Why can't I put on any more weight? Am I just limited by my genetics?

Mmmm... I'm not really a bodybuilder (who knew?) so would miss a lot of the 'required' stuff. So take ice's advice. :)
There's still capacity for the amount of exercises he's doing to be a bad thing.



Vegeta, I've given you my advice, as have others, take it or leave it :)
 
There's still capacity for the amount of exercises he's doing to be a bad thing.



Vegeta, I've given you my advice, as have others, take it or leave it :)

I'll leave that one piece of advice ;) not everyone's the same I can't physically do them exercises all on one day my grips not strong enough for that maybe in the future if it becomes stronger but it's just a weak point of mine as are my biceps and calves. I would appreciate diet advice the way people are going on it's as if i'm eating kebab meat, pizza and chocolate! What alternatives would you guys suggest instead of the flapjacks, muesli and the apple that'll give me all these devastating insulin spikes.
 
I'll leave that one piece of advice ;) not everyone's the same I can't physically do them exercises all on one day my grips not strong enough for that maybe in the future if it becomes stronger but it's just a weak point of mine as are my biceps and calves. I would appreciate diet advice the way people are going on it's as if i'm eating kebab meat, pizza and chocolate! What alternatives would you guys suggest instead of the flapjacks, muesli and the apple that'll give me all these devastating insulin spikes.

Ignoring the advice of a gym guru. Honestly have you seen what this guys achieved?

Listen to him, soak up the free advice. It's worth more than you'll get anywhere else.

Your choice.
 
Do dead lifts and all your rowing. You may struggle at first with the rows but your grip will get stronger. Not doing dead lift is a big mistake, it will teach you a lot and make you grow.
 
Do dead lifts and all your rowing. You may struggle at first with the rows but your grip will get stronger. Not doing dead lift is a big mistake, it will teach you a lot and make you grow.

I do them just on leg days. I'll follow his advice though and cycle them in on back days it'll mean I get to do squats more than once a week so it's not all bad :cool:

What are you guys eating then? I find it hard to eat well and reach a calorie goal. I'm surprised you all think muesli, apple and milk is terrible?
 
I do them just on leg days. I'll follow his advice though and cycle them in on back days it'll mean I get to do squats more than once a week so it's not all bad :cool:

What are you guys eating then? I find it hard to eat well and reach a calorie goal. I'm surprised you all think muesli, apple and milk is terrible?

My diets not the best but as an example this is what I had (or will be having) today:

Breakfast shake: 100g Oats, 50G Peanut Butter, a banana, 25g Whey Protein - Vanilla flavour, 400ml milk, teaspoon of honey.

lunch: Tuna pasta salad: 100g wholewheat Penne, tin of tuna, Half an Avocado, Handful of cherry tomatoes, 80g sweetcorn, 2 tablespoons mayonaisse.

Dinner: 240g Sirloin steak, 80g broccoli, 80g peas, 80g Carrots Sweet Potato/Swede Mash about 100g of each.

When I get a new blender I'll be adding in a pre/post workout shake of something like: 80g pineapple, an apple, 80g kale, 100g yoghurt, juice of half a lemon.

Would usually have quark and blueberries as a snack as well but haven't had a chance to get to Sainsbury's.

On other days I'd have Brown rice+ mixed beans+chicken/wholewheat pasta and chicken with lots of veggies mixed in or Salmon with Potatoes/sweet potatoes+veggies or an omlette or tuna salad which are all interchangeable as either lunch or dinner.

Works out about 3,500 kcal a day.

in a couple of months I might up the cals with some nuts or something. I just aim to eat upto 9 portions of fruit/veg a day and stick to things people should eat.
 
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Why isn't your diet the best example? Looks pretty good to me. Seems like a lot of effort for the food you're preparing though I might have to dedicate a day to cooking :/
 
I understand that some of you are saying that he is eating too much sugar and not enough greens. If his complaint were that he was putting on too much weight/fat and wants to know why, the sugar intake would be a good answer. In this case, I'd advise a clean up of his diet.

However, his question is: why isn't he putting on weight. Why is he so thin?

