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[paragonpro]

Hey gaf my body has been on a roller coaster these past few years to say the least. i went from 220 pounds when i graduated highschool in june 2012 to dropping a whopping 85 pounds by the end of that year. I had dropped so much weight so fast that I had in face developed an eating dissorder, when I overcame that I found out I had developed IBS which has made it very hard to put on more weight, now four years later im finally atarting to gain weight again. Im trying to build muscle which means ive been eating and working out like an insane person. But the process of putting on weight is so slow. Ive only gained like 3 lbs so far and ive been on a really protein heavy diet. I would argue that this is as hard if not harder than losing weight was. So gaf, any tips, should I start taking pure protein?

 

[rtcn63]

Putting on weight too fast would be a bad thing. If you're not juicing, you'll likely be putting on a quarter to a half-pound of muscle a week... and that's if you're doing EVERYTHING optimally. Workouts, diet, rest, etc.

 

[Dr Stabbingworth]

Whole milk, high calorie nuts, pro bar meals are all good

 

[teruterubozu]

Do what actors do to gain wait for the part - smoke weed. You'll eat your fridge in no time.

 

[How About No]

26 and finally hit 140. Eating large amounts of bad shit. Wish it'd actually make me fat so I had better incentive to eat healthy

 

[Dishwalla]

 

[The Boat]

Hey gaf my body has been on a roller coaster these past few years to say the least. i went from 220 pounds when i graduated highschool in june 2012 to dropping a whopping 85 pounds by the end of that year. I had dropped so much weight so fast that I had in face developed an eating dissorder, when I overcame that I found out I had developed IBS which has made it very hard to put on more weight, now four years later im finally atarting to gain weight again. Im trying to build muscle which means ive been eating and working out like an insane person. But the process of putting on weight is so slow. Ive only gained like 3 lbs so far and ive been on a really protein heavy diet. I would argue that this is as hard if not harder than losing weight was. So gaf, any tips, should I start taking pure protein?

I dropped a lot of weight and got eating (and social) disorders because of IBS too, the only thing that helped me gain weight was uh... anti depressants.

Spoiler

Or smoke a lot of weed, the munchies will take care of you.

 

[OpinionatedCyborg]

or follow the Rippetoe diet:

26 and finally hit 140. Eating large amounts of bad shit. Wish it'd actually make me fat so I had better incentive to eat healthy

get your blood lipids checked. they might be pretty grave even though you don'g weigh much. that would give you incentive to eat better (and exercise if you aren't already).

 

[Laguna X]

What does your macros look like?

 

[Jacksinthe]

Hey gaf my body has been on a roller coaster these past few years to say the least. i went from 220 pounds when i graduated highschool in june 2012 to dropping a whopping 85 pounds by the end of that year. I had dropped so much weight so fast that I had in face developed an eating dissorder, when I overcame that I found out I had developed IBS which has made it very hard to put on more weight, now four years later im finally atarting to gain weight again. Im trying to build muscle which means ive been eating and working out like an insane person. But the process of putting on weight is so slow. Ive only gained like 3 lbs so far and ive been on a really protein heavy diet. I would argue that this is as hard if not harder than losing weight was. So gaf, any tips, should I start taking pure protein?

Too much protein won't do jack without supporting fat and carbs.

0.6-0.8g per lb of bodyweight. Make sure you get your fats and carb carb carb. Protein, by itself, won't build muscle unless it can get transported to muscle via synthesis.

I'm a "hard gainer" and I needed about 20x my bodyweight (about 4500) in calories to shift the needle a modest 0.5lbs per week average over the course of 50 weeks. Make sure your macro game is on point and follow a good beginner program. Overtraining and eating too much protein won't do shit for you.

I gained about 28lbs in 50 weeks and my pants still fit in the waist with the exception of my quads. Currently cutting on 3k calories and hating it. That's not much food.

Come join FitGAF. Waaaaay more info on bulking that would be too much here.

