doing everything right but not gaining weight?

[Doctapeppa]

Guys, I understand that this guy isn't eating clean enough and that his macros are off and yes, all of that is important, but don't you think the amount of calories he's having is even more important for weight gain at the moment?

He is not complaining that he isn't gaining lean muscle mass. He's having trouble putting any weight on the scale at all. I think this is entirely correctable by increasing the amount of calories. The macros will certainly help nudge him towards lean mass rather than a fatter bulk and a cleaner, healthier diet is better for many reasons but shouldn't he increase calories at this point!?

[Sgt. Hartman]

Guys, I understand that this guy isn't eating clean enough and that his macros are off and yes, all of that is important, but don't you think the amount of calories he's having is even more important for weight gain at the moment?

He is not complaining that he isn't gaining lean muscle mass. He's having trouble putting any weight on the scale at all. I think this is entirely correctable by increasing the amount of calories. The macros will certainly help nudge him towards lean mass rather than a fatter bulk and a cleaner, healthier diet is better for many reasons but shouldn't he increase calories at this point!?

Of course he should. But how much should he increase them by? 12 more bites of goulash at meal 4 and 8 more spoonfuls of cottage cheese at snack # 2? Then if he starts gaining too much BF he can cut out 3 medium sized ribs, 1/2 a serving of lasagna, and 2 handful of mixed nuts? The point is nobody, not you or him or me, knows how much he is eating or how much more he needs to eat to get the results he wants. That's why he needs to track his food intake whether he changes his macro breakdown and food sources or not.

Most people who are not getting the results they want , whether cutting or gaining, are very surprised at their actual food intake once they track their macros/cals. I remember reading a study Lyle McDonald had on his site a while back that said on average people who were trying to gain, and were not being successful, estimated their caloric intake at over 500cal above what they were actually eating while the 500cal figure was the same for people trying to cut only they underestimated their actual intake.

[Blaz Kavlic]

Most people who are not getting the results they want , whether cutting or gaining, are very surprised at their actual food intake once they track their macros/cals.

Good point made by the sargeant. This is why I keep a formulated Excel spreadsheet of my daily macronutrient intake. Once you calculate your maintenance, you can build up your macros until you arrive at P/C/F split you want. Then if you want to add some new foods into your diet, you can adjust your intake of other foods to accommodate the new inclusion. All while staying within your daily calorie allowance.