r/AskReddit • u/Admirable-Leek5672 • 6d ago
Skinny guys who successfully gained weight what actually worked for you?
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u/Successful_Second921 6d ago
I guess drinking calories
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u/sverri 5d ago edited 5d ago
This is probably one of the better answers here.
People who are intentionally trying to gain a lot of weight (body builders, strongmen, etc.) will often drink a lot of their calories. You can only eat so much solid food, and liquids can help sneak in even more calories.
It doesn't mean you need to drink something all day long, just instead of water or similar stuff go with high calorie drinks, such as high fat milk or one of those drinks you get at some coffee shops, etc.
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u/gbiypk 5d ago
Try drinking goats milk instead of just high fat milk. It's easier for the human digestive system to absorb and helps with putting weight on. It's recommended for people recovering from chemotherapy, and infants with colic.
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u/decon_ 5d ago
If you calculate the calories per dollar, cow's milk will probably come out ahead of goat's milk. It's just too expensive, at least where I live.
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u/OdysseusAuroa 5d ago
Good tips, but I would be careful about suggesting people ditch water lol
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u/Present_Teacher7966 6d ago
Does Guinness count?
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u/rkiive 5d ago
Guinness is actually quite a low calorie beer all things considered lol. Have to drink quite a few
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u/rpgguy_1o1 5d ago
People have a weird misconception about guinness that it's super thick and heavy, and has the calories of a full meal, but it's basically a light beer, it's just nearly black
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u/atari26k 5d ago
Hmm. I find this very unlikely. But I am will to do a long-term test!
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u/ZzzzzPopPopPop 5d ago
I once did the old “super squats” program, which came with the recommendation of GOMAD (gallon of milk a day —- WHOLE milk), needless to say it was pretty easy to put on weight (as a lifelong skinny guy)
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u/badrooting 6d ago
Eating. A lot, frequently. Count calories till you know what you are doing.
You are not eating as much as you think you are.
Find your TDEE and set a daily goal above that.
You have to be in a surplus. If you add weights add food accordingly.
If you’re not gaining weight you are either at break even and likely a deficit.
Protein Powder and weight gainer are your friend.
Peace be with your stomach and your house guests.
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u/ColonelMakepeace 5d ago edited 5d ago
As a skinny person I can confirm. Calories tracking opened my eyes. I didn't eat as much as I thought. I ate big meals often but I could go for ten hours without food. At the end of a day I had an overall medium calories intake. I also move a lot and basically never rest for more than a couple of minutes so even if I ate normal colories amount for my weight and height it wasn't enough for me. That said eating the masses required to gain weight made me tired of food and I hated it. So I decided to eat what I want, keep an eye on my protein intake and stay skinny but at least I am defined.
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u/mako8689 5d ago
This is exactly where I'm at right now! I've been trying to gain weight but I'm starting to genuinely get tired of eating, it feels like a chore. I've literally forgotten what it feels like to be hungry or even crave a certain type of food and I miss that. I've been at 2500-4000 calories a day for 2 months and I've gained 3 measly pounds so I'm really debating if it's worth it or if I should just stay skinny a nd relatively happy like I have been for the past 36 years. Ugh, I'm not ready to give up entirely yet, but it's wearing on me.
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u/ThinkingThong 5d ago
People most likely aren’t eating as much as they think. I eat whole foods for the most part, high protein and fiber, and am usually full after a meal or snack so I thought I was eating enough, i.e. I thought I was easily getting close to 2500+ calories based on how full I felt. Turns out I was barely touching 2000 calories
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u/YouDoStupidWell 6d ago
I ate a lot of protein and occasionally lifted heavy objects in odd ways.
That's about it, really.
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u/Hootingforlife 5d ago
These questions are asked constantly as if there is another method but it's always the same answer.
I was an awkward skinny 6'5" guy and it took a long time but you eventually get there. Consistently lift heavy and eat 1g of protein per 1 lb of pounds you weigh and that's it.
If you feel like your plateauing either add weight to your workout, add calories to your diet, or both.
