I’m just about at my whits end. I must be the only person in this obesity epidemic that can’t gain weight. I’ve tried just about everything. The first thing people say when i say i can’t gain weight is
‘just eat more dude’
Belive me when i say i’ve tried this, i’ve calculated that my maintanace cal intake is about 3000, but regularly get 4000 cals and ocasionaly i get up to 7000 (with the help of a KFC 14 piece bucket), at work people call me the eating machine, my friends think i’m bulemic to be able to eat that much food and not put on weight. when i eat more i just shit more (my record to date is 10 shits in a day)
i’ve had one of the electric body fat % tests and it always gives a reading of between 2.5% and 5% (not sure how accurate they are) I think that i am an extreem ectomorph. i heard there are certain tell tail characteristics; thin wrists (mine are 14cm) with big hands and feet (my feet are UK size 12 and i’m only 5’9" (ps i’ve heard all the big feet jokes at school so don’t bother))
my hair and nails also grow at a ridiculas rate. I prob should also mention that i’m hyperactive, i’ve always got to be shaking my legs or tapping a pen or something.
In the past year i’ve not gained a single gram of weight even thou my strength and even some of my dimensions have gone up (this doesn’t make any sence to me at all)
I currently weight 150 (started at 110 3 years ago) and i eat;
8am weight gainer shake (with whole milk)
10am flapjack and pint of whole milk
12 baked potatoe with cheese and tuna and weight gainer shake
2pm tin of tuna and banana
4pm tin of tuna and banana
6pm main meal (steak/salmon/chicken with broccoli + spinach and potatoe)
8pm 100g of nuts and fruit
10pm casien shake
that is as standard, sometimes i eat more, i always feel stuffed and virtualy every meal is forced down. I don’t do any cardio, haven’t for over a year, the only thing close to cardio that i do is a 10min walk into work every morning.
My GF thinks there is something wrong with me and i should see a doctor, i’m starting to think shes right.
has anybody had any similar experience? does anyone know what is wrong with me? please help me i’m desperate
EAT MORE. Sure you may be eating a lot of meals throughout the day, but there are not too many calories in each of those meal. Load them up with some good nutrient and calorie dense foods.
Yeah, I had this problem before, and I got my hormones checked to find out that I had high T3 and T4 (thyroid hormone) levels, which meant overdrive metabolism. Some symptoms I had were hyperactivity, restlessness and insatiable appetite… without the weight gain.
Maybe you should check your hormones as well. That could be the answer. Your thyroid glands may be the culprit.
the low carbs thing has been mentioned to me befor and is a very valid point (do you think they are really that low?), i thought that the flapjacks (which are quite large)and all them baked potatoes would do the trick.
i did post a while back asking how i could increase my carb intake and i’ve added weight gainers and bananas to my diet since then, but my problem is that when i take in more complex carbs my appetite just disapears and i find that i end up missing meals. i can eat simple carbs all day and all night though and they have no effect on my appetite.
I’m reluctant to up my carbs much more because i heard that total calories is more important than macro nutriant ratios, but that might be my last resort.
I think a trip to the doctors is definatly on the cards, apart from my hormone levels is there anything else i should ask for?
What you need is more calories coming in than are going out. Simple but for some of us it’s not easy.
You have to reduce output (be lazy, sleep longer etc.) and/or increase intake (drink a few shots of olive oil a day, eat more calorie-dense foods, drink four pints of milk instead of one etc.)
The following article could be useful, gives some tips on minimizing calorie output and a general bulking metality:
EAT MORE. Sure you may be eating a lot of meals throughout the day, but there are not too many calories in each of those meal. Load them up with some good nutrient and calorie dense foods. [/quote]
by my calculation my meal plan packs in about 4500 cals, for someone who weight 150 i thought that was quite alot. the weight gainer i take has 1000cal per serving and in 100g of nuts theres about 500cals and my main meal is always very big and i think it has at least 1000 cals. on days that i workout i have about 3600cals in milkshakes alone.
I really appreciate the advise, and i will take it all on board its just a bit frustrating. i feel i eat more than some obese people but i’m skinny like a rake!!! AARRGH
[quote]conorh wrote:
Well, ruling out any medical condition, you might just need to find a way to sneak in more food. Here’s some ideas:
more fish oil - you can get a couple hundred calories from downing a couple dozen fish oil capsules.
olive oil - add a tablespoon olive oil to all your evening meals
flax - add a couple tablespoons of milled flax
a scoop of protein powder before or between every meal
try starting your day with a couple scoops of protein powder, then an hour later follow it up with a double serving of Surge.
On that note, try a double serving of Surge before and after your workout.
Eat more nuts. Saw you already ate some, but you could buy the cheapest ones and eat double that throughout the day.
eat a cup of cottage cheese with every meal.
