I need Help!!!

[thefranchise]

I don't know if this is the right forum to put this in but I need help big time. I'm what you call a "hard gainer" i guess.

I'm 25 years old, 6'3 167 lbs and I can't gain a pound. I eat everything in sight and it still doesn't work. I've taken weight gainer, protein, creatine, etc... I'm a very active person. I play Basketball, Softball 2 nights a week and Flag Football 1 night a week.

The only thing that has worked was the Biotest plan for success but we all know that Mag-10 is banned and discontinued. Also that was 2 years ago. I gained about 7-12 lbs of muscle with this. I stopped working out b/c I got a new job and didn't have time.

Well I started again about 3 months ago and i'm seeing very minimal gain. I'm a very hard worker but I get very discouraged b/c I don't see any change in my body.

What I ask is "What can I do to gain mass other than taking steroids?"

Also, What prohormone do you guys recommend?

Thanks and I hope I can get some replies on this.

 

[Ziricote]

What does your diet and workout routine look like?

 

[CROWLER]

yep what he said.

Write down exactly what you eat during the day and then figure out how many calories that is.


CROWLER

 

[thefranchise]

What does your diet and workout routine look like?

My diet is simple.

During lunch I eat Sub Sandwiches. Chicken Breats Subs, Steak Subs, etc. Not from Subway.

Dinner - I'm cuban and live in Miami so it's basically cuban food. Rice, Beans, Steak, Chicken, Pork Chops, Plantains, etc. On any given night I can have Rice, Beans, Steak or Rice, Beans, Fish or Rice, Beans, Chicken.

Snacks - Peanut Butter Sandwiches.

My Routine

Mondays - Legs

Tuesdays - Chest and Arms - Bench, Incline Bench, Decline Bench, Dumbbell Press, Dumbbell Alternate Curls, Curls with the bar, Cable Curls.

Wednesdays - Back and Triceps

Thursdays - Play Softball

Friday - I go do a mix workout where I feel I lacked over the week.

Saturday and Sunday I rest.

 

[CROWLER]

You need to keep track of the number of calories you eat every day.


CROWLER

 

[B5150]

My diet is simple.

During lunch I eat Sub Sandwiches. Chicken Breats Subs, Steak Subs, etc. Not from Subway.

Dinner - I'm cuban and live in Miami so it's basically cuban food. Rice, Beans, Steak, Chicken, Pork Chops, Plantains, etc. On any given night I can have Rice, Beans, Steak or Rice, Beans, Fish or Rice, Beans, Chicken.

Snacks - Peanut Butter Sandwiches.

Failing to plan is planning to fail. Obviously you have a high activity level and are very likely an ectomorph. You need to know what you are eating and plan to eat what you need to eat. Sounds like you are undernourished and need to eat a lot more.

 

[Ziricote]

Although I don't know how much in calories you're eating from what you've said I'll happily say you need to A)Eat more! and B)Eat more frequently - every two-three hours.

 

[thefranchise]

Failing to plan is planning to fail. Obviously you have a high activity level and are very likely an ectomorph. You need to know what you are eating and plan to eat what you need to eat. Sounds like you are undernourished and need to eat a lot more.

I eat very big portions at dinner.

 

[thefranchise]

Although I don't know how much in calories you're eating from what you've said I'll happily say you need to A)Eat more! and B)Eat more frequently - every two-three hours.

I understand that but what more do I eat?

let me rephrase that.

What should I eat while I'm at work and won't take up to much time to eat?

 

[Ziricote]

I understand that but what more do I eat?

let me rephrase that.

What should I eat while I'm at work and won't take up to much time to eat?

Personally I find preperation takes more time than eating so I'll let you in on my favourite meal on the go...
Macaroni, tuna and light-mayonnaise. Cook the macaroni the night before, mix it all up in a tub and put it into the fridge until you need it the next day (If you don't like macaroni cold just microwave it for 1-2 minutes when you need it). As for how much you should eat throughout the day I'm not sure, I'll let someone else chime in on that.

 

[CROWLER]

I understand that but what more do I eat?

let me rephrase that.

What should I eat while I'm at work and won't take up to much time to eat?

Chicken, eggs, oatmeal, rice, Cuban sandwiches

You will continue to NOT gain weight if you don't change what you are doing.

I know I was 155lbs at 6' when I was in my 30s.

CROWLER

 

[thefranchise]

Ok let me know if this is a good eating regiment.

