# Anyone trying to gain weight?



## alte (Sep 4, 2010)

What is your strategy? How much do you want to gain? Over what time period?

I lost some weight due to stress/not eating and using Ritalin for a few weeks. Right now, I weigh 135.5lbs and I am 5'10 tall. Goal weight is 140-145lbs in 4-8 weeks.
My plan is to do regular pushups since these have always worked well for me in the past when trying to gain weight. Going to combine this with protein shakes, which I am not really fond of but I need to get in protein somehow and this seems like the most efficient way to do so.


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## wjc75225 (Jul 24, 2010)

If you're only doing pushups, you're missing a lot of body parts. I used to weigh 135, and I'm 5'11". I got to 152 in 3 weeks. I workout at the gym, eat lots of good food (sweet potatoes, pasta, fish, chicken, beef, etc), drink protein shakes, and I drink a lot of Ensure, which puts the weight on fast. My goal is to get to 180 in maybe 8-10 months. People have already commented that I look more muscular after those 3 weeks of intense working out and eating. I've stabilized at 152 for now because I've been busy doing other things. However, I will soon start going back to the gym and up my caloric intake once again.


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## King Moonracer (Oct 12, 2010)

I need to lose weight..look im fat.


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## candrnow (Jun 15, 2010)

I've put on 60 pounds in 3 years, much of it muscle, 115lbs to 175lbs at 5'8".

You can count calories if you want, that's probably the most precise way, but it is a pain in the butt because you have to actually measure your food from now on.

What I did was I just weighed myself on a digital scale regularly throughout the day, and I made sure I was at a certain weight at the end of the day. On days I didn't work out, I would just maintain my weight, but on workout days I would try to make sure I was, say, 0.5lbs heavier than I was the previous day. And you just keep doing that.

Another tip is don't be afraid of eating carbs. You NEED carbs to gain weight. If you're young in your early to mid 20's, you can even get away with eating "bad" carbs - sugars. The most important thing is calories. If you're older, obviously your metabolism has slowed down so you're going to need to eat cleaner. All the protein shakes in the world won't do anything if you're not getting enough calories.

As for your exercises, yes I agree with wjc. To put on muscular bodyweight, you need to do more than pushups. I recommend getting a gym membership and doing proven exercises that pack mass onto your frame: squat, deadlifts, bench press, overhead presses, pullups, rows. A lot of the stickies at http://forum.bodybuilding.com can point you in the right direction.

So in summary, just do 2 things:

1. Eat, a lot. The most important thing is CALORIES, not the amount of protein you consume.
2. Do barbell exercises to pack on the most mass in the least amount of time.

Good luck!


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## wjc75225 (Jul 24, 2010)

candrnow said:


> 1. Eat, a lot. The most important thing is CALORIES, not the amount of protein you consume.
> 2. Do barbell exercises to pack on the most mass in the least amount of time.
> 
> Good luck!


As far as number 1, this is mostly true. I keep reading to eat at least 1g/kg of protein/day. 1kg=2.2lbs, so if you weigh 135lb, try to at least consume 62 grams of protein/day. The rest should be good carbs and fats. Some sugar is ok, but I try to consume good carbs.


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## alte (Sep 4, 2010)

Thanks for the info, everyone. This is very helpful. I am going to add squats to my workout (if you can call occasional pushups a workout lol). I don't have time for a gym membership right now, spring of next year will be a better time. I am hoping to gain a little weight (5-10 lbs) so I don't look extremely scrawny when I go on interviews in a month or two. 
Thanks again


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## mjhea0 (Oct 1, 2009)

Eat, eat, and eat. But try to eat as healthy as possible. Gaining clean weight is hard to do. When I gained muscle weight I ate a lot of whole wheat pasta, oatmeal, protein shakes, eggs ... I did it on a vegetarian which is even harder. Focus on good, complex carbs, but also make sure you're getting enough protein, as well. Good luck!


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## Manic Monkey (Sep 6, 2010)

I feel extreme nausea whenever attempting to eat, as if I am already full. It is hard to eat due to the nausea, and while I am aware the weight is continuing to drop, bordering on unhealthy, there is nothing I am able to do. Along with the anxiety and depression, this has lost me friends, due to them being under the impression I am anorexic, telling me I am being idiotic. It is extremely frustrating.


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## kiirby (Oct 8, 2010)

You're gonna want to add a bit more than occasional push ups and squats to your workout if you want any real change. You have to increase the amount of exercise in proportion to the amount of calorific intake, otherwise you're gonna get fat. Go out and buy some dumbbells, or, if you're short on cash, find somewhere to do pull ups or other more anaerobic exercises. And expecting change in a month or two is setting yourself up for a fall, too. You won't see much at all unless you start some really intense regimes. A lot depends on your age as well. Sorry if this post comes off as incoherent ramblings  I'm tired.



