Is this Diet ok for someone extremely skinny?

[skinnyboyo]

Hello people,

I will cut a long story short, but many years ago I used to train and was of average build. However, over the past couple of years due to many reason, money included, stress etc etc and not being able to eat correctly, all my weight began to just plummet till the point I'm at now.

I always noticed I was becoming extremely underweight and this actually started to depress me. I've only been eating around 700-1000maximum per day in calories so obviously this is a major reason. I'm 5ft9 26 years old and weigh around 125-130 lbs (9stone in UK ). Every day/week/month has been the same, gradual weight loss and now I'm at my wits end considering I used to be motivated to keep in shape and keep size on me. I was never "huge" but I could lift some good weight for my size and weighed in which I was happy with, around 180-190lbs in my "peak". As you can see, I've lost a hell of a lot. Now I've had enough I just want to gain mass, even if a lot is fat - I'm not bothered.

I don't intend to train much, if any to start with due to many reason. One being, my knee is screwed at the minute along with my back but the main reason is I feel weak and just so dead on my feet with no energy in me what so ever. I also just want to gain as much weight as quick as possible on a tight budget before I just turn into a bag of bones, though I'm probably that anyway!

I ask, is it ok for me to gain 30lbs before I even consider lifting some good weight? I will still do the odd little session here and there to hopefully stop all the weight going to my stomach that would be a disaster!, Just nothing concrete in terms of a fitness regime, I will do squats/shoulders/chest just to hopefully get something flowing so my weight doesn't just hit my stomach like I say. Is that ok to do?

As for my diet, I will be as of tommorow doing 5x my current intake, so I will be hoping to hit 5000-6000 in calories per day. Is this going to work? Or is this going to be to much for my body to take and just end up wasted?

In an ideal world I want to gain 30lbs within 4weeks...I know I can gain weight if I try as I've done it before but here is my diet, tell me what you think..


Morning (breakfast)(7-9am): Porridge+(banana), 2pints milk. (1100calories)


Mid morning(10-11): Peanut butter sandwich (350 calories)


Lunch(12-1pm): 2x Noodles (700 calories) 1pint milk (350 calories) ((1000 calories)


Mid afternoo(1-3pm): 2pints Milk (700 calories)


"Tea" time (4-6): Meal (500calories approx)


Evening: (7-10pm): 2pints Milk, peanut butter sandwich, noodles (1500)

Total daily in take: approx 5150.+ (600cl Olive oil)




Now I know this probably isn't the most healthiest of diets but like I say, I just want go GAIN any sort of weight to give me a frame to build on and of course feel more confident about my appearance. I've always been one to feel more confident with a little bit of weight extra as opposed to less. At least I look healthy then.


Any advice would be great..

Thanks in advance.

[Behemoth]

You would be much better served to lift while trying to gain weight. You can gain it either way but if you're lifting very hard a much greater percentage will be muscle gain. You'll look better and feel better and could help to bring you out of your slump you're in.

You're diet is fine as far as food choices but if you're eating 700-1000 right now there is no need for you to eat the 5500 that you have laid out about. Shoot for 2500 or so see what that does for you. You should gain just fine somewhere around there and you'll save a lot of money not eating 5500 per day. That's extra money that could go towards a gym membership.

Feel free to PM me if you want or want some help and encouragement along the way. I know sometimes being in a low place can make you lose a lot of motivation for things. The biggest way to turn that around and get motivated is to start seeing changes. Get your foot back in the door with the lifting and the results you start to see may very well become infectious.

[skinnyboyo]

You would be much better served to lift while trying to gain weight. You can gain it either way but if you're lifting very hard a much greater percentage will be muscle gain. You'll look better and feel better and could help to bring you out of your slump you're in.

You're diet is fine as far as food choices but if you're eating 700-1000 right now there is no need for you to eat the 5500 that you have laid out about. Shoot for 2500 or so see what that does for you. You should gain just fine somewhere around there and you'll save a lot of money not eating 5500 per day. That's extra money that could go towards a gym membership.

Feel free to PM me if you want or want some help and encouragement along the way. I know sometimes being in a low place can make you lose a lot of motivation for things. The biggest way to turn that around and get motivated is to start seeing changes. Get your foot back in the door with the lifting and the results you start to see may very well become infectious.

Thanks for the reply Behemoth,

I appreciate that lifting will most likely benefit me more in gaining weight but without this sounding like some sob story, I'm that underweight I don't think I could pull myself to the gym at the minute as my appearance is so terrible, I really don't feel comfortable in myself at the minute. I can't walk around in t-shirts/shorts like I've always done when it's warm weather as it looks like I have chicken legs along with just such a small upper body frame. I think a lot is to do with how I used to look, when I look back at my older pictures and so on.

I do remember when I used to go to the gym the adrenaline that used to go through my body and used to feel on top of the world, just at the minute, I'd feel much more comfortable in just gaining, even 15lbs might get me back in the gym. I have some free weights in my garage along with a bench which I can do some shoulders/bench/deadlifts/chest and so on whilst in the progress just so I'm not crippled when I start the gym.

As for the diet, I'm glad it's ok, I just ask though when you say I could probably notice a difference if I eat 2500 rather than 5000, do you think the rest would be wasted with my current weight? Or is it possible that I would still gain much faster if I'm sticking 5-6k in calories a day in my body? At my peak I'd eat consistently at around 3000-4000 per day and maintain my weight whilst training but because of the reason I've stated I just want to gain, as much as possible first so I don't think it's a problem with me getting the calories in if I try hard enough. The majority is coming from full fat milk as you can see in my diet plan, it's actually one I found on google called the "GOMAD" milk diet. This apparently can put 25lb/s on in a month but time till tell!:)

The diet plan, will set me back only £25.00 per week so I think it's feasible to do.

I appreciate the encouraging words and I will hold you to that PM one day soon when I most likely hit a wall! hehe..

Thanks again.

[Alex.V]

There's nothing that he hasn't covered already, but I'd add that 5500 a day will simply get you fat. Sure your body will route a lot of that to where it's needed, but it's excessive.

Not going to the gym does sound like a bit of a sob story- I started lifting as an emaciated anorexic so I feel ya, but I think you can handle it too.

At the very least, start out on a program of some bodyweight exercises and get the muscles stimulated.