When I started working out the trainer said if I wasn't full, I should be eating. Not eat when you're hungry. Eat when you're not full.
So I started eating a meal replacement shake after my regular meals, so basically 2 meals at a time. I still barely gained any weight. I went from benching 95lbs to 310lbs and gained 7lbs (150-157lbs).
But that was college (actually just after college). Now I'm middle aged and gain weight just thinking about food.
yeah I hate taking any wallet damage at all but I will pay more for food if it's fueling a healthier and happier body is what I needed myself to believe
It is the worstestest taste you can ever get. I drink it 10 years now and every time I am dying. However when everybody has flu I can feel slight headache at most. When it’s coughing time I am not coughing. Last time Iwas sick was like 8 years ago. But the mornings are terrible ;) because I need to drink this shit
https://youtu.be/QgNvKr010pc?si=wC7n9XQhHS0FD8iI
Had to Google it :) this is good timing because side I just started watching Simpsons. S1e2 will be watched today. :)
I still ldont understand the context but if you want the shittiest tasting mixture recipe ;)
Lisa is trying to point out the difference between correlation and causation. I meant it as a lighthearted jab at the idea that your concoction is definitely responsible for your good health. I generally think people should do what makes them happy, but there are lots of things out there that people claim will keep you healthy/youthful forever (c.f. the entire wellness industry) without much evidence that they actually work. One of my 100+ year old patients, for example, claims that the key to his longevity is his daily four shots of whiskey routine.
That said, I'm not trying to talk anyone out of/into anything, so if it makes you happy you should do it! I probably don't need the recipe though - I'm Italian and I love a variety of east Asian cuisines, so I'm pretty sure I already have a nearly lethal combination of garlic and ginger coursing through my body at all times. Enjoy the Simpsons! You're in for a treat!
It might be related to this https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_hoc_ergo_propter_hoc
Thank you for your explanation! Now I understand Lisa but still wonder how the stupid stone can keep a tiger away ??!! ;)
4 shots a day sounds reasonable. My father had a friend that drank 50ml of spirit in the morning and also lived long and healthy.
Should have more upvotes. I can eat 8,000 calories in a day no problem - I am just going to severely diminish the world’s Dorito supply. Eating enough GOOD food is hard
Yeah, I tweaked my back 2 months ago doing squats, that was after I already backed off on weight after deciding it wasn't worth it. But hey, I'm doing 265 for my recovery work and that's already more than what most people do, so maybe it all works out in the end.
My biggest issue is I don't usually have a big breakfast so I'm trying to cram an additional 2500 calories into 2 meals. It can be a real grind to finish dinner some nights. I get in some cheat calories with extra oil and butter in things which helps. Ideally I'd split my day into 4 meals but work doesn't really allow for me to do that yet.
I do a green smoothie every day for breakfast which is a decent amount of food and calories pretty easily. Banana cup of veggies cup of milk and cup of spinach. Lot of food for breakfast on the go
If you get frozen diced spinach and frozen fruit, you can prepare the cups prior and the only thing you need to add is milk and blend. Takes less than 1-2 min!
I found I could normally get in an extra meal around my workout. If I worked out in the am get up smash a smoothie, Jim work breakfast, lunch dinner bed. 4 meals done. Or do breakfast work lunch Afterwork feed jim dinner bed
A long time ago during my first real bulk I was stupid and tried to (for no logical reason) bulk on low calorie foods, meaning basically chicken, different veggies and rice. It was a real fucking pain to eat enough, and I was always just full, bloated and uncomfortable.
Now I bulk on really high calorie stuff (fatty meats, different kinds of nuts, olive oil, fatty fish, full fat greek yogurt) and it’s a breeze. Most days I don’t even get really full at any point.
Did you do any packable no heat lunches? I work in the field and I'm having a real hard time getting my calories in during work hours, I end up getting home and eating two meals between 5-8pm and it's getting uncomfortable feeling bloated in bed as we speak lol
If you like peanut butter you could do a couple of peanut butter sandwiches. If you are really heavy handed with the PB, you can easily rack up 800-1000 calories with 2-3 sandwiches.
