trouble gaining weight....?

I'm male, i'm 6'1" and weigh 150. This makes me underweight.

on average i eat around 2600 calories in one day, and a maximum of 3100 calories, in one meal. (this max number isn't so often. maybe an average of once a month?)
I stay at 150.
i've been through phases in life where i've eaten a lot less. maybe around 250 - 1000 calories in one day. with a minimum of 0 in a day, averaging 1 or 2 days a week at the worst.

I stay at 150.

Any insight as to why my weight just doesn't change? If it does, it's a change of less than 5 pounds. Active or not. Some days i sit on the PC all day (i'm a programmer) somedays i end up walking 10 miles across town.
Most importantly though, any thoughts on health concerns?
thanks in advance

Hmm if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say it's probably the lack of consistency in your calorie deficit that's throwing your body off and keeping you from gaining.  If you aren't doing any activity, what does the burn meter estimate your calories at?  I'm guessing about 2100 calories.  Obviously, you need to eat that many to maintain your current weight, and need to eat more to gain.  When you're walking a lot, you need to eat those calories back.  Do you log your activities when you do them?

As I'm sure you've heard before on here, it's very important that you don't undereat for any period of time. 250-1000 calories in a day is way too low, and 0 is well.....obviously not enough.  An adult male needs at LEAST 1500 calories just for your body to function, but since you're trying to gain weight, you'll need a lot more then that.

Hope that helps and good luck with your weight gain!

I agree with kukua, lack of consistency may be a factor.  Remember it takes 3500 calories to gain weight.  Find out what your average burn rate is, and then shoot for at least 500 calories over that.  This means on the days you walk 10 miles across town you'll need to eat alot more than on the days that you sit at the computer.  If you're eating healthy then your body will be getting the nutrition it needs (maybe add a multivitamin for men to be sure) and you'll slowly start to put on weight.

Just like those who have to lose weight, it's a lifestyle change.  There is no quick fix.  But I wouldn't count on this lasting forever.  Depending on how old you are (you look pretty young) when you hit a certain age (most people it's in the early 30's) your metabolism may change drastically.  The best time for you to start eating healthy is now, maybe then you'll avoid gaining 80 pounds in 4 months.  Yeah, I was like you once, and then when I hit 30 I did just that.  And I've been trying to get it off ever since. 

Safiyah

Some questions come to mind...

How old are you?  This will help determine how underweight you are.

Are you eating a healthy diet?  Junk foods with high fats and sugars won't help you gain "good" weight.  Healthy proteins will.

Are you happy with how you look, or are you simply going by some chart somewhere?  Charts aren't designed for individuals, but rather for averages of large numbers of people.  Just because a chart says that you're underweight doesn't necessarily make it so.  Given that, the charts show you as just on the low end of normal, or, at worst, at the very high end of underweight, is that right?  If so and if the issue is one of feeling that you want to look better, then ....

Are you doing any weight training?  You don't have to do a lot to get the benefits.  A few sessions a week can help in the long run.  Sure, it won't get you to the Mr. Universe competition, at least not this year's , but it can help build healthy body mass, which will get you into the "correct" area of the weight charts, and perhaps make you feel better about how you look.

Cheers and good luck.

I'm 26, by the way.
I've just become a member yesterday, so my activity and food log doesn't have much detail quite yet.

Today for Breakfast and a snack, I've consumed about 1200 calories, and burned about 1700, though my day is still incomplete. I'm sure I'll at least double what calories I've consumed by the end of today. I can post a reply at the days end. Or.. can I make my log info public?

I do eat more junk foods than I should. Lots of pepsi. Lots of fatty foods. Cheddar cheese, cheese burgers, brats, etc. I grew up in Wisconsin on a dairy farm. Whole milk, eggs, and greasy deep fried foods consist of a lot of my diet, but also lots of fresh vegetables and fruit. I know i don't drink nearly enough water. In fact, honestly most days my water intake come from my pepsi consumtion or the occasional beer.

I would say that I'm comfortable with how I look, but I'm up for some change. As a 6'1" 26 year old, I feel insecure about how difficult it is for me to lift more than 50lbs, or 20lbs repeatedly.
My goal is to build and maintain muscle and body mass. Girls often say to me their jealous of me and my body because it's one that they would be happy with... and I'd much rather be complimented for having an attractive male body, not a feminine one.

