The Journey of the Skinnies

[skinnyfatffs]

I need motivation....Im 180cm and 120lbs at 18 years of age without any visible abs so im obviously above 10% bodyfat. I've always been terribly skinny due to bad diet (parents always said I ate enough so I trusted them) recently got the motivation to bulk on a 250-350 calorie surplus each day (so 2800 calories a day) and lift but I get very depressed knowing my maximum natural potential is like 160lbs 8% bodyfat (pathetic stats due to my pathetic starting weight) I have no idea where to begin and this is a big deal since I got tormented in school for being so skinny. I want to give up before ive even started

[rishi851]

I need motivation....Im 180cm and 120lbs at 18 years of age without any visible abs so im obviously above 10% bodyfat. I've always been terribly skinny due to bad diet (parents always said I ate enough so I trusted them) recently got the motivation to bulk on a 250-350 calorie surplus each day (so 2800 calories a day) and lift but I get very depressed knowing my maximum natural potential is like 160lbs 8% bodyfat (pathetic stats due to my pathetic starting weight) I have no idea where to begin and this is a big deal since I got tormented in school for being so skinny. I want to give up before ive even started

Just relax my friend. Remember school is just a phase. I was exactly in your position and suddenly I blossomed in my twenties. Just eat a lot and work out. I am in no position to give you the exact minute details as I recently started posting here, but I can get the teasing bit. Just eat, eat and eat some more. Bananas, sweetened milk, anything light, because after sometime I get sick of eating!

Remember, it will get better. High school is a pansy phase where everyone thinks they're God.

[bustermac]

Just found this and I'm excited.
I am currently 5'10" and just under 120 lbs. I have been as low as 117 in the past few weeks though. I just started my journey to gaining some weight mostly just to be a healthier weight. My parents and girlfriend have been worried about me for being at such a low weight so I figured it was time.

I have been lifting for the past 2 years but really have seen no weight gain whatsoever so obviously I am not doing it right. I think it is mostly my diet seeing that I average only about 1400 to 1500 calories a day plus about 4 miles on the elliptical or track and then about 40 minutes of lifting.

I have been taking 2 scoops of Muscle Milk with a banana after my workouts each day so far and I already feel stronger.

I am hoping I can reach some healthy gains without adding to much fat. I know i will have to though being at only about 5% now. My biggest fear is gaining "Bad Weight" rather than muscle and now its my biggest struggle. Hopefully some of you guys have learned how to deal with this and can shed some light on how to overcome it.

Between the running and the eliptical, you're burning off everything you eat...which is not enough. Less of that, more lifting. Double your calories at least. All of the cardio is preventing you from gains in weight and muscle.

[skinnyfatffs]

Just relax my friend. Remember school is just a phase. I was exactly in your position and suddenly I blossomed in my twenties. Just eat a lot and work out. I am in no position to give you the exact minute details as I recently started posting here, but I can get the teasing bit. Just eat, eat and eat some more. Bananas, sweetened milk, anything light, because after sometime I get sick of eating!

Remember, it will get better. High school is a pansy phase where everyone thinks they're God.

My main issue is that my peak is going to be something like 160lbs with around 10% bodyfat instead of 180 lbs so ill always feel skinny and 160 isnt impressive at all for my height.

[ElectricEddiE]

im a skinny b!tch too

[rishi851]

My main issue is that my peak is going to be something like 160lbs with around 10% bodyfat instead of 180 lbs so ill always feel skinny and 160 isnt impressive at all for my height.

How is 160 not impressive for 5'9 1/2? What matters is power, strength, that feeling of power. How tall was Bruce Lee? How much did he weigh? He was a skinny man, but boy did he command respect.

[AntiGlobalist]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRXvNAR08lk


This is me, just shot this vid tonight. I didn't even weigh 100lbs when I was 15. So, there is hope. We'll all make it

[skinnyfatffs]

How is 160 not impressive for 5'9 1/2? What matters is power, strength, that feeling of power. How tall was Bruce Lee? How much did he weigh? He was a skinny man, but boy did he command respect.

180cm is 5ft11 not 5ft9.5 lol. I dont have an issue with being 160 although id rather peak at something like 180 its just getting to that point will take years and I hate being skinny

[orca23554]

180cm is 5ft11 not 5ft9.5 lol. I dont have an issue with being 160 although id rather peak at something like 180 its just getting to that point will take years and I hate being skinny

Why so negative? Life's gonna be tough that way mate

[tannerlakey]

Between the running and the eliptical, you're burning off everything you eat...which is not enough. Less of that, more lifting. Double your calories at least. All of the cardio is preventing you from gains in weight and muscle.

