How do you gain weight?

[Hax]

Inspired by Myth's thread: I've been underweight for as long as I can remember, and I've tried several times (unsuccesfully) to gain weight. How does one go about doing that? Any tips or advice would be welcome.

I eat pretty much anything, no allergic or dietary restrictions.

[naut]

I'm by no means the biggest, but this worked for me.

Eat. Your body can't grow without the basic building blocks. Calculate your TDEE, then eat 500cal above it per day. Importantly, make all these calories a balance of protein, fat and complex carbs. Sugar will just make you tired and/or fat.

Exercise, preferably weightlift. You'll want your body to use the these extra macro nutrients to grow. If you can't weightlift (no access to a gym, etc) you can also try bodyweight exercises, weighted cardio, swimming, etc. A basic training scheme is 3 alternate days a week (i.e. Mon, Wed, Fri). It is possible to train more, but when gaining = more calories required. Plus when just starting 3 days a week is a much more reasonable and achievable goal.

Posture and form. As you grow and do strenuous exercises any postural problems you have will manifest. Stretch daily, I recommend Defranco's Agile 8 or Limber 11. Pick one, stick to it.

Further reading:
Gainit
Bodyweight Fitness

[Sp4]

Play video games and eat pizza all day =X

[Strike For The South]

whole milk
12 eggs
meat

deadlift

repeat

[Rhyfelwyr]

I used to be extremely skinny too, so I can advise you from personal experience.

Rather than just worrying about what to do, I think you should first worry about getting yourself in a position where you make sure you actually do it. Get a solid routine with eating your meals. Do not skip any. This is the most important point.

Now, unless you want to just gain fat, do some strength exercise. You probably don't want to go as far as weightlifting, so even just do press up variations and some other body weight exercises 3 times a week - they give surprisingly good results.

I am a slob, I either sit all day at work or spend all weekend on my latop/TV. I have not moved above walking pace in years. And yet, people always comment on how I am in good shape. This is simply because I spend half an hour three times a week doing body weight exercises, and I eat healthily and regularly. I think this is prisoners' secret to getting in shape.

As for foods for weight gain, whole fat milk is all you need. Drink 2 litres a day for around 1,300 calories and you will easily tip your calories balance into weight-gain territory. It is also full of protein and thus ensure you do not just gain fat, so long as you exercise. This was my main secret in going from around 145 lbs to 200 lbs. I now sit at around 180 lbs and have made sure it is a lean 180 lbs by getting plenty of protein (I was getting a noticeable belly at my biggest).

So - drink milk, keep your meals regular, and do your press ups.

[Hax]

Thanks guys

Yes, I am one of those freaks that can sit on the couch all day eating chocolate cake and pizza and not gain any weight. tbh, I was a vegetarian for six years, then I grew up.

EDIT: Keeping meals regular might be a problem, I have classes on Monday and Thursday from 6.30 until 9.30 PM, so that sucks.

[Major Robert Dump]

Beer milk shakes

[Kagemusha]

If you want to gain fat. Eat lot of carbs and do not and i repeat do not move unless absolutely necessary. If you want to gain muscle or tone.Eat lot of protein and move.

[Fragony]

Why would you want to, it's just your build. Like in rps's.

[Hax]

Yes why would anyone want to improve their body?

[naut]

Why would you want to, it's just your build. Like in rps's.

While I understand and respect the notion of being comfortable in who you are.

Patently untrue. When I left high school I was a scrawny 143lbs. I thought I had a fast metabolism, a big fat lie. My parents had just been underfeeding me.

Took responsibility, did the research, ate and exercised. At my heaviest I was 178lbs, never above 18% BF.

Unfortunately I got really sick last year and lost almost all of it and my strength as well. Currently 168lbs and working way back up to it. When I settle down I'm aiming for heavier and lower fat percent, maybe 190lbs, 15%.

So Hax go for it, feel free to ask any questions and good luck. There is plenty admirable in it, be it the discipline required or the desire to live healthy and be the best you can be.

[Fragony]

Of course you can gain some weight but you will reach a critical point, what you gained you already had, you will get that 'extra' muscle very easily very fast. But then it stops. I have the same strength as people who are much bigger than me, I am as tight as a drum but I won't get any bigger, just harder.

[Strike For The South]

Of course you can gain some weight but you will reach a critical point, what you gained you already had, you will get that 'extra' muscle very easily very fast. But then it stops. I have the same strength as people who are much bigger than me, I am as tight as a drum but I won't get any bigger, just harder.

Im going to chalk this up to bad english

[Flavius Aetius]

Well gaining weight is easy. You eat more than you use. I assume you mean "good weight", otherwise known as lean muscle. You need to do three things. Workout, Eat good healthy options at the right amounts, and sleep. All three of those things together will give you the results you probably want. If you do one or two of those things you will not see the desired results.

Now as for me personally. I am currently coming off of a controlled winter bulk so I will just give an idea of my workout plan and feeding schedule as of now.

