Callin' all you skinny folks

I've been thin as long as I can rememer. I think the only time I was a bit chubby was as a child but hey, who wasn't overweight when your parents decided what you ate.

The problem now is that I've grown accustomed to eating several small meals a day rather than eating three normal sized meals a day, which in theory, makes it harder for me to gain mass. Every time I go out to eat with friends, I'll have something small or either won't finish it and then a half hour to an hour later, I'll be hungry for another portion again. Because I eat small meals at all times of the day, my body metabolizes food easier and that's why I don't gain weight as much. I never knew this until my trainer told me that's the reason I'm not very bulky.

Since I started training, I've gotten ripped but I still need to build some muscle mass. Everyone's been telling me to take protein, creatine, eat carbs, etc., but in all honesty, I just want to be able to eat three normal sized meals a day. I'm sick of almost eating every second of the day because it makes it easier to eat junk food as opposed to a real hardy meal.

I'm sure there's some among you that have this annoying eating habit as well. What advice would you give me if I wanted to slowly begin eating larger portions less often throughout the day? Keep in mind I'm looking for a little more help than 'take it gradually'. I've tried that but when I force myself to eat more than I can, I just feel bloated.

When you begin to feel bloated, go drink some fizzy pop until you burp, a lot. You will no longer feel bloated. Continue to eat, drink, repeat.

Quit buying microwavable food, I used to do the same thing, as you said you need to make it where you have to cook a meal which i'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to spend 30 minutes cooking a meal for a small snack would you? Might as well eat your breakfast/lunch/dinner then.

Jonathan said:

When you begin to feel bloated, go drink some fizzy pop until you burp, a lot. You will no longer feel bloated. Continue to eat, drink, repeat.

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Fizzy pop?

GarrettG said:

Quit buying microwavable food, I used to do the same thing, as you said you need to make it where you have to cook a meal which i'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to spend 30 minutes cooking a meal for a small snack would you? Might as well eat your breakfast/lunch/dinner then.

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I don't buy microwavable food I just have a small appetite that's all.

Solidify said:

Fizzy pop?


I don't buy microwavable food I just have a small appetite that's all.

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-__-
Do you live in a basement or something,
Ya know, Coke, Lemonade, 'Soda' whatever you Americans call it.

How many calories are you eating a day? What's your bf%,weight, height, and how many times do you exercise a week? It doesn't matter if you're eating 3 times a day, or 6 times a day, as long as your getting the right amount of calories. I find it easier eating 6 times a day, eating 3 times just makes me sick. If you're pumping iron, that's great, but try to avoid cardio if you're already healthy. Walking on a treadmill would be ideal, just don't run.

I am exgatly the same to you mate, even though im probs younger at 16, i been going to the gym for the past year start in the begging of 2010, aint put much weight on though, but i feel teh same,

Sounds like you're looking to do what I do, and I'm doing what you do. I've been accustoming myself to eating less, more often, rather than three large meals a day. I used to be over weight, and I've gotten down to a decent look, but I still got the chubs, and since I was big for a child, as I thinned up I have the advantage of being built, so I just have to weight lift and exercise to burn the fat and get toned, the way I did it was just eat less and ignore any feeling of "hunger" what you should do is eat more at said meals, and then pass the day through. Example for breakfast have like bacon, sausage, a nice big whopping of scrambled eggs, some coffee, orange or apple juice or both, and awesome buttered toast That's the kind of breakfast I have in Colombia

Do the same thing for each meal, increase your portions slowly, but not right away or else you'll just get full right away.

Actually, eating 3 meals a day is NOT the best way for gaining weight. Those body builders you see on tv, those muscle men you see, they eat several small meals a day, but the total calories add up to 3,000+. I know this because my dad used to be a body builder, and I'm on the road to becoming a body builder myself. But you need to drink protein shakes and protein bars every time after you workout. I just learned this a few months ago and put on some good extra pounds. But my friend did this and in about 3 months he gained 30 pounds. Since I'm only 13, that's a lot for my age. But if you're 18+ you should be able to get 20 pounds a month. Just remember to work out every day, for around 30-2hours depending on how hard you are really working out, and drink protein shakes every time you are working out. Also eat healthy food, I stopped eating fast food, its a terrible way to gain muscle. Eat fresh vegetables and fruits (atleast 3,000 calories a day) and you'll be gaining pounds faster than you think.

rakeya said:

But if you're 18+ you should be able to get 20 pounds a day.

