In Desperate Need of Bulking Help

Diet and Nutrition
1

Some background info. I have been lifting weights since middle school, and I am 17 now. 6’1" 180 pounds at 5-8% bodyfat(see my avatar). I play football and lacrosse for my high school teams. During the in-season, the lifting is minimal and I mainly focus on the sport. The off season is when I really take the lifting seriously and try to bulk up. I love lifting weights.

Anyway, I have attempted to “bulk up” over the 3-4 month off seasons a number of times now, I believe this is my 5th time. I usually manage to gain 2-5 solid pounds of muscle over this 3-4 month period and the weight stays with me. There is never any fat gain despite having a dirty diet and eating everything I can. This however is not good enough. In 3-4 months, I should be able to gain 12-16 pounds(1 LB per week).

Here is the frustrating part. When I play a sport, I can easily knock down 4,000 to 5,000 calories per day. My appetite is absolutely ravenous. However, when I stop the sport and actually start lifting weights to begin my bulk, my appetite suddenly drops down to that of a small school girl.

For example, my lacrosse season ended 5 weeks ago so therefore I am on my 5th week of my bulk. In the first week Id say I managed to eat 4,000(my goal) calories per day most of the time. Then for the next four weeks I struggled to get around 3,500 in. Yesterday, things got worse. I tracked my calories strictly and I could only get in 3,000 calories.

This morning things got even worse. I had 4 eggs with salsa, a kiwi, an a big bottle of Powerade. I was able to eat the 4 eggs with ease just yesterday. Today I could only eat 3 of them, but I finished the kiwi and the bottle of Powerade. This was simple 650 calorie meal but I greatly struggled to eat it. After this breakfast I go over to my girlfriends house and I notice that I don’t feel too good. I am nauseous and my stomach doesn’t feel good. I had to excuse myself and I ended up throwing up, because I couldnt even keep down a small 650 calorie meal.

This happens every time I try to bulk. After about a month my body just starts rejecting food. I begin to not even be able to eat 500 calorie meals. Its frustrating because I KNOW I simply have to ‘eat more’ in order to gain weight, but how am I supposed to do that if I get nauseous and throw up when I try to eat big consistently?

I utilize all of the basic tips: eat calorie dense foods, make high calorie shakes in the blender, eat pizzas, burgers, ice cream etc.

Has anyone else experienced this? What have you done? Im starting to think that I need an appetite stimulant supplement. Unfortunately, they seem to be hard to come by. AAS is out of the question for me, and I dont wanna smoke weed everyday to get the munchies. Apparently there is an antihistamine called Periactin that increases hunger but you need a prescription for it. I think that might be my best bet at this point.

2

[quote]Brian14 wrote:
Some background info. I have been lifting weights since middle school, and I am 17 now. 6’1" 180 pounds at 5-8% bodyfat(see my avatar). I play football and lacrosse for my high school teams. During the in-season, the lifting is minimal and I mainly focus on the sport. The off season is when I really take the lifting seriously and try to bulk up. I love lifting weights.

Anyway, I have attempted to “bulk up” over the 3-4 month off seasons a number of times now, I believe this is my 5th time. I usually manage to gain 2-5 solid pounds of muscle over this 3-4 month period and the weight stays with me. There is never any fat gain despite having a dirty diet and eating everything I can. This however is not good enough. In 3-4 months, I should be able to gain 12-16 pounds(1 LB per week).

Here is the frustrating part. When I play a sport, I can easily knock down 4,000 to 5,000 calories per day. My appetite is absolutely ravenous. However, when I stop the sport and actually start lifting weights to begin my bulk, my appetite suddenly drops down to that of a small school girl.

For example, my lacrosse season ended 5 weeks ago so therefore I am on my 5th week of my bulk. In the first week Id say I managed to eat 4,000(my goal) calories per day most of the time. Then for the next four weeks I struggled to get around 3,500 in. Yesterday, things got worse. I tracked my calories strictly and I could only get in 3,000 calories.

This morning things got even worse. I had 4 eggs with salsa, a kiwi, an a big bottle of Powerade. I was able to eat the 4 eggs with ease just yesterday. Today I could only eat 3 of them, but I finished the kiwi and the bottle of Powerade. This was simple 650 calorie meal but I greatly struggled to eat it. After this breakfast I go over to my girlfriends house and I notice that I don’t feel too good. I am nauseous and my stomach doesn’t feel good. I had to excuse myself and I ended up throwing up, because I couldnt even keep down a small 650 calorie meal.

