Weight Gaining Guide for Naturally Thin Guys (and Gals)

** Updated On: May 18, 2008 **

This post was inspired by another post regarding lack of info & support on the internet for gaining weight as a naturally thin guy. I'm not sure how well this info works for girls but I think it should work fine since the theories apply to humans in general  This is my personal experiences and things I've learned over the years as I've struggled to gain weight.  This is a quick summary of things to do to jumpstart weight gain for naturally skinny guys.

1. Count Your Calories Honestly

You gotta figure out where you are at first before you can figure out where you want to go. Use this site to track a few days of your typical daily diet and be honest with yourself and try not to pad or exaggerate your numbers. Many will find that you are not actually eating the amount you thought you are, or are filling it with junk foods to boost up calorie counts.

2. Find A Target

Find your end caloric goal and slowly increase your daily calorie total by 200-500 until you reach your calorie goals. It's not out of the ordinary to require an additional 1000+ calories than your current in order to see some real growth. So if you are currently at 2000 calories and your goal is 3000 calories, then for the next 2 weeks make sure you eat 2200 - 2500. Once your stomache gets used to the food, it'll be ready for an increase so then start trying to hit higher numbers at that point. And track this too! I find that if I don't, I end up slipping by several hundred calories.

3. Plan to Eat

More calories mean more food, so space them all out.. have an eating schedule and stick with it. Let's say you are awake 16 hrs per day. Divide that by say 5 meals. That means you eat every 3.2 hours. If your calorie goal is 2000, then each meal is only 400 calories. When your calories go up, you'll probably need 6 meals a day. So if you need 3000 calories in 6 meals means each meal will be 500 calories each. This eating schedule will help keep your food levels even throughout the whole day and prevent you from over-eating at dinner time and then have terrible bloating and indegestion afterwards. However, don't be afraid to take in a few extra calories if you feel like it, as long as it doesn't make you miss your next meal.

4. What To Eat

Protein, veggies, dairy, fruits, grains and good fats (omega 3) should be apart of your daily meals. All these things can be bought fresh and should help you stay away from junk foods and processed foods. Stick with lean meats like chicken, lean cuts of beef, tuna. You'll notice that by eating healthy you'll actually be more full than if you padded your calories with junk foods.

4a. Example of a Lunch Meal (numbers taken using Calorie Count)

4oz Chicken breast Meat Only = 186 Calories

2 slices 60% whole wheat bread = 140 Calories

1 Tbsp Kraft Real Mayo (NOT miracle whip) = 90 Calories

1 Cup milk 2% = 122 Calories

This is a simple chicken sandwich with 1 cup of milk totalling 538 calories. All amounts can be changed and even the items can be replaced or other foods added. For example, I'm lactose intolerant so instead of 1 cup of milk, I'll have a small apple and some peanut butter instead.

Meals don't have to be complicated or use fancy foods. Your dinner could just be simple beef strips with mushrooms, onions and some fruit or yogurt on the side. For carbs, long grain brown rice, oatmeal and pasta are the best sources. Be creative and involved in your growth!

4b. Junk Food is Named "Junk" For a Reason

If you're skinny like me, you've probably been skinny for years. Your body is screaming for nutrition, so it will reject anything that is useless to help it gain weight. That's why junk food goes right through you, it has no nutritional value whatsoever despite any flashy labels that may be on the package. Eating 2000 calories of balanced healthy meals is not the same as eating 2000 calories in junk food. Healthy doesn't have to be a scary idea. It just means eating things that are not processed, or very minimally processed. A dinner of chicken, corn, mushrooms, brown rice, glass of milk consists of such items.

5. Use A Strength Weight Training Program

Lifting weights and eating more food will both help your body to actually decide to change. This is called "Bulking" and you'll gain weight in both muscles AND fat. You shouldn't be afraid to gain fat because later on you can change your diet and do specific exercises to strip away the fat while leaving the muscle that you gained which will leave you more of a toned, athletic body.

Strength training is lifting very heavy weights but for small amount of reps. Heavy weights will put stress on large amounts of muscle fibres, which will tell it to start growing. Smaller reps and longer rests mean you won't burn off as much calories. DO NOT use a program that was designed by a 300 pound bodybuilder, lol. That is a huge mistake that I've done in the past. Here's a workout designed for those with high metabolisms: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/vinced3.htm

Definitions of some of the terms used in the above program..

Failure: Means the point during an excercise that you physically cannot do another rep

4 x 4, 3 x 5... ect: First number is the number of sets for the exercise. Second number is the number of reps. For example, Dumbell Curl 3 x 5, means you have 3 sets and each set you do 5 reps.

