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I am 6ft tall male 15 years old and went from 120lbs to 150lbs. I did a lot of force feeding to gain weight and i still force feed a lot because im literally NEVER hungry. But suddenly i stopped gaining, for 2 months i havent gained any weight. I am right now force feeding 300g of peanuts everyday and eating 3 - 4 large meals on top of that and i feel like dying because of how much food im consuming. Thought i was gonna gain a massive amount of weight from doing this but I didn't, im barely gaining anything if at all. How can i start gaining weight again? Any tips?

Damn, how tall are your parents? To answer your question, I had the exact same situation. Felt like I was eating a lot but just wasn't gaining weight. I started tracking calories and gained weight. Also, don't eat that many peanuts every day - probably not good for you

Well i literally have to force feed all the time. How much did you eat and what foods did you eat?

I'm on 3000 calories a day. Use this site to calculate your needs: [https://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html](https://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html) I eat all sorts, man. Cereal, pasta, noodles, pizza, desserts, milk, etc. Again, not super relevant, but how tall are your parents?

Not that tall, i am the tallest.

Can a lack of quality sleep prevent weight/muscle gain? Or is it just the distribution of the weight that changes?

Sleeping less than you need will lead to worse outcomes. But it still beats not working out at all and having poor sleep. In depth articles: https://www.strongerbyscience.com/sleep-pt-1/ and https://www.strongerbyscience.com/poor-recovery-and-increased-muscle-breakdown-insufficient-sleep-part-2/ [And a quick research review about strength during restricted sleep](https://www.strongerbyscience.com/research-spotlight-sleep-loss/)

My nights are just plagued with inconsistensies. Most nights are fine, but sometimes I feel like a fucking insomniac just sitting there.

If it is in your means, getting checked for sleep apnea or other health issues can be worth it. For short term interventions you could also try melatonin or something from your doctor. Typical advice applies, sleep hygiene and so on.

My shirtless body looks very unattractive normally(pectus excavatum)except when I flex I look great, Should this be the norm until a certain phase of lifting? (Currently on bulk 198 5'11 5 months into lifting)

Is it possible to look good in a shirt natty? I only look like I lift when I’m half naked and its the same for the top natties (will tennyson, etc)

I'm sorry, you think [this guy](https://imgur.com/a/OBOfQRl) doesn't look jacked in the picture?

Yeah. Anyone who says you can’t has never had enough muscle for that to be the case (not trying to be mean). The effect is more pronounced when you’re bulked, admittedly. Looking big and shredded in clothes? That’s a different story altogether…

Yes

Will Tennyson definitely still looks like he lifts while wearing a shirt. It is possible to be visibly more muscular than the average person if you're wearing clothing that fits well.

Not to the average person. He even made a video recently polling random people on the beach if they think he lifts, tho he wasnt wearing the best fitting shirt

ok. I'm not sure what to tell you. If you want to give up, give up. You don't need anyone's permission. I can say from experience that a number of people who have never seen me shirtless or heard me talk about lifting have commented that they can tell that I lift, and it's not like I'm a monster or a competitive natural bodybuilder.

I never said I wanna give up. Been lifting consistently without skipping a day and not gonna stop

Keep it up and I guarantee you'll get to a point where you're happy with how you look. You should probably take rest days though

I love how leg day makes me feel exhausted like ive really put everything into my workout and get drained.How can I make upper body days also feel like this.It seems no matter how hard I push i just dont get as physically drained as i do from leg day.

Haha I'm the exact same. Absolutely love the intensity of leg days. Upper body workouts are still tough, but don't give that same satisfaction. However, this makes it so that I still have energy to do some form of cardio/conditioning. I schedule 2 of my 3 upper days with rugby practice.

You probably won't. With upper body lifts, you're usually going to be limited by local fatigue in the specific muscles you're working before you hit a super high level of systemic fatigue. With lower body lifts, the much heavier weights are naturally going to cause much more systemic fatigue.

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The Vertical Diet is exactly this: a low-FODMAP gaining diet. If you don't want to shell out for it: beef and rice make up a big part of it. You can gain a lot on those things.

Not a question - eating a lot feels good! No joke, I hated eating before and struggled to gain any weight. I also wasn't feeling very great since I moved to US 2 years back or maybe after Covid. For past 2-3 weeks I have really started to EAT. I had gained around 10-12 lbs in last 1 year but in last month I started a 531 Jim Wendlers program which is painful but boy do I get hungry and eat like a beast. I've been feeling so healthy and now just want to eat all the time and I've been sleeping great too. So eating healthy until you feel satisfied is not just for gainz but I just feel like I have more energy to work too!

this isn’t a question but I finally hit 160 lbs 💪

Congrats bro

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50kg for 3 sets of 6.

