# How do you gain weight???



## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

I need to gain weight in a world bent on losing it! I'm like 5'9" and only 125lbs and only got like 4-5% body fat. I can take in like 4000 cals a day and I don't exercise at all and I can barely gain a lb which I end up losing the next day. I would go to the gym but I'm afriad of losing what little fat that I have. I hate being skin and bones... any suggestions?? How do you gain muscles without losing weight?? :stu


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## Pip (Jan 14, 2004)

I've gained a much needed 14 pounds in the past few months by drinking a smoothie every morning with my breakfast. A smoothie can help add the extra calories you need. I make mine with a couple scoops of protein powder. The one I make has about 600 calories per serving, along with a healthy dose of good fats and about 25 grams of protein.


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## ABetterTomorrow (May 17, 2005)

Every healthy person can gain weight. I agree that you probably arent eating 4000 calories a day. At your size and weight 4000 calories is alot for an inactive person. 
If you want to ensure that you gain weight, write down everything you eat for a week. Count up the calories and average each days calories for the week. If you havent gained or lost weight then this will be your base number. Start gradually increasing your calories each week and you will gain weight.

If thats too anal for you, then just eat more food. Obviously even if you eat alot now, its not enough.


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## ABetterTomorrow (May 17, 2005)

Pip said:


> I've gained a much needed 14 pounds in the past few months by drinking a smoothie every morning with my breakfast. A smoothie can help add the extra calories you need. I make mine with a couple scoops of protein powder. The one I make has about 600 calories per serving, along with a healthy dose of good fats and about 25 grams of protein.


I think this is a great way to add extra calories. I make my own weight gaining shakes. Oats, Whey, Peanut Butter, and Milk or Water. You can get as much as 1000 calories out of them.


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## SAL (Dec 11, 2003)

*Weight gain!*

ummmmmmmm I remember at your age I also wanted to gain weight... Well you wanna gain weight just start drinking alcohol and then your age will also add on pounds lol :fall 
No all jokes aside like everyone else is saying just strength train to build mass which mean lift heavy avoid cardio and eat lots of protein.


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## Username (Oct 27, 2004)

Consume more calories than you burn. Just keep that in mind and the rest is easy.

But since your body resists putting on fat you'll need to strength train to put on flesh your body won't reject - muscle.

Avoid cardio, at least until you start putting on dozens of pounds of flesh. By that time you'll want to keep your heart in tune with your higher weight otherwise you'll risk seriously stressing your ticker.

cheers


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## Hopefulicious (Nov 25, 2004)

Check out http://www.musclegaintips.com/. That program is geared towards skinny dudes, aka ectomorphs.

I actually bought this 3 years ago but finally began to do the diet and exercise program for the past 9 weeks. I've gained about 22 pounds thus far, the majority being lean mass. I'm currently on a 3000 calories diet.

I'm 5'11" and 160 lb. now, at about 14% body fat. I was 138 lb. and about 11% bf before. I'm planning to get to 175 lb. and 8% bf ultimately.


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## Zephyr (Nov 8, 2003)

Eat pizza, and lots of it.


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## Caedmon (Dec 14, 2003)

Zephyr said:


> Eat pizza, and lots of it.


 :agree

I also recommend getting on an antidepressant. Worked for me! (Unfortunately.) See if you can't get on Remeron or Amitryptiline; I guarantee you will gain weight.


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## Bon1 (Jan 17, 2005)

Elavil, they still prescribe that!


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## Hopefulicious (Nov 25, 2004)

Also, check out http://www.skinnyguy.net Some good articles there

Just to clarify, I actually take in 3000 calories on weightlifting days only (three days a week) and 2600 on the rest days since I take a drink called Ultrafuel as my post workout drink.


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## instil (Aug 19, 2005)

Noca said:


> I need to gain weight in a world bent on losing it! I'm like 5'9" and only 125lbs and only got like 4-5% body fat. I can take in like 4000 cals a day and I don't exercise at all and I can barely gain a lb which I end up losing the next day. I would go to the gym but I'm afriad of losing what little fat that I have. I hate being skin and bones... any suggestions?? How do you gain muscles without losing weight?? :stu


Hey, check your private messages. First i responded to the post, but it became so long i didnt want to kill the thread with this really long post, so i sent it to you personally. Its about how i was also 5'9 125 skinny and weak, and in a few months had girls sweating me, and rediculously high self esteem.


