Sorry if I sound like a broken record, but it's true. Since the start of the new year I've been workin my ass off in the gym, and it shows. I've gained about 5 lbs, I'm much much stronger than most people my size (165ish, 6 ft, like 7% bf)...but I'm still SKINNY in my eyes.

I'm in college and working, so I eat as much as I can afford, aka I eat like a vulture. But I'm trying to eliminate the junk as well as GAIN WEIGHT. Problem is when I eat whatever I can, it all seems to go to my stomach...and goes right thru me (catch my drift?) That's in my genes, skinny and lean men who grow big bellies. But as far as the rest of my body, I can't seem to add mass. So am I eating the wrong types of foods or what? Does an excess in carbs do this?

If anyone can help me, I just wanna know a healthy way to gain weight. I honestly don't mind eating the same 3 foods day in and day out, but what ARE those foods? I see them mentioned occasionally, but I can't find a list or anything. I've read things like oats, lots of chicken, but that's about it.

Can anyone help me out? You guys are like geniuses so any advice is appreciated. :) Help me gain 15 lbs and I will be forever indebted!!

- Ryan Seyersdahl

Hey SK! Welcome!

Post your diet, and your workout routine, maybe :D.

Uuuum diet? :o I eat whatever I can, really. Lots of tuna fish and ham and cheese sandwiches, lots of soup (lots of sodium, is that bad?), poptarts for days, Totinos pizzas, microwave pancakes waffles and french toast sticks, lots of yogurts and puddings, and lately I've been so damn hungry I've been resorting to fast food. It's hard to avoid when I go from class straight to work. My friends are amazed I have energy to go to the gym...and still outlast them. :bb: Money is short, so I basically try to eat cheap. But I know I can do better than this, that's why I'm coming to yall! :)

My workout?

Monday - back, shoulders, and focus on chest
Tuesday - legs, and focus on arms
Thursday - chest, shoulders, and focus on back
Friday - arms, and focus on legs

I throw in some cardio and ab work here and there, but I've been so active my whole life I really don't need that much. I think I was over-doing it with the weights, so I shortened my sessions. I've gone from squatting 90 to 280 in 3 months so I'm pretty sure I've gotten stronger. But I've only gained about 5 lbs...which is great, considering it seems to be all muscle. But I've always been a lean guy, so I really would like to gain some mass that isn't just muscle. And on top of that, I really would like to be healthier. I'm only 20 but in the long run...I need to fix some things. I was an only child, single-parent home, yada yada, so I never had anyone to observe. In a nutshell.

Help. :(

Uuuum diet? :o
80% what you look like is diet.

I eat whatever I can, really. Lots of tuna fish and ham and cheese sandwiches, lots of soup (lots of sodium, is that bad?), poptarts for days, Totinos pizzas, microwave pancakes waffles and french toast sticks, lots of yogurts and puddings,

doesn't look like a diet that would help you to gain muscle mass

and lately I've been so damn hungry I've been resorting to fast food. It's hard to avoid when I go from class straight to work.

Hey.... each one of us has 24 hrs in our days. Its all about planning ;)

My friends are amazed I have energy to go to the gym...and still outlast them. :bb: Money is short, so I basically try to eat cheap. But I know I can do better than this, that's why I'm coming to yall! :)
:tu:

My workout?

Monday - back, shoulders, and focus on chest
Tuesday - legs, and focus on arms
Thursday - chest, shoulders, and focus on back
Friday - arms, and focus on legs

I throw in some cardio and ab work here and there, but I've been so active my whole life I really don't need that much. I think I was over-doing it with the weights, so I shortened my sessions. I've gone from squatting 90 to 280 in 3 months so I'm pretty sure I've gotten stronger. But I've only gained about 5 lbs...which is great, considering it seems to be all muscle. But I've always been a lean guy, so I really would like to gain some mass that isn't just muscle.
why would you wanna gain fat?? :confused:

And on top of that, I really would like to be healthier. I'm only 20 but in the long run...I need to fix some things. I was an only child, single-parent home, yada yada, so I never had anyone to observe. In a nutshell.
keep reading and writing:D

Help. :([/QUOTE]

I said it before and I'll say it again......

