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The misconception is, Jenn, that you need shedloads of it to build muscle. Which is simply not true. What you need to maintain muscle building is a caloric surplus, as well as a good, balanced diet. Protein should make up really no more than 15% of an intake. 20% TOPS. There is no real need for any more than that and the remainder should come from fats and carbs.

dude, i feel your pain.

in fact your story hits really close to home, I'm 6"3, Asian, with a crazy metabolism. You and i fall in the "ectomorph" category, or a "hard-gainer". It seems like no matter how much you eat, it seems impossible to put on weight.

I used to be close to 120 pounds, which is ridiculously skinny (due to drug abuse), but im currently 170+. Its taken me about 6 months of diet and weight-training to hit this milestone. My goal is 210 by the end of the year. First, ill tell you that you dont have to stop playing basketball, especially if its only once a week. It may sound strange, but you actually do want to increase your metabolism if you hope to gain weight. Cardio on a daily basis may inhibit your gains, but even then its still possible. Dont give up your love of the game for 15 pounds, if anything it might help you get there. Occasional cardio will increase your overall metabolism and for that reason you might want to consider playing 3 times a week, for just an hour, instead of 3-4 hours in one session.

To actually gain weight tho, you need to exceed the number of calories you burn in a day, including all your exercise/activity ( i realize thats obvious but it needs to be said). Id say that about 30 percent of weight gain is attributed to what you do in the gym, and 70 percent is everything else. The main thing is to EAT constantly and sleep about as much. You should consume about 6 meals a day, one every 2.5 to 3 hours. Stay hydrated too, drink about 8 oz. every hour on the hour. It will help increase your metabolism and allow you to eat more. Sleep no less than 7 hours a night, ideally 8-10. You simply cannot gain without these 3 things. Also, try to limit any alcohol consumption (and definitely other illicit substances). Alcohol can be detrimental to muscle development/ weight gain.

As far as weight-training goes, check out a program called HST (Hypertrophy Specific Training). HST focuses on increasing the size of your muscles, and if followed properly, you can easily gain 10 pounds in one cycle (2 months). Supplements can be helpful, but stick to the time-tested and proven ones that actually work. There are actually only two that fit that description, pure Creatine monohydrate, and regular Whey protein. Everything else is a falacy. Dont fall for gimmicks like Muscletech and other companies.

Thats about all ive got, but feel free to email me (mrbuikema@gmail.com) if you wanna discuss anything. Eat, Sleep, then Eat some more. GOOD LUCK man!