How to gain weight?

northernridge97 said:Eh, I'll figure out a way to gain some mass eventually. Honestly, I don't think being thin is even the main issue... it's more about what I'm eating, which isn't exactly healthy.

Come on, tell me what you actually eat! From what you're saying, it sounds like you're definitely a carb guy. Look—you aren't complaining about what most people dream of, which is being able to crush candy, fries, and pastries without gaining an ounce! Be happy about that! But listen, put your health first... if you want to bulk up, do it by building muscle. Hit the gym and eat big—like, seriously big—but make it good stuff! Potatoes, sugar, and white bread? Not gonna cut it. Stick to whole grain bread and brown rice when you need those carbs. Eat lean meats like chicken, turkey, or fish, grab some eggs (raw ones are the best), some local farm milk (way better than the pasteurized stuff), and plenty of cheese. And for snacks, go for fruit instead of sweets...

Raw egg??????? Are you trying to give someone salmonella?????

Frank Lee6, I totally get you, I'm struggling to put this into words right now 🙂
I read this wild definition of communication once that goes: "communication is when Person A tries to transfer an image from their head to Person B using words, but the image Person B builds in their head is the complete opposite of what was actually said."
What I’m trying to get at is that the human body basically tries to build up reserves of whatever it knows it's being deprived of. Like, if you try to quit chocolate and only eat it once a month, your body realizes there's gonna be a drought coming and starts prepping by building up stores... which obviously means fat, and you can turn a lot of stuff into fat.

The guy is young, his body is still developing, and his metabolism is absolutely redlining. If he’s looking to gain weight, my advice hasn't changed since my first post: load up on extra protein, a high-quality multivitamin-multimineral supplement, and definitely some extra B-complex. Those things are involved in pretty much every single process in the body, and they are insanely important—think of vitamins like spark plugs in a gas engine.
For a car to move, it needs energy from burning fuel and air. But the spark plugs? They provide that essential spark that actually ignites the fuel mixture.

Jeffrey Roberts,

I fear I may have understood you perfectly, yet you seem to be stating something that simply isn't true.

Based on what you just said, it implies the body "knows" you'll deny it chocolate later, so it stores everything up when you indulge once a month.

That is incorrect for several reasons.

First, the body doesn't recognize foods by their name, but by their composition; all foods consist of specific ratios of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats (along with vitamins and minerals).

Secondly, the body only creates fat stores—carbohydrates are stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver, and while proteins can't be stored, muscle tissue itself acts as a sort of protein reservoir—and this only happens when blood sugar rises above a certain threshold because of high carb intake that isn't being burned off.

Therefore, whether you eat chocolate every day or once a month, you will only gain weight if you consume more carbohydrates than you are currently burning, which applies to any other food with a similar carb count.

Not everything can be converted into fat, as you suggested; it is exclusively carbohydrates. However, it is true that many foods we eat daily are very high in carbs, so excessive consumption of various foods can indeed lead to fat storage.😉

I absolutely agree with the second part of your post, though the extra protein is unnecessary without exercise, as muscle growth requires both training and that additional protein.

Casey Palmer5 said:Raw eggs??????? You want someone to end up with salmonella?????

I mean... hold on a second... why don't we just ban ice cream then, since it’s full of undercooked (read: nutritionally intact) eggs? Two of my girlfriends actually caught salmonella from ice cream once. And honestly, I think you have a way better chance of getting sick from the massive amount of eggs used in one big serving of ice cream than you do eating a single raw egg one at a time...

In the States, about 1 in every 20,000 eggs sold is contaminated with salmonella. If someone eats four eggs a week, they'd have to live to be 104 years old just to go through 20,000 eggs! Here is some more info on raw eggs and how to check if they're actually good quality.

Most confectioners don't even bother with eggs anymore. At least not in the way they used to. Especially the big industrial players...

Look... I had a terrible experience with an egg. Honestly, I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy...