I switch workouts around probably every 12 weeks or so to target my goal areas or because I am bored. So currently I am doing a workout that focuses on my neck and traps (traps are the most important muscle for looking yoked). Before this workout I used the Texas Method. Both are probably considered powerlifting style routines and focus on strengths not aesthetics. This particular workout was designed by Jim Wendler who is a stud. It goes as follows

Monday
OHP
Chin Ups
Close Grip Bench
Band Pull Aparts
Seated Shrugs
Neck Flexion

Tuesday
Deadlift
Squat
KettleBell
Abs
Neck Flexion

Thursday
Bench Press
Karowski Shrugs
Incline Press
Face Pulls
Tricep Pulldowns
Neck Flexion

Friday
Hang Clean
Squat
Good Mornings
Kettlebell
Ab Work
Neck Flexion

Also add in a lot of interval and long distance running. Note the schedule is because it works so well with my personal schedule which is how I found the workout originally. I wouldn't suggest you do this as it is not novice friendly. Instead I would suggest you do a workout called Starting Strength which is a novice friendly weightlifting program. I would also recommend mixing in running as you see fit, purely because I like running. Now you may not want to lift weights or have access to a gym in which case I would suggest finding a sick bodyweight workout. The good ones will make you hate your life. Personally I would suggest starting with something slow paced and designed to get you up and moving if you haven't been that active before this. If you are reasonably active I would suggest doing a military recommended prep workout for a specialty school like Rangers or BUDS. I personally have done and recommended this workout to friends and would highly encourage it; http://www.passranger.com/p/physical-training.html Now this requires some basic equipment so there is this other one I found (was a better one I remember from high school that I couldn't find but whatever) http://www.passranger.com/p/physical-training.html . Ignore all of the blah blah stuff at the top and just scroll down. You can replace the swimming if you have issues with it with bike or more running.

As for diet. Go google tdee calculator and find out your thresholds. now eat more than that. A lot more. Use this to track how much you are eating. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ . It is a helpful little tool. Also try to get 1g of protein for every pound of lean muscle you have. The easiest way to hit your calorie goals is to buy a mass gainer which will mostly be protein and shit tons of calories. I use these vials with 500 calories and 50g of protein in them and take two a day. They are incredibly phallic in nature but are awesome. Protein powder and mass gainers is perfectly fine to use. I also use creatine and it does have an effect (may be greater for you since you were/are? a vegetarian may not make a difference at all) and I also take fish oil because BCAA dawg. If you eat right then you will have less clean up to do in regards to your new weight gain but if you eat dirty you will have an easier time hitting your calories. Personally, I eat pretty dirty because I don't want to be a slave to this stuff.

And finally sleep the proper amount. If you don't you will regret it and progress will be slow to not at all.

Also the whole faster metabolism thing is a myth unless you have an actual health issue there is very little variation in peoples metabolisms like from the fastest to the slowest is supposedly a range of 500 calories. What is actually happening is likely one of two things. You don't realize how much food a calorie is and under eat thinking you are eating a lot. Or you eat a lot in short bursts. Like you won't eat all day and then at the end of the day you have like a pizza or something and are full. This is compounded if people are with you and are like wow you must eat a lot. Then the myth grows in your head you eat a lot. You said you are a vegetarian so I wouldn't be surprised if it was option 1. A lot of vegetarians are rather light eaters. This is why using a calorie tracker is very important.


tldr; there was nothing of substance here I just wanted something to do while I took a poop.

[Fragony]

Im going to chalk this up to bad english

Tell him I said hi, weird name who calls his kid Bad English

[Crazed Rabbit]

Flavius, I like the cut of your jib.

Hax - Naut, Flavius and Rhyfelwyr all have good advice.

CR

[LeftEyeNine]

I was very skinny too back in my teenhood days.

I started gaining weight when I got my own job and had to eat from outside because I don't like cooking at all. When you eat lots of hamburgers, pizzas and other unhealthy foods, at some point, your body stops its ability to lose fat intaken. That's not the healthy way of gaining weight at all but it helps with your build, may boost your confidence (considering you're not eating morbid-obese levels that would get you BBW booties or manbreasts). You can always pick up a diet and be careful with your intake of fat, sugar, salt and pastry to even your weight out.

The healthy way has been described above, however, I reckon you'd need to inflate a bit first. Because as my workout trainer said "fat ones yield better results if they workout like you do. Because they are already huge in volume and getting ripped is easier for them given the discipline of training".

Still, love handles are not pleasant at all. I'd hit the gym if I were at your age had I had the opportunity to do so. You'll have try a lot harder, since you are an ectomorph, however determination will get you where you'd like yourself at.

Good luck.

[The Lurker Below]

Eat healthy, exercise regularly, and don't worry about it. The pounds will come when they're ready to. If people don't like it, they ain't gotta look. Between 165 and 205 there has been a few fifths of Beam and Coke passed around. Some weed was smoked, which led to a few pointless meals. And a good cook was married. A few years have passed, and they've all been better thanks to eating, drinking, being merry.