Just eat organic, or find a diet that’s protein rich and take vitamins/ supplements and protein shakes.. Him just eating fast food as “food” won’t help anything. It’s basically like eating cardboard.. it’ll fill you up and filled with stuff you shouldn’t be eating. It’s definitely a life commitment, and doesn’t come easy but it’s basically the same on both ends.. for those struggling to lose weight and those struggling to gain weight.. a main reason why is people don’t cook for themselves anymore.
Listening you talk about how you feel about eating makes me wonder if you ever talked to a therapist. There are food/AFRID specialists that could help. You can probably do it by yourself eventually but it will be an uphill struggle
I agree with ARFID. At some point, I struggled with eating food because I wanted to alter my body however at some point it wasn’t about that. It was the fact that if I wanted to eat, I couldn’t keep it down and the sensory issues were problematic despite how badly I wanted to feed myself. Exposure therapy helps a lot and I learned that the motility of my stomach was creating a lot of problems too. Medications like Reglan help move food through your stomach so you’re not experiencing nausea, acid reflux, and prolonged fullness.
To be totally fair you look really good. You're fit, you're not tired all the time. I think you're doing well despite not gaining bulk. It's a problem if you start feeling bad physically. Maybe you could try making a schedule for food and just try your best to stick to it. You ABSOLUTELY look more fit now than you did!
@@kantoe1183 I mean 100% definitely pretty up there on the IQ scale. I watched the video before commenting and that's like step 1 🤷♀️ thanks for noticing ❤️❤️
3400 is kinda high and would be hard for me to hit at 160lb. Try a lower more sustainable bulk, 2000~ calories and keep doing what you're doing. Track calories and macros, watch some Mike Isratel and Jeff Nippard.
Yeah, 3400 cal is insane at 115. It's no wonder he can't maintain it, he was eating in a 1000+cal surplus! A 200-300 calorie surplus is enough for muscle gain but i forget the exact range mike gives for optimal muscle:fat gain
Your protein isn't the issue. You need way more carbs. If your metabolism is that fast you need to carb load like an olympic cyclist to keep up with your energy demands so your body doesn't use other sources like protein and fat to keep you going.
I disagree, he simply isn't eating enough food. In the interest of simply gaining weight, he should be encouraged to eat absolutely anything as long as he desires it & can stomach it. However, he expressed a clear distinction that he wants to build muscle, not add fat. So what he needs to do is at a minimum consume 1 gram protein per pound body weight, daily. If we're being honest though, at a sub 10% body fat, gaining more fat will do absolutely no harm & is probably what he should focus on first in terms of gaining weight.
Sounds psychological my friend. There's likely a mental or emotional hurdle that you aren't confronting and working through that is causing food aversions. Disordered eating is a highly underfunded and not-talked about topic. I hope you are able to find resources and live the healthy and fulfilled life that you desire AND deserve. I've been following you since the beginning and you are such an intelligent, hilarious and special lil princess. Sending you all the good vibes! And like 30 lbs of my excess weight (I wish lol).
I’m the same height as you, at 120lbs. I just want to thank you for sharing this. I have never seen anyone else in my situation. For me it has been a 3 year struggle, starting at 105lbs. One thing I think is important to remember is that as long as we are a healthy weight, mental health is PRIORITY. Many people don’t appreciate what it is like to be like us, and they will say ignorant things like “just eat” which is like telling a runner to just run faster in order to win the race. Block out those people. I have found joy in my appearance from fashion choices, and I hope you have a similar way to feel good about the way you look and that it doesn’t consume your thoughts. I hope we will both reach our goal, but in the grand scheme of things, it is trivial when compared to health. I’ve just found your channel and you seem like an awesome guy who I bet people love to be around. That is worth so much (:
Please do not take this as insulting. I’m asking as someone who also experiences altered eating struggles when my anxiety is high. Question: Have you thought about having anxiety evaluations and seeking treatment from a psychiatrist? This could lower your food anxieties which would result in a more relaxed ability to consume food. I remember in a previous video you had mentioned some medical evaluations for your consumption challenges. Keep taking good care of yourself! You’re so committed and you’ve got this. Healthy may mean refocusing on just the things that bring you joy. Rock on man!
Disordered eating is very hard, I'm proud of you for doing your best to consume anything. The fact that you're maintaining is amazing! Honestly your therapist (just from the little you said here) seemed like she was a little crappy. If it's something you're interested in, getting a new therapist that actually is a specialist would be a good move. It can help a lot. We can definitely notice the progress on your physique, just from having an active lifestyle. Keep at it, you're doing so good.
ive watched ur videos for so long now. you being so vulnerable is really refreshing. keep doing ur best, youve been thru a lot this last year alex, but ur community here always has ur back
It's crazy we've been going thru the same thing. I can't gain weight no matter what I do!!! People say just eat but they don't understand. I wish I could figure out something because I should weigh more than 120 lbs. Even the food I love seems to make me feel sick sometimes. You nailed it like it's human crap. But sometimes is not. It's crazy. Wow you and I are the exact same weight. I go from 114 to 120 back to 114. I'm lost on what to do.
i used to have that problem but as soon as i turned like 15 it started going away and now im 220 6'2 instead of 135 6'2 i think what happened was i stopped doing some of the things that were burning calories in my life but i kept eating the same amount
I'll put in my 2 cents on this since my husband had a similar problem and I helped him with it. What I would encourage him to do it to try to eat a little bit past full. It sounds like you've already done this such that you are now able to naturally keep on 115 lbs. But maybe try pushing yourself to eat and feel a bit more past your current limit. This will help stretch out your stomach and will naturally make you feel more hungry(or at least should help). Not saying to fill yourself to bursting, but when you are full try to take another bite or two. Or if you don't want to eat anymore of your current meal, what about a dessert? Could you eat more of that? We would also buy him addictive snacks that he would enjoy. He only really wanted chocolate, so we would get him chocolate cookies. These addictive snacks are full of ingredients that will naturally increase your ghrelin which in tern will increase cravings and hunger. That might be why the shakes were increasing your hunger since from what I know those shakes have a lot of sugar in them. In my experience ghrelin is also what gives people that hungry feeling (When I fast or eat less food that produces less ghrelin I can feel my stomach rumble, but I won't feel hungry in the way that I would if I were eating a diet with more carbs and sugar or not fasting). In general it sounds like you don't enjoy eating at all. So try to keep it low stakes and enjoyable! Similar to being on a diet to loose weight, if you don't replace your old habits and food with something that you can enjoy, then you won't be able to maintain it. Basically you have to find foods that are just as if not more enjoyable than not eating.
This dude just has one of the most extreme "hard gainer" phenotypes I've ever seen. He simply does not feel hungry and he feels full much too rapidly. It's basically the opposite of those 600lb Life people that always feel hungry, get a huge hedonic reward from foods, and they do not readily feel full when they eat.
My advice to this little guy is to only eat extremely energy dense foods when he does feel hungry, and he should almost only drink nutrient rich drinks, perhaps sipping on "gainer" shakes all day. If he could hook up an IV at night to drip nutrients, then that would help too. Poor little guy
I used to feel that way and think I was a hard gainer. The key is titrating your calories up slowly. Im 6'2'' and I've been as low as 135. Right now im only 160 and gaining, I have shorts on channel. I think bro might just be slightly depressed or low on Vitamin B/D or something, sleeping 14hrs and not having any appetite is odd.
