Help with eating for weight training

[danlightbulb]

Hi all,

I have started back in the gym.

I am naturally very skinny person and was severely underweight throughout my youth all the way until I started trying to do something about it around age 30. I embarked on a weight training programme, and over the course of a few years got my weight up to about 13 stone (from around 8). I had got my squat upto about 120kg at this point.

Then I hurt my knee so stopped training. I'd also taken up mountain biking, which is a different type of exercise obviously.

Over time my weight has dropped back to around 11 stone. Im not comfortable at this weight and so I want to increase back to around 12-12.5, and get weight training again. We have a gym at work so Ive been weight training again for a couple of weeks now. My squat is at 65kg and is at the point where I need to increase my intake to keep the lifts increasing.


The problem however is how I eat. I am a terrible eater, and last time I got my weight up by drinking lots of milk. But it created problems with bodyfat levels as well particularly around my chest and throat, and for some time the added fat was causing me to have acid reflux issues.

Back then I also lived alone, so it was easier just to prepare my own meals and be able to track the calories. Now I live with my partner and its harder to eat the things I need to eat to reach higher calorie levels. My appetite is also very low.

I want to aim for around 2700 calories a day, and Ive started tracking things again on Myfitnesspal three days ago. I haven't reached my target in the last three days though.

On Wednesday I ate two Sainsburys steak slices, crisps and chocolate bars and a pint of milk for lunch. Dinner was a chicken jalfrezi with rice and more chocolate. And I still only reached 2500 calories.

Yesterday I ate a chicken biryani for lunch, and a bag of crisps. As well as some biscuits and chocolates as snacks. For dinner I had a chicken madras with rice and naan at the local indian pub. I still only estimated calories of 2100.

Today so far I have had a couple of kit kats, a battered cod roe and a battered mini fish from the chippie. Its hard to know how many calories these provided but I don't think its much more than about 600 so Im yet again going to really struggle to eat my target of 2700.


It is easy for some people to eat food and prepare food, it is very difficult for me though. Possibly meal supplements would be an answer but they aren't exactly tasty and I would have to cram them.

I am never going to be able to eat completely clean pre-prepared batch foods and avoid chocolate and snacks, it just is not in my nature and my natural lack of appetite makes those kinds of snack foods useful for increasing intake.

Im not bodybuilding, I don't care about a six pack, I just want to gain weight to 12-12.5 stone and continue training the big lifts.

Any advice appreciated.

 

[sigma]

Fryups and chicken kebabs.

If you train harder your appetite should naturally increase. Cutring out the snacks will also improve your appetite, have them after your meal rather than before it.

BBQ a lot of meat, and veg skewers too!

Air fry meat to make it crispy etc.

Steak.

Home made mince burgers.

Mexican wraps are good also.

 

[danlightbulb]

Fryups and chicken kebabs.

If you train harder your appetite should naturally increase. Cutring out the snacks will also improve your appetite, have them after your meal rather than before it.

BBQ a lot of meat, and veg skewers too!

Air fry meat to make it crispy etc.

Steak.

Home made mince burgers.

Mexican wraps are good also.

It is hard to get those things at work when all I have is a vending machine and a local KFC, hence the problems I have with pre-preparing food.

We used to have a breakfast service at work, but it was lost during Covid. So I never eat breakfast any more.

 

[sigma]

It is hard to get those things at work when all I have is a vending machine and a local KFC, hence the problems I have with pre-preparing food.

We used to have a breakfast service at work, but it was lost during Covid. So I never eat breakfast any more.

It's not cheap but you could try Huel. They do chocolate flavour etc. Or you could make your own/hava protein shakes.

To grow muscle you really do need to eat a good amount of protein and food generally, as balanced as possible.

Can't you make a sandwich to take? Some cooked chicken pieces (from supermarket) on the side?

 

[danlightbulb]

Can't you make a sandwich to take? Some cooked chicken pieces (from supermarket) on the side?

Yes and I do this, but its not enough calories.

See my above examples of the past three days. Multiple takeaways and chocolate bars, and still not reached my calorie goal.

 

[sigma]

Yes and I do this, but its not enough calories.

See my above examples of the past three days. Multiple takeaways and chocolate bars, and still not reached my calorie goal.

Build bigger sandwiches eat some nuts, they're full of calories.

