Jesus Pimp

I'm 5"4, a pretty skinny, guy and about 30lbs underweight. Are there any potential health risks for being underweight? I had my yearly doctor's checkup and I'm in perfect health. I eat a lot(a lot more than my a lot of my bigger friends) and work out yet I have the hardest time even gaining an ounce. People don't take me seriously because I'm so skinny. I am always looked down upon by most people and constantly joked with at work. It's been like this most of my life. I keep thinking to myself if I could just gain some more weight and what not so people especially girls will take me more seriously. I don't know. What do you think?

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Never date anyone who doesn't make your dick hard.

matteo101

I was in the same boat as you, and what has been working for me is going to the gym 5 days a week.
Day 1-Chest/biceps
Day2-Cardio/Abs
Day3-Legs
Day4-Back/Triceps
Day5-Rest
Day6-Shoulders/Abs/Cardio
Day7-Rest

Combine a good workout program with a Whey protien shake twice a day, and creatine, and you should be seeing some results. Make sure when you are at the gym to push yourself hard, by your last rep you should barely be able to do it. Also eat, and eat alot.

Since im the first to post I may be completly wrong, but this is what has been working for me.

ChasingAmy

Have your tried Hard Gainers? If you have money that may be something to try. Ramp up your calories, hard gainers are prob the best way, nutrition wise... or you could eat 10 cheeseburgers a day! lol.

My friend is about 140 lbs 5'11" but his has only 5% body fat. He is taking the supplement route to pack on some more muscle mass. But he, like everyone will take a long time to gain muscle mass.

Now for your if you are skinny with little body fat gaining weight is going to be a struggle! I am the opposite 300 lbs 20% body fat and losing it is a struggle. Wanna trade?

Dont know if this helped at all, just speaking from my exp and my friends!

Later

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Bill O'Rights

Sure fire can't miss method.

Step 1.) Wait about ten years. You should be about 35 years old.

Step 2.)Get yourself a desk job and work tons of overtime.

Step 3.) Watch those pounds pack on.

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"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires." - Susan B. Anthony

"Hedonism with rules isn't hedonism at all, it's the Republican party." - JumpinJesus

It is indisputable that true beauty lies within...but a nice rack sure doesn't hurt.

st33lr4t

You must eat more calories than your body burns off.

While this rule can not be broken, it also doesn't give you license to eat just anything. You have to eat high protein, high quality, nutritious meals and have them at least 6 times a day.

Jesus Pimp

Thanks everyone for the advice! How do I fit in 6 meals a day? What are some high quality high protein foods I can eat?

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Never date anyone who doesn't make your dick hard.

matteo101

Eat Vector cerial for breakfast if you get it, fish(canned tuna or salmon is easy if you are busy), chicken, redmeat, legumes, soy, cottage cheese...and like i said before try a whey protien shake.

omega2K4

Eat a #3 (Triple Cheeseburger) combo from Wendy's for dinner everyday. That's bound to have to gain weight and high cholesterol, and blood pressure.

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ChrisJericho

You've said you're already going to the gym, but are you doing highweight/low reps? That is essential. If you really want to put on the mass eliminate all cardio and just do highweight/low reps. You need to do this at least 4 times a week in my non-professional opinion, but not everyday because your muscles need time to repair.

Also, people have been advising fast food. Fast food is good for raw calories, but it wil make you feel really crappy you eat it too much. What you need to do eat large portions of good food like tuna sandwhiches, steaks, chicken, fish, pasta, etc and then top every meal off with either a "mass gainer" or a whey protein shake. Also note that when you take these shakes you need to drink lots of water because they dehydrate you.

Bottom line:

Highweight/low rep workout + high calorie meals w/shakes = mass gain.

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dailyjo2003

That's not right at all. You have to drink a lot of beer on the weekends to do it right.

apeman

yep if you are doing the "wrong" kind of exercise it won't really help you gain weight ... what do you do exactly?

mind you, as Bill O says you'll probably be able to have fun in 10 years when all your friends are fat and you're just starting to fill out

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sailor

Personally, I wouldnt really worry about it. If you are naturally skinny (I am, too), all the lifting in the world isnt going to make you stacked. Sure, you'll fill out, and its worth the workouts even if for no other reason than to stay in shape, but dont expect *huge* gains.

On the other hand, you are built perfectly for endurance sports--running, cycling... things that require competitors to be light and be able to go for a long time.

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guest20sbitch

debianuser

Hey, im another skinny one here, im around 140 lbs and im 5'11". I am going to college now and they have excellent facilities to work out in. It is hard to keep your mind set on working out and changing your lifestyle unless you have a mentor. Someone to keep you going. I dont know how many times I start to work out and a week later i am too lazy to go anymore. If there were someone above me encouraging me, i would go to the gym so they wouldn't be dissapointed in me not going to the gym. Sounds weird I know.

Another problem I have is that I have a weak stomach. A lot of things that I eat or try to eat make my stomach ache and makes it not worth the discomfort i feel.

From one skinny guy to another, good luck!