@@mcfarvo His name is Alex, not "little guy". You sound so condescending. Obviously you don't know anything about him and how much he has accomplish in his young life. I am so sure is more than you have at your age. Have a good day. Love u Alex!!!
I've been following you for a long time, and while I haven't commented on this series until now, I've kept up with the videos and let me just say I feel you on a spiritual level dude. I'm in the exact same boat you are. I have never seen my thoughts on this topic articulated so well. This is such an underrepresented issue in the fitness community, and it's one that it seems like people don't really give a shit about or just don't understand, so I really, really, really appreciate you being so open and honest about what you're going through.
Hey dude! So I'm on the opposite journey, and during weight loss, there's something that tends to happen every now and then called a weight loss plateau, where no matter what you do, you the weight just isn't budging. But it's a temporary thing where your metabolism is just trying to adjust so it holds onto the weight to try and let the body sort of catch up to all the changes. Then when it's caught up, you start losing weight again. I have a feeling it's likely true in the reverse, and you've just hit a plateau! Also, from an autistic girl with adhd, gonna echo some sentients in the comment section and also suggest you may wanna look into ARFID
As someone who's always had a tendency to be overweight (last time I was skinny I was like 10 years old, I'm now 26), it's interesting seeing your perspective on this and it seems very rough. Eating intuitively always led me to weight gain, even more so because of my ADHD, because food for me not only fills hunger, but it's also a consistent dopamine source which I constantly crave. Only thing that's working out for me is calorie tracking, and I would highly encourage you to do it for around 6 months or until you reach your goal weight. Since you get full quickly you may want to experiment with low volume calorie dense foods. You can also ease a bit on the protein since it's the one thing besides fiber that leaves you feeling full, in your case, high calorie carbs seem to be the way to go.
DRINK YOUR CALORIES! nothing wrong with getting your calories up using shakes. Just make sure hit your macros and micros. Bulking like this is nice because you really dont have to have a calorie cut off.
Yeah, his brain, gut, endocrine systems all out ARFID (low hunger, extreme satiety, low food reward, etc.) Psychologically and physiologically, the guy is a genetic outlier to be super skinny and he would surely die in any hunter/gatherer/famine-risk human historical context.
I have a little cousin with this exact syndrome. Her parents were too ignorant to see anything wrong, but I noticed immediately when she was tiny even. This 5 year old wouldn't touch or show interest in food others here age were going crazy for. And when she was hungry, she'd take, literally, 4/5 bites and be full. Wouldnt eat lunch at school... etc. She and him are the same, except from her perspective skinny= good because societal standards for women are fucked. @mcfarvo
You do your best and that is what matters. You have a goal you consistently work at but, it doesn't look like you actually see what you have accomplished in the last year. Keep doing your best.
Would you consider working with a dietician that specializes in ARFID or other eating disorders? Idk if you even are diagnosed with that or if you've even tried working with a dietician before, but maybe having some professional help would benefit you
I went through the same struggles in my twenties, tried special diets and protein boosts plus even injections to gain weight, and tried training and bodybuilding to gain muscles... all in vain. My doc asked back then "Do you feel well?", I answered "Yes, but...", and he replied, "What do you want more?". So I stopped doing stuff I didn't like. I had and still have a high metabolism, a slim but athletic body shape, and a consistent BMI of 18.5-19 ("ideal weight"). I've seen my doc twice in the last 20 years for minor stuff, I can still outrun most 20-year-olds (to be fair, I did running in my younger years), and people give me 10 years less. As a smoker (old Gen X programmer and artist habit, and it was cool back then, lol). The moral of the story: accept who and how you are and enjoy the positive aspects of your body shape and life. Better skinny and healthy than overweight and out of breath after 10 minutes. Oh. And six packs are overrated, too, besides being fake more often than not these days. Cheers!
I go through a similar thing, the more I work out the less hungry and weaker I am and it negatively effects my weight gain, so I use mass gainers and protein shakes to help build the muscle it works really well, the mass gainers can help you get all the calories you need in-in 1 or 2 drinks through the day. Also give your areas you were working on 2 days to recover after each workout. I really hope this helps you out in some way it was a hard road of figuring it out for myself
Ive been in a very similar spot for my entire life. A couple months ago I saw this short from max euceda basically saying the easiest way to bulk is just 2-3 spoonfuls of peanut butter every meal, don’t chew it or anything just swallow it down with water. Bro it is a game changer. I really relate when you talk about it’s not just eating shit but putting it up to your mouth chewing and swallowing, let me tell you it is so much easier to gulp down 800 extra calories in a couple seconds than it is to eat food. I really hope you try it!
I have the same problem. If I don’t track my calories and make sure to eat enough, then I drop about 15 pounds in just a few months, and go from 150 to about 135. I HAVE to track the calories, and eat three meals at the same times every day. If I don’t keep a routine about it, or I don’t weigh out my portions so I know the amount of calories I’m consuming, I will slip into a habit of under eating. So that’s my recommendation - make eating and tracking your calories a routine chore, like brushing your teeth. Eventually it will just be habit. Also my experience of hunger is the same. Growling stomach is just something I hear, I don’t really “feel” hunger until I ignore my stomach like all day. But I’ve learned that never ignoring my stomach, and always making a point to eat something when it tells me to, really helps in “normalizing” my eating habits.
It’s crazy, hunger for me can consist of anything from nausea, pain, lightheadedness… I never considered that it doesn’t feel the same for everyone. Don’t give up on your journey! Everyone has highs and lows
The thinnest woman I know naturally, grew up like you being told to gain gain gain weight. The way she did it, pounding ice cream and sugars, gave her diabetes so just be careful to increase calories with a fully balanced diet not just overloading with sugars and fats. People say that you shouldn't crash diet to lose weight, but they don't think the same of crash gaining.
I have the same problem you do, I was 100 pounds as a teen, and for 3 years my body stayed at 115-120. I turned 25, had a good Christmas and thankgiving, and got in a relationship with someone who has a healthy relationship with eating and food. I am 140, some of this is muscle, some of this is fat. I feel good though. I suggest getting a food buddy, someone you go out to eat with, someone who joins you for meal time.
