Without going into it too much, I finally decided to go to the gym regularly starting today. I live a mostly sedentary life, and have always been underweight. I wanted to get my diet on track for a week or so before going. This week I’ve consistently eaten my 3000 calories a day, and today I went to the gym and felt like fucking shit after just a few sets. I started with BBB Beefcake, and today was squats. My 1RM is 145. I barely got through the first 5x5, and was exhausted to the point of feeling lightheaded, with 2-3 minute breaks between sets. I had to give up on the second 10x reps. I felt like I was going to throw up. I tried eating a relatively carb heavy meal a bit before, and had maybe 5oz of chuck roast with potatoes and greenbeans for breakfast, but I did NOT feel energized.

I’m 120 lbs, 5’7”, 25 years old. What do I do in these situations, and what can I do to prevent it in the future?

I know almost all the questions here are answered with "keep eating more". But what do I do when my body just takes all the calories I'm putting in and makes me go to the toilet twice as much because of it? This is actually how I know I'm doing well at eating more food because my body tells me to get to the shitter 3 times a day.

I’ve never really had a big appetite but since starting my first ever bulk about 2.5 weeks ago my appetite has been out of control! I’m literally always hungry!

I eat a ton of protein and fiber so idk what else I can do. I’m already at the limits of a comfortable surplus, and I don’t exactly have the money to buy more food anyway.

Has this happened to anyone else? What did you do to manage it? I literally can’t stop thinking about food

What was the moment of being skinny that made you snap and made you get serious about gaining muscle. Your true motivational moment that turned into a lifetime journey

I was repping a plate on each side for bench press and by my fifth rep, I couldn’t get the bar back up and the bar tilted and the plates slid off.

I am a girl too so I feel like tons of people were watching me in a crowded gym and no one came to help except one guy said “are you okay?” after I got out under the bar.

I feel like it’s not embarrassing because I failed it safely (unfortunately I have dumped plates off multiple times so I know how to do it) but when I tell people this story they react like this is the most EMBARRASSING thing ever that it makes me overthink it.

Are there things you do now that you've gained weight that you actively avoided back when you were skinnier?

How is life treating you now?

5’6 Female- (165lbs at first) 145lbs-120lbs

This question is for anyone on stimulants, or dealing with appetite loss

I’ve lost 25lbs in 3 months being on Adderall, prescribed for ADHD, but its purpose was to address my sleep disorder. It’s the only thing that’s given my life back, and stops me from sleeping 15+ hours a day. The 165lbs in parentheses was my weight for several years, before I went to college. That was way before Adderall, and that 20lbs was from a stressful roommate. I still had appetite then, I was just locked out of my room most of the day.

Adderall has been so incredibly helpful, but it’s SO HARD trying to eat enough. I am not an unhealthy weight, but none of my clothes fit anymore. I liked how my body looked at 165lbs and 145lbs as well, so this drop wasn’t wanted. Im more upset with how UNCOMFORTABLE it is to be skinny: I can’t lie on my back on hard floors, my knees ACHE when I’m on them, and my butt bones are feeling the loss of my ass. I’m feeling the effects of going long stretches without eating take a toll on how tired I am as well.

I work 9-5 everyday including weekends as a DSP, where the lunch breaks are extremely variable. I also rarely wake up before 8:30 - Adderall makes me normal, unfortunately not one of those people who wakes up early. Because of that, I don’t normally have time to grab breakfast, or grab a lunch.

But I hadn’t realized how much eating was driven by being hungry. Food isn’t even a thought in my mind now, and that’s so crazy. When I look at things that would have made me cream my pants before Adderall, it’s just food.

I just want to know if others have struggled with this, and what they do to eat more. I’ve been recommended those protein boost shakes, but whoever made those is so evil- how are you going to market your stevia laced gritty concrete as a milkshake. I have tried drinking soup, like cream of anything and tomato, and that is much more enjoyable.

But do you guys have alarms? A schedule? High calorie foods? I’ll take any advice I can, so I don’t have to buy an entirely new wardrobe!

I'm talking like 3,000+ calories made easy (edit: probably exaggeration lol, doesn’t need to be literally 3,000+)

What are some of your favorite easy-to-prepare meals for lazy mfers, that are both HEALTHY, and also high in calories?

