How Am I Supposed to Gain Weight?

[Ryan082493]

So I am 125 lbs right now (6' 0") and I have been trying to gain about 25 more for about a half a year now. I was eating complete junk food for probably the first 3 months (I was 110 lbs back then and gained 15 lbs in 3 months by eating just junk food!) but my skin and mood suffered. So I decided that I would rather be skinny with no acne than normal sized with tons of acne. I went on a water/fruit/vegetable/whole wheat bread diet for the last 3 months. I was extremely strict when it came to the diet but I ended up staying the same weight the whole time I was on it.

Recently, I've been trying to go half junk food and half healthy food to gain weight but it's still not working. Within the last month I've tried a very high calorie diet (probably +4000) and I'm still not gaining weight. It feels like I hit a wall somehow. :/ Oh, and I forgot to mention that for the whole 6 months, I have been doing an hour long workout every other day (which have given me extremely good results in regards to muscle tone but I'm still the same weight).

One of the big questions I have is how much protein should someone like me have in a day? Should I gradually increase the amount of protein I have? In what form should I have this protein? I'm on a $100 a week budget for food shopping so what should I be looking for when I'm shopping? I kind of want to stay away from the supplements cause of the price but I would try some if some of you have seen good results from any.

[krazylarry]

Eat more, what ever you are eating double it.

[tom183]

Are you sure that you're counting calories correctly? I'd be very surprised if you can't gain on 4000+ per day at your weight.

[RichMcGuire]

So I am 125 lbs right now (6' 0") and I have been trying to gain about 25 more for about a half a year now. I was eating complete junk food for probably the first 3 months (I was 110 lbs back then and gained 15 lbs in 3 months by eating just junk food!) but my skin and mood suffered. So I decided that I would rather be skinny with no acne than normal sized with tons of acne. I went on a water/fruit/vegetable/whole wheat bread diet for the last 3 months. I was extremely strict when it came to the diet but I ended up staying the same weight the whole time I was on it.

Recently, I've been trying to go half junk food and half healthy food to gain weight but it's still not working. Within the last month I've tried a very high calorie diet (probably +4000) and I'm still not gaining weight. It feels like I hit a wall somehow. :/ Oh, and I forgot to mention that for the whole 6 months, I have been doing an hour long workout every other day (which have given me extremely good results in regards to muscle tone but I'm still the same weight).

One of the big questions I have is how much protein should someone like me have in a day? Should I gradually increase the amount of protein I have? In what form should I have this protein? I'm on a $100 a week budget for food shopping so what should I be looking for when I'm shopping? I kind of want to stay away from the supplements cause of the price but I would try some if some of you have seen good results from any.

1) You say you "probably got +4000 Calories" a day which tells me you didn't record it daily. What happens to most people is they think they are eating 4k a day when in reality, once or twice a week they may get 4k, but the other days of the week are only 2k. You simply aren't eating enouggh.

2) What is your workout? When you say you got good "tone" from it, it sounds like you perhaps lost body fat since "toning" is simply the amount of tension in a muscle at rest. You may be doing too much with what you are eating.

3) if you want cheap Calories and protein, you might try whole milk throughout the day. Simply put, you just aren't eating enough to gain weight. Eat more or stay skinny.

[Ryan082493]

1) You say you "probably got +4000 Calories" a day which tells me you didn't record it daily. What happens to most people is they think they are eating 4k a day when in reality, once or twice a week they may get 4k, but the other days of the week are only 2k. You simply aren't eating enouggh.

2) What is your workout? When you say you got good "tone" from it, it sounds like you perhaps lost body fat since "toning" is simply the amount of tension in a muscle at rest. You may be doing too much with what you are eating.

3) if you want cheap Calories and protein, you might try whole milk throughout the day. Simply put, you just aren't eating enough to gain weight. Eat more or stay skinny.

1.) You're right about your first point for me for two days of the week (cause I am at college all day and only get two meals of fast food) although I usually do have a sandwich or two and a bowl of cereal at night on those days. On the other days, I'm constantly eating. I don't write down the calories I have but I do look at how many I'm having. So on my 5 off days, I have 2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, one tuna fish sandwich, probably 2 or 3 granola bars throughout the day, a bowl of cereal at night, a full size bagel usually in the mornings, and I try to eat 1000 calories just for dinner every night. For dinner, I actually do track how many calories I'm going to be having. Recently I've taken the unhealthy route eating pizza for dinner, but there's been several times I've had the whole family size Digiorno pizza. That's anywhere from 1800 to 2400 calories just for my dinner meal. But within the last 2 weeks, I have been getting a fat belly somehow. I would be fine with that if I were getting fatter in other places (especially my arms), but I'm not getting fatter anywhere else. Since I really don't like the belly I'm getting, I've upped my ab workouts by a ton in the last 2 weeks.