This happens every time I try to bulk. After about a month my body just starts rejecting food. I begin to not even be able to eat 500 calorie meals. Its frustrating because I KNOW I simply have to ‘eat more’ in order to gain weight, but how am I supposed to do that if I get nauseous and throw up when I try to eat big consistently?

I utilize all of the basic tips: eat calorie dense foods, make high calorie shakes in the blender, eat pizzas, burgers, ice cream etc.

Has anyone else experienced this? What have you done? Im starting to think that I need an appetite stimulant supplement. Unfortunately, they seem to be hard to come by. AAS is out of the question for me, and I dont wanna smoke weed everyday to get the munchies. Apparently there is an antihistamine called Periactin that increases hunger but you need a prescription for it. I think that might be my best bet at this point.[/quote]

On the little bit I know, I can give you this. Im assuming since on you’re season of lax, you burned tons of energy which caused you to be more hungry. While sitting around and lifting you aren’t putting much cardio into you’re lifts. Try that? If you already do that, then eat foods you actually enjoy my friend. Shit you can down without a problem, but hope that what you love is healthy and loaded with carbs. Eat lots of fat filled foods. Every gram of fat is 9 calories, protein and carbs are 4 calories for every gram. Don’t do any supplements that increase appetite. I feel it’s either a hoax or bad for you. Don’t mess with you’re thyroid. Drink 3 protein shakes a day, whey protein with milk. That doesn’t include you’re post workout. Eat an hour before the gym, best pre workout in my mind and in T nations. Stay away from stimulant pre workouts, try o2 postive? Good 3 types of creatine, no stimulants! Bulks you up my friend.

3

[quote]Brian14 wrote:
Anyway, I have attempted to “bulk up” over the 3-4 month off seasons a number of times now, I believe this is my 5th time. I usually manage to gain 2-5 solid pounds of muscle over this 3-4 month period and the weight stays with me. There is never any fat gain despite having a dirty diet and eating everything I can. This however is not good enough. In 3-4 months, I should be able to gain 12-16 pounds(1 LB per week).

Here is the frustrating part. When I play a sport, I can easily knock down 4,000 to 5,000 calories per day. My appetite is absolutely ravenous. However, when I stop the sport and actually start lifting weights to begin my bulk, my appetite suddenly drops down to that of a small school girl.

This happens every time I try to bulk. After about a month my body just starts rejecting food. I begin to not even be able to eat 500 calorie meals. Its frustrating because I KNOW I simply have to ‘eat more’ in order to gain weight, but how am I supposed to do that if I get nauseous and throw up when I try to eat big consistently? [/quote]

As lean as you are, you are doing great to hold 2-5 lbs of LBM in a 4 month off season. FTR…3-4 months is not a bulk…18-24 months minimum.

You eat until you get sick, next time you eat a bit more before you get sick, the next time a bit more than that…practice, practice, practice! Nothing unusual.

4

I appreciate the input guys.

Ive heard that Vitamin B can increase appetite. Does it have to be injected or can it be taken orally in order to stimulate appetite?

5

Liquid meals? They are easy to put down ~1000 cals. Some EVOO, whey, couple of eggs, milk, PB, cinnamon, some coffee, bit of honey. Delicious. I was doing that when I couldn’t stomach eating solids in the morning for a few weeks a while back.

My appetite came back, no dramas.

Is it all of your meals, or just breakfast that is causing you nausea?

6

lol i can’t imagine this. If i had your genetics i’d dirty bulk hardcore year around haha.

Never faced with this challenge but i would imagine liquids would be your best friend. You know mass gainer shakes, virgin coconut oil.

Even though the calories you get from greasy fast foods and stuff are dense, when you eat them to absolut fullness they keep you full all day long. So stay away from huge fast food meals if they affect you like they do me.

do you just eat when you’re hungry or do you schedule your meals?

7

If you have lifting music, listen to it while eating. It sounds stupid, but your brain is making a connection between one focused experience (lifting) and another (eating) through the music.

I put my headphones in one day as an experiment and was surprised at how much more I could put down. Play the music until you’ve finished your meal.

It won’t be easy, but it helps and it distracts from the nausea.

8

Have you tried training more?
Since I started training twice-a-day I can easily get down 5500-6000cals a day.
I also sprint and jump daily.

When you’re young your body is a lot more efficient at recovering and rebuilding, hence you crave less food. All you have to do is produce a stimulus that absolutely requires your body to take in more calories to recover.

Train more = Eat more.

9

Bacon, whipping cream, bacon, cheese on everything, EVOO, bacon, PB