Problems gaining weight

[AlexMC]

I've been working out now for 8 months. My bench press, bicep curl, tricep ext, squat, shoulder press etc have at least doubled in that time and I have a lot more definition and a better shape, but I've only added 14 lbs to my bodyweight. I guess I've lost a few lbs of fat in that time but I was realy hoping for bigger gains.

I'm happy with my workout regime and intensity, so i figure I'm not eating enough.

I'm now eating ~8 eggs a day, lots of cheese, ham, litres of milk and 3 protein shakes a day but I seem unable to go above 195lbs (6' 4" frame).

What do I need to change? Is cooked protein no good? Should I replace some carbs (e.g. bread, fruit & vegetables, rice) with more protein? I eat up to 4 bananas a day, wholemeal bread rolls etc and I guess that could be replaced with more meat/cheese...

Whats so frustrating is that I'm obviously getting stronger - but without getting much bigger!

 

[sublime35]

If you're not gaining weight, then you're not eating enough calories. Simple as that. Do you know how many cals. a day you eat now? If not, track your cals for a week then add them up and divide by 7. This is how many cals. a day you need to maintain your weight, that is if you don't gain or lose weight in this time. Then all you need to do is add in some more calories, 200-300 more per day and then see if you gain. If not then add another 200 or 300 per day to that. Simply replacing carbs with protein won't neccessarily make you gain weight because you're not adding more calories.

 

[AlexMC]

Don't you guys find it hard to get enough calories? I mean, I eat steadily throughout the day, never overfeed myself, but have a constant supply of quality food. I sometimes get up in the night and eat more to ensure I never have an empty stomach. How can I get more calories inside me without just overdosing on hi-fat, hi-cal junk food?

 

[timtim]

shakes with zero carbs and then add flax or olive oil (dont add the oil if the shake has carbs because of the sugar and fat), weight gainer shakes, stuff like that could help.

 

[RamRom]

shakes with zero carbs and then add flax or olive oil (dont add the oil if the shake has carbs because of the sugar and fat), weight gainer shakes, stuff like that could help.

so meaning never mix EFA with Carbs?

 

[sublime35]

I wouldn't see a problem mixing efa's and carbs, unless like tim had said, if it's a weight gainer loaded with sugar, but I wouldn't touch those anyways. Make your own shakes with some milk, oats, pb, olive oil, cottage cheese, stuff like that.

Alex- to ensure you get enough calories during the day, you need to plan out what you're going to eat everyday, so that you know you're getting enough.

 

[Tacosupreme]

eat! eat some fucking pizza... eat everything you see

 

[wpolo05]

I agree with the eat everything philospophy. I put on 20 lbs in 3 months by eating until I thought I would puke every 3 hours during the day. Of course try to eat as much protein as possible!

 

[Zebo]

eat! eat some fucking pizza... eat everything you see

Exactly! Eat everything in sight. I lost a lot of weight going through a divorce. Just wasn't eating.

Then I started eating steak, big french fries and beer for dinner. I know, I know.

But I finally kick started "something" and I started filling out again. I'm on my way back. I'll clean up the diet but I just had to add some fucking pounds.

Worked for me.....good luck.

Oh, and back off the cardio until you put some pounds on.

 

[monstermmf]

70-80 eggs a week and 21-24 can's of tuna.. about 8-10 chicken breasts, 6-8 tuna steaks, close to a box of oatmeal, bundle of bananas.. 14 cans of green veggies, and a half gallon of milk.. that's my shopping list every... single.. week.. besides my protein shakes..