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This needs a correction, lol. I don't even think it's realistic for 20 lb/month.

OP: I would suggest reading this article:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/layne2.htm

It's a good read. Layne Norton is very knowledgeable and his books are also great.

I know how you feel; I am really skinny for my age. I have a fast metabolism so I can eat so much and barely gain a pound. I been like this my whole life. It doesn't really bother me other than the fact I can't gain much muscle mass as I want. I usually end up eating 2-3 meals a day and they are pretty big. It something I am going to have to live with, I do like to wear tight pants though

Jonathan said:

-__-
Do you live in a basement or something,
Ya know, Coke, Lemonade, 'Soda' whatever you Americans call it.

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I'm Canadian not American and no I don't live in my basement.
Soft drinks then.

Fast Don said:

This needs a correction, lol. I don't even think it's realistic for 20 lb/month.

OP: I would suggest reading this article:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/layne2.htm

It's a good read. Layne Norton is very knowledgeable and his books are also great.

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lol sorry about that, i meant 20 pounds a month. which isnt that hard to get

Fast Don said:

How many calories are you eating a day? What's your bf%,weight, height, and how many times do you exercise a week? It doesn't matter if you're eating 3 times a day, or 6 times a day, as long as your getting the right amount of calories. I find it easier eating 6 times a day, eating 3 times just makes me sick. If you're pumping iron, that's great, but try to avoid cardio if you're already healthy. Walking on a treadmill would be ideal, just don't run.

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I don't know the exact specs for my body but I'm about 5 feet 9 inches tall and between rackquetball at school, hockey on Sunday's and the gym I workout about 4 out of 7 days a week. I used to play soccer since I was 4 so I was really athletic but then stopped 2 years ago. Now I'm trying to get back active.

Megaman.EXE said:

Sounds like you're looking to do what I do, and I'm doing what you do. I've been accustoming myself to eating less, more often, rather than three large meals a day. I used to be over weight, and I've gotten down to a decent look, but I still got the chubs, and since I was big for a child, as I thinned up I have the advantage of being built, so I just have to weight lift and exercise to burn the fat and get toned, the way I did it was just eat less and ignore any feeling of "hunger" what you should do is eat more at said meals, and then pass the day through. Example for breakfast have like bacon, sausage, a nice big whopping of scrambled eggs, some coffee, orange or apple juice or both, and awesome buttered toast That's the kind of breakfast I have in Colombia

Do the same thing for each meal, increase your portions slowly, but not right away or else you'll just get full right away.

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Exactly. That's what my friend that I train with told me. He said that it's easier for someone that is overweight to get cut and ripped than it would be for me because it will be twice as hard to build the mass I need.

But trust me man. I always want to eat a lot at breakfast. Like right now, that meal you just mentioned sounds amazing but when I wake up, I don’t have much of an appetite.

rakeya said:

Actually, eating 3 meals a day is NOT the best way for gaining weight. Those body builders you see on tv, those muscle men you see, they eat several small meals a day, but the total calories add up to 3,000+. I know this because my dad used to be a body builder, and I'm on the road to becoming a body builder myself. But you need to drink protein shakes and protein bars every time after you workout. I just learned this a few months ago and put on some good extra pounds. But my friend did this and in about 3 months he gained 30 pounds. Since I'm only 13, that's a lot for my age. But if you're 18+ you should be able to get 20 pounds a month. Just remember to work out every day, for around 30-2hours depending on how hard you are really working out, and drink protein shakes every time you are working out. Also eat healthy food, I stopped eating fast food, its a terrible way to gain muscle. Eat fresh vegetables and fruits (atleast 3,000 calories a day) and you'll be gaining pounds faster than you think.

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Rather than take protein shakes and protein bars (because I'm allergic to nuts and most bars contain them) is there a way to get the same effect with natural foods? Is it just vegetables?

Fast Don said:

This needs a correction, lol. I don't even think it's realistic for 20 lb/month.

OP: I would suggest reading this article:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/layne2.htm

It's a good read. Layne Norton is very knowledgeable and his books are also great.