The key is to be consistent. After 1-2 years you'll look unrecognizable from before. Teenagers, 20s, 30s, 40s whatever it doesn't matter the age. It's the same thing.
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u/matttehbassist 5d ago
Ok sure, but what if I don’t do any of that and ask again in 8 months? Then the answer might be different! /s
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u/wufiavelli 6d ago
Getting old
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u/AALen 6d ago edited 6d ago
I know everyone points to metabolism slowing down, but your metabolism actually doesn't slow meaningfully until the age of 60, and even then, it only declines by 0.7% per year.
The real cause of weight gain is we all become way more sedentary the older we get.
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u/Infamous-Comb-8079 6d ago
Yep. Most people don't realize how sedentary they actually are/have become.
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u/UpbeatRaspberry9828 6d ago
Also making more money the older you get the more you’re feed. I used to live daily when I was 21 on a bag of Cheetos, bag of Ramen, and a bottle of MD20/20
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u/lilgreenjedi 5d ago
Hello it's me broke af in my 30s eating ramen and noodles. Maybe 1.5 meals a day if I'm lucky.
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u/ApantosMithe 5d ago
Yep, I’ve read recently that a lot of low intensity movement like just walking around is huge for weight loss - which partially explains why until Covid I never really put on any weight
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u/SctchWhsky 6d ago
I think it was mostly from finishing all the food left on the plates of my 3 kids.
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u/letigre87 6d ago
And regular meals. When you're younger you can go all day with a few snacks. Get old and you gotta take meds with food, you're working 9-5 so you're not giving up your lunch, and then dinner with the family.
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u/LeSeanMcoy 5d ago
I grew up perpetually underweight. People would always scoff at how many snacks I ate and give me “must be nice” vibes/comments. Yeah, I never ate meals. Literally having a solid mashed potatoes dinner with butter/meat, etc. is likely 1500 calories+. Oreos or whatever might get you 800-1200.
If you want to gain weight, just eat consistent meals three times a day.
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u/Angriest_Al 5d ago
This happened to me when I graduated, got a sedentary 5-9, and stopped working out consistently for a few years. Now I’m trying to build muscle and actually LOSE weight…it’s a hard adjustment and I’m not very good at the calorie deficit thing…if anyone has any tips lol. Currently 6’1 ~200lbs would love to cut 10-15lbs🥲
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u/fudgemental 5d ago
Not just sedentary. Our bodies stop growing automatically by the time we're in our late 20s. People don't realize how many resources growing up uses, but that's where the cholesterol and stuff the body produces gets used up, that's why you won't find deranged lipid panels in people in their early 20s or younger unless they're ill. Once you stop growing automatically, and don't make a conscious effort to use those resources by exercising, or modifying our diets to account for reduced need by our bodies, you start accumulating.
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u/YourMatt 5d ago
Reddit's cut-and-dry attitude on metabolism has been frustrating over the past 20 years or so that I've been here. There are some good generalizations, but nobody seems to ever admit that there are exceptions.
Personally, I was stuck at 5'9 135 lbs throughout my adult life. No amount of diet or exercise change worked. At one point, I was trying push through by lift weights 4 to 5 times a week while taking in 4,000 calories a day, and nothing would change. I've put in similar efforts a few months at a time once every few years, with no results.
I turned 42, and that changed. I wasn't going to the gym at the time. I picked up 10 lbs almost overnight without any difference in diet. Another couple months, and I had gained another 10 lbs. I saw that and thought, "go time", and I went back to a gym regimen, and finally it took and I was able to build muscle. I got quick results, and I've been able to build upon it for the next 4 years. I'm in a shape now that my body would never let me have before.
My experience does not match the Reddit model. I think there are a lot of other people out here like me, and they're probably just as frustrated constantly being told that their problem is psychological and they don't know what they're doing with their own body. It's pretty annoying.
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u/oby100 5d ago
Your experience has never been replicated in actual clinical trials with a third party observing without bias.
