Been a tough battle against being skinny...

[sp9]

I just ate and this thread is making me hungry again. Great info here for everyone in your situation. Keep at it.

[Abenaki Blood]

I'm pleased that this thread has been so active... a thread made from a newbie. Most boards won't spend their time giving advice to newbies. Props.

[DBflash21]

No problem bro...you're getting good feedback because you're not being ignorant, and you're learning...keep it up, how is the diet going? being consistent?

[Abenaki Blood]

The diet is going better than my original non-diet, however, I don't think I'm getting all of the calories I need just yet but I think my body will work with me soon enough. I just need to get used to it.

[littlemantc]

eat eat eat

[ShnouzedUp]

Awesome thread! i give you props for posting your pics and bein honest man. What helps me to keep on track with all my meals is to plan out my weeks the day before the week begins.... and time out everything from the time you wake up, go to work or class, hit the gym, and the exact time to eat 8 times throughout the day... helps a lot, and keeps me on track with everything. Keeep on shovelin that food in man, you'll get to where you wanna be... Goals are only short term deadlines. Go For It.

[chest6]

I'm pleased that this thread has been so active... a thread made from a newbie. Most boards won't spend their time giving advice to newbies. Props.

Its because you are listening and you are willing to do the things people say. I like your attitude and you should see some nice progress if you put these things into play, which I am sure you will.

[slob]

Abenaki, if u are after another option:
another weight gainer I've had some good gains with is Real Gains. It's a large serving size (150g~) but it does the trick.
just
eat big
lift big
sleep big
the 3 bigs, follow them and u will be right !

[URMaster]

Abenaki Blood - Use this link as a guide as to how may calories to consume in a day. You want to be consuming alot, but dont make my mistake. I just hit the gym again two months ago and was consuming about 5,000 calories a day. I over did it, I gained too quickly and thus a little bit of fat to burn off. Here is the link, remember slow and steady wins the race.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/berardi41.htm

By the way, 25lbs is definately doable. I think you can hit 25lbs a year.

[tbjake34]

Hey I was just like you it seemed like everything i did no matter what i could not gain a pound but I have just started eating more and ive gained 12 lbs in 2 weeks. I think your goal of 25 lbs in 2 years is defently possible. Good luck!

[Myka]

Im not sure about the 25lbs in one year...just dont want you to be disappointed...

Although its a general rule of thumb that your best gains come in the first year...I wouldnt be surprised to see you put on anywhere from 10 and maybe even 20lbs...good luck...and remember to train hard...

[ShnouzedUp]

Another good weight gainer is Russian Bear 5000... google it, its good stuff.. really packed the pounds on me.

[Abenaki Blood]

Thanks guys, however, today I didn't eat worth shit and I need to make sure I don't have too many of these days.

[omnipotent]

Another good weight gainer is Russian Bear 5000... google it, its good stuff.. really packed the pounds on me.

the one problem with russian bear is .. people follow their directions

a better way to do it is to split one serving in half .. MUCH better IMO .

[ShnouzedUp]

the one problem with russian bear is .. people follow their directions

a better way to do it is to split one serving in half .. MUCH better IMO .

Oh Definately man.... I only take 1 heaping scoop before bed... thats it...

[IBdmfkr]

Thanks guys, however, today I didn't eat worth shit and I need to make sure I don't have too many of these days.

Glad to see you listening and learning Abenaki, BUT I have seen numerous posts with you saying "I didn't eat enough calories today, I'll give it more time". Now is the time, you Must force yourself to OVEReat, that is key to gaining weight with such a high metabolism. I have always been in the same boat. I started at 135lbs when I was 18 and now I'm right over 200. You must eat more calories and quit making excuses why you can't. Get up early and eat, plan your meals before you even eat your next meal. It's a lifestyle, not a phase. Either keep to it or don't do it at all.
Just trying to motivate you a bit and let you know what you must do if you plan on meeting your goals. Best of luck.

[Abenaki Blood]

It's not that, it's that I work retail at Home Depot and I never took breaks because I've always been so busy. However, I am now making the time to sneak to the breakroom for those extra meals. I'm getting over the "guilty" feeling of taking breaks because I always leave people on the sales floor.