Click to expand...

I'll look over it. Thanks.

Edit: I figured it out. I need to find a way to make breakfast my biggest meal. Right now, it's my smallest. I will literally wake up, sit down and have a couple bites of food and leave.

dont eat for a day ull be hungry as fk the next?

Ride My Yak said:

dont eat for a day ull be hungry as fk the next?

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I think I'm going to go through with that link that someone sent me. It makes sense but it'll be hard to change my habits. I need to find a way to force myself to eat a lot more.

Solidify said:

Rather than take protein shakes and protein bars (because I'm allergic to nuts and most bars contain them) is there a way to get the same effect with natural foods? Is it just vegetables?

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Vegetables and fruits can help you gain weight, but it's not how much food you eat. It's really how much calories it has. Everyday you need to eat healthy food, averaging 3,000 calories a day. If you can't drink protein shakes or protein bars, try to make a weekly food plan so everyday you know what you're going to eat and that it will equal at least 3,000 calories.

Solidify said:

I don't know the exact specs for my body but I'm about 5 feet 9 inches tall and between rackquetball at school, hockey on Sunday's and the gym I workout about 4 out of 7 days a week. I used to play soccer since I was 4 so I was really athletic but then stopped 2 years ago. Now I'm trying to get back active.

I'll look over it. Thanks.

Edit: I figured it out. I need to find a way to make breakfast my biggest meal. Right now, it's my smallest. I will literally wake up, sit down and have a couple bites of food and leave.

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Depending on your weight, I would say 2,700-3,000 calories would be enough to start gaining weight. (These calculations are based off your height, age, and weight [130-160].) I would suggest getting in the habit of counting your calories.

And yep, breakfast should be your biggest meal. I myself also never ate breakfast, but when I made the transition of actually having a proper breakfast, I was in a better mood, had more energy, and just felt great overall.

As far as protein shakes, people usually mix weight gainer (not needed, but recommended) with whey protein powder and other calorie dense foods, such as peanut butter. For example, something like this would contain roughly 800 calories:

2 cups of Skim Milk
2 scoops of Whey Protein
2 teaspoons of Natural Peanut butter
1 Banana
1/2 cup of Oats
1 teaspoon of honey

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You should drink these shakes post-workout. You can either make your own weight-gainer shake, which is quoted above, or you can buy one, such as Cyto Gainer.
Other protein sources would consist of lean chicken, lean beef, lean steak, egg whites (yolks okay, as long as it's not a lot; for example, I eat 1 yolk for every 5 whites), etc. When trying to gain weight, I would eat it with carbs, i.e, a steak, egg and cheese breakfast burrito would be good. Also, try to get in some healthy fats from sources such as almonds or pistachios.

Fast Don said:

Depending on your weight, I would say 2,700-3,000 calories would be enough to start gaining weight. (These calculations are based off your height, age, and weight [130-160].) I would suggest getting in the habit of counting your calories.

And yep, breakfast should be your biggest meal. I myself also never ate breakfast, but when I made the transition of actually having a proper breakfast, I was in a better mood, had more energy, and just felt great overall.

As far as protein shakes, people usually mix weight gainer (not needed, but recommended) with whey protein powder and other calorie dense foods, such as peanut butter. For example, something like this would contain roughly 800 calories:


You should drink these shakes post-workout. You can either make your own weight-gainer shake, which is quoted above, or you can buy one, such as Cyto Gainer.
Other protein sources would consist of lean chicken, lean beef, lean steak, egg whites (yolks okay, as long as it's not a lot; for example, I eat 1 yolk for every 5 whites), etc. When trying to gain weight, I would eat it with carbs, i.e, a steak, egg and cheese breakfast burrito would be good. Also, try to get in some healthy fats from sources such as almonds or pistachios.

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Like I said, I'm allergic to peanuts to I can't have peanut butter but either way, I'm still stuck deciding whether I'd like to bulk up or get cut/ripped, now that I know what is needed for both.

I want to be a bit bigger but still want to be able to show-off a six-pack and have a decent body definition. I'm not aiming at becoming one of those guys that can't even wipe their own ass.

embark to your nearby fast food shop. order much food and consume your way in. faithfully you will gain some weight.