( Hello )

Hello everyone.

I'll tell it like it is :

I am a 35 year old male 5'6," and I weigh in at 120.4 lbs. ( That .4 is important ! )

I have horrible genetics. Everyone in my family besides my parents and I eats meat ( and lots of it ) , yet everone is skinny as toothpicks.

The number one problem that I face is ( ...well my face. As the saying goes, no amount of excercise can fix ugly.)

( I have been told that I look like a cross between a monkey and the kid that played Spanky on the Little Rascals movie. )

Other than this problem, I was also born with scholiosis ( twisted spine ) and since the bones in my neck are fused, it looks like I have no neck.

I have what a doctor refered to as 'webneck', and one side of my body is slightly asymetrical.

Still, I'd like to try and work out because it feeds the part of my ego that has to overcompensate for my shortcomings.

I look in the mirror and part of me says " damn that looks pretty good ! ", Then reality sets in and slaps me silly.

I think the mirror lies.

What I have to trust is the scale. When I look at other folks my height that are 30-40 lbs heavier than me, yet look skinny, I know I must look horrible. But to me I look normal.

In the last month, I have begun to try and eat more than usual and lift some dumbells that my neighbor gave me when he moved. Since I am old and my metabalism has slowed, I thought I'd give a weight gain a try.

I have been forcing myself to eat more, and I now eat between 2,500 to over 6,000 calories per day, yet I have not seen any change in my weight.

How long does it usually take to see a change in weight when eating like this ?

My diet consists of two veggie patties and a medium avacado ( approx. 600 calories combined ) for breakfast, One cup of MaltO'Meal with three cups of soy milk twice a week ( over 2,470 calories ) Half a box of pasta for lunch along with another avacado and a package of some junk food crackers ( 1,487 calories ) several glasses of no sugar fruit juice ( over 600 calories ) and for supper two veggie burgers with more chips ( over 1000 calories. )

I work at as a stocker at a store, and I am constanty on the move lifting and pulling, as well as walking ( a fast walk ) from one side of the store to the other ( around a football fields length )

Am I just burning more calories than I consume ?

I notice that now when I get off of work, I am tired ( sleepy ) whereas before when I only ate 800 - 1200 calories a day I was not. Is this normal ?

Thanks !

First of all.. You're not old! You're only 35!! Lol. Second.. Welcome to the board!

I too am a skinny little runt. I find I have more energy and perform better at things when I consume less calories. My body is designed to run that way. I eat very healthy, highly digestible food. I make my own cereal every morning, have veggies or fruit for an afternoon snack, lunch is usually a smoothie or a salad, and dinner is variable.. Homemade pasta sauce from scratch and gluten free pasta, to oatmeal. I like my oatmeal hehehe.

Most of my calorie and fat intake comes from nuts and avocado.

I stick to mostly weight training, and don't do a lot of cardio. I make sure I eat the right foods before and after to maximize muscle growth. Usually simple carbs before, lots of water and simple carbs between, and simple carbs and lots of protein after. It's just a matter of figuring out how your body works. Since you find you have more energy eating less calories, it's probably because your body is so busy digesting food that it's using up a lot of energy! I had the same problem.

It all depends what you eat. Heavy foods full of refined carbs and sugar will fatigue you. Whole, unprocessed, natural foods will fuel you.

Welcome to the group!

Great to have you here. All the best and welcome aboard!

Welcome aboard!

welcome ! I knew someone who was like you, he could eat and never weight, but there was a time he weighted 20 pounds more, it's just that he was eating even more at that time. So eat a lot. But it's good if you don't put on fat easily. Perhaps you don't need to eat more but just lift heavier loads and you'll gain lean mass. good luck

Dude,is this post for real?If so I think you need a change of attitude and quit knocking yourself so bad.You sound like a good guy trying to improve himself,thats to be commended.Second ,some of the most attractive girls to me are the intelligent pasionate ones . Janene (sp) Garafalo is never going to win Miss America but to me she's hot.I know alot of people feel the same.Especially on a board like this where it seems to me the people are more evolved.As far as weight gain keep the cals. as high as possible and train as heavy as possible.Even though it's frustrating the gains don't come as quick as you want they'll come.Right now your "priming the pump".My grandfather used to say when he had a setback "I'm just backing up for a good headstart.

Hey buddy, its good to have you here, hopefully we will be able to help you.

You are clearly eating enough food - 3000 calories upwards should be enough, no matter what your genetics.