~Zach

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Rodney

Used to work with a Taiwanese woman whose in-laws were always busting her chops because she wasn't doing enough to fatten up their son -- they thought he was too skinny. Well, she did a little research and found out that her husband's father had been similarly skinny until age 35, then filled out. (I guess they just liked busting her chops.) Anyway, the same will happen to you if you let it, but if you keep exercising you'll stay thin a lot longer, with much less effort, than the people who you say are looking down on you right now, and they'll envy you.

If your question is really about girls, all I can say is that maybe some extra muscle would help, but I've seen short, fat guys, short skinny guys, tall fat guys, and tall skinny guys all meet and settle down with great women. What they had in common was that they were good people, considerate yet assertive, confident, and had many other good qualities. These things are more important in the long run than looks, at least to women you'd actually want to be with.

hossified

skinny guys shouldn't do more than 20 minutes of low impact cardio otherwise you are just burning calories you need to gain! You should aim to bulk up first and than do cardio to burn of accumulated fat, to get the tone! Eat, eat and eat......more meals per day means more weight gain.........

Mantus

[edit] oops sorry

siddhartha

You need to find out what your DCI, or daily caloric intake, is right now. This is the amount of calories required to maintain your weight. In other words for me to maintain my weight, I must ingest 4000 calories per day (you read that correctly). Anything less than that and I will slowly, or rapidly depending on how much less, lose weight. So for a hard gainer like me, I will consume approximately 4500 - 4800 calories per day. This roughly equates to an extra pound of weight per week.

Now, don't forget to include ALL of your activities when you determine how many calories per day you burn. And definitely do not forget to include the calories you burn from working out.

And as has been stated before, you must work out at least three times per week and you should work out anywhere from 45 - 60 minutes. Anything less than 45 minutes will not be taxing enough and anything more than 60 minutes will be a waste (obviously there are exceptions depending on what your goals are, but in general this is true, especially for a beginner).

Good luck!

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powerclown

ain't it the truth lol...

gorilla

drink a Slim Fast with your lunch, its a meal in a can so thats like eating two meals in one sitting. might get expensive though

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Adam_GTR

Your not eating enough... your main problem is that you think that you are, i see this all the time, stop thinking that you are eating enough and eat!

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PDOUBLEOP

I'd suggest following me around for a couple days and copy what I do. My weight gain program is evidently in overdrive.

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Willravel

I had the same problem in the early days of high school. It's actually very simple to gain MUSCLE MASS. Don't gain fat. Trust those of us who have had or are continuing to battle with the mighty gut.
Step 1: set a final goal. You need to know when to stop growing and maintain. This will also serve as motivation. Set your goals and look at them whenever you start to feel that you aren't going anywhere.

Step 2: set an exercise program. You need to be doing honest to God weight lifiting. Serious resistance will break down your muscles and build them back stronger-and bigger-so that you weight more, appear to be in better shape, and are stronger. I joined a friendly neighborhood guym my freshman year of highschool. Learn what exercise best works out EVERY major muscle group. Don't just do chest, back and legs. Work out consistantly. You need to be lifting every other day...forever. Don't say to yourself, "Self, you can lift weights for 6 months, then you can stop." You can't. You'll either pack on the fat, or your muscles will begin to break down. Or both. If you can't afford a gym membership, then go and buy free weights and a bench with a lat bar and preacher curl. The people at the store cdan tell you what those are if you don't know. Get it home and then buy a mens health magazine. I'm not meaning to plug a product, but almost every month, they have a really well thought out and tested by professionals weight program for muscle gain and fat loss.On the off days, stretch upon waking from a good nights sleep, and go play a sport. I reccomend basketball, swimming, or martial arts. This will help you to process your diet.

Step 3: change your diet. You need to start eating more like a carnivor. I would reccomend you eat half a pound of a food full of protien, be it fish, pork, beef, chicken, dog, or nuts and beans. This, with your exercise program, will help in the growth of your muscle mass. You also need to kick up your caloric and carbohydrate intake. Enjoy pasta and crackers and bread. As long as you are exercising, carbs are not the enemy, they are your best friend. They will allow you the fuel to work out your muscles, and thus, become larger. Be sure to eat 5 fruits and vegtables a day. Drink plenty of fluids.
Be sure that you eat 6 full meals a day. Keep the meals balanced. I usually have Total cereal with fruit and some nuts for breakfast, a turkey, chicken, or ham sandwich with tomatoes, lettus, and mustard at about 10:30, another sandwich or something comparable at noonish, soup low in sodium at about 2:30, cantelope, rasins, apples, pears, or some comperable fruit at 4:30, work out like a mofo, a decent dinner at 6:30, and a snack like a protien bar at 8:30. I then get to sleep by 11:00. If you are going to be serious about this program, you need sleep. Otherwise you won't be able to function in school or work. You don't need to use the industrial sized weight gain powder from GNC. The natural way, as I find, is always the best way. This is how you'd do it if you lived now or 1000 years ago.

To sum up. Set a goal, and obtain it by working your muscles well, and eating a lot, but eating healthy. If you follow the program exactly, you will begin to see slight results in about 6 to 8 weeks. After about 6-8 months people will begin to make comments about how good you look. After about a year and some change, you shluld have gained about 15-25 pounds of muscle and dropepd fat too.

If at all you get a disease during this schedule, tone down the exercise and the meals. Go back to just going to work and eating 3-5 regular meals a day. When you've made a full recovery, go back.

Good luck!