Ectomorph Body Type

Just a question for everyone...

Is it true that ectomorphs dont gain weight regardless of what they eat?

Just wondering since i have this body type, its super hard for me to gain weight and ive always been thin. Should i not worry about eating extra every day given my body type and my high activity level?

thanks!

it is fine if you are naturally thin, but if you are significantly underweight, with a BMI lower then 18, then you should try to gain a little weight to a BMI of 18.5 - 20

Experts recommend a BMI of 18.5 is the absolute LOWEST you should aim for, and most people develop health problems once they get to that BMI.

What is your height and weight? If your are a little underweight and you are eating enough for your activity level, then there is nothing wrong with being naturally slim

If you are SIGNIFICANTLY underweight, then you should try to gain a little weight because it would be better for your health

You do not notice many of the health problems that are caused by being significantly underweight until it is too late and they have already occurred, so A LOT of people who are VERY underweight feel GREAT, but that does not mean that they are not damaging their bodies by staying underweight; the problems will catch up, despite how healthy you feel.

Once you put down your weight and height and activity level down, then people can make sure you are eating enough and advise you weather you should try to gain a little weight, or to just stay as you are.

We will need you age too, because the teens who have not developed are lighter before they grow curvier so being underweight is more common before that development occurs.

Basically, being TOO slim is the same as being a little over weight. Some people are naturally bigger, and even though they feel great, most of these people could benefit from losing a little weight ( unless it is muscle) and people who are naturally slim should also try to gain a little weight to be healthier, even if they already feel great.

Thanks for the reply!

Despite my recent try to maintain my weight at 130, ive dropped again to 125lbs, im female 5'11, 17.5 years old and do 45 minutes of cardio everyday which i really enjoy doing. I tried to maintain by eating around 2500 cals/day, but even on a 4000-calorie diet i dont gain weight.. its just water weight and completely dissappears within a few days.

So, im just kind of confused here but ya thanks!!! 

At 5.11, which is about 181 cm tall, and 125 lbs, your BMI is about 17 which is a little under the lowest recommended weight range, which is 18.5

You are young and still growing so I would not worry too much at this point, if you maintain on more then 2500 calories then that means your body is naturally like that

Many people have your BMI but they also do not eat enough,

A naturally thin person like yourself needs 2500 or more JUST to MAINTAIN, people who maintain your weight on 1500 calories or less are not naturally that weight because naturally thin people like you would LOSE weight if you are as little as 1500!

How long did you eat 4000 calories for? Did you give it enough chance to work?

It is great that you love cardio because it will keep you feeling great, so keep it up, but remember that you have to try much harder then most other people to gain and maintain your weight, so I would not recommended doing any MORE cardio, unless you are prepared to eat 5000 calories JUST to maintain!

So, don’t over do the cardio unless you are prepared to eat A HUGE amount of calories to compensate!

It is great you love cardio but you have to take your body type into account and not over do it! Just use common sense

As a personal trainer, I recommend that you keep up with 45 minutes of cardio a day and increase your calories to 3000 and give it at least a month to see if you gain or maintain or lose weight,

If you lose weight, increase your calories by 500 ( which is 4000 for you)

If you maintain then wait a year or 2 until your body is has matured more into a women’s and if you are STILL the same weight, THEN you should think about gaining a LITTLE extra, to bring your BMI to 19!

Relax for now and just remember to not do more then 45 minutes of cardio, start eating 3000 calories, and if you do MORE then the usual 45 minutes of cardio then you MUST eat MORE to compensate!

It can be hard to eat more 3000 calories, so you need calorie dense food that is easy to fit in, such as nut, peanut butter, nut butters, avocado, healthy fats like cold pressed flaxseed oil and olive oil, and using full fat diary is an easy way to increase your calories.

Healthy fats are the least filling and easiest way to fit extra calories in

BY THE WAY I have had to gain weight before too, my BMI was 17 or less and I gained so now my BMI is 18.5 - 19, but I am shorter then you with less ectomorph !

I know the right way to gain weight, AND the wrong way from personal experience, so please ask ANY questions you like!

To answer your initial question, ectomorph ‘s CAN gain weight, but it depends on each individual

Some ectomorph ‘’s gain weight with a little effort, while some need to try MUCH HARDER to gain weight!

It sounds like you need to try hard to gain weight, and your BMI is low enough for you to make gaining weight a priority, so 3000 calories a day minimum should me your lowest

Once again, if you need ideas on how to add extra calories without feeling stuffed and full there are a lot of people on this site with GREAT advice - the people recovering from anorexia and eating disorders know a lot about how to gain weight, so you should post your question in the weight gain forum and you will get lots of clear, easy to follow advice on how much to eat and what foods to eat to gain weight in the most comfortable way

given your activity level, you are not eating enough at 2,500 calories.

The least amount you can have and be healthy at this activity level of 45 minutes a day of exercise is 3,160 calories.

I suggest you stick to that number.

Even if you think the weight gain at first is water weight, eventually in the long run you might see either a gain or maintain...you should gain though. so try and up as much as you can and stick to it...dont go down. If you chose to have 4,000 calories, stick to it. There is no reason to lower your calories again...even if you drop on 4,000, it can be your metabolism going on hyper speed (this happens a lot to girls recovering from ed's - not saying you have one) and it takes a while for your body to switch off of that mode, and into a normal and healthy rate.

If you drop too much on 4,000 then you need to eat even more. Add a couple of hundreds until you see that level off again..and stick to number once again.

Being in a BMI of 17.5 can be very unhealthy...but if you are able to eat that much, and still are able to maintain or lose...then hey...I guess you really are one of those lucky girls who can jsut eat and eat and not gain...Either that or there is a health complication hidden behind the weight loss..such as hyperthyroidism or other more complicated illnesses that you should go to a doctor and get checked, jsut so you can be sure.

Still I suggest not going anywhere below 3,200 calories a day for you.

good luck.

What are you eating? What kind of food and how much? Do you strenght train?

It is absolutely NOT TRUE that ectomorphs "can't gain weight" or "don't gain weight." Every human being is capable of gaining weight.  I gained 50 pounds because people kept telling me I'd "never gain weight" and that I could "eat everything I wanted," so I did.  dirty, dirty lie

Hey there,

I am going to respond to your private MSG tomorrow, I am busy today baby sitting until late!

I just wanted to let you know that I am sending you a reply soon that will answer all your questions!

until then, please try not to eat any less then 3500 calories, I have had a think about it and 3500 should be the minumum, no need to be obsessive all you need to do is drop in to this website every second day or so to make sure you are meeting the 3500 requirement!  You will eventually be able to make sure your eating enough without using the website as much, but until then please check in with this website!