the effects of the adderall. I would ask your dr asking why if he didnt tell you already.

    and its an amphetamine(adderall) so it can have a negative effect on testosterone too so that can make it harder to build muscle as well,it can also cause rhabdo. ive read it can cause a catabolic state. so maybe some of the more informed people here can look into their resources and its possible thats one reason.
    I was thinking of taking Multi enzyme pills but I need to ask my doctor about it first. As for Testosterone. I’ve asked multiple different doctors and they all said it doesn’t effect at all. Except the metabolism part, and appetite. I have made gains but not as fast as I think I could. Something is definitely off.
  • jack1336
    jack1336 Posts: 38 Member
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    cathipa wrote: »
    If you aren't gaining you are consuming maintenance calories.

    Which is....
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    edited August 2018
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    jack1336 wrote: »
    Hey
    sardelsa wrote: »
    Ok first off.. what are your goals? What are your stats? Based on your bodyfat% (at least from what I see in your photo) I would reconsider bulking at this time. Maybe look into recomp (maintaining your weight to lose fat and gain muscle over time) or cut down a bit more before you bulk, you want to be fairly lean since when you bulk you put on both fat and muscle, and you want to give your body the best chance of putting on the most muscle.

    So what you do will depend on your stats and goals.

    My Goal is to be lean and buff. Big Arms, Chest, abs, the works. I take in 3,700 calories daily.
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    also the adderall can speed up metabolism as well. any of those kinds of meds can have an effect on metabolism as its a stimulant so it can also cause appetite supression too. are you finding that you arent as hungry?. you will need more calories like they say and fat. can I ask why you are taking adderall with lexapro? as there are major interactions taking the 2 of them together as the lexapro can increase the effects of the adderall. I would ask your dr asking why if he didnt tell you already.

    and its an amphetamine(adderall) so it can have a negative effect on testosterone too so that can make it harder to build muscle as well,it can also cause rhabdo. ive read it can cause a catabolic state. so maybe some of the more informed people here can look into their resources and its possible thats one reason.
    I was thinking of taking Multi enzyme pills but I need to ask my doctor about it first. As for Testosterone. I’ve asked multiple different doctors and they all said it doesn’t effect at all. Except the metabolism part, and appetite. I have made gains but not as fast as I think I could. Something is definitely off.

    what are enzyme pills going to do? all they do is help break down food. as for testosterone yes it does effect it as well as blood flow because it can cause erectile dysfunction and cause your libido to tank. so yes it effects hormones. gains are going to be slow anyway gains dont come quickly,building muscle takes time.
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,217 Member
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    I'm with Sardelsa, it's better to get lean first, then worry about adding size. Here's a good read on p-ratio from Lyle McDonald that discusses why bulking from a lean starting point is more efficient: https://bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/calorie-partitioning-part-1.html/

    As far as dialing in your actual TDEE, I've used a google sheet posted by u/nsuns on reddit for over a year, and in that time I've felt more in control of my weight than trying to use any other method. Input daily weight and calories consumed, the sheet back-calculates your TDEE. I've found it to be pretty bang-on, certainly better than the HRMs I've used in the past. https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/wiki/getting_started
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    I recommend getting very specific with your goals. You can then get specific on what it takes to achieve those goals.

    Replace "lean and buff" with "14% bodyfat" (as example).

    Get specific and detailed with everything. Caloric intake and output first, then macros. 5 x 5 is a beginning strength development program - you will gain muscle if you are in caloric surplus and a progressive lifting schedule. You will likely incorporate some additional exercises over time to develop desired muscle groups.

    What time frame are we talking about here? It takes months & years to put on muscle, not days/weeks.
  • Keto_Vampire
    Keto_Vampire Posts: 1,670 Member
    edited August 2018
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    Agreed with others, lean AND buff is a bit nebulous & not noticeably attainable (takes years of recomposition or illicit substance use). Might want to try leaning down ("cutting") & see where you can get to (plateau) then go from there (gradual/very slow bulk). I often find one will have a good balance of leanness & muscle a few weeks after hitting an absolute low with leanness (early start of bulk/kcal surplus)...lean but not depleted looking. Being able to maintain that look is extremely difficult (worth the effort?)
  • jack1336
    jack1336 Posts: 38 Member
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    I’m going to check my BMI with YMCA tomorrow, but i’ve been underweight most of my life and I’ve never had alot of fat(just a spare tire thing on the front bottom). Alot of this is contradictory. (Adderall does or doesn’t kill gains, same goes for cardio). It’s half and half I can’t tell.

