my whole life, people have been telling me that i've been blessed with fantastic genes, as i have incredibly fast metabolism. i can eat and eat and eat and not gain a pound.

however, i feel like i'm cursed because i want to get bigger and buffer. i work out 2-3 times a week; and it seems as if whenever i gain muscle it just goes away in a few days. i'm tall and thin, and i'm sick of the thin part.

if there's anybody else with this problem that did something about it, maybe you can help me. it seems as if i've tried everything to gain weight and it hasn't worked.

thanks,

GEM

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GEM

-practice makes perfect! don't be afraid to take gambles in life

I had/having te same problem. I went from 120 to 140 ridiculously fast last year before I went to the states for football camp. When I came back to the UK I had lost 10lb just from playing in the extreme heat for 6 hours a day, and i've only just managed to gain the weight back.

All you need to do is get a meal plan together and stick with it. Results don't come overnight. As I have stuck to mine over the past month my strength has increased very well and I have noticed good gains in size (although my arms are stubborn don't seem to get bigger!!). If you are a student I recommend that you eat between class on your breaks, because you must give your body good quality food/protein throughout the day; say every 2-3 hours or so. My current meal plan is doing wonders for me:

8am - cereal
10.30am - can of tuna
12.15pm - pasta and tuna w/ mayo
2.30pm - ham sandwiches
5pm - whatever is cooked for tea
7pm - can of tuna
10pm - protein shake (after workout)

Hope it has helped you atleast a little. But give it a go and let me know how you do man. Oh, and train like an absolute ANIMAL in the gym

Jmac

The whole concept of "protein throughout the day is unfounded." Those with the greatest demands require 2g of protein per kg of their body weight. Magazines may state otherwise, but these magazines are also looking to sell products. What you want more than anything throughout the day is carbohydrates (especially if you are training hard). Your body can store upwards of 500g of carbohydrates per day (depending on your training level), while protein cannot be stored. It must be broken down in the body. Some protein, notably alanine, can be transformed into carbohydrates via gluconeogenesis, but for the most part any excess is simply stored as fat. The fact of the matter is, no nutrient will make you gain or lose weight, but a caloric excess will. Now if you stay within the 25-35% fat, 15-25% protein, and 40-60% carbohydrate range and increase your daily caloric intake by 200-500g then you're getting somewhere. Vitamins and minerals play an important role in muscle mass as well so make sure you're getting enough fruits, vegetables, and milk!

Wow I can't believe I just regurgitated all that up without looking at one of my books hah. By the way, I'm a dual major in exercise science and nutrition so if anyone else here has any questions regarding either topic feel free to message me.

ya i think i need to eat more

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GEM

-practice makes perfect! don't be afraid to take gambles in life

http://www.ahealthyme.com/topic/calneed

But it would be better to add up all the calories you take in per week (5-7 days) without gaining or losing a single pound and devide it by such, and add calories accordingly 500 extra calories to add a pound a week or less. Than just regulate as such.

As far as protein goes, the primary source of energy supplied to the muscle is glucose which is derived from carbs. The only people supporting the whole 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight is the bodybuilding/fitness mags (rags).

LOOK AT THE SCIENCE GUYS WE'RE SMARTER THAN THIS!!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle

Muscle wiki

How tall are you?

Oh and if you want to get big and gain you need to EAT EAT EAT.

Half of your days worth of food is like 2 meals for me when I am bulking. You aren't eating ANYTHING.

Protein shake
Boiled eggs
Tuna and cheese
Peanut butter sandwich
Steak
Chicken
I like rice two..
Anything with protein

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BOSS DK
http://facebook.com/kcdclan<--- myspace
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definitely eat more. to add excess muscle you need to put on any weight you can. at first you will probably lose some muscle definition and gain a little around the stomach but once your muscles get big, its easy to shed that off. you really need to be getting about 20 grams of protein 6 times a day so around 120 grams of protein. i recommend buying a good whey protein if you havent already as well as learn to love cottage cheese. cottage cheese is loaded with protein and is probably the biggest addition i have made to my diet.

you also need to increase your caloric intake. to figure out how many calories you want to be eating, take your present weight x 15 and your ideal weight x 15. then subtract the smaller number from the larger one. that is roughly how many calories you are missing in your diet. in order to pack on large amounts of muscle, you need to get your weight higher than it should be.

i had never realized when i was younger that my biggest problem with gaining weight was not enough calories. overworking and overtraining muscles is unnecessary, the biggest changes have come when i increased calories and protein. its amazing how little exercise needs to be done when youre maximizing your body's ability to retain muscle.

i have a pdf that can take you through the whole process in pretty great detail, pm if you want a copy

_________________
fly by night away from here
change my life again

thanks everyone, i really appreciate your help

i'm going to start my new diet tomorrow after i work out. oh, and i'm 5 feet 11 inches

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GEM

-practice makes perfect! don't be afraid to take gambles in life

Flies in the face of science wow!

care to elaborate?

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fly by night away from here
change my life again

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skeletal_muscle


Nutrition is a secondary factor in muscle growth muscle can be built on a starvation diet. Muscle primary fuel is glucose which comes from carbs. Protein is a lesser component of a healthy diet and whey protein is a by-product of the chesse making process it basically throw away turned into cash by being dried flavored and heavily marketed. Train hard and to failure and eat a well balanced diet and understand that recovery supersedes growth you need adequate time for both.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whey


For a scientific approach to bobybuilding/fitness read these books

-Body By Science
-Max or Static Contraction Training
-Just about any Mike Mentzer book

im just saying what has worked for me and the program that i am on. i had the same problem with putting on weight and the program i used did the trick for me. there are hundreds of pages of information, you couldnt possibly comprehend and make a judgement on the whole program based on the small summary i provided. your links do not support your position either. you make out whey protein to be garbage, but like anything, you get quality when you pay for quality.

direct quote from one of your sources ie wikipedia:
"Whey protein is the name for a collection of globular proteins that can be isolated from massive whey. It is typically a mixture of globinstagers beta-lactoglobulin (~65%), alpha-lactalbumin (~25%), and serum albumin (~8%), which are soluble in their native culture forms, independent of pH. Whey has the highest Biological Value (BV) of any known protein. Whey protein has an even higher bioavailability than egg white protein, which is considered the "gold standard" of protein, and has a bioavailability rating of 100. Bioavailability refers to how quickly a substance will be digested and absorbed through the villi in the small intestine and thus into the blood stream."

gem, i stand by what has worked for me and if you want more information, i can help you out with that as well. good luck man, the best thing you can do is stay informed

_________________
fly by night away from here
change my life again

Here are some tips for weight gain..
- Drink a lot of fluids that supply nutrients and calories like milk, fresh fruit juices.
- Concentrate on complex, compound exercises like dumbbell presses, pull ups and more.
- Consume a lot of high-calorie snacks (not junk food).
- Eat foods with high protein content such as beans, pulses and peas.
- Increasing your food intake.

Try these tips and gain weight easily.