Gaining Weight

I have always been a thin person and have in recent months attempted to gain weight e.g by going to the gym more often, or increasing the amount of food being eaten in meals.Sadly I'm struggling to do this, can anyone offer any advice?

I also have high metabolism and unfortunately, after being unhealthy and not exercising for 2 years, I have stayed at the same weight as always with Max 2kg difference of extra mass.

But I have also previously been regular at the gym for a year focusing on weight lifting, and changing my diet, which helped me put on more muscle weight. I think if I would of kept going with the routine, I would of seen more progress too. So I would say keep going and eventually you will see a result.

My tip for you would be to track how many calories you eat and how many calories you burn, you might notice that perhaps you're burning off the fat you eat. And remember that muscle is heavier than fat, so you may think you haven't gained weight, it could just be you are replacing your fat with muscle at this stage.

Good luck

How much are you eating? A lot of people who claim to have a fast metabolism and say they 'can't gain weight' just don't eat as much as they think.

What do you have on an average day?

I would say my diet consists mainly of carbohydrates e.g breads, pasta and rice. I also occasionally eat quite traditional 'African' meals.

Well that tells me nothing. You can eat a diet of 100% carbs, but if you only eat 500 calories a day you're never going to gain weight. Portion sizes? Calories?

I have always been a thin person and have in recent months attempted to gain weight e.g by going to the gym more often, or increasing the amount of food being eaten in meals.Sadly I'm struggling to do this, can anyone offer any advice?

Sorry. On a normal day for breakfast I'd probably eat a bowl of porridge which contains roughly 171 calories. Sometimes this includes an apple (52 calories.) Lunches normally include sandwiches (two slices of bread) e.g ham/cheese. Then the last meal of the day includes rice (111 calories) and beans (155).

girl/boy/whoever you are i am in the same boat -.- all my attempts at gaining over the years kept failing and i eventually gave in and got a personal trainer
3 things i’d recommend is
1. work out how many calories you currently eat, how many you should be eating to maintain your current weight, and how many are reccomend if your goal is to gain weight. people are surprised at how little they eat when they start tracking these things
2. Track your calorie intake and make sure you’re hitting your surplus. It can be tedious but it’s worth it. If you think you’re eating enough and stop tracking, especially if you’re new, you’re probably not. I tend to slip up during exam season and I can see myself becoming visibly leaner.
3. Train with weights. I’m not a professional so idk fully why this works, although it’s a fact that muscle mass is heavier then fat. Also exercising can be therapeutic

For me I used to eat barely 1600 calories a day. I’m 5’6, female and was rarely active but the weight never came on. My trainer started me at a daily calorie intake of 2225 which was a difficult adjustment, but with training i ended up gaining 2kg in 2 weeks. And then lockdown started 😤

Sorry. On a normal day for breakfast I'd probably eat a bowl of porridge which contains roughly 171 calories. Sometimes this includes an apple (52 calories.) Lunches normally include sandwiches (two slices of bread) e.g ham/cheese. Then the last meal of the day includes rice (111 calories) and beans (155).

You're only eating half of what your body needs to survive each day - never mind gain weight. Google TDEE.

Very good advice you are giving out. if people really had a fast metabolism they would have diagnosed hypothyroidism, these people just underestimate what they eat.

Indeed. Metabolism actually had very little effect when you compared people's calorific intake .. it's usually due to people either over- or under-estimating their portions.

If your metabolism is "high" (or fast), you will burn more calories at rest and during activity. A high metabolism means you'll need to take in more calories to maintain your weight. That's one reason why some people can eat more than others without gaining weight.

source: https://www.health.harvard.edu/