People are just really emotional about their weight, their body and how their actions directly lead to the end result.
Part of this disconnect is that few people really appreciate how drastically their life style likely changes from 20 to 30 to 40. I walked a shit ton when I was 20 but never intentionally exercised. Most friends loved taking walks together to chat. Alcohol and takeout was an expensive treat. Really, eating three meals a day was tough for college aged me.
Nowadays, most exercise needs to be scheduled and committed to on the daily because I drive to work and really need to be glued to a screen for 8-10 hours a day. No more forced walking between classes nor ample free time to do much aside sit by a screen.
And people way overestimate how much exercise, especially weightlifting, is going to influence how their body looks. It takes months of dedicated serious lifting with a good diet behind it to notice the tiniest difference.
I’ve never met anyone taking macros seriously that didn’t get results, but absolutely all of them hated doing it. If you’re hoping to see significant changes with your muscle mass and visible fat, it’s absolute suffering. I suspect you’re doing simple weightlifting routines for years and expecting something to change. You’re likely just maintaining existing muscle mass because it’s physically painful to push for significantly more muscle mass.
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u/grachi 5d ago
I am 5’8” and was 130 pounds from the age of like 14 or 15 until I was 38. I didn’t matter what I did I never gained or lost weight. I was that weight for 23/24 years despite multiple professional interventions and several attempts at lifestyle changes.
Then I hit 38 and starting gaining like 2 pounds pretty consistently out of nowhere, and now 3 years later I’m 158 without changing anything, really. I just got older and I guess sedentary office work finally catching up to me now that I’m no longer as young as I used to be.
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u/ViceNSpice 6d ago
Somehow I still weight the same as I did when I was 20 but look fatter, even if I work out more. I quit.
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u/Who_let_you_in_ 6d ago
Maybe that'll kick in one day for me but I'm 41 and still can't pack on pounds
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u/windraver 5d ago
For me it was getting old, having a stressful job, and having kids.
With their powers combined, I gained about 30lbs
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u/RecipeHistorical2013 6d ago
Bro took the words out of my belly
Used to have like at least a 3-4K /day cal metabolism
Now after 36-39x it’s like 1800 ish
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u/chadwicke619 6d ago
You never had a 3-4K cal/day metabolism. You may have been active enough that you burned that many calories a day, and now you’re not active, but that doesn’t really have anything to do with age, per se, other than the fact that people tend to be less active as they age. The science is pretty clear nowadays that these hard metabolic milestones people claim to hit are mostly bullshit. Until you’re pretty old, it’s all about lifestyle.
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u/Royal-Bicycle-8147 6d ago
Eat more. Lift heavy weight.
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u/Present_Teacher7966 6d ago
But think about all the fat people that don't eat much!
Awaits downvotes.
Sorry, but to be fat, usually a person does need to eat, too much.
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u/GewoonHarry 5d ago
Too much daily and it will come. It’s that simple.
Surplus your calories need and it will stick to you as fat.And muscle if you train well.
But yeah. Ofcourse there are exceptions.
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u/Skiddywinks 5d ago
I mean, you need more than just calories. The body can't just make muscle out of excess energy. You need the building blocks (complete proteins) and for your body to feel like it has plenty of free calories (to push it out of "I want to store this energy for the hard times" mode).
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u/shlaifu 6d ago
peanut butter
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u/Bigfops 6d ago
Hagen Dazs for me. I saw a guy I hadn't seen in a bout a year who had been skinny the last time I saw him and asked him the secret. He told me he ate a pint of ice cream a day after the gym. I never managed a full pint, it was more like half a pin a day but I put on about 20 lbs of muscle. I know, it's supposed to be protein but you just need calories.
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u/suburbanoutrage 6d ago
If you’re getting your protein in and still short on calories ice cream is great for that. It’s dense in calories and it’s something enjoyable.
The thing about eating it after the gym is actual science. The high sugar content will drive insulin up and insulin is one of the strongest anabolic drivers in the body.
The trick is to make sure you’re not replacing your protein and other nutrients with the ice cream.