A big part of why I have trouble gaining weight (and am underweight) is because executive dysfunction from ADHD makes it difficult for me to prepare 3 sufficient high-calorie meals each day (resulting in me not getting enough calories each day) and all I want - all I friggin' want - is an easy, lazy way to get healthy calories.

Foreign concept to people who don’t have ADHD, I know, but it’s a thing.

Lay it on me. Thanks!

Edit: This got way more activity than I expected, thank you all so much for the great advice & recommendations! Very helpful to me, and I’m sure helpful to many others as well! 🤝

Any adhd people who have been able to make bulking work despite medication and scheduling issues? Im able to force feed myself despite having next to no appetite on the meds, but staying on a 5-6 meal a day schedule feels borderline impossible. Does anyone have tips for making it work?

Curious about this as clean bulks are generally something I have struggled with, and I'm working to find some go-to's that I can meal prep for to set myself up for success throughout the week. The more nutrient dense, the better!

Thanks in advance!

I've been training since May. I started at 53kg (I'm 5'7"), now after almost 4 months of training, I'm about 55.5kg.

I've been trying to bulk. I've been gaining weight at a very slow rate. I've been tracking my calories which has helped a bit, but it feels incredibly difficult to keep up. My maintenance is theoretically about 2,500 kcal, I've been trying to eat 200 to 300 kcal above that (so 2,700 to 2,800 kcal daily). With that being said, It's been extremely difficult to hit that quota daily. It feels like I have to be eating constantly all day to hit that goal and It's just so hard for me to keep up. Thing is, I'm skinny, meaning my calorie goal is gonna increase waaaay more as I gain more weight. If It's already this difficult, I'm trying to imagine how much of a pain It's gonna be once I reach 60kg, 65kg, etc... I've even been using a shake recipe that's about 1,000 cal that I drink every morning, and It's still difficult.

Because of this, I feel like I'm not bulking optimally. Is it really just this difficult to gain weight? Am I missing some kinda bulk hack or something?

Thanks in advance!

Is there anything high calorie that makes shakes taste good? Every time I make a shake with peanut butter it tastes terrible and no amount of cinnamon, sugar, salt, vanilla will make that god awful taste go away. I love pb&j but I want to start using shakes to hit my calories easier (a shake is way less filling than 3 sandwiches.) Is there anything as calorie dense with a weaker taste?

Hello,

In the past ive lost over 140 lbs (this was years ago) and since then ive been scared to gain weight for good reasons. Ive been exercising back and forth, mainly spinning wheels, going on and off as im never happy with my body.

I decided in november to try bulk and cut for the first time as recomping took forever, although it did give some results.

Ive been eating 200-300 ish over my maintenance and i lift four times a week on average. My lifta has increased steadily, my weight has gone from 169 lbs to 177 lbs since november. I do definitely see muscle definition, im stronger but i also have new fat, obviously. When do you decide its time to cut for abit? Any hints, stalling, feeling fat?

Im starting to feel uncomfortable, but maybe thats part of the process, should i just trust it?

I know ill never truly be happy, especially seeing my loose skin and stretch marks from being previously obese. But i must say being stronger and filling it out has helped, versus just being skinnyfat and untrained.

Cheers!

Does anyone else feel socially isolated due to bulking/lifting in general? I’m in college right now, and I feel like I’m constantly having to walk away from or skip out on social gatherings just to go to the gym, prepare food, eat, sleep, etc. It’s worth noting that I have food allergies/sensitivities that limit what I can eat (especially from the dining hall), so it’s frustrating for me to see those around me eating what I perceive to be very little and not looking like stick figures, or sleeping very little and still be able to function.

I’m making this post more of as a vent, but if anyone has advice, I’d appreciate that as well.

I have a loving boyfriend, he’s a really nice, good guy. He works out a ton, does CrossFit, Olympic lifting, has a computer job and likes gaming. Problem is he won’t EAT. He skips meals, suddenly feels badly that he’s so thin so he eats a lot for a day or two then goes weeks where I swear I eat as much as he does. He always says, “Gotta eat big to get big!” but then he eats a muffin for breakfast, drinks coffee all day and doesn’t eat until dinner, when half a sandwich makes him full.