If he eats more greens, his stomach will get fuller and he will end up taking less calories = reduced body weight. Green vegetables are not calorie dense and prevent you from increasing your calorie intake, per mouthful of food. I know, because I tried and after about 300 cals worth of vegetables, I am too full to eat any more. If he wanted to lose weight, I'd say eat more vegetables.

To add weight, you need calorie dense foods (peanut butter is great). The most calories per mouthful of food is what he should be aiming for (unless he wants to be chewing constantly).
He is also eating eggs with butter - great.
Nuts are great way of increasing calorie intake - snack on these between meals.

If he cleans up his diet, as some people have suggested, he will end up reducing his calorie intake and will lose weight....not gain weight. He does not want to lose weight.

My suspicion is that the OP is not eating 4000+ cals.
OP: are you 100% positive that you are ingesting 4000+ cals per day? Can you post some pics of your muesli bowl?

Also, how old is the OP? When men are young, it is normal to find it difficult to add weight. As men age, they fill out (naturally).

My belief is that the OP is either eating less than 3000 cals/day OR his lifestyle is using up a huge number of calories (maybe he is a cycle courier or manual labourer).

My other suspicion is that the OP might have being eating the high calorie diet, for only a few days. Or, he is eating big for a few days, then eating small for a few days, so the net result is maintaining body-weight. To add weight, you need to be consistent. Overeat constantly for a few weeks (no breaks, in between) and the difference will definitely show. Its impossible for it not to. The excess calories have to be stored somewhere (fat or muscle), but in any case, a weight gain should occur.

Anyway, OP, stick at it, don't give up and you will definitely add weight.
 
Yeah i think people are ignoring that sunama and just jumping on the 'omg flapjacks' train.
His question wasn't why am i getting fat and putting on no muscle, it was why am i not gaining weight full stop.

My diet is a piece of **** from a food point of view, still making good gains because i'm hitting them there macros.. There is obviously something you aren't informing us about your activity/intake OP.
 
I have added weight - nearly a stone but it's came to a stop and I've lost a bit since the intensity of my workouts have increased from 5 days to 6 a week.
I genuinely do eat that amount as I prepare my food for work so it's consistent. I am a manual labourer i'm on my feet all day on a car manufacturing line. I'm 27.

I'll take a picture of every meal I have tomorrow and upload them here, you guys can decide if i'm hitting 4,000+ calories a day or not. My diet even when I was lighter was always more than most people I've just added a bigger amount of the meals I already eat.
 
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I am a manual labourer i'm on my feet all day on a car manufacturing line.

So there you go. The extremely important information you forgot to give. End of the day, you aren't eating enough. It's like the guy who forgot to tell us he swims for 18 hours a day and everyone was going crazy about his calories too.
 
I never thought it would make that much of a difference i'm not rushing about but i'm on my feet all day pretty much walking.
 
I'd also like to know the answer to this question.
Can someone give detailed reasons for muesli, apple or milk being bad?

I genuinely would like to know this.

It's pretty obvious - especially for someone who knows as much as you do I thought you'd know?


Anyway, irrespective of the fact I find his diet appalling (but i'm a food / health / nutrition snob) from what he's said he just isn't eating enough - but he's also not eating very well which doesn't help either.
 
Rather than just say you should know can you explain why muesli, apple and milk are bad? Because if I googled all of them things I know for sure no one would be saying it's bad to have muesli, apple or milk.

What does your diet consist of? You're a big guy no doubt most of it just the way you're built but still.
 
If he eats more greens, his stomach will get fuller and he will end up taking less calories = reduced body weight. Green vegetables are not calorie dense and prevent you from increasing your calorie intake, per mouthful of food. I know, because I tried and after about 300 cals worth of vegetables, I am too full to eat any more. If he wanted to lose weight, I'd say eat more vegetables.

So what? Greens and veg are crucial to good health and good biological function.


If he cleans up his diet, as some people have suggested, he will end up reducing his calorie intake and will lose weight....not gain weight. He does not want to lose weight.

Not true.

My suspicion is that the OP is not eating 4000+ cals.
OP: are you 100% positive that you are ingesting 4000+ cals per day? Can you post some pics of your muesli bowl?

I think it's clear he isn't - but he says he's a labourer so using a lot of energy too.