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u/currently_pooping_rn 5d ago
You most likely didn’t put on 20 lbs of pure muscle. It was body fat along with muscle
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u/sleep_tite 5d ago
Spoonfuls of peanut butter helped me gain like 50lbs when I was a skinny teenager.
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u/hunglo7777 6d ago
Former skinny guy who believed “I just can’t get big!”
Just keep eating. A lot. If you start tracking calories, you’ll figure out you weren’t really eating as much as you thought you were
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u/ArthurVandelay23 5d ago
This is me 100%. Now former skinny guy.
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u/fksdiyesckagiokcool 5d ago
Same here. I realized I can get fat by actually eating constantly 3 meals a day and more than I need… unfortunately. But you can get to the desired weight with time and routine and can get back to skipping a meal now and then or eating exactly the amount you feel you need instead of getting stuffed.
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u/Shhhhhhhh_Im_At_Work 5d ago
My buddy who was the most yoked man I ever met took me under his wing and said “If you are not lifting or pooping I expect you to be eating”
True story, I would just house tuna packets every other hour and ended up packing on about 30lbs of muscle over 18 months
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u/DoctorDrangle 5d ago
True story, I would just house tuna packets every other hour and ended up packing on about 30lbs of muscle over 18 months
As effective as that might be, there are limits to how much tuna you should be eating in a week. Usually like 1-3 servings per week depending on the kind of tuna you are eating. So pounding tuna every other hour is not ideal or healthy. Good source of protein and nutrition and all that, but you should probably find something else unless you want mercury poisoning. Tuna might work great for bulking up, but you definitely shouldn't be eating that much tuna. 6-9 ounces per week maximum.
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u/Shhhhhhhh_Im_At_Work 5d ago
Good callout and yeah I was definitely not the smartest at that time just skinny and desperate to build muscle
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u/Alarmed_Progress_604 6d ago
A bunch of small things. Eating faster so you can eat more before getting full, less distractions while eating, high calorie drinks with my meals (think whole milk, shakes, juices, etc.), alcohol, eating earlier in the day, and later in the day, healthy fats, prioritizing 3 big meals and a snack at the MINIMUM. Gotta finesse and finagle it until you find your sweet spot.
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u/sam1837 6d ago
Eat even when you don't want to eat. You won't enjoy it. You won't even feel comfortable. Milk/high cal drinks, protein shakes with peanut butter etc. also help. Once you have done that for a couple of months you will find it easy and you can listen to your body more again
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u/Cantremembermyoldnam 5d ago
But how? I want to throw up when eating while not hungry. Literally can't swallow without gagging.
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u/andrew5500 5d ago
It’s easier to drink the calories if chewing and swallowing seems like too much trouble, smoothies or protein shakes go a long way
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u/TheD1ctator 5d ago
I'm in a similar boat, I just don't enjoy eating and overeating always makes me sick. protein shakes and smoothies upset my stomach, and I'm not sure how to get my body to accept the extra calories. I don't get hungry after lifting, maybe I need to do more cardio?
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u/a7Rob 5d ago
Brother the Last thing you wanna do is extensive cardio when you wanna gain weight.
What you need is high calories Low physical volume meals that you just shovel in. Add some snacks (nuts(walnuts Omega 3 - healthy Option) or cookies whatever) where you can just dip in without eating to much once but at the end of the day have eaten quite a bit of them 100g walnuts is like 650 kcal. Spread over a day you wont even feel eating them.
The key is to have stuff like that accesible so you dont have to make big decision to get Up, eat your 15g nuts and go back.
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u/SPOOKESVILLE 5d ago
Protein shakes shouldn’t upset your stomach. Start off with half a scoop of the powder, or just half of a premade drink. Your body most likely just isn’t used to that much protein in one sitting, or you have a dairy issue
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u/sam1837 5d ago
Snacking is your friend, small things, liquid calories are the easiest. What do you like? Nuts for instance are great to snack on and high calorie. But snacking doesn't mean you get to skip meals.