I'm not doing any weight training right now, but i DID attend military school 7 years ago. I was there for 5 1/2 months and had to do very vigorous physical training every day for a minimum of 2 hours daily, and 20 mile road marches were a weekly thing. We rotates from stretches, to one area of the body to another, as to not stress the body too much.
In the 5 1/2 months i was there i went from 130 to about 145, 150. And when I left, i was back down to  130 in about a month. In the 7 years since, I've been able to go up 20 pounds... but there I stopped. I figured even if I was not weight training i'd still gain SOME kind of weight, if even just the unwanted kind...

Hey,

Well, its obvious that you're doing the things that you need to do to gain weight.

4200 calories and no weight gain !?!?!?  I wish I had that kind of problem.

Its possible that your body burns calories faster than most.  That can be a good thing, but can turn against you later in life, when the body's metabolism slows down.  There are many people who, at 26, could eat anything (everything) and not gain a pound, but at 46 find themselves overweight.  This all doesn't help your current situation, I know, so...

I would go back to my original suggestion of eating less high-fat, high-sugar food, eating more healthy proteins, with fruits and nuts, and lots more water, and starting a weight training regimen.  The food suggestions are more for general health, but the weight training should help you gain mass.

You will want to talk to a trainer, but my guess is that several low-reps (6-8), high-weight sets for the major muscle groups, two or three times a week, would be right for what you're trying to accomplish.  Just be careful with technique, and ease your way up to the higher weights.

Don't rush.  Give yourself 6 months at least, but I would bet that you'll see results within a few months. 

Oh, and did I mention about the healthy eating?

~M

Original Post by spezticle:

Eat Meter
Daily Goal: 2433 cal Today total: 4263cal
Burn Meter
Total Estimate: 2020 cal
Weight still 150.

Don't forget the magic number - 3500!  That's how many calories it takes to gain/lose a lbs of weight.  So, you need to eat that much more then you burn to gain 1 lbs.  You're not going to see results overnight - just be patient. :)

This is just a suggestion, and it might be completely off base.  If it is, then disregard it by all means, but have you thought about the possibility that you may have some kind of food allergies which might be keeping your body from processing foods correctly?  Maybe if you stayed away from gluten.  I don't know, it's a thought.  But if you're consistently consuming that many calories (say, over a period of 6 months) and you're not gaining weight, then maybe there's a medical reason for it.   Perhaps it's time for a checkup?

Then again, maybe it'll just take time for your body to adjust.  Try staying away from the junk completely for 2 months and eating over your burn rate (but only healthy foods) and see what happens.  Take it one day at a time.   It may be hard, but if it works then that will help you decide where you go from there.  At any rate, eating healthy WILL help you feel better, though you may have to deal with junk food withdrawals for a while (yes there is such a thing).

If you figure out a way to make the log info public let me know.

Safiyah

gonna toss in my 2cents as well  thats awsome you're able to get over 4000cals, but has it been a consistent thing or just one day? for some it can take at least a week of an increased calorie diet before it will show up on you. Next, check to see if you're not overestimating some of your portions. I did that when I first joined. Lastly, I also agree with dropping any "junk" foods and go with a healthy balance approach. Fast food hamburgers, pop, chips, candy and such may have high calories, but they are extremely poor in nutrition.

I think you're doing great, give yourself time and it's okay when you don't see results right away as long as you don't give up.  In general, if you go 2 weeks without any increase, re-evaulate, change, and commit for another 2 weeks and see if any results. It can be a bit of a trial and error sometimes, but it's well worth it.. keep it up!

Grr, I deal with this too.  As a petite female this site and every other one I've used estimates my caloric needs at 2000 max with OVERestimating my activity level!  I KNOW I won't gain unless I get at LEAST 3500.

I agree witht he post on consistency.  I've managed to hit 4000 but it seems I have trouble STAYING over 3500 because as I am consistently more full I relax about getting the calories in and end up with a lower average intake--not enough to gain steadily.

I am a hardgainer as many of you have detailed through these postings.  We are pre-disposed to be our sleek sizes.  If we ever did want to gain weight, often times it does take a little bit more than our well rounded friends.  It's tough, but with a little extra discipline and knowledge, one can gain weight without extreme measures.  I have a blog that talks about this very topic, if you ever free to take a look.  I highly suggest it.

http://hardgainers-review.blogspot.com/

I do understand why society has focused on the epidemic of obesity, since many people do suffer iller fates as a result of being overweight.  But still, It would be nice for some of us hardgainers to get some attention on the national scope like we are in this gathering of minds.  There just isn't enough information or knowledge out there to guide us through our lifestyle.