Strange Circumstances

[absolmorph]

I seem to be in an incredibly unique set of circumstances right now.
I'm skinny. Really, really skinny. Specifically, I weigh 125 pounds and I'm 5'9" tall. That's about 30 pounds below a healthy weight. I can run a hand down my ribs, and can feel them easily through the thickest part of the muscle on my chest.
I started working out and drinking weight-gain-helping shakes around the beginning of March. I've gained no weight. According to my brother, I should be. I'm now being forced into eating a meal (or at least SOMETHING) every 4 hours. And, despite him having a deep dislike of milk (it's unhealthy, apparently; his claims seem plausible, though I haven't checked them), he said "go ahead and drink it". Because I need more calories.
Apparently, a largely sedentary life style with about 3 hours of working out each week isn't enough to increase my weight.
I find this entire ordeal hilarious, especially since I know that quite a few of my friends would be very happy to switch places with me.

[Dallas-Dakota]

Milk, unless you're drinking some reaaaaaally weird kind, is not unhealthy.
Unless you drink too much, but then again, most drinks are unhealthy if you drink too much.

I'd say 2 liters is too much, better to mix up your range of drinks for the day.

Does he say why he thinks milk is unhealthy?

The rest: Good luck, I'm no weight expert so that's all I got.

[Zeb The Troll]

That was me when I joined the Army at 18 (seriously, at the time I joined I was 125lbs and 5'9"). Don't worry about it. While being active and exercising is a good thing, it won't necessarily put any meat on your bones. I didn't start filling out my chest and arms until I was about 22. At that time I settled into being about 140lbs until I stopped exercising regularly.

Odds are good that at some point later in your life your body will catch up so getting into good diet and exercise habits now will help muchly when that time comes.

EDIT: Milk - there are those who believe that cow's milk is unhealthy because it is meant for cows, not people. (I admit that I have wondered at times who first thought that bovine breast milk would be a good addition to the human diet, but there it is.) It's not a totally outlandish point of view, but as far as I know it is not substantiated by science in any way.

[Mr_Saturn]

I find that weird, since I'm 5'11'' and I'm only 130 and I find myself rather flabby.

[Maximum Zersk]

EDIT: Milk - there are those who believe that cow's milk is unhealthy because it is meant for cows, not people. (I admit that I have wondered at times who first thought that bovine breast milk would be a good addition to the human diet, but there it is.) It's not a totally outlandish point of view, but as far as I know it is not substantiated by science in any way.

Really? I've heard of a different one. That some of the proteins in the cow's milk can be a bit dangerous if overdone. That, and the whole "adding chemicals" stuff, that I'm not sure if it's true or not.

Anyway, I'm no expert on working out or gaining weight, so I can't help you there. Though eating slightly more fattening foods may help.

[absolmorph]

Milk, unless you're drinking some reaaaaaally weird kind, is not unhealthy.
Unless you drink too much, but then again, most drinks are unhealthy if you drink too much.

I'd say 2 liters is too much, better to mix up your range of drinks for the day.

Does he say why he thinks milk is unhealthy?
The only good thing it gives is Vitamin D, and spending some time outside will get you that. On the other hand, it apparently has saturated fat and basically no nutritious value.
And, of course, the whole "cows eating plants that were sprayed with pesticide" bit.

[thubby]

150 lbs is the dead center of the range of your bmi.
the low end for your height is around 135.

so you don't need to worry too much, just keep working out and eating healthy.

[absolmorph]

150 lbs is the dead center of the range of your bmi.
the low end for your height is around 135.

so you don't need to worry too much, just keep working out and eating healthy.
I strive to be average (http://mylifeisaverage.com/) :smallcool:

[Serpentine]

The only good thing it gives is Vitamin D, and spending some time outside will get you that. On the other hand, it apparently has saturated fat and basically no nutritious value.
And, of course, the whole "cows eating plants that were sprayed with pesticide" bit.What? :smallconfused: Uh... calcium? I'm quite certain it has other good things, as well - protein or somesuch. Dairy is kinda one of the Essential Food Groups... Also, I doubt that Australian cows, at least, eat much in the way of pesticides...