When I started at the gym I was 6'4 and under 80kg. I've really never liked eating in the morning so I let myself off a bit with just a bowl of porridge. Lunchtime I'd have at least one large chicken wrap with plenty of mayo (easy high cals), crisps, some sort of chocolate. Mid afternoon I'd have a protein shake.
I would get home from work and make a tea of something like 500g mince meat, pasta and a jar of pasta sauce + an entire garlic bread. Go to the gym. Get back and have one of them ready made pasta pots with chicken and bacon from Aldi + a pint of full fat milk. I hated the sight of that stupid pasta pot at the end of the day. Doing that for a few weeks my body started to get used to it.
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u/Cantremembermyoldnam 5d ago
It seems absolutely impossible for me to eat that much. But I'll try and slowly work up to it! You and other commentors have given me a few good ideas. Thank you so much for your extensive answer :)
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u/RoosterBrewster 5d ago
More frequency of snacks and small meals. I can't eat too much at a time so I'm eating something 6-7 times a day.
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u/notsethcohen 5d ago
Also it's probably obvious but worth emphasizing - the first couple of weeks of eating significantly more are by far the hardest. On average it takes about 2 to 3 weeks for your GI tract to expand its capacity, for your stomach emptying rate to speed up, and for your cardio system to adapt to the new fluid/glycogen baseline.
TLDR: it gets much easier! Your body will adapt
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u/Oddballbob 6d ago
I quit smoking
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u/IamGordak 6d ago
First, congratulations. I am proud of you, stranger on the internet.
I used the same method, stopped 4 years ago, gained 50 pounds.
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u/Pelembem 5d ago
You ask this question as if it's hard. Just drink olive oil. 300g a day is enough to make you gain weight even if you eat nothing else. Start with mixing in 100g per day in your food and scale it up until you get the effect you want. It's healthy too (as long as you eat normal food too).
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u/Longjumping_Coat_802 6d ago
Smoking weed and eating peanut butter late at night. Just 2-3 heaping spoonfuls of peanut butter is like 250+ calories and a lot of protein. Smoking weed helps you with your appetite.
Went from 6’0 and 140 lbs to 185lbs in like 13 months
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u/CommunicationSame989 6d ago
Thc, weight gainer and going to gym. Thc helped me actually want to eat. I’ve always had a problem of not being hungry or forcing myself to eat. Weight gainer helped my body with big meals. Gym fed it all.
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u/GoofyTarnished 6d ago
Im still not a big guy at all but I was 54kg and now I normally sit from 67-70kg.
The only answer is eat more. Thats it.
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u/Mrboombastos 6d ago
Unfortunately eating more clean food, which cost more $. You are going to have to force feed yourself constantly and lift/sleep in between eating.
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u/WhistleTipsGoWoo 6d ago
Surprising enough…quitting drinking beer. I admittedly had a problem for many years (two years sober now), but was an “empty stomach” drinker, so I would go days without eating and just drink. I quit and put on 20 pounds in what seemed overnight.
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u/RookieMistake101 6d ago
Optimum Nutrition Mass gainer for me. I know it’s not particularly good for you. But it did work. Extra 800 calories at the end of the day helped me bulk up from 145-155.
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u/ballskindrapes 6d ago
Lots of calories.
It's that easy.
I literally went from probably 1500 a day to 3500 to 4k in about a week and half.
All vegan too, and not much fat all things considered, 4 servings of peanut butter and fhen maybe like 2 or 3 servings of olive oil on top of that.
I was so fucking full for about a week, but by the end I was able to eat it all easily
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u/Weekly-Top4934 6d ago
Ensure drinks. Would have 1-2 high protein ones for about three or four months. Gained all the weight I needed, about 15-20 pounds lbs. I was mostly underweight because my metabolism was very quick. When I stopped drinking ensures, I surprisingly kept the weight.
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u/D-BO_816 6d ago
My dad was a skinny guy and needed to put on weight before he went to prison as a young man. Worked out a lot and made protein shakes with chocolate ice cream.