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## Edicius (Jul 13, 2005)

Before I injured my shoulder I was weight lifting a lot and eating all day.
I went from 140lbs to 190lbs (I'm 6foot6) and looked much better.

You should go check on some bodybuilding forums like http://forum.bodybuilding.com/

First you have to calculate how many kcal your body needs,
how many you'll burn during the day, and at 500kcal to gain muscle.

Then you have to make a good workout routine (look at examples on the site)
be sure to train each muscle once a week very hard.
(if you train muscle twice or more they wont grow unless you have the genetics for it)

you'll be a huge mofo within a few years if you do it right !

edit: btw, dont start using anabolics, they wont help if you dont have a good base
(I'm not saying you gonna use them, just warning ya)


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## Caedmon (Dec 14, 2003)

So, here's my "get big" plan, Noca:

1. Take Remeron or Paxil (or stay on Zyprexa if you don't mind it). Or similar fatty antidepressants.

2. Lift weights. That is to say, powerlift. Stick to squats, deadlifts, and bench presses, and do accessory exercises once in a while. There are many good powerlifting routines online, just google it.

3. Avoid about, ummm, 95% of everything you read about weightlifting or dieting. It's mostly crap. Avoid supplements and fad diets. Just eat quality food and get sufficient rest. Avoid steroids like the plague, unless you want to die at age 50. If you see any book, periodical, or website that features ugly monstery dudes with shiny shiny skin, little red sirens should go off in your head that you are reading a giant load of turtle crap.

4. Be patient. It takes time (months and years) to gain lean muscle mass.


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## instil (Aug 19, 2005)

Caedmon said:


> 3. Avoid about, ummm, 95% of everything you read about weightlifting or dieting. It's mostly crap. Avoid supplements and fad diets. Just eat quality food and get sufficient rest. Avoid steroids like the plague, unless you want to die at age 50. If you see any book, periodical, or website that features ugly monstery dudes with shiny shiny skin, little red sirens should go off in your head that you are reading a giant load of turtle crap.


Nah, he needs some creatine and protein. Hes not gonna eat 6 cans of tuna throughout the day, or probably eat much more than he does now. Hes skinny for a reason. I couldnt keep up with, or physically stomach all that eating. Protein/ high calorie shakes packed the pounds on when i was lifting regularly.


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## Zephyr (Nov 8, 2003)

wituckius said:


> Try to get on Paxil. I gained a LOT of muscle on paxil.


I gained a lot on Paxil too but unfortunately it wasn't muscle......


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

Well with Zyprexa I've been eating like 2-3x as much food. Went from 125lbs to 137lbs in bout 2 weeks? less? I've started working out already daily. As for the supplements, creatine for example I'm not so sure if I should take them.


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## Futures (Aug 27, 2005)

I took Optimum Nutritiuns "Seious Mass" when I wanted to make progress on lifting weights. I took 2 scoops a day. It worked to. I was increasing my workouts by 5 pounds every weeks. But after about 2 or 3 months I hit a plateau. So I stopped and went on a cardio spree to drop the weight i gained while trying to maintain the muscle i gained.


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## Username (Oct 27, 2004)

For God's sake don't switch prescription medication for the sole purpose of gaining weight.


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## Caedmon (Dec 14, 2003)

Mark said:


> Creatine is like steroids in that it will work while you're taking it but once you stop taking it you'll deflate.


Neither steroids nor creatine act in that way. However, steroids are extremely damaging when used as a bodybuilding supplement, and I don't recommend them.

Creatine isn't very dangerous but it is overrated. Creatine simply allows higher fluid capacity in skeletal muscle cells. This means that your muscles can store more energy and water. Creatine is helpful for higher-rep workouts, but not for aerobics or low-rep workouts.


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## instil (Aug 19, 2005)

well,im no expert. When i took creatine, it gave me temporary water weight (for as long as i used it), and made me somewhat stronger than when i wasnt loaded up with it. If you take advantage of that strength and lift more, get more muscle,and keep your protein intake up...Even when you lose the creatine water weight, youve gained muscle during the time you were on it, so it offsets. You dont NEED it, but if it makes you lift more,that doesnt hurt.


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## Scrotacles (Nov 13, 2003)

Caedmon said:


> Mark said:
> 
> 
> > Creatine isn't very dangerous but it is overrated. Creatine simply allows higher fluid capacity in skeletal muscle cells.


There are studies to suggest that the mass gained due to creatine isn't just water retention (see below). There are also other studies that suggest enhanced rates of muscle protein synthesis, increased satellite cell mitotic activity (an index of muscle hypertrophy), increased nitrogen retention and increased diameter of muscle fibers (particularly type II fibers) following creatine supplementation. There is also some evidence that intracellular hydration whether due to training, nutrition, etc. may act as an important anabolic signal favoring long-term net muscle protein synthesis. On a personel note, I tend to respond fairly well to creatine but response seems to vary. No doubt it isn't as effective as 'roids but is very cheap (<$100/year supply) and seems pretty safe in comparison to 'roids.

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Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol. 1999 Jul;80(2):165-8.

Effects of training and creatine supplement on muscle strength and body mass.

Francaux M, Poortmans JR.

Institut Superieur d'Education Physique et de Kinesitherapie, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.

The purpose of this study was to test the effect of creatine supplement on the size of the extra- and intracellular compartments and on the increase of isokinetic force during a strength training-program. Twenty-five healthy male subjects (age 22.0+/-2.9 years) participated in this experiment. Seven subjects formed the control-group. They did not complete any training and did not have any dietary supplement. The eighteen other subjects were randomly divided into a creatine- (n = 8) and a placebo-group (n = 10). They were submitted to a controlled strength-training program for 42 days followed by a detraining period of 21 days. Creatine and placebo were given over a period of 9 weeks. The size of the body water compartments was assessed by bioimpedance spectroscopy and the isokinetic force was determined during a single squat by means of an isokinetic dynamometer. These measurements were completed beforehand, at the end of the training period, and after the determining period. Both placebo- and creatine-group increased the isokinetic force by about 6% after the training period, showing that creatine ingestion does not induce a higher increase of the force measured during a single movement. No change in body mass was observed in the control- and placebo-groups during the entire experiment period while the body mass of the creatine-group was increased by 2 kg (P < 0.001). This change can be attributed partially to an increase (P = 0.039) in the body water content (+1.11), and more specifically, to an increase (P < 0.001) in the volume of the inter-cellular compartment (+0.61). Nevertheless, the relative volumes of the body water compartments remained constant and therefore the gain in body mass cannot be attributed to water retention, but probably to dry matter growth accompanied with a normal water volume.


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## sprinter (Nov 22, 2003)

I gained a lot of muscle in a very short time last winter and I was taking Phosphagen(creatine supplement). I thought the creatine might have had something to do with all the muscle gains but I have stopped taking it for a while now and haven't lost any muscle. I've been working out very infrequently as well sometimes training a muscle only once every two weeks. I'm also about to turn age 43 on Sept. 5. What explains the muscle gains I wonder? I gained around 15 pounds in about two months. I did follow what probably would be considered an unusual workout routine, sort of my own creation. I've always gained well on it but last winter was the best.


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## TheGMan (Jun 10, 2004)

Long ago I wanted to gain weight and ended up gaining way too much, but at your size, you are far away from worrying about that at all. You could probably eat fairly junkie and gain. Some will be fat, but you could certainly afford that.

Some things to consider:

Muscle is mostly water ( I think about 78%- perhaps explains something about creatine) and requires fewer calories than a comparable amount of fat ( i think around 600 vs. 3500 per pound). it is made of protein, but mostly water and requires carbohydrates and h2o also( water gained does not mean muscle isnt, muscle is mostly water, the key is drawing it into your muscles and not between them). if you were gaining pure muscle, you could literally gain a pound a week just drinking an extra glass of milk a day.