edit:
1 cup (250 ml) of 2%-fat milk contains 285 mg of calcium, which represents 22% to 29% of the daily recommended intake (DRI) of calcium for an adult. Depending on the age, milk contains 8 grams of protein, and a number of other nutrients (either naturally or through fortification) including:

Biotin
pantothenic acid
Iodine
Potassium
Magnesium
Selenium
Thiamine
Vitamin A
Vitamin B12
Riboflavin
Vitamins D
Vitamin K

[absolmorph]

What? :smallconfused: Uh... calcium? I'm quite certain it has other good things, as well - protein or somesuch. Dairy is kinda one of the Essential Food Groups... Also, I doubt that Australian cows, at least, eat much in the way of pesticides...
(I'm restating my brother's points on this. I haven't actually double-checked his claims.)
There are alternative, more efficient, ways of getting calcium. Like eating broccoli.
And the same applies to protein.

[Zeb The Troll]

I had a long post refuting the "no nutritional value" claim but the backups ate it. :smallsigh:

Anyway, the USDA website corroborates Serp's post about the plethora of additional vitamins and minerals found in milk, most notably calcium and potassium, but also some of the B vitamins and vitamin A.

As to whether there are other ways to get those nutrients, that has no bearing on whether or not milk has "basically no nutritional value" which is patently false.

[Jimorian]

I was 6'1" and 122 lbs when I graduated high school. Now I'm around 170, but it came in small increments. 140 range after college, 155ish for a while, and now I've been settled here for a few years, so I'm not too worried about it going beyond this. Seems that everybody eventually puts on 40-50 lbs after school, I just get to say that it put me where I belong. :smallsmile:

So don't fret too much. Mostly, if you keep an active lifestyle, you'll naturally eat to supply the energy for it, and some of that will eventually start sticking where you want it to be.

[Serpentine]

(I'm restating my brother's points on this. I haven't actually double-checked his claims.)
There are alternative, more efficient, ways of getting calcium. Like eating broccoli.
And the same applies to protein.From Wiki again:
Calcium from dairy products has a greater bioavailability than calcium from certain vegetables, such as spinach, that contain high levels of calcium-chelating agents,[41] but a similar or lesser bioavailability than calcium from low-oxalate vegetables such as kale, broccoli, or other vegetables in the Brassica genus.In any case, as already said, the "no nutritional value" claim is just plain absurd. And "other ways of getting the same things" is no particular argument against consuming something.

On your actual problem, I recommend talking to GP, just in case there's something... that needs fixing. Otherwise, as long as you're eating enough and well, and getting a reasonable amount of exercise, I wouldn't worry.

[Spiryt]

Weight gain shakes are either :

- total crap

or

- are for the people who seriously build muscles, have precise diet, excersises and stuff.

Anyway how old are you? If you are below 18, this weight is most probably very normal. When I was ~ 14 I haven't probably even weighted 120 pounds and I'm 5' 9'' too.


I find that weird, since I'm 5'11'' and I'm only 130 and I find myself rather flabby.

Well, you can be, it all depends, people are built very differently.

If you are 130 pounds you can easily look "flabby" with ~20% of body fat, for example.

[Capt Spanner]

You don't sound unhealthy to me.

I'm 5' 7" and was 110lb until I took a job which involves heavy lifting.
Two years of that job and I'm now 175lb (but no fatter).

[Serpentine]

Right. Absolmorph: Measure your waist at its narrowest, and your hips at their widest. Divide the former by the latter. Your ideal result is 0.9, although that's for a full-grown adult, so it might not be totally accurate for a teenager.

[Coidzor]

(I'm restating my brother's points on this. I haven't actually double-checked his claims.)

Haven't we gone through this with you earlier already anyway? :smallconfused: By now you should either accept that you're letting him dictate your world view or have established your own position on such things.

Anyhoo: Have you made sure you don't have any intestinal parasites? Is a bit of a longshot compared to the metabolism answer. But were you losing weight before you started on this attempt at bulking up?