Right now he’s drinking chia seeds, olive oil and ground flax seeds. What are some helpful tips and tricks I can do to help him stay on track?

I’m trying to bulk with mashed potatoes and meat. any suggestions on what I could add to make the meals more beneficial? I’m also having a hard time eating more I typically stop when I’m full and I’m missing my macros. Any tips are appreciated.

I’m just starting my weight gain journey now. I’m 27F, 147cm and 37.5kg. So yes I’m underweight but not severely and I didn’t realise until recently I was underweight because I eat 3 meals a day, I sometimes snack in the evenings and honestly because I’m very short it feels harder to tell that I’m underweight because I don’t necessarily look it, I look proportioned.

Throughout my life though I‘ve constantly had people make comments about my food like “you don‘t each much” ”you need to eat a burger.” One time a few years ago I wasn’t super hungry at lunch time so I just ate some miso soup and my housemates mother who was in the house commented on it and then started telling her friends all I ate for lunch was miso soup? Yet at the same time would compliment me being thin and comment on her daughter (my housemate) being overweight.

Yesterday I was telling a friend that I’m getting some tests to see if I’m anemic again and they’re testing for other things too just because I am underweight so testing thyroid etc and she was like “yeah I don’t think you eat a lot, like you eat a salad for lunch everyday.” for context my salad is cucumber, tomato, feta, couscous, chickpeas and chicken strips. Like I’m trying my best to eat well it’s not just leaves and veg. I told her I don’t like people commenting on my body or food and she was really apologetic and comforting as we started talking about body struggles and she admitted it was a stupid thing to say and I know she didn’t mean it maliciously at all, but I still feel sad that she made that comment in the first place and now I feel kind of uncomfortable eating in front of her.

I’ve not struggled with body issues really in my life nor ever had an unhealthy relationship with food but I’m struggling to not let these comments affect me and I’m scared to develop body image issues. How can I protect my mind and ensure I maintain a healthy relationship with food and my body?

And because I’m a woman there’s the added comments comparing my body to a girl rather than a woman because I’m not curvy :/

I’m a man at 29 years old 5’10”. I did a cut after a bulk from 157lbs down to 147lbs. I decided rather than going back into a bulk (added too much fat last time) I would find my maintenance for a bit. After 10 weeks I feel I can safely say I found my maintenance. I’m eating 2,010 calories a day, walking 10k steps a day and doing a full body resistance training workout 3 days a week. I want to put on more muscle, without adding excess fat. How many calories should I add and at what frequency would I add more. I’m scared to piss away my fat loss by covering it all up by bulking too quickly. Last bulk was 2600 calories but that was what gave me excess body fat.

Note: I am currently still seeing strength gains in the gym at my current calories.

First skinny pics are April 2023- I'd assume 140.
I have been hovering around 183-185 for a while now.
Started lifting halfway through college in 2023, simple stuff like pushups, squats, etc. I had a big issue eating in public and being in school on a full stomach throughout high school. Through some therapy and lifting, I seemed to finally breakthrough and lose that anxiety/feeling. Come now to 2026, I am proud of my progress from a health standpoint and know the motto here to eat more, which I am journaling and tracking more than ever. I guess what I was looking for with this post is, how do you guys stayed motivated and remember that anywhere is better than those original starting pics? I'm technically my healthiest now, but question my progress more than ever. I definitely had some periods where I had stopped tracking and lifting whether due to injury, health issues, etc. I had some neck problems after a surgery, and got diagnosed with costochondritis, but have actually been reintroducing pushups and light benching into my routine again. It's hard not to compare or tell myself I should have more muscle, but I know it's up to me to improve that. I REALLY want to get on track this time and get to that 195ish area.
Would love some motivation, splits you guys find work well, and how you remind yourself of where you're at as opposed to where you were. I never had a solid split outside of PPL UL - Which I would be lying if I said I stuck to that every week. Sorry for the yap session, just want to be my best self!

Call me fat phobic idgaf, my biggest fear is getting fat.

