Help gaining weight

Come.with.me

Hey everyone. I've been looking through this forum and there's loads of great advice but not so much for someone trying to put weight on.
I'm 5' 4" and weight 8stone. I'm quite thin and would love to put on a bit of weight all over and work on my arms(want some definition not sure how realistic that is?)
This is what i'd eat on a normal day:
breakfast- weetabix with milk and tea/2 slices of brown toast with honey and tea.
snack- yop, small bag of salted peanuts.
Lunch- brown bread sandwich with chicken and salad and mayo. piece of fruit and bag of taytos.
Dinner- varies alot could be a pasta dish, or curry, or sometimes frozen pizza. glass of milk
Snack- glass of milk, a chocolate bar or biscuits. 2 pieces of fruit or plate of salad.
After writing that down it looks nearly like a weight loss plan?? any ideas where I could add in extra calories cos I'm fairly full from what I normally eat(not uncomfortably though).
Also, for exercise I take my dog for an hour walk bout 3-4 times a week, depends on the weather
I want to start doing some workouts of some sort but for the next few months won't really be able to go to the gym so what exercises could I do at home. I'd buy dumbells cos the ones I have are only 3kgs so doubt they'd do much!
Thanks to anyone who can help!!

Brian?

Let me the first to say: Squats and milk.

Seems very simple, but it works.

the drifter

have you read the stickeys? agree with brian too :P

BobbyOLeary

Meat at every single meal. And lots of it. If you can stomach it try and work up to 4L of milk a day on top of the rest. More nuts in your diet, chocolate covered brazil nuts are possibly the tastiest calorie ridden thing in the world. Nut butters, eat them by the jar.

Ciaran500

http://www.mynutrition.ie/viewtopic.php?id=73

Going to go against the grain a little with this one, if you want to gain weight from muscle you need to start eating well and lifting big. You don't need to eat everything in sight and force down milk, just enough to build and repair your muscles.

Come.with.me

BobbyOLeary wrote: »

More nuts in your diet, chocolate covered brazil nuts are possibly the tastiest calorie ridden thing in the world.

I'll definitely give that a try sounds yum!

Everyone's recommending milk 2 or 3 glasses a day is big for me already cos I don't like the taste but I'm working on it


Not sure how to multiquote, but ciaran500 when you say lifting big what would you recommend? I do pushups but I wouldn't be very strong so not sure where to start.

Jimmy Bottlehead

Pop in some nesquik and yer laughing. I hate the taste of milk too.

BobbyOLeary

Come.with.me wrote: »

I'll definitely give that a try sounds yum!

Everyone's recommending milk 2 or 3 glasses a day is big for me already cos I don't like the taste but I'm working on it


Not sure how to multiquote, but ciaran500 when you say lifting big what would you recommend? I do pushups but I wouldn't be very strong so not sure where to start.

Check out Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe. Two reasons really; it's a good solid program for gaining both size and strength and secondly, it will give you a good introduction to the most important lifts (Squat, Deadlift, Press, Bench, Power Clean). It's available on amazon but try and go for the Aasgaard company themselves, delivery tends to be quicker plus you can get a signed copy.

And yes, chocolate brazil nuts rock. I easily take in 1000 calories from them on days when I bring a tub to college. Nyom nyom nyom

Ciaran500

Come.with.me wrote: »

Not sure how to multiquote, but ciaran500 when you say lifting big what would you recommend? I do pushups but I wouldn't be very strong so not sure where to start.

Without doing a weight training programme following the advice given here will just get you fat. You won't gain any definition or muscle.

Starting strength is the standard programme reccommened to new weight lifters, I started it in December and have put on about 4kg since I started and look alot better for it. If you do want to start this programme you should get your hands on the actual book, that site is just supplementary to it.

Come.with.me

Thanks everyone for the help have lots to read up on now!

Hopefully I'll be posting back sometime in the future with good news

Blacktie.

Give that article Ciaran500 says a read. very interesting stuff in it. My diet was very clean for bulking anyway but it helped solidify a few things for me.

entropi

briankeating wrote: »

Let me the first to say: Squats and milk.

Seems very simple, but it works.

Except that the OP wants to gain on the upper body too, squats wont work on that without a bar...

BobbyOLeary wrote: »

Meat at every single meal. And lots of it. If you can stomach it try and work up to 4L of milk a day on top of the rest. More nuts in your diet, chocolate covered brazil nuts are possibly the tastiest calorie ridden thing in the world. Nut butters, eat them by the jar.