Idk I haven’t watched you in years and u actually look different to me, keep on trying it’s hard right now I understand how u feel I’m skinny too but I see the progress so keep it up❤
this video was interesting to listen to. Your perspective on eating is way different from mine, but I feel like you described your thought process so well. I don’t think about the swallowing part of food unless I have to eat something that tastes gross or has a jelly type texture. Like it’s a reflex not to swallow it but it’s also you psyching yourself out. It might be you telling yourself that you need food, but it comes with the negative thoughts of all the times you didn’t enjoy eating, or had a bad experience with it. It also comes with the guilt that you failed to achieve your task but you know you should have. I like to problem solve by assessing the negative thoughts and ask myself why I keep associating the thoughts with the thing that I’m avoiding. And then I try to think of solutions from there, whether it’s to fix it or make it easier on myself when doing the task. That way, you’re not overthinking on any short-lived fixes, you’re getting to the root of it. idk this might help
That analogy is perfect. That is pretty much how I felt about food as a kid till mid twenties, when someone tried to make me eat more than I wanted to. My main motivation to eat, was to keep my stomach from growling, because i was embarrased when other people heard it. I'm 33, still hate food and try to interact with it as little as I can. I try to be as distracted as possible while eating (cellphone, TV, people around me etc.). It's better when it doesn't have much taste, or just one taste (just salty), also better when it doesn't smell too much and doesn't require much chewing. And most importantly, that I didn't have to prepare it myself. Eating already feels like a waste of time but when I also spend an hour preparing that stuff, I'm already done with it before taking the first bite. Even when I'm eating out I try to make the people I'm with pick something from the menu for me because I don't care and I don't want to think about it. Ultimately, what helped me gain weight was probably age, from what I gather your metabolism slows down in your thierties and I don't really exercise. And living together with my partner who does most of the cooking and generally having some kind of social preassure to eat, like spending lunchbreak with my coworker...they eat, so it's weird when I don't. Or when my partner prepares a meal I eat it, because I don't want to be an ass :-)
Totally get it as I have the same sort of issue sometimes. Basically when I get to the point where I’m not hungry anymore I will gag trying to eat more. That said don’t feel too terrible, because eating in surplus is hard even for people who are big. Body builders talk about this pretty frequently, how terrible it is eating for a surplus. Don’t give up. Drink the melted ice cream if you got to. Also just make sure you’re getting a gram of protein for each pound of body weight you have which can be achieved with a solid protein powder. I’d avoid the premade shakes. I find they taste worse than the stuff you mix yourself. The powders can also be mixed into a milkshake really well and everyone likes a good milkshake. It’s gonna look weird but who cares mix that powder up with ice cream and milk and just tell your self it’s a little treat (that you gotta eat twice a day lol)
This past year you have gained a lot of great knowledge. Keep up the lifestyle you love. Sleep when you are tired. Eat solid food when it appeals to you. Focus on getting the correct daily nutrients in your liquid diet. Let your body tell you where it wants to be, and live there. Nobody likes a micromanager lol. You are fine.
I've been watching your channel for awhile and I started watching because of the reptiles BUT I want to encourage you on this health journey because I think it might be your niche. It was hard for me to connect to your videos since you moved away from reptiles but I connected here. I think this personal journey will not only be good for you but also your channel and your viewers.
Im coming from a spot of texture eating so id say separate your dependency of eating from exercising. Less pressure of doing something gives me an easier time accomplishing it. Its valid to stop worrying about exercise & just diet to respect the complicity of it for you
i've had the same issues my whole life, and i've probably got about 10 years on you. some things i've learned is: 1. carbs will make you happy, protein will keep you consistently energized, fat will keep you satisfied, and fiber will keep your microbiome balanced and strong (which has hella downstream effects). i know what it's like to opt for simple carbs, sugar, and fat when you can't manage a more balanced meal, but your body operates best when all of these inputs are covered. 2. consistency over time will naturally change your body composition to carry more weight. this means you never have to be perfect, but the one thing you can't do is give up ;) 3. when you get older, you'll directly experience how consistent exercise and good diet will keep your body insulated from stress, sickness, and aging. getting sick as a skinny person sucks the older you get. this will add some extra motivation eventually lol 4. you seem like you'd make a good rock climber. expensive hobby, but you might find it a fulfilling tool to incorporate. tldr old cat lady gives advice
I think it comes down to wanting it more. You’re capable of putting weight on and eating more but you dont want it bad enough. I believe in you, Im also trying to put on weight and its tough but we gotta go harder
When I was younger I was afraid to ride roller coasters. I went to a hypnotist show at Six Flags at Freight Fest one year and got hypnotized to not be afraid of coasters. I rode 7 of them that day and 20 years later, I still ride them. Maybe it’s worth a try for you. ❤
do you know how much you paid for that service? i know it was a while ago but i’ve been considering going to one for my nail biting habit. i’ve tried so much to quit and i cannot :( it’s a huge anxiety thing for me
I had the same struggle as you trying to gain weight and I was stuck for around 3-4 years. Recently I went from about 140lbs to 160lbs and cut to 150lbs all in about 3 months. The main thing that helped me was tracking all my calories and partitioning my meals. You need to build up the tolerance for eating big meals (eating two or three big meals a day) within a certain time. For example, start eating at 8AM and stop eating at 6PM. While bulking I went from eating 3000 calories at the start to almost 4000 on my last day. I never really enjoyed eating food and during this time I would make a shake for my last meal while already full and I would literally almost throw up every sip. Then, when I started cutting on 2400 calories which was my previous maintenance I could eat the same amount with ease, so my stomach did not retract to my old metabolism. With this cut done I am now bulking again starting today, and it feels much easier. In terms of my compound lifts I pretty much doubled the amount of weight that I could do and progressive overload just felt natural while eating a ton. All my body measurements went up except for my waist which actually got smaller. I also only did this on 3 workouts a week with some cardio, I took almost every exercise to failure and switched from bodyweight calisthenics to weighted calisthenics almost instantly to maximize growth. Here are some two things to eat that are very calorie dense for bulking: Smoothie: 250ml whole milk (130 cal) 1 banana (100 cal) 4 raw eggs (320 cal) 60g peanut butter (380 cal) 1 scoop of protein powder (130 cal) 1060 cal total Waffles and milk: 750ml cup of milk (390 cal) 2 Eggo waffles (340 cal) 15g of butter on the waffles (105 cal) 30ml of maple syrup (78 cal) 913 cal total Consider working towards a weight goal (like 130lb for you) at a certain bodyfat percentage, gaining at a certain amount of weight per week and a potential cut at the end to cut any extra fat off. This will make you less stressed about gaining weight in general and have your mind focused on an active goal. Forget about protein as it is just makes you feel more full and you will hit optimal protein levels for muscle growth just by eating more in general. Just get through that first month and it will become second nature. You got it man.
I heard someone else with ARFID describe it as eating soil and worms, and they also talked about the different steps of trying to eat it and how keeping it down is really difficult as well. Just a hamburger. I wish more people knew about it, and I think your videos are really helpful to some people even though you’re not specifically talking about ARFID.
I went from 118lbs all the way to 200lbs. My goal was simply to get as strong as possible in the squat, bench, and deadlift. I just laser focused on those goals, tracked my calories, and the weight came with time.
Honestly, given the degree of difficulty you're describing with eating, it's really impressive you've managed to get to 115 lbs, and are now able to maintain that weight! That's awesome! I hope you can find a way to let go of the degree of anxiety you're having about losing your gains if you don't eat immediately as soon as your stomach growls, or while you're sleeping, since it sounds like it's interfering with your ability to eat to some degree. It does sound like you're eating way more protein than you need. Most of the advice I've seen from the saner fitness RUclipsrs is that you only need between 0.7g to 1g of protein per lb of body weight to give your body all the building material it could possibly need to convert into muscle. Which, depending on how satiating you find protein vs. other kinds of food, might also help? The other bit of unsolicited advice I'd give (sorry!) is to set your calorie goal lower. I think you said you're trying to hit 3,400 cal daily? That seems way way higher than what you need, and is maybe contributing to demotivation. It's like someone who wants to lose weight setting their daily calorie way way lower than their baseline, and I think you're running into the same issue as that but from the other side. If the goal calories are way below the daily norm, they're going to put themselves through way more stress (way more hunger all the time, discomfort, cravings, irritation, constant thoughts about food). Same for you, I'd assume - anxiety about how big the gap is between your goal and what you've managed to eat, increased feelings of disgust if you do push to higher caloric intake, etc. So I'd suggest a goal of only 250 calories more per day than your maintenance amount. Which hopefully is an easier target to hit, makes the whole thing less stressful, and helps you avoid thinking about it as often (or as intensely) as you are at the moment. Wishing you the best of luck with your goal!
