any success stories with going from very skinny to bigger/stronger?

[cwngfd]

I am 22 and have always been on the slimmer side and pretty unfit, with a high body fat percentage. I’d love to be much broader, with wide shoulders and bigger arms, but it feels very unattainable for me. I work out 3 times a week and try to eat as much as I can (I don’t count calories, but prioritise protein and healthy eating), but after a month and a half I am only slightly toned and it’s a little demoralising, even though I know I’m stronger because I’m lifting heavier!

I know 1.5 months is very early days, but I’ve got to this point several times in the past and ended up giving up/losing interest, so I’d love to hear any success stories or encouragement a lot of my friends told me around 6 months is when they started to see visible change, but even getting to that point would be a huge achievement for me.

EDIT: thank you for all the advice and encouragement!! it really means so much I’m going to keep pushing through and get to my goals!!

 

[anthrinaldi]

@cwngfd Yep. Asian genetics here, naturally very slim / flat. Took me around 2 years of consistency and tracking for a calorie surplus to grow legs & bum.

The quote that always helped me was “a year is going to pass either way, but at the end of it you could either be where you want to be, or exactly where you are”.

Helps to remember this when it comes to things that take a while

 

[pringles24]

@cwngfd I started working out (powerlifting) at 25. I am naturally very slim, and even more so after some years of accidental undereating. I had gained about 7kg back and was at a lowish but healthy weight. It took me 3 months to start noticing my pants were tighter. Within 6 months I had grown out of all my pants and most shirts. Ended up going up about 5 kg.

At 28 I went into Olympic weightlifting and went through another crazy blowup. I am currently 17 kg heavier than at my lowest weight ever, but I'm fairly muscular. I have a lot of definition in my shoulders, upper back and upper legs.

 

[teatimebabe28]

@cwngfd Definitely. Here's me (5'10") in the same shirt, when I started out super depressed weighing 165 pounds deadlifting less than 100, and here's me less super depressed 3+ years later weighing 245 and deadlifting pretty close to 400. Lifting hard + eating everything and taking advantage of both medication & covid weight gain.

Effort, Consistency, and Time. Just keep going.

 

[robynnicole]

@teatimebabe28 Woah you look so strong now!!

 

[teatimebabe28]

@robynnicole Thanks! I sure feel strong!

 

[velvety777]

@cwngfd Yes! I'm 5'7" and 52kg/115lbs. Was always skinny fat. Starting weight lifting and eventually switched to Olympic liftng. Had to up my food a lot, gained 15lbs, and actually look strong now. Still a beanpole, but a strong one. Working on building that muscle more, hoping to reach 64kg/140lbs next year

 

[zoltanblaze]

@cwngfd I love what you are doing! I’ve been suffering from an eating disorder and I’ve been working so hard to recover and gain muscle and fat. Seeing other people doing the same gives me strength

 

[dawn16]

@cwngfd Slow and steady wins the race.

It took me like 4 years to go from 46kg and to 55kg. Probably could have been quicker with I was more dedicated to a high protein diet but ya girl here lows low protein pastas and hot chips. Weight gain wasn’t my overall goal as well just being healthy was.

 

[baptist1611]

@cwngfd Based on your post history, r/FTMFitness may be a good resource.

 

[yerin]

@cwngfd I don't have any photos but here's my story:

At my lowest point in my life, about 2 years ago now, I weighed about 80lbs at 5'3. I started going to the gym seriously in September 2022 (didn't really know what I was doing until summer last year) with the intent to get bigger all around. It's been 6-7 months of staying consistent and I'm almost 120 lbs! I don't look super different, which surprised me...most of the weight I've gained is muscle in my legs, and people still look at me like I'm a scrawny stick.

I've been athletic and going to the gym far longer than what I noted above though. I only saw real change when I implemented the following:

Going on a calorie surplus of at least 200 cals extra.

Getting protein for my goal weight everyday (0.8-1.0g of protein x goal weight in kg)

Implementing muscle activation exercises into my workout (ex. Banded walks to grow my glutes before squatting).

I stopped counting reps. I focus on doing as much as I can until I'm near failure. If I feel I'm doing over 15 reps I bump the weight up- but only if I can also maintain good posture.

I only focus on 3-5 exercises per workout and target lower or upper body on one specific day.

Rest!!! 48 hours between each muscle category changed everything. You're doing your body a disservice if you go into the gym and work already sore muscles. Absolute waste of time in my opinion.

So ya. Don't focus too much on photos/measurements to see how you're doing. Take them once in a while and slip them away for a few months before comparing yourself to them again. If you're really not making progress in 6 months, then you know something needs to be changed.

 

[yerin]

I'd like to add that perfecting your form at a beginner level is super important. I STILL only back squat a bar because I can't handle anymore than 45lbs without my chest going forward, and I'd say my glute growth has been really damn good. Don't go heavy until you can perform a lift properly at low weight. You'll still see results lifting light if you're repping it out till failure- but you're doing nothing for yourself by weighting up before ur form is ready.

 

[catd]

@cwngfd https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/s/U5aKo0B6SI

Here’s my success story. My 20s were spent skinny, hungry, poor and having babies. I started seeing changes after 30.

First priority MUST be sleep. Then water, then nutrition. Then finally fitness.

Stay the course!

 

[ben95]

@cwngfd You got some great advice in here, but I wanted to add the very important recovery step: SLEEP! Make sure you are getting consistent sleep every night in order to fully repair and recover.

 

[iheartmacsgaydiack]

@cwngfd This was me before I started working out and this was me in August after inconsistently hitting the gym for around 2 years. By the second picture I had been consistent with eating high protein and in a caloric surplus for about 5 months with a 5 day training split so take that as you will. It’s 100% possible but you really can’t rush good results. I’d recommend tracking calories even if just for a week or two to get a baseline of how much you’re eating. You’d be surprised, especially if you’re focusing on “healthy eating” how little calories you might actually be consuming. Eat and train with intention, every meal and every workout matters towards reaching your goals so make them count.

 

[jonbradford]

@iheartmacsgaydiack your arms are amazing!!

 

[disciple_red77]

@cwngfd Here is the thing. It’s good for you!! It’s good for your bones and your head!! Even if you see little change who cares ?

 

[ancientbrotherbass]

@cwngfd Sadly it just is a lot harder for women unfortunately.

 

[growhart]

@ancientbrotherbass Not impossible though, it might take a year or two but with consistency I’ve seen some absolute girlie beasts who went from skinny as hell to jacked. Powerlifting and calorie surplus is where it’s at for them.

 

[dawn16]

@growhart Exactly. I started out with that mentality (I’m very skinny, tend to drop weight extremely fast), but continued working out regularly because it improved my sleep quality. I ended up noticing that I my shoulders and arms had grown significantly when all my slightly baggy undershirts started all being tight and started ripping. It’s been very slow though, mostly because of my health. Whenever I get sick, I drop a lot of weight, but every time I’m jumping back faster! I’m still a lot closer to my goal than I was last year and even if I never reach my goal, the way there is really enjoyable!