Manic Monkey said:


> I feel extreme nausea whenever attempting to eat, as if I am already full. It is hard to eat due to the nausea, and while I am aware the weight is continuing to drop, bordering on unhealthy, there is nothing I am able to do. Along with the anxiety and depression, this has lost me friends, due to them being under the impression I am anorexic, telling me I am being idiotic. It is extremely frustrating.


I know I'm gonna sound like everyone else you've talked to about this, and you probably don't wanna hear it, but if you're having trouble eating anything at all, you should really go and see a doctor, at the very least a therapist, just to see why you don't have an appetite and to try and find a solution. I know I sound like I'm nagging, but malnutrition, especially when you're in your mid-teens, can be really detrimental to your health and development. It's even more worrying that you seem so nonchalant about it. But if people already think you're anorexic, and you're still losing weight, then there might be cause for concern. Please don't hold it against me if I'm completely overstating the problem


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## Manic Monkey (Sep 6, 2010)

kiirby said:


> I know I'm gonna sound like everyone else you've talked to about this, and you probably don't wanna hear it, but if you're having trouble eating anything at all, you should really go and see a doctor, at the very least a therapist, just to see why you don't have an appetite and to try and find a solution. I know I sound like I'm nagging, but malnutrition, especially when you're in your mid-teens, can be really detrimental to your health and development. It's even more worrying that you seem so nonchalant about it. But if people already think you're anorexic, and you're still losing weight, then there might be cause for concern. Please don't hold it against me if I'm completely overstating the problem


I am not nonchalant towards it, I am worried and I understand the health risks, but it seems as though there is no solution, meaning there is no point in worrying about the problem, if it is hopeless. However, I mentioned it during an appointment with the psychiatrist, but he never comments on the answers I give, so I am unsure as to what he may have taken from that. My mother is under the impression it is psychological, almost a form of bulimia, because of the low self-esteem I have, an opinion I don't agree with, but each to their own.

It is fine, you were only expressing concern.


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## alte (Sep 4, 2010)

alte said:


> Right now, I weigh 135.5lbs and I am 5'10 tall. Goal weight is 140-145lbs in 4-8 weeks.


It's been only a week and I am already upto around 140lbs (vary between 138.5-141 through the course of a day). BMI of 20.0. Perfectly content with the weight.

Now, I just want to build upper body strength and endurance (not mass). Plan is to continue to do pushups, lift weights (only have 10lb dumbells :|) and occasional situps/squats.


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## rainbowOne (Sep 26, 2010)

Manic Monkey said:


> I feel extreme nausea whenever attempting to eat, as if I am already full. It is hard to eat due to the nausea, and while I am aware the weight is continuing to drop, bordering on unhealthy, there is nothing I am able to do. Along with the anxiety and depression, this has lost me friends, due to them being under the impression I am anorexic, telling me I am being idiotic. It is extremely frustrating.


Hey... I'm kinda similar. When I was 14 my weight dropped below 40kg(90lb)... and I'm 5'11" which is BAAAAD! Everyone thought I was anorexic, but I wasn't, I just felt sick everytime I tried to eat. 
Its taken me almost four years, and SO much work, and whilst I still feel nauseaous a lot of the time, I've gained 15kg, and although I'm still pretty underweight for my height, I am so much healthier. I just force myself to eat. I eat all the time, small meals. I never have big meals because I feel terrible if I do, but I'll 'snack' on healthy foods all day long. And I try and drink smoothies and stuff which has calories in. 
Also I try and do as much exercise as I'm up to, physically not much because my health has been shattered by years of barely eating... but I do as much as I can, so that my appetite is as big as I can get it.

I've realised that the nausea is down to anxiety - I've had gazillions of tests, I'm perfectly 'normal' just feel sick all the time  But I'm trying to realise it IS only anxiety nausea... and I need to try and beat the anxiety before it will go.


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## uffie (May 11, 2010)

alte said:


> What is your strategy? How much do you want to gain? Over what time period?
> 
> I lost some weight due to stress/not eating and using Ritalin for a few weeks. Right now, I weigh 135.5lbs and I am 5'10 tall. Goal weight is 140-145lbs in 4-8 weeks.
> My plan is to do regular pushups since these have always worked well for me in the past when trying to gain weight. Going to combine this with protein shakes, which I am not really fond of but I need to get in protein somehow and this seems like the most efficient way to do so.


If you are trying to gain all that weight in muscle, that isnt going happen. Even if you worked out hard 3 times a week and ate all the right foods, the most muscle people can put on is like 2-3 pounds per month.


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## door handle (Oct 4, 2010)

I'm 5'8", 72 kg and trying to gain weight. I don't mind a bit of a gut, so I'm taking a supplement called Serious Mass. An insane amount of calories involved in that and is surprisingly efficient. Just 10 days ago I was 69 kg and LESS muscular. 

My muscle mass has increased because I'm also on something I wouldn't recommend which is Human Growth Hormone. Makes you taller, more muscular and straightens out your jaw, but is extremely expensive and makes you more sexual and violent than a rational human being should be. Makes you think you're Stone Cold as well which is hard to pull off if you're not that tall or heavy.


