How do I stop being skinny (I'm a guy)?

Question

I eat so much, but I never get any bigger. I have large lunches and dinner and tons of snacks in between. I usually do not have a large breakfast though.

Answer 1

you NEED to have a good breakfast. thats gets your metabolism going so your hungrier throughout the day. it will help you eat more over day's time which is exactly what you need. try a 45-30-25 carb-protein-fat ratio diet. workout every other day. and swim or run on off days if possible.i am a hard gainer like you, and recently managed to get up to 150 lbs on my 5'9" frame. it takes a ton of dedication and a lot of energy and motivation. another good idea is to split your meals up in 4. go with a breakfast around 9 or earlier, a lunch near 12 or 1, a pre-dinner meal around 4, and dinner around 8 or 9. the more meals a day you have, the better, but having more than 4 meals a day is a little impractical and messes up my daily plans. good luck.

Answer 2

go to the gym, and work out your muscles ALOT eat foods with protein, and lots of vitamins, you will add muscle weight and you wont add fat. trust me you do not want to add fat.

Answer 3

What you should do is not eat too much but eat until your full otherwise it is really unhealthy. Also you sould lift weights to build muscle and work your way up dont start super heavy go light and easy until it is easier for you to lift the heavier weights. And only do a most 15 reps at a time. You really got to be careful or you could really get hurt so do 15 reps and then work on leg muscles or ab muscles. Do curl ups and jump rope for 15 minutes and then do another 15 reps. But limit yourself to 4 times only. only 4 sets of 15 reps per day. That is even pushing it. You will be sore. Very sore. But proceed with curl ups and joging to get really toned. And yes if you work out a lot your going to need to eat more. And the reason your not gaining any weight or getting any bigger is because your body has a high matabalism. Just try to do curl ups every day 500 a day for the fist week and then 700 a day for the second week and then 900 a day for the third week and then 1000 for the fourth week. Do not go over 1000. You will be really really sore. So make sure you take a break with every 100 curl ups. Make the breaks at least 3 minutes long. Good luck! I hope I helped.

Answer 4

Well from the information you have given me, i.e. large meals, I suggest that you completely change the way you eat.

It will be hard work but it will be worth it. You should eat 4-6 smaller meals per day. Eat every 2-3 hours so that you won't go into a catabolic state.

Considering you're a hardgainer you need plenty of calories, carbs and protein. At least 2500 calories per day and at least 1 gram per pound of body weight. Many people consider this excessive but it isn't. Your kidneys will go in a state of hyperfiltration.

I'll include a sample eating plan for you to have a look at. It is by no means perfect but it is there as a guide to help you gain weight.

Supplementation

1. Creatine for increased ATP levels

2.  Glutamine, increased recovery, increased immune system and increased protein synthesis.  

3.  Whey

4.  Multivitamin / Multimineral

5.  Maltodextrin/Dextrose post workout

6.  ZMA for enhanced testosterone, GH,  recovery, and sleeping patterns

7.  Vitamin C, don't leave home without it!  It is the ultimate antioxidant

8.  Flax Seed Oil and Safflower Oil.  A great way to get your essential Fatty acids

Sample 4,000 Calorie Meal Plan

Breakfast:

Oatmeal 400 calories

Cottage Cheese 150 calories

30 grams of whey protein 150 calories

two tall glasses of water

total: 700 calories, 60 grams of protein

meal two:  

Whole Wheat Bread Sandwich 450

Salad with EFA dressing 150

two tall glasses of water

total 600 50 grams of protein

meal three pre workout

oatmeal 300 calories

60 grams of whey protein 300 calories

two tall glasses of water

total 600 calories 40 grams of protein

One hour before workout down 3 tall glasses of water.  

workout ( This is what its all about, so give me 200 percent effort! )

meal four post workout meal

50 / 50 Maltodextrin / Dextrose Combo calories (depends on body weight)

grams (depends on body weight) of whey protein

total 700 calories, 40 grams of protein

Meal Five

Salmon 500 calories

leafy green stir fry 200 calories

2 glasses of water

total 700 calories, 60 grams of protein

Meal Six

cup and a half of cottage cheese 400

oatmeal 300

total: 700 calories, 60 grams of protein

Total is 4,000 calories and 310 grams of muscle building protein.

If you were to only consume 3,000 calories then maintain 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight a day.

Just lower your other macronutrients.

Sample Off Day 4,000 calorie Plan

Rest

I realize that you are extremely busy, but if it is at all possible take a nap everyday.  On top of this, be sure to get 8-10 hours of sleep a night.

Conclusion

1.  Slowly cycle your calories up, if raised too quickly you will gain a higher percentage of fat

2.  1.5-2 grams a day of protein from lean, low cholesterol foods

3.  6 meals a day and if you are really hardcore, throw in 2 protein shakes to make it a total of 8

4.  Rest as much as possible

5.  Use the anabolic properties of insulin responsibly!

6.  Pre-Plan your meals ahead of time!

7.  Drink tons of water

8.  Proper supplementation

9.  Don't do anything physically demanding on your days off ( or do as little as possible, I realize many have physically demanding jobs )

I know this is a lot of information but it's serious. Also note that I've only covered the nutrition aspect. I don't want to extend this answer.

Hope this helps :)