I literally can’t gain weight

[dawn16]

@jessiengerman So you've been eating the same amount of cals everyday for the same three months? Why not adjust the surplus?

If my weight doesn't change in my weekly check in, my calories get adjusted and my surplus increases.

 

[djping]

@jessiengerman Large breakfast? Come on man. 800 is a joke. Try doubling that.
2 bagels and a double scoop protein shake in milk is just over 1000 calories, you can easily eat more.
Most skinny guys I meet sound the same as I did: they eat 500 calories for breakfast, 800 for lunch, a snack of 3-400 and then a supper and dessert of maybe 1500. They think because they ate a large-ish supper that they eat plenty.
If you were to do 1500/ meal with 4 meals per day, you will gain.
And just like a large person trying to lose weight you can’t pick one calorie level and just stick with it, at some point the gains will stop and he will need to eat even more to keep gaining.

 

[immortals]

@jessiengerman A large bag of peanuts (or sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds) is usually pretty cheap. You can buy it online or at a store (where I live, for less than 150$, I can order enough sunflower seeds for a year's worth of constantly snacking on them.)

If you can add some to your lunch and snack on it throughout your school day, you can easily add a few hundreds of calories.

 

[juliebee]

@jessiengerman Have you had your thyroid checked?

 

[promise53]

@jessiengerman I’d like to suggest talking to an actual nutritionist or dietitian!

As a high schooler, you’re still growing - your body is literally using every single calorie you give it. Michael Phelps famously eats roughly 10000+ calories per day when he’s actively training. https://olympics.com/en/news/michae...what-the-american-swimmer-ate-while-training-

Additionally, you may not be eating the right balance of protein, fat and carbohydrates.

A quick Google gave me these calculations that sound pretty reasonable:

“According to Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook, here’s a calculation for the amount of protein growing teenage athletes need:

0.8-0.9 grams of protein per pounds of body weight

For a 130-pound teenager, that’s 104-117 grams of protein per day

Protein should be spread across the day. Clark suggests dividing total protein by 4-6 meals/snacks throughout the day. So if a 130-pound teen eats three meals plus a snack, that’s roughly 25 grams of protein each time.”

https://www.realmomnutrition.com/protein-for-teens/#:~:text=According%20to%20Nancy%20Clark's%20Sports,grams%20of%20protein%20per%20day

In your case, it sounds like you should aim for about 130 grams of protein per day!

In addition to that, there are similar calculations you can make to try to get the optimal amount of fat and carbs: https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/teen_bodybuilding_guide.htm#:~:text=The%20starting%20point%20for%20a,12%2D13%20grams%20per%20meal)

 

[walrusnamedjob]

@jessiengerman Eat more

 

[danny4mission]

@jessiengerman drink your calories

 

[aramazd]

@jessiengerman I used to consume 4,000 calories per day for decades. It wasn’t until I learned about leaky gut syndrome that I understood consuming 3500-4500 calories per day is not the same as absorbing those calories. If your gut is off, you need those calories just to stay where you are.

You need to heal the gut lining. It’s where absorption happens. It’s not something most people will think about.

In other words, it’s naive to think consumption = absorption.

 

[zeitgeistr]

@jessiengerman Stop! I can't gain weight! I eat 3,000 calories a day. I eat healthy. My doctor was not worried. He said if I added more calories, I could become diabetic. I have weighed 100 since high school, and I am 53. I eat three dinners a day. I don't drink soda, no sweets, and no junk food. All my blood work is good.

 

[merle3564]

@jessiengerman U have a thyroid problem.

 

[dawn16]

@merle3564 Don't try to diagnose people on the Internet thank you.

 

[merle3564]

@dawn16 It's a super common problem. Go fuck yourself thank you.

 

[dawn16]

@merle3564 Doesn't mean you diagnose people on the Internet my agitated friend.

 

[merle3564]

@dawn16 It's not a diagnosis. It's a place to start. It's obviously medical. 25+% chance I'm right. Go away.

 

[dawn16]

@merle3564 You said "you have a thyroid problem" that's a diagnosis, one you definitely aren't qualified to give.

 

[merle3564]

@dawn16 I'm pretty sure that's what it is. Lol. Who cares dude. I didn't cause the guy any issues beyond my 2 cents. It's not likehe can go out and buy theperscription to treat his thyroid without a. Simple blood test. Go away

 

[dawn16]

@merle3564 You clearly don't have any qualifications to say "you have a thyroid issue". You're just talking out of your ass.

Don't say dumb shit and I won't call you out on it.

Edit: Comment and block? Dumbass and a coward.

 

[merle3564]

@dawn16 That is one of the side effects of an over active thyroid. I might not be qualified but I'm not out here just guessing and trying to control people lol.

 

[francis1983]

@merle3564 Not the best way to word it but it’s a good point.

OP, if you’re really struggling to gain weight, despite a calorie surplus, then it’s worth speaking to your doctor. You could ask for a blood test to check your thyroid and for coeliac disease.

 

[ladel]

@jessiengerman I ate 3000+ calories a day for 5 months and gained only 10 lbs to be at my max of 145 at 6'2". My typical weight is 125 to 135. To everyone who says you just didn't eat enough, that isn't the whole picture. Some genes are responsible for the amount you can store and some people simply don't have that gene switched on so it takes a lot more calories to get less gain. Still today I eat way more than anyone I associate with and I do not gain. My typical dinner is I eat two full pizzas, probably around 4,000 calories. When I eat over at friends I feel I'm starving because to me they all have such tiny servings at their meals, and they are all getting fat... I eat the whopper meal for two and I'm so hungry still. Yes the law of thermodynamics states eating more means gaining more, but I promise genes also multiply or divide the amount your body thinks it needs to store and its simply not feasible timewise or budget wise to eat enough to gain if your body simply does not feel compelled to store.