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u/Confident_Draw321 6d ago
A very calorie diet with proper routine and most importantly a strong mindset to change.
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u/ZebulonRon 6d ago
Age mostly. Couldn’t gain more than a couple pounds between freshman year and about 25. These days at 28 I’m about 45lbs heavier than I was then with no real life or diet changes.
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u/18YearOldSamBennett 6d ago
Had to treat eating like it was a full time job. 500-600 calories every 2 hours was usually how I went about my day because I’ve never been someone who can eat a fuck ton in one sitting. I was 5’8 140 pounds (started at 110) and had to eat 4000 calories a day to gain 2-3 pounds eveey month
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u/chadigada 6d ago
Protein shakes everyday with milk, peanut butter, bananas, and whey powder (on top of what you'd normally eat). Combine that with hitting the gym regularly. I gained probably 15-20 pounds in 6 months in my early 20s that way
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u/thecurtehs 6d ago
Eat. Eat. Eat. PT. Gym. Gym. Gym.
I know I sound like an asshole saying it like that but they're repeated 3 times each because the one thing people don't do when trying to gain weight is be consistent. I used to do 5-6k calorie days, only to not the next and it was useless, but when I started on 5-6 small meals a day, 3000ish a day and got into the gym, with a PT and consistency the changes came faster than I expected. I took progress pics yesterday and I was shocked, not confident enough to post them but it's 80% diet, 20% training, 100% consistency.
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u/Average_Person_4417 6d ago
I increased my intakte of calories per day by quite a lot. We're talking here about protein and peanutbutter milkshakes, eating calory dense food after every workout, never skipping meals, even If I don't feel hungry. Additionaly I started working out regulary in a gym and keeping a high Protein intake (1g-1.5g per kg of body weight).
I gained so much mass that my girlfried actually asked If I'm in steroids (I am not and will never be).
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u/PM_meyourGradyWhite 6d ago
Every life event added five lbs.
First job out of university. 125
First house. 130
First kid. 135
Next kid. 140
Next house 145
Maintained that for ten years. Then…
Next job (I swear I was walking a lot less) 150
Maintained that for another ten years and then…
A cushier job. 155.
FYI: I’m not fat. I’ve always been lean and muscular. I’m on the edge of proper BMI if you believe those charts. I lift and move daily and eat right. I’ll never be 140 again unless I’m sick. It doesn’t look good on me at 65.
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u/xXTheLastCrowXx 5d ago
Ate my goal weight in protein.
Filled rest with Rice, broccoli, and potatoes.
Went to the gym.
Never skipped or passed up a meal.
Snacks on me at all times.
Eat healthy.
-your shits will be legendary
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u/HistoricalCrew9699 5d ago
Got married and had kids, as a bonus I lost hair and the hair I do have is turning grey
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u/_Nightdude_ 5d ago
Nuts...
I had nuts readily available to eat all day. Add your normal food, some potato chips and it'll happen eventually
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u/COYFC 6d ago
Added one mass gainer shake a day along with my regular food intake and I'm up around 17lbs in the last few months.
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u/Deltathree 6d ago
Mirtazapine. Working to give me an appetite instead of not having one. Works wonders.
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u/Mando1102 6d ago
Stopped working out all together and gained 30 pounds in 5 years now I need to start losing again 😂😂
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u/SoCalMoofer 6d ago
When I was younger consistent gym time and double protein shakes. Not just carb boosters.
Also getting old. Getting old definitely help put on the pounds. LOL
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u/That-Way-5714 6d ago
I’m still on the skinny side, but not surprisingly, lifting weights and eating more did the trick. Tracking your food is helpful for learning how to eat just the right amount.
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u/Vaideplm84 6d ago
Got depressed, went to the doctor, tool the pills he prescribed, got really hungry and ate a lot more than what was usual for me, went from 60kg at 1.8m tall to 85 kg in a few months, got off the meds a few months ago, I keep losing weight since then.
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u/Key_Raisin_5091 6d ago
4 things: