Gaining Weight (timeframe question)

ege02

Yet another thread about gaining weight.

After 3 months I have started working out again.

When I quit in September, I weighed 157 pounds. I'm 22 years old, and 5 feet 9 inches.

Right now I weigh 146 pounds.

I know what I have to do to gain weight. Eat healthy, have a high calorie intake, and work-out. I have done it before, it's not a problem.

My goal is 165 pounds by summer. Is this a reasonable goal?

But my question is: how much weight can I gain in two months via natural means? I mean no pills or supplements, other than protein supplements through things like protein shakes and protein bars. I'm pressed for time because I made a bet with a friend, basically, regarding spring break.

So yeah, any tips, tricks, hints, etc. about this would be helpful.

I should also say that out of the weight I gain, it would be better if most of that was muscle mass, instead of, say, fat.

WeeSneak

I know nothing about this subject but surely gaining weight isnt all that hard?

I had a friend, he was a big gym junkie, there are good fats out there in foods that actually help in the process of turning fat into muscle, apart from that i do not know what to tell you, except answer my question!

Thanatos

Eat more food=gain more weight.

Whether you can turn it all into muscle or not is mostly going to depend on you. I don't think that much weight in 6 months is all that bad. That's less than a pound a week. Bump your calorie intake to 3500 calories or so (higher if you're doing a lot of stuff that burns calories, or have a naturally fast metabolism) and you should make it no problem.

leftright

that's a perfectly reasonable goal, By summer I'm assuming you mean...late june and it's early january now that's a good 4 months to gain 19 pounds of lean mass. Eat. A lot. Lift heavy, not light.

Any thought to a training program? I'd say ABBH or TBT by chad waterbury (t-nation.com).

Keep protein intake high and barring something like an illness that's a goal you can reach, you can probably even surpass it. I went from 128 to 145 in 2 months and lowered my bf.

WeeSneak

Thanatos wrote:

Eat more food=gain more weight.

That was generally my point, is there something i am missing about this question. My entire diet plan and gain plan goes like this:
Gain weight:Eat More
Lose Weight:Eat Less

ecchi

The maximum amount of muscle you can put on is about two pounds per week, but chances are you won't be able to do that much, at least not consistently. I put on 15 pounds in about 12 weeks, mostly muscle but definitely some fat, without paying much attention to diet aside from eating a lot. It's much easier to 'dirty bulk' both fat and muscle and then cut your fat down after reaching an ideal amount of muscle. Aesthetically, of course, doing a clean bulk is better, but it requires a lot more attention (you probably will have to actively count calories).

I had a friend, he was a big gym junkie, there are good fats out there in foods that actually help in the process of turning fat into muscle, apart from that i do not know what to tell you, except answer my question!

You can't actually turn fat into muscle. You can burn fat, and you can build muscle, but the energy you get from burning fat can't really be used for building up muscle.

Ritchmeister

WeeSneak wrote:

Thanatos wrote:

Eat more food=gain more weight.

That was generally my point, is there something i am missing about this question. My entire diet plan and gain plan goes like this:
Gain weight:Eat More
Lose Weight:Eat Less

For some people eating a lot doesn't help.

ege02

Ritchmeister wrote:

WeeSneak wrote:

Thanatos wrote:

Eat more food=gain more weight.

That was generally my point, is there something i am missing about this question. My entire diet plan and gain plan goes like this:
Gain weight:Eat More
Lose Weight:Eat Less

For some people eating a lot doesn't help.

Well the problem is I get full too quickly.

Ritchmeister

ege02 wrote:

Ritchmeister wrote:

WeeSneak wrote:

Thanatos wrote:

Eat more food=gain more weight.

That was generally my point, is there something i am missing about this question. My entire diet plan and gain plan goes like this:
Gain weight:Eat More
Lose Weight:Eat Less

For some people eating a lot doesn't help.

Well the problem is I get full too quickly.

Yeah, I cannot eat lots without just wanting to hurl so it's not an option for me. Although I already eat as much as my fatter friends but my metabolism just destroys it.

ecchi

Ritchmeister wrote:

For some people eating a lot doesn't help.

If eating a lot doesn't help then chances are you aren't actually eating a lot.

PirateJon

ecchi wrote:

Ritchmeister wrote:

For some people eating a lot doesn't help.

If eating a lot doesn't help then chances are you aren't actually eating a lot.