I agree, I have been using cardio only as a warmup for the last 5 days and I already feel stronger. I am eating more (not a ton more) but definitely a much higher amount. I am feeling a little bigger but I am feeling flabbier on my stomach already and it scares me to death.

[crashandburn993]

Just eat and eat some more, when I first started lifting I weighed 135 pounds and 5'9" and I was all crazy about getting ripped, and I got lean like 7%bf and I realized that I did no look ripped I looked anorexic, so I started lifting and eating, neither is fun, but you have to decide what is important to you, that 6 pack or some real muscle, then a 8 pack? For about three years my metabolism was just burning it up, right after Christmas I started bulking and started the "see food diet" [I see food and I eat it] [avr 3500-4000cal] in three months I have gained 7 pounds of upper body muscle, bringing me to 156 with a 9.5% bf. We skinnys can put on lots of weight if you really want it and are willing to change. My goal is about 185-195 with a 5%bf and I am going to have it.

[MTTS88]

Weighed in this week after leg day, 164 =). Just eat and lift. I can say that for those who are concerned, I would be considered a hard gainer for sure (at least based on my own perception).

The truth: There are no hard gainers, just those less or more motivated than others. I started eating and lifting big. Pushing weight that I didn't think I would be able to. You think you are done, say **** that. Add some weight.

My outlook, I'm not going to stop until I can't afford to buy new clothes. Kind of joking, but not really.

[redmond3]

what foods are you eating to get to 4200?

Need some new ideas

Like to keep it simple, nothing fancy. Just eating to hit my macros, sometimes gets boring but I change my diet around every 2 weeks based on my results.


Lots of chicken
Brown rice
Olive oil
Whole grain pasta
Milk
Potatoes
Fish
Eggs

Shakes

[redmond3]

Curious how you foot that protein bill^?

Actually not expensive

I eat roughly 5-6 times a day

Currently doing 2 grams per pound, chicken is VERY cheap 12 oz has roughly 69 grams of protein maybe off tad bit

1 pack of chicken 5 pieces = 10 bucks for 4 lbs roughly , normally 2 bucks a pound sometimes even cheaper

Roughly drop 250 on groceries per month
100 on gainers lasts me 1 month roughly

So 350 per month as of now


Work work work lol, always been a hard worker it does add up but it's worth every penny going to post updated pictures of my 6 week progress in 9 days pretty big change. So it's paying off 200 lbs here I come

[Dermbet]

Just found this and I'm excited.
I am currently 5'10" and just under 120 lbs. I have been as low as 117 in the past few weeks though. I just started my journey to gaining some weight mostly just to be a healthier weight. My parents and girlfriend have been worried about me for being at such a low weight so I figured it was time.

I have been lifting for the past 2 years but really have seen no weight gain whatsoever so obviously I am not doing it right. I think it is mostly my diet seeing that I average only about 1400 to 1500 calories a day plus about 4 miles on the elliptical or track and then about 40 minutes of lifting.

I have been taking 2 scoops of Muscle Milk with a banana after my workouts each day so far and I already feel stronger.

I am hoping I can reach some healthy gains without adding to much fat. I know i will have to though being at only about 5% now. My biggest fear is gaining "Bad Weight" rather than muscle and now its my biggest struggle. Hopefully some of you guys have learned how to deal with this and can shed some light on how to overcome it.

At this weight and age you can make huge gains. You are the perfect age as your testosterone is very high. This is the biggest grower of all and you are hitting the peak of it now. Age 16-18 you should have been massing on weight but you're eating nowhere near enough to build muscle especially as a hardgainer. Hardgainers need MORE than normal bodyshapes.

As has been stated already, drop all but 20 mins cardio a week and forget about adding "bad weight". You have an extremely proficient metabolism clearly so don't worry about fat. You need to eat maybe 3,000 calories a day which isn't as hard as it sounds with weight gainers or protein shakes twice a day. Nobody will even notice the fat you add if you are working out with a good routine 3-4 times a week. They will just see muscle appear quickly. Fat will be added but it will not do you any harm as you will be exceptionally healthy compared to 90% of the population!

Focus a lot on COMPOUND exercises which use lots of muscles. Most of the bodybuilding community now believes that ectomorphs have a slow recovery and can't cope with too many exercises. Therefore focus only on the best ones. Squat, Deadlift, Bench Press etc

I wish I was 18 knowing what I know now....I would have put on masses of weight . Don't waste the opportunity you have right now!

[Dermbet]

Just eat and eat some more, when I first started lifting I weighed 135 pounds and 5'9" and I was all crazy about getting ripped, and I got lean like 7%bf and I realized that I did no look ripped I looked anorexic, so I started lifting and eating, neither is fun, but you have to decide what is important to you, that 6 pack or some real muscle, then a 8 pack? For about three years my metabolism was just burning it up, right after Christmas I started bulking and started the "see food diet" [I see food and I eat it] [avr 3500-4000cal] in three months I have gained 7 pounds of upper body muscle, bringing me to 156 with a 9.5% bf. We skinnys can put on lots of weight if you really want it and are willing to change. My goal is about 185-195 with a 5%bf and I am going to have it.

Fantastic! Great motivation...so positive. I have a goal of 7 pound gain in next 3 months. Quite conservative I know but I don't wanna set a goal I can't reach.

[redmond3]

Fantastic! Great motivation...so positive. I have a goal of 7 pound gain in next 3 months. Quite conservative I know but I don't wanna set a goal I can't reach.

Don't be afraid to set a more aggressive goal, you will just have to put in the extra effort and go somewhere you haven't gone before.

3 months you could set goal of maybe 3 -4 lbs a month. so 9-12 lbs in 3 months. Don't be afraid to push yourself, and if you do fail get right back up. We all have failed at one point but don't give up use it as a learning experience, trial and error

[redmond3]

Just found this and I'm excited.
I am currently 5'10" and just under 120 lbs. I have been as low as 117 in the past few weeks though. I just started my journey to gaining some weight mostly just to be a healthier weight. My parents and girlfriend have been worried about me for being at such a low weight so I figured it was time.

I have been lifting for the past 2 years but really have seen no weight gain whatsoever so obviously I am not doing it right. I think it is mostly my diet seeing that I average only about 1400 to 1500 calories a day plus about 4 miles on the elliptical or track and then about 40 minutes of lifting.

I have been taking 2 scoops of Muscle Milk with a banana after my workouts each day so far and I already feel stronger.

I am hoping I can reach some healthy gains without adding to much fat. I know i will have to though being at only about 5% now. My biggest fear is gaining "Bad Weight" rather than muscle and now its my biggest struggle. Hopefully some of you guys have learned how to deal with this and can shed some light on how to overcome it.

going off the advice the person above me made.


Personally I wouldn't jump from 1500 calories to his recom 3k diet right off the bat... Although you do have a fast metabolism you can and will put on alot of fat.

this is what I would do, you have so much room to grow, especially with your calories starting at 1500.






cut the cardio out, If you like, you could warm up before jumping into your workout for 5-10 minutes. Make sure you stretch before hand....

I would set a goal of 3-4 lbs a month

if your caloric intake is in fact 1500, I would add 500 calories to your current diet. So that brings it to 2k, in 2 weeks time wake up- piss, ****, weigh yourself. You should have gained some weight, if you are up more than 2 lbs in 2 weeks time keep your macros the same. If you haven't gained any weight add another 200 calories to your diet bringing it to 2200 calories....weigh in 2 weeks later and check your gains.


you should get in habit of checking your weight every 2 weeks, and reviewing and editing your diet based on your results from the 2 weeks.



recap (every 2 weeks) if you decide to set goal of 3-4 lbs a month

if you are up 2 lbs keep numbers the same,
if you haven't gained any weight or less than 2 lbs for the 2 weeks add 200 calories to your diet.


ratios that I like and have seen best results with while slow bulking
20% fat
45% carbs
35% proteins


if you're starting with the 2k caloric diet your numbers should look like this
400 calories from healthy fats= 44.4 grams rounded to 44 grams of fats
900 calories from carbs = 225 grams of carbs
700 calories from protein = 175 grams of proteins


I would put 50 % of your carbs in your breakfast and post workout meal.


56 grams roughly for breakfast
56 post workout

and rest spread out between meals





* when you jump up with your calories too fast and too much you will put on bad weight, and fast* Be patient

[MrMagic123]

Going to get started on this pretty soon!
Been working out my diet plan, and also been practicing correct form (with an empty bar) in preperation.
I will be doing the Starting Strength routine, as recommended in Mark Rippetoes book, Starting Strength.

I am quite skinny, and am striving for a better, healthier, more powerful body!
I don't want to get massive, as I still want to be agile, quick and flexible. The' athletic' look, is what I am after.

I know what my targets are for calorie intake and protein intake, and have been looking at ways in which to get these!
The protein will be the easiest to achieve, it is the calories that I am more worried about, however, I have been looking up many websites and they have a lot of good tips, such as adding nuts to your cereal in the morning to add calories.
I don't want to eat junk, I want to fill up my calorie intake with foods that will benefit me!

Any hints, and tips that you guys have will be helpful!
Thanks.

[Dermbet]

Any hints, and tips that you guys have will be helpful!
Thanks.

Here's a breakfast tip I got it from a hardgainer article. I used to make hot porridge from oats and it was very long winded and stodgy in the stomach. Instead, you can just put fresh pure oats in a bowl with cold milk - add dried fruits, raisins, whole almonds, seeds etc. These are calorie dense, and don't take up as much room in the digestive system and contain lots of nutrition and essential healthy fats that people often lack.

Also, for breakfast use poached eggs instead of scrambled or fried...they are easier to eat. (in the UK you can buy special poachers which do 4 eggs quickly with no mess).

Does anyone else eat the yolk of the egg? It has nutrition in also but some people say not to cos of the cholesterol levels. At the moment I am eating 4 eggs on toast inc the yellow part.

[MikeWines]

Going to get started on this pretty soon!
Been working out my diet plan, and also been practicing correct form (with an empty bar) in preperation.
I will be doing the Starting Strength routine, as recommended in Mark Rippetoes book, Starting Strength.

I am quite skinny, and am striving for a better, healthier, more powerful body!
I don't want to get massive, as I still want to be agile, quick and flexible. The' athletic' look, is what I am after.

I know what my targets are for calorie intake and protein intake, and have been looking at ways in which to get these!
The protein will be the easiest to achieve, it is the calories that I am more worried about, however, I have been looking up many websites and they have a lot of good tips, such as adding nuts to your cereal in the morning to add calories.
I don't want to eat junk, I want to fill up my calorie intake with foods that will benefit me!

Any hints, and tips that you guys have will be helpful!
Thanks.

The body is incredibly adaptable, it will tend to change with any stimulus placed upon it. That being said, training and eating go hand in hand. When I first started out in August I was 132 and could barely stomach 2,300 calories. Over time though, I taught myself to eat larger portions and incorporated some more calorie dense options (mmmm PB) or foods that were ridiculously easy to eat alot of and won't fill you up (pretzels, cereal, granola bars, etc). Now, I'm putting down 3500/day of lots of whole foods with no problems whatsoever and I hardly ever get full. If you want to train big, you've got to eat big too. Slowly work your way up and you'll get there. Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day, have patience and work hard.

Does anyone else eat the yolk of the egg? It has nutrition in also but some people say not to cos of the cholesterol levels. At the moment I am eating 4 eggs on toast inc the yellow part.

All things in moderation. Are yolks bad for you? No, not at all, they contain many vital vitamins and minerals which quite beneficial to your body. Also, it should be noted that the BV of whites are 88 and whole eggs are 100. Minutia in the grand scheme of things but still facts none the less. I think 2-3 a day is fine but I wouldn't recommend anything crazy like 8 or 9 on a daily basis.

[Sanderson86]

Glad I found this thread! Gives me hope for better bigger days ahead!

[MrMagic123]

Here's a breakfast tip I got it from a hardgainer article. I used to make hot porridge from oats and it was very long winded and stodgy in the stomach. Instead, you can just put fresh pure oats in a bowl with cold milk - add dried fruits, raisins, whole almonds, seeds etc. These are calorie dense, and don't take up as much room in the digestive system and contain lots of nutrition and essential healthy fats that people often lack.

Also, for breakfast use poached eggs instead of scrambled or fried...they are easier to eat. (in the UK you can buy special poachers which do 4 eggs quickly with no mess).

Does anyone else eat the yolk of the egg? It has nutrition in also but some people say not to cos of the cholesterol levels. At the moment I am eating 4 eggs on toast inc the yellow part.

Great tip man, thanks. SO, do you not really have to feel full to actually be reaching your calorie goals ? Is that where a lot of people go wrong? Thinking they have to ear until they burst, when if they eat the right foods, they will reach their target and not feel like they weight a ton?

The body is incredibly adaptable, it will tend to change with any stimulus placed upon it. That being said, training and eating go hand in hand. When I first started out in August I was 132 and could barely stomach 2,300 calories. Over time though, I taught myself to eat larger portions and incorporated some more calorie dense options (mmmm PB) or foods that were ridiculously easy to eat alot of and won't fill you up (pretzels, cereal, granola bars, etc). Now, I'm putting down 3500/day of lots of whole foods with no problems whatsoever and I hardly ever get full. If you want to train big, you've got to eat big too. Slowly work your way up and you'll get there. Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day, have patience and work hard.

Thanks mate, yeah, I am gradually eating more and more each day, and getting more used to eating larger number of calories.

[Dermbet]

Great tip man, thanks. SO, do you not really have to feel full to actually be reaching your calorie goals ? Is that where a lot of people go wrong? Thinking they have to ear until they burst, when if they eat the right foods, they will reach their target and not feel like they weight a ton?
.

It's not as difficult as people may think. The more you eat the more your body "expects" food. You will find yourself feeling hungry again an hour after your fifth meal of the day. Obviously some things are more filling than others and I think each person will instinctively know what bloats them and makes them uncomfortable.

For the people on here who don't think they can do it, let me tell you you CAN do it. If I can do it with multiple intolerance to wheat, gluten, dairy and potatoes!!...then you guys can do it too.

I just have to be careful what I eat which means more expense and planning.

You won't feel full all the time, but you will not feel really ravishingly hungry like you probably were in the past either. I find the protein drinks quite filling afterwards, but they are easy to get down.

One of the key things I have read and try to do, is to AVOID really stodgy foods which are not highly nutritious such as large veg, lots of white bread, which is heavy but lacks nutrition...but don't get neurotic about it. Like I've seen people on here who talk like they have no life and never eat a normal dinner with their family, girlfriend whatever. That's just ridiculous imo. It's not meant to take over your life. I still eat normal dinner almost every night and eat all my other foods around that as extra.

I think everyone will find some foods better than others, so never eat anything your body rejects and makes you feel badly bloated and queasy. This will only hamper your attempts to eat big and put you off training.

3 quick tips that might work for you:-:
1) Roast 4 chicken breasts together and eat them 2 a day cold in between meals. They are really easy to eat, add a small amount of healthy carbs and fat. I find chicken and rice really really easy to eat with a small portion of broccoli for example.
2) Have a protein shake before bed, even if stodgy you don't notice it as you're asleep anyway and it feeds you during sleep.
3) Add natural peanut to stuff as it's good fat and protein and also makes you really thirsty so it encourages you to drink more water which is also vital as muscles are made largely of water.

[nickwannabe]

Uploaded new pics =)

glad to see that loads of others are following the thread to keep up the action, great guys

so I didn't stick with the initial idea of a split, and stuck to a whole body programme consisting of:

Barbell squats 8,7,6,5, failure
Barbell deadlifts 10,6,6,
Dumbbell Bench Press 4 sets
Lat pull down 4 sets
Dips 3 sets
Barbell curls 3 sets
Side raises 3 sets
Leg raises 3 sets

In rest days, I usually did some moderate cardio, yoga and stretching work etc

My diet was a clean as never before, lots of tuna, chicken, broccoli and other vegetables
carbs mainly from whole grain dry bread for breakfast, quinoa, brown rice and others
plus lots of vegetables and fruits

I hope that there is some progress showing for you guys, for me it definitely is a step forwards
and I am motivated as hell

Hope everybody keeps on the journey, see you in the forums =)

[LNorris82]

Does anyone else get really hungry when they work out?? I eat a good meal an hour before but like halfway through my workout I start getting realllly hungry and it's fcking annoying

[risingUP421]

My Progress currently. Have gone from around 140 and I'm hovering around 160 now. About 2 years between the pics
Starting to focus a lot more on strength and upping my main lifts (Bench, squat, deadlift, overhead press)

[

[Dermbet]

Does anyone else get really hungry when they work out?? I eat a good meal an hour before but like halfway through my workout I start getting realllly hungry and it's fcking annoying

Yes, this is an asset not a problem. Take a protein shake with you and drink it while you are working out. I have a protein shake mixed with a banana and peanut butter and take this while working out. I don't know for sure but I think it really helps refuel muscles. I also take an energy drink at the same time. Maybe the two work together but it seems to be working.

[DavideDiRocco]

d...j...d

[Conquer92]

My Progress currently. Have gone from around 140 and I'm hovering around 160 now. About 2 years between the pics
Starting to focus a lot more on strength and upping my main lifts (Bench, squat, deadlift, overhead press)

gjdm

Damn, why dont i look that good at 170 lol

For the first 2 years have you done the typical 8-15 rep ranges?