Are you a hard gainer, please read!
Replies
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So on February I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. Yes, Hypo, not Hyper. Turns out a bit odd because I weigh 128 and Im 5’9 . Skinny as hell.
What do you guys thinks its happening with me?I talked to my doctor about it and she brought up a couple of common symptoms and I HAD NONE OF THEM. Add that to the fact that I have a very fast metabolism(I take five meals per day and go like 3 times to the bathroom), which is weird cause people with hypothyroidism tend to be fat and I’m just like the skinniest guy you’ll ever meet. I dont even have that “skinny belly” that many ectomorphs have, im literally a stick lol
Anyways, she ran some blood tests on me and everything seemed to be on the good numbers, the only thing standing out was that I had a low protein level, but nothing that I couldnt fix through diet. She just prescribed me levothyroxine 50mcg to take every morning. And ive been taking it for at least three months now.
I was supposed to get my blood tested again on april but due to covid19 that never happened and now There’s no way of knowing if the pill has been effective or not. So I just keep taking it until I can get tested again. Hopefully soon.
Have you ever heard of a hardgainer with hypothyroidism? I think that adds another weight to my bulking up path.1 -
So on February I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. Yes, Hypo, not Hyper. Turns out a bit odd because I weigh 128 and Im 5’9 . Skinny as hell.
What do you guys thinks its happening with me?I talked to my doctor about it and she brought up a couple of common symptoms and I HAD NONE OF THEM. Add that to the fact that I have a very fast metabolism(I take five meals per day and go like 3 times to the bathroom), which is weird cause people with hypothyroidism tend to be fat and I’m just like the skinniest guy you’ll ever meet. I dont even have that “skinny belly” that many ectomorphs have, im literally a stick lol
Anyways, she ran some blood tests on me and everything seemed to be on the good numbers, the only thing standing out was that I had a low protein level, but nothing that I couldnt fix through diet. She just prescribed me levothyroxine 50mcg to take every morning. And ive been taking it for at least three months now.
I was supposed to get my blood tested again on april but due to covid19 that never happened and now There’s no way of knowing if the pill has been effective or not. So I just keep taking it until I can get tested again. Hopefully soon.
Have you ever heard of a hardgainer with hypothyroidism? I think that adds another weight to my bulking up path.
So your numbers might be normal FOR YOU. Maybe not to the average adult which would lead to this diagnosis. But maybe YOU don’t have it per say. Hormones are weird.0 -
So on February I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. Yes, Hypo, not Hyper. Turns out a bit odd because I weigh 128 and Im 5’9 . Skinny as hell.
What do you guys thinks its happening with me?I talked to my doctor about it and she brought up a couple of common symptoms and I HAD NONE OF THEM. Add that to the fact that I have a very fast metabolism(I take five meals per day and go like 3 times to the bathroom), which is weird cause people with hypothyroidism tend to be fat and I’m just like the skinniest guy you’ll ever meet. I dont even have that “skinny belly” that many ectomorphs have, im literally a stick lol
Anyways, she ran some blood tests on me and everything seemed to be on the good numbers, the only thing standing out was that I had a low protein level, but nothing that I couldnt fix through diet. She just prescribed me levothyroxine 50mcg to take every morning. And ive been taking it for at least three months now.
I was supposed to get my blood tested again on april but due to covid19 that never happened and now There’s no way of knowing if the pill has been effective or not. So I just keep taking it until I can get tested again. Hopefully soon.
Have you ever heard of a hardgainer with hypothyroidism? I think that adds another weight to my bulking up path.
There are a variety of reasons why you are probably not the "normal" person with hypothyroidism. First, women tend to be 5-8x more likely to get hypothyroidism as compared to men. Also, there are a bunch of symptoms and maybe you didn't have one of the ones listed.
Either way, the bigger question, have you ever tracked your calories? IME, a ton of people think they have a crazy fast metabolism but in the almost 11 years I have been on MFP, i can really only remember 1 or 2 who had to eat 6000 calories daily to gain weight. Often, we discover people don't have big appetites. For example, me vs my "hard gainer" friend. His normal breakfast is 1 egg with a little cheese, some hash browns and a coffee. My normal breakfast is 4-6 eggs , avocado, salsa, cheese, onions and peppers. His breakfast is liken 400 calories. Mine is 650-800.
What i am getting at, first thing would be log your foods to see where you lie. Second, how active are you? Do you workout a lot? Are you walking/moving around a lot during the day (like 10,000 steps or more a day)?0 -
So on February I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. Yes, Hypo, not Hyper. Turns out a bit odd because I weigh 128 and Im 5’9 . Skinny as hell.