 

[paragonpro]

I dont smoke weed regularly, infact last time I did it I just got tired and went to bed, seems to be the thing that happens now, unlike highschool where I smoked like every day. Also, yeah, Ive been eating a lot of chicken and alot of bread, i also eat one of those gigantic protein bars every morning.

 

[Cheesecakebobby]

I've had the same problem, though worse because I have digestion problems and I'm vegan. However, I have managed to gain about 5 kilos in less than a month thanks to things like protein shakes and general snacking on energy bars etc. through the day (and some light working out at home 3 times a week). Make sure you don't just have like, 3 massive meals, six smaller meals seems way more effective.

 

[Noema]

Here's the plan :

Part A Do a free weights strength program based on a linear progression like starting strength or stronglifts. Read the fitness OP for more info.

Part B Drink milk. Really. There's no better way of putting on weight than milk. If you have lactose malabsorbance then drink lactose free milk. Drink skim if you are worried about the Fat.

A liter of lactose free, skim milk has over 400kcal, 150 of which come from protein. It's also easy to consume since it's liquid and it's delicious (IMO) .

Buy some whey and bananas. Add a scoop or two of whey to the milk along with a banana and blend.

Now you have a delicious shake with about 85g of high quality protein, a good amount of carbs and some fat. Drink at least one liter of this every day. More if you feel hungry.

Buy peanut butter and carry it around with you. Eat a scoop whenever you feel like it. A good snack is oatmeal and peanut butter.

Your meals should focus on a high protein high fiber higher carb diet. Have a cheese omelet for breakfast and a sweet potato. Chicken breast, rice and broccoli for lunch. Tuna or beef for dinner. Make sure to have protein with every meal.

Do this and I promise I promise you'll gain weight.

I went from 145lb to a lean 215lb doing this.

 

[nilbog21]

220 lbs to 85 lbs in one year? How are you still alive? How tall are you ?

anyway get stoned all day and eat cereal. it's very easy to eat and will you get fat in no time.

edit: Nm don't get stoned all day

 

[Noema]

220 lbs to 85 lbs in one year? How are you still alive? How tall are you ?

He dropped 85lb from 220. He didn't drop down to 85lb.

My skeleton alone probably weighs more than 85lb.

 

[KodaRuss]

Carbs man. Thats how you put on weight.

 

[paragonpro]

Here's the plan :

Part A Do a free weights strength program based on a linear progression like starting strength or stronglifts. Read the fitness OP for more info.

Part B Drink milk. Really. There's no better way of putting on weight than milk. If you have lactose malabsorbance then drink lactose free milk. Drink skim if you are worried about the Fat.

A liter of lactose free, skim milk has over 400kcal, 150 of which come from protein. It's also easy to consume since it's liquid and it's delicious (IMO) .

Buy some whey and bananas. Add a scoop or two of whey to the milk along with a banana and blend.

Now you have a delicious shake with about 85g of high quality protein, a good amount of carbs and some fat. Drink at least one liter of this every day. More if you feel hungry.

Buy peanut butter and carry it around with you. Eat a scoop whenever you feel like it. A good snack is oatmeal and peanut butter.

Your meals should focus on a high protein high fiber higher carb diet. Have a cheese omelet for breakfast and a sweet potato. Chicken breast, rice and broccoli for lunch. Tuna or beef for dinner. Make sure to have protein with every meal.

Do this and I promise I promise you'll gain weight.

I went from 145lb to a lean 215lb doing this.

Thanks man this is awesome! Im gonna try this out and see how it goes

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

Wouldn't dairy products exacerbate IBS issues? Seems like all the typical ways are going to be tough with that, like GOMAD and just loading up on calorically dense foods.

 

[chronic_archaic]

I don't actively try to lose or gain weight and I've probably been 160-170lbs since high school. I don't know how it stays so consistent, I swear I should have gained some by now though it's not like it's a bad weight either.

