Ectomorph....difficult to gain weight and muscle

[travis82]

I'm an ectomorph...I can eat a lot but still find it very difficult to gain weight, fat and muscle.


Can someone help me? What should I do?


I heard some people say..."If you're an ectomorph...just eat everything and anything."



But I don't want to stuff myself with unhealthy junk food, food that contains too much salt or sugar



What kind of diet should I take?


Or should I just gorge down anything down my throat...just to gain weight?



Please help me. I need some advices. Anybody here an ectomorph like me?

 

[sixthson]

First of all, have you talked to your physician about this to be sure there is not a problem with your thyroid or something else? Once he pronounces you healthy, but underweight, you could speak to a nutritionist about the best type of diet for you. I agree with you that filling up on junk food is not the best way to go. First things first, however.

 

[travis82]

First of all, have you talked to your physician about this to be sure there is not a problem with your thyroid or something else? Once he pronounces you healthy, but underweight, you could speak to a nutritionist about the best type of diet for you. I agree with you that filling up on junk food is not the best way to go. First things first, however.

thyroid or something else? Are you suggesting that there could be some underlying illness/cancer in me?


I hope this has nothing to do with my health.




So I need to see a doctor first, and have him examine me??....physical full body examination?


Does the doctor need to conduct some tests on me ??


What kind of doctor should I see? A general practice doctor?? A specialist??


Thank you for your advices, sixthson

 

[Corny]

General practice doctor. Probably he will just need to do a few blood tests.

 

[cynicus]

I'm an ectomorph...I can eat a lot but still find it very difficult to gain weight, fat and muscle.


Can someone help me? What should I do?


I heard some people say..."If you're an ectomorph...just eat everything and anything."



But I don't want to stuff myself with unhealthy junk food, food that contains too much salt or sugar



What kind of diet should I take?


Or should I just gorge down anything down my throat...just to gain weight?



Please help me. I need some advices. Anybody here an ectomorph like me?

How old are you? I was a skinny guy for a long time, and with age came weight. I would love to be that thin again!

 

[sixthson]

No, Travis, I am not saying you have cancer. Most likely you are healthy, but a doctor could do some simple lab work and give you a physical exam before you make drastic changes in your eating and lifestyle. Good luck and keep us informed.

 

[bankside]

Trust me on this one - eating too much does not turn you into a beefy guy. It turns you into an overweight twink. Your frame doesn't change. Your musculature doesn't change. The only way to do it is good nutrition and exercise to develop your muscles. They will develop but when you look your absolute best, you may always look sleeker than some others.

 

[levisboner]

I used to be quite skinny and still am, but for a while when I was going to the gym for about a year I bulked up a quite a bit. This was down to a combination of working out 3 days a week and taking a mass builder supplement together with whey protein. My friends noticed the difference and one even remarked "Now you have arms!" I have since stopped training and I'm not on the supplements any more so I've lost a bit of what I gained. So if you can afford it, maybe join a gym and work with a trainer. You can get advice on what to eat from them and ask them to create a work out plan that suits your needs. This is just what worked for me. I don't pretend to be an expert. But I will say it felt good when I looked in the mirror and saw how my clothes fitted me better. I wish you all the best in your quest.

 

[KaraBulut]

thyroid or something else? Are you suggesting that there could be some underlying illness/cancer in me?

There are guys in their teens and early 20s who say that they eat and eat and workout and workout but they cannot add mass or keep it on. Often for guys who are young, they have a rapid metabolism and have trouble gaining weight.

But according to your profile, you're 30. So, if you're still having trouble adding mass, it's a good idea to see your doctor and to have a basic health checkup to see if there may be a physical reason why you're still having trouble gaining weight. Once that is eliminated, then a calorie count and a look at what you're doing in your workout would be the next steps.

There is a genetic component to this- if you are from a family where people are naturally thin and small-framed, then you will have to work harder and eat more to put on weight. It also means that if you stop working out, your body is likely to lose some of the gains that you have made. But the trade-off is that if you're from a family that has a tendency to be thin, you won't have battles with obesity and diabetes that many people have as they get older.

 

[travis82]

General practice doctor. Probably he will just need to do a few blood tests.

Thanks....but is it going to be very expensive doing the blood tests??

 

[travis82]

How old are you? I was a skinny guy for a long time, and with age came weight. I would love to be that thin again!

I'm 30 years old, going to be 31 in October. I really really want to gain weight and look buff.

 

[travis82]

No, Travis, I am not saying you have cancer. Most likely you are healthy, but a doctor could do some simple lab work and give you a physical exam before you make drastic changes in your eating and lifestyle. Good luck and keep us informed.

I'm concerned .....is it going to cost me a lot of money to see a doctor, lab work, physical exam and seeing a nutritionists??

 

[travis82]

Trust me on this one - eating too much does not turn you into a beefy guy. It turns you into an overweight twink. Your frame doesn't change. Your musculature doesn't change. The only way to do it is good nutrition and exercise to develop your muscles. They will develop but when you look your absolute best, you may always look sleeker than some others.

