Having to consume 4000+ calories at 153lbs

[tommyymas]

Title really speaks for itself.

background info:
I have always known my metabolism was high as i was like 120 lbs at 15 years of age and was having like three dinners a night. My mum kept a food diary which we gave to the hospital and they said it must be lies, no way i could eat that much and stay so skinny, i was super active though, football 8 times a week, swimming 3 times a week and then going out with friends after school and at weekends in spare time.

Problem:
First of all, i am one on those "skinny ectomorph hard gainers". When i first struggled to gain size i did my research and obviously the only thing to do was to eat and then eat some more. I have actually made some progress. like 11lbs of lean mass since August. I was fine going through this but the other day i was reading a thread where a 220lb man had a bulking diet of 4000 kcals. This made me lol because i thought it was really strange, for me to maintain i have to hit 4000 and i weigh 153lbs...

So obviously this got me thinking. Is it normal for a "hardgainer" to be consuming so much to make such measly gains? Should i not be gaining weight quickly on this amount of kcals? Obviously my metabolism is extremely high, is there a way i can slow it down by some kind of dieting? Should i just continue and not worry? Is there something in my diet that isn't helping me? I supplement with a multi and creatine

Here is a pic of what a average day in terms of eating is:


Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Also the dinner is not nando's or houlihans but it is equivalent, the sizing is similar and same style so kcals and macros should be very similar

[cjscore]

With football 8 times a week and swimming 3 times a week 5000 calories does not really seem like a lot.

[tommyymas]

With football 8 times a week and swimming 3 times a week 5000 calories does not really seem like a lot.

That was when i was 15, i no longer do any cardio, only gym 5 times a week.

Sorry if it was unclear

[CycoCyclone]

What is wrong with eating that many calories? Sounds awesome to me! haha. Ice cream all day everyday!

[tommyymas]

What is wrong with eating that many calories? Sounds awesome to me! haha. Ice cream all day everyday!

Achieving calories while working can be quite difficult, currently eating something every 2 hours and it just leaves me super full 100% of the time.
As you can see i keep it relatively clean until the burger and chips... Should i start eating dirtier? This would allow me to get the calories without having to eat so much

[CycoCyclone]

Achieving calories while working can be quite difficult, currently eating something every 2 hours and it just leaves me super full 100% of the time.
As you can see i keep it relatively clean until the burger and chips... Should i start eating dirtier? This would allow me to get the calories without having to eat so much

I don't know what eating dirtier is. Personally wouldn't want dirt on my food. I like to eat a diet comprised of mostly whole, minimally processed foods while hitting my macro minimums and micros. The rest of my calories I fill up as I please. Nothing wrong with burgers they are a dang good way to get calories. And yes if you are struggling getting to your caloric goal eating calorically dense foods such as ice cream, peanut butter, and maybe even a little fast food (no trans fats) is a great way to go.

[tommyymas]

I don't know what eating dirtier is. Personally wouldn't want dirt on my food. I like to eat a diet comprised of mostly whole, minimally processed foods while hitting my macro minimums and micros. The rest of my calories I fill up as I please. Nothing wrong with burgers they are a dang good way to get calories. And yes if you are struggling getting to your caloric goal eating calorically dense foods such as ice cream, peanut butter, and maybe even a little fast food (no trans fats) is a great way to go.

haha thank you for the reponse. Is it normal for a "hardgainer" to be consuming so much to make such measly gains? Should i not be gaining weight quickly on this amount of kcals? Obviously my metabolism is extremely high, is there a way i can slow it down by some kind of dieting? Should i just continue and not worry?

Repped for help so far

[bambam601]

fattier cuts of meat if you want to increase calories.
unless you just love chicken, eat other fattier meat (or fattier parts of the chicken instead of breasts).
same thing with milk unless you just want to consume skim.

[CycoCyclone]

haha thank you for the reponse. Is it normal for a "hardgainer" to be consuming so much to make such measly gains? Should i not be gaining weight quickly on this amount of kcals? Obviously my metabolism is extremely high, is there a way i can slow it down by some kind of dieting? Should i just continue and not worry?

Repped for help so far

I am unsure about slowing your metabolism down. Also, try drinking whole and chocolate milk that would be an easy way to get extra calories. And are you sure you are counting your calories correctly? Otherwise you might just have to buck up and increase calories some more until you start seeing desired weight gain!

[tommyymas]

fattier cuts of meat if you want to increase calories.
unless you just love chicken, eat other fattier meat (or fattier parts of the chicken instead of breasts).
same thing with milk unless you just want to consume skim.

I know ways in which i can increase calories, need advice more on if i can do some kind of dieting to reduce metabolism, thanks for input though

[tommyymas]

I am unsure about slowing your metabolism down. Also, try drinking whole and chocolate milk that would be an easy way to get extra calories. And are you sure you are counting your calories correctly? Otherwise you might just have to buck up and increase calories some more until you start seeing desired weight gain!

Yeah i weigh out everything and all of that. So basically, i got to eat like 5000 calories a day to make a steady weight gain, phuck.

[bambam601]

I know ways in which i can increase calories, need advice more on if i can do some kind of dieting to reduce metabolism, thanks for input though

don't know if it is or not, but if there was i wouldn't try to.
i know you're bulking now, but when you cut that high metabolism will come in handy.
brb cutting on 3500+ kcals.

[CycoCyclone]

don't know if it is or not, but if there was i wouldn't try to.
i know you're bulking now, but when you cut that high metabolism will come in handy.
brb cutting on 3500+ kcals.

This. Plus your metabolism will slow down with age. I never would want to mess with how my body functions. Enjoy being able to stuff your face with lots of delicious foods!

[tommyymas]

don't know if it is or not, but if there was i wouldn't try to.
i know you're bulking now, but when you cut that high metabolism will come in handy.
brb cutting on 3500+ kcals.

That is what i keep telling myself but honestly, i have remained about 12-14% bf and wouldn't want a single digit % until i could be 175lbs at 8% so i have ages yet until i am even considering cutting

[GrowMacGrow]

I don't know if this is just a coincidence, but people who i've talked to and have had a natural lean 'ecto' type shape and eat high calories have all said how they were extremely active when they were younger by playing sports etc....just like yourself OP.

I would like to see how an active childhood has effects on metabolic rate at a later stage in life and/or a few years later down the line. Hopefully their is some sort of research on this type of topic.

It is the same with myself OP, as i played football and ran cross-country etc upto the age of 17. I'm a gym instructor now and need to eat 5000+ a day, but the last few times I've had week-long holidays/rests and eat whatever i want, i only put on maybe 1lb weight at the maximum. It's frustrating, but its the lifestyle i love and enjoy

[cls91]

Ask your doctor to test your thyroid/check for hyperthyroidism

[tommyymas]

I don't know if this is just a coincidence, but people who i've talked to and have had a natural lean 'ecto' type shape and eat high calories have all said how they were extremely active when they were younger by playing sports etc....just like yourself OP.

I would like to see how an active childhood has effects on metabolic rate at a later stage in life and/or a few years later down the line. Hopefully their is some sort of research on this type of topic.

It is the same with myself OP, as i played football and ran cross-country etc upto the age of 17. I'm a gym instructor now and need to eat 5000+ a day, but the last few times I've had week-long holidays/rests and eat whatever i want, i only put on maybe 1lb weight at the maximum. It's frustrating, but its the lifestyle i love and enjoy

i can confirm i used to play football for a pro team and an amateur team which was 4 training sessions and 2 matches. I then played at local astro turf pitches in 5 aside 3 times a week. Swam atleast weekly and even bowl weekly. Was extremely active when i was younger. Represented my borough in cross country etc.

[tommyymas]

Ask your doctor to test your thyroid/check for hyperthyroidism

Have no idea what this is but will look into it and consult my doctor

[Mrpb]

My opinion: you're not a hardgainer, you don't have thyroid issues and your metabolism is not high. You are just active.

This is a good read on the subject: http://www.b bc.co.uk/sn/humanbody/truthaboutfood/slim/fatthin.shtml (remove space from url)

I need 3500 calories to maintain and I sit on my ass a lot. (currently 169lb)

[tommyymas]

My opinion: you're not a hardgainer, you don't have thyroid issues and your metabolism is not high. You are just active.

This is a good read on the subject: http://www.b bc.co.uk/sn/humanbody/truthaboutfood/slim/fatthin.shtml (remove space from url)

I need 3500 calories to maintain and I sit on my ass a lot. (currently 169lb)

Will read into it, thanks

[legitsrs]

I need to consume 6000 right now as weight loss stalled, if it stalls again I'll up it again.

Need to eat to grow man.

[cls91]

My opinion: you're not a hardgainer, you don't have thyroid issues and your metabolism is not high. You are just active.

This is a good read on the subject: http://www.b bc.co.uk/sn/humanbody/truthaboutfood/slim/fatthin.shtml (remove space from url)

I need 3500 calories to maintain and I sit on my ass a lot. (currently 169lb)

Most of the time I'd agree, it's most likely just the OP underestimating their activity level, but my post was partially based off of this...

With football 8 times a week and swimming 3 times a week 5000 calories does not really seem like a lot.

That was when i was 15, i no longer do any cardio, only gym 5 times a week.

Sorry if it was unclear

Also Mrpb you are 6 inches taller and 20lbs heavier than him, and legitsrs you're 8 inches taller and 35lbs heavier than him...you guys can't really be comparing your TDEE to his.

[SuperHippo]

you are more active than you think
I have to eat 3200-3400 a day just to gain .5lb a week because i'm more active than I thought

[Mrpb]

Also Mrpb you are 6 inches taller and 20lbs heavier than him, and legitsrs you're 8 inches taller and 35lbs heavier than him...you guys can't really be comparing your TDEE to his.

Of course I was taking my and his weight into account. I'm saying I'm not even that active. Just look at my post count lol.

Those 5 workouts could be big. But more interesting would be how does he spend his days. Some people sit down a lot and don't move that much, while others are much more active. I bet he fits the latter category.

you are more active than you think
I have to eat 3200-3400 a day just to gain .5lb a week because i'm more active than I thought

^ This.

[cls91]

Of course I was taking my and his weight into account. I'm saying I'm not even that active. Just look at my post count lol.

Those 5 workouts could be big. But more interesting would be how does he spend his days. Some people sit down a lot and don't move that much, while others are much more active. I bet he fits the latter category.

I thought your post was referring to his football/swimming, which would obviously explain the higher TDEE, but he said he no longer does those. My bad.


Also...

You: Posts: 4,251
Me: Posts: 4,471

^ what are you implying brah?

jks, I'm quite sedentary outside of my workouts. Hence why I can gain on <2,500 kcal. OP must be jealous.

[CycoCyclone]

First time actually tracking my intake and I'm starting my cut on 2800 calories and that seems like nothing!

[StudforLife]

you are more active than you think
I have to eat 3200-3400 a day just to gain .5lb a week because i'm more active than I thought

I would wreck you in halo dude. My gamertag is Yerc and I play Gamebattles everyday.

[cls91]

I would wreck you in halo dude. My gamertag is Yerc and I play Gamebattles everyday.

Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 1


Did you create an account just to tell him that...

[Jcart159]

Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 1


Did you create an account just to tell him that...

Don't question him, he will wreck you in Halo mate!

Edit: just saw my post count to rep ratio... sorry guys never posting again so I can keep my perfect 1:1 ratio.

[CycoCyclone]

Don't question him, he will wreck you in Halo mate!

Edit: just saw my post count to rep ratio... sorry guys never posting again so I can keep my perfect 1:1 ratio.

Saw your rep was lower than post count, was going to rep, but I have given out too much rep in the last 24 hours