A big issue I want you to know is that whenever I've been eating like I said above, I weigh myself right before I go to sleep and I'm usually 128 or 129, so about 3 pounds heavier. But when I wake up in the morning I'm back to 123-125. Could this possibly be related to sleep? Cause on 5 of the 7 days of the week I am sleeping anywhere from 10 to 14 hours a night.

2.) My workout is mostly upper body/abdominal area. It usually consists of a couple sets of pushups, one handed pushups, lifting various weights, pull ups, wrist curls, 3 different kinds of crunches, and a couple sets of jackknives. After the workout I can literally see the results in the mirror and I'm always satisfied obviously cause I look bigger. (For example, my biceps are taller, meaning they look big from the side, but they aren't very wide because I'm guessing I need to gain more weight) But a big problem occurs after I take a shower after workout - I usually always have a glass of water, a tuna fish sandwich, and an apple after workout, but I feel REALLY skinny for the rest of the night, I don't know why. Should I think about buying things to make a shake of some sort after my workout? Also, since I've noticed I've been getting a gut, I have been doing strictly abdominal workouts every day. On my non-workout days, I do 1100 crunches and 100 jackknives in a span of about 20-25 minutes. On my workout days, I do the usual two sets of 200 crunches and 50 jacknives - which isn't that much cause I'm trying to target my upper body. I've been doing that routine for about a week and haven't seen many results yet. :/

3.) I could try whole milk definitely since I haven't given that a try yet. But I've heard that overconsumption of dairy products could possibly lead to bad acne? I used to have some acne and pretty much got over it, but I really don't want to go back to having acne again.

[chevelle2291]

2.) My workout is mostly upper body/abdominal area. It usually consists of a couple sets of pushups, one handed pushups, lifting various weights, pull ups, wrist curls, 3 different kinds of crunches, and a couple sets of jackknives. After the workout I can literally see the results in the mirror and I'm always satisfied obviously cause I look bigger. (For example, my biceps are taller, meaning they look big from the side, but they aren't very wide because I'm guessing I need to gain more weight) But a big problem occurs after I take a shower after workout - I usually always have a glass of water, a tuna fish sandwich, and an apple after workout, but I feel REALLY skinny for the rest of the night, I don't know why. Should I think about buying things to make a shake of some sort after my workout? Also, since I've noticed I've been getting a gut, I have been doing strictly abdominal workouts every day. On my non-workout days, I do 1100 crunches and 100 jackknives in a span of about 20-25 minutes. On my workout days, I do the usual two sets of 200 crunches and 50 jacknives - which isn't that much cause I'm trying to target my upper body. I've been doing that routine for about a week and haven't seen many results yet. :/

You aren't seeing any results because your workout program sucks.

[Ryan082493]

You aren't seeing any results because your workout program sucks.

But I am seeing a ton of results. Because of what I've been doing, I look like I weigh 20 pounds more than I actually do. The only thing I'm trying to work on is getting rid of the gut that I've seriously just gained within the last 2 weeks. I said that I'm not seeing any results yet probably,for one, it's going to take longer than a week doing hard abdominal training to burn the fat off in my stomach.

[chevelle2291]

You're right. Keep doing what you're doing. You'll look like Zyzz in no time.

[Bako Lifter]

Everything you are saying is wrong. I could type pages and pages of advice but everything I would say has already been said on this forum a billion times. Go to the articles on this site, read all of them. Go to elitefts.com, go to articles, search for the ones that have bulk, diet, etc in the title. Read all of them. Then come back with any more questions you might still have. I bulked from 95lbs the summer before high school to 170 when I graduated. It's not that complicated after you've read all what I've told you to read.

If you choose not to read and take advice of people who know what they're talking about, I wouldn't be surprised if you are <135 next year (which is basically anorexic at 6', regardless of what you perceive yourself as in the mirror through your own eyes) doing what you're doing.

[Cards]

First, when you're 125 lbs and 6 foot, there's no way you have a gut. Chances are you're just so incredibly skinny your stomach is sticking out making it appear as if you have a gut.

Second, you should be eating at least half a cow a day. I mean, you should be able to look at food and gain weight.

[T o m m Y]

http://www.wannabebig.com/forums/sho...y-J.M.-Blakely

[RichMcGuire]

But I am seeing a ton of results. Because of what I've been doing, I look like I weigh 20 pounds more than I actually do. The only thing I'm trying to work on is getting rid of the gut that I've seriously just gained within the last 2 weeks. I said that I'm not seeing any results yet probably,for one, it's going to take longer than a week doing hard abdominal training to burn the fat off in my stomach.

Gaining weight and getting rid of a gut are not 2 goals you can really obtain at the same time. Either be happy with a gut for now and continue to gain weight, or drop weight and lose the gut.