Once you get the food thing sorted, people that don't exercise out there have no idea how great life gets, and it stacks with muscle, like i'm 80kg now, the weight i dreamt of having for over a decade (i'm 29). Muscles have made me immune to workplace drama/toxicity, it's like you start to view society from the 4th dimension almost. (i'm not joking lmao) I no longer view everyone else as above me, and that "Only they were destined for success and joy in life, while i'm down here, undeserving", that darkness also went away the bigger i became, along with other family/life improvements, it all stacks. Like the internet and hearing people talk about muscles it's always in this shallow frame of vanity, and not the mental health improvements sadly. Never give up Alex.
I have ARFID and it's been an insane struggle. Always been underweight and have been trying to gain my entire life. I'm not aware of all that you've done in this struggle but I have a dietician and have gained about 10 pounds. It took like 7 months to do so but I'm still trying my best to gain more. That could help for you but I'm not sure! I wish you luck and can understand completely.
i feel you man, been struggling with the same. i'm a taller guy so i gotta eat a ton to see much muscle or weight gain. have you thought about seeing a specialist in nutrition or exercise to see if they would be a better fit for gaining weight for the aesthetic of it? they seem like they would be a better fit for that rather then a doctor. good luck on your journey though brother!
As someone who also hella struggled to keep weight on, dude... fish and veggies. I felt the absolute best on fish and veggies as a regular part of my diet. But as far as trying to make sure I ea enough, I CONSTANTLY had snacks on me, in my pockets, or in my water bottle. Milk was a big one because I could just drink it, but I kept baggies of mixed nuts, peanut butter and crackers, and jerky in my car at all times and sometimes in my pockets if I was out being active. I also carried cheese sticks around. I also would lose so much weight whenever I got sick and had to eat like a beast to gain that ten/fifteen pounds back, but found the easiest way to do that was through hardy soups with fatty cuts like pork and chicken thighs. Something about being able to just practically drink it instead of having to constantly chew, helped a lot.
I just wanted to add onto this, because I forgot, adding pasta to the soups and fish, or rice, also helped a lot. It gave me more energy and more of an appetite weirdly enough.
Hey man, 3500 calories might be too high for you. Your daily expenditure is probably around 2200-2300 (if you're as active as you say). You should shoot for a 200-300 cal surplus for a lean bulk. You will put on about .5 pound per week if you eat +250/day. Also, trust me, you're not accurately tracking macros/calories without a scale, guessing doesn't work. I've made that mistake many many many times.
Same struggles as you. My body always stayed around the same weight, when I get sick and lost weight I would always recover quickly to my original weight (and was actually hungry), if I gained, it would only last for a short while and lose interest in food and would lose weight; my body always hovered where it was comfortable and my ability to eat would fluctuate to maintain that weight. Slowly over 20 years my body baseline has added weight but I'm only 20 pounds heavier than highschool. I accepted where I was weight wise and let body hunger dictate where I stayed weight wise.
Lmao the way literally more than half of the comment section is people making suggestions or saying things that were already discussed in the video. On another note, I appreciate your openness. I feel like I learn a lot from hearing your experiences even if Im not in the same position as you
I’d love to hear about how you ground yourself I have a dissociative issue so I’m always looking for new suggestions. You’re doing your best and you’re definitely capable of achieving your goal it’s just about trying new things until you find a comfortable routine. You’ve got this
After a breakup I was depressed and lost all sense of hunger. My stomach even stopped growling at the time. I lost weight rapidly and the thought of food alone would make me gag. Even foods I've enjoyed before that episode. I would force myself to eat sometimes even throwing up afterwards. I never stopped trying. Eventually, I started feeling better emotionally and started dating again. Made me fall in love with food. I cant stand being hungry anymore - Im always munching on something now. Ive never weighed more in my life. Now I need to figure out a way to get fit & find that sweet spot. Not weigh too much and not too little
One extra tiny group of people interested in these videos: bodybuilders and weightlifters such as myself. I am trying to gain weight myself, and its inspiring seeing other people doing the same thing, albeit much smaller people 😅. One thing I can say as far as the eating goes: If you don't mind eating the same exact thing every day, that makes it the easiest. Its like having a schedule. You know you have to eat this, this, and this. You know exactly what needs to be done, and you know exactly when you have or haven't done it. You can hold yourself accountable, and you don't have to worry about any of it. Takes all the "craving" and emotion out of it. Its just a checklist. you do, or you don't. Jay Cutler, a bodybuilder, once said "I eat for function, not for taste". I often feel the same way, so I wouldn't be surprised if you did as well. I like the taste of food, but I rarely actually want that much of it. Just eat the stuff that will work, and make the muscle grow. Another thing is: Make the caloric surplus a SMALL one. Say you usually eat one sandwich for lunch, make it two, or even one and a half. do a small change like that for all your meals. That is much easier than trying to force feed a massive amount. If the weight on the scale goes up by five pounds every MONTH, that's good progress. This process is very slow, even if you eat a lot very easily, so you don't have to stress too much. I hope you keep going bro, this is great to see. You have a lot of potential. 💪💪 Edit: you said you were trying to eat 3,000 plus calories a day from what I recall. that's around what I have to eat, and I weigh 155-160 pounds. I am larger, you are trying to eat the amount a bigger person would have to eat to gain weight. Look up "calorie calculator", put in your stats, and set it to weight gain. It should show you what you need to eat to gain weight for YOUR size. Go with the slow weight gain option. Muscle grows slowly, all these extra calories aren't going to help as much as simply being in an easily maintainable surplus. You only increase the surplus when your weight stops going up. (I just put in your stats myself, assuming you are 5,10 and 19 years old, and it says you need 2,600-2,800 calories to gain, NOT 3,000+)
Just keep it up bro 3-4 lifting / calisthenics and eating high protein animal fats. You already have your shoulders looking wider, it takes time, years of slowly doing the right things for your body to change and take shape. Keep it up
okay so as someone else who was chronically skinny for most of my life i understand the struggle. if you’re vaping or using copious amounts of caffeine or other known appetite suppressants either stop them or cut back. next high calorie drinks, they are going to be your best friend. don’t go crazy with them but if you’re only able to get in 2 meals a day drinking some calories will be easier to get down but try not to drink more than 500 calories worth of beverages unless it’s a protein shake. that leads to my next point, protein powder. it’s not essential but if you’re struggling on gaining weight especially muscle mass it might be good to add it in your diet. personally i sprinkle some into my waffle mix every morning along with 2 eggs and some cheese and a glass of milk i’m able to get easily 30-40g of protein and roughly 500ish calories. lastly what i would recommend if all else fails are appetite stimulants. you can talk to your physician about getting a prescription appetite stimulant or if you’re able to in your state try smoking marijuana in moderation before meals. hopefully this helps and i can’t wait to stick along for the transformation!
