Weight/muscle gains? Educate me please

[alexiakierstyn]

I'm 17, and I'm 5"5 and i only weight about 100-110 pounds, i've always been naturally skinny but recently i've lost confidence in myself. I want to gain LOWER body muscle. Mainly get curvier and a bigger butt, but also just overall even out and look healthier. I'm going to start lifting and i have a trainer for workouts but i am so confused about the nutrition/weight gain aspect of this.

I used to eat about 1,500-2,000 calories a day. That amount of calories made me feel satisfied and not overly full.. However, that only maintains my current weight. So really i need to eat about 2,500-3,500 calories a day to gain. My problem is i am so overly full everyday, i've been forcing myself to eat about 500 calories every 2-3 hours but I'm not used to that much food and it makes me feel so full and almost impossible to workout. It sucks because i don't know what to do.
Do i really need to "gain weight" or will the lifting do that for me as long as I'm eating healthy? Also, all of the weight i've gained is going to my stomach and my body looks awkward now because i still have super skinny legs and arms, i've been told my body will even out eventually but i don't know. I really just need some knowledge on how much calories i really need to eat, and what foods i should eat to gain HEALTHY weight (besides dairy because I'm intolerant) Also, what about all this fat going to my stomach? Will the fat transfer to muscle when i start lifting? Forgive me if i sound annoying or uneducated, i just really need some help from any other women who have the same fitness goals as me. Thanks!

[megdaig]

You need to eat enough to gain 2 to 3# a month. You can't build something from nothing so you do need excess calories.

Eating more calorie dense foods will help; Fattier cuts of meats, whole eggs instead of just the whites, nuts, nut butters, oils and dressings, etc.

[byond]

there are different calorie calculators out there that tell you different numbers based on the formula, so you have to see what works for you.
As you start lifting it should become easier to eat more, but if you feel so full that it's "almost impossible to work out" that doesn't seem productive.
I suggest backing off a little, then progressively start adding, say, 100 cal a week.
Yes, you do have to eat more to gain muscle mass and have curves.
As for what you should eat, generally it's 0.8-1.2 g of protein per pound of body mass. For you that is approx 100g of protein a day, which has 400cal of energy. Split the rest of your caloric needs however you like between carbohydrates and fat. At least 30% of your overall calories should come from fat.
That's it in a nutshell, Good luck.

Al

[kimm4]

You've posted numerous threads about this in the past. You've already been told you need to eat in a calorie surplus if you want to build muscle.

You're not naturally skinny. Your weight hasn't changed because you continue to undereat in calories period.

Get more calories in or continue spinning your wheels.

[likeafish]

Whoa, 3500 up from 2000! Who told you that you need to add 1500 calories a day in order to gain muscle?! Lol, that person is trolling. Even 500 more a day is too much.

[kgrrl]

I reacted to the amount of calories too. Say you ate 2000 kcal one day, 1750 day 2, 2000 day 3, 1600 day 4, 1750 day 5, 2000 day 6 and 1750 day 7 and maintained on that - that equals about 1800 kcal a day. If this is the case and that number is what you maintain on, you'd probably gain being consistent in eating 2100 kcal a day (need to point out this is for arguments sake, use a calculator to figure out how much you should eat, be consistent, assess the results and adapt accordingly after a couple of weeks). Avoid bingeing down 3000-3500 kcal to eat like a bird the next day, there's no necessity for that and probably leads to loads of water retention. Consistency is the key in both nutrition and training!