[RichMcGuire]

A big issue I want you to know is that whenever I've been eating like I said above, I weigh myself right before I go to sleep and I'm usually 128 or 129, so about 3 pounds heavier. But when I wake up in the morning I'm back to 123-125. Could this possibly be related to sleep? Cause on 5 of the 7 days of the week I am sleeping anywhere from 10 to 14 hours a night.

Yes, when you weigh yourself at night when you have a lot of shit in your belly, you will weigh more than in the morning. Thats why you need to weigh yourself at consistent points.

2.) My workout is mostly upper body/abdominal area. It usually consists of a couple sets of pushups, one handed pushups, lifting various weights, pull ups, wrist curls, 3 different kinds of crunches, and a couple sets of jackknives. After the workout I can literally see the results in the mirror and I'm always satisfied obviously cause I look bigger. (For example, my biceps are taller, meaning they look big from the side, but they aren't very wide because I'm guessing I need to gain more weight) But a big problem occurs after I take a shower after workout - I usually always have a glass of water, a tuna fish sandwich, and an apple after workout, but I feel REALLY skinny for the rest of the night, I don't know why. Should I think about buying things to make a shake of some sort after my workout? Also, since I've noticed I've been getting a gut, I have been doing strictly abdominal workouts every day. On my non-workout days, I do 1100 crunches and 100 jackknives in a span of about 20-25 minutes. On my workout days, I do the usual two sets of 200 crunches and 50 jacknives - which isn't that much cause I'm trying to target my upper body. I've been doing that routine for about a week and haven't seen many results yet. :/

You can "see" the results because you are pumping blood the same way a bodybuilder would backstage before a pose down. Those "results" vanish in the shower because you lost the blood pump. If you want real results, you'll need to train your entire body and find movements that you can easily increase the weight on...squats, deadlifts, benchpresses, rows, pullups, over head presses, etc.

3.) I could try whole milk definitely since I haven't given that a try yet. But I've heard that overconsumption of dairy products could possibly lead to bad acne? I used to have some acne and pretty much got over it, but I really don't want to go back to having acne again.

more thoughts

[RhodeHouse]

This one is so my speed, I just don't have the patience.

OP, you need to really get some solid knowledge before you ask questions.

1. You're not eating nearly enough
2. You're not consistent
3. Your workout is terrible, at best
4. You make excuses
5. Pick 1 goal and achieve it. You can't serve 2 masters

Read and educate yourself. Eat while you're doing it.

[ZAR-FIT]

A few notes:
1. in all honesty it sounds like you need to visit with a clinical dietitian specializing in eating disorders.
2. doing ab exercises doesnt eliminate fat around your stomach
3. the weight differential w/ sleeping is from water loss. not fat.
4. Stop starving yourself during the day and binging at night. Eat protein and carbs all day. Just cause your in college is seriously the worst excuse. I competitively bodybuilt all through college.
5. More consistency, more dedication, less rationalizing and excuses.

Its harsh, but its honest

[K.Huget]

1. Listen to the advice of the posts above
2. Read the FAQ's ; you are supposed to read them before posting
3. Read a book on thermodynamics so that you can understand the calorie balance
4. Track your calories on a website with CONSISTENCY.

[Munky]

Yo broski your 125lbs stop worrying so much about having a gut. Eat more and get yourself on a good routine.

[Songsangnim]

1.) You're right about your first point for me for two days of the week (cause I am at college all day and only get two meals of fast food) although I usually do have a sandwich or two and a bowl of cereal at night on those days. On the other days, I'm constantly eating. I don't write down the calories I have but I do look at how many I'm having. So on my 5 off days, I have 2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, one tuna fish sandwich, probably 2 or 3 granola bars throughout the day, a bowl of cereal at night, a full size bagel usually in the mornings, and I try to eat 1000 calories just for dinner every night. For dinner, I actually do track how many calories I'm going to be having. Recently I've taken the unhealthy route eating pizza for dinner, but there's been several times I've had the whole family size Digiorno pizza. That's anywhere from 1800 to 2400 calories just for my dinner meal. But within the last 2 weeks, I have been getting a fat belly somehow. I would be fine with that if I were getting fatter in other places (especially my arms), but I'm not getting fatter anywhere else. Since I really don't like the belly I'm getting, I've upped my ab workouts by a ton in the last 2 weeks.

A big issue I want you to know is that whenever I've been eating like I said above, I weigh myself right before I go to sleep and I'm usually 128 or 129, so about 3 pounds heavier. But when I wake up in the morning I'm back to 123-125. Could this possibly be related to sleep? Cause on 5 of the 7 days of the week I am sleeping anywhere from 10 to 14 hours a night.