[Ashtar]

A good friend of mine just can't gain any weight, as soon as he stops taking extremely high caloric intakes, he goes back down to his 130 lbs, he's 6' tall. He blames genetics and a highly active thyroid.

[Kneenibble]

Sign me up on the pro-milk team!

Besides what they already said, you'd have to eat 2 kilograms of broccoli to get the RDA of calcium. Beans are a lot better, but you'd still have to eat several cups of cooked beans each day to get 100%.

I recommend clarified butter as a weight-gain food. It is delicious.

[absolmorph]

Haven't we gone through this with you earlier already anyway? :smallconfused: By now you should either accept that you're letting him dictate your world view or have established your own position on such things.

Anyhoo: Have you made sure you don't have any intestinal parasites? Is a bit of a longshot compared to the metabolism answer. But were you losing weight before you started on this attempt at bulking up?
I honestly don't care if it's bad for me or not; I enjoy drinking it, I was simply restating my brother's claims on the subject.

I was pretty steady at 125 before this. I weighed myself a few months before I started this, and it was about 125 (like .2 underneath), and a few months before that it was at 125, as well.

[Thajocoth]

I get pretty much all my protein from milk. It's very healthy. Unless you're drinking half and half or something... I drink 1% milk. Now if I ever have whole milk, it tastes a lot like ice cream to me.

Why do you need to gain weight? Your body obviously doesn't think you do.

[absolmorph]

Because, to be a weight that's considered "healthy" I need to gain at least 8 pounds (turns out, I HAVE gained a bit of weight; I then proceeded to pee it away, literally). I'm currently underweight. My goal is to gain 30 pounds, which will be primarily muscle, in order to take care of my other major insecurity: being unable to carry anything of significant weight.

[Xaeo]

Often times when it comes to lifting and carrying heavy objects, it is more often dependent on the technique a person uses that determines if they can lift an object up without hurting themselves.

For Example, stone masons and people who work with concrete/cement/bricks all day lift only with their legs. Mainly for two reasons: 1, not putting their back out of whack. and 2, because more often then not, your legs are much stronger then the rest of your body.

So, if your feeling like you can't lift up heavy things, chances are it is how your carrying an item, or picking it up which is the limiting factor. If you would like to see how other skinny guys do it, try watching construction workers, or even people who work in the glass trade (a glazier).

The Glaziers are good to watch due to the fact that you can't twist or bend glass when carrying it (cause it'll go Ka-Bloom).

But, this is all opinion. So, this might help you, or just might infuriate you :smalltongue:

[Spiryt]

My goal is to gain 30 pounds, which will be primarily muscle, in order to take care of my other major insecurity: being unable to carry anything of significant weight.

Seriously gaining 30 pounds of muscle is pretty hardcore thing for pretty much anyone who isn't very big to start, :smalleek: and especially in instance when it means practically means gaining another 50 % of mucle mass.

To do so you should really check some sport forum when you can find ways to plan professional diet and exercises. It requires some knowledge and/or help.

Alternatively, I recall quite a few Playgrounders who I recall, had some good knowledge about it. I think that Crow was one, of them, and she still has this stuff in signature (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?u=29433), so I think won't be mad if you ask. :smallsmile:

Drinking some weird stuff and milk won't help you, especially if your body apparently doesn't like to gain weight easily.

[Telonius]

A good friend of mine just can't gain any weight, as soon as he stops taking extremely high caloric intakes, he goes back down to his 130 lbs, he's 6' tall. He blames genetics and a highly active thyroid.

Thyroid issues will do it.

If you really aren't gaining any weight at all, there might be a few other things you could check out, particularly if you tend to be fatigued a lot of the time. Parasites come to mind. It's really icky to think about, but a tapeworm could be causing some of the non-gain issues. Celiac disease (i.e. gluten intolerance) could be another one. Celiac comes in two flavors, really skinny and can't gain weight, and flabby and can't lose it. (In the "flabby" type, it's sometimes misdiagnosed as borderline thyroid issues). Your doctor would be able to tell you if either one - or anything else non-doctor me hasn't thought of - applies.

