I’ve actually been in that exact same boat before.
About two years back, I was standing at 6'1" and weighing only about 130 pounds. Over time, my weight climbed up to 172, but right now I’m sitting somewhere around 158 kg—wait, let me rephrase—around 158 lbs... actually, let's just say I hit 172 and then settled back down to 158. My main issue was that my diet was all over the place; I wasn't eating enough variety, my timing was terrible, and honestly, I just never had much of an appetite—I always hated the whole idea of sitting down to eat.
Anyway, fast forward to two years ago—I decided to get more active over the summer and started playing sports more regularly. I felt so much better, and almost instinctively, I started eating more. Within about three or four months, I managed to pack on maybe 15 pounds. I was drinking plenty of milk, grabbing things like Cheerios in the morning—which is great because they're easy on the stomach and take like thirty seconds to make, plus I used to skip breakfast entirely and wouldn't eat until basically lunch time around 1 PM—and for lunch and dinner, I'd go for meat, boiled eggs, mashed potatoes, you name it. And whenever a thought crossed my mind, I'd grab an apple or a banana to snack on between meals, which was something I never used to do.
I’d spend time at home doing all sorts of floor exercises without any fancy equipment, or maybe some light dumbbell work—just little bits throughout the day—and then head outside for a couple of hours of basketball in the evening. I can't tell you how much better I felt, both physically and mentally. I stopped mindlessly watching TV, I was out like a light by 9 PM, and I’d wake up at 5 AM feeling like a completely different person. Even with all that activity, I actually found I had more time for studying; I was focused, learning faster, and doing way better on my exams and stuff.
Eventually, though, I let those good habits slip. I fell back into my old routines—lots of lounging around, sitting at the computer too much, watching TV, and eating poorly again—but even then, I kept slowly gaining weight (though, obviously, I didn't feel nearly as good as I did during that peak period).
Everyone is wired differently, of course, and who knows what specifically might click for you? But I think if you pick up some solid lifestyle habits, it would likely lead you to a healthy weight for your height—maybe somewhere around 147-150 lbs? I’ve struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember. Back in middle school, I was barely 5'7" and weighed only 84 pounds. It was such a struggle at first to put on any mass; I honestly thought I’d never be able to do it, but once things finally started moving in the right direction, it went pretty smoothly.
So, since I’m 24 now, I was 22 when I started putting on that extra weight. If you’re still in a growth spurt, it's possible a huge chunk of your energy is just going toward growing taller, which makes gaining weight feel like an uphill battle—but it usually gets easier once you pass 20. Honestly, if you saw how many people who are perfectly healthy in high school end up gaining weight right after graduation, you’d be surprised 🙂.