However, as was mentioned by someone else, you may need bigger weights.Try to do weights on your biceps & back, triceps & chest, & shoulders, & of course if you want to, your legs.

Some people do the biceps & back one day, then triceps 7 back the next day, or 2 days later & then do shoulders & legs at weekend or whatever.The different ways & amount people do their workout is totally different for each person.You need to find what works for you.

Myself, I was very skinny when I started weights.Now I gain a good few pounds of muscle every week, if I have eaten enough food & importantly, got enough sleep too.I only workout 2-3 times a week to do this.

An important things also mentioned is its not about the amount of calories as much as it is quality of calories.Eat potatoes, rice, beans, nuts, loads of fruit & vegetables.You will gain muscle easier with those.

Feel free to ask questions as much as you want, people on here are always helpful

Welcome!

Good to see you put some effort in your introduction. You have no worries, ppl here (for example Hilary Wright) have shown that you can grow fast even much older than you are now!

I'd suggest you to eat more whole foods. More beans, seeds, nuts, whole grain and such. Also, cut the crackers and other junk food...

You should get some weight in a couple of months easily at that pace. If you eat 2500-6000 kcal a day you should grow a lot faster than I have been doing so far (~ 2 lbs per month).

BTW, are you counting the calories correct? I don't think 1 cup of Malt-O-Meal with 3 cups of soy milk can contain more than a couple hundred calories. It's more like 250 kcal rather than 2500kcal. You easily get mixed up with kJ and kCal.

Good luck with your progress!

Thank you everyone for the replies. I will reply more in depth when I have more time.

Welcome!

Hello everyone again and thank you for the advice !

I have a lot of questions, but I know you folks get tired of answering the same ones over and over, so I'll try and keep them to a minimum.

I'm mainly confused about 'quality' calories vs. junk calories.

What is the difference ? Is there some food that gets absorbed better by the body than others ?

What is the difference between 'whole fruit' and fruit juice ( without sugar ) from a nutrition standpoint ?

Yet another question that I had was if you can work out the same muscle group more than once per week ( like the next day ) if you aren't sore the next day.

( From what I understand, you should be sore the next day after a workout - otherwise you are doing it wrong ... right ? )

I just have some dumbells to work with - not even a bench. Can I make progress with just dumbells ?

I have dumbells that range from 15 lbs on up to 50 lbs. I try and lift the weights to the point that I have trouble lifting them, set them down and continue with the dumbells that are next in line, set those down and continue till I get to the really small ones and then start over. ( I'm too weak to do curls with the 50, but I'll get there someday. )

Next question - and the one that you folks hear several times a day : how do I determine how much protein I need vs. calories ?

I have been keeping off of the scale for a while now, but weighed myself this weekend. I have gained around 8 -9 lbs of ... something.

They have a scale at my job, and me and the guys weighed ourselves. I didn't realize just how small that I was untill one of the guys that is exactly my height outweighed me by 28 lbs ( yet looked what even I would call 'skinny' )

I notice that my gut looked thicker, and I had been worried because I could not see my " six pack" below my navel. After looking at some pictures I realized that the 'six pack' actually starts above the navel

( I actually have a twisted looking six pack because of my messed up rib cage - it looks more like a 'four pack ' )

I now have what I guess people call 'love handles', I have bulges above my hips like you see on Michelangelo's David sculpture.

(I don't have a six pack like the David sculpture, but I can sort of count the bulges of the muscles )

I measured my arms just for laughs. No change since I last measured them.

I think my ego has also increased along with my weight ( gut ? ).

I'll post an image of an X-ray of myself so you folks can see what I'm working with. How do I do that on this site ?

Welcome!

 

Good to see you put some effort in your introduction.

 

It was a little "woe is me / I'm going to go jump off bridge now " now that I re-read it.

 

I don't think 1 cup of Malt-O-Meal with 3 cups of soy milk can contain more than a couple hundred calories. It's more like 250 kcal rather than 2500kcal. You easily get mixed up with kJ and kCal.

 

What is kJ and kCal ?

 

I'm just going by what it says on the box : serving size : 3 Tbsp = 130 calories.

16 tablespoons in one cup makes that 2080 calories plus the 130 calories ( * 3 cups ) of the soy milk. = 2' date='470 calories ?

( and a total of 98 grams of protein )[/color'] I fully expect something to be off with the above calculations. Does Tbsp stand for tablespoon ?

I'm mainly confused about 'quality' calories vs. junk calories.

What is the difference ? Is there some food that gets absorbed better by the body than others ?