What do you guys thinks its happening with me?I talked to my doctor about it and she brought up a couple of common symptoms and I HAD NONE OF THEM. Add that to the fact that I have a very fast metabolism(I take five meals per day and go like 3 times to the bathroom), which is weird cause people with hypothyroidism tend to be fat and I’m just like the skinniest guy you’ll ever meet. I dont even have that “skinny belly” that many ectomorphs have, im literally a stick lol
Anyways, she ran some blood tests on me and everything seemed to be on the good numbers, the only thing standing out was that I had a low protein level, but nothing that I couldnt fix through diet. She just prescribed me levothyroxine 50mcg to take every morning. And ive been taking it for at least three months now.
I was supposed to get my blood tested again on april but due to covid19 that never happened and now There’s no way of knowing if the pill has been effective or not. So I just keep taking it until I can get tested again. Hopefully soon.
Have you ever heard of a hardgainer with hypothyroidism? I think that adds another weight to my bulking up path.
There are a variety of reasons why you are probably not the "normal" person with hypothyroidism. First, women tend to be 5-8x more likely to get hypothyroidism as compared to men. Also, there are a bunch of symptoms and maybe you didn't have one of the ones listed.
Either way, the bigger question, have you ever tracked your calories? IME, a ton of people think they have a crazy fast metabolism but in the almost 11 years I have been on MFP, i can really only remember 1 or 2 who had to eat 6000 calories daily to gain weight. Often, we discover people don't have big appetites. For example, me vs my "hard gainer" friend. His normal breakfast is 1 egg with a little cheese, some hash browns and a coffee. My normal breakfast is 4-6 eggs , avocado, salsa, cheese, onions and peppers. His breakfast is liken 400 calories. Mine is 650-800.
What i am getting at, first thing would be log your foods to see where you lie. Second, how active are you? Do you workout a lot? Are you walking/moving around a lot during the day (like 10,000 steps or more a day)?
I never had any of the usual symptoms. In fact, soon after I started taking the pill every day, I started feeling a lot more tired. And Im not sure if that was my Hypo or the fact that one of the instructions for my “treatment” was to take the pill on an empty stomach two hours before having my first food intake(of the day). So I had to interrupt my sleep at 6am everyday just so I could wake up again at 8am to have breakfast as usual.
Anyways, regarding your question about tracking my calories, yes, I started a 2900 calorie diet last week and so far Im doing good. Im not expecting to see any changes for at least 3 to 5 weeks cause I know It might be a slow process. What Ive noticed so far is that I feel more active but also more gassy and ive realized that now I have to go the bathroom three or four times a day. Its not a problem for me but I wonder if its normal.(?)
I take 5 meals per day: breakfast, snack, lunch, snack(post-workout),dinner. Should I add a 6th one? Maybe a little snack before I go to bed?
Im a dancer/actor/singer, so I am very active. I travel long distances, I walk a lot, 90% of my classes involve some kind of body work. Since now I am in quarantine, I move a lot less but still, Im used to be very active.
I’d say I train at home everyday, consistently. I work on every part of my body but I include stretching and yoga as well. For example:
Monday: Chest, Arms and Stretching 40min
Tuesday: Abs(Core) and Stretching 40min
Wednesday: Legs and Yoga(acrobatics) 40mi
Thursday: Chest, Arms and Stretching 40min
Friday: Abs(Core) and Stretching 40min
Saturday: Legs and Yoga(acrobatics) 40 min
Domingo: rest & eat
Additionally, I have dance classes everyday in the morning through Zoom, I dont really move a lot since I dont have that much space but I guess Im still burning calories because it kinda works the same as cardio.
I am sorry if anything sounds confusing or if I misspelled something. As you may have noticed, English is not my first language, so It can get a little bit difficult to find the right words/expressions to make myself clear.
Thanks a lot!0 -
So on February I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. Yes, Hypo, not Hyper. Turns out a bit odd because I weigh 128 and Im 5’9 . Skinny as hell.
What do you guys thinks its happening with me?I talked to my doctor about it and she brought up a couple of common symptoms and I HAD NONE OF THEM. Add that to the fact that I have a very fast metabolism(I take five meals per day and go like 3 times to the bathroom), which is weird cause people with hypothyroidism tend to be fat and I’m just like the skinniest guy you’ll ever meet. I dont even have that “skinny belly” that many ectomorphs have, im literally a stick lol
Anyways, she ran some blood tests on me and everything seemed to be on the good numbers, the only thing standing out was that I had a low protein level, but nothing that I couldnt fix through diet. She just prescribed me levothyroxine 50mcg to take every morning. And ive been taking it for at least three months now.
I was supposed to get my blood tested again on april but due to covid19 that never happened and now There’s no way of knowing if the pill has been effective or not. So I just keep taking it until I can get tested again. Hopefully soon.
Have you ever heard of a hardgainer with hypothyroidism? I think that adds another weight to my bulking up path.