Do you like peanut butter?

 

[danlightbulb]

Build bigger sandwiches eat some nuts, they're full of calories.

Do you like peanut butter?

No i don't like nuts at all, the taste makes me wretch.

 

[sigma]

You can fairly easily add 600 calories via 1.5 Huel drinks.

 

[sigma]

No i don't like nuts at all, the taste makes me wretch.

Even the flavoured ones? Honey roasted etc

 

[Zefan]

I think you should probably come to terms with the fact that you likely need to work against your nature. Your nature is how you got here, your nature is not going to be how you get somewhere else.

What is it about preparing food that seems to be the problem?

 

[danlightbulb]

What is it about preparing food that seems to be the problem?

Motivation, time poor, lack of desire for food, lack of knowledge on what to make, and because im a fussy eater, there is a lot of foods I don't like.

 

[Gray2233]

Get some decent protein powder and make some shakes, they can really help to simplify protein and calorie intake.

That said, you really need to sort your diet out and stick to a proper routine. As Zefan mentioned, this very much seems like it's going to go against your nature given you seem to prefer to randomly eat crap.

 

[Uther]

You're going to struggle a bit building muscle if you're not feeding your body properly. I don't recommend eating crap like crisps and chocolate to do it.

 

[danlightbulb]

I have been a bad eater since I was a child. I would like to fix it but far easier said than done and after numerous attempts I still find it hard to make new habits stick. Hence my reliance on milk and takeaways/junk to boost my intake.

 

[radderfire]

How tall are you?

Why aren't you happy at 11st?

 

[pre]

Time, money or effort. If you are time poor and money poor then it'll have to be the effort of a basic breakfast meal prep. Typical thing will be to start off with an extra meal because you will more than likely be lacking in protein then calories. A simple meal like overnight oats, with some protein powder some extra cottage cheese or greek yoghurt - and a banana, frozen fruit, peanut butter, chocolate chips to taste. Should be an easy thing you can do spend 15m before bed and take it with you or eat first thing at desk.

Wraps are probably the next thing to build upon for a regular meal source but you'll need to be willing to put some effort into putting some sort of protein into whether or not its some canned fish, deli meat or home cooked meat.

 

[danlightbulb]

How tall are you?

Why aren't you happy at 11st?

5'10".

I feel thin and it is affecting my self-confidence.

A simple meal like overnight oats, with some protein powder some extra cottage cheese or greek yoghurt - and a banana, frozen fruit, peanut butter, chocolate chips to taste.

Thanks for your post. Problem is I am a terrible eater and I don't like cheese or yogurt, or bananas or peanut butter. Ive never tried oats (you mean porridge?) because I have been put off by the way it looks and the texture. I have had eating problems since I was a child. I know it will sound stupid to people.

 

[pre]

Thanks for your post. Problem is I am a terrible eater and I don't like cheese or yogurt, or bananas or peanut butter. Ive never tried oats (you mean porridge?) because I have been put off by the way it looks and the texture. I have had eating problems since I was a child. I know it will sound stupid to people.

I mean it wasn't obligatory to add it all - at a minimum some whey protein, oats and random flavour/toppings so that you can sustain and build a habit. If you can't stomach oats then you'll look at making a breakfast wrap. I'd say some pre-cooked chicken thighs, some onions or tomatoes or random veg for flavour/texture. Or tuna/salmon, sweetcorn, mayo. At this point - even some sausages and boiled/fried egg in a wrap would help and that you can literally throw make several meals of, leave in the fridge for a few days and quickly heat up first thing.

If you are that fussy an eater that the most convenient things are unpalatable you might want to suggest what things you will eat - because it's just about taking that and putting it in a form that you can build a habit on.

 

[radderfire]

IMO, it would be better to try and eat healthily and in natural amounts according to your appetite. Forcing yourself to eat higher calories is not a good thing to be doing.

Focus on healthy attainable eating, get enough sleep, keep fit. If you are still having self-confidence issues, then you need to give yourself a break and think of ways to address that, as it's more a psychological issue.

I was very thin in my 20s, but I can't say it ever bothered me that much. You will naturally fill out as you get older, as I did. Some people are naturally thin, it's not a bad thing, and something you should learn to accept.

 

[dave28]

Well bread products are lethal for weight gain. Pizza, large bread rolls etc