[Mando Knight]

I was simply restating my brother's claims on the subject.

Which, unless he's a licensed nutritionist, is a load of you-know-what, and you can tell him that. Milk is verified as a nutritious drink by the power of SCIENCE! (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ForScience), and is recommended for pretty much everyone who isn't lactose intolerant.

[KuReshtin]

Because, to be a weight that's considered "healthy" I need to gain at least 8 pounds (turns out, I HAVE gained a bit of weight; I then proceeded to pee it away, literally). I'm currently underweight. My goal is to gain 30 pounds, which will be primarily muscle, in order to take care of my other major insecurity: being unable to carry anything of significant weight.

Who's told you that your weight is 'unhealthy'? Have you been told by a doctor that you need to gain weight, or is it just soemthing you've read somewhere, or that your brother have told you?

If you don't suffer from being the weight you are now, then your weight isn't unhealthy.
The best thing to do is to listen to your own body, and not what some BMI chart tells you.

If you're only 8 pounds under what is 'considered healthy' and you're not suffering from extreme fatigue, sudden dizziness or feeling faint when exerting yourself, then you don't need to worry about it. As has been stated before in the thread, it'll sort itself out eventually. Your body knows what's good for it, and if being 125 lbs doesn't cause any problems for you, then you don't need to gain weight.

[Brother Oni]

From my experience, 3 hours a week working out isn't enough for you to need protein supplements in your diet - a standard healthy balanced diet should provide all your protein needs.

If you went up to an hour or two a day, seven days a week with a specific exercise plan, then you'll probably need it.

I wouldn't worry too much about your BMI as it's highly dependent on your body shape. I've seen weightlifters with a BMI of 42, but with barely any body fat at all.

[absolmorph]

Seriously gaining 30 pounds of muscle is pretty hardcore thing for pretty much anyone who isn't very big to start, :smalleek: and especially in instance when it means practically means gaining another 50 % of mucle mass.

To do so you should really check some sport forum when you can find ways to plan professional diet and exercises. It requires some knowledge and/or help.

Alternatively, I recall quite a few Playgrounders who I recall, had some good knowledge about it. I think that Crow was one, of them, and she still has this stuff in signature (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?u=29433), so I think won't be mad if you ask. :smallsmile:

Drinking some weird stuff and milk won't help you, especially if your body apparently doesn't like to gain weight easily.
30 pounds is my end goal. It'll probably take a long time to reach it. My current goal is just 8 pounds. Me gaining 30 pounds soon is a ridiculous idea, and is something that's more likely to happen over the next few years.

[KuReshtin]

30 pounds is my end goal. It'll probably take a long time to reach it. My current goal is just 8 pounds. Me gaining 30 pounds soon is a ridiculous idea, and is something that's more likely to happen over the next few years.

It's been asked before in this thread, and I'll ask it again. How old are you? If you're still a teenager, your body will take care of the weight gain in due time, and you don't have to worry about it.

[absolmorph]

It's been asked before in this thread, and I'll ask it again. How old are you? If you're still a teenager, your body will take care of the weight gain in due time, and you don't have to worry about it.
I prefer gaining weight on my own terms, and I've seen no indication that it'll take care of itself so far.
Plus, I'm (personally) more focused on just getting stronger.

[Syka]

My ex could not gain weight to save his life. When we began dating, and through most of the three years that we did, he was 6'2ish and 125. Towards the end, he knocked it up to 135. We're not sure if it was due to the Freshman 15 or just normal winter weight gain (after he quit track, he put about 5 pounds on, too).

The kid was a bean pole. But it was his body's equilibrium and there was no need for him to put on more weight. It did it naturally, too. He was 16 when we began dating and he DID gain weight over that time period.

If you are still in the teenage years, even if toward the upper end, you're body likely will change. If you aren't experiencing any adverse effects as it is, doing what you are trying to do could be CONSIDERABLY DETRIMENTAL without the advice of a doctor or trained nutritionist who knows what they are doing.