I know you read comments so I just wanted to say a few things. 1. I love your videos, youre def one of my favorite youtubers. I really like how much b-roll you use, even if its unrelated to what youre talking about. 2. I have no money but I have never wanted to download discord in order to join a youtubers discord before but I do with you so keep plugging it. 3. I am curious on your opinion of video games, for me they make me feel unproductive so I cant enjoy them. But I'd love watching you play though some game that you enjoy. 4. I would love a series or a video where you go to another state and stay at a hotel and do your gig apps there instead of in NC for a day or two, and vlog the experience. Thanks for being you and good luck with your journey
I struggle to stay over 100lbs due to medical so I understand the struggle! My nutritionist suggested making my coffees with protein milk or shakes and adding extra butter to things. Drinking calories is easier than eating them. You can try ensure/boost but if you're normally healthy then don't drink many of those.
Have you tried calorie dense foods? Like eating foods that are high in fat, such as keto diet like foods that are made with bases of cheese or eggs. I understand when someone doesn't want to eat food or has dietary restrictions, etc. I'm not a dietician, but I have noticed that the body doesn't like change, so adding new foods that your body isn't used to breaking down can struggle and will add more weight, so an example someone who eats a lot of sugars in their diet will put on more weight if they remove the sugars that they usually eat higher fat/protein heavy foods. In the reverse is true too, someone who doesn't eat sugars often will put on a lot of weight (that typically doesn't stick around and will be bloated) when they eat sugars. The scale isn't helpful, listen to your body instead. If you aren't feeling well, try new foods, go to new restaurants or order things you've never tried.
I have zero advice, but I was 89lbs for much of high school and just couldn’t get the number to go up. (Context I take vyvanse it probably is the culprit) I am currently 29, and finally at 120. I hit 104 at around 25. You’re doing more than I did to try to eat, keep up that mindset.
Have you considered seeing a dietician who specializes in healthy weight gain? They’re out there and have experience with food aversion. They also understand the difficulty of maintaining and will welcome you as a client even if you’re “healthy” now.
I can’t really relate to the overall condition dude but you have my utmost sympathy. If I could give you any practical advice the number 1 thing would be just stick to the tracking calories and expenditure via smart watch/fitbit. Estimation is well and good for someone looking to maintain, but for someone looking to lose or gain the difference of +/- a few hundred calories is enough to take you from deficit to surplus and vice versa. It’s hard to move in the right direction consistently by guessing
I weighed 120lbs well into my late 20’s and I hated it. Took protein powder, ate as much food as possible, nothing worked. Then i hit about 27/28 and my metabolism naturally slowed way down. I weigh 160lbs now and wish O could go back to when i weighed 120lb and couldnt put weight on Be careful what you wish for
It sounds like you've figured out the core issue - anxiety about your weight. And you're doing helpful things like mindfulness and grounding to get through it. I understand the difficulty of gaining weight and forcing yourself to eat without throwing up. When I was your age (and I think we're the same height, though I'm a woman), I also struggled to gain weight. I weighed about 115lbs, coming up from 105 after an illness. I was very boney. I tried eating calorie dense meals, hulk smoothies, and sneaking macros (mostly fat and protein) in when I could. It didn't work lol. I think part of it is just being young. I'm in my 30s now, and have been hovering between 135-145lbs, mostly just from living.
I had the same problem gaining weight. You just gotta get used to eating when you’re not hungry. It sucks at first but it gets easy quick. Try to eat things that are moist so it goes down easier. Don’t skip breakfast, eat within an hour of waking up and you’ll be able to eat more throughout the day. And try not to go more than 4 hours without eating. Also, drink a protein shake or even just eat some high calorie food like right before you go to sleep. Track your macros and be consistent and you’ll definitely see results. Anddd cannabis helps too. Lol
(Sorry if you've covered this i caught the first 10 minutes). I'd say carry on the with the shakes if it allows you to also eat food. And absolutely drown all of your food with olive oil or whatever oil you like. Put it all over everything. It will increase you calories alot without eating extra food (and/or shakes). Also sugar. Put lots of sugar or oil over everything you eat. Also you have an active lifestyle, which is good. But you're burning calories doing so. Purposely opt for hypertrophy exercises. Always always include enough protein to build muscle. All the best. You're a good guy regardless
Like other people are saying, you need to carb up! Get some good smoothie recipes. Frozen fruit and honey are amazing for your body. Melons are great for hydration and for carbs. You need is since you're doing so much cardio. Fruit sugar is the best source of carbs and full of micro nutritients and antioxidants.
Hi, I was the same as you for over 7 years, stuck between 52-56 kg max. If I didn't eat much or if I pushed to eat 3000kcal for a long period, the result was pretty much the same. Wish I could tell you the answer, but the past 2 years I gained 15kg, out of nowhere, just bcuz I got older (I'm 28 now) and my metaboli slowed down I guess (my blood work is good, no issues) Do you have someone in your family that was also skinny young? Could you see at what age they did start to gain? My father was the same. My only advice would be to stop fixating on it, and concentrate on sleep/movement and for food, just try to eat healthy & how much you can without it disturbing your life. People say "eat more" but they don't understand that for us that's hard, and it doesn't even bring results, because that's how we are born. Just wait it out and live life, you look better than I was (I'm 1.82cm)
My weight goes up and down a lot and sometimes I feel like crap and don't want to eat. It happens to the best of us man just don't give up natural progress can be slow af sometimes but future you will be happy.
Hey man, I see you’re a hard working guy and do a lot of physical activity, which is very good! In terms of eating, what I would do is cook/buy some food and put it on the counter, every time I go to the kitchen for some water, I take a few bites of meats and carbs; rice, potato, pasta; and go back to what I was doing. You could try doing that after your yardwork, biking, calisthenics, and weight training. At the end of the day, Eat a normal sized Dinner. I feel that you should get used to eating before tracking calories, which might demoralise this journey. Hope this helps, and take it one step at a time.
Herp: As a longtime big fan, someone who has worked hard to gain control over his own dietary habits himself with success and failure, and has worked in behavior analysis for a couple years: I’m just gonna give my two cents in the comments. I also want to respect that I know every person‘s body is different and my input might just not be for you/correct. You gotta make eating as easy as possible for yourself. (Ex: have a rotating list of 5 to 10 meals that you very much enjoy and is somewhat macro friendly. Easy to prepare. And set a routine on days for which you will prepare or buy that food.) - for me I eat a lot of ground beef or ground turkey. And rice with sauces. Sometimes I change it up and do almond butter and jelly sandwiches (fiber, carbohydrates) Accept that consistency is the goal over all. (the only way that you’re going to gain is by eating at a surplus and since you don’t like eating, you’re gonna have to make it as easy as possible for yourself so that could include stuff like oatmeal protein shakes with peanut butter and banana blended in, maybe rice cakes with canned chicken or tuna and cheese, sauces are your best friend, etc.) For me, MyFitnessPal has been the most helpful. I don’t really rely on my own intuition as far as what my calories are because I don’t think our brains are very good at doing that, unless we eat the same thing/amount every day. A lot of what we eat is very misleading in regards to macros or fats, etc.. So for you, if you are still attempting to be consistent about this: establishing a routine of tracking once a week and then increasing your frequency of tracking by a day after 1-2 weeks. You do this so it feels more natural and less tedious in the beginning- it establishes behavior momentum. And you should give yourself the same grace with every new action or behavior you give yourself in regard to diet. Slow and steady achievable increments of change, and if you have a mentality of there’s always tomorrow and then actually follow through tomorrow and if you fail again, try again. What’s the most important could be reinforcing yourself after every attempt (eating/tracking, etc) - reinforcement needs to happen very soon after the target behavior is completed. For example say you’re trying to eat more, and you really enjoy something like a show or an activity. maybe you don’t allow yourself to have access to that activity until you eat what you’ve set out for yourself) you could also try spreading out your meals, although that might be kind of tricky, maybe you could try splitting your meals into two cal dense meals per day (bacon, sausage, protein oat shake, Favorite fruit/applesauce for breakfast-- seasoned ground beef, half a frozen pizza, whatever else, for dinner) Also take everything I say with the grain of salt because of course I’m a stranger on the Internet , I am not a dietitian, I’m only speaking from my own trials and tribulations, and I feel for you, man. Self acceptance is something that might need to be addressed too because if you’re doing all these things and you think that your body is not good enough as it is, it’s gonna be really hard once you actually achieve whatever goal you do. It’s taking me a while to realize that happiness really is intrinsic, it’s awesome that you have strength goals for yourself and that you’re stronger than you were last year. That is something to be praised. I already said this, but you should go slow. whatever MyFitnessPal says is the slowest you can increase your weight that’s what you should do so 0.5 pounds per week. You hit a certain goal say 1 pound or two you should take a break for a week or so and just stick to maintaining your new daily calorie intake amount (that way your body/brain can adjust, and it’s not go go go all the time) Accept that there’s gonna be many days where you’re not gonna reach your goal or you’re gonna fail and remember that consistencies is the most important and try your best not to beat yourself up over it, I don’t know if people talk about this enough, but it really is a mental game with diet/ and overtime you can build confidence in that you can try again the next day and that it’s OK to fail. Also, I know that you’ve already done this, but the number one thing is talking to your doc, perhaps it’s just a medical thing. No input on that, it is what it is. Also, just wanted to say , big fan, me and my girlfriend watch your videos anytime it’s out, loving the pivot you’re doing, haven’t seen anyone else on RUclips do it like you. And I personally think it’s really cool that you can do bouldering and all this stuff, it’s genuinely impressive.
Dealing with the same issues, caused my body to break down and got real sick. To heal I've been drinking heavy cream, eating 2lbs beef daily with cold butter on everything. It is working! 24 eggs a week too
I would suggest eating smaller meals more often. Up your carbs about 25 percent... preferably complex carbs. Lower your cardio since you already have a high metabolism and add more time to your weight lifting. Have you tried a bulker drink like a protein drink with weight gainers, you could drink a couple between meals. Also if you lower your cardio you might be more hungry. Because in my weight loss journey i would do cardio because after i didnt want to eat so much. Just thoughts...
Something I have been doing is finding a few meals that like I can eat 2-3 times a week. My go too is a steak and cheese, high in calories, lots of protein, and some good fats. Also, liquid calories is the best too, milk gets much easier to drink often after a week, just push through that first week.
I am so glad you make these videos, because I have the same struggle pretty much exactly. I simply have no time and money to eat more, so my stomach cant handle normal amounts of food anymore and I can only consume small amounts if food. Your video actually reminded me, that I was hungry. So thanks, I finished the second half of my breakfast (1 slice if pizza lol) just bow at 4pm haha
Alex, how much water do you drink? When you are dehydrated you do not crave food as much. And it can be physically hard to eat as you describe. I think the reason you actually had carvings when you where drinking the protein shakes. Has very little to do with the shakes themselves. It was that you were drinking something regularly throughout the day. That was not further dehydrating you.
@eliracine9020 Do you even understand the concept that people can make comments on videos before someone says something. Meaning that at the time I made the comment, he had not said that yet. Also, you're just a dick. So, I really do not feel the need to interact with you beyond this comment.
Honestly just found your channel you seem like an amazing guy i’m also glad you got out of that situation a couple weeks ago I struggle with the same problem I’m 6’1 and barely weigh 140 pounds so I understand how you feel I try I give up I try and I give up everybody around me doesn’t have these problems so there really isn’t anybody to help me push me to keep going if I had somebody like you bro we could be pushing each other Fs 💯 Love your videos watched three of them within two hours stay healthy and please eat so you can keep making content for us if I had something like this yt or just anybody to keep me going that would be my motivation I also know this paragraph is going to be hard to read bc I don’t do , or . Just too lazy But yeah like I said use this channel as motivation you have all of these people here waiting for you to post a video every week if I had something like that it would definitely motivate me more to eat more and to be more healthy for the people who want to see me healthy
Hey, I love your videos and think you're a great person. I always wish you well. :) About eating, have you noticed any flavors or textures you don't mind eating and are pretty comfortable with? And does it help to be distracted while eating? I hope you figure it out, because I do want you happy and to have energy.
I don't know if you'll ever read this comment, but I've watched your journey for a while now and you need to realise you ARE making progress. You may not see it on the scale, however you have got stronger, and most importantly you are learning about your body, food, macros. Etc. Just like everything it's a learning process, it can take years to finally get it and get to a point where you notice significant change. I had the opposite problem as you, but I had the exact same feelings - I was overweight my whole life and it felt like no matter what I would do I just couldn't lose weight for such a long time, but eventually through I guess repetition and most importantly learning and understanding, and banging my head against the wall lol, I lost a lot of weight, I'm not exactly where I want to be yet but I am so proud of my progress. Look at your progress in ways other than just the scale and you'll realise you've progressed quite a lot, just keep going and I bet eventually you'll figure something out that works for YOU specifically and your lifestyle / eating habits etc. Keep it up brother, you only fail if you quit. 🫡
Try less protein and more carbohydrates. Right now you just have to put some meat on your body not necessarily pure muscle! Carbs give insulin spikes and they'll make you want to eat more often while protein makes you feel fuller. Refined carbohydrates also give you sugar spikes like white bread, cereal, pasta etc... will make you feel a boost of energy and then just drop you of and you'll find yourself hungry again after 2 hours. You should mainly drink your protein in an isolated or a hydrolyzed form and just a whole lot of carbs if you struggle eating! That's what helped me by a lot. Btw ditch the fast food because they have high fat sources that also make you feel full, pizza cheese and French fries and stuff make you feel saturated and fuller faster. Just eat carbs, sugary carbs and aim at 90-110 g of protein per day. Don't actually get scared about getting fat, this way your just gonna convert the food into fat and then the fat to muscle. No one can just put muscle on and that's it. This is why people go throughout bulking and cutting cycles every year. You basically just put on lets say 25 pounds of bodyweight and then do a cut and just shed the fat and your left with lets say 8-10 pounds of muscle and then you repeat. In your case you might have post eating fatigue (basically you feel sh*ty after eating and don't have energy and just wanna lay down) that's a thing that carbs don't cause and i can assure you for that, id also suggest to break your meals so you give time to make your stomach pass the food faster, lets say that you aim for three 700 cal meals you could break its to six 350 call meals. This way your never actually feel full during the day and still take your calories. Pls try my method at least for 2 days, im sure its gonna help you by a lot and also boost your mentality. I hope i helped even a little bit, sometimes the mind wants but the body rejects and when the body rejects we shouldn't push it to its limits (especially if you are already healthy).