    This is very confusing.
  • Tic78
    Tic78 Posts: 232 Member
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    It shouldn’t really be confusing, your bodyfat isn’t low enough, it’s that simple, if you bulk now you will mainly put on fat. As far as I can see people are mainly saying you should cut to a lower body fat percent and then lean bulk with a small 250 surplus over maintenance. The other option is to recomp which is basically what you are already doing where weight doesn’t go up or down. It is far slower than cutting.
  • h1udd
    h1udd Posts: 623 Member
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    how long have you been lifting on sl5x5 ...... noticable results for me are normally 3 months apart. but when a small amount of muscle is covered by a layer of fat, you cant always see the results in all the places.
  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
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    What is your daily calorie intake? You said in one post 3000. The next 3700. How certain are you that you're actually hitting that calorie mark?


    Big arms, buff chest? What about developed delts, impressive back, and incredible legs? You forgot some of the most important muscle groups.

    To lean out you need to eat in a deficit. So you'll have to cut your calories and make due with not making much progress in terms of muscle growth for the next bit as you decrease fat stores.

    Then start a slow bulk afterwards and work your way back up.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    jack1336 wrote: »
    I’m going to check my BMI with YMCA tomorrow, but i’ve been underweight most of my life and I’ve never had alot of fat(just a spare tire thing on the front bottom). Alot of this is contradictory. (Adderall does or doesn’t kill gains, same goes for cardio). It’s half and half I can’t tell.

    This is very confusing.

    adderall can affect hormones including testosterone which means if you dont have enough testosterone your gains will be minimal. its why women dont gain muscle as quick as men do.we dont have the testosterone to do so. we also wont get bulky like men can. so if it causes issue with testosterone then yes it could "kill" gains. but you would probably have to be tested on and off the meds to see where your testosterone levels are. Im sure its going to vary person to person. of course needing enough calories in a normal situation is the main thing. Im not saying that the meds are the issue at all but it could be part of the issue along with not enough calories to gain appreciable muscle mass.

    are you still underweight?
  • Keto_Vampire
    Keto_Vampire Posts: 1,670 Member
    edited August 2018
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    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    jack1336 wrote: »
    I’m going to check my BMI with YMCA tomorrow, but i’ve been underweight most of my life and I’ve never had alot of fat(just a spare tire thing on the front bottom). Alot of this is contradictory. (Adderall does or doesn’t kill gains, same goes for cardio). It’s half and half I can’t tell.

    This is very confusing.

    adderall can affect hormones including testosterone which means if you dont have enough testosterone your gains will be minimal. its why women dont gain muscle as quick as men do.we dont have the testosterone to do so. we also wont get bulky like men can. so if it causes issue with testosterone then yes it could "kill" gains. but you would probably have to be tested on and off the meds to see where your testosterone levels are. Im sure its going to vary person to person. of course needing enough calories in a normal situation is the main thing. Im not saying that the meds are the issue at all but it could be part of the issue along with not enough calories to gain appreciable muscle mass.

    are you still underweight?

    Sorry this is just quite wrong; nothing in the package insert or any credible database suggests there is any significant impact on testosterone levels. Appetite suppression; sure; growth retardation in still developing pediatrics & adolescents; sure, but not applicable to adult OP.

    End of drug dealer rant
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    edited August 2018
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    Keto_Vampire wrote: »
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    jack1336 wrote: »
    I’m going to check my BMI with YMCA tomorrow, but i’ve been underweight most of my life and I’ve never had alot of fat(just a spare tire thing on the front bottom). Alot of this is contradictory. (Adderall does or doesn’t kill gains, same goes for cardio). It’s half and half I can’t tell.

    This is very confusing.

    adderall can affect hormones including testosterone which means if you dont have enough testosterone your gains will be minimal. its why women dont gain muscle as quick as men do.we dont have the testosterone to do so. we also wont get bulky like men can. so if it causes issue with testosterone then yes it could "kill" gains. but you would probably have to be tested on and off the meds to see where your testosterone levels are. Im sure its going to vary person to person. of course needing enough calories in a normal situation is the main thing. Im not saying that the meds are the issue at all but it could be part of the issue along with not enough calories to gain appreciable muscle mass.

    are you still underweight?

    Sorry this is just quite wrong; nothing in the package insert or any credible database suggests there is any significant impact on testosterone levels. Appetite suppression; sure; growth retardation in still developing pediatrics & adolescents; sure, but not applicable to adult OP.

    End of drug dealer rant

    do some research and look up the side effects it can cause. it says it can cause a decline in testoserone,and cause erectile dysfunction as well as cause sexual dysfunction and cause a plummet in your sex drive. so that means a decline in testosterone as well as possible other hormones. so no its not wrong https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1909523/?page=1
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1909523/

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