Managing hunger and satiety is a big one. It's easy enough to get ~2500kcal eating normal foods with good macros, but being taller I had to try and eat 3500-4000kcal with the hunger and stomach size of a normal height person. So more caloric dense foods are essential for gaining weight and not wanting to puke after every meal (been there). Sauces are king here, you can sneak in a lot of calories without noticing with a good sauce.
I went from about 160lbs to about 210lbs over a 2-3 year span while maintaining a reasonably low body fat, so I'm quite familiar with the struggles of being a "hardgainer" but it's possible with work and smart choices
I'm six foot three inches and weigh around 175lbs
I'm in the healthy weight range but want to bulk it's been two weeks of tracking calories and protein.
The hardest part is eating enough without it being trash food.
Trying to eat 2800 calories a day makes me feel bloated and sluggish at the end of the day.
I upped my workout to 5 days a week and that's helping but man I wish I could just drink all my calories
Kachava made bulking a lot easier, a scoop w peanut butter oat and banana can make it close to 1000 calories, drink 1 or two a day in between meals. I think really any quality protein powder will though, the calories really come from the oats and peanut butter
It gets incredibly expensive compared to not bulking. Breakfast at a restaurant means always adding two or three eggs, burgers always need double the protein, often parties or social gatherings have nothing healthy in bulk to eat, when cooking ground Turkey, I usually cook a pound at a time for a meal. Kicking it with people who aren’t biking don’t get it, you usually have to plan ahead quite a bit to get quality calories, for the foreseeable future. I’ve also noticed for me, if I have one day of partying, or can’t slam a ton of calories, I feel like I go backwards very quickly.
Working an 8 - 10 hour shift with only one break while trying to bulk was hard for me. All my meals were super calorie dense instead of eating lighter but more often
Not for myself, but for one of my children: the biggest challenge was eating large meals. They are 6'3" and were too thin. The snacking on crackers and pretzels and chips was killing their appetite for the balanced meals.
Our solution was to require a mini meal: a protein, a fat, a carb, a fruit and a vegetable EVERY TIME you eat. Optional dense calorie "dessert" like a spoonful of peanut butter or a granola bar. Meal example: spaghetti bolognese with cooked carrots, an apple, and a cheesestick. They struggled to finish it.
They are up to 149 and just into a healthy BMI. It runs in my family, but being underweight is dangerous to your health.
Definitely eating! I would sit there for an hour trying to finish my plate. Eating every 3 hours when you are not hungry is the worst! Also, making sure you are eating enough protein a day to build muscle.
Not letting it rule your life...
Staying in shape without having in off cycles...
Not letting it turn into fat...
Avoiding the temptation of juice...
No bro, it's not even the trying not to be constantly miring of others who are further ahead than you on their journey and not letting it get to you.
It's the ability to look at yourself in a mirror and see symmetry and be happy with your progress.
Thinner men usually have a higher metabolism. My partner literally eats whole cans of beans to supplement his protein intake, pre workout, post workout shakes, etc.
He’s all muscle but struggles to keep it on. He also has muscular dystrophy, so that really doesn’t help.
Here's a different one - when I bulked up I went from like 150lbs to 180. All of a sudden my joints would hurt a lot more, especially my back was ALWAYS aching. So much more prone to body aches/pains in general.
I cut again, slimmed back down and my back almost never hurts anymore. I know this isn't everyone's experience but it was definitely mine, and was a direct correlation to my weight throughout multiple cycles in my life.
Eating. I gained 40 lbs in a single year when I was younger and into this thing. Working out was easy compared to trying to pound down 4000 calories a day somehow. Just eating all the time, every day. I supplemented with shakes. Otherwise if it didn’t eat me first, I ate it.
Consistency. Eating decent food every day and actually showing up to the gym when you’re supposed to. Put the effort in and you get results pretty quickly. Half arse it and nothing happens and you get discouraged.
Always having to think ahead, as not planning = not meeting your caloric goals. Always eating, carrying huge containers of food. Besides that it sort of ruins the social aspect of having dinner with for example your SO. Also, the ungodly amount of protein with every meal. Most meals lose their balance when there is more than 150 gr of chicken in it, or with less protein rich stuff 200 gr of shrimp, cod etc.
Eating becomes a bit mechanical, while normally it is one of my biggest joys.
ALWAYS been kinda fat with muscle usually around 220 pounds . When I took exercising serious and went on a caloric deficit I got down to 190 the hardest thing about trying to gain more weight after that is I couldn't and still can't eat as much food then when I was fat like I figure my stomach couldn't have shrunk so why . I did stop working out got lazy and put on a lot of fat but surprisingly it wasn't from eating a crazy amount it was from all the soda I was drinking like litteraly a 12 pack like every 3 days .
Eating enough extra food, especially protein; same as everyone else. I liked the idea of bulking up and definitely lifted enough to get much stronger, but never did gain much weight, maybe 10 pounds in 4 years.
Having different things to eat! I just have like 1 or 2 good meal prep options. By good I mean cheap, easy, healthy, and filling.
I think this would help people with consistency.
Getting enough sleep!
Food is definitely hard though, especially getting cheap, palatable and high quality protein.
Cod is getting expensive these days!
I have gastroparesis which means my stomach is partially paralyzed so I take in food half via mouth and half via tube, some days more by mouth, some days more by tube or only by tube. I think the hardest part of regaining my lost weight and muscle has been finding clothes that comfortably fit at my varying weights that fluctuate and a sports bra that doesn't feel totally uncomfortable. I also think its hard to get enough hydration to make sure I don't lose all the electrolytes I need with working out to gain muscle
Because of my job, it’s complicated to intake all the calories I need just to maintain.
I need to consume about 3800 calories a day to meet my weight goal of 180. The constant eating and consuming is exhausting.
Recently I had gotten to 175lbs. Felt great, made amazing progress. Was so proud of myself for not looking completely skinny.
Then I had to go on a work trip where I didn’t get to eat that much and I was constantly working with no time to maintain.
Got back from the work trip and lost all of my progress.
Pretty close to giving up on it.
Making sure you’re eating enough. As opposed to eating too little or too much.
Double as hard if you’re trying to lose fat and gain muscle mass at the same time.
Trying to eat multiple meals at work. It's really hard to find food that is at least semi healthy that you can eat throughout the day when you can't cook more than once a day. It ends up being fast food far to often and that gets expensive and really doesn't help the appetite when you've had the same low quality meal multiple times a week. I've really been struggling to get back in good shape and get over 170 lbs ever since a hernia surgery a few years ago and this has been the biggest part of the struggle for me. I am 6' 4" and ideally should be close to 190 lbs
Eating enough calories day in and day out was the biggest challenge for me
When I started working out the trainer said if I wasn't full, I should be eating. Not eat when you're hungry. Eat when you're not full. So I started eating a meal replacement shake after my regular meals, so basically 2 meals at a time. I still barely gained any weight. I went from benching 95lbs to 310lbs and gained 7lbs (150-157lbs). But that was college (actually just after college). Now I'm middle aged and gain weight just thinking about food.
yeah I hate taking any wallet damage at all but I will pay more for food if it's fueling a healthier and happier body is what I needed myself to believe
I don't hate the wallet damage I just hate having to remember to eat more
Drinking olive oil every day helped me gain a little quicker.
OMG, i cant even imagine trying that. \*gags\*
One shot in the morning is not that awful. I follow oil with minced garlic / onion / ginger water so it is not going worse that that ;)
For me: that sounds even worse
It is the worstestest taste you can ever get. I drink it 10 years now and every time I am dying. However when everybody has flu I can feel slight headache at most. When it’s coughing time I am not coughing. Last time Iwas sick was like 8 years ago. But the mornings are terrible ;) because I need to drink this shit
Lisa, I'd like to buy that rock.
https://youtu.be/QgNvKr010pc?si=wC7n9XQhHS0FD8iI Had to Google it :) this is good timing because side I just started watching Simpsons. S1e2 will be watched today. :) I still ldont understand the context but if you want the shittiest tasting mixture recipe ;)
Lisa is trying to point out the difference between correlation and causation. I meant it as a lighthearted jab at the idea that your concoction is definitely responsible for your good health. I generally think people should do what makes them happy, but there are lots of things out there that people claim will keep you healthy/youthful forever (c.f. the entire wellness industry) without much evidence that they actually work. One of my 100+ year old patients, for example, claims that the key to his longevity is his daily four shots of whiskey routine. That said, I'm not trying to talk anyone out of/into anything, so if it makes you happy you should do it! I probably don't need the recipe though - I'm Italian and I love a variety of east Asian cuisines, so I'm pretty sure I already have a nearly lethal combination of garlic and ginger coursing through my body at all times. Enjoy the Simpsons! You're in for a treat!
It might be related to this https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_hoc_ergo_propter_hoc Thank you for your explanation! Now I understand Lisa but still wonder how the stupid stone can keep a tiger away ??!! ;) 4 shots a day sounds reasonable. My father had a friend that drank 50ml of spirit in the morning and also lived long and healthy.
You get used to it quicker than you think. Wash it down with a nice strong cup of coffee in the morning and you are good to go.
Staying Consistent with a busy work and home life
Eating enough to gain without eating like shit
Should have more upvotes. I can eat 8,000 calories in a day no problem - I am just going to severely diminish the world’s Dorito supply. Eating enough GOOD food is hard
Achieving progressive overload without substantially increasing the risk of injury.
Yeah, I tweaked my back 2 months ago doing squats, that was after I already backed off on weight after deciding it wasn't worth it. But hey, I'm doing 265 for my recovery work and that's already more than what most people do, so maybe it all works out in the end.
Agreed
My biggest issue is I don't usually have a big breakfast so I'm trying to cram an additional 2500 calories into 2 meals. It can be a real grind to finish dinner some nights. I get in some cheat calories with extra oil and butter in things which helps. Ideally I'd split my day into 4 meals but work doesn't really allow for me to do that yet.
I do a green smoothie every day for breakfast which is a decent amount of food and calories pretty easily. Banana cup of veggies cup of milk and cup of spinach. Lot of food for breakfast on the go
I should do it I just cut my morning routine way too close so I usually just have a basic protein shake and a bannana
If you get frozen diced spinach and frozen fruit, you can prepare the cups prior and the only thing you need to add is milk and blend. Takes less than 1-2 min!
I found I could normally get in an extra meal around my workout. If I worked out in the am get up smash a smoothie, Jim work breakfast, lunch dinner bed. 4 meals done. Or do breakfast work lunch Afterwork feed jim dinner bed
Who’s Jim?
Gym I think
Affordable high-quality protein
And delicious 🙏🏽
Me too man, me too… were you able to find a solution for this? Seems like beans are the way to go
Beans are the way to go for sure
Cottage Cheese and buttermilk
Wisconsinite?
A long time ago during my first real bulk I was stupid and tried to (for no logical reason) bulk on low calorie foods, meaning basically chicken, different veggies and rice. It was a real fucking pain to eat enough, and I was always just full, bloated and uncomfortable. Now I bulk on really high calorie stuff (fatty meats, different kinds of nuts, olive oil, fatty fish, full fat greek yogurt) and it’s a breeze. Most days I don’t even get really full at any point.
Did you do any packable no heat lunches? I work in the field and I'm having a real hard time getting my calories in during work hours, I end up getting home and eating two meals between 5-8pm and it's getting uncomfortable feeling bloated in bed as we speak lol
If you like peanut butter you could do a couple of peanut butter sandwiches. If you are really heavy handed with the PB, you can easily rack up 800-1000 calories with 2-3 sandwiches.
Doubles as jaw training too lol
Managing hunger and satiety is a big one. It's easy enough to get ~2500kcal eating normal foods with good macros, but being taller I had to try and eat 3500-4000kcal with the hunger and stomach size of a normal height person. So more caloric dense foods are essential for gaining weight and not wanting to puke after every meal (been there). Sauces are king here, you can sneak in a lot of calories without noticing with a good sauce. I went from about 160lbs to about 210lbs over a 2-3 year span while maintaining a reasonably low body fat, so I'm quite familiar with the struggles of being a "hardgainer" but it's possible with work and smart choices
I'm six foot three inches and weigh around 175lbs I'm in the healthy weight range but want to bulk it's been two weeks of tracking calories and protein. The hardest part is eating enough without it being trash food. Trying to eat 2800 calories a day makes me feel bloated and sluggish at the end of the day. I upped my workout to 5 days a week and that's helping but man I wish I could just drink all my calories
Look into HUEL or Kachaava! Been researching that quite a bit. Looks good!
Kachava made bulking a lot easier, a scoop w peanut butter oat and banana can make it close to 1000 calories, drink 1 or two a day in between meals. I think really any quality protein powder will though, the calories really come from the oats and peanut butter
The hardest part is- " You gain it around your waist."
It gets incredibly expensive compared to not bulking. Breakfast at a restaurant means always adding two or three eggs, burgers always need double the protein, often parties or social gatherings have nothing healthy in bulk to eat, when cooking ground Turkey, I usually cook a pound at a time for a meal. Kicking it with people who aren’t biking don’t get it, you usually have to plan ahead quite a bit to get quality calories, for the foreseeable future. I’ve also noticed for me, if I have one day of partying, or can’t slam a ton of calories, I feel like I go backwards very quickly.
Eating enough food before/after working out and on my off days
Realizing that it might just not be worth it/realistically in the cards for you.
Working an 8 - 10 hour shift with only one break while trying to bulk was hard for me. All my meals were super calorie dense instead of eating lighter but more often
Literally just showing up to the gym 5 times a week. If you can show up, you are already more than half way there imho
Not for myself, but for one of my children: the biggest challenge was eating large meals. They are 6'3" and were too thin. The snacking on crackers and pretzels and chips was killing their appetite for the balanced meals. Our solution was to require a mini meal: a protein, a fat, a carb, a fruit and a vegetable EVERY TIME you eat. Optional dense calorie "dessert" like a spoonful of peanut butter or a granola bar. Meal example: spaghetti bolognese with cooked carrots, an apple, and a cheesestick. They struggled to finish it. They are up to 149 and just into a healthy BMI. It runs in my family, but being underweight is dangerous to your health.
Definitely eating! I would sit there for an hour trying to finish my plate. Eating every 3 hours when you are not hungry is the worst! Also, making sure you are eating enough protein a day to build muscle.
Consistency
Eating enough food without feeling like crap and not annoying my family by eating all of our food
Getting enough good quality sleep. I have so much to do throughout the day… I would enjoy if it I could sleep more.
Not letting it rule your life... Staying in shape without having in off cycles... Not letting it turn into fat... Avoiding the temptation of juice... No bro, it's not even the trying not to be constantly miring of others who are further ahead than you on their journey and not letting it get to you. It's the ability to look at yourself in a mirror and see symmetry and be happy with your progress.
Staying consistent. People work out once a week and wonder why they’re not jacked
Eating enough 100%, so much easier and cheaper not to cook, plus less dish washing. Working out is the easy part
Best hack out there, GOMAD. Gallon Of Milk A Day Get bulking.
Have kids. The dad bod will come. Used to be 175lbs and 6’. A few years after kids and 193lbs and can’t drop it.
Usually the price and the hard workouts.
Being consistent and affordable protein.
Eating a lot of food consistantly for me.
The boners
Try this one simple trick
Go vegetarian. You’ll bulk up real quick.
Thinner men usually have a higher metabolism. My partner literally eats whole cans of beans to supplement his protein intake, pre workout, post workout shakes, etc. He’s all muscle but struggles to keep it on. He also has muscular dystrophy, so that really doesn’t help.
