Is it possible for me to put on weight?

nicktay2605

nicktay2605

nicktay2605

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Basically I find it incredibly difficult to bulk up because I have a fast metabollism and am doing a lot of exercise. I play football 3 times a week (twice competively), cycle to work and back each day, cycle about 20-30 miles most weekends, and do the odd jog. I eat like crazy, must consume about 3500 calories per day (mostly good stuff too) but I just struggle to put on weight.

Its recently led to me stopping going to the gym because over the course of about 15 months of weight training I only put on about 8-9 pounds. During that time I went through a strict eating process (had a list of foods which should help me bulk up, and ate these regularly), was consuming plenty of calories, and took protein shake twice a day, yet with little result. Is it due to the large amount of aerobic exercise I'm doing? I know extended cardio is bad for muscle loss but I really don't want to give up the football or cycling because they are my two greatest passions.
 
Considering the amount of calories you are burning off through exercise, the actual amount your body is going to metabolise is gonna be lower than 2000
 
nicktay2605 said:
I eat like crazy, must consume about 3500 calories per day (mostly good stuff too) but I just struggle to put on weight.
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When i was playing American football i could polish off over 3000cals in a post match meal. Unless you have a tapeworm, bottom line is you need to take in more cals.
 
You need to eat big to be big.

Just cut down on the cardio, its impossible for the body to add muscle when you are doing so much running and cycling, you ever seen a bulky runner or cyclist?
 
Eat more and train harder ;)
No such thing as 'can't grow' ( I know this is annoying to hear, but it's the truth)
 
I can relate to what you're saying. I've always been abit on the slim side, 6'0 tall and ~11 stones. I play footy 2-3 times a week and have done for years. I don't go gym though, don't really see the point yet I've always had a 6 pack, there aint much fat on me :p Yet I eat quite a lot and I'm always eating out.

My younger bro is the same as me, he's taller though, about 6'2 and he's got a 6 pack aswel and he probably eats more than me, but never puts any weight on. I've always been like this though, regardless of what I eat I stay the same, I've known other people to be the same and I've been told at some point your metabolism will just slow down itself.

I can't really give any advice though sorry, but I can understand and do agree it is very difficult to put weight on for some people.
 
Right so considering that much exercise how many calories should I be eating? Is there some kind of online estimator that can work it out? Or just a case of trial and error?

The only exercise I would consider stopping is jogging, I find it boring anyway! No chance any of the football is going, I've dumped gfs in the past rather than give up football so a whinge about my weight is not going to get in the way of that. Could cut down on the distance I cycle, but when I say cycle to work, its probably only about a 6 mile round trip, can't be burning massive calories doing that.
 
nicktay2605 said:
No chance any of the football is going, I've dumped gfs in the past rather than give up football so a whinge about my weight is not going to get in the way of that.
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:)

Always been the same with me. I knew one guy he was always ~10 stones, we use to play footy years back. I didn't see him for afew years but the next time I did he was built as hell and like 14-15 stones :eek: I said what the hell happened to you and he said he stopped everything, and just started using his weight's bench thats it, for about 2 years. I couldn't give up footy though, my weight isn't that much of an issue to me.
 
People who cannot put on weight do not exist,you can give me the skinnest guy you know and in a year I could mail him back to you looking like the hulk. you need to eat like a mammoth if you want to get big.
 
e36Adz said:
I can relate to what you're saying. I've always been abit on the slim side, 6'0 tall and ~11 stones. I play footy 2-3 times a week and have done for years. I don't go gym though, don't really see the point yet I've always had a 6 pack, there aint much fat on me :p Yet I eat quite a lot and I'm always eating out.

My younger bro is the same as me, he's taller though, about 6'2 and he's got a 6 pack aswel and he probably eats more than me, but never puts any weight on. I've always been like this though, regardless of what I eat I stay the same, I've known other people to be the same and I've been told at some point your metabolism will just slow down itself.

I can't really give any advice though sorry, but I can understand and do agree it is very difficult to put weight on for some people.
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oh my, tall people with no weight have 6 pack shocker!! 6 packs due to lack of fat while being stick thin is not a good look tbh :p
 
Morba said:
oh my, tall people with no weight have 6 pack shocker!! 6 packs due to lack of fat while being stick thin is not a good look tbh :p
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I'd put a pic up, but I wouldn't want to embarress all you 200 sit ups a day, 5 days a week gym go'ers :p;)
 
Eat more then is the obvious answer.

If you want to keep up the cardio and still grow, eat loads more. Eat 6000 calories a day and then tell me you wont grow.
 
e36Adz said:
I'd put a pic up, but I wouldn't want to embarrass all you 200 sit ups a day, 5 days a week gym go'ers :p;)
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You assume we'd be impressed by your 6-pack and not mock you for a lack of lat, chest, shoulder, trap, tricep, leg or calf development :p ;)

Morba said:
only situps i do is when getting up off the bench after pressing something :p
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LOL!

nicktay2605 said:
...SNIP...
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I'm *guessing* you eat a low fat diet. If this is the case............EAT FAT!! I'm not talking about eating pies and cakes, eat the good stuff. Swallow down some fish oils with breakfast, add a generous glug of oil olive to your lunch, snack on some nuts, use coconut in your cooking, treat yourself and add some real butter to pasta or potato etc. You can add lots of calories for very little effort by adding fat back into your diet.
 
MTA99, this might just be being completely stupid, but would eating more fats increase cholesterol? Because I am always quite skinny for my height, and I would like to bulk up a bit, but I don't want to start taking in loads of fat if I don't know how it will affect my future health.

Thanks
 
jr1104 said:
MTA99, this might just be being completely stupid, but would eating more fats increase cholesterol? Because I am always quite skinny for my height, and I would like to bulk up a bit, but I don't want to start taking in loads of fat if I don't know how it will affect my future health.

Thanks
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Here are a few quotes from wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholesterol)

Cholesterol is an essential component of mammalian cell membranes where it is required to establish proper membrane permeability and fluidity.
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Most of the cholesterol in the body is synthesized by the body and some has dietary origin.
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Some research indicates that cholesterol may act as an antioxidant.[7] Cholesterol also aids in the manufacture of bile (which is stored in the gallbladder and helps digest fats), and is also important for the metabolism of fat soluble vitamins, including vitamins A, D, E and K. It is the major precursor for the synthesis of vitamin D and of the various steroid hormones (which include cortisol and aldosterone in the adrenal glands, and the sex hormones progesterone, the various estrogens, testosterone, and derivatives).
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So it ain't all bad! ;)

Its not stupid of you to think that cholesterol is bad, its the way the media and medical profession try to get a fairly complex topic across the (stupid) general public.

Eat a balance of fats, try to limit your animal fat intake (although you do need some for making testosterone) and completely avoid anything with trans-fats ie. cakes and pies ;) (if its got "partially hydrogenated" on the label stay well clear!)
 
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