SKINNY FAT AFTER CUTTING: So I've been consistently in the gym 4-6 days a week since October 2021 and last year was my first bulk. I went from 165lbs to 202lbs with 190g of protein a day and 6 day a week PPL programs for 9 months and am starting to cut. My lifts went up on average around 50-80lbs Ive lost 15lbs so far trying to get to 170lbs. I know I'm not quite there yet but should I be seeing some definition already? I'm 31 years old and not seeing a big difference in my body except theres less belly fat but no definition anywhere and I'm starting to think all my work has been for nothing. What am I missing or am I just impatient? Thanks!

You spent 29-30 years building the body you built before you started training: it's going to take a while to unbuild it.

> What am I missing or am I just impatient? Mostly just being impatient. You put on 35 lb and increased your lifts. That's great. Now you're cutting, revealing the results of the effort you put in during your bulk. Getting big and strong takes time.

If I still dont see noticeable results at 170lbs should I keep cutting? Or would that be overkill? I feel at that point I'd be cutting into gains

> If I still dont see noticeable results at 170lbs should I keep cutting? Or would that be overkill? I feel at that point I'd be cutting into gains That's one of those unanswerable questions my dude. I would assume that, after putting on 35 lb and then cutting cutting away 30 lb of (mostly, hopefully) fat that you'd be significantly more muscular @ 170 then you were previously @ 165. A semi-related note/comment: If you're mostly interested in aesthetics I wouldn't put as much emphasis on bodyweight goals. They're definitely easier from a quantification perspective - seeing the scale change is easier to gauge than a mirror - but if you're just trying to look/feel good then the number the scale shows doesn't matter as much. Keep an eye on how you look & feel as you're cutting. If you dig the look at 185 (for example), feel free to detach yourself from the 170 goal.

I’m going to start going to the gym tomorrow i’m 5’10 48 kg , how should i eat ? And can anyone recommend a 5 day a week program?

https://thefitness.wiki/muscle-building-101/ https://www.strongerbyscience.com/bulking/

My lifting buddy has very limited time due to a crazy work schedule, so our lifting sessions only last about an hour. We focus on the main compounds and a couple accessories, 3x/week. Is it okay for me to go in on the days we don't lift and do a different group of accessories, or will it screw up my recovery if I don't really have rest days?

Couldn’t you stick around longer even after your buddy leaves?

> will it screw up my recovery Maybe! Maybe not! Only way to find out is to give it a go! You could also make those dedicated conditioning days too.

Thanks! Yeah, I've been swimming on those off days, but my pool is about to close so I'm wondering how best to replace it, as someone who hates jogging with an abiding passion.

> as someone who hates jogging with an abiding passion. Me too! Usually I'll stick to something from wodwell.com, [MythicalStrength's Little Book of Bad Ideas](https://www.reddit.com/r/weightroom/comments/pimzfr/per_request_my_free_ebook_mythical_strengths/), [Brian Alsruhe's channel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQCpoALd3Nw), or other ideas I'll outright steal from folks on reddit. Or when in doubt, burpees!

Bulking rn & currently @ 175lbs or so as a 6'5" 21y/o dude. Been lifting since about sept 2022. I'm running a 5 day/week Push,Pull,Legs program my buddy wrote for me, & making sure to progressively overload. however, all the food I eat seems to go straight to my gut. I definitely noticed progress at the beginning but since then I feel like I've plateaued. I'm eating in the realm of 3000-3200 cals/day... anything less than this & I feel like I wouldn't gain any weight at all. Do y'all think I'm just in my head abt my gut? My bulk is relatively clean, I have a bowl of eggs & chicken every morning for breakfast & do everyplate for lunch & dinner. Hate this feeling of stagnancy so would love y'alls help!

I’m not an expert, but the places your body stores fat is genetic. I’m the same way. I put on 5 pounds when I wasn’t working out and it all went straight to my mid section. There’s really no solution, just keep working out.

> 3000-3200 This is not enough; at your size and level of activity, that's under maintenance. Add another 500ish and you'll start to see more growth. Gut growth is inevitable during a bulk. Just do a bulk-cut cycle like everyone else.

How much weight are you gaining each week? 'Clean' won't make a difference if you're putting on a couple pounds a week. Also no offense to your buddy but odds are decent that you'll make more progress using an established program rather than something another relatively fresh gym bro has put together

I'm working out consistently but am struggling to gain weight as consistently, if I'm not seeing a pound gained every week or two am I still building muscle or just doing maintenance

It's possible you're still building some muscle. But instead of wondering and hoping, find ways to eat more so you meet your gaining goal.

