Unable to Gain Weight

Bigger Stronger Leaner
1

So since I came to this forum, I want to just ask a simple question. How do I gain weight?

I’m skinny, I was skinny before, and I really have hard time gaining weight.

I eat a lot, I used to eat loads of meat and candy + fast food, latley I tried to eat cleaner which resulted in weight loss that wasn’t intentional. And my whole family is like that.

Also - I keep going to toilet after every meal, and I eat at least 5x a day. Maybe that’s the catch?

My training is usually 5x5 or 3 sets of 12 reps. Sometimes 12, 10 and 8 reps sets.

2

Eat more.

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Track your food, figure out how much you actually eat…skinny folks tend to overestimate, and we fatties tend to underestimate.

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You’re not eating enough and/or you’re are not eating enough consistently.

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You need to obtain KNOWLEDGE about training and nutrition. You must eat more than your body has the capacity to burn. You didn’t say how often you lifted or if do any cardio. Need more info because you say meat…what about simple things like olive oil, avocados…also, you didn’t say if you lifted heavy or not. Need more info

6

Do I have to post my video with Dave Tate explaining how to gain weight again?!
Eat! How hard can this be?! If you aren’t gaining weight eat more. Eat more calorie dense food…then eat some more. Carry a candy bar in your pocket, carry ten…

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If it’s the one I’m thinking of, that is pure gold, and should always be reposted haha

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I agree! Enjoy.

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9

Thanks for all replies.

As girlgotguns said I need to give you more info.

So I’m training 3x a week, in 5x5 I go pretty close to my one rep max, when I lift sets of 12 then I’m also going as heawy as I can, then I either drop weight every set or make sets of 12, 10 and 8 reps.

I never do cardio, and if you count sex as cardio then 1-2 times a month… (I’m single)

And yeah, as other people stated, I’ll keep an eye on my food. I mean, it could be that I really should eat more. Or eat side dish together with meat… I rarley ever eat my rice or potatoes…

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Add a protein shake after every meal…hell it’s easy to get calories in if you’re actually trying. It sounds like you’re leaving food on your plate…bad.

11

sounds muddled, just do this…

One day a week load up on junk/Dave tate approach

Every day get in plenty of good fats and vegetables

12

What?

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Eat your rice and potatoes, together, with olive oil on top.

I don’t understand why you’d post asking how to gain weight, when your answer is so simple.

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Thanks a lot, I’ll try this out and see if it’ll be effective in few months :slight_smile:

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In high school I was 6’4 165. That’s…outrageously skinny. I always complained I couldn’t gain weight, but it wasn’t true. I’m a bit lighter than normal these days but I’ve put on almost 60 lbs of muscle since then. You need to eat until you are uncomfortably full. This is what the non-hardgainers don’t usually understand - we tend to have small stomachs, and you need to literally alter the distensibility of your stomach by stretching it with food. Over time, after “stretching” your stomach, it will take more food to give you the “full feeling”. The signals that your body is giving you to let you know you are full are keeping you at this weight. I still take 5-6 shits a day and it takes a good amount of food to keep me where I’m at, so the struggle never ends- but you CAN gain weight. You just need to eat til you feel like you can’t eat…
…and then eat some more.

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Yup, I’m a recovering anorexic, and was tol I couldn’t work out until 100s except for warm ups and light stretching and had to eat small meals every 2-3 hours. Your body doesn’t know what to do so if you gain some water weight in stomach first, don’t be discouraged because your organs want to grab a hold of it. And your body can only process so much food at a time. But you’re just a hard gainer not anorexic, but same principal applies. I hate avocados but are so good for you, I bake sweet potato fries with an adams reserve seasoning and olive oil. I eat nuts. I make my own preserves and bread so I eat lots of nut butter sandwiches with preserves and salads with olive oil. I make lots of different meals from Mexican to Vietnamese noodles. Go for nutrient dense and small meals. I really recommend eating Greek yogurt with oats berries and a banana right before bed. It digests slowly and fuels your body. If desperate After I started exercising i followed the pioneer woman’s recipes. Not the healthiest but in her mashed potatoes there is half and half, butter, cream cheese…totally packed with calories. Whole milk homemade smoothies constantly. Get a good blender. Just figure out what your body can tolerate. It isn’t going to happen overnight but you will change.

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Unless you are some kind of eating machine, its very hard to eat just meat and grow.

You’ll put weight on eating something like this (and not just meat):

Breakfast: 6 eggs w/cheese, 1 pepper (any colour), 1xcarrot and 50-100g spinach. 5x fish oil. 1 cup oats w/milk, 1 orange, 2x vitamin D capsule

Midmorning: protein shake w/milk (1 cup) plus cream (50ml) and banana

Lunch: 150g beef (fattier cut), 1/2 cup (dry) rice, 100g sweet potato, 50-100g spinach

Mid after noon: 150g beef (fattier cut), 1/2 cup (dry) rice, 100g sweet potato, 1 small zuchinni

Dinner: 2x cheeseburgers (200g meat, 2 buns, cheese then whatever you like) w/ green salad (100g leaves of your choice, 1x tomato, 1T olive oil) + OJ

Bedtime: 250g greek yoghurt, 2T chopped almonds, blueberries, cinnamon, 1T honey

Cal 4500kcal
Pro 280g
Carb 420g
Fat 200g

You’ll probably fins you only actually need 2/3 of this to put on weight and you’ve just been a nob all this time.

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18

well that’s your answer.

first you said you’re eating a lot. then you said you don’t even eat your sides, you’re just eating some meat off your plate.

In my experience, the key to gaining weight for hard gainers is increasing carbs, which is what you 're getting out of things like rice, potatoes, and other grains/vegetables. So load up on these sides. Protein isn’t as important as people make it out to be. For me, as long as I’m getting 120g of protein per day, or something close to that, and I’m eating a TON of carbs, I can get bigger and stronger consistently.

You don’t build with meat. you build with potatoes.

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19

Thanks for all replies, now I see that I’m not only hard gainer here, and again thanks for your advices.

My lifting experience is well… I started with gym at 18, and was going for year or so, then stopped because of injury (I had a nasty fall, ended up stitched up and everything) then started again and had another accident (I’m a dumbass, I know) and then now I’m going again, and I’m facing that same problem where I’m stronger than before but not bigger.

I’ll for start drink protein shake even at days when I’m not training. And try to eat my side dishes too.

And not eat junk, except only 1 day a week.

I will do this for 6 weeks, and see results. Then I’ll either change something, or leave it as it is if it’s working. I have 6-pack and I’m kinda scared that I’ll get fat and lose it if I suddenly just go full scale overeating like crazy.

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Glad you’re coming around. I wouldn’t even call yourself a ‘hard gainer’ either. You’ve just been refusing to do the things that you need to do in order to grow; either out of ignorance or intentionally. Eat, train, and rest. You’ll get there.