 

[Kickz]

I wish this was my problem

I look at a donut and gain 5lbs

 

[Noema]

Wouldn't dairy products exacerbate IBS issues?

Only if he had actual lactose intolerance which is pretty rare. Most people who claim to be lactose intolerant actually have lactose malabsorption which is easily solved by consuming lactose free products.

 

[Laguna X]

Too much protein won't do jack without supporting fat and carbs.

0.6-0.8g per lb of bodyweight. Make sure you get your fats and carb carb carb. Protein, by itself, won't build muscle unless it can get transported to muscle via synthesis.

I'm a "hard gainer" and I needed about 20x my bodyweight (about 4500) in calories to shift the needle a modest 0.5lbs per week average over the course of 50 weeks. Make sure your macro game is on point and follow a good beginner program. Overtraining and eating too much protein won't do shit for you.

I gained about 28lbs in 50 weeks and my pants still fit in the waist with the exception of my quads. Currently cutting on 3k calories and hating it. That's not much food.

Come join FitGAF. Waaaaay more info on bulking that would be too much here.

Carbs man. Thats how you put on weight.

Listen to these guys. Carb up brah.

 

[Bsigg12]

Sounds like you don't eat enough. I know a few friends who complained they couldn't gain weight and convinced them to track every thing they ate for 2 weeks to show them they were barely eating enough to maintain while on a heavy lifting plan.

Get a journal and track everything you eat for a few days, you'll see you're probably way under your caloric intake needed even on a high protein diet.

 

[Kozak]

Putting on weight is hard if you were thin when you were young.

Putting on weight is so bloody easy if you were a chubby to fat kid.

 

[Psychotext]

Of the two, I definitely find bulking to be far harder than cutting. So much of my time is spent cramming food into my face when bulking, and there's pretty much nothing worse than forcing yourself to eat when you're already full.

Feeling hungry on the other hand? Meh. Drink some water and get busy doing something. Job done.

Oh, recipes like this will help if you're really struggling to work out reasonably healthy big calorie intakes...

400ml milk,
2 x scoop of protein,
3 x scoop of oats
40g peanut butter
1 x banana
15g coconut oil

...blend, drink.

If you wanted to go for a less healthy bulk, you could dial back the oats a bit and swap in ice cream for the milk. Mmmmm.

Edit - Ha, beaten to the recipe.

Putting on weight is so bloody easy if you were a chubby to fat kid.

I was a lardarse kid. Putting on weight is only really easy if you're willing to do it eating pizzas and pastries and icecreams and burgers etc etc.

Though to be honest, it's so long since I've eaten like that, I think I'd still struggle.

 

[Speely]

I found milk, nuts, pasta, and beef to work great, even with only body weight exercises since I didnt have any weights (though I did hold a packed suitcase out in front of me for body weight squats lol so ghetto.) I just had to really pack the food in (3000 calories a day.)

I have IBS as well, and am a skinny dude with a high metabolism naturally. Drank plenty of tea and made sure to get some good fiber in with at least one meal a day, and it helped... but tbh some days were not awesome on the ole tum tum.

The milk advice ITT is good advice. I was downing half a gallon a day. Sounds ridiculous I know, but I gained 10 lbs of muscle in a month without touching a weight (except for the suitcase haha.) Of course I started at 140lbs at 5'11" so my body was literally ready, to be fair.

 

[rtcn63]

The milk advice ITT is good advice. I was downing half a gallon a day. Sounds ridiculous I know, but I gained 10 lbs of muscle in a month without touching a weight (except for the suitcase haha.) Of course I started at 140lbs at 5'11" so my body was literally ready, to be fair.

Are you sure? I don't believe that's physically possible without drugs + great genetics + weights. Even then...

 

[entremet]

Putting on weight isn't hard barring some freak medical conditions.

Putting on lean muscle is hard.

