I'm a 23 y/o male at 1,93m(6'4") and 80kg (176lbs), but only 8-9% body fat. I eat ~4000kcal on rest days, more if I do sports, but due to my high metabolism, I just can't seem to put on any weight. I have no problem working out regulary but I'm out of ideas in how to adjust my diet.
Any pointers and tips would be greatly appreciated
(P.S. I'm technically vegetarian, but my diet is mostly vegan, so I figured I'd find the best advice here)
@ecraigr Peanut butter, the calorie density is insane a table spoon or two added to your normal diet will help shift the balance in your favour, far easier than eating plates upon plates of oats or pasta
@viorel I agree with this, nut butter is really magic if you're struggling to put on weight. Peanut butter is very calorie dense, and although the protein ratio isn't perfect it's pretty close (when I'm backpacking I will eat Mission low carb tortillas with peanut butter, and the ratio is improved a little bit).
You could also drink oat milk instead of water. It's highly caloric, and although the protein isn't great it's better than nothing. Something like peanut butter might make you feel more full, whereas liquid calories tend to not be as filling, so you're less likely to compensate by eating less otherwise.
@ecraigr Eat more? Do you weight things out to reach 4000kcal? Can you hit 5000?
If you eat 4 1000kcal meals add a fifth one!
When I was at school an underweight classmate was advised to eat an enormous meal just before going to sleep. You spend the longest period of time not eating and apparently your metabolism slows down so the calories are "worth more". Not sure on the second point but you definitely go from eating every 2-3 hours to having an 8-10 hour gap.
Try drinking some of your calories; add a 300-500kcal shake between a couple of your meals. It will leave your stomach very quickly so you will be able to eat again. Do that twice you've added 600-1000 additional calories.
Plan your meals and eat on a clock. Have breakfast either ready to go or able to be made on less than 5 minutes. You should be awake around 16 hours. Eat every 3 hours, no excuses!
@ecraigr Im 6ft 2, skinny, always ate like a horse when I was younger but was always confused as to why I never gained weight.
I started weighing out all my food, tracking everything and its scary how little I was eating in comparison to what I needed. Im currently on 3000-3300 calories a day, 160g protein and im steadily gaining weight while lifting weights 4 times a week.
My advice is to seriously sit down and weigh out foods and track what youre eating. Tell us some info on what youre eating at the moment, (quantities, foods, proteins etc).