There’s some ideas to get you started.[/quote]
will do. i have no problem eating fats and if this works it could be just the thing i was looking for. i do already add olive oil to my food and i do supplement with cod liver oil, and in a day (including milkshakes) a have a minimum of 3 pints of whole milk per day (i thought that was alot) but i can def include some flax and more fish oils.
I’ve never actualy tried surge, i wasn’t sure i’d get my moneys worth out of it (but to be honest i’ve never looked into it so i’m probably totaly wrong)
thanks for that, just read it, was a good read. Think i could be a little lazier. i don’t like driving and tend to walk places (didn’t think this was that much of a bulking crime)i find it gives me a good release for my extra energy.
Shots of olive/flax oil with a protein shake chaser
Pasta is your friend
More nuts and dried fruit
Try to get in more liquid calories
I was a big fan of eating mozzarella cheese when bulking
What does your peri/post- workout nutrition look like?
[/quote]
i take a good 20 BCAA tablets during a workout and a whey based weight gainer afer every workout. Pre workout i’ll just up my carbs slightly that day, maybe an extra flapjack that afternoon. I have occasionaly had a weight gainer pre and post workout but its not a consistant thing.
PS i only ever workout at about 6pm after work.
is this wrong? should i have a shake pre and post every workout, suspose it wouldn’t hurt since my body wont make fat.
hmmm, I, like everyone else answering so far, am not a doctor. However, for your size (5’9) and lifestyle (no cardio) 3000-7000 calories ought to be enough.
I would certainly see a doctor, maybe get 2 or 3 professional opinions. I find it tough to believe that adding some fats to your current diet would suddenly help you turn the corner. The foods you are consuming already contain fats and carbs.
If anything, I would reduce the reliance on shakes, though they can be convenient. Get a few medical opinions. Good luck.
[quote]colonelquack wrote:
How is your workout?[/quote]
GOOD QUESTION, was waiting for that one, i didn’t include it befor cos my post was getting quite large and its not as important as nutritian.
When i first started (and was making my best gains) i was doing a full body workout based around the big lifts. i did this in a kind of HIT style (but with two sets to faliure) but my gains dried up so i moved onto more split routine (still full body and each body part once per week) but over three workouts instead of one so i could get move volume.
i went to the other extreme and did some high volume (GVT) because all the heavy work had made my joints v. painfull. The GVT really helped my joints but didn’t give me any gains. I’ve been through that cycle a few time and am currently on a GVT doing squats, deadlifts, bent rows, overhead presses, pull ups, bench presses.
i don’t really do any isolation work, i once trained my calves but they just grew so disproportionatly to my thighs i never did it again (think its cos my feet are so big there is a masive range of motion for my calves)
in all honesty i’ve just been spinning my wheels for ages now.
[quote]Scotacus wrote:
hmmm, I, like everyone else answering so far, am not a doctor. However, for your size (5’9) and lifestyle (no cardio) 3000-7000 calories ought to be enough.
I would certainly see a doctor, maybe get 2 or 3 professional opinions. I find it tough to believe that adding some fats to your current diet would suddenly help you turn the corner. The foods you are consuming already contain fats and carbs.
If anything, I would reduce the reliance on shakes, though they can be convenient. Get a few medical opinions. Good luck.[/quote]
I’ve dug out my doctors number and am making an appointment ASAP.
I’m so glad that someone said that should be plently of calories for my size cos that eating regime really is a gut buster for me (maybe not for some people on this site) and i was dreading the ‘squats and milk’ and ‘just eat more’ answers that people dish out regardless on this site.
What really confused me is that i don’t put on any weight, be it fat or muscle, when i’m having between 1000 and 4000 caleries over my mantanance level on a consistant basis. Surely i can’t be burning all of them off???
[quote]midnightamnesia wrote:
I am studying alternative med. (actually, Chinese Herbalism) and am about to be certified.
My one biggest reccomendation to you is eat a HUGE meal between 7 and 9 am. In otherwords, eat a big breakfast. Have plenty of fruits, protein, and anything you really want to have.
Make this meal not only your biggest, but also a kind of “Free” meal.
I have seen patients lose weight when they cannot lose it, gain weight when they cannot gain it, and overall feel healthier and happier.
That is my advice. Give it a shot, and let me know how it works for you.
(Oh, and besides being used for thousands of years in China, this advice has scientific backing, as well.)[/quote]
i’ve been trying to increase my breakfast, when i first started i didn’t have any breakfast at all cos i’m just mot hungry when i get up, but i’ve been forcing myself to have a weight gainer when i get up (about 1000 cal) and a flapjack and pint of whole milk a little later.
if i force down more than this i’m worried i’ll see it again later that morning.
Carbolin 19, extra serving of Flameout, and add a scoop of protien to every bottle of water you drink throughout the day.
I have the same problem and this seemed to help.