Personally, I dont like supplements too much though some are better than others. I used to spend like 200-300$ on Gold card day at GNC, so I may just be bitter about wasting a lot of money. But I find a lot of the best things I put in my body are cheap and from normal food sources. For example my 1.79 can of oats or 1.99 a pound chicken or $1/pd vegetables. Of course I am trying to eat clean, and do the opposite of you. However I do think if I was trying to gain weight, I would rather pigout on FOOD, not sups. A lot tastier and hey, if you are spending the money anyway...

A lot of people with low bodyweight and new to weight training can gain initially by just lifting anyway and eating a lot no matter what it is. but then you will plateau and need to change at some point probably.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

142lbs and going up! Been working out and eating like a horse.


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## instil (Aug 19, 2005)

you gained 17lbs since Aug 3????


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

Yes i did thx to zyprexa and working out like mad. Zyprexa is my miracle drug for gaining weight. Zyrprexa makes you eat everything in sight and your never full. I feel like I have so much more energy now. Much stronger! I've been really skinny all my life so its not like it was easy to gain weight for me.


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## instil (Aug 19, 2005)

dude im 5'8 130, and have been for 3-4 years. Whats zyprexa...is that a ssri???

Good for you though....tell these guys how much more self confident you are now that you hit the gym and got some muscle. It works wonders....good job though so far, those are amazing results i think, for only one month.


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## mimimaus (Aug 16, 2005)

*putting on weight*

hi,

energy input needs to be higher than energy out put. dont want to sound like a smart *** but its really that easy. lots of people have a hard time understanding that. i speak from personal experience as well, having lost 20 kg 5 years ago and have being able to maintain it.

and the suggestion for pizza was a good one. Go to zour supermarket and eat all those fatty frozen foods )where the pizzas are

thats where all the good things are lol

griselda


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## instil (Aug 19, 2005)

im gonna get killed for saying this, but:

its harder for naturally skinny guys to gain signifigant weight, than it is for the opposite bodied guy to lose signifigant weight. 
We can't eat all that...we just get full quick as hell. Furthermore, i could eat a thanksgiving feast everyday and go right to sleep afterwards....i burn it off instantly. Skinny guys have to put on muscle to maintain any weight gain. Or wait until their 30's when metabolism slows then they are skinny with a gut, then they round out eventually.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

Zyprexa is an anti-physchotic which is supposed to help my anxiety and insomnia but all I care about is its weight gain effect. I take it along with prozac (ssri) and Klonopin (benzo) for anxiety and depression.


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## countrybumpkin (Dec 31, 2004)

I agree with you Instil , guys have to wait till their metabolism slows a bit to gain serious weight , but when I was using creatine , I found it made my appetite HUGE (and I already ate quite a bit) so I did gain about twenty pounds on it . Problem was , it gave me REALLY nasty farts all the time  so I ended up stopping it.


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## drago762 (Nov 17, 2003)

I second this. Another good site is http://www.musclenow.com. I would also recommend the books "Beyond Brawn" and the Insiders Guide to Weightlifting Technique by Stuart McRobert (http://www.hardgainer.com), those two books saved me MUCH pain and frustration and are well worth the money.



Hopefulicious said:


> Check out http://www.musclegaintips.com/. That program is geared towards skinny dudes, aka ectomorphs.
> 
> I actually bought this 3 years ago but finally began to do the diet and exercise program for the past 9 weeks. I've gained about 22 pounds thus far, the majority being lean mass. I'm currently on a 3000 calories diet.
> 
> I'm 5'11" and 160 lb. now, at about 14% body fat. I was 138 lb. and about 11% bf before. I'm planning to get to 175 lb. and 8% bf ultimately.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

It's been a week now and I seem to have reached my limit at 143lbs (17lbs below my goal) with zyprexa and eating tonnes.


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## Caedmon (Dec 14, 2003)

Noca said:


> It's been a week now and I seem to have reached my limit at 143lbs (17lbs below my goal) with zyprexa and eating tonnes.


Your weight gain has probably only slowed down instead of stopped. BTW does it seem to help any of your psychological problems?


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## kev (Jan 28, 2005)

Drink lots of alcohol. But that will only give you a nice round tummy. I dont think thats what you want.


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