Why are my arms small despite being quite strong? Arm size: 14.5 inches at 6ft 2 Arm lifts: dumbbell hammer curl 32.5kg 3x8 Ez bar curl 50kg 3x5 Bench press 100kg 1RM Close grip bench 95kg 1RM Weighted chin up 3x5+ 25kg Deadlift- 180kg Ohp- 70kg

That's not unusual. My arms were a similar size when my lifts were at a similar point. Want to grow your arms? Eat more and do more direct arm work.

Another question- is 14.5 inches small or big do you think? People online telling me it’s tiny and below average for an UNTRAINED man but then i always get compliments on my arms wherever I go. I’m so confused

I have always had skinny arms (especially forearms and wrists) and I'm always overthinking and wondering are they bigger, are they small for my weight/height/age. I've learnt to stop worrying and lift. I hit arms 3x week and I am determined to grow them.

My arms looked good at that point because I was slender and they were busting out of a medium t shirt. But my answer is the same: if you want them to be bigger, make them bigger.

Cool got it

Okay thanks, it’s just a lot of people lift less than me and have bigger arms.

What's your weight?

84.5kg

Well you're probably not tiny, but you are on the taller side. So you'll need to put on more muscle to look strong. You might able to lift more than people who are half a foot shorter, but they need less absolute muscle mass to look muscular. So you gotta keep lifting, maybe pick a hypertrophy program that suits your needs.

Ah ok cool. Do u think 14.5 inches (flexed) is good or not? Because I read somewhere that even for an untrained man the average is 14.6 inches. That would be incredibly confusing to me if I have smaller arms then an untrained man, yet I get compliments for my “big” arms often.

Trust your experience. If you get compliments on your arms I'm sure you're doing great

Thanks man, means a lot lol because I’m really stressed about this. Seems silly but it’s cuz I got mental health issues 🙄

Idk I think it's decent? It's nothing I really think about. If the size for untrained men is not corrected for obesity, then average numbers won't tell you anything.

Insomnia on a calorie surplus. Kind of freaked out. Been ongoing for 2/3 weeks now. What do I do?

With a history of insomnia and only eating 350 extra calories, why do you think the root cause is your surplus? And if you are 100% sure it is the cause, what do you need us to help you with?

I wasn't entirely sure. I just noticed that it happened at the same time as the surplus. As for what help, I'm still relatively inexperienced with weight gain and bulking. I didn't know if there might be something I missed or did wrong. Is my surplus too small, for example? I apologise if I seem defensive. I might have misread the tone of your message as short.

No need to apologize. I'm asking because there's more going on here than your initial comment suggests. You have a history of insomnia. That's going to inform "what to do" more than anything else. Did a surplus of calories cause it last time? How did you fix it last time? What else is going on in your life? What and how are you eating? This is a complex health issue that we can't really help with because you're holding all the cards and asking about what is most likely a coincidence. Basically, all we can say is "don't eat those 350 calories and see what happens".

Yes. A very brief stint last year with trying a surplus caused similar effects. I did understandably have other things going on at the time, though. Trainer has a deload planned soon, so I'll talk to him about dropping the surplus. He's keen to see weight go on. Currently 5'4 Female at 51.3kg.

Are you eating significantly close to bedtime during this time frame whereas previously you weren’t? If so I would try not doing that. Outside of that you should see a doctor.

I am, but I always have and it was fine before. (late evening job finishing at midnight). Seen doctors. So far all tests clear.

Have you had a sleep study done? Outside of that you might just get insomnia sometimes. If it were me I’d get an rx for traznadone

No studies done, no. Not sure how to get one in the UK. I admit I've had insomnia issues before (so bad that drugs haven't helped). So I know worrying is going to exasperate the issue. Just feeling a bit frustrated. Upped from 2400/daily to 2750/daily and my body is mad about it. Crampy stomach, sweating, sometimes thoughts race.

Firstly follow your doctor's advice, although I sympathise, it's slow going with the NHS these days. If the calorie increase isn't going down well then try reducing them and build up gradually.

Seems a good shot, I'll try slowing down the surplus. Been in a slow weight loss for a while for most of the last year.

Won't eating raw rolled oats everyday damage my teeth? I have been eating a bowl of milk with raw rolled oats everyday because it satisfies my hunger, has good macros, and is extremely quick to prepare. In the morning, I just pour both in a bowl and eat it. Not the tastiest but it's ok. But eating it everyday degrade my teeth health?

Oats are high in phytic acid which can be harmful to your teeth yes. You can neutralise a lot of the phytic acid by soaking them overnight before eating them.

Why or how would raw oats damage your teeth?

Idk, I just remember reading that eating lots of cereals can damage the enamel of your teeth. No idea if it's true.

Well, sugary cereals and poor dental hygiene isn't a winning combination, but chewing on oats is a standard use case for your teeth.

I would ask my dentist if I was worried. On a personal note I never had any issues with my teeth despite eating oats every day