Most classic hard gainers are just undereaters. Everyone I've known in person that has complained about not being able to put on muscle undereats when I tell them to list their food choices for a regular day.

 

[Psychotext]

Sounds ridiculous I know, but I gained 10 lbs of muscle in a month without touching a weight

No. You didn't. Unless you were juicing, and to be honest, even if you were that sort of gain is probably impossible even with the full on assistance of all the drugs in Ronnie Coleman's locker.

If you did absolutely everything right, with the right nutrition, right lifting, right rest... you might, MIGHT, get three or four pounds in a month, but even that would be incredibly unlikely.

 

[ThreePiMatt]

Putting on weight is easy. Putting on lean muscle mass is hard as fuck.

 

[triplestation]

Eat more grains and starches

 

[matrix-cat]

I wish this was my problem

I look at a donut and gain 5lbs

Tell me about it. I went from 280 to 190 over the course of a couple of years, but if I'm not careful I can easily gain 6+ pounds in a week. Without even trying. And that's with lifting weights four days a week. If I stopped exercising I'm pretty sure I'd be one of those morbidly obese people who has to be craned out of their houses in like a month.

 

[Grazzt]

I feel you OP. It seems like my limit is 65kg. Somehow I have to work out hard to keep that weight. Stop going go the gym for 1 week I can drop 1kg.

 

[RPGCrazied]

Dang. Wish I could say that. Being almost 40 with a dead metabolism I guess isn't helping.

Use to be skinny in my younger days all throughout HS and 20's.

 

[Ether_Snake]

I gained 20lbs in a year by working out and making sure I do eat three meals a day. I used to skip meals, especially on the weekend.

Can't precisely explain what changed, I eat the same kind of food, but I guess I eat more appropriately. I've been stuck at 160lbs though, not able to gain more so far, I'd probably have to eat more than now, or food that would contribute more to weight gain.

 

[Speely]

No. You didn't. Unless you were juicing, and to be honest, even if you were that sort of gain is probably impossible even with the full on assistance of all the drugs in Ronnie Coleman's locker.

If you did absolutely everything right, with the right nutrition, right lifting, right rest... you might, MIGHT, get three or four pounds in a month, but even that would be incredibly unlikely.

Well you might be right, but my weight scale told me otherwise... Though I suppose I could have misread it? I'll agree to retract my statement and assume that I was somehow in error, but that's what my scale told me (or so I thought.)

Edit: not trying to be contrary or snarky... You are obv right. That is a lot of weight. I had just never gained before and so thought nothing of it. To be fair my scale was kinda cheap.

 

[rtcn63]

Well you might be right, but my weight scale told me otherwise... Though I suppose I could have misread it? I'll agree to retract my statement and assume that I was somehow in error, but that's what my scale told me (or so I thought.)

Very likely, most if not all of it was water/fat.

 

[daveo42]

I could say you can have some of mine, but all I have for you right now is excess fat I'm willing to part with. FitGAF should have some answers in how to actually build muscle mass without adding too much in terms of just fat.

 

[paragonpro]

Just bought bread, peanut butter, nutella, and muscle milk powder. Gonna grab chicken breast cutlets, and rice tomorrow

 

[FallingEdge]

Pbj sandwiches are going to be your new bff.

 

[Fat4all]

It was easy for me.

Too easy

 

[Obliterator]

Pbj sandwiches are going to be your new bff.

Yep. I eat 2 PBJ every day when I'm lifting.

Also like others have said Milk is huge and carbs.

 

[HawksWinStanley]

There's some serious bro science going on in some of these posts. Love it.

 

[How About No]

or follow the Rippetoe diet:

get your blood lipids checked. they might be pretty grave even though you don'g weigh much. that would give you incentive to eat better (and exercise if you aren't already).

But it'd be an easier indicator if I could just look down a see a big gut.