Step 1. Find some tuperware on sale and buy a bunch of it.
Step 2. Learn to cook something.
Step 3. Buy the ingredients in bulk (cheaper) and make ALLOT of whatever you learned to cook.
Step 4. Put it in the tuperware containers you bought on sale in step 1.
Step 5. Put some in your belly, put some in the fridge for the next week, put some in your freezer.

Thats about the only way your ever going to get "cheap" "healthy" and "easy to prepare" in the same menu. Since you already made it, just pop it in the microwave for a few minutes, it doesn't get much easier then that.

Just about anything you can learn to cook is cheap using this method. Shit you can even have steaks cheap, I got 8lbs of eye of round (GIANT stick of cow meat) at costco for $23, cut it in slices and ended up with 15 larg steaks. 15 large steaks for $23, thats like $1.50 for a steak.... you cant even buy ground beef that cheap my friend ;) (keep in mind thats canadian money, so even less if your american).
There really is no better way to eat good, fast and on a budget.


Chris.

I said it before and I'll say it again......

There really is no better way to eat good, fast and on a budget.


Chris.

See that makes perfect sense. :) My only question now is what are some good foods to do this with?

Another question. Why do I see a lot of people with "1 tbsp olive oil" in their diet threads?

And I don't necessarily wanna gain body fat, but if I were eating more and healthier wouldn't I gain more muscle as well? I'm at such a low % right now a few extra pounds def wouldn't hurt.

What Maya said earlier about gaining fat probably was prompted by this earlier comment:

But I've always been a lean guy, so I really would like to gain some mass that isn't just muscle.

Apologies if you already know this, but any mass you gain is going to be either muscle or fat. You don't really want fat--as you said, maybe just a little wouldn't hurt, since you're already super-lean, and this is an acceptable compromise when bulking for most people. But fat doesn't make you healthy, help you lift weights, or burn any calories for you, or look good, so you're going to end up wanting to ditch it.

Another question. Why do I see a lot of people with "1 tbsp olive oil" in their diet threads?
Olive oil is loaded with healthy unsaturated fats and can be used in cooking such as frying an egg, using on veggies, etc. Virgin Olive oil is organically made with no added chemicals if I'm not mistaken.

Olive oil is loaded with healthy unsaturated fats and can be used in cooking such as frying an egg, using on veggies, etc. Virgin Olive oil is organically made with no added chemicals if I'm not mistaken.

Extra vigrin olive oil just means that it cold pressed, not using any heat (that would destroy its good properties).
PS. Everything is chemical.... except for light and electricity ;) Even plain water is H2O (hydrogen and oxygen.. which are chemicals too :D)

See that makes perfect sense. :) My only question now is what are some good foods to do this with?

Another question. Why do I see a lot of people with "1 tbsp olive oil" in their diet threads?

And I don't necessarily wanna gain body fat, but if I were eating more and healthier wouldn't I gain more muscle as well? I'm at such a low % right now a few extra pounds def wouldn't hurt.

Eat often and clean. 6 meals a day. That doesnt mean that you have to *cook* 6 times a day. Just split your meals into 6-7.
Good bulking macros are 33 protein/33 carbs /33 fat

Read the stickies for lots of general info.

Protein- Lean chicken, turkey, beef, fish, eggs, egg whites, some cottage cheese, you can supplement with whey after workout.
Starchy carbs (you can eat more of those, I would put them in 4-5 meals)- Yams, oatmeal, baked potatoes, brown rice
Veggies (in 4-5 meals)- eat them a lot. Broccoli, asparagus, spinach, red peppers, mixed leafy greans, some corn, zucchini, tomatoes
Fruit (2-3 servings)- bananas, apples, berries (superfood), pineapple, grapefruits,
Fats (I would put them in 2-3 meals a day, esp at night eaten with protein)- olive oil, avocado, nuts, peanut butter, flaxseed oil. Good sources of saturated fats (which is good for you too) are coconut oil, heavy cream.