[SensP]

Bro...my advice is going to be a little different from most of the other advice you've been given so far. They're right that the food you were eating before was junk. And it looks like you've got a nice supply of clean food. But I think its important, when your just starting out on a new diet, to ease into it and still allow yourself a couple of cheat days a week. Now if you want to have a cheat meal at Wendy's, instead of going for the fried chicken tenders, go for the grilled chicken sandwhich...and have them make it a double. That's right, have em throw two pieces on one sandwhich. As for soft drinks, you really got to limit your intake of these things. Ask for ice water instead or unsweetened ice tea with lemon. I know you're trying to gain weight, but the only weight you'll get from soft drinks is in your belly. You'll be a skinny guy with a pot belly, which is far worse than a skinny guy with a flat belly.

In fact, you should try to cut out most sugar in your diet. Some sugary snacks now and then won't hurt, but don't make it a regular thing. Now...you could eat the sugary snacks right before you workout, as this will immediately boost your energy, and if you workout hard most of those calories will be burnt away. That's the thing about sugar. If you don't burn its energy away quickly, it turns to fat.

A lot of people are telling you to stay away from milk. I completely disagree. If you're cutting you want to stay away from milk because it will make you gain some fat. But I find that when bulking, milk is terrific. It's got lots of protien, lots of calories...and of course it has sugar (what kind though) and fat. But you're gonna need some fat throughout your body to increase your strength. Fat and water retention will help with your strength and will help build muscle.

Now...it's time to eat, bro. Seriously. I know you're busy and all that. And I'm not trying to sound like a jerk, but it's time to man-up. Bring cans of tuna with you to work. 1 can is like 35 grams of protein. Bring 3. It takes 5 minutes at the most to eat a can of tuna. Also...meal replacement shakes. Bring these to work. They're expensive though, so if you can't afford them then just bring your protein shake (put 3 or 4 scoops in a shaker cup and sip on it throughout the day).

I was like you at one time...5'11 140lbs. I gained 35 lbs naturally over an 20 month span through a lot of eating and hard lifting. So at 175 I took my first cycle. I'm sure I could have waited a while longer, but I think I had a pretty solid base to start with. I'm now at 192 and looking to begin my second cycle within the next 2 months. But don't worry about cycling for a while. You've got plenty of natural growing to do.

Good luck, bro. Keep us updated.

[ShnouzedUp]

Like i and IBdmfkr have said... PLAN OUT YOUR MEALS! make a daily and weekly schedule of every single possible thing you could be doing, and plan time within those days to get those meals down.. remember bro.. keep the meals alternating between pro/carb and pro/fat that helped me tremendously... when i first found this site i was a skrawny ass buck 50... with that bulking sticky i put on 12lbs in a few months.. started my first cycle around 165 which was kinda dumb, but whatever... now im sittin at 193 this has all happened since last march. Keep your head straight, stay on schedule, and don't let outside influences mess with your goals... such as drinkin, partyin, stayin out all night on the weekends what have you... stay on track, get your cals, sleep, and training and those pounds will start packin on.

[Abenaki Blood]

Thanks for the tips.

Side note: I've never smoked a cig in my life, I don't drink, I have never done coke or any crazy drug like that... straight edge almost except for the sex!

[majorpecs]

Another thing that helps Abenaki is to cook for like 4-7 days at a time and then refridgerate or freeze it. I usually cook 12 lbs of chicken once a week and put my portions into tupperware containers in the fridge. Consistency is one of the most important things in this journey, and being prepared is the key to consistency. Good Luck!

[Abenaki Blood]

I have started to do that. Cook in bulk and then tupperware it. I went out and bought a new set just to do this.

[Abenaki Blood]

I'm going to show some before (skinny) shots so in a few months I have something to compare them to.



(I have a problem where I can only build my triceps up so that they look bigger than my biceps. Sad, very sad.)

[ShnouzedUp]

I'm going to show some before (skinny) shots so in a few months I have something to compare them to.



(I have a problem where I can only build my triceps up so that they look bigger than my biceps. Sad, very sad.)

Whoa! dude list our your complete bi and tri workouts.... those need to be fixed badly imo.... for real, post that up so we can help with that, that just doesn't look right.

[ShnouzedUp]

also could you explain to me your bench press technique.... as far as your arm positioning...

[Abenaki Blood]

Well, right now I work out from home so my choices are limited. Standard weight bench workouts.... thighs, calves, bench press, dumbell curls, ....

Do you think my grip is too narrow which is working my triceps rather than my biceps?

[GQ-Bouncer]

cool tats, is that arab writing?

