Gaining Weight

Hey all

Im new here. Im 6' 1"(184cms) and weigh 72kgs (158lbs). I do alot of walking up and down hills in the bush all day. I have also started going to the gym with a mate who is a bit taller and 98kgs. He's told me I need to eat lots of rice to gain weight? I am wanting to put on some weight. He gave me some creatine to use. Should I be using this? I did a rough count of calories an if im right im only taking about a third of what I should be? Im not really sure where to start with all this.

Any help would be much appreciated

Cheers Andrew

Since you want to put on weight and your going to the gym eat 3000 calories. Have enough protein, have enough healthy fats, and have enough carbs !

Also after you work out you might want to have a whey protein shake.

Thanks for the reply!

Thats something I don't understand. Is it carbs or calories that puts weight on? And is rice a good idea?

hey andrew

calories in vs. calories out is what determines weight gain or loss. if your intake exceeds out output, you gain. if your output exceeds your intake, you lose.  your metabolism and exercise/activity determine your output. and a lot of different factors (hormones, body composition, etc) determine your metabolism. 

a great deal of emphasis is placed on carbohydrates, because simple sugars and processed starches are void of nutritional value and can lead to weight gain if consumed in excess. 

if you want to gain weight healthily, you will want to increase your intake, but maintain a balance of protein, carbs and fat with a lot of nutritious foods.  

is seeing a nutritionist an option for you?

Track how much you eat n a regular day, without changing things.  Add about 500 calories to that and you should be able to gain about a pound a week; 750 for 1 and 1/2 lbs, 1000 for 2 lbs.  If you're having trouble eating that much check out the topic on this forum, 'official high cal foods list'.

it's the calories that make you gain weight, not the carbs, but carbs are recommended for body builders (probably what your friend meant) because they give you tons of energy to exercise. exercise breaks your muscles, and then you need crazy amounts of protein to repair them, which builds them up bigger than before. but having said that, it's more important than anything to maintain a healthy balance of fats/protein/carbs at all times. just go for the carbs a little more before workouts and the protein a little more after workouts if you want muscle. and always go for the healthy fats. 

Eat steak and drink milkshakes.  And enjoy every minute of it!  Your metabolism will slow down one day.  I USED to have the same problem.