I mean, really, gaining weight is one thing. Gaining weight by eating a bunch of fatty stuff is unhealthy. Even if it knocks you up to a 'healthy' weight, it's NOT HEALTHY. It's called being skinny-fat, where one looks normal/skinny on the outside but there is really only fat and limited muscle.

And trust me...having dated a guy who used those protein supplement shakes (the whey stuff or whatever) that supposedly build muscle...unless you work out a lot, they do crap. All they did too him was make him moody and occasionally aggressive and paranoid.

[Ellen]

Advice #1 - See a doctor.

You need sound information on why you're at a certain weight and what steps you should be taking to correct it.

The people on this thread have asked some questions which haven't been answered. From what you've said so for, we don't know if you're perfectly healthy except for your dissatisfaction with your weight and muscle ratios. We don't know if you're still in your growth spurt. We don't know if you have signs of parasites, thyroid problems, a condition like celiac's, or any other issues. All we know is that you're not happy with your current physique.

Everybody knows about anorexics and bulemics and has seen the pictures of those girls who look like living skeletons who say they still need to lose a few pounds.

What you may not know is that it happens to guys, too. But, with guys, it's more likely to take the form of thinking they just need to gain a few more pounds of muscle.

Now, obviously, there are people who need to lose weight just as there are people who wouldn't be hurt by a decent exercise program. Also, obviously, I don't know which kind you are - but some of the things you've said worry me.

True, I'm one of nature's worryworts, the kind of person destined to find clouds for every silver lining. But I feel like you're avoiding giving any information - like age and other health factors - that might not support that your current weight is unhealthy.

If I'm wrong, then see a doctor.

If I'm not wrong, then see a doctor.

Look, I've known people with metabolic disorders that made weight gain difficult. There are illnesses and conditions that can interfere with your body's ability to absorb nutrients and calories. Many of these are easily treatable once you know what the problem is.

A doctor can also give you advice on a good, musle building, exercise routine. Also, trust me, the average doctor has seen plenty of ways to gain weight. They usually put it in the negative - don't do this, don't do that - but they know all the tricks to add on pounds.

[Deathslayer7]

im 6' 4'' and weigh 165 lbs. :smallbiggrin:

so not as strange as you make it out.

[Serpentine]

Just gonna repeat myself here...
On your actual problem, I recommend talking to GP, just in case there's something... that needs fixing. Otherwise, as long as you're eating enough and well, and getting a reasonable amount of exercise, I wouldn't worry.
Right. Absolmorph: Measure your waist at its narrowest, and your hips at their widest. Divide the former by the latter. Your ideal result is 0.9, although that's for a full-grown adult, so it might not be totally accurate for a teenager.To expand on the latter: mere weight has been demonstrated to be a not particularly accurate indicator of health. The hip-to-waist ratio, while still not perfect, is much better. So I would like to hear less about how much you weigh, and more about this.

[Aedilred]

In today's obesity-obsessed age, the idea of trying to put on weightfor its own sake, unless you're dangerously underweight- which I can't belive you are given what you've said above- seems to me to be utterly bizarre.

Now, if you were just trying to get fitter, that's a different ball game. That's usually to be encouraged. Filling out a bit, and gaining a bit of weight through muscle mass, is a side effect of this, but it shouldn't be an end in itself.

As people have previously said, you're still relatively young, and during (and immediately after) adolescence peoples' body weight can fluctuate considerably. You'll know when it's time to be bulking out because your body will be demanding that you feed it ALL THE TIME. If you start doing more exercise, you'll likely also find yourself wanting to eat more to help maintain your energy levels. There's no point in forcing yourself to eat just to meet some socially preconceived idea of what's a "normal" weight.

Apart from anything else, the BMI totally fails to take into account build and skeletal structure in its definition of what's under/over-weight; not to mention that because muscle is a lot denser than fat, it's possible to be very fit and come out looking extremely unhealthy. It's a vague guideline, not a rule, and generally I can tell just from looking at myself whether I need to pay a bit more attention to what I'm eating for a while to get rid of some of the gut.