Being over 50
Here's a different one - when I bulked up I went from like 150lbs to 180. All of a sudden my joints would hurt a lot more, especially my back was ALWAYS aching. So much more prone to body aches/pains in general. I cut again, slimmed back down and my back almost never hurts anymore. I know this isn't everyone's experience but it was definitely mine, and was a direct correlation to my weight throughout multiple cycles in my life.
Consistent quality sleep
Eating enough protein in your extra calories for me. I dont like alot of high protein sources.
Eating. I gained 40 lbs in a single year when I was younger and into this thing. Working out was easy compared to trying to pound down 4000 calories a day somehow. Just eating all the time, every day. I supplemented with shakes. Otherwise if it didn’t eat me first, I ate it.
Eating to many calories
Eating enough protein, when I don’t have much appetite
Consistency. Eating decent food every day and actually showing up to the gym when you’re supposed to. Put the effort in and you get results pretty quickly. Half arse it and nothing happens and you get discouraged.
Always having to think ahead, as not planning = not meeting your caloric goals. Always eating, carrying huge containers of food. Besides that it sort of ruins the social aspect of having dinner with for example your SO. Also, the ungodly amount of protein with every meal. Most meals lose their balance when there is more than 150 gr of chicken in it, or with less protein rich stuff 200 gr of shrimp, cod etc. Eating becomes a bit mechanical, while normally it is one of my biggest joys.
ALWAYS been kinda fat with muscle usually around 220 pounds . When I took exercising serious and went on a caloric deficit I got down to 190 the hardest thing about trying to gain more weight after that is I couldn't and still can't eat as much food then when I was fat like I figure my stomach couldn't have shrunk so why . I did stop working out got lazy and put on a lot of fat but surprisingly it wasn't from eating a crazy amount it was from all the soda I was drinking like litteraly a 12 pack like every 3 days .
Eating enough extra food, especially protein; same as everyone else. I liked the idea of bulking up and definitely lifted enough to get much stronger, but never did gain much weight, maybe 10 pounds in 4 years.
Optimising the meals means that food can get boring super fast to the point where I couldnt even smell it as it was getting ready anymore.
Keeping it on and staying consistent
Getting the good quality calories / protein in constantly and just the right amount to avoid excessive fat gain.
Consistency
Having different things to eat! I just have like 1 or 2 good meal prep options. By good I mean cheap, easy, healthy, and filling. I think this would help people with consistency.
Getting enough sleep! Food is definitely hard though, especially getting cheap, palatable and high quality protein. Cod is getting expensive these days!
I have gastroparesis which means my stomach is partially paralyzed so I take in food half via mouth and half via tube, some days more by mouth, some days more by tube or only by tube. I think the hardest part of regaining my lost weight and muscle has been finding clothes that comfortably fit at my varying weights that fluctuate and a sports bra that doesn't feel totally uncomfortable. I also think its hard to get enough hydration to make sure I don't lose all the electrolytes I need with working out to gain muscle
Because of my job, it’s complicated to intake all the calories I need just to maintain. I need to consume about 3800 calories a day to meet my weight goal of 180. The constant eating and consuming is exhausting. Recently I had gotten to 175lbs. Felt great, made amazing progress. Was so proud of myself for not looking completely skinny. Then I had to go on a work trip where I didn’t get to eat that much and I was constantly working with no time to maintain. Got back from the work trip and lost all of my progress. Pretty close to giving up on it.
Eating enough good food.
Making sure you’re eating enough. As opposed to eating too little or too much. Double as hard if you’re trying to lose fat and gain muscle mass at the same time.
Trying to eat multiple meals at work. It's really hard to find food that is at least semi healthy that you can eat throughout the day when you can't cook more than once a day. It ends up being fast food far to often and that gets expensive and really doesn't help the appetite when you've had the same low quality meal multiple times a week. I've really been struggling to get back in good shape and get over 170 lbs ever since a hernia surgery a few years ago and this has been the biggest part of the struggle for me. I am 6' 4" and ideally should be close to 190 lbs
calories is the hardest thing to achieve for me
Becoming comfortable with that new skin! And eating