Opposite of losing weight

[thesacrifice]

I'm 26 and still have a middle schoolers metabolism. I'm like you, I eat what I want whenver and dont gain weight, although I'm 6'2" and vary from 190-205lbs, so I'm not skinny by any means, just a little lanky in the limbs . That 15 lbs that I bounce around with is muscle..how much I weigh depends on how much I lift. If I workout for 3 months I'll be up at 205, if I dont workout for a month or two, Im back down to 190....weird eh? I hate how muscle just starts falling off as you get older...you literally have to workout to keep it around.

I use to think the resolution was to eat a bunch of fast food crap, but that didn't work, plus its completely unhealthy.

When I work graveyards, I get lazy on my eating and lifting. It's hard working from 8pm to 7am, waking up at 5pm and wanting to be hungry for a dinner size meal or working out, plus the only places open that late are a grocery store or two....I miss my peanut butter jelly smoothies!

[tdekany]

Originally Posted by VaSuperShine

im another lankey dude, my senior year i was 6'2 190 i was bedridden for four months and dropped considerable amount and am now 6'5 170, i can't gain an ounce based on diet whatsoever, i know my metabolism is fast and have read that you really gotta cram your stomache and do serious power lifting, uh....is there any other way, i don't have the time to schedule daily power lifting sessions and when my stomache tells me it's full i don't eat anymore.

so what is your type?

[D&D Auto Detail]

0+, would like some info please.

[Accumulator]

Originally Posted by D&D Auto Detail

You can adjust everything 10% up and down, just has to equal 100%. So maybe for you it should be 45% CHO, 30% fat, 25% protein. Remember, protein is the very last thing used for energy, fat and CHO's are used first. Dont get me wrong, Im not saying protein isnt important, because it is..

Heh heh, what works for me is more than a 10% tweaking, but IMO the important thing is to find what works for *you* over an extended timeframe (like a few decades). People come up with diets/exercise regimens that they can't stick with and the end result isn't pretty (or fun to live with).

When you get the whole dietary thing right, you know it- you have energy, you sleep well, you feel good (not hungry either), your blood tests/etc. come back great at your physicals, you have plenty of muscle and as much bodyfat as you want to have, and your athletic performance is what you want it to be. When it's *not* right, I'd sure expect somebody to know it too.

thesacrifice- Working varying shifts would be tough to deal with all right! Especially working graveyards and having to get into a whole 'nother biorhythm. But I'll bug you a little (good-naturedly of course ) about not working out for a whole month. Even counting recovery periods after surgery, I don't think I've gone *that* long since maybe the 1970s. Missing a day or two, OK..but missing a week? No way.

You're right, as you get older you have to be even more diligent about this stuff; you detrain a lot faster and it's harder to regain those losses. Heh heh, discussing "getting older" with somebody who's in his mid-twenties makes me a bit. If you miss a week of cardio in your 40s you'll be dying for the first week after you resume training!

In your line of work (IIRC), I'd want to be as in-shape as possible for those one-in-a-million moments But I'm not sure how easily I'd pull it off given your schedule. I think I'd try to keep all my meals about the same size so the whole time-of-day thing didn't factor in so much in that area.

[D&D Auto Detail]

I definitely agree.

[Monte78Carlo2k1]

Originally Posted by Accumulator

Heh heh, if you guys *don't* know your blood types you better find out before some medical emergency befalls you If tdekany's approach motivates you to find out, then that's reason enough; this is simply something a person needs to know...[stuff] really does happen, and usually when you least expect it.

VaSuperShine- The "cram your stomach" and "do serious powerlifting" type of advice sorta sounds goofy to me, maybe it's just the choice of words. People like to be "extreme" when giving advice about this sort of thing and I admit I about that.

Even with a fast metabolism, you can only use so many calories at one time and overeating is just dumb. Rather, you need to eat smaller meals that you can *use* (i.e., metabolize into energy and muscle, not store as fat) and you shouldn't ever feel bloated. Have those small meals frequently throughout the day (yeah, it's a hassle). FWIW I eat about every 3-4 hours while I'm awake.

Lifting- well, yeah, power-type moves, the basics, are better than high-rep isolation type movements. But it's not like you need to do max-effort doubles or stuff like that and destroy your joints (and burn out mentally). And hardly anybody can do max-effort lifting all the time without incurring injury or burning out. Do stuff like squats, deadlifts, presses, chins- compound movements that build functional strength. Make most sets last 40-80 seconds so the fast-twitch muscle fibers get enough stimulation to grow. Do enough to get sore (no more, seldom less) and then don't exercise those muscles again until after the soreness goes away. Yeah, that's mighty basic but it's worked for centuries.

Go for a balanced approach to diet and exercise, and do the cardio for overall health even though you have a fast metabolism. Come up with something you can stick with for decades, not just months or even years.

Just wait..by the time you're in your late 30s that metabolism will start to slow down a bit. By the time you're in your late 40s you'll have to watch what you eat and when.

Yeah I should know what my blood type by now. Especially since I have blood drawn every month for the past 15 months. I have been trying to get on track with the 3-4 small meals. Hard to do when GM is on their two week shut down and you don't have anything to do but lay back and relax and stay up late and sleep in. In which are all bad things for your body aparently. But the exercise is falling into place and eating better meals have been put in place though.

[thesacrifice]

Originally Posted by Accumulator

thesacrifice- Working varying shifts would be tough to deal with all right! Especially working graveyards and having to get into a whole 'nother biorhythm. But I'll bug you a little (good-naturedly of course ) about not working out for a whole month. Even counting recovery periods after surgery, I don't think I've gone *that* long since maybe the 1970s. Missing a day or two, OK..but missing a week? No way.