Yes, quality food is absorbed better than junk food.A jacket potato will give you better quality calories, than a burger or chocolate bar would.Quality calories come from unprocessed 'whole' foods like potatoes, rice, fruit, nuts, seeds, vegetables etc.

What is the difference between 'whole fruit' and fruit juice ( without sugar ) from a nutrition standpoint ?

If I eat 5 apples, it will be processed by the stomach.If you blend them into a juice, they will be processed as a liquid, so nutritionally there is little difference.The only difference is if your stomach is full from the last food you ate, & you cant eat any more, you can have liquid.Thats why alot of us have protein smoothies, as a way to get more calories with full stomachs.

Yet another question that I had was if you can work out the same muscle group more than once per week ( like the next day ) if you aren't sore the next day.

( From what I understand, you should be sore the next day after a workout - otherwise you are doing it wrong ... right ? )

 

I just have some dumbells to work with - not even a bench. Can I make progress with just dumbells ?

You should not workout the same muscle group the next day.Some people leave it 4 days as a minimum, I leave it 6-7 days to be careful.If you are not sore after a workout, it doesnt mean you have not done it right.I am rarely sore after a workout & I am gaining strength each week.And yes you can gain alot with just dumbells, but you will struggle to get beyond a certain point without a bench.The bench press for your chest muscles is quite a vital exercise you need the bench for.

Next question - and the one that you folks hear several times a day : how do I determine how much protein I need vs. calories ?

This point is constantly argued by everyone including body builders, sporty people & regular people.The truth is, noone really knows a definite amount or ratio, we all just have theories & what works for us as individuals.One thing is certain, you will need alot of both, especially calories.All I can say is what I eat, which is about

150 grams of protein, and 3000+ calories.I have found that if I go below either of these amounts, I do not gain muscle.

As for your gut, I think most of us gain a bit of a gut when body building, you have to get your personal calorie intake just right to gain muscle & keep the gut off.It is a hard balance to find & each person has a different balance, so just experiment.Sorry about the vagueness!

Give us a shout if you are unsure about any of these answers

Welcome!

Thanks again everyone !

Here is an x-ray of my spine ( I bumped up the contrast and sharpened some areas) You can see it's a real mess in there !

I have an extra vertebrae that is shaped like a wedge and pushes the whole thing over. My neck bones are completely fused.

Also my ribs and clavicle area are jacked.

Note how one side of my neck is higher than the other ? Is it actually possible to work one side of your body to compensate for flaws like this ?

( I didn't think so either ... but I'm giving it a try anyways )

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2026/2927145789_25d2b649d5.jpg

Blimey mate thats some serious stuff going on there.If you dont mind me asking how did you get it like that?

I dont know if working one side will help or not for your circumstance, & Im not sure anyone on here would either.It could be something to bring up with your doctor I think, as he will have a better understanding of you than any of us would.

Supposedly I was born like this. One side of my body didn't form quite the same as the other.

My parents didn't have money to try and fix any of it.

Anyways... so what would you recommend as a before and after workout meal ? How long before and how long after should you eat ?

What about while you workout ?

I would think having coffee while you workout would be a big no-no. Is that true ?

I also wanted to add that my scale ( digital ) is crap ! It flutuates so badly that I can step on the scale, have it say a certain weight, and then grab one of my barbells and step on it again, only to have it say the same weight.

I'll be getting a traditional dial scale.

I have lost around 4 lbs in the last three days. It has taken around two to three months to gain what little I have ( between 6- 10 lbs depending on the accuracy of the scale. )

I would post these new questions in the proper forum(s).You'll probhably get more response.

Anyways... so what would you recommend as a before and after workout meal ? How long before and how long after should you eat ?

What about while you workout ?

I would think having coffee while you workout would be a big no-no. Is that true ?

I have a fruit smoothie with protein powder in it about 25 minutes before working out.It seems to keep me going.I have nothing during the workout, and yes, coffee would be a no-no at any point around the workout.I usually have my dinner pretty much straight after workouts, but if not, I will eat fruit, & usually soya yoghurts.I cant eat the yoghurts anymore because I am intollerant to soya now.

It would be a good idea to put your questions in the proper thread now, as this should be introductions only.Lots of people will reply then.

Whuups. Not thinking.

Thanks folks. I'll start posting elsewhere in the forum.

Regarding the Malt o meal ............ duhhh. I of course was not doing my math correctly.

There is less than 700 calories in an entire cup of the stuff.

I need more rest.