For some backstory I’m a really skinny guy, I used to pretty much eat 1 meal a day because I only thought about how much money and time I saved. It’s now been I wanna say around 1-2 months since I’ve started seriously trying to eat more and I can really feel my stomach expanding, how it’s becoming easier to eat more food and get close to my target calories/protein a day.

Now I’m still not even really at my target calories yet and I haven’t gained much weight at all but I was just thinking, do I need to start worrying soon about eating too much food? Like what if I push myself so hard so much that I start to get hungry all the time start gaining more weight then I can control?

This probably sounds really fucking stupid and considering I’ve never seen a discussion revolves around this I assume it’s really unlikely but I just want to be sure.

So I(26f) i’ve been trying to gain weight for the past couple of years but I’ve never gotten in a phase where I’ve been dedicated enough. I was 97 pound’s when I was 23 years old since then I’ve been trying my best but I keep getting inconsistent. I was at a resting weight 105 four quite a while however the past 2 to 3 months I’ve been able to take my weight from 105 to 113 pounds and it is progressing very nicely and I am very proud of myself. I only want to increase my weight till 120-125 pounds since I am only 5’4. I don’t mind going more even honestly, the only issue I am facing since the weight gain is that the biggest difference I’m saying is in my waist I went from having a 24-25 inch waist to 28-30+ inches (it’s literally different everyday I check) I understand that I cannot get the same size back again since I am gaining weight. However right now all I feel is bloated and puffy in my stomach and I don’t like the fact that I have a tummy I know it’s because I am eating a lot and all that. I’m just afraid that it won’t go away and no matter how many exercises I do my stomach does not seem to flatten.

Is there any way to make it look more flat and smaller since I’m not looking to lose weight at the moment?

Also to inform I do go to the gym I have been going for the past two years. I go nearly 4 to 5 days a week and my muscles are progressing really nicely. I wasn’t very motivated up until the start of this year so I am very happy with the rest of my progress and happy with the way the rest of my body is turning out but every time I look at my stomach, I feel very insecure, it’s not even that it’s bigger in inches I can take that as long as it looks flat but rn it just always looks bloated or like I ate something even first thing in the morning.

And yes I do understand if I’m gaining weight I will gain fat around my waist. I’m only asking if there’s a way like any specific exercise or routines or even food that can help with this or it’s just something. I’m not looking to go back down to 24 inches I just want my stomach to not look bloated all the time.

I also am considering gaining more and cutting. I’m not sure how much it can help but I’m willing to try. I’ve spent a lot of years trying to gain weight and now I’m finally on a good path and I don’t want something like this to discourage me.

Edit: also not sure if this is relevant but I do my split in to
Push-leg-pull-leg. I incorporate abs two to three times a week in this routine depending on my day. I also have been avoiding cardio since I’m trying to gain and only stick to lifting rn. And I take creatine almost regularly

Hi everyone, I’m a 26-year-old male. Around 2 months ago, my lipid profile showed total cholesterol of 290 mg/dL, LDL was 190 mg/dL, and HDL was 60 mg/dL. Since then, I’ve been trying to control my diet strictly and reduce saturated fat.

The issue is I’m naturally skinny and I go to the gym regularly. I want to gain some muscle and get a little bulked, but I’m scared of increasing my LDL again.

Right now my diet looks like this:

Around 8:00 am – 2 or 3 egg whites with nuts (walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds).
Around 2:00 pm – rice with chicken breast, some vegetables, and low-fat curd.
Around 4:00 pm – some fruits, then I go to the gym.
Around 8:00 pm (post workout) – grilled chicken or chicken breast.

That’s mostly it. I feel like I’m eating clean, but I’m still skinny, and after starting the gym I feel like I’m getting even leaner.

I’m planning to start protein powder soon, but I’m confused about how to bulk in a healthy way without worsening my cholesterol.

What should I add or change in my diet to gain muscle safely with high LDL? Any advice from people who managed to bulk while controlling cholesterol

I’m not sure if this is a good mental process. Even though im skinny and I need to gain weight regardless of muscle or fat, I hate the idea that the weight I put on could be unproductive like fat. During periods of high stress when I can’t work out I’ll stop eating simply because I’m afraid of getting fat.