Logic FTW.

People doing a proper lifting workout can and should eat between 3500-5000 calories a day.

Thanatos

WeeSneak wrote:

Thanatos wrote:

Eat more food=gain more weight.

That was generally my point, is there something i am missing about this question. My entire diet plan and gain plan goes like this:
Gain weight:Eat More
Lose Weight:Eat Less

Well, I mean, there are other things that go into it; if you're running ten miles a day, you're going to need to eat a lot more than you would if you were just sitting on your ass. You also want to make sure that you're eating balanced, healthy foods (though, if you're having a problem gaining weight, throwing some junk food in there probably isn't going to hurt, especially if you're having problems eating enough).

Shogun

ege02 wrote:

Ritchmeister wrote:

WeeSneak wrote:

Thanatos wrote:

Eat more food=gain more weight.

That was generally my point, is there something i am missing about this question. My entire diet plan and gain plan goes like this:
Gain weight:Eat More
Lose Weight:Eat Less

For some people eating a lot doesn't help.

Well the problem is I get full too quickly.

Eat slower. Seriously. Take your time and chew very thoroughly.

Thanatos

Shogun wrote:

ege02 wrote:

Ritchmeister wrote:

WeeSneak wrote:

Thanatos wrote:

Eat more food=gain more weight.

That was generally my point, is there something i am missing about this question. My entire diet plan and gain plan goes like this:
Gain weight:Eat More
Lose Weight:Eat Less

For some people eating a lot doesn't help.

Well the problem is I get full too quickly.

Eat slower. Seriously. Take your time and chew very thoroughly.

That will fill you up more quickly. :P

You want to eat quickly. Stuff your face before your body can realize you're full.

ege02

Thanatos wrote:

Shogun wrote:

ege02 wrote:

Ritchmeister wrote:

WeeSneak wrote:

Thanatos wrote:

Eat more food=gain more weight.

That was generally my point, is there something i am missing about this question. My entire diet plan and gain plan goes like this:
Gain weight:Eat More
Lose Weight:Eat Less

For some people eating a lot doesn't help.

Well the problem is I get full too quickly.

Eat slower. Seriously. Take your time and chew very thoroughly.

That will fill you up more quickly. :P

You want to eat quickly. Stuff your face before your body can realize you're full.

Yeah I think that's why I fill up so quickly. My friends always complain I eat slowly.

Are there any specific times of day I should eat certain kinds of food?

Kewop Decam

ege02 wrote:

Thanatos wrote:

Shogun wrote:

ege02 wrote:

Ritchmeister wrote:

WeeSneak wrote:

Thanatos wrote:

Eat more food=gain more weight.

That was generally my point, is there something i am missing about this question. My entire diet plan and gain plan goes like this:
Gain weight:Eat More
Lose Weight:Eat Less

For some people eating a lot doesn't help.

Well the problem is I get full too quickly.

Eat slower. Seriously. Take your time and chew very thoroughly.

That will fill you up more quickly. :P

You want to eat quickly. Stuff your face before your body can realize you're full.

Yeah I think that's why I fill up so quickly. My friends always complain I eat slowly.

Are there any specific times of day I should eat certain kinds of food?

Yea, eating faster is the easiest way to eat a lot of food. For people losing weight, it is good to eat slower because when you eat fast, you go too quick for your body to say "okay, I'm full".

Konidias

I've put on roughly 30 pounds over the course of a year from on and off eating/exercise.

I was 130 (underweight for my height) and now I'm 160 pounds (normal weight) and still gaining. (muscle =P)

I have a really high metabolism so I can literally eat fast food every day and not exercise and I won't gain any weight. (of course this isn't healthy in the least bit!) But that is just an extreme example.

Anyway, I just try to eat a lot of small meals throughout the day and also drink more water. Water helps to expand and stretch your stomach so that you will be able to fit more food in there. :P Just make sure you don't drink too much because then you'll be full on water.

Also I try to eat cans of tuna whenever I want a snack. Great source of protein and also cheap. I like to grind sea salt and black pepper on it and just eat it like that. Tastes great.

Really you just need to try to eat a little more with each meal. You can't just stuff it in there... I've tried. I know where you're coming from though. At one point in my life I would look at food and feel sick. I couldn't even finish a kid's meal or a single serving of anything. Now I eat 2-3 full sized servings.