I have questions/need help with my fitness goals

SoCalBud1

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Hey guys, I’m looking for a guy who can help me with my fitness goals. I have a lot of questions so be okay if I bother you a lot! (Questions regarding food, workouts, etc).

Long story short: I would like to gain weight and get fit (not huge but in shape), and I’m really frustrated that everything I’ve tried isn’t working/schedule and money is a struggle to put towards this. Not looking for the cheap and easy way, just feel like I’m doing everything wrong.

Would be cool if you’re in Orange County and could join me at the gym sometimes.

Feel free to send me a message and we’ll go from there. Thanks!
 
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SoCalBud1

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Thanks everyone for reaching out! I’ll try to keep this brief:

Food:

I eat a lot of fast food... My schedule is pretty crazy. So it’s convenient. However, I started to meal prep as much as I could, and have typically been eating rotisserie chicken with vegetables for lunch at work. (I can buy it made already, and it’s easy to just throw in containers). For someone who wants to gain weight, any suggestions for food? Keep in mind I can’t meal prep a ton because I share the fridge with 3 others, and also I don’t have a ton of time to cook. (I work 6 days, 50+ hours a week). Again, not looking for the cheap or easy way out of things, I just don’t have a lot of time or resources unfortunately.

I know I need to take in more calories but during the day at work I can only eat on breaks, and also I just typically fill up quickly and don’t eat a lot in one sitting.

Work Out:

I’ve been going to the gym for almost 2 years now. I don’t really know what I’m doing... haha I had a friend that joined me and taught me a lot, and I’ve just sort of picked up on everything else. I spend about 30-40mins doing things like barbells, dumbbells, row, and treadmill. My fitness goals are just to fill out/look a little bigger. I’m pretty scrawny/skinny, so if I gained a little muscle it would be nice. My biggest “wants” are larger arms/chest. However, legs need some help also.

Any advice or suggestions are appreciated. Between my work schedule and roommates, it’s hard for me to get serious about this. However I’m really trying to go at it full force despite being tired, not having much space at home, or knowing what exactly to do. Thanks!
 
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DSF140

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You need to eat a lot of protein. It's recommended that you eat one gram of protein for every pound that you weigh each day. If you weigh 150 pounds, then you need 150 grams daily.
You need to work out in a way that you feel the burn in your muscles as you do your last few reps with each set. This burning is your muscles breaking down. With the proper amount of protein, your body will repair the muscles, but they will be repaired at a bigger size. No burning means no muscle breaking down which means no repair which means no getting bigger.
 

twoton

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One thing I can help with is to dispel the myth that working out runs the risk of making you huge. It won’t.

So many guys say they want to workout, or lift, or get in shape but they don’t want to get big and bulky.

It takes a HUGE amount of work to get huge. It never happens on its own.
 

DSF140

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One thing I can help with is to dispel the myth that working out runs the risk of making you huge. It won’t.

So many guys say they want to workout, or lift, or get in shape but they don’t want to get big and bulky.

It takes a HUGE amount of work to get huge. It never happens on its own.
Every time I hear a guy say that they want to improve their look but don't want to look like Arnold or whomever, so they don't lift, I call it out as bullshit. It's just an excuse for being lazy. As you point out, @twoton , it takes a fucking ton of working out to get to competition size. Besides, and I really emphasize this point, if you feel like you're getting too big, then cut back on your workouts. Duh! But don't use it as an excuse for not lifting in the first place.
 
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deleted3692051

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hey I’m in Westminster, CA! I’m also skinny but was super skinny before. I drank two scoops of whey protein after every workout so that helped a lot lol
 
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Snarky_succubus

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Track. Your. Calories.
Losing weight or gaining it ultimately comes down to calories. You can work out all you want... if you don’t keep your body in a caloric surplus you’re not gonna gain. Track your food... increase it until you start seeing results. Less cardio, more weights. Protein should be at *least* 1g per lb of body weight. Compound lifts should be the priority. Your leg muscles are the biggest in your body... the more you tear those muscle fibers, the more your body is going to produce the hormones it needs to heal them (assuming you’re feeding/resting properly). So... everything else gets those hormones, too.

Some people can get it done without tracking. I don’t see the point. It’d be like taking the gas gauge out of your car and hoping you put enough in to get you where you’re going. Maybe you get there most of the time... but maybe not. Not the smartest way to go about things.

As for the time/space for food prep *shrug* What’s your success worth to you? Luckily, eating *more* calories when you eat out is a lot easier than eating fewer calories so you might get by ok. Still maybe not the best option.
 

socalfreak

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I was a skinny guy myself.
So, I can understand your frustration.
Food is the priority, for adding size.
For your chicken and veggie meals, I'd add a carb like potatoes/rice/pasta.
That'll bring the calorie count up a bit.
Having a high calorie snack like peanuts or peanut butter on hand is very useful.
Dense calories, good fats, easily portable/storage friendly. I have a jar and spoon in my truck.
"Filling up fast"..... Yeah... Well.... That's gonna happen. If you're hungry, you're falling behind.
You have to figure out if it's worth it to you.
Many times,I have to remind myself that I'm not eating for pleasure... I'm eating for a purpose/a goal. Shovel it in & move on.... Until you have to eat again in 3 hours. Lol
Anyway, I hope some of this is useful to you
 

Garciahallamm

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I was a skinny guy myself.
So, I can understand your frustration.
Food is the priority, for adding size.
For your chicken and veggie meals, I'd add a carb like potatoes/rice/pasta.
That'll bring the calorie count up a bit.
Having a high calorie snack like peanuts or peanut butter on hand is very useful.
Dense calories, good fats, easily portable/storage friendly. I have a jar and spoon in my truck.
"Filling up fast"..... Yeah... Well.... That's gonna happen. If you're hungry, you're falling behind.
You have to figure out if it's worth it to you.
Many times,I have to remind myself that I'm not eating for pleasure... I'm eating for a purpose/a goal. Shovel it in & move on.... Until you have to eat again in 3 hours. Lol
Anyway, I hope some of this is useful to you
Thanks man! Definitely helped.
 

Garciahallamm

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I was a skinny guy myself.
So, I can understand your frustration.
Food is the priority, for adding size.
For your chicken and veggie meals, I'd add a carb like potatoes/rice/pasta.
That'll bring the calorie count up a bit.
Having a high calorie snack like peanuts or peanut butter on hand is very useful.
Dense calories, good fats, easily portable/storage friendly. I have a jar and spoon in my truck.
"Filling up fast"..... Yeah... Well.... That's gonna happen. If you're hungry, you're falling behind.
You have to figure out if it's worth it to you.
Many times,I have to remind myself that I'm not eating for pleasure... I'm eating for a purpose/a goal. Shovel it in & move on.... Until you have to eat again in 3 hours. Lol
Anyway, I hope some of this is useful to you
Trying to find a buddy who I can connect with to hit some goals since I have no clue where to start.
 

51arledge

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I've written in another thread about my journey from skinny hard gainer to well muscled beginning when I was 50.

As I got into my workouts, O started eating more and more protein. As DSF140 noted above, eat one gram of protein for every pound you want to weigh. To do this I used a protein shake every morning in addition to my regular breakfast. I also did a shake before each workout.

I started eating 5 or 6 times per day with a mid-morning snack, lunch, a mid-afternoon snack, and dinner. Also, for some time I would set an alarm to wake up at 2 AM for a bowl of yogurt or cottage cheese.

I still eat about 4000 calories per day and at 6-2" have held steady at 195# for almost 10 years.
 
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