2.) My workout is mostly upper body/abdominal area. It usually consists of a couple sets of pushups, one handed pushups, lifting various weights, pull ups, wrist curls, 3 different kinds of crunches, and a couple sets of jackknives. After the workout I can literally see the results in the mirror and I'm always satisfied obviously cause I look bigger. (For example, my biceps are taller, meaning they look big from the side, but they aren't very wide because I'm guessing I need to gain more weight) But a big problem occurs after I take a shower after workout - I usually always have a glass of water, a tuna fish sandwich, and an apple after workout, but I feel REALLY skinny for the rest of the night, I don't know why. Should I think about buying things to make a shake of some sort after my workout? Also, since I've noticed I've been getting a gut, I have been doing strictly abdominal workouts every day. On my non-workout days, I do 1100 crunches and 100 jackknives in a span of about 20-25 minutes. On my workout days, I do the usual two sets of 200 crunches and 50 jacknives - which isn't that much cause I'm trying to target my upper body. I've been doing that routine for about a week and haven't seen many results yet. :/

3.) I could try whole milk definitely since I haven't given that a try yet. But I've heard that overconsumption of dairy products could possibly lead to bad acne? I used to have some acne and pretty much got over it, but I really don't want to go back to having acne again.

1.

So on my 5 off days, I have 2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, one tuna fish sandwich, probably 2 or 3 granola bars throughout the day, a bowl of cereal at night, a full size bagel usually in the mornings, and I try to eat 1000 calories just for dinner every night.

That is not 4000+ calories. And ab workouts are not going to do a thing for your belly fat. To lose fat you must diet. At your height and weight though I doubt that you have much of a gut to lose. And if you want to gain weight (muscle) some fat is going to come along with it as well.

As far as the differing weight issue goes, you weight more at night because you have food in your stomach. Not so in the morning hence why you weight less. This is normal.

2. Your workout is garbage. You look bigger afterwards because your muscles are pumped full of blood. But this is temporary. The results do not last. It seems that you are just working chest, abs and arms. You are not going to see a lot of results from that...plus you are setting yourself up for potential injury due to muscular imbalance.
You must work legs and back to get the most out of your workouts. These are the biggest muscles in your body. Start learning to squat and deadlift for starters.
And be patient. Rome wasn't built in a day. Of course you aren't going to see much results in a week...or even a month. Think in terms of years. This is a long slow process for most of us.

3. Whole milk is a good weight gainer. Others (high protein) include beef, chicken, tuna...there are plenty of other alternatives

[K Y L E]

But a big problem occurs after I take a shower after workout - I usually always have a glass of water, a tuna fish sandwich, and an apple after workout, but I feel REALLY skinny for the rest of the night, I don't know why.

Could it be because you are REALLY skinny?

If you're worried more about acne than anorexia, carry on, otherwise, fix your workout program to something where you move heavy weights (StrongLifts 5x5 sets up a good foundation), and even more importantly, eat until you're about to puke, wait a few minutes, then eat more.

A good diet for you would be anything that you can get your hands on. Aim for 250 grams of protein and 4000 actual calories. Eat chicken, peanut butter, pizza, who cares, its all delicious and it'll make you bigger.

You can do it man.
I BELIEVE IN YOU.

[Adrien22]

I want you to know is that whenever I've been consuming like I said above, I think about myself right before I go to rest and I'm usually 128 or 129, so about 3 weight bulkier. But when I awaken in the day I'm returning to 123-125....

[MyFood]

A few notes:
1. in all honesty it sounds like you need to visit with a clinical dietitian specializing in eating disorders.
2. doing ab exercises doesnt eliminate fat around your stomach
3. the weight differential w/ sleeping is from water loss. not fat.
4. Stop starving yourself during the day and binging at night. Eat protein and carbs all day. Just cause your in college is seriously the worst excuse. I competitively bodybuilt all through college.
5. More consistency, more dedication, less rationalizing and excuses.

Its harsh, but its honest

Agreed. Your diet isn't serving you. Have you tried to plan your meals or cook/freeze them in advance to ensure you're getting what you need? This is a good solution since you're in college and are maybe thinking of meals without advanced notice or planning.

[DontTakeEmOff31]

But I am seeing a ton of results. Because of what I've been doing, I look like I weigh 20 pounds more than I actually do. The only thing I'm trying to work on is getting rid of the gut that I've seriously just gained within the last 2 weeks. I said that I'm not seeing any results yet probably,for one, it's going to take longer than a week doing hard abdominal training to burn the fat off in my stomach.

At 125 at 6 feet you don't look 20 lbs heavier than you are, you look like a skinny scrawny kid that most women weigh more than. Don't ever think anything else, you are scrawny. You are not seeing results. Your program (if you would call it that) isn't working. If you can somehow convince yourself otherwise you must have one hell of an ego.

Listen to the advice that was given. Why are abs your goal when you weigh 125? At best you will continue to portray your anorexic image.