How to gain weight?

northernfalcon30,

I was referring to those "interesting" fruit yogurt varieties that are basically the polar opposite of classic yogurt when it comes to gaining weight. 😉

See, that’s the hardest part to explain to people—that losing weight requires eating (in a specific way), not starving yourself. Once you get that through to them, the real challenge is getting them to actually stick to the plan, like having more frequent small meals and cutting back on carbs during the initial phase.

BTW, water doesn't make you gain or lose weight (even though it's a component of both fat and muscle), but without water, there is no metabolism. It's clear that increasing your water intake helps kickstart your metabolic rate, which in turn aids in weight loss.

Frank Lee6 said:BTW, water doesn't actually make you fat or thin (even though it's technically part of both fat and muscle tissue), but without water, your metabolism just stalls. So obviously, drinking more water kicks things up a gear... which helps with losing weight.

True enough, but if you try explaining it to people that way—slowly, logically, step-by-step—they’re gonna lose interest in the water immediately!😉

If you instead go the "wellness guru" route and keep it dead simple—like, WATER MELTS FAT AWAY, everyone will lose their minds for H2O!

Ever wonder why there's such a massive craze for these quick-fix diets, even though we all know how stupid and sketchy they really are!?

People are just looking for something flashy and a good sales pitch. THAT is what sells everything... even health.😉

Frank Lee6 said:Take it easy,

Proprietary protein Blend: 85g 170% (from Whey protein Concentrate, Calcium/Sodium Caseinate, Soy Protein Isolate, Whey Powder, and Egg Albumen)

Yeah, that’s exactly it—besides the whey, you can clearly see soy, casein, and egg in there too. Just throwing whey into a mass gainer would be way less effective. I can tell you actually understand how this stuff works, so you already know why they do it.

Maria Kelly6

When you start hitting those weighted ab workouts, you’re basically building up muscle mass in that area—which is great and all—but it can actually make your stomach look a bit larger if there's still a layer of fat covering everything up. It's just the way the physics of it works, I guess.
The thing is, you don't burn off belly fat by doing crunches—that's just not how it functions. You have to tackle the fat through cardio exercises instead.

Alright, let's get straight to the point;

1. What does "gaining weight" actually entail?
Are we talking about creating brand new fat tissue (at least, that’s how us 😬 regular folks usually look at it) or is it just the expansion of cells that are ALREADY there?

2. I remember reading some old article on a medical site ages ago where some doctor explained that gaining weight isn't about making new cells—since the total number stays relatively constant—but rather that the existing ones just SWELL up instead?

3. If that second point is legit, does that mean there are certain cells in the body that don't actually serve any purpose other than just... sitting there being storage units for fat?😁

4. And if point 3 is true (follow my logic here, you guys 😁), which cells are we talking about and where exactly are they hiding?

Fat cells are on the rise.

I wouldn't go so far as to say there are any cells in the body that don't serve a purpose—even adipocytes (fat cells) actually have their own specific function...

Maria Thomas9 said:To put it simply;

1. What does the term "gaining weight" actually entail?
Is it the creation of entirely new fat tissue (which is how we 😬 laypeople usually view it), or is it just the expansion of EXISTING cells?

2. I feel like I read something on a Latin-script site ages ago where some doctor explained that gaining weight essentially means that the cells—since their total number remains relatively constant—simply SWELL up rather than creating new ones.

3. If point #2 is accurate, then does that mean there are certain cells in the body that serve no purpose whatsoever... other than just storing fat deposits?😁

4. And if #3 is true (following the logical progression here, dear fellow forum members 😁), which cells are they and where exactly are they located?

The amount of toxins in the intercellular fluid increases.

Geez, what kind of trouble do you actually enjoy getting into just to stay on top of things? 🙄

Most of the time, we're talking about fat cells just expanding in size—though, honestly, you can actually end up increasing the total number of cells too, once the old ones get so bloated they just can't handle any more fat storage.
Either way, you can't actually lower the number of fat cells unless you go under the knife... whereas you can definitely shrink their volume through dieting (yeah, thanks Captain Obvious, I really cracked the code there 😁).

northernfalcon30 said:Exactly! But if you try to explain it to them that way—slowly, logically, and step-by-step—they’ll lose interest in the water before you even finish!😉

If, instead, you just say it in a healthy, punchy, and dead-simple way: WATER MAKES YOU LOSE WEIGHT FAST, everyone will go absolutely crazy for H2O!

What do you think? Why is there such a massive craze for these "lightning-fast" diets, even though we all know deep down how foolish and harmful they actually are!?

People are hunting for shock value and flashy advertising! THAT is what sells everything, even health itself.😉

You hit the nail on the head! We all just want to believe—to be convinced—that drinking water triggers weight loss, and then we end up gulping it down until we're practically leaking from every pore! But I have a question. I feel like all this water is actually making my stomach grow bigger; I look down and I just see bloat. Is that even possible? I eat quite decently—fruit in the morning, then just the allowed combinations for lunch without overdoing it, no pork or beef, just tons of veggies. Yet, my stomach stays bloated, even though I really only eat one full meal a day; is the rest just wishful thinking? Is there any hope that my midsection will shrink eventually? Or am I just destined to keep adding more inches to my waistline as time goes by?

There could be two main reasons for this:

- An increase in abdominal fat deposits
- Weak abdominal muscles (especially when combined with bloating)

For the first issue, there isn't a quick fix other than reducing fat through a combination of diet (not starving yourself, just eating right) and regular exercise.

The second scenario is quite common among people who don't work out; they have loose abdominal muscles, so they "get a belly" whenever they eat a heavy meal or deal with bloating (usually caused by gas from mixing different food types). You can easily tell if this is what you're dealing with by comparing how your stomach looks first thing in the morning versus after lunch. If that's the case, the only solution is to tone those core muscles.

It’s perfectly normal for your midsection to expand if you've had too much water, since water is practically incompressible; the only way for the stomach to shrink back down is for the body to absorb it, which simply takes time.

BTW, don't worry about getting massive, bulky muscles just from doing sit-ups; you would need to train with heavy weights very frequently to achieve that kind of bulk.
Given the nature of abdominal muscles, training once a week is plenty—try 3 to 5 sets of ten reps (since larger muscles need more recovery time). The most important thing is to avoid overdoing it and focus on proper form, using a slow rhythm while keeping the muscles constantly engaged.

Maria Kelly6, look, tap water is heavy stuff. No wonder you feel like your stomach is a balloon... You’d be way better off just grabbing bottled water; it’s much lighter on the system and actually healthy!
Try sipping it slowly instead of chugging it all at once. Just carry a bottle with you and take small sips throughout the day.
And, I guess I don't even need to tell you that this all applies to still water. Sparkling is fine every once in a while, but it’s loaded with sodium, so you know how that goes..................
🙂

Frank Lee6 said:Well, you could actually be experiencing that for two specific reasons:

I’ve been noticing some extra padding around my midsection lately! It feels like those abdominal deposits are just settling right in there.
Loose abdominal muscles—especially when you’re dealing with that bloated, heavy stomach feeling!

There really isn't a magic pill for this issue! Honestly, the only real way to tackle it is to focus on shedding that excess fat through a solid combination of a proper diet—and I don't mean starving yourself, goodness no, just eating the right way—alongside regular exercise.

This second scenario is actually quite common among people who don't hit the gym regularly. If you have loose abdominal muscles, you’ll notice you "gain a belly" immediately after a heavy meal or if you're dealing with bloating—which usually happens when you mix too many different types of food together and trigger some gas. You can easily spot if this is what's happening by doing a quick comparison: just look at how your stomach looks right when you wake up versus how it looks after lunch. If there's a noticeable difference, then the only real fix is to start working on those core muscles to tighten everything up!

It is perfectly natural for your stomach to look a bit distended after you've "flooded" yourself with water! Since water is practically incompressible, there really isn't any other way around it. Honestly, the only way to get that bloating to subside is to wait for your body to actually absorb the liquid, and let’s face it—that process takes some serious time.

By the way, don't you worry about getting those massive, bulky muscles just by doing sit-ups! You won't suddenly gain unwanted weight like that. To actually build that kind of heavy mass, you'd need to be training with significant extra weights quite frequently. So, relax—your core isn't going to balloon up overnight!
When it comes to training those abdominal muscles, you really only need to hit them once a week. I find that doing three to five sets of ten reps is plenty, mainly because larger muscle groups require extra downtime to recover properly. Most importantly, though—don't go overboard! You have to focus on form; keep a slow, controlled rhythm and ensure your muscles stay under constant tension throughout the movement.

Honestly, with my specific build, I really can't afford to have any extra fat deposits around my midsection. According to the height-to-weight charts, I’m actually considered overweight for my petite frame—it says my ideal range should be between 110 and 120 pounds! Now, if you look at me from the front, my stomach doesn't even hang out; it’s actually quite flat. But goodness, when I catch a glimpse of myself looking down from above, it looks like a literal balloon! It honestly sends me into a bit of a funk. I find that everything looks best first thing in the morning when my stomach is still pretty flat.
I honestly feel like my abs aren't quite as toned as they could be—maybe the lower ones are lagging, but the upper ones are actually looking pretty defined! I have this hilarious story from when I realized just how much muscle I’d actually built up. I went out shopping in the city to find a cute summer dress, found this incredibly tight one, and when I tried it on... wow! My abs popped out so much it looked like I had a perfect two-pack! I truly couldn't believe it. Last summer, I was hitting about 500 crunches a day, though I'll jump in at the end of your comment here. Actually, I suspect I might be doing my crunches a bit wrong because I tend to move pretty fast. My routine is basically lying on the floor, lifting my legs and crossing them, putting my hands behind my head, and then only lifting myself halfway up. That’s exactly how my aerobics instructor taught me! She always said it's a waste of energy and effort to lift all the way up when the most important part is really squeezing those muscles. Once you master that contraction, partial lifts are plenty. But you're suggesting I should slow down. Does that mean moving slower is actually more effective and technically correct than rushing through them? Also, I’m just not a fan of doing sets. I prefer to just crank out hundreds of reps until I am absolutely exhausted, and only then do I switch over to work my lower abs.
And honestly, I have to admit, I get this sensation that my stomach feels absolutely massive by the evening! But, if I’m being logical about it, I know it’s just because I’m much fuller at night than I am in the morning when I first wake up—especially since I make it a point to stop eating entirely after 7:00 PM.
Regarding this training with those extra points—you know, that thing where you put a weight plate on your stomach? I actually used to do that for a while. Someone suggested it to me once, thinking it would help. But honestly, the struggle was real! The weight just kept sliding right off my midsection constantly, so eventually, I just gave up on it entirely.
Geez, don't tell me I'm NOT ALLOWED to train abs every single day! That is easily my favorite workout!
So, I finally picked up an elliptical! Today, I hopped on for two sessions—about 10 minutes each—and honestly, I could barely finish them. I think I went way too hard with the dumbbells last month; I was trying to tone my arms with 13-pound weights and ended up with some nasty tendonitis. It was brutal! For over two weeks, I couldn't even pick up anything heavier than a pound without feeling it. I have this habit where I either go absolutely overboard with my workouts or I don't do anything at all, which I know is totally the wrong way to approach fitness. But getting back to my main question: how much time should I realistically spend on the elliptical every day to actually see results without pushing myself into another injury?
I am truly grateful for all the advice! Thank you so much. Bye!👋

You can check out the proper way to perform weighted sit-ups right here.
Hey there,

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...ineSitUpX.html

How could my 66-year-old father go about gaining some weight? Ever since he dealt with pancreatitis and underwent gallbladder surgery about six or seven years ago, he hasn't been able to put on any mass and remains quite thin. Is it necessarily a bad thing? Perhaps not, but it would be genuinely beneficial if he could pack on a little bit of weight... So, how does one achieve that at his age? 😕

Maria Kelly6,

If you’re doing crunches "properly," hitting 500 reps is nearly impossible, let alone trying to do them every single day.

Partial muscle engagement doesn't offer much benefit; every exercise should move the muscle from a state of total relaxation to one of complete contraction. It would be best to perform crunches at the gym on an incline bench, keeping your hands crossed (or held together) at chest level.

I didn't say you shouldn't do crunches daily; it's simply that when you perform them correctly, you won't be able to do them every day (there is no point in training while the muscles are still inflamed).

Joshua Jones,

You see, this is what most people—especially girls—fail to grasp: it is much harder for someone who is chronically thin to gain weight than it is for someone else.

If your father feels good, then there is no need to force extra pounds on him, because at his age, he might only gain fat, which provides no benefit. There is also no reason to go to the gym and subject him to unnecessary strain or risk.

Anyone know where I can pick up some protein powder?

placidfox52 said:Where can I pick up some protein powder?

Hold on, just wait for a few people on this Forum to jump in and explain how protein powder is nothing but pure chemicals—basically steroids that’ll give you a mustache overnight. They'll tell you it's totally toxic and that you'll end up with muscles looking like the Governor of California or Jarmila Kratochvilova. They'll insist you're better off sticking to bacon and onions like Janica—I mean, have you seen how far she got on nothing but bacon and onions? 🙂

I decided to start eating according to the "Life in Zone" book, and you can find plenty of recipes online that require some protein powder...

George Bailey2,

Don't be so harsh. Surely there are enough people on this Forum who understand the difference between protein and steroids?

P.S. Speaking of Janica, her physical appearance isn't the only thing telling us about her "diet"—the fact that she lost her thyroid says plenty. 😉