Why on earth would anyone even eat raw eggs? 😲 🙂

Oleander Somniferum said:Why on earth would you even eat raw eggs? 😲 🙂

Haven't you seen Rocky? 🙂

It’s kind of like when you squeeze lemon into hot tea. Sure, lemon is packed with Vitamin C, but once it hits that boiling water, the heat kills most of the benefits... so you’re barely getting anything out of it. It's the same deal with eggs. Cooked or baked eggs lose their edge—raw eggs are incredibly nutrient-dense animal products, but once you heat them past a certain point (maybe around 104°F), they start to break down because the proteins in the whites change shape. Some people actually think that's why so many folks end up allergic to cooked eggs...

There are some foods we just have to cook or bake because they're better that way, or honestly, we just can't stomach them raw. Eggs aren't one of those foods...

Oleander Somniferum said:Why on earth would anyone bother eating raw eggs? 😲 🙂

Back when I was just a little kid, I absolutely loved cracking them and drinking the yolk straight from the shell. It was great. :slurp:

P.S. And you’re out here handing out advice on how to gain weight now, too? 🙂

dustycanyon6, I get where you're coming from regarding eggs and their protein structure. But honestly, that approach isn't for everyone. We have no clue how northernridge97's body actually works or what specifically fuels him best. Plus, the risk of salmonella is just too high. Nowadays, there are so many ready-to-go protein supplements on the market—why deal with the hassle and the health risks? It makes way more sense to pick something else instead of raw eggs. Like raw spinach, for instance. 😛

P.S. I can't stand eggs at all, whether they're raw, fried, or boiled.
Everyone is built differently, which is why "one-size-fits-all" diets and generic advice are total nonsense.

Alright, so I’m standing at about 6'1" and weighing in at 152 lbs, which means I definitely need to pack on some serious mass. I’d love some advice... specifically, what’s the best way to bulk up? Any tips or tricks you guys recommend? Cheers!

Look, a few years back, I was in your exact shoes—about an inch shorter and maybe 5 or 6 pounds lighter than I am now. I’m going to tell you exactly what worked to get me north of 175 lbs.
Basically, hit the gym. Focus on heavy lifting. Pick up a solid mass gainer, something like Prolaba's N-Large or Weider's Mega Mass. Also, take multivitamins; they aren't just good for health, they actually help jumpstart your appetite.
Flaxseed oil can also help steady things out if your metabolism is running way too fast for you.
Stop eating 6 or 7 tiny snacks throughout the day. Switch to 4 or 5 large, heavy meals instead. Every time you eat, your metabolism spikes by about 15%, and when you're trying to pack on size, that's the last thing you want happening.
Just stay consistent. Seriously, there isn't a person on this planet who can't put on weight if they do it right.

I’m a woman, so I honestly don't know how much my advice will actually help you—mostly because I’m currently struggling to lose just about 6 or 7 pounds myself, and it feels impossible! Everyone keeps telling me that skipping meals is the real reason people gain weight. But tell me, are you actually aiming for fat loss or building muscle mass? For me, the most vital thing is stretching out your stomach; once you get used to eating larger portions, those food cravings actually start to subside. People always say French fries make you gain weight, and they aren't wrong—fatty foods like roasted pork, plus huge servings of dessert and anything loaded with sugar, really do the damage. Also, don't spend all your energy just exercising or anything else; try to relax a bit after you eat. And please, don't drink too much while you're eating! When you wash down every bite with liquid, it's almost like you're signaling to your body, "Hey, dinner is served, time to start digesting!" Vegetables won't make you gain weight, unless we're talking about potatoes since they are so high in carbs. Stick to smoked meats, like sausages or ham... well, that’s everything popping into my head right now! I hope that was somewhat helpful, but if you have any questions, just let me know...

Maria Kelly6, the guy asked for advice on gaining weight, and you basically handed him a map to the cemetery!
What kind of nonsense is this? What kind of mess? You could have at least recommended some decent food! And what’s this business about "don't waste calories on sports"? Don't confuse the guy and suggest French fries are a good meal! This whole thing about stretching out your stomach is news to me. He shouldn't skip vegetables??? Eat smoked meat instead? You clearly have something against Milivoj. You must be a total Slavonka; I can tell by your menu—and we all know that's just code for junk food!
It’s no wonder he wants to lose weight when his diet consists of fries, pork, and sausages, all aimed at expanding his stomach capacity.
Don't get mad, but that's just how it is.

