Trouble gaining weight

[hopefaith]

Hi,

This may get a lot of downvotes.

6'1" M 150lb, mid 30s, very active cardio (competitive racket sport) + anaerobic [e.g. 10+ pullups, 115lb bench press, 50+ push-ups, I have a 25lb dumbbell at home that I can do most things upper body with ease, including deltoid). Very health-conscious (wears CGM, gets labs done regularly). One year ago found A1c pre-DM2 range, intentional weight loss of 10lb (155->145) over 2 months. When I realized not only did A1c not improve but other lab #s were getting out-of-wack, I worked to gain weight back. Fast forward to today, I am plateauing at 150lb. I switched to vegan diet about one year back to the mentioned health concerns. I tried eating what I considered a lot, virtually zero processed foods, and focusing heavy on vegies/legumes but not able to gain the weight back. I often find myself eating a big dinner to make up for inadequate calories during the day which results in bad sleep/frequent night time urination. This is a vicious cycle:

Breakfast. Smoothie containing 1 scoop pea protein, berries, 2/3 cup beans, ~ 1 cup soy milk, raw power greens, raw kale, various spices.

Lunch: Usually leftover which consists of a lot of vegetables in some sort of sauce + legume

After work: 1.5h workout consisting of aerobic and anaerobic.

Dinner: Lots of veggies/soy products. Not too much grains.

post dinner snack: dried fruit, popcorn, cheesecake, dark chocolate.

I'm open to dietary changes/advice to gain weight that is unique to my situation, or any encouragement/motivation in general. -Or- if you think vegan diet may not be the righ decision for me. Thanks!

 

[rboggio1]

@hopefaith This looks like about 2k calories of food. Add a peanut butter sandwich each day.

2 slices of bread a liberal amount of peanut butter is about 400 calories. If you start gaining weight after 2 weeks of this protocol great. If not, add another sandwich.

N.b. a pb sandwich is a cheap, calories dense meal that most people like. Feel free to sub in something else which is around 400-500 calories you can consume each day.

Keep upping your cals by 500 every two weeks until you start gaining weight. Keep eating at this level until you reach desired bodyweight.

 

[opova]

@rboggio1 literally this easy. if you're on a bulk 2 tbsp of nut butters is approx 200 calories. 2 protein shakes a day with 2 tbsp but butter in each shake and you're bulking on easy mode

 

[jessicacharlie]

@opova "but butter in each shake" sounds like a line from a rap track.

 

[opova]

@jessicacharlie I have big fat thumbs and a small little brain

 

[wiley27]

@hopefaith I'm a bodybuilder and am only 5'7" or 171cm and weigh 194lbs or 88kgs. I've been a vegan for over 30 years. Imho veganism isn't your problem... what you're eating - or not eating - and doing is the problem. I'm not seeing a training plan that's focused on hypertrophy. I'm not seeing an eating plan that's focused on weight gain. I'm seeing someone who wants to gain lean muscle mass quickly... which is exceptionally difficult. This is why pros bulk then cut. Happy to chat if you'd like specifics.

 

[hopefaith]

@wiley27 Thanks for the reply. Weight gain hasn't been a super top priority because I play competitive racket sport and I do fairly well with adequate strength at my current weight. I do find that after 1.5 hr of competitive play (happens maybe 2-3 times per week), my weight goes down even further, say 5 lbs and I need to eat a lot more to feel full.

TLDR I'm not looking to become a body builder but I'm also not looking to be a twig (BMI in AM is 19.5 - a bit too low, ppl at work say I look underweight). But what you said about "bulk then cut" makes sense. It's just my body is so used to movement, daily, 1.5-2hr. and it is hard to remove that from my daily regimen and focus on eating more.

 

[wiley27]

@hopefaith So, a quick calculation reveals that your maintenance is somewhere between 2600-2900 calories per day. That's factoring in your stats and reported activity level. A quick look at your diet suggests that you're not consuming anywhere near that figure..? If you're looking to gain weight at a safe pace - 500 grams or 1.1lbs per week - then you'll need to up that by 500 calories per day at least. The top band predicts close top 3800 calories per day for consistent gains. That's assuming your macros are sorted and stable. You can continue to be highly active... you just need to eat far more in order to compensate.

 

[hopefaith]

@wiley27 Thank you for the helpful post.

I just downloaded myfitnesspal and to gain 0.5 lb per week to an arbitrary goal of 160lb (?) = 2900cal.

I agree I don't eat close to that, or the 3800 cal you posted.

I guess I just don't want to gain weight at the cost of insulin resistance. E.g. healthy weight gain.

 

[wiley27]

@hopefaith I used 180lbs ASAP as my target re: the calculations just fyi

 

[panda0301]

@hopefaith Over 6 foot and you’re eating a smoothie for breakfast every day? You need to up your protein and carb intake sir. You need to
add a good carb source alongside your smoothie in the morning. I would also add another form of protein, tofu scramble or some thing. I know if your breakfasts are looking skimp, your lunches and your dinners are also probably not enough. You need to be eating a full damn plate at your size each meal. Good luck OP, what a fun predicament to be in.

 

[koko5273]

@hopefaith Like others mentioned, it's your calorie intake and probably your aerobic activity.

Lift heavy and do compound movements. Get your daily calories up to around 3000/day. Try to eat 5 or 6 meals a day. 3 big meals with 2-3 smaller snacks like PB Sandwiches, sweat potatoes, handfuls of nuts, smoothies etc. Do not be afraid of carbs. Eat until you are sick of looking at food.

Limit cardio to 3 intense 30min sessions 3x a week.

I did this in my mid 30's and went from 130lb (I am 5'6 and thin boned) to 165.

When you hit your strength and weight goal... then drop calories and increase your cardio.

Good luck!

 

[hopefaith]

@koko5273 Very helpful, inspiring. Thank you.

Seems the theme is focused on eating more first.

 

[tyler35]

@hopefaith I don’t know if there’s a reason you’re avoiding grains, but if not I’d encourage you to have more. Farro! Bulgur! Barley! Rice! Delightful.

Also: adding some PB or other nut butter to a smoothie is an easy way to up your calories and fats. (Plus it’s delicious and makes the texture nicer IMO.) Your diet looks extremely low in fats to me; a healthy diet includes some fats. Avocado, olive oil, nuts, etc. are all great.

 

[caritasium]

@hopefaith Are you tracking your food to make sure you’re eating in a calorie surplus? You might think you’re eating a lot but actually tracking ensures you’re hitting more than enough calories.

 

[hopefaith]

@caritasium No I'm not. I would need a way or discipline to measure/weigh food, then convert that to calories. I do neither atm due to time constraints. But I'm happy to start

Any good apps?

Any good shortcuts to estimating calories?

 

[caritasium]

@hopefaith I would get a food measuring scale (they aren’t expensive) to weigh your food out and plug that into the app My Fitness Pal.

 

[koko5273]

@hopefaith I made another post here... but if you're really doing 1.5-2 hrs of cardio per DAY, it's going to be tough to gain. Focus on calorie dense vegan foods.... cold pressed oils, nuts, nut butter, potatoes, yams, soy milks, coconut products. I am an ectomorph too... and if I dont focus on eating , I stop growing and lean out.

 

[mkrj1993]

@hopefaith Thanks for all the info. You could try increasing whole grains as you likely need to increase calories. Also, maybe look into creatine supplementation as it can support weight gain even if it is mostly water weight.