Also, how old is the OP? When men are young, it is normal to find it difficult to add weight. As men age, they fill out (naturally).

Not 100% accurate.
 
You need to eat foods that promote good health and with the aid of your training the weight/muscle gain will come naturally from there, proteins, fats and natural carb sources.

Eating a load of processed garbage which you're doing at the moment won't get you anywhere. Eat a variety of fresh meats/fish/eggs & good amounts of natural fats from animal and plant sources, e.g butter, tallows, lard, VCO, olive oil, fish oils etc. Fats, especially saturated fats have profoundly positive effects on hormone levels including both testosterone and growth hormone.

Get carbs from fresh veg, fruits some starches from sweet potato etc, wholegrains from brown rice if you want, commercial breads etc are full of crap and best avoided IMO. Just shoving loads of processed carbs in will undoubtedly increase body weight but most of it will be fat, be wise in carb choices (nothing processed/refined) eat plenty of proteins and don't be afraid of fats, fats promote health and anything health promoting is a bodybuilders friend.

Train hard, rest up and don't look for quick fixes such as bulk up powders, real food is the key here. Building a good physique IMO should be done gradually, dedicate yourself year in year out, learn as much as you can about the body and nutrition. Concentrate on form/technique in you're exercises, it's much more effective to use good form with a weight you can handle than to pile the weight on and struggle to maintain good technique.

Most of all though just enjoy what you're doing, take heart in the fact that you are supplying your body with top class nutrition and gradually becoming healthier, fitter and with the aid of your training stronger.
 
Rather than just say you should know can you explain why muesli, apple and milk are bad? Because if I googled all of them things I know for sure no one would be saying it's bad to have muesli, apple or milk.

What does your diet consist of? You're a big guy no doubt most of it just the way you're built but still.

Refined/process foods, and heavily milled foods are poor quality. Muesli is generally that. However, if you can secure some unmilled un processed cereals and make your own - then of course we're dealing with a different case.

Apples are fine.

I'm not a fan of mass produced dairy - for the same reasons, refined/processed and nutritionally poor. However, if you don't care about that, then you should keep at it. At least go for full fat - or unhomoginsed if you want some decent flavour.

If you DO want good quality milk, fresh unpasturised milk is the best - as you get all the nutrition - but then you have to be careful where you get it from.

Ultimately it's up to you. I don't eat crap - I'm boring, I'm a health/fitness/food snob - and I like a certain quality of food and can afford to be picky about what I eat.

I've always been against heavily refined/processed foods - and it's hard in this day and age to get away from it unfortunately.

Cereals in general are poor - especially the mass produced stuff (then again what stuff isn't?).

However, I do understand that for most people, they don't really care, and that it's too expensive to live this way - and for that I do not hold any contempt - because it IS expensive. This is my bone of contention, this good quality food shouldn't be expensive, and good fresh produce SHOULD be available to all at a decent price. However, the cost of mass production and poor quality refined foods haver been so low and is a hangover from the wars - we were living off refined/processed foods as a result of the world wars and it's effect it had on farming, and food. As such we've never really recovered from that behaviour or addiction and it is now the norm. It's just part and parcel of the British culture to eat food from a can or a packet and think it's "good" whereas it really isn't.

A lot of the other parts of the world, taking the Med for example, live of fresh produce and as such have a far healthier and better diet - and this is proven in terms of longevity as well as heart diseases as well as other gastro-based diseases.

Anyway, this is going off topic, I'm not here to share fact with you or tell you what you should and should not do - I'm just giving you basic truths about modern food in this country.

In principle, there's nothing wrong really as it's for you to choose - and for no one else to judge - we can just provide you with the information. You have to do what you can afford and what works for you. In this day an age we're stuck with what we've got unless you live in "dreamland" of nutrition and food. We also have to let our hair down and enjoy what we eat irrespective of where it's come from / what it is - I'm not perfect either, but I make advised choices.

The choice is now yours.

I personally like to try and follow as healthy a diet/lifestyle as possible - not just eat for the sake of filling some macros - it's not just about going to the gym and stuffing my face, but making conscious decisions as to what I am eating and promoting health.
 
If I need to eat more than what i'm eating now then i give up I can't. I feel full/bloated all day long and have done since December.
 
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