Aye getting bigger involves burning ALOT of calories while lifting weights, so getting good healthier ones into you (proper nutrition) is half the job already. But dont eat too many raw nuts, they can contain alot of unwanted fats.

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

Pop in some nesquik and yer laughing. I hate the taste of milk too.

Plus not only tasting delicious, it adds even more calories to burn off:)

And remember OP, muscle is not built in the gym, it is built when the body is resting so remember to get enough sleep and time away from lifting.

BobbyOLeary

Master of Nothing wrote: »

Aye getting bigger involves burning ALOT of calories while lifting weights, so getting good healthier ones into you (proper nutrition) is half the job already. But dont eat too many raw nuts, they can contain alot of unwanted fats.

Which ones are those?

BossArky

Ciaran500 wrote: »

http://www.mynutrition.ie/viewtopic.php?id=73

Nice article. Read it before but good to see again.

Ciaran500 wrote: »

Starting strength ...., I started it in December and have put on about 4kg since I started and look alot better for it.

Based upon Christian Thibaudeau's words of wisdom the max muscle gain possible per month is 1 to 2 lbs. Let's take an average of 1.5lbs.

If you have been training for 3 months (Dec, Jan, Feb) you would have gained approx 1.5 lbs per month, or 4.5lbs (2kg) in total. This means half of the weight you have put on is fat.

I'm not getting at you, just doing the maths, as it is something I think about myself when my weight changes.

Ciaran500

BossArky wrote: »

Based upon Christian Thibaudeau's words of wisdom the max muscle gain possible per month is 1 to 2 lbs. Let's take an average of 1.5lbs.

If you have been training for 3 months (Dec, Jan, Feb) you would have gained approx 1.5 lbs per month, or 4.5lbs (2kg) in total. This means half of the weight you have put on is fat.

I'm not getting at you, just doing the maths, as it is something I think about myself when my weight changes.

Yeah, I was aware of that. At the start of the year I was following the standard eat lots of food chased down with milk plan, but I've since moved to a very clean diet and I have started loosing weight while still making gains in the gym.

BobbyOLeary

BossArky wrote: »

If you have been training for 3 months (Dec, Jan, Feb) you would have gained approx 1.5 lbs per month, or 4.5lbs (2kg) in total. This means half of the weight you have put on is fat.

I suppose it comes down to it Boss that in reality it's easier to diet and lose fat than it is to gain muscle, or at least it is in my experience. I don't want to start another bradpants thread or anything but I think you really need to just focus on one thing at a time and go for it as opposed to trying to do everything at once (e.g. getting big but losing fat).

It was either Barry or Will said it on here and it stuck with me, can't remember the exact phrase but it was about how you can't work on everything at once and how you should aim to improve one area, then move to the next, then the next and so on.

Frankly 99% of people (me included) who want to gain weight should stop worrying about the fat they put on and just eat. Dieting is easy in comparison.

Ciaran500

BobbyOLeary wrote: »

I suppose it comes down to it Boss that in reality it's easier to diet and lose fat than it is to gain muscle, or at least it is in my experience. I don't want to start another bradpants thread or anything but I think you really need to just focus on one thing at a time and go for it as opposed to trying to do everything at once (e.g. getting big but losing fat).

It was either Barry or Will said it on here and it stuck with me, can't remember the exact phrase but it was about how you can't work on everything at once and how you should aim to improve one area, then move to the next, then the next and so on.

Frankly 99% of people (me included) who want to gain weight should stop worrying about the fat they put on and just eat. Dieting is easy in comparison.

From the link I posted earlier:
"A) Bulking up won't lead to any more muscle growth than ingesting an ideal amount of nutrients. You can't force your body to grow muscle by feeding it more and more.
By bulking up you're actually reducing the amount of time per year where you can add muscle because you have to diet for a longer period of time to remove the gained fat.
C) Bulking up will, over time, improve your body's capacity to store fat and reduce its capacity to lose it."

Point B & C are the main reasons I don't think getting fat while bulking is a good idea and why I've moved to clean up my diet as much as I can.

d'Oracle

Ciaran500 wrote: »

Point B & C are the main reasons I don't think getting fat while bulking is a good idea and why I've moved to clean up my diet as much as I can.

And the are good ones.

Provided that Christian Thibribblesticksbo is right.
I would note that a lot of people might disagree with him though.

topazblue

A friend of mine was a similar physic to yourself and wanted the same results. He used this and hasnt looked back since..

http://www.universalnutrition.ie/viewproduct/36

BobbyOLeary

Ciaran500 wrote: »

Point B & C are the main reasons I don't think getting fat while bulking is a good idea and why I've moved to clean up my diet as much as I can.

I don;t think that getting fat is a good idea either per se but my point was that you'll retard a lot of your strength and mass gains by worrying about your fat % too much. When it becomes an issue deal with it.

That all being said there'll be a million others who'll disagree with me on this, as evidenced by the bradpants thread.

entropi

BobbyOLeary wrote: »

Which ones are those?

Ciaran500 wrote: »

By bulking up you're actually reducing the amount of time per year where you can add muscle because you have to diet for a longer period of time to remove the gained fat.
C) Bulking up will, over time, improve your body's capacity to store fat and reduce its capacity to lose it.[/I]"

Point B & C are the main reasons I don't think getting fat while bulking is a good idea and why I've moved to clean up my diet as much as I can.

I think your question has been answered here...

BobbyOLeary

Master of Nothing wrote: »

I think your question has been answered here...

Not really.

Jimmy Bottlehead

Master of Nothing wrote: »

Except that the OP wants to gain on the upper body too, squats wont work on that without a bar...

(regarding Nesquik) Plus not only tasting delicious, it adds even more calories to burn off:)

Well genius, if you applied some of your smartarsery to researching what you're disagreeing with, you'd know that

A) 'Squats and Milk' is a program, not just doing bodyweight squats while you sip at some milk. The program is TREMENDOUS for overall muscle and size gain.

AND...

The goodness and weightgaining properties of milk more than compensate for the measly calories that a spoonful or two of Nesquik add to a pint of milk.

If you take time to read up on whats posted here, you might learn a thing or ten

entropi

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

Well genius

with comments like that, i can see you going very far indeed;)

A) 'Squats and Milk' is a program

Yes i already knew this...

AND...

The goodness and weightgaining properties of milk more than compensate for the measly calories that a spoonful or two of Nesquik add to a pint of milk.

Already knew this too...wow:o

If you take time to read up on whats posted here, you might learn a thing or ten

Turns out i learned nothing afterall...but thanks anyway.

Jimmy Bottlehead

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

Well genius, if you applied some of your smartarsery to researching what you're disagreeing with, you'd know that

A) 'Squats and Milk' is a program, not just doing bodyweight squats while you sip at some milk. The program is TREMENDOUS for overall muscle and size gain.

AND...

The goodness and weightgaining properties of milk more than compensate for the measly calories that a spoonful or two of Nesquik add to a pint of milk.

If you take time to read up on whats posted here, you might learn a thing or ten

Master of Nothing wrote: »

with comments like that, i can see you going very far indeed

Do explain the bold, it's intriguing.

Master of Nothing wrote: »

Yes i already knew this...

Then why say something that implies you didn't know this?

Master of Nothing wrote: »

Except that the OP wants to gain on the upper body too, squats wont work on that without a bar...

AND...

Master of Nothing wrote: »

Already knew this too...wow:o

Once again, why claim that using Nesquik is a bad idea when you admitted just there you knew it was a good idea?

Master of Nothing wrote: »

Plus not only tasting delicious, it adds even more calories to burn offeven

Master of Nothing wrote: »

Turns out i learned nothing afterall...but thanks anyway.

You know that old saying, you can lead a donkey to water, but you can't make it drink?

Oh, and if you're going to put little witticisms in your sig, at least take your own advice

entropi

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

Do explain the bold, it's intriguing.

Fair enough then, i shall: dragging this on is just gonna destroy the thread and piss off the OP, who obviously didnt want this in their thread, only advice.

Then why say something that implies you didn't know this?

Having a stupid moment at the time of posting is all i can offer...

Once again, why claim that using Nesquik is a bad idea when you admitted just there you knew it was a good idea?

I never mentioned that it would be a bad idea, i know it can only be a good idea unless they got specific dietary advice to stay away from certain products.

You know that old saying, you can lead a donkey to water, but you can't make it drink?

Much rather be a donkey, than a fooooooooooool of a donkey:pac: (good ol Tommy Tiernan providing that one):p

But is it not a horse in the saying?