There are a variety of reasons why you are probably not the "normal" person with hypothyroidism. First, women tend to be 5-8x more likely to get hypothyroidism as compared to men. Also, there are a bunch of symptoms and maybe you didn't have one of the ones listed.
Either way, the bigger question, have you ever tracked your calories? IME, a ton of people think they have a crazy fast metabolism but in the almost 11 years I have been on MFP, i can really only remember 1 or 2 who had to eat 6000 calories daily to gain weight. Often, we discover people don't have big appetites. For example, me vs my "hard gainer" friend. His normal breakfast is 1 egg with a little cheese, some hash browns and a coffee. My normal breakfast is 4-6 eggs , avocado, salsa, cheese, onions and peppers. His breakfast is liken 400 calories. Mine is 650-800.
What i am getting at, first thing would be log your foods to see where you lie. Second, how active are you? Do you workout a lot? Are you walking/moving around a lot during the day (like 10,000 steps or more a day)?
I never had any of the usual symptoms. In fact, soon after I started taking the pill every day, I started feeling a lot more tired. And Im not sure if that was my Hypo or the fact that one of the instructions for my “treatment” was to take the pill on an empty stomach two hours before having my first food intake(of the day). So I had to interrupt my sleep at 6am everyday just so I could wake up again at 8am to have breakfast as usual.
Anyways, regarding your question about tracking my calories, yes, I started a 2900 calorie diet last week and so far Im doing good. Im not expecting to see any changes for at least 3 to 5 weeks cause I know It might be a slow process. What Ive noticed so far is that I feel more active but also more gassy and ive realized that now I have to go the bathroom three or four times a day. Its not a problem for me but I wonder if its normal.(?)
I take 5 meals per day: breakfast, snack, lunch, snack(post-workout),dinner. Should I add a 6th one? Maybe a little snack before I go to bed?
Im a dancer/actor/singer, so I am very active. I travel long distances, I walk a lot, 90% of my classes involve some kind of body work. Since now I am in quarantine, I move a lot less but still, Im used to be very active.
I’d say I train at home everyday, consistently. I work on every part of my body but I include stretching and yoga as well. For example:
Monday: Chest, Arms and Stretching 40min
Tuesday: Abs(Core) and Stretching 40min
Wednesday: Legs and Yoga(acrobatics) 40mi
Thursday: Chest, Arms and Stretching 40min
Friday: Abs(Core) and Stretching 40min
Saturday: Legs and Yoga(acrobatics) 40 min
Domingo: rest & eat
Additionally, I have dance classes everyday in the morning through Zoom, I dont really move a lot since I dont have that much space but I guess Im still burning calories because it kinda works the same as cardio.
I am sorry if anything sounds confusing or if I misspelled something. As you may have noticed, English is not my first language, so It can get a little bit difficult to find the right words/expressions to make myself clear.
Thanks a lot!
If you aren't seeing weight gain in a week, I would add another 300 calorie snack or use some of the tricks I had in my initial post. The key for gaining weight is consistency and adjusting based on actual results. In terms of exercise, you are missing a lot of body parts (i.e., back and shoulders). I would recommend getting on one of the below programs. And given how active you are, I would try to reduce the amount of activity you have. So I would drop the yoga. And if you have enough stretching as part of your dance routine, I would drop the extra stretching. At this point, not over-exerting yourself and getting adequate rest will give you much better gains. Below is a link to routines. I would look at a 3 day lifting routine.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1
In terms of semantics, you are in the normal range. I am a 37 yr old guy, 5'11", 164, with a desk job and I maintain at 2800-3000 calories. Most guys around here maintain around 2600-3000. The reason you have suck "high" calories is you are crazy active.0 -
I just realized I gained almost 12 pounds over a month of working out and eating more than I used to. I started on May 13th at 128 lbs and now im at 139!!
Its crazy.
Since the beginning, Ive been using MFP to track my calories and macros. This is a breakdown of my daily goals for the past 40 days
Calories: 3180 (Reality: I usually end up eating around 4000 per day)
(30%)Protein: 239g (Reality: -10g/+10g)
(50%)Carbs: 398g (Reality: -10g/+60g)
(20%)Fat: 70g (Reality: I always go above it, usually around 150g-200g)
Im very happy that I actually gained weight despite of my Hypothyroidism, although, now that I think about it, maybe it actually helped me make some gains.
Still, I cant find any info on the risks of eating even more calories than what you need to gain weight. I actually dont know what the minimum amount of calories my body needs in order to gain weight is cause i started straight on a high number which has been effective so far. Considering that Im 6’0” and weigh 139lbs, do you think 4000 calories, 240g of protein and 398g of carbs divided in 3 meals and 2 snacks might be a little too much for me?
