Struggling with being underweight

Here’s the situation.
I'm 22, I eat well, and I get enough sleep,
but I just can't seem to put on any weight. Honestly, I don't think I've ever even hit 120 pounds.
What am I doing wrong?😲

Maybe you've just got worms 😉

Nathan Ramos77 said:Here’s the situation.
I’m 22, I eat well, and I actually get enough sleep—
but I just can't seem to put on any weight. Honestly, I don't think I've ever even hit 120 pounds
so what's the deal with me?😲

Go ask a doctor. 😉 😍

ps. truth or dare 😁

Nathan Ramos77 said:So, here’s my situation.
I'm 22, I eat pretty well, I get plenty of sleep,
but I just can't seem to put on any weight. Honestly, I don't think I've ever even hit 120 pounds.
What am I doing wrong?😲

I actually really appreciate these deep-dive posts. It's funny how life works—you could be a woman standing 4'11" and it's just a quirk, but if you're a guy standing 7'2", that's a whole different level of intense.

It's almost certainly down to genetics. Maybe try swapping out what you're eating for something a bit more... indulgent? You know, the kind of stuff that actually packs on the calories.😁

Chris Mitchell11 said:I really appreciate these deep dives. It’s funny how being a 4'11" woman isn't a big deal, but being a 7'2" man can be pretty intimidating...

Probably just genetics. Maybe try switching up your diet to something less healthy😁 that might lead to weight gain.

I don't think their goal is actually to gain unhealthy weight or deal with extra body fat. If you have a super fast metabolism or feel too thin, maybe check in with a doctor... could be a thyroid issue...

I suspect the core of the issue lies in having an incredibly fast metabolism paired with poor insulin sensitivity, which essentially means we need to find a way to slow that metabolic engine down just enough to force your cells to become more responsive to insulin. It’s certainly not the easiest path to navigate, mind you. Assuming you're male, for instance, you’ll likely need to eat quite a bit—perhaps five substantial meals a day rather than grazing—to keep up with that high metabolic rate, and I don't mean junk food. You should also engage in some physical activity, but specifically anaerobic training; honestly, forget about jogging, swimming, or cycling, because you'll never manage to replenish your energy stores if you stick to those. Instead, head to the gym and focus on heavy lifting. Because, if I understand you correctly, when you say you want to "gain weight," you aren't actually looking to pack on fat—after all, who would want that? Your best bet is to increase your muscle mass. Building mass is definitely achievable; it really just comes down to whether you want to look fit or just be a skinny guy with a little extra padding. That is my very brief summary of the situation, though there is an endless amount of information available online. If you check out some American bodybuilding forums or specialized fitness sites, I'm certain you'll find plenty of practical advice. 👍

I'm 5'6" and 110 lbs. I’ve always been skinny—my mom used to say I was skin and bones—but I think I look alright now. Doesn't really matter to me, though. And as for eating whatever I wanted in huge amounts? Yeah, that's never happened.

Look, if you actually want to build some muscle, try hitting the gym more and upping your protein intake. Who even cares about body fat? 😁

Nathan Ramos77 said:So, here’s the situation.
I’m 22, I eat pretty well, and I actually get enough sleep,
but I just cannot put on any weight. Honestly, I don't think I've ever even hit 120 pounds.
What am I doing wrong?😲

Just come stay with me for a week and I'll get you sorted out.😉

Nicole Robinson11 said:stay at my place for a week and everything's taken care of😉

if you're a girl, I'm there in a heartbeat

To depends on what you consider "eating well"... for someone weighing around 110 pounds... I wouldn't say so...
I suppose it really comes down to your own definition of eating well... if you're managing to get at least four substantial (!) meals
throughout the day, then sure, I guess you're eating well!
🙂

I eat pretty regularly
but then I'll go and devour a massive amount of chocolate, milk, and soda on the side

I see people who just have one or two candy bars a day and they still gain weight

and I just can't seem to put on any pounds

Steven Green2 said:The real kicker is probably just having a hyperactive metabolism combined with crappy insulin sensitivity... which basically means you need to slow things down a bit and force those cells to actually listen to the insulin again.

Look, "bad insulin sensitivity"—aka insulin resistance—isn't actually what causes someone to be skinny... 😁 😬

Mark Hill3 said:That sounds like you're eating well... for someone weighing maybe 110 lbs... I wouldn't say so...
depends on your definition of "eating well"—if you're hitting at least four massive (!) meals
in a single day, then sure, you're eating well!
🙂

So we're just ignoring the role of the kidneys now?🙂

rustymoose54 said:"Poor insulin sensitivity," or what we commonly call insulin resistance, isn't actually the root cause of being underweight 😁 😬

Now, when I used the phrase "poor insulin sensitivity," I meant that sensitivity can be either high—call it intense or strong if you prefer—or low and weak, depending on how one chooses to frame it. It’s a bit like how some people refer to insulin as the body's "storage hormone." Essentially, it just tucks away whatever happens to cross its path. If there isn't enough of it circulating, or if we haven't triggered its release, then the storage process remains quite sluggish. This is precisely why I believe it is most beneficial to spike those insulin levels specifically after a workout or some form of strenuous physical activity. In that particular window, the hormone directs everything—both carbohydrates and proteins—straight into the muscle tissue. However, if we trigger an insulin spike at any other random time, it tends to pack all that energy away as fat instead. Of course, fats aren't particularly helpful in that specific post-workout moment, but that's a tangent for another day. The core point I'm trying to make, which is really the heart of the matter, is simply that insulin plays an incredibly massive role in managing both obesity and being underweight. 😉

Hey, can you actually define what you meant by "poor insulin sensitivity"? Like, specifically when you wrote that first post... were you talking about "high" or "low" sensitivity?

And look, you don't need to give me a lecture on how insulin works in the metabolism—I get it, really, no need 😬

By the way... maybe crack open a physiology textbook once in a while and read up a bit on basal metabolic rate. Just a thought...

Ugh, I definitely wouldn't want to be in The Bird's shoes right now...

Take my advice, man: just stay quiet—don't dig yourself even deeper into this hole. If you actually want to learn something, maybe try asking her to explain it to you instead...😉

rustymoose54 said:Could you please define what you mean by "poor insulin sensitivity"? Specifically, when you wrote your initial post, were you referring to "high" or "low" sensitivity?

There is certainly no need for you to lecture me on the role of insulin in metabolism, though I suppose it isn't necessary. 😬

By the way, you might want to pick up a physiology textbook and brush up on your understanding of basal metabolic rate.

I would assume that something described as "poor" is simply something that isn't functioning at an optimal level, rather than being perfectly fine. Now, perhaps you happen to be a medical doctor or hold some sort of professional credential, but I must confess that such details aren't particularly pressing to me right now. I have been dedicated to bodybuilding for about five years—just to clarify, I am strictly natural—and I actually dealt with the exact issue mentioned in this thread because, by nature, I am a quintessential ectomorph. Fortunately, I managed to sort it out; I am currently 6 feet tall, weighing 194 pounds with 8% body fat. That seems like a significant improvement over my previous state of 6 feet and 145 pounds, wouldn't you agree?!
To be honest, I have never felt much of a need to dive into the granular mechanics of how insulin works; my interest has always been more pragmatic, focusing on what works and what doesn't in a practical sense. It seems I have learned those lessons quite effectively, judging by the progress I see in the mirror. Furthermore, almost everyone I have ever consulted for advice used the specific phrase "poor insulin sensitivity," and one can find that exact terminology used frequently across numerous American bodybuilding forums and websites. So, I find myself wondering if everyone in the fitness community is somehow mistaken, or if perhaps you possess a more nuanced explanation that I am missing. If it isn't too much trouble, I would certainly welcome your insight.

Steven Green2 said:All the folks I’ve been chatting with—and honestly, you see this all over those health blogs—always use that phrase "poor insulin sensitivity." So now I'm sitting here wondering... either everyone's lost their minds, or maybe you've got a better way to break it down? If you don't mind explaining, I'm all ears.

Look, the insulin our bodies pump out can be super efficient—meaning it actually does its job of shoving glucose from the bloodstream into your cells—or it can be totally useless. Like, the pancreas is cranking it out like crazy, but it just isn't doing what it's supposed to do.

When things are working right, we're talking about "good" insulin sensitivity. When they aren't, that's where resistance kicks in.

If your sensitivity is "good"—or high, if you want to get technical—you won't really deal with issues regarding weight or being overweight.

But if there's resistance—where you've got tons of insulin floating around but it's basically failing at its one job—then the glucose (which comes from carbs, and yeah, even some proteins) just sits in your blood while your cells are essentially starving. You might actually lose weight in that scenario, but only if the insulin inefficiency is massive and your blood sugar levels are hitting the roof.

Most of the time, though, it's just a nasty combo of genetics and being overweight that triggers that insulin resistance in the first place. Once someone starts targeting that weight loss, their sensitivity goes back up... and these types of patients usually don't start seeing those crazy high blood sugar spikes (which lead to unintentional weight loss) until after years and years of just straight-up ignoring the warning signs.

The OP probably doesn't have that kind of issue anyway...

I don't want to just bulk up and put on fat,
I'm looking to build actual muscle mass.
Do you think protein supplements and hitting the gym could help me get there?

Nathan Ramos77 said:I don't want to just put on fat weight.
I'm looking to build muscle mass.
Can protein supplements and hitting the gym help me out?

The gym, absolutely. Exercise in general, too. Back when I was your age, I stood 6'0" and weighed 147 lbs; moderate lifting helped me pack on some muscle, but I still looked lean—you could practically see my facial bones.

Besides, most of these issues sort themselves out once you hit thirty.😬