Heaviest Weights: Means you use the heaviest weights in order to hit failure for each work set. For example, Dumbell Curl 3 x 5, means you use a weight so that you fail on set 3, rep 5. It doesn't mean you fail each set, it means you should fail on the very last rep of the very last set.

5a. Weight Training Tips for The Skinny Guy

- Do not workout 2 days in a row

- Best amount of time to workout is 40-60mins.. try not to go over 1 hour

- Leave your ego at the door, whether its at home or at a gym.

- Keep a log of your workouts which include the weight you used, and what rep you stopped at

- If you find that you fail by a large amount of reps, then reduce your weights

- HOWEVER, If you find that you fail by only a few reps (like 2 or 3), thats okay, write it down because next week your goal will be to match it and then try to beat it

- Excercises can be replaced by another that hit the same muscles if you don't have the right equipment, or you know that another excerscise is better for you personally. The above workout link leads to a site that also has a large excercise database.

5b. Important Weight Training Info..

As a person with high metabolism, you have to be careful when taking up a weight training program. Because if your calories are not there to support your new exercise program, you'll start losing weight which can very frustrating and demoralizing! That's why alot of skinny guys who start up exercise programs lose weight right away. Because they THINK they eat like a monster and that it can easily support a weight training program but the reality is it's not. So I can't stress enough that you honestly count your calories and make sure you hit your daily goals. And at any time during the workout program if you hit a wall where your weight has not changed in several weeks, you need to re-evaluate your calorie counts again to make sure you're not slipping. Or, you need to start adding more calories.

5c. When To Exercise

This is somewhat of a personal preference since you will need to work around your current daily schedule. For myself, I feel best to workout after I've had 3 solid meals. I think working out on an empty, or near empty stomach should be avoided.

5d. Cardio

For me, I actually don't do any cardio because from past experience, cardio strips away my weight very fast. This obviously varies from people to people, so it's up to you to judge how much cardio you need. It could be just a simple jog around the park, or a brisk walk, or maybe more.

6. Supplements (gasp!)

Whatever you do, don't go out to look for a silver bullet for gaining weight. Especially big tubs labled "Weight Gainers". They make you feel nasty. Keep in mind these are "supplements" and that means they are there to supplement your current diet. If your current diet is bad, then there is nothing to supplement.

The only supplement worth buying and using is Protein powders. When you look at the back of a protein powder ingredients label, Whey protein Isolate or Whey Concetrate, or Whey Protein hydrolysate should be the first or second ingredient. Also look for one that has next to zero fat, and maybe about 100-150 calories per serving. For example, my current protein powder serving has 120 Calories, 24g of protein and 1 g of fat.

Why use Protein powders? Mostly it's because it can be hard to eat enough meat or eggs each day. However, there's lots of other uses too. If you're vegetarian, protein powders is a protein source. Using it as a post workout drink makes sure your muscles and body has the right nutrients to grow. And also, you can combine other foods with it to make a complete meal. For example, a protein shake with yogurt, nuts, fruits can easy added up in calories and is more covenient for busy people.

6a. When To Take/Use Protein Powder 

There isn't really a rule on when to use it. If you are doing weight training then right after your workout is best. But in general, you can add it to any meal you feel you would like some extra protein. The only rule that I personally follow on protein powders is that I never take it alone (powder+water). Always combine it with something. Like Protein and milk, protein and some fruits, protein and whatever else you want to combine it with. That way it's a complete meal. I also never just take plain protein powder mix as a meal replacement.

6b. Useful Non-Supplement's

Basic Multivitamin : It can be hard to eat enough vegetables per day and taking a basic multivitamin will help with getting nutrients

Green Tea : A fantastic source of antioxidants! I've been drinking 1 cup a day, they come in lots of different flavours, and I find it helps me digest my food better

7. What You Can and Can't Control About Weight Gain

The worst feeling ever is saying to yourself "I want to gain 5 pounds this month" and by the end of the month you step on the scale to find you gained nothing. Funny thing is that you CAN'T control how much and when you gain weight. But you CAN control how much you eat, what you eat, how you exercise (if you do any). So set a weight gain goal, but expand on it. If you want to gain 5 pounds this month, what are the factors that will contribute to it? It will mean you will need to take in more calories on a daily basis than what you are right now. So if your target is to gain 5 pounds, then your goal is actually eating 3000 calories a day (or whatever number may be for you). Make sure to hit your calorie goals and then measure it.. check the scale every 2 weeks to see if there is any improvement. If not, then adjust your daily goals. This will relieve so much stress and frustration when you step on the scale and fixing it is easy. You just need to evaluate and adjust your daily goals.