Liquid calories are your best friend when you struggle with eating, as well as spacing out meals. If you have 5-6 meals a day and force yourself to snack its easier to convince yourself to eat. Setting alarms on your phone to eat I've found to be extremely helpful. It is very easy to go throughout your day and not eat because you don't feel hunger, but if you force yourself to eat SOMETHING every 2-3 hours its a lot easier to get in calories. Carb powders, blending oats & peanut butter, and even mass gainer. (Just protein powder and carb powders together, nothing magical.) WHOLE Milk is really good as well. You can 100% eat more if you try your hardest and stick with it! Focus on getting in more carbohydrates, to start with you can do something easily digestible like white rice or pasta. Carbs = energy for body, Protein = repair muscles, Fat = hormonal function. Each gram of protein & carbs are 4 calories while a gram of fat is 9, so if you really can't get carbs down try upping fats. Things like nuts & peanut butter will be your best friend. Once you reach a gram of protein per pound bodyweight DO NOT add in more protein and switch to carbs & fats. Proteins are harder for your body to digest and will make you feel way more full. EATING IS A SKILL. The more you work at it the better you will get at it. DO NOT GIVE UP! It is okay to feel demotivated but as long as you try your best to achieve this goal and put in your best effort THE SKILL WILL COME. It's a journey and progress is not always linear. I've been watching your content on and off, I mostly get recommended your fitness stuff. I think you have an incredible work ethic and I 100% believe the reason you are struggling is from lack of information and technique versus effort. Please really try liquid calories & setting alarms to remind yourself to eat, I PROMISE YOU you will see a noticeable difference. When you leave all of your calories to be eaten in only one meal because you lack hunger it becomes IMPOSSIBLE to get in enough calories. I believe in you bro, you got this. Don't give up. ALSO don't gain weight faster than a half a pound a week. If the scale is moving faster than 2 pounds a month you're gaining more fat than you need to, the muscle building process is extremely slow.
I would honestly try an anxiety medication. It sounds like a lot of stress around food and eating that could be alleviated by medication. You can probably get it through your doctor pretty easily. My brother has to eat to take his meds or he will become nauseated, so that might help too.
What's up young man. Big fan. Now down to the topic at hand. I to had problems eating to gain weight, I found that for me the secret was raw vegetables blended up with a protein shake plus blended up fruits and vegetables and drinking it 😅 I was able to ingest lots more drinking the food then I could eat. I can drink a whole container of baby spinach and baby kale all day but I couldn't eat that much 😩....so I hope this help as it helped me alot
this is possibly a very stupid question… but have you ever gotten checked out for AFRID? if you haven’t already i would also go to see a gastroenterologist, it could also be a medical issue? it’s probably annoying hearing people ask or say you should do this if you’ve already done it. i hope that you get to a place where you feel happy with yourself regardless if you gain more muscle
Advise from someone who lost about little over 100lbs in a year. You need 1 g of protein per goal body weight to build muscle. If you want to be 120lbs, get 120grams of protein daily. It is impossible to gain muscle without gaining a little fat. Fats are super important macro for your hormones. Do not cut them out. Fats in does not me a fat gain. I would recommend trying to eat 500 more calories a day than you are on average. Liquid calories are your friend. So if you’re having issues with eating, but not drinking them, I recommend protein shakes. Or since you enjoy ice cream get a ninja creami and make your own protein ice cream!
On this episode of GoEating ...
HI LEO !!
@@LilyTreeArt Hi
@@CaucasianWiz HI!!!
That was the nastiest analogy I ever heard…but I totally understand your frustration about food now. Sorry you’re struggling.
Just eat organic, or find a diet that’s protein rich and take vitamins/ supplements and protein shakes..
Him just eating fast food as “food” won’t help anything.
It’s basically like eating cardboard.. it’ll fill you up and filled with stuff you shouldn’t be eating.
It’s definitely a life commitment, and doesn’t come easy but it’s basically the same on both ends.. for those struggling to lose weight and those struggling to gain weight.. a main reason why is people don’t cook for themselves anymore.
Listening you talk about how you feel about eating makes me wonder if you ever talked to a therapist. There are food/AFRID specialists that could help. You can probably do it by yourself eventually but it will be an uphill struggle
This I would definitely say would be worth looking into
I agree with ARFID. At some point, I struggled with eating food because I wanted to alter my body however at some point it wasn’t about that. It was the fact that if I wanted to eat, I couldn’t keep it down and the sensory issues were problematic despite how badly I wanted to feed myself. Exposure therapy helps a lot and I learned that the motility of my stomach was creating a lot of problems too. Medications like Reglan help move food through your stomach so you’re not experiencing nausea, acid reflux, and prolonged fullness.
This was my thought, too. Combine this with a dietician who is familiar with AFRID, and there is a lot of hope there.
To be totally fair you look really good. You're fit, you're not tired all the time. I think you're doing well despite not gaining bulk. It's a problem if you start feeling bad physically. Maybe you could try making a schedule for food and just try your best to stick to it. You ABSOLUTELY look more fit now than you did!
He literally addressed creating a schedule for food 😅
@@10Nookolette01 I'm glad you took your time to comment this. You clearly are the smartest individual alive. We are all clapping for ya.
@@kantoe1183 I mean 100% definitely pretty up there on the IQ scale. I watched the video before commenting and that's like step 1 🤷♀️ thanks for noticing ❤️❤️
3400 is kinda high and would be hard for me to hit at 160lb. Try a lower more sustainable bulk, 2000~ calories and keep doing what you're doing. Track calories and macros, watch some Mike Isratel and Jeff Nippard.
Couldn't have said it better. This is awesome advice
Yeah, 3400 cal is insane at 115. It's no wonder he can't maintain it, he was eating in a 1000+cal surplus! A 200-300 calorie surplus is enough for muscle gain but i forget the exact range mike gives for optimal muscle:fat gain
Absolutely. 3400 a day is wild and unsustainable when you aren’t a big eater.
Your protein isn't the issue. You need way more carbs. If your metabolism is that fast you need to carb load like an olympic cyclist to keep up with your energy demands so your body doesn't use other sources like protein and fat to keep you going.
I disagree, he simply isn't eating enough food. In the interest of simply gaining weight, he should be encouraged to eat absolutely anything as long as he desires it & can stomach it. However, he expressed a clear distinction that he wants to build muscle, not add fat. So what he needs to do is at a minimum consume 1 gram protein per pound body weight, daily. If we're being honest though, at a sub 10% body fat, gaining more fat will do absolutely no harm & is probably what he should focus on first in terms of gaining weight.
@@dwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwan intellectual
I’m being serious btw
It’s so weird cos this is the opposite of my own experience, but I love hearing about it. Your new content is so real I’m loving it Alex.
thanks!