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## wjc75225 (Jul 24, 2010)

alte said:


> It's been only a week and I am already upto around 140lbs (vary between 138.5-141 through the course of a day). BMI of 20.0. Perfectly content with the weight.
> 
> Now, I just want to build upper body strength and endurance (not mass). Plan is to continue to do pushups, lift weights (only have 10lb dumbells :|) and occasional situps/squats.


If you plan on gaining more, it'll be very hard with only 10lb weights.


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## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin (Nov 28, 2009)

Eat lots of clean food and lift heavy weights.

And drink lots of water. 

But be patient, these things take time. And don't worry about where you are at the moment, in the grander scheme it makes fup all difference anyway and you might as well focus on just being happy.


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## alte (Sep 4, 2010)

You guys are right. It is not possible to put on proper, healthy weight at a fast rate. Today, after a stressful day and not eating anything whole day, my weight dropped back to 136.5  Oh well... I got to have patience.


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## proximo20 (Nov 25, 2006)

You can look at bodybuilding.com's transformation of the week profiles.


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## kerosene (Oct 26, 2010)

I've lost a ton of weight due to stress and anxiety too, without even noticing...forcing yourself to eat to re-gain weight, carbs and protein (either one alone didn't seem to help), good-fats like avocado, eggs, nuts, yogurt, olive oil etc help.


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## sighsigh (Nov 9, 2010)

Currently 5'8 and somewhere between 155 - 160.


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## Robot the Human (Aug 20, 2010)

It took me about a year to a year and a half to gain 30 lbs. I went from about 130-160 and I'm 5'6. My BMI says I should be 130, but that just seemed way too low. It's probably just as hard for me to gain, as it is for most people to lose. I cut out sugar, and ate a lot of chicken breast right after my M,T,W workout.

When I say I ate a lot, I mean... I ate past the point of being full. I made sure to chew my food into very small pieces. My mistake was, I probably didn't eat enough vegetables. Too much protein can be bad for you.


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## woot (Aug 7, 2009)

Yep I am, key is 5-6 small meals, plenty of chicken/turkey/steak, along with protein shakes high in calories, dairy/fruits/veggies, shake at night


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## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin (Nov 28, 2009)

proximo20 said:


> You can look at bodybuilding.com's transformation of the week profiles.


I wouldn't, most of that stuff is only going to make you feel worse if you feel in any way bad already.

A lot of those guys are just taking pictures before and after bulking and cutting cycles so it's not really a realistic target unless you've been working out for a while.

Sites got some good stuff in it though, you might have to dig for a while though.


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## Antis (Nov 2, 2010)

Well, uhm, yes. I'm 5'11 and 130 pounds. But it's not exactly a priority right now, maybe in a few years when I man up.


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## epic (Aug 9, 2007)

I'd like to gain weight but I'm an ectomorph so it's very difficult to gain weight. I'm 5'6" @ 117lb or (168cm @ 53kg). I would need to eat a lot (like 7 small meals a day) and do lots of lifting but all that food is way too expensive. I also do way too much cardio but I enjoy it too much to stop so it's counter productive. I like how my upper body is looking anyway. People are surprised I weigh so little.


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## JayDontCareEh (Jul 16, 2007)

Yeah, I've lost about 5 pounds in last 2-3 months due to stress/being too lazy to go grocery shopping. It's kind of hard to keep weight on when just the thought of eating is enough to make you wanna yak. 

Good suggestions listed already, though. I'm taking note.


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## SociallyBroken (Oct 3, 2010)

I'm about eh .... 15 pounds underweight and now take a pill each day to increase my appetite so I can eat at least 1 time a day. I get "lazy" I guess and wont eat for a few days eh....


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## CopadoMexicano (Aug 21, 2004)

I want to gain a decent amount of muscle but im weak with very low self esteem by going to the gym and trying to compensate is almost futile.


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## Taylor8524 (Nov 14, 2010)

It's good to go to the gym and change up the routine don't just stick to same weights everyday. I usually eat high protein low fat foods and don't eat beef because its loaded with fat. Lean chicken breast, fish, and tuna is better for you. Also a glass of milk before you hit the weights is good. Diamond push ups do wonders for your arms too but it hurts like hell at first. I gained a lot of muscle mass sticking to a plan make sure you figure out a good one for yourself and you will see gains. If you are nervous about other people at the gym try and pretend they arent there and just focus on yourself.


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## 2Talkative (Nov 1, 2007)

I've got some weight to get rid of anyone want it ?


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## JunkBondTrader (Nov 22, 2010)

I want to gain 10 lbs. I've been underweight my entire life. I'm 5'3" and about 100 lbs on a good day. It's hard though because my anxiety makes me vomit and I get anxiety about not being able to gain weight which gives me anxiety about eating. It's really hard for me to eat without feeling like I'm going to puke when I'm anxious, which is about 60% of the day.


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## xtina (Jan 3, 2010)

yes, always. i'm about 5'11 and 120 pounds. people probably think i'm starving myself.


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