Im trying to put ON weight. Help!

i dont like Mc Donalds

Published on June 16, 2004 By Phoenixboi In Health & Medicine

This week Ive been doing something positive for myself... Ive started doing some major exercise.

Im gonna get my body into some sort of shape.. Im going to put on more weight and put on more muscle.

So I ve also been eating more. Loads more. Its a good thing believe me.

DOes anyone have any good muscle workout tips for me??

Im trying to put on weight .. its really hard to do!

Apart from eating junk Id like to put on weight eating the right foods..So ive been researching..

Eat every 3 hours. Eat protein. Things like tuna, chicken, salads, pastas during the day.

What else can I do? Anyone know of anything apart from supersizing at McDOnalds?

Comments (Page 1)

pseudosoldier

on Jun 16, 2004

Not that I've had problems putting on weight...

Many of the guys I've known who've wanted to buff up load up on the protein. Load UP. Having some protein right after working out might help. Upping your caloric intake to 1.5x or 2x normal, but keeping all the healthy proportions of foods (ie - still less Mickey D's than anything else).

But it might all be for naught if your metabolism is working against you. Good luck.

Phoenixboi

on Jun 16, 2004

Thanks pseudosoldier

yeah ive been uptaking my protein, also trying to use things like whey powder as a supplement.

I used to be a vegetarian for health reasons but it wasnt helping me.. Although a friend of mine who is a vegetarian keeps putting on the weight it just isnt for me.

I do have a fast metabolism as well so that is working against me.

Ive been doing weights, and trying to do some cardio workouts as well cause I have a history of heart disease in my family as well. So Im trying to balance it all out.

pseudosoldier

on Jun 16, 2004

I think if you're trying to bulk up, the cardio is going to be counter-productive at this point. Probably save it for when you want to get cut, after the mass is on.
Remember: high weight, low reps = mass building; low weight, high reps = toning. A generalization, to be sure, but one I've seen over and over again. Also, if you think you are doing high weight, high reps, then you're wrong. Up your weight.

Phoenixboi

on Jun 17, 2004

So your saying I should just concentrate on puttin weight onand while doing this do low reps of weights?

What kind of regieme do you suggest??

Thanks it halping me heaps!

Gene Nash

on Jun 17, 2004

Have you tried the "bulk up" mixtures they sell at health food stores? They worked well for me. They come in a variety of yummy flavors, too.

Phoenixboi

on Jun 17, 2004

Are they Whey Powders smartaz?

dharmagrl

on Jun 17, 2004

Pseudo's right...if you want to gain muscle mass, high weight low reps is the only way to do it. No cardio, not until after you've gained.

The whey powder drinks are good, and there are amino acid suppliments that you can take that help your body metabolize protein. Try eating regularly as well...a guy I know gained 50 lbs recently by having a whey shake before he went to the gym in the mornings, breakfast after he was done, a shake mid-morning for a snack, lunch, a shake in the afternoon, dinner, and another shake in the evening. He worked out every day, limiting his cardio to the minimum the AF requires and lifting some really heavy weights at low reps.

Let us know how it goes!

Phoenixboi

on Jun 17, 2004

Thanks Dharmagrl!

ive been working out everyday.. and im going to take yours and pseudos advice now.

I should keep a log of how im doing on here maybe.

dharmagrl

on Jun 17, 2004

Yes, a log would be great! I'd be interested to see how it works for you.....how much are you looking to gain?

Phoenixboi

on Jun 17, 2004

Well at the moment im weighing in at between 57 and 60 kgs.. now i dont know how much that is in pounds??? WHats the conversion?
Im 180cms tall so that makes me pretty thin..ive always been thin it isnt anything to do with the virus. But I know the virus can help speed up the metabolism. So i gotta eat much more.

Exar Kuun

on Jun 17, 2004

Phoenixboi,

The best way to put on weight is slowly, if you want to gain muscle rather than fat. Eating McDonalds will not help at all, there's far too many calories for your body to take in at once. Looking at your weight and height (I'm guessing your about the same age as me -24 and that you are an office/shopworker, this does affect it slightly) you need to take in about 3,000 calories per day. To prevent insulin spikes (which result in you making lots of abdominal fat) you shouldn't consume more than about 500 calories at once, so this means six small meals a day. When planning your diet you need to take in somewhere from 1.5 to 2 g of protein per day per kilogram of bodymass, in your case I would go for 120g per day as you are naturally skinny (ectomorph is the proper name) and the extra protein will help to adjust your metabolism towards building things rather than breaking them down for energy.

As for training you say:

Ive started doing some major exercise.

Im gonna get my body into some sort of shape

which makes me think you haven't done much exercise before? In this case I would start on an all round body program using 5 sets of 10 reps for each of the major muscle groups (back, chest, biceps, triceps, legs, shoulders) with a bit of cardio - don't worry about the cardio burning off muscle mass you need to get your body into a position where it can respond, plus your legs are the biggest muscles in your body the more you use them the bigger the increase in "growth" hormones your going to see (if you want to read the literature look up Insulin, IGF-1, IGF-2, HGH, Testosterone). Try and do the cardio when you wake up in the morning it produces a bigger increase in certain hormones that you will need if you are an ectomorph. When your weight training don't worry about the light weights you're using at first, they get bigger fairly quickly! After a couple of months you will probably have put on a couple of kilograms which IS good, it means you will have lost fat and gained muscle if you are putting weight on this slowly while training. After that you need to start on something called periodisation to get the BIG gains, give us a yell then if you want some more info.

How do I know this works? Two years ago I weighed 9 stone and I'm 6 foot - skinny twink just like you. By the end of my "I want big muscles" stage I was 13 and a half stone. Two things, slow is good and Don't give up Phoenixboi, its worth it.

If you need anymore help just ask.

dharmagrl

on Jun 17, 2004

Well, Kg/Lbs conversion is 2.2...so at 60kgs you weigh about 132 lbs. Height wise, you're about 5'11". Yep, you're skinny alright. I'm 5'2" and 120 lbs.....you make me feel pretty dumpy, to be honest!

Do the meds that you take affect your weight? Can they?

Exar Kuun

on Jun 17, 2004

Do the meds that you take affect your weight? Can they?

Very good question Dharmagirl. Phoenixboi if you tell me the medication(s) you are on I can (probably) tell you if it will affect your weight training and come up with a workaround.

Phoenixboi

on Jun 17, 2004

Hey Exar Kuun.. thats some great info you got there.
Im 31 by the way.
Have you read any of my other blogs?

Ok well currently I take antiretroviral meds: they are

Sustiva or Efavrenz
Tenofovir
and Kaletra.

These meds can affect weight gain due to the side effects such as diarreha (spellin) but thankfully Im over most of the side effects and taking the meds is actually making me more hungry. So at night I seem to be eating a whole lot more. I dont eat Mc DOnalds. im not into it.

Would be great to have some more help here!

Dharmagrl yeah I am skinny, Ive been like this all my life.. but for my condition it is really important I do put on more weight mostly muscle mass cause there is a thing called wasting syndrome. Also putting some more weight on will make me feel better about myself.
So im 132lbs... kewl i never knew what to say when i was asked. Strange how we use different measurments.

Exar Kuun

on Jun 18, 2004

Have you read any of my other blogs?

Yup. I read through most of them the other day after I saw a few of your quotes on another article

Gonna take me a few hours to find my notes now.

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