Hey George Bailey2, you really gave me a good laugh there!
Obviously, we had a bit of a misunderstanding. I was just saying I wasn't sure if the goal was to build muscle mass or simply to gain weight. My apologies if I phrased that poorly! As for the whole stomach expansion thing, I know that part for a fact—I have plenty of doctors in my family to back me up. Besides, I’m definitely not a typical Midwestern girl. And don't get me started on French fries; that's honestly the worst way to eat a potato. If someone sticks to vegetables, they aren't going to pack on fat easily; it's much more likely they'd gain weight from eating meat. You can read that anywhere! Plus, at my gym, they always tell me that if I want to put on muscle, I need to eat plenty of meat paired with things like rice and such. I'm just passing along what I've been told, so please, don't kill the messenger!!!
And if you're actually curious, I am not fat! I'm 5'5" and about 119 lbs, so you tell me!!! But I do know that I gained a few pounds in the past by eating sausages, meat, and pastries rather than veggies. I certainly didn't tell anyone to cut out vegetables; I know perfectly well how healthy they are.
Once again, I apologize if I confused you. I was only trying to be helpful, okay?

No big deal, Maria Kelly6. Everything's fine.

So, he was asking about gaining weight and Maria Kelly6 gave him a really nice answer—but if you ask me, I’d tell him to just smear some lard on bread and sprinkle a little sugar over it. It’s honestly one of the cheapest ways to pack on the pounds... our old-timers back in the day definitely knew what they were doing. 😁

Now, look... if he actually wants to build muscle mass instead of just getting fat, that's a whole different ballgame. In that case, the absolute priority is bumping up protein intake—we're talking at least 1.5 grams per kilo of body weight.
Basically, Milivoj, since you're sitting at around 155 lbs, you should be hitting at least 70 grams of protein a day—though honestly, if you're actually lifting weights, you'd be better off aiming higher, maybe closer to 100 grams daily. Also, keep in mind that the body can't process more than about 30g of protein in a single sitting; anything beyond that just risks being stored as fat.
So, you just have to do the math on how many meals you need to eat throughout the day to make that happen...

Look, nobody actually wants a gut. If you’re chasing muscle mass, there is only one way to get there: training—specifically hitting the gym. Eating big without lifting is just a fast track to gaining fat. Period. The formula is simple: hit the weights. Stick to lower rep ranges but crank up the intensity. Pick a weight where you can struggle through maybe eight reps—that eighth rep should be such a grind that you can barely finish it. Aim for three sessions a week, about an hour each. That's three hours of work total. As for the food—you're going to have to ramp up your protein intake significantly. Eggs, fish, and chicken breast are your best bets. And don't undersell it; you need a lot. Some experts suggest hitting 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. But don't get confused—1.5 grams of protein is definitely not the same thing as eating 1.5 grams of eggs. Protein only makes up about 20-25% of the actual weight of eggs, fish, or chicken. You're going to need a serious amount of meat and eggs to make this work. You can easily find the exact math on protein ratios and nutritional breakdowns on Google. Do your homework.

fadedviper16 said:Honestly, why on earth would you actually want to end up with a gut? If your goal is to build some real muscle mass, let's be clear: eating is only half the battle—the actual work happens through physical training, specifically hitting the gym. If you’re just stuffing your face without putting in the sweat, all you're doing is packing on fat. The real secret is hitting the weights with lower rep ranges but much higher intensity. You need to pick a weight heavy enough that you can only manage about eight reps before you hit a wall. That eighth rep should be such a struggle that you're barely able to pull it up. Aim to do that three times a week, spending about an hour per session. That’s only three hours a week, but if you do it right, it makes all the difference.

I’ve been pondering something lately... if I’m hitting the gym three times a week, should I be looking to bump up the number of sets or increase the weight every single week?

Milivoje wouldn't be looking for a six-pack; he’d be looking to get comfortably filled out (in all the right places), so I’m guessing proteins and hitting the gym are the way to go. I've heard people talking about some tricks involving banana shakes... what's the deal with those lately? Cheers!