# Any weight gain suggestions? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 21, 2003, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-weight-gain-suggestions/176481 "2003-05-21T03:08:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-weight-gain-suggestions/176481/21 "2003-05-21T21:17:29Z")
Gaining two pounds a week is somewhere in the range of 400-1000 calories a day over maintenance levels, which for someone of the OP’s stats, is easily 2600-2700 calories. So we’re looking at 3000-3700 calories a day. It’s not that much, but if you’re not used to it, it can be hard to eat like that. That’s why the food log is important–to see how much you have to change. Five meals a day is great, but if they only total 2000 calories every day, it’s not enough. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-weight-gain-suggestions/176481/22 "2003-05-21T21:36:24Z")
When I was 18, I was 6’2" (still am) and weighed about 127. I was very, _very_ thin. I ran cross country track and had nil body fat, and zero upper body strength to speak of (treetrunk legs and twig arms), and even before I ran I had a very, very high metabolism, like a hummingbird on meth. Part of your thinness is probably just your youth, don’t worry about it too terribly much. When I got to college I ballooned up to 155 with hardly any effort at all. Now I’m 33 (turned 33 today, actually!) and weigh about 200. My metabolism is still pretty high, and it’s difficult for me to keep my weight up that high; I use creatine and meal supplements and work out daily, or as close to it as I can. Don’t worry about being very thin at your age, at your high school reunion it will be a blessing. ---
**Author:** ![SlowMindThinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@SlowMindThinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlowMindThinking)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-weight-gain-suggestions/176481/23 "2003-05-21T21:49:40Z")
> [@](#): > > 9 times out of 10, the guy who can’t gain weight isn’t eating enough I disagree with that statement. In high school, I was about 6’, 135 lbs. (I grew in college.) The only person I knew who regularly ate more than me, was my dad. The only guy who eat more than me at one sitting was a friend who was 6’3" and 130 lbs!:eek: Some of us just can’t gain weight. I have met only one woman with the same problem, she used to nibble candy to keep her weight up. I used to eat steaks so big they wouldn’t fit on my plate. But, if people like us don’t exercise, we ffffade away. (I have never figured out if my metabolism is that high, or I have an inefficient digestive track and I’m always full of $hit.) I think Shodan is right, but I would also swim, ride a bike and even run. In college I started lifting weights. Between that adding an inch or two of height, and just naturally filling out, I gained about 15 lbs. In my 30’s, I started running and gained 5 lbs. But, swimming has worked better for me than anything else. (Now, on a fat day, dripping wet, and a three day beard, I weigh 170 lbs.) Swimming naturally works all of your muscle groups, including ones in your back and midsection that you tend to forget. Biking, especially up hills, seems to do the same for my lower body. If it is any help, when you are 42, like me, and everyone else is desperately trying to lose weight, and many have health problems, while you can still eat a large pizza without thinking about it, women start noticing you. For me, that happened at about 30. Of course, I met my wife when I was 21, so remember that you don’t have to look like Adonis to meet women. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-weight-gain-suggestions/176481/24 "2003-05-21T22:01:01Z")
Yeah, it’s a mistake to assume that just eating more will help. I’m 29 and my metabolism is finally slowing down, but for most of my life, I have been able to eat anything without gaining a pound. To the OP: focus on lifting weights. Even if you don’t gain a lot of weight, you’ll look a lot better (which I assume is the major goal). I won’t bother giving you any tips on how to change your weight via eating – I tried everything, and never gained a pound, until a year or two ago, when I gained 30-40 without changing anything. Make sure you get enough protein, and make sure you eat vegetables as much as possible. ---
**Author:** ![whiteboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@whiteboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiteboy)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-weight-gain-suggestions/176481/25 "2003-05-22T01:22:33Z")
1. Ignore everything you just read. 2. [http://forum.bodybuilding.com/](http://forum.bodybuilding.com/) look around a little at this forum 1. Cell-Tech is expensive crap! Stop wasting your money. ---
**Author:** ![Soapbox\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Soapbox\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soapbox_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-weight-gain-suggestions/176481/26 "2003-05-22T02:31:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by In Conceivable \* > \*\*Do you want to just gain weight or do you want to build muscle? \*\* It doesn’t have to be muscle at all. To be perfectly honest, I’d be ecstatic if I could just gain 10 pounds. Even just enough to make my arms less skinny. I hate wearing short sleeves.☹ ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-weight-gain-suggestions/176481/27 "2003-05-22T03:45:59Z")
[Doctor Nick] In place of ordinary bread, try making your sandwiches with Pop-Tarts instead. If you are worried about a food being fattening, rub it against a piece of paper. If the paper turns clear, that’s your window to weight gain. [/Doctor Nick] ---
**Author:** ![Gerome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@Gerome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gerome)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-weight-gain-suggestions/176481/28 "2003-05-22T04:05:52Z")
I’ve always had a problem gaining weight. I’m 18, 200cm, about 75kg. I eat like a horse. Is there any way to add some substance to myself without exercise? I loathe exercise. In all its forms. ---
**Author:** ![merge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9f8e36/32.png) [@merge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/merge)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-weight-gain-suggestions/176481/29 "2003-05-22T12:18:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by whiteboy \* > > 1. Cell-Tech is expensive crap! Stop wasting your money. Yes it is expensive… but it has worked for me so it is worth it… I have tried oter Creatine, and they have not worked as well for me… 8lbs in 2 weeks was pretty damn impressive to me… ---
**Author:** ![SlowMindThinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@SlowMindThinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlowMindThinking)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-weight-gain-suggestions/176481/30 "2003-05-22T17:37:27Z")
You know, I got biceps by carrying “Irish triplets” (three kids in less than a year) around. Not so big as to draw attention, but very strong and certainly no embarrassment. I used to work on a military base. You should’ve seen the eyes on this big, chiseled grunt’s face (240 lbs?) when I curled as much weight as he did. ---
**Author:** ![SlowMindThinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@SlowMindThinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlowMindThinking)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2003, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-weight-gain-suggestions/176481/31 "2003-05-22T17:40:19Z")
I should point out that you have to carry them for up to an hour with no relief for days on end, and have no hips. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-weight-gain-suggestions/176481.md?page=1)