Danke said:Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll continue to exercise, eat better, and get some protein supplement. I'll update this if/when I hit 130 lbs
The bottom line is that if you struggle with putting on weight, it's going to take a serious mental shift to make any real difference. There are very few quick and easy solutions to a lifestyle change.
Jc066 said:The best way to put on weight is, by far using a GOMAD and heavy lifting approach. GOMAD ( Gallon of Milk a day) plus normal meals will put serious pounds on! I used it and put on 12lbs in 11days. I did stop b/c I was sick of milk but continued through with the rest of my squat program.
That is the other point: The human body responds to the stress put upon it. You have to drop the heavy cardio volume and focus on moving lots of Iron. Now, I didn't say STOP running or biking or swimming, just use it to get a sweat on/get the heart rate up etc.
Someone mentioned Starting Strength and I am 110% for this! Linear progression works awesome and this is what you need. If you are not interested in a full program there are others that can get you there, BUT the squatting is key! Doing bench&bi's the whole time leaves you pretty nonfunctional. Squatting will transfer over to important things like ruck marches and section attacks more than the B&B( although running will suck for a bit after finishing). Google Russian squat program, when I used it I added 40lbs to my back squat which was well over the 5%( almost 9% for me) the program is designed for.
You said you are Lactose intolerant? Tough cookie but ways around it; 1) there is Lactose-free milk out there that will get you the extra calories that you need. Can't do it with the werido-milk? next step in whole coconut milk! Don't know how much a gallon of coconut milk will cost but it has lots of good fats, high calorie and tastes good. The last step would be synthetic proteins; the stuff that is powdered for you, easily mixes etc.
This is IMHO. What works for me might not work for you. Try it and find out!
JC
Danke said:I was wondering if anyone had some advice for putting on weight before my medical. I'm 22, male, about 5'9", 125 lbs right now, and I've never been heavier. I'm hoping that my training for the fitness exam will fill me out a bit, but exercise has never worked for me before :-\
Any tips?
Nauticus said:Also look into what your exercise consists of. If you're doing it right, as well as eating right, there's no reason why it wouldn't "work".
ConradJon said:Workout (if an option), then proceed to mcdonalds and order the most fattening burger, with chocolate milk. Worked for my cousin, but he turned out bulky after a couple of months.
ConradJon said:No I do not mean completely fat, just into a heavier Johnny Bravo physique. Of course, if you would prefer to do it the more healthy way, 6 meals a day with lots of meat, and a protein shake after workouts.
Hambo said:Most people don't know how to lift weights right. That's the biggest problem, and why it doesn't work. Cue frustration, which then leads to cessation.
Thank you for gracing us with your brilliance.By "bulky" do you mean completely fat?
Danke said:Thanks for the advice everyone. A lot of great stuff here.
I've been focusing on eating bigger meals; I measured my caloric intake and found out that a day of eating whenever I'm hungry gives me fewer than what is recommended. So I'm taking double servings of everything and eating even when I'm not hungry, since it's not a reliable metric for me.
I bought some protein powder, and found some digestive pills with lactase which seem to be working for the lactose intolerance thing.
I've got some freeweights ranging from 8-30 lbs. I tend to stick to the 8-pounders because my upper body strength is really lacking. I'll try some squats with the heavier stuff. I'm not doing any running for a few days; tweaked the outside of my left knee when I was skating, or swimming, or something. No symptoms any more, but I don't want to aggravate it.
IsraelC said:Eat a few servings of meat a day; New York Steaks, tuna, chicken, a dozen eggs.. just make sure that there is a lot of meat.
IsraelC said:I used to weigh 115 pounds at 6"0, I'm now at 170ish and gaining; this is what I've been doing:
Train using the 5x5 workout (5 sets of 5 reps) on the bench press, squat, and deadlift. Once you can lift a weight for the full 25 reps for 2 consecutive workouts add another 10 pounds on. Don't train heavy on the weights for more that 3-4 days a week or you'll start going downhill.
NOTE: USE PROPER FORM! If you don't know it then ask someone at the gym, seriously.
Eat ridiculous amounts of food; I'm talking about 4000-5000 calories a day. At least 200 grams of protein a day. Make sure its all healthy whole food. Eat a few servings of meat a day; New York Steaks, tuna, chicken, a dozen eggs.. just make sure that there is a lot of meat. Also, eat even more carbs; a box of spaghetti a day type thing (I can buy a box of spaghetti for $1.30 and it'll give me 1800 calories). Make sure there is healthy fat thrown in there somewhere. To get in this much food, you're going to have to eat more than 3x a day, try 5-7x (yes it will speed up your metabolism but you'll outrun it).
Sleep for 8-10 hours EVERY night. This is the time when your body actually gains weight by re-building the muscle that your previous workout tore apart; sleep is much more important than most people make it out to be when they're trying to put on pounds.
If this doesn't work, you have a tapeworm or something.
Black Betty said:4000-5000 cal a day WoW
I think Im a skinny female 5'5 120 and In order for me to gain weight and add mass to my upper body I have to have an intake of 2000-3000 cal a day.
I agree if your taking in to much your activity has to be such that your burning alot of it away.
Do you include running or any cardio to your workouts?
Carbs should be Brown rice, oats, whole wheat the other stuff is just starch. Nothing wrong wid the Mickey D diet to refuel I guess. Yogourt, salads, nuts, lentils(beans) fruits lots of veggies. I case you have no idea what kind of diet these guys are talking about. Lots of protein is suppose to be the key.
Tried the eggs thing :facepalm: my personal opinion. haha
Overall you have to plan your meals and eating the right amount.
Shake for breakfast (lactose intolerant I have opted for the protein shake), Yogourt snack, sandwich lunch, veggie snack, brown rice grilled chicken breast with veggies, nuts for snack SLEEP.
Water anyone and lots of it ;D
Style meals around your schedule.