Thanks! I'm seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. :) Which foods would you recommend mixing those oils with?

And as far as gaining an extra few pounds of fat, with my body type, I can't imagine it'd hurt. I'm talking 5 lbs or so. For example, if you see two people with identical builds, neither of whom exercise, and one looks about 20 lbs skinnier than the other (one being 130, one being 150)...you'd probably prefer the look of the bigger one. I'm still SKINNY, so honestly, I'd like to be a lil more supple. :lol: I think it'd look a lil bit healthier actually. Maybe then this skinny neck wouldn't be so prominent! But no, I'm not looking to gain just fat, but I'd welcome the extra few lbs of fat that would come with the extra few lbs of muscle. Nawutamean?

And as far as gaining an extra few pounds of fat, with my body type, I can't imagine it'd hurt. I'm talking 5 lbs or so. For example, if you see two people with identical builds, neither of whom exercise, and one looks about 20 lbs skinnier than the other (one being 130, one being 150)...you'd probably prefer the look of the bigger one. I'm still SKINNY, so honestly, I'd like to be a lil more supple. :lol: I think it'd look a lil bit healthier actually. Maybe then this skinny neck wouldn't be so prominent! But no, I'm not looking to gain just fat, but I'd welcome the extra few lbs of fat that would come with the extra few lbs of muscle. Nawutamean?

I hear ya, my brother is about 5lbs heavier then you and 3 inches taller, if your build is anything like his its borderline unhealthy skinny (yes to skinny can be unhealthy). I would tend to agree with you on a slightly more "supple" look being nicer then just skin and muscle.... Im not talking fat, im talking lean enough to see good muscle definition, but not so lean that you can see muscle fibers.

Now get eating!
:spaz::eat::bb:


Chris.

I hear ya, my brother is about 5lbs heavier then you and 3 inches taller, if your build is anything like his its borderline unhealthy skinny (yes to skinny can be unhealthy). I would tend to agree with you on a slightly more "supple" look being nicer then just skin and muscle.... Im not talking fat, im talking lean enough to see good muscle definition, but not so lean that you can see muscle fibers.

Now get eating!
:spaz::eat::bb:


Chris.

Whoa whoa whoa I'm far from unhealthy skinny! lol I ask people now and no one says I'm skinny, but I still see it. On one hand, I love being how strong I am for my size, but damn, I just wanna be a little bit bigger.

I'm glad you understood what I was saying! I'm gonna set my immediate goal for 5 meals a day. Hopefully a trip the grocery store later this week will do me some good. Some more yogurts, spinach, chicken and beef, maybe some fish, potatoes, peanut butter, etc.

Hmmmmmm...I'm thinking of ways to incorporate foods. :confused: You think a pb&j sandwich with a protein shake would be good for post-workout? Cause of all the protein?

Thanks! I'm seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. :) Which foods would you recommend mixing those oils with?

And as far as gaining an extra few pounds of fat, with my body type, I can't imagine it'd hurt. I'm talking 5 lbs or so. For example, if you see two people with identical builds, neither of whom exercise, and one looks about 20 lbs skinnier than the other (one being 130, one being 150)...you'd probably prefer the look of the bigger one. I'm still SKINNY, so honestly, I'd like to be a lil more supple. :lol: I think it'd look a lil bit healthier actually. Maybe then this skinny neck wouldn't be so prominent! But no, I'm not looking to gain just fat, but I'd welcome the extra few lbs of fat that would come with the extra few lbs of muscle. Nawutamean?

Oh then... lucky you :D
I normally don't mix carbs with fats, so I have only carb/protein meals OR fat/protein meals.
But if you dont mind some fat, which I totally understand, then don't worry about mixing carbs/fats.

My favourite breakfast is oatmeal with good vanila protein shake and some (1/2 tbsp) coconut butter and blueberries. M-mmmmmmm! :drool:
Make sure that you dont make the oatmeal too watery, because then it doesnt taste that great.
Add more fats to your diet too.
Good luck. Post some pictures too, I cant wait to see your progress :tu:

Hmmmmmm...I'm thinking of ways to incorporate foods. :confused: You think a pb&j sandwich with a protein shake would be good for post-workout? Cause of all the protein?

Its good to leave out the fat from post workout meal. You need the carbs and the protein to be absorbed rather quickly to recover, fat slows down that process.
Other then that.... enjoy!
I'm jelous.. because I'm cutting ;)

You've got nothing to be jealous of. :lol: Thank you so much for the help. I'll keep you guys updated. And in the meantime I'll keep yall company!!

Well I'm just 6 days in to my new diet and honestly, I don't think I've ever felt better. 20 year old male aggression aside, I feel REMARKABLE. I've had no fast food, freezer food, or microwave food in a week now.

Leading up to last week (right before I made this thread) I was feeling exhausted every time I was done at the gym...and that's what made me realize I needed a diet (shoot, any sort of diet was better than the one I had). So since last Sunday I've been eating non-stop, 4 to 5 meals a day, and have completely avoided any form of junk food.

Lo and behold I was a beast in the gym this week. 3 sets of 8 @ 195 lbs on bench...no problem. 3 sets of 8 @ 300 lbs on squat...no problem. I woke up weighing 163, and I don't have the big stomach I had when I was just cramming my face a few months back (remember, I've always been skinny and if I ate a lot, it just went to my gut).

I love it, I feel great! I planned on gaining weight but damn, I feel great in every way imaginable right now. Anyways, here's what I've been eating non-stop:

Whole wheat bread
roast beef (my new personal favorite)
bananas
blueberries
oatmeal (ate it for the 1st time ever, actually enjoy it)
protein shakes after every workout
lots of beef
tuna fish
veggie stew (potatoes, carrots, spinach, corn)

Among other things. Oh well, just wanted to share with those of yall who helped me out. Especially Maya, I'm definitely indebted. :)

Oh and I've been drinking blueberry green tea like crazy! New personal favorite. Already told all my friends about it. :lol:

I dont think we realise how bad we eat untell we start eating good. I never considered all those freezer meals and pre prepared stuff bad, and fast food was just a time saver rather then making my own.

But once you stop eating all that stuff and start cooking your own, WOW!
I'm glad your feeling this effect aswell, its great! I used to be constantly tired, I figured it was from working midnights. I used to have these weird scaley grey patches of skin on my elbows (yea its as weird as it sounds, almost like rough foot skin O_o). I used to get heartburn everyday, it actually just seemed normal.

Cleaned up my diet and bam! Never tired, I actually can hardly sit down now im always standing around hoping on 1 foot, my elbows are smooth as a babys bottom, and last time I had heart burn was over a month ago a few hours after eating ALLOT of pizza for a super pig out cheat meal.

What im saying is, im glad your new diet is making you feel great, that should help you stick with it, and consistancy will get you the results you want!:tucool:


Chris

I'm trying! I think I could eat roast beef every day for the rest of my life and be fine, so this'll be a cakewalk. :lol:

o well, wrong place I know, but progress pic for anyone who cares

December
http://myspace-089.vo.llnwd.net/01489/98/03/1489733089_l.gif

Now
http://a954.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/63/l_e9257b141f5a157739fac420352e7609.gif


I've actually gained about 6-7 lbs of muscle...I almost look skinnier in the 2nd, but it's deceiving I swear! my traps have def improved