You're right, as you get older you have to be even more diligent about this stuff; you detrain a lot faster and it's harder to regain those losses. Heh heh, discussing "getting older" with somebody who's in his mid-twenties makes me a bit. If you miss a week of cardio in your 40s you'll be dying for the first week after you resume training!

In your line of work (IIRC), I'd want to be as in-shape as possible for those one-in-a-million moments But I'm not sure how easily I'd pull it off given your schedule. I think I'd try to keep all my meals about the same size so the whole time-of-day thing didn't factor in so much in that area.

hehe it's been the summer of vacations so my discipline has been lacking...I still did 11 strict pullups the other day so I haven't totally lost my general uppperbody strength. Going to Europe for the first half of August, when I come back, I'll kill the gym. I'll be sure to do plenty of hiking and burpies while I'm there...50 burpies a day seems to be a good substitute for missing the gym, especially if you do them at a high intensity.

I should be on graveyards for the next year and a half or so consistantly so I'm rather looking forward to finding some regularity in my life. Accum, you really are someone I regard highly, you seem to be very well disciplined in mutliple facets of your life, grats.

[Accumulator]

Originally Posted by thesacrifice

hehe it's been the summer of vacations so my discipline has been lacking...I still did 11 strict pullups the other day so I haven't totally lost my general uppperbody strength. Going to Europe for the first half of August, when I come back, I'll kill the gym. I'll be sure to do plenty of hiking and burpies while I'm there...50 burpies a day seems to be a good substitute for missing the gym, especially if you do them at a high intensity...

The trip to Europe sounds fun, hope you have a good time. Heh heh, don't end up starring in a real-life version of "Hostel", the world isn't as American-friendly as it used to be

Now explain this: what the [heck] are "burpies"?!?

With your pull-ups in the double-digits, perhaps it's time to add some extra weight The Russian Speznaz guys have to do at least 20 with full field equipment including a 11-kilo flak vest

..I should be on graveyards for the next year and a half or so consistantly so I'm rather looking forward to finding some regularity in my life...

Yeah, even weird schedules can be OK as long as they're consistent.

Accum..you seem to be very well disciplined in mutliple facets of your life...

Kinda like the detailing, it's just a matter of doing the right thing in the right way at the right time.

[Accumulator]

Originally Posted by Monte78Carlo2k1

Yeah I should know what my blood type by now. Especially since I have blood drawn every month for the past 15 months...

Heh heh, that's kinda funny... getting it drawn so often but never finding out what they're taking At least it oughta be easy for you to find out the next time.

.. I have been trying to get on track with the 3-4 small meals. Hard to do when GM is on their two week shut down and you don't have anything to do but lay back and relax and stay up late and sleep in...But the exercise is falling into place and eating better meals have been put in place though.

Yeah, eating right can be a PIA until you get into a routine that works for you. Heh heh, I'd think that with the shutdown you'd have nothing to do except stuff like exercising Sounds like you're getting on track though

Now it's *I* who have to make a new schedule work- the new dogs are sorta monopolizing my time and I can't quite trust the puppy completely while I'm down in the weight room (or out in the garage detailing).

[hockeyplaya13]

If you want to gain, you should eat 500 more calories each day than you need. You can do that here: Bodybuilding.com - ISSA - Nutrient Ratios & Caloric Needs! Get to the gym and hit the weights hard. I also recommend spending a lot of time on Bodybuilding.com. I know how rough it is being a hardgainer also. Last year as a sophomore in high school I weighed 160 at 6'0", now as a junior I have jumped to 185lbs at 6'1". Part of that was the extra inch of growth, but I have weights at my house and work out religiously. Eat lots of dairy, drink lots of milk, and eat lots of peanut butter sandwhiches. Like Accumulator said, about 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight should definitely help you gain if you are lifting weights. You might want to look into a protein powder (GNC 100% whey protein). It's like $40 for 82 servings. Although I put two servings in one drink. If I were trying to gain, I would stop running those 4 miles and quit biking. Hit the gym and eat like a horse for a few months and you'll see some improvements. Then start running again to get cut and aerobically healthy.

[Accumulator]

Sigh...it's getting very, very hard for me to gain muscle without also gaining fat. I'm closing in on age 48 and I've been lifting for decades, but I hate to think I've maxed out on my potential. I suppose I could get more seriously involved in the whole thing (again) but with the dogs and everything else going on it's just not gonna happen.

It might be nonsense, but I keep thinking that I just don't want to let my bodyfat creep up into the double-digits lest it turn into a slipperly slope to losing the sixpack. Seems like everybody (my age) I know is starting to get heavy...I think it creeps up on them and suddenly they're just not lean any more. First the lower abs, then eventually the face, no thanks

[Monte78Carlo2k1]

Well I have started to finally gained weight and muscle since I have started lifting and I have changed my diet in a good direction. I am up to 5 - 6 meals and lifting wieghts to go with it. I have changed from that 150lb guy I was last year and now I am a healthy 170lb guy with more muscle than before. I have never felt this great ever in my life. Although I am only 21 ,getting ready to date a 24 year old woman, I gave up drinking beer and alcohol and getting drunk. I may have a drink every now and then but for now I am happy with going out and being the sober one watching all the rest getting drunk. This whole thing is very addictive; I only wish I would've started years ago. It calms me down reduces/almost gets rid of all the stress I have. Plus havin the ladies starting to look more often doesn't hurt either