I dunno. I just skimmed lipid-related conditions and didn't see anything worrying. Maybe I'm eating better than I thought or my body just doesn't give a fuck. I drink a lot of whole milk and beer too.

 

[Golgo 13]

Been in the bodybuilding game for a bit, and have done some personal training. Most important thing in gaining muscle are, in my experience --

1) Compound movements -- Don't do single joint excersizes, and if you do, limit them to %10 or less of a your workout.

2) Consistency -- You will never, ever get results in any workout plan without consistency. By this I mean working out on a consistent routine and not deviating from that plan unless something catastrophic happens -- illness beyond a common cold, injury, or an emergency. This means sacrificing things - not going out drinking with your friends the night before, etc. Do not let yourself lose sight of your goal. Write down a workout plan, record your results in a journal, chart your progress. Work out on the same days of the week, and at the same time of day, if you can.

3) Calories -- Calories are the end all, be all of weight and muscle gain. Don't focus too much on protein. Protein is definitely essential, but without eating more calories than you burn, you will NOT gain weight. During a weight gain phase, your diet doesn't need to be extremely tight. You want to focus on nutritious foods, of course, but eating a cup of rice with a side of steamed broccoli and fish is TOO FEW CALORIES to work for your goal. Focus on red meat, whole milk, pasta, and even the occasional Ice Cream Shake. Yes, I said it. Shakes can have as much as 20G of protein and tons of calories, which is what you need most.

4) Rest -- If you're not allowing your body to heal and adapt, you will not get results, period. This is as important as anything else in putting on quality weight. 8-9 hours of sleep a night is %100 essential for muscle gain. And also make sure to schedule a MINIMUM of 2 days off a week, possibly more. Many people I see who aren't gaining muscle are in the gym 6-7 days a week. It's too much, your body won't respond to it.


If you have specific questions about anything I've said here, don't hesitate to ask. You can PM me, or ask right here and I'll do my best to answer.

 

[titiklabingapat]

Aim for 1.5 to 1.75 weight gain a month if you're a natural lifter (without steroids). Anything more is just extra fat being stored. Don't get me wrong, you *will* gain fat regardless while bulking but it's best minimize it.

 

[TickleMeElbow]

Yeah just eat that peanut butter by the spoonfull throughout the day. Make sure it's like a table spoon each though, and count them. Get a calorie counter like MyFitnessPal, and also a food scale. The reason I say count them, is that you might get fat if you go crazy with it.

When I first started bulking at 130lbs I was just eyeballing everything. Then I got MFP, and turns out I was only eating 1800 cals a day, which felt like a lot, but obviously wasn't enough. Then I tried to up my calories (eating peanut butter and shit all day), but I was still just eyeballing. Ended up fat 5 months later at 170+. Went back down to 130 in like 3 months and started over, this time with a food scale. Turns out I was eating over 3000 cals when I got fat.

So yeah, I recommend getting a food scale.

Oh, and when it comes to lifting don't neglect your legs. They'll add a lot of weight since they're the biggest muscle group in the body.

 

[Kozak]

I was a lardarse kid. Putting on weight is only really easy if you're willing to do it eating pizzas and pastries and icecreams and burgers etc etc.

Though to be honest, it's so long since I've eaten like that, I think I'd still struggle.

I must have drawn the short card.

I was a pretty lardarse kid, not obese but a decent chubby. I would pretty much only eat junk food apart from mums stuff. I'd also pretty much be glued to the computer..

Now..eat 3 meals a day with no snacking in between. All healthy, or at least "not junk". Workout HIIT at least twice a week.

The love handles are the hardest part for me to get rid of. Been at it for a good 2 years.

A lot of progress has been made but I definitely have to avoid eating bad otherwise the weight just comes back on quick..

 

[btrboyev]

The fuck it is. Eat a lot of peanut butter, ice cream and soda.

 

[Greenzxy]

Spread/cook butter on everything and eat tons of bacon. You'll gain 85 lbs in no time.