[BITTAPART2]

i think you need not hit triceps directly at all bro, work the bench w/ a slightly wider grip for pecs and let your triceps recieve the indirect stimuli, what is your bicep routine like? I can assume you are hitting them too often, they look like they are nice long heads you should be doing some heavy barbell curls w/ a little cheating movements in there but keep the sets low as well as reps, get your barbell curl up to 135 and you will notice bigger biceps do you mind posting your bicep routine?

[ShnouzedUp]

Abenaki how you doin cuz'? Things comin a long? weight comin up? im interested.

[DBflash21]

Who did your ink bro? very clean. How's the dieting?

[hardgainer12]

good luck bro. I had the same prob as you and these guys fixed me up. I hate tuna but i eat 2 cans a day! mmmmmmmm tasty! just do ur homework and u will grow. just stick w it and dont give up. any progress?

[hardgainer12]

i think you need not hit triceps directly at all bro, work the bench w/ a slightly wider grip for pecs and let your triceps recieve the indirect stimuli, what is your bicep routine like? I can assume you are hitting them too often, they look like they are nice long heads you should be doing some heavy barbell curls w/ a little cheating movements in there but keep the sets low as well as reps, get your barbell curl up to 135 and you will notice bigger biceps do you mind posting your bicep routine?

135? u mean lbs? thats a little too much for him wouldnt u say? maybe im just little but i cant curl that at all!

[Abenaki Blood]

"Abenaki how you doin cuz'? Things comin a long? weight comin up? im interested." - It's coming along very well! My appettite is increasing daily and I haven't missed a meal in over a week. Gaining confidence.

"Who did your ink bro? very clean. How's the dieting?" - I have gone to a few different places for ink including Iron Age Tattoo in St. L, Mom's Tattoo in Keene, NH, and Kreepy Kreations in Londonderry, NH. Thanks for the compliment.

"good luck bro. I had the same prob as you and these guys fixed me up. I hate tuna but i eat 2 cans a day! mmmmmmmm tasty! just do ur homework and u will grow. just stick w it and dont give up. any progress?" - I have been eating the tuna but some lady at work said that there is mercury in the tuna cans and it is unhealthy to eat out of them? Anyone know if this is true?

[B-STRONG]

i gotta say bro ive followed this thread and im really impressed with your attitude and courtesy toward the other advice giving members. in answer to your question, too much canned tuna in general will lead to a condition called mercury poisoning. not fun if you get it, but in my personal experience, being subjected to many serious weightlifters and being one myself, i dont think that you are really at risk. methyl mercury levels in canned tuna are 0.2 ppm, and at that low a level, you would need to eat about 3 pounds of tuna a week to be at serious risk. i wouldnt worry about it, so keep feeding yourself and keep hittin those weights. keep us updated on progress. -B-STRONG

[Juicy Sauce]

i agree with b-strong. but just to clarify, the mercury is not from the can itself. it is from the tuna. the stupid fish swims along the bottom and eats pollution. 1 can a day or less should be fine. i dont bother with tuna as much as i used to. chicken is good but we need the juicy blood of a nice steak or some bear meat. get creative with your meals bro.
glad to see that your making progress.

i gotta say bro ive followed this thread and im really impressed with your attitude and courtesy toward the other advice giving members. in answer to your question, too much canned tuna in general will lead to a condition called mercury poisoning. not fun if you get it, but in my personal experience, being subjected to many serious weightlifters and being one myself, i dont think that you are really at risk. methyl mercury levels in canned tuna are 0.2 ppm, and at that low a level, you would need to eat about 3 pounds of tuna a week to be at serious risk. i wouldnt worry about it, so keep feeding yourself and keep hittin those weights. keep us updated on progress. -B-STRONG

[*Alex*]

nice tank top.where did you get it???? g unit! looks nice!

[Abenaki Blood]

Thanks B-Strong, much appreciated. And thanks juicy for the information, I better not eat more than a can a day lol. And Alex, I got it on Eastbay.com lol. G-g-g-g-g-g- UNIT!

[MesoBella]

I can sympathize with your battle. I've always had a super fast metabolism and being a very stressed out and nervous teenager back in my days, didn't help either.
I think you look good now...imagine what you'd look like with a good diet, excercise plan and maybe later, some juice! ;-)

[Abenaki Blood]

UPDATE:

Before I started my new diet: 137 lbs
Since then: 145 lbs

So there has been progress! This just gets me more excited and dedicated knowing I can actually gain the weight!

[DBflash21]

Good job bro. 8lbs is great! I wish more people could see this thread and see that you are doing things the right way. Keep it up bro.