Honestly, it could be more. I have a schedule to workout but I'm not able to follow it as often as I'd like due to my job + weather (my gym is outdoors). I definitely need to get these signals up...
But signals or not, shouldn't I be gaining? Even if it's fat weight
@icameforhelp Yeah as other people have addressed, if you have a calorie surplus you should be gaining fat.
With your very active lifestyle you're either not in a calorie surplus or have a more specific issue related to metabolism or digestion that I'm in no way qualified to speculate on.
But yeah, it's worth trying to lift heavy (and safely) enough that your muscles are a bit sore the next day, doing this 3 or so times a week may be the only difference you need, or it could be something else entirely.
Even if you do start gaining fat you'll still likely want to do this as a skinny-fat body isn't all that healthy and almost never looks "big" in the way you seem to be aiming for.
Edit: I just noticed you've only been doing this for 7 days. I would say keep it up for now and see where you are in a month minimum. The amount of weight you can safely gain in a week is smaller than general fluctuations do to hydration etc so you can't reliably detect weight changes over such a short period.
@icameforhelp The metabolism issue is extremely unlikely, people are mostly saying it to cover all possible bases rather than as anything even remotely likely.
One week in is madness to consult a doctor, keep doing what you're doing, try to work out your calorie and protein requirements, try weightlifting or calisthenics, make sure your muscles get a bit sore and that you rest them.
Your changes will happen over months and years, patience and consistency are key, not extreme motivation early in your programme.
@icameforhelp Follow a nutrition plan to a T. Do not leave anything out. I'm the same way, I can eat 4000-5000 calories per day at 5'8" and barely gain much weight. Tbh I think some of us are just unlucky. I also sometimes unconsciously eat only 3000 calories or so on days where I'm not keeping track as much. But keep at it if it's smthg u care about or don't.
@icameforhelp Lower your cortisol, double your carbs and get 8 hours of sleep every night. No stimulants or medicine. You’ll gain weight when you eat to gain weight. Force feeding the calories in every day means you are eating more than you need, which means you will gain weight if you do this consistently.
The other alternative is anabolic steroids which promotes weight gain.
@icameforhelp Eat your current diet and add 5 tablespoons of peanut butter per day. If your weight is steady on your current diet, you'll gain a pound a week with this modification.
@icameforhelp What's the problem with that term? Is there a better one to summarise plant based foods that taste similar to meat? Tell me and I will use it from now on
@kalota You only need 1g of protein per lb of body weight. Anything more is a waste of money and is gonna make you fart a ton. You can certainly eat more protein, but there's no reason to. He needs more carbs because he needs more calories. That's not going to make you fat if you are training properly. Carbs don't make you fat. Too many calories (without muscle building stimulus) is what makes people fat. Also eating too many calories from protein doesn't miraculously make you not fat. He literally can't gain weight right now. How on earth could he possibly get fat if his weight isn't even going up?
Pro bodybuilders eat a ton because that's how you build muscle. That doesn't change whether you are on gear or not. One thing that does change is that people on steroids can actually utilize more protein than other people. Someone on steroids can and should bump their protein up to something like 1.5g per lb of weight or even more. This would be pointless for other people. It's just more expensive.
He needs more carbs. He's already eating the maximum amount of protein he can utilize.