Sounds psychological my friend. There's likely a mental or emotional hurdle that you aren't confronting and working through that is causing food aversions. Disordered eating is a highly underfunded and not-talked about topic. I hope you are able to find resources and live the healthy and fulfilled life that you desire AND deserve. I've been following you since the beginning and you are such an intelligent, hilarious and special lil princess. Sending you all the good vibes! And like 30 lbs of my excess weight (I wish lol).
Don’t ever give up dude
I’m the same height as you, at 120lbs. I just want to thank you for sharing this. I have never seen anyone else in my situation. For me it has been a 3 year struggle, starting at 105lbs. One thing I think is important to remember is that as long as we are a healthy weight, mental health is PRIORITY. Many people don’t appreciate what it is like to be like us, and they will say ignorant things like “just eat” which is like telling a runner to just run faster in order to win the race. Block out those people.
I have found joy in my appearance from fashion choices, and I hope you have a similar way to feel good about the way you look and that it doesn’t consume your thoughts. I hope we will both reach our goal, but in the grand scheme of things, it is trivial when compared to health.
I’ve just found your channel and you seem like an awesome guy who I bet people love to be around. That is worth so much (:
U so little lol
Alex, your honesty and self reflection is a breath of fresh air.
“I ate whatever I want in the form of not eating” is crazy
Please do not take this as insulting. I’m asking as someone who also experiences altered eating struggles when my anxiety is high.
Question: Have you thought about having anxiety evaluations and seeking treatment from a psychiatrist? This could lower your food anxieties which would result in a more relaxed ability to consume food.
I remember in a previous video you had mentioned some medical evaluations for your consumption challenges.
Keep taking good care of yourself!
You’re so committed and you’ve got this.
Healthy may mean refocusing on just the things that bring you joy.
Rock on man!
Disordered eating is very hard, I'm proud of you for doing your best to consume anything. The fact that you're maintaining is amazing! Honestly your therapist (just from the little you said here) seemed like she was a little crappy. If it's something you're interested in, getting a new therapist that actually is a specialist would be a good move. It can help a lot. We can definitely notice the progress on your physique, just from having an active lifestyle. Keep at it, you're doing so good.
ive watched ur videos for so long now. you being so vulnerable is really refreshing. keep doing ur best, youve been thru a lot this last year alex, but ur community here always has ur back
It's crazy we've been going thru the same thing. I can't gain weight no matter what I do!!! People say just eat but they don't understand. I wish I could figure out something because I should weigh more than 120 lbs. Even the food I love seems to make me feel sick sometimes. You nailed it like it's human crap. But sometimes is not. It's crazy. Wow you and I are the exact same weight. I go from 114 to 120 back to 114. I'm lost on what to do.
welp i'll keep on hunting and continue updating. feels like mining for gold but who knows lolol
@@GoHerpingplease keep me updated. If you find anything that works maybe it'll help me too. Good luck brother.
i used to have that problem but as soon as i turned like 15 it started going away and now im 220 6'2 instead of 135 6'2 i think what happened was i stopped doing some of the things that were burning calories in my life but i kept eating the same amount
I'll put in my 2 cents on this since my husband had a similar problem and I helped him with it.
What I would encourage him to do it to try to eat a little bit past full. It sounds like you've already done this such that you are now able to naturally keep on 115 lbs. But maybe try pushing yourself to eat and feel a bit more past your current limit. This will help stretch out your stomach and will naturally make you feel more hungry(or at least should help). Not saying to fill yourself to bursting, but when you are full try to take another bite or two. Or if you don't want to eat anymore of your current meal, what about a dessert? Could you eat more of that?
We would also buy him addictive snacks that he would enjoy. He only really wanted chocolate, so we would get him chocolate cookies. These addictive snacks are full of ingredients that will naturally increase your ghrelin which in tern will increase cravings and hunger. That might be why the shakes were increasing your hunger since from what I know those shakes have a lot of sugar in them. In my experience ghrelin is also what gives people that hungry feeling (When I fast or eat less food that produces less ghrelin I can feel my stomach rumble, but I won't feel hungry in the way that I would if I were eating a diet with more carbs and sugar or not fasting).
In general it sounds like you don't enjoy eating at all. So try to keep it low stakes and enjoyable! Similar to being on a diet to loose weight, if you don't replace your old habits and food with something that you can enjoy, then you won't be able to maintain it. Basically you have to find foods that are just as if not more enjoyable than not eating.
This dude just has one of the most extreme "hard gainer" phenotypes I've ever seen. He simply does not feel hungry and he feels full much too rapidly. It's basically the opposite of those 600lb Life people that always feel hungry, get a huge hedonic reward from foods, and they do not readily feel full when they eat.
My advice to this little guy is to only eat extremely energy dense foods when he does feel hungry, and he should almost only drink nutrient rich drinks, perhaps sipping on "gainer" shakes all day. If he could hook up an IV at night to drip nutrients, then that would help too. Poor little guy
I used to feel that way and think I was a hard gainer. The key is titrating your calories up slowly. Im 6'2'' and I've been as low as 135. Right now im only 160 and gaining, I have shorts on channel. I think bro might just be slightly depressed or low on Vitamin B/D or something, sleeping 14hrs and not having any appetite is odd.
@@5milemacc737looking great now dude, keep working hard!
I’m 6’2 and was waaaaay over weight and still working on it, grind never stops
@@mcfarvo His name is Alex, not "little guy". You sound so condescending. Obviously you don't know anything about him and how much he has accomplish in his young life. I am so sure is more than you have at your age. Have a good day. Love u Alex!!!
I think it sounds like arfid and alexithymia. ❤
I've been following you for a long time, and while I haven't commented on this series until now, I've kept up with the videos and let me just say I feel you on a spiritual level dude. I'm in the exact same boat you are. I have never seen my thoughts on this topic articulated so well. This is such an underrepresented issue in the fitness community, and it's one that it seems like people don't really give a shit about or just don't understand, so I really, really, really appreciate you being so open and honest about what you're going through.
Hey dude! So I'm on the opposite journey, and during weight loss, there's something that tends to happen every now and then called a weight loss plateau, where no matter what you do, you the weight just isn't budging. But it's a temporary thing where your metabolism is just trying to adjust so it holds onto the weight to try and let the body sort of catch up to all the changes. Then when it's caught up, you start losing weight again. I have a feeling it's likely true in the reverse, and you've just hit a plateau! Also, from an autistic girl with adhd, gonna echo some sentients in the comment section and also suggest you may wanna look into ARFID
As someone who's always had a tendency to be overweight (last time I was skinny I was like 10 years old, I'm now 26), it's interesting seeing your perspective on this and it seems very rough.
Eating intuitively always led me to weight gain, even more so because of my ADHD, because food for me not only fills hunger, but it's also a consistent dopamine source which I constantly crave.
Only thing that's working out for me is calorie tracking, and I would highly encourage you to do it for around 6 months or until you reach your goal weight. Since you get full quickly you may want to experiment with low volume calorie dense foods. You can also ease a bit on the protein since it's the one thing besides fiber that leaves you feeling full, in your case, high calorie carbs seem to be the way to go.
I have the same eating issues and I really really love this series. Thank you.
DRINK YOUR CALORIES! nothing wrong with getting your calories up using shