i cannot gain anything. please help!!

[paulalan]

i turned over a new leaf last summer and decided i wanted to bulk up. i watched what i ate, had a great training regiment and saw minimal gains. i've been at it for 9 months and my weight has stayed between 180 and 185. i'm 6'4" and just look stringy. i'm tired of everyone calling me skinny. i've been eating 3500 to 4000 calories a day and still have failed to gain weight. i've supplemented and all that, still nothing. i'm at my wits end and need some help or advice, which is what led me to join this forum. i wqs looking at trying some sort of anabolic to try to help me gain but i haven't any idea where to start

[xelnaga]

Calories in > calories out. If you aren't eating enough to put on weight at 180 6'4, adding anabolics will no remedy the problem. You need to address your diet and training routine before considering any assistance.

[funkymonk]

3500-4000 isn't that much dude, especially if you're active and young. If you can't gain weight naturally, you won't gain it (or at least, keep it) with steroids .

Do you actually track your calories (like in Excel, etc) or do you just "estimate" or "eyeball" it?

[The Bear 79]

Welcome paulalan. If u dont mind, we'll hav a look @ ur diet. Post wut foods u eat, times of meals, & the break down of cals, proteins, carbs & fats of each meal.

[xelnaga]

There are guys that cycle with underlying diet issues. They're results are never what they should be. In addition, they're diet ensures that once the anabolic edge is removed they drop right back to the original weight.

[Whoady]

It helps to know what age you are. And if you want to mess with your hormones be prepared to deal with the consequences. One day you'll wake up and realize it doesn't really matter how huge you are. What matter is living a long quality life with good people around you. By the time people grow up and mature, usually it's too late.

[warren916]

It helps to know what age you are. And if you want to mess with your hormones be prepared to deal with the consequences. One day you'll wake up and realize it doesn't really matter how huge you are. What matter is living a long quality life with good people around you. By the time people grow up and mature, usually it's too late.

Well said

[paulalan]

well, i started tracking them and when i got a grip on what has what for calories and protein, i just kept on eating what i have been. to give an idea of my diet: breakfast, 2 servings oatmeal, 6 boiled eggs (whites). post workout, whey protein mixed with skim milk. late morning, 2 servings pasta, i serving vegetable (varies). lunch, some sort of meat (steak or chicken), serving of rice, serving of vegetables. afternoon, whey protein shake mixed with skim milk. late afternoon, usually a vegetable & pasta dish. and dinner, meat ( steak or chicken), potatoes and a vegetable.
this is a generalized list. i'm not going to get extremely specific (avacadoes, broccoli or whatever) because i try to change up whether i eat steak or chicken and eat different vegetables all the time. i try to be disciplined with my diet and weight training, but if i miss even a couple hundred calories, it seems like i lose 2 or 3 pounds when i weigh myself the next morning.

[Exilus]

please list your diet.

i mean exact amounts in gram and moments.

[The Bear 79]

So do u count MACROS or not?

[funkymonk]

So do u count MACROS or not?

This.

[paulalan]

umm...breakfast (6am): *** calories, 64 carbs, 50g protein. post workout (9am): 970 calories, 148 carbs, 66g protein. late morning (11am): 480 calories, 90 carbs, 17g protein. lunch.(1pm): 500 calories, 60 carbs, 25g protein. early afternoon(3pm): 970 calories, 148 carbs, 66g protein. late afternoon (5pm): 500 calories, 100 carbs, 10g protein. dinner (7pm): 400 calories, 50 carbs, 20g protein

[hankdiesel]

Eat the whole damn egg! What's with the skim milk? There is a lot to change there bro. Some people are hard gainers but I've yet to come across anyone where it was impossible.

[funkymonk]

While I do think you're underestimating, the answer is very simple: eat more.

[paulalan]

and i've even pretty much eliminated cardio from my routine. i went from running 3 miles every other day to jumping rope for 20 minutes 3 days a week

[paulalan]

i was just thinking just egg whites were better. and doesn't whole milk have unwanted fat that i don't need?

[PrairieDawg]

your diet isnt where it should be. If you're a hardgainer you need to eat alot of lean protein (along with complex carbs) in several different meals during the day, not just for "supper"

eat every 2 hours, make sure it's bodybuilding food, eat until you feel like puking. If you eat like that there's no way you can't put on weight.

[Exilus]

i would also dump those shakes and replace them with real food. a good protein source+ oats or pasta or brown rice will be much better than BS shakes for your body type.

[funkymonk]

i was just thinking just egg whites were better. and doesn't whole milk have unwanted fat that i don't need?

Fat is vital dude. Fat won't make you fat, excess calories will (in addition to going towards muscle gain).

[aronjrsmil]

Don't take roids just to gain weight. If you end up taking the wrong one it could actually suppress your appetite.

[Schmidty]

i am cutting and eating 3500cals lol. Its not what you want to hear and im sure your going to go ahead and use what ever steroid you can get your hands on. But i imagine if you get your calories up to 5000cals you would be able to get a few lbs heavier before you turn to the dark side

[Hazard]

I thought I was a hard gainer..... Once I learned how to eat for growth..... I exploded.

Fvck milk..... milk is for babies. Mix your protein with water and ground oats.

You need to eat 1-1/2 cups of oats for breakfast with 2 whole eggs and 6 whites. If you want added protein add in some cooked ground turkey with your eggs when you cook em. For lunch and dinner eat 2 cups of cooked rice with 1lb of meat. Add veggies in wherever you want to. If you can eat between meals..... EAT! If you don't feel likeyou can fit it - have a protein shake with ground oats.

I don't believe in the term "hardgainer" - you're just not doing what your body needs to start growing. It takes years for guys to figure out what works for them..... hopefully we can help you get there a little bit faster.

~Haz~

[Hazard]

For the record..... I don't live to eat..... I EAT TO GROW! My diet might be bland for some but it serves its purpose.....

~Haz~

[Honkey_Kong]

I thought I was a hard gainer..... Once I learned how to eat for growth..... I exploded.

Fvck milk..... milk is for babies. Mix your protein with water and ground oats.

You need to eat 1-1/2 cups of oats for breakfast with 2 whole eggs and 6 whites. If you want added protein add in some cooked ground turkey with your eggs when you cook em. For lunch and dinner eat 2 cups of cooked rice with 1lb of meat. Add veggies in wherever you want to. If you can eat between meals..... EAT! If you don't feel likeyou can fit it - have a protein shake with ground oats.

I don't believe in the term "hardgainer" - you're just not doing what your body needs to start growing. It takes years for guys to figure out what works for them..... hopefully we can help you get there a little bit faster.

~Haz~

^^^ This except for the thing about milk. I like to have a glass of milk and a glass of OJ with my breakfast.

[aronjrsmil]

You have to look at it mathmatically. The average male burns .8 calories X their body weight in kilos. No you are at about 180 call it. that's about 82 kilos X .8 = 66 calories burned per hour not even doing anything! just sitting and studying you can burn up to 1.2 X 82 and then if you are doing a light activity like cleaning or fixing something it can be up to 2.7 X 82 calories an hour. You need to find out how much you are burning and then keep a log of what you are eating. You are obviously not overeating, but you want your consumption to equal you what you burn and maybe a little more if you want to gain weight. But really, find out how much you burn. just use those numbers I gave you.

[mirin_serratus]

do more squats

sometimes calories isn't the answer to getting past plateaus, your body can adjust to calories changes and maintain bodyweight (basic anatomy), but it can't adjust to increasing load without getting bigger

[Gym_]

Genetics... gods way of telling you ya screwed ..



........................
I dont need roids to have roid rage ..

[cuzzbrah]

3.5 - 4k cals and not gaining? something is definitely wrong here.

any chance you could force some more food down?

[JAB1]

Are you sure your eating like you posted EVERY day?? Just the fact that you were "generalizing'" and "like to change it up", tends to make me think that you go back and forth with committing to your diet, which is hindering your gains. Stick with 4000 cals a day at good macro breakdown and solid w/o plan and you should def grow.

[BBrian]

Fvck milk..... milk is for babies. Mix your protein with water and ground oats.

I enjoyed your post, but I don't understand this part. Why replace milk with water? Milk is a good source of amino acids, just not all of them, so mixing milk with other protein sources helps to increase protein intake.

[learnerdriver]

No-one seems to ask the question are you capable of eating x amount of food. You all say eat until you feel sick but that is often conter-productive. When i first looked at my diet i was amazed by how little i ate and started to question if 4000 cals of clean food was even possible. I couldn't get anywhere near my maintenance eating clean and that was through basically force feeding myself. It really started to get to me until i changed what i did.
Instead of force feeding yourself, look at it as playing the long game. Add 100/200 calories each week or whenever you feel comfortable and stick to the increase for a while until it becomes the norm for both your lifestyle and your body. Keep doing this and you will soon be comfortable eating however many cals you require.

Oi hazard i love my milk leave it alone, but to be honest i also still enjoy a good suck on a pacifier.

[TRT2010]

Yeah broziff its your diet. IDK i would actaully stick to your shakes unless they are so thick and filling that you wont be able to eat within 2 hours or so. I am also a big big big fan of putting oats in a blender with protein. I usually do this when i first wake up and drink while i drive to work ( 40 minutes) when i get to work eat my breakfast. You can put in a couple hundred calories in the first hour of being awake and if you are anything like me breakfast doesnt keep me full for long. maybe an hour tops and i am already getting hunger pains. I live, eat and die by tuna fish. I think i have put the mercury poinoning myth to bed when i was eating 10-12 cans a day for almost a year. IDK if this will help but if you are getting really full then just blend your carbs up. I might get flamed for this but for a while i was cooking rice and blending it in water and just drinking it after i ate my protein portion onmy meal. Most im sure cant stomach it. IDK i found what works for me and like they all said you have to find out what works for you. Learnerdriver said it correct IMO. If you force feed yourself so much where you cant eat anythign else a few hours later cause you are still so full you need to pull back the food and make adjustments

[learnerdriver]

TRT is correct it is each to their own as i have never had shakes of the carb or protein variety. I tried them but they really messed up my guts and stopped me eating as much within the next 4 or so hours. Everyone tends to rave about popping them in on top of your meals but that is insane to me. I also believe we can be put in to two categories of eating. Some people can chomp down ridiculous amounts in one sitting but others need to graze. Grazers can still get in the required amounts but splitting to eight smaller meals a day can work. Jus gotta experiment and see.

[TRT2010]

Yup. you also have to take into count your lifestyle. I work in a call center so i can get up and cook on my Forman every break or lunch i want so it makes it easier. Most people dnt have that luxury. So if you are a laborer, cunstruction, truck driver so on and so forth then you need to adjust to how you live you day in and day out routine. But you should atleast try doing the blended card shakes. Its amazing how much easier it is to eat a 8 oz or so steak or breast if your not worrying about your carbs and its very easy and taste god to drink oats with some Nilla waffers blended in it.

[Hazard]

Regarding the milk..... I was quoting big arnie lol..... "milk is for babies..... men drink beer" haha

I can drink milk but don't find the need to. I get my aminos from eggs, powders, meats, and my protein shakes with aminos added. It really serves no purpose to me..... so I don't want the extra useless calories.

~Haz~

[Ashop]

Its most likely diet related. You have to eat non stop,,every 2 hours at least.
You also want to be careful not to overtrain because you will go in reverse there too.

[jamesz123]

WAIT.....if you eat like 1.1 Lbs of lean minced meat (like $3.00) in a Foreman grill and 3.1 Lbs chicken ($5) in the same Grill (after cooking it a little on a non stick cover pan). No seasonings at all. Have some brown rice + 1 Avocado/day and a couple of coffee cups a day isn't that like 3000 calories ? the chicken can be spread through the day.. All you have to do is add two shakes or some more minced meat and your cals will jump up. That is not that hard to do or am i way off here?

[cb714]

To say you wont gain anything if you try AAS on your current diet isn't necessarily accurate. You will make gains... but dont get too happy just yet because your gains will be primarily water and fat.

Dude, you need to up your calorie intake. You also need to make sure you are lifting for size gains. How's are your workouts? To best assist you we would need a summary of your diet and workout. Post them up, Im sure a lot of us will be more than willing to help you out.

[learnerdriver]

3.1lbs of chicken for $5 omg you lucky buggers, we get ripped off here.

[jamesz123]

3.1lbs of chicken for $5 omg you lucky buggers, we get ripped off here.

Actually in the first week of every month the meat is on a discount (in that week it is like $4.00) and I live in a decent neighborhood !
Over the years I notice it is things like Sodas, side dishes and the weekend cheat days/meals that add to the costs. If you eat really clean it is cost effective.
I should eat more vegetables though.