Thank you for your advices.

 

[travis82]

I used to be quite skinny and still am, but for a while when I was going to the gym for about a year I bulked up a quite a bit. This was down to a combination of working out 3 days a week and taking a mass builder supplement together with whey protein. My friends noticed the difference and one even remarked "Now you have arms!" I have since stopped training and I'm not on the supplements any more so I've lost a bit of what I gained. So if you can afford it, maybe join a gym and work with a trainer. You can get advice on what to eat from them and ask them to create a work out plan that suits your needs. This is just what worked for me. I don't pretend to be an expert. But I will say it felt good when I looked in the mirror and saw how my clothes fitted me better. I wish you all the best in your quest.

Thanks, but going to a gym, getting a trainer and buying mass builder supplements is going to cost me a lot of money.


And mass builder supplement, whey protein can only last for a month. After that, I have to fork out more money to buy supplement and whey protein for the following months and so on.

 

[travis82]

There are guys in their teens and early 20s who say that they eat and eat and workout and workout but they cannot add mass or keep it on. Often for guys who are young, they have a rapid metabolism and have trouble gaining weight.

But according to your profile, you're 30. So, if you're still having trouble adding mass, it's a good idea to see your doctor and to have a basic health checkup to see if there may be a physical reason why you're still having trouble gaining weight. Once that is eliminated, then a calorie count and a look at what you're doing in your workout would be the next steps.

There is a genetic component to this- if you are from a family where people are naturally thin and small-framed, then you will have to work harder and eat more to put on weight. It also means that if you stop working out, your body is likely to lose some of the gains that you have made. But the trade-off is that if you're from a family that has a tendency to be thin, you won't have battles with obesity and diabetes that many people have as they get older.

Thanks, I suspect I have a high metabolism rate. I sweat a lot....and I'm always hungry.


But I don't eat a lot because most of the time, I get very full easily.


Sometimes I eat a lot, sometimes I eat very little. My diet is very irregular.


But eating more food means it's going to cost me a lot of money.

 

[KaraBulut]

Thanks, I suspect I have a high metabolism rate. I sweat a lot....and I'm always hungry.

But I don't eat a lot because most of the time, I get very full easily.

Sometimes I eat a lot, sometimes I eat very little. My diet is very irregular.

But eating more food means it's going to cost me a lot of money.

Well, as the saying goes, "No pain, no gain".

If your goal is to put on muscle, you're going to have to invest money, time and work into the effort. If you're not willing or able to invest those three things, then you will not achieve your goal. It's that simple.

 

[justsimon]

If I remember correctly, you recently said you only eat rice, vegetables, and fruits. And you thought that protein only exists in meat. I'm guessing that you don't know much about nutrition. Do a bit of research and start eating a more balanced diet, with larger portions. You don't need to eat junk food to gain weight.

You will need to start working out. If you can't afford a gym membership (I can't either), look for a free or cheap set of weights on Craigslist … or even a few dumbbells. People are constantly buying exercising equipment only to get rid of it a few months later. Also, check out this site: http://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness. Eat more and lift heavy things.

 

[travis82]

Well, as the saying goes, "No pain, no gain".

If your goal is to put on muscle, you're going to have to invest money, time and work into the effort. If you're not willing or able to invest those three things, then you will not achieve your goal. It's that simple.

Thanks for your advices, KaraBulut. You're absolutely right. I feel like I lack motivation, determination and discipline to get me started in the first place.


Also I have too many distractions....spending too much time online when I could have use the time for a workout session.

 

[travis82]

If I remember correctly, you recently said you only eat rice, vegetables, and fruits. And you thought that protein only exists in meat. I'm guessing that you don't know much about nutrition. Do a bit of research and start eating a more balanced diet, with larger portions. You don't need to eat junk food to gain weight.

You will need to start working out. If you can't afford a gym membership (I can't either), look for a free or cheap set of weights on Craigslist … or even a few dumbbells. People are constantly buying exercising equipment only to get rid of it a few months later. Also, check out this site: http://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness. Eat more and lift heavy things.

Thank you for your advices.

I was only suggesting a diet of rice, vegetables and fruits. I don't think I can stick to this diet because I will be hungry all the time.


I do realise that proteins is found in raw peanuts?? ....I have been eating lots of raw peanuts as snacks.


I do have some free weights at home...example: dumb bells, workout bench.....but I am kind of lazy to workout

 

[justsimon]

Thank you for your advices.

I was only suggesting a diet of rice, vegetables and fruits. I don't think I can stick to this diet because I will be hungry all the time.


I do realise that proteins is found in raw peanuts?? ....I have been eating lots of raw peanuts as snacks.


I do have some free weights at home...example: dumb bells, workout bench.....but I am kind of lazy to workout

Nuts and legumes are good, as are greens. If you have a hard time getting enough protein you might look into protein shakes (find one with a low sugar content and add it to a smoothie).

You're going to have to get over your laziness if you want to bulk up.