# My size makes me feel like a freak...



## ImWeird (Apr 26, 2010)

I'm underweight. Very, underweight. I'm 5'8" and I weigh about 120-125lbs, it fluctuates. This wouldn't be so bad if I was a girl, however, I am not. I thought that I had a health problem but my family doctor told me that it's genetics because my mother is tiny. Even got a second opinion and voila, same thing. It's really been getting to me lately, I look so out of place in public and it contributes to my SA a lot. I'm 19 years old and I look 15 because of my size, it really sucks. 

I eat my three meals a day + snacks, and I've tried protein shakes. I eat like a pig, yet I never feel full. You couldn't imagine how much fast food I consume. I haven't tried working out because I have a feeling that I would lose more weight.

Does anyone know any ways to gain weight?


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## Duke of Prunes (Jul 20, 2009)

I'm in a similar situation to you; similar height and weight, no weight gain from fatty foods, never feeling full (when I actually have an appetite).

Personally I'd go for weight training, lots of carbs and lots of protein. Excess carbs on their own are bad, and you're going to be peeing out most of those protein shakes unless you're training.

Eat lots of pasta and rice (white or wholegrain doesn't matter with rice at least, not sure about pasta, but you should go for wholegrain anyway simply because there's more nutrition in it which is good if you're used to fast food) for carbs, slightly more than you think you'll need for energy, and eat lots of meat, fish, eggs and dairy for protein (or just buy protein shakes if you're lazy, but the real food is far more nutritious).

As long as you aren't doing way too much cardio and not eating enough carbs/fat, you won't lose weight. Maybe do 10 mins of cardio maximum per session as a warm-up or something.

Remember that you don't want to gain fat, you want to gain muscle. All of the fat from that fast food might be going straight to your organs and killing you from the inside, and you could be totally unaware until you have a heart attack.

I'm not an expert on diets or training, but I know the very basics. Personally I haven't been to the gym in a year because of SA, but I gained a little weight when I went there for a couple of months, though I lost it really quickly when I stopped because of my crazy metabolism. Maybe somebody a little more experienced could elaborate further.


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## Mandyy (Jan 3, 2011)

I just saw your picture in the 'post a picture right now' thread, and you look fine. Some girls really like skinny guys. 
But you could always sign up at a gym and start lifting weights. Since you're thin, you'd just have some defined muscle. That's my favorite body type. 
: ) Good luck.


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## ImWeird (Apr 26, 2010)

Thanks for the advice you two. I appreciate it


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

^Did you see that?! More people who said you don't look weird .


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## Nae (Nov 10, 2003)

Take note of the total amount of calories from everything you eat over the course of a few days, and don't guess or estimate, actually look and find out. As a general rule people who are skinny tend to believe they are consuming more calories than they are actually consuming and people who are overweight tend to believe they are consuming fewer calories than they are actually consuming.


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## LALoner (Dec 3, 2008)

Fat chicks love skinny guys.


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## crsohr (Dec 30, 2010)

Try not to worry about it too much, I'm sure some obese people would love to be in your position. Like it's been said already, some women do like that physique. You say you are quite skinny, so that probably means you have little to no body fat. Which is a good starting point if you ever want to start weight training. For now, I really think you should start doing some sit-ups and push-ups at home. Do them everyday and try to increase the reps gradually, don't get lazy. It may take a few months to see anything, but you will feel a lot better about yourself when you see some muscle definition coming through. Also eat healthily, like 6 smallish sized meals a day which are high in protein content.


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## ImWeird (Apr 26, 2010)

millenniumman75 said:


> ^Did you see that?! More people who said you don't look weird .


Har har


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## Kwtrader (Oct 10, 2007)

ichiro - seattle baseball player weighed 119lbs at 5'9" when he was 18. but now they list him at 172lbs. its possible for thin people to gain weight. eat lots of food/ snack alot and lift weights. 

for me personally i'm too lazy so i remain thin but could gain weight if i wanted to.


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## shadowmask (Jun 22, 2009)

Nae said:


> Take note of the total amount of calories from everything you eat over the course of a few days, and don't guess or estimate, actually look and find out. As a general rule people who are skinny tend to believe they are consuming more calories than they are actually consuming and people who are overweight tend to believe they are consuming fewer calories than they are actually consuming.


This is great advice. You definitely want to keep track of how many calories you're getting in every single day. It's not as burdensome or time consuming as people usually make it out to be, just keep a little journal/notebook and list all of the foods you eat and their caloric amount. If you really want to gain weight, you need to eat, and I mean some serious ****ing eating. At least 3,000 calories a day. In fact, considering you're an ectomorph, it'll probably take a lot more than that. What you need to do is start weighing yourself every morning, and gradually start to increase your caloric intake, say by 100 calories each day, until the numbers on the scale start going up. It's tough to wolf down that much food, I know, but you can make it easier by eating fatty meats, peanut butter, whole milk, even fast food will be alright as long as it doesn't comprise every meal you have.

Of course, you'll want to start heavy weight training as well. I suggest Starting Strength, Stronglifts 5x5, or WSFSB.


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## ImWeird (Apr 26, 2010)

Thanks guys, great advice. Will definitely try it all


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## Glacial (Jun 16, 2010)

It could also be due to your age--at 19 males tend to have really fast metabolism rates.


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## Kustamogen (Dec 19, 2010)

haha dont feel bad....at 19 I was 6'2" 150lbs or so.....trust me....at 22-23ish your metabolism changes then you gain weight easy


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## DarkHeartKid (Dec 29, 2010)

dude r u srs? i weight the same as u, just that im like 6cm or so smaller than u, and i feel soo fat and totally will be loosing like at least 15-20 lbs deff. 
so imo ur totally fine, u probz just need more muscles or something

n i saw yo pics u seem like normal, average guy, so chill



LALoner said:


> Fat chicks love skinny guys.


lool


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## ImWeird (Apr 26, 2010)

My size and you wanna lose weight? Why?


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## Slogger (Dec 14, 2010)

ImWeird said:


> I eat like a pig, yet I never feel full.


Have you had your thyroid checked?


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## SaGgY (Aug 3, 2005)

I'm 22 and the gas station clerk said i looked 14 when i asked for smokes.
im short and tiny 5'8 like 120 something pounds. also

I know how you feel, it sucks most people think im a kid.


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## ImWeird (Apr 26, 2010)

It pretty much sucks.


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## DarkHeartKid (Dec 29, 2010)

SaGgY said:


> I'm 22 and the gas station clerk said i looked 14 when i asked for smokes.
> im short and tiny 5'8 like 120 something pounds. also
> 
> I know how you feel, it sucks most people think im a kid.


i dont see how looking like a kid is a bad thing but then again thats just me >3>

anywayz how much is 5'8 exactly? 178 cm? if so then how is it short? :/


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## yes (Feb 27, 2008)

I'm just like you. I'm 20 and 5'10.5 and 120. Honestly, I kinda like looking this way. In pictures I look ridiculous though and I think people honestly suspect I have an eating disorder. But when I'm looking at myself from my own eyes, I like it. IT would be better if I weighed more so I looked better in clothes though.


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## ImWeird (Apr 26, 2010)

I've been asked if I have an eating disorder so many times lol. I don't really like the way I look


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## JFmtl (Dec 23, 2008)

Kustamogen said:


> haha dont feel bad....at 19 I was 6'2" 150lbs or so.....trust me....at 22-23ish your metabolism changes then you gain weight easy


Gotta agree with that statement. My case wasnt as bad as some stated here, but still during my teenage years up to 18-19, my weight fluctuated around 120-125 pounds (for 5'6'' though) and i was considered as very thin by most people. At 18, i weighted 120 pounds. Now at 23, my weight is around 145 pounds, and i eat less and workout more than during my teen years. be patient, in a few years you will probably miss the time where gaining weight was impossible lol.


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## Giraffe (Sep 7, 2010)

DarkHeartKid said:


> how much is 5'8 exactly? 178 cm? if so then how is it short? :/


About 173 cm. (Average male height in the US and Canada is 177 cm.)


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## BoringBum (Jan 10, 2011)

Hey ImWeird - I think lifting will really help you out. Not only will you make gains in size and strength (especially beginners as their bodies change quickly as they adapt to all the new stresses that lifting gives them), but it will also help boost your self-esteem (which is really the most important thing, of course. How? Lifting will allow you to set up small goals for yourself (example: squat 225 by August), and once you reach those small goals, you will really value what work you put in. This will, in turn, help give you confidence in yourself and your abilities. It is kind of like owning a cabinet or any other piece of furniture - if you build it yourself rather than just buy it, you will value it more because it represents all the hard work that you invested in making it!

Here are some tips to get you started:
-if you want to really get results from lifting, don't focus on the stereotypical movements like curls/bench/crunches too much. These are fine movements, but you need your primary lifts to be COMPOUND (meaning they hit many muscle groups) as these contribute most to strenght/size. Examples of compound movements include: deadlift, squat, barbell rows, pullups, overhead presses, and bench press.
-HOW?
-deadlift hits hamstrings, glutes, lower and upper back hard
-squats hit hips, glutes, quads and hamstrings hard
-rows hit lower back and upper back and rear delts
-pullups hit lats, biceps, and chest
-overhead presses hit anterior deltoids, triceps, abs, lower back hard
-bench does chest, triceps, anterior deltoids

Here is a reasonable sample routine, 3 days a week:

1 day:
-bench press
-close grip bench press
-dumbell overhead press
-pullups

another day (2):
-squats
-cleans

another day (3):
-deadlifts
-stiff-legged deadlifts
-barbell rows

You can structure the reps and sets different ways, but generally, something like 5 sets of 5 reps (of the same weight) for big, main movements would work.

So, squat for example:
-45 lbs. for 8 reps (warmup)
-95 lbs. for 5 reps
-135 lbs. for 5 sets of 5 reps each (working set)

and then next week, try for 5 sets of 5 with 145 lbs. for squats. That is how you make progress! A 10 lb. jump is reasonable, because like I said, beginners make quick gains!

Let me know if this helps. 

Another important thing (really important) - is the technique of lifts. it will take a while, but at the start, you really want to make sure you are doing the lifts correctly. 

Here are some general tips for the main movements:

Squats
-take a deep breath, and unrack bar, with the bar sitting high on your upper back (but NOT on the neck, a little below the neck)
-when you unrack, make sure your hands are grasping the bar tight and elbows are DOWN
-get a stance that is a little but wider than shoulder width
-now you will prepare to squat down - try and imitate how you would sit on a toilet when you do this, as in, down not just plop down, but really focus on sitting back and simultaneously pushing your knees out. this part of the lift is the hardest for people to master
-keep going down until you are at least BELOW parallel (or even lower, as far as you can) - parallel is when the top of you knee meets the crease in your hip, so you want to squat a little bit below that. many people do not reach this depth due to ego of lifting more than they actually can, but it is important to do this.
-now when you are ready to squat back up, you need to focus on LEADIGN WITH THE HEAD - by this, you want to let your head lead the way up by driving the head up. In this way, the rest of the body will follow the path of the head and it will allow you to squat more upright rather than bent over.

Deadlift:
-get in a comfortable stance (whatever feels best, dont get in a stance that is narrower or wider than you like if you see some video of someone doing otherwise)
-grab the bar (narrow grip)
-when you lift, try and maintain a flat lower back (I said try, but it is okay if it gets a little rounded because that is natural)
-now lift the bar by trying to drive your heels through the ground while simultaneously thrusting your hips forward

Overhead press:
-big breath of air, unrack bar to clavicle area
-when you lift the bar up, focus on lifting UP and OVER the head. What I mean by that is, don't just lift the bar to lockout, but really focus on making sure that the bar goes directly over your head in the end, instead of in front of your face. This ensures the best leverages for you.

These are some simple points. Please let me know if you have any other questions and good luck. I really hope you consider this post because lifting properly will definitely benefit you.


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## Paul (Sep 26, 2005)

ImWeird said:


> I'm underweight. Very, underweight. I'm 5'8" and I weigh about 120-125lbs, it fluctuates.


That isn't even underweight at all. It's in the ideal healthy range. I'm 5'8" 125lbs, and I'm very happy to be since I used to be 100lbs which actually was underweight. If you check BMI sites, it says 125 for our height is perfectly good so I'm not seeking to gain weight anymore.

When I weighed less, I did get comments from people. Haven't heard any in a long time so I gather it doesn't look unhealthy.


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## anomalous (Jun 12, 2004)

5'8" and 125-130 lbs here. People think I'm 16 and I'm 23. Get treated like a kid for it a lot. Don't think I have a prayer with most girls even if I were to overcome SA -- I know several other guys who are similarly short and scrawny. All perpetually single, even if they're not that shy.


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## Kon (Oct 21, 2010)

I agree with BoringBum. Lift weights. I was about 5'10" and weighed only 105 lbs. I've been lifting weights my whole life. I managed to reach 170 lbs. with fairly low body fat. It does take some time though but consistency usually pays off. It was the best thing I ever did. I still lift after many years.


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## ipodchicken (Jan 30, 2011)

ImWeird said:


> I'm underweight. Very, underweight. I'm 5'8" and I weigh about 120-125lbs, it fluctuates. This wouldn't be so bad if I was a girl, however, I am not. I thought that I had a health problem but my family doctor told me that it's genetics because my mother is tiny. Even got a second opinion and voila, same thing. It's really been getting to me lately, I look so out of place in public and it contributes to my SA a lot. I'm 19 years old and I look 15 because of my size, it really sucks.
> 
> I eat my three meals a day + snacks, and I've tried protein shakes. I eat like a pig, yet I never feel full. You couldn't imagine how much fast food I consume. I haven't tried working out because I have a feeling that I would lose more weight.
> 
> Does anyone know any ways to gain weight?


Working out wouldn't make you lose weight if you're eating enough. Skinniness shouldn't hinder you though. I have plenty very fun, charismatic skinny friends.


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## polardude18 (Oct 13, 2009)

Personally I think small skinny guys are cute. From looking at the pictures I saw of you I think you look fine, nothing weird about you. 
Working out would be good for you too, I know I am also on the skinny side and have a hard time gaining muscle but it can be done. Just make sure you are eating right and working out, and try to avoid any cardio workout.


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## theCARS1979 (Apr 26, 2010)

ImWeird said:


> I'm underweight. Very, underweight. I'm 5'8" and I weigh about 120-125lbs, it fluctuates. This wouldn't be so bad if I was a girl, however, I am not. I thought that I had a health problem but my family doctor told me that it's genetics because my mother is tiny. Even got a second opinion and voila, same thing. It's really been getting to me lately, I look so out of place in public and it contributes to my SA a lot. I'm 19 years old and I look 15 because of my size, it really sucks.
> 
> I eat my three meals a day + snacks, and I've tried protein shakes. I eat like a pig, yet I never feel full. You couldn't imagine how much fast food I consume. I haven't tried working out because I have a feeling that I would lose more weight.
> 
> Does anyone know any ways to gain weight?


Do yourself a favor and don't eat fast food at all . Its very acidic. Eat other things instead.


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## Jessie203 (Feb 20, 2008)

Protein shakes, gym and a trainer.. if you are Reallly all that concerned.. but I bet you look fine!!! Skinny guys look way better than gorrilla juice heads


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