830AM - Protein Shake with a TBLSPN of peanut Butter
11AM - 2 TBLSPN of Peanut Butter and a Chicken Sandwich
1PM - Lunch - Sub, Chicken, Steak, etc...
4PM - 2 TBLSPN of Peanut Butter
7pm - Dinner - Rice, Beans, Steak or Chicken or Fish or Porkchops
9pm or 10pm i go to the gym
1130pm - Protein Shake with a TBLSPN of Peanut Butter and Chicken Sandwich.

Sleep at around 12:30-1AM

Each TBLSPN of Peanut Butter contains 4Grams of Protein and 95 calories.

 

[CROWLER]

Ok let me know if this is a good eating regiment.

830AM - Protein Shake with a TBLSPN of peanut Butter
11AM - 2 TBLSPN of Peanut Butter and a Chicken Sandwich
1PM - Lunch - Sub, Chicken, Steak, etc...
4PM - 2 TBLSPN of Peanut Butter
7pm - Dinner - Rice, Beans, Steak or Chicken or Fish or Porkchops
9pm or 10pm i go to the gym
1130pm - Protein Shake with a TBLSPN of Peanut Butter and Chicken Sandwich.

Sleep at around 12:30-1AM

Each TBLSPN of Peanut Butter contains 4Grams of Protein and 95 calories.

Hi Franchise thanks for taking our advice.

If you were to go through and figure out the actual number of calories I believe you would find out there are not very many. You go for 4.5 hours with nothing to eat in the evening.

Now to do this the 'correct' way you need to figure out how many carbs, proteins and fats. Most people will not do this and the ones who do often only keep it up for a year or two and then fall by the way side.

I look at it a little different. I may not eat EXACTLY the way I should by measuring all my macros cals etc etc BUT I have been doing this for over 30 years and can honestly say in all those 30 years I have never really been out of shape or fell off the fitness wagon for very long.

I would prefer to be in MUCH better than average shape for my entire life than be almost perfect for a couple of years.

So if that if you can dicipline yourself to measure your meals etc then by all means do it.

BUT you can also do this: Add 1 cans of tuna and half a cup of Oat meal per day. One week later add another can of tuna and another 1/2 cup of oatmeal.

If you are currently not gaining or losing this would help you to gain slowly but surely.

I am sure other guys will have good input. Each of us do things our own way and some work for others and some do not.


CROWLER

 

[stxnas]

This site is very popular amongst users of AM: FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal

Check it out and use it.I'm pretty surprised nobody has suggested it yet. It takes a little bit of time at first, but it's worth it in the long run.You'll be surprised at what you find out about your diet. Do some research on macro nutrients and macro ratios. Not just on this board, but on the net as well. Find out what a 40/40/20 macro ratio is and then use Fitday to see how close your diet actually meets this. I guarantee if you look this stuff up you will start to stumble across other things as well. Good luck and keep the questions coming.

 

[NYhomeboy]

Looking much better... however, make sure that

1) You're eating a meal every 2-3 hours
2) Each meal has a good whole food source of protein. Just 2 tbsp of peanut butter at your 4PM meal won't cut it. Nuts aren't a good source of protein at all... have another real meal -- chicken/rice, tuna/oats, etc. You're still going 6 hours without any real protein!

 

[Iron&Pain]

Peanut butter is good source of several things but not enough. You need to be eating foods with high biological values...chicken, tuna, white fish, EGGS EGGS EGGS....From what i read Eggs Whites International is 100% pure egg whites that don't have to be cooked due to the pasturization process and suppossedly they are odorless and tasteless and can be mixed with just about any food or beverage. You would be much better off adding that to your protein shakes than peanut butter. If you can't part with the PB, there are several PBs on the market that are packed with extra protein giving it quite an....oomph. Peanut butter does help Whey stick better and stay inside and not in the toilet 15 min. later. However, to piggy back off everyone else, you definitely need to be counting calories and eating more! Eating more than your normally used to requires training just like your muscles to handle more weight. Don't just one day, up and add 3000 extra calories to your diet because then you'll really be discouraged by the insane amount of undigested food making you bloat and ache. Ease into gradually... just like returning to the weights from an extended break. Bodybuilding.com has some unique training calculators in the "Interactive Zone" on the supersite that can help you determine how many calories you should should be getting, carbs, protein, all that. Good luck to you bro, stick with it....it's all in the mind. Remember, changes to your physique happen one tiny muscle fiber at a time! It'll come.