*I work out every other day for around 60-70 mins*
You can also check my diary on MFP if youd like to, I write down every single thing I eat/drink.
Thanks!
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If you gained 12 lbs in a month, its largely going to be fat. It would put your maintenance calories around 2500. So anything over that would make you gain, give or take. You would need to research on obesity. That are the negative. Stating lean and muscular is how you stay healthy.1
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Yeah, if youve gained 12lbs in one month,its highly likely that its a lot of fat.0
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Bump0
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Great thread. Thanks for the info. Really helpful.1
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How to gain weight if you are sugar intolerant ?0
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jeffraschal wrote: »How to gain weight if you are sugar intolerant ?
Fats. Nuts, nut butters, cooking oils, avocados, fatty fish, etc. Saturated fats like those in beef, pork, and chicken also have a good amount of calories but may come with health risks if consumed in excess.
Fats are way more calorie dense anyway. 9 calories per gram versus 4.0 -
jeffraschal wrote: »How to gain weight if you are sugar intolerant ?
How are you sugar intolerant? Do you mean diabetic? Your body runs on glucose and fatty acids.0 -
Bump0
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6 years later, still the most helpful thread for me personally.2
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ranaluqman2003 wrote: »6 years later, still the most helpful thread for me personally.
Glad you enjoy it0 -
Thanks for this. Ive just added a post to mfp community because i generally want to gain weight and came across this link, soooo reading the above, eat all the unhealthy and fattening food?0
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@jadorex40x don’t look at food as healthy or unhealthy- it is a rather nebulous concept. (Good nutrition can improve ones health but food isn’t healthy or unhealthy it has nutrients and calories that need to be balanced to fit ones needs for good health)
Look at food as fulfilling your nutritional needs. For some fattening foods fulfill their need, others not so much.
ie: I eat full fat yogurt it helps with my fat goal, protein goal, and calorie goal. Calorie goal as it is low volume to calories and as I am not a volume eater that works for me. Others choose the 0 fat as they prefer more volume and need the extra cals that the fat gives for more filling voluminous food.
Also once I have all my nutrition covered a couple of biscuits, piece of cake or whatever takes my fancy, though not nutritionally rich, are still providing the calories needed to to gain or maintain. And sometimes that is all that is needed.
It’s a balancing act that needs a whole overall view rather an item by item view.
Cheers, h.
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jadorex40x wrote: »Thanks for this. Ive just added a post to mfp community because i generally want to gain weight and came across this link, soooo reading the above, eat all the unhealthy and fattening food?
@Jadorex, every word of what @middlehaitch said above about totality of eating.
Even so, let's look at that list of suggested calorie dense foods from the OP: Many items on that list also appear on lists of so-called "superfoods". In what way would those be unhealthy? If you don't want to eat the more treat-like foods, eat the so-called "superfoods", any of the things that are both nutrient-dense and calorie dense.
On top of that, if you want to gain weight, "fattening" food is your friend. "Fattening" just means calorie dense. You need calories in order to gain weight. It's mainly your exercise routine, your overall nutrition, and the size of your calorie surplus that will determine how much lean tissue vs. fat you gain. You need a calorie surplus to gain any kind of weight, by definition.
Here's that list again:- Avocado
- Nuts, granola
- Chia seed
- Olive/Coconut Oil (as a dressing or to cook in)
- Peanut/Almond/Pumpkin/etc butter
- Full fat mayonnaise
- Butter, dressing and spreads
- Greek Yogurt (higher fat options)
- Cheese (put that crap on everything or eat a brick of it)
- Creams (sour cream, cream cheese)
- Ice cream, chocolate, candy
- Chocolate/Strawberry milk
- Bagels (I use P28 protein bagels and top with peanut butter and jelly/jam)
- Pancakes (if you want a "healthier" version, then go protein pancakes)
- Waffles
- Muffins/Scones
- Syrup, honey, jams, fluff, Nutella
- Marinade all meats - especially oil based marinades
- Add sauces to foods
- High sugar fruits (pineapple, banana, mango, apples, etc...)
- High calorie protein bars (Cliff Builder, Cliff Energy Bars, etc...)
- High calorie protein drinks (put in milk)
- Red meats (Buffalo, Bison, Steak, 80/20 Hamburger, Duck, Ribs)
- Dark Fish (Salmon,Tuna)
- Bacon (thick cut)
- Eggs
- Starches (potatoes, corn, etc..)
- Pizza
- Rice
- Couscous
- Honey Buns
- Pudding
- etc...
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jadorex40x wrote: »Thanks for this. Ive just added a post to mfp community because i generally want to gain weight and came across this link, soooo reading the above, eat all the unhealthy and fattening food?
A diet should compromise of highly nutrient dense foods to address your nutritional needs and then eat some less nutritional items to get more calories. Not once did i say eat all highly processed junk.
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