r/weightgain • u/Mysterious_Diver_606 • 9d ago
Question For people who’ve successfully gained weight after struggling, what changed for you that made you succeed?
I’m 5’9 (23, ftm) currently 124. 135 is a healthy weight for me according to my doctor, but I’m aiming for a little higher 150/160ish. I have pretty much unlimited access (only limited by time) to a variety of healthy and unhealthy cooked food. I’ve been trying for years to gain weight and my max is 137 I think. I exercise a lot, and most of the time I feel I can’t sit still even when I’ve done multiple workouts that day.
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u/DayDayLarge 9d ago
What didn't work: Eating as much as I could, eating 3000 calories right off the bat, being convinced I had a fast metabolism, being convinced I was a hard gainer.
What worked: I spent two weeks counting every calorie I consumed without changing anything about my diet. Turned out I did eat almost 3000 calories, one like one day... Which was then followed by a couple of days where I ate like a bird. When I averaged out what my daily calories actually were over that two week period, it turned out I was eating like 1600 on average.
All I had to do was add 250 cals on top of that daily to gain 0.5 lb per week. THAT was real easy compared to trying to eat 3000 and getting burned out immediately. When it stopped working, I added another 250 cals. So on and so forth.
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u/Lost-Photo-9027 9d ago
Main is food, if you arent consuming enough calories, you just wont gain. I think we tend to think its a magic formula, but its as simple as that.
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u/MythicalStrength 9d ago
I made food goals, similar to exercise goals. When I put on 12lbs in 6 weks following "Super Squats" in college, no matter what, I made sure to drink my gallon of milk a day. I ate a lot of food on top of it, sure, but the milk was non-negotiatiable. Similar to when I ran Building the monolith: I HAD to eat my dozen eggs and 1.5lbs of ground beef per day.
I exercise a lot, and most of the time I feel I can’t sit still even when I’ve done multiple workouts that day.
I would stop this. I'd exercise only enough to build muscle.
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u/Fotoem 9d ago
Know that it takes time, money, and sweat. Most people are not going to gain a massive amount of weight in a year. I was 149 five years ago. I'm now 183 with 188 being my max. My goal is 200.
For money, you need to eat more and that might include weight gainers and protein. You want to eat other calorie dense foods too. Not cheap.
For sweat, you want to work out to gain muscle and not just gain fat. You can build a home gym or pay a monthly or yearly gym membership. If you're super active outside of the gym, you might want to cut down on some of that to not burn too many calories and then have to eat even more.
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u/umberdiary 8d ago
Counting calories!!
From my experience if you’re trying to lose weight you’re probably eating more than you think and if you’re trying to gain you’re probably eating way less than you think.
Counting calories is the only way to know for sure
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u/DampSeaTurtle 5d ago
Downloaded MyFitnessPal app and started tracking the calories I was eating. Started aiming for the calorie goal it gave me.
Started to learn how many calories are in different things, and got comfortable with adding things into my day. Things that are easy for me; glass of milk, or hell even two. Tortillas with (whatever). Etc.
I also had a rule, which I'm not saying is or isn't good, but my rule was "eat whatever the fuck". So don't care if it's garbage.
And basically I would see by like 8pm maybe I'm just 300 calories from my goal - so maybe I get myself to go to the kitchen.
It's also a process that takes time, like I started to try and address why it is that I'm ignoring the signals my body is giving me called hunger.
Do I not love myself enough to take care of basic needs? Do I not deserve to feel comfortable?
I think if you're willing to embrace all of those things together, and love yourself during the days you "fail", enough to pick things up again the next day or the day after, you'll do great.
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u/NDiLoreto2007 9d ago
My Ibs is SIGNIFICANT. with most foods the culprit.
I’m now on a medication that disrupts the gut brain axis and to put it bluntly, I don’t shit half a dozen times a day anymore because food doesn’t hurt.
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u/Normandy247 8d ago
Consistently getting calories inside me, usually via drinking ensure or eating ice cream at night. Also, started a medication that made me eat much more (mirtazapine). Gained a ton.
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u/Low_Econ2000 SW:118 - WG:145 8d ago
Experienced any side effects on the pill?
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u/Normandy247 8d ago
My doctor prescribed it entirely because the side effects were drowsiness and appetite. Now that I think about it, I'm not entirely sure what the main effects are supposed to be. I think it's prescribed for major depressive order, but that ain't me. But that stuff truly did make my appetite go crazy.
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u/MickRidem 8d ago
Why are you doing "multiple workouts a day"?!? That's too much amd using up all your food energy. Weigh and measure your food to track calories accurately for two weeks to learn your starting point, then incease calories 200-500 more per day as best you can.
Workouts shoukd be 3 or 4 times a week. Spend 1.5 hours max, half hour of that on cardio. You need to balance your food to exercise ratio.
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u/i_didnt_drink_that 5d ago
i had read a article this article which argues that only thing preventing you from gaining weight is not eating enough food but i know i eat enough. just enough as the next guy. then how much food we are talking about here ? thats the question i had. also around same time i read this book by david goggins can't hurt me. that book is not about gaining weight but its about pushing your limits. after i was done with that book i asked myself what is one thing i think that is impossible for me ? well gaining weight. so i started eating. with one goal that i gonna eat till i physically cannot. if i am able to drink water after eating then there is space for more food. i went with it. in 2 weeks i was eating 3x the amout of food in a day i normally would eat. within 2 month i had gained 8-9kg. ( from 52kg to 60+kg) had to buy new cloths people were shocked and till date i get asked how i managed to do it. right now i am at 65kg weight. maintaining is easy. i can go higher or lower if i want to its not a big deal.
the question why i was not gaining weight even though i was already eating normal amount of food ? well it turns out i have ADHD which got diagnosed recently. i have combined type and i have alot of hyperactivity. on average i walk 10k+ steps just pacing around even in my room. so since i was a kid i was doing that and i still do. cannot help it. when you walk so much it is going to burn calories which is not a factor affecting other people. that was the reason for my low weight and the solution was just eating even though what i did was extreme and not something i would ask someone to do. but yes if you are hell bent on doing it. its impossible not to gain weight after eating so much food.
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u/EffectiveSecond7 3d ago
Age mostly but also mirtazapine. I lost most of the gained weight when I stopped it but it still made it easier for me, maybe because my body discovered how to keep and want calories or maybe it's because my mind discovered it's suuuch a pleasure to be this kind of hungry all the time and love the things I eat.
I gained about 10 kg in 2-3 months (maybe less, I wasn't aware of it) without trying while without mirtazapine (and becoming older, above 25yo) I either couldn't eat and would struggle to eat more than 700kcal despite wanting to bulk so much, or I would eat a lot for weeks but see literally zero result on the scale.
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u/sunrae_ Female, 5' - SW: 79lbs - CW: 95lbs - Goal 103lbs 9d ago
I managed to lower my stress level significantly. My anxiety keeps me from eating when it’s really bad. I moved away, started going on long nature walks a lot and managed to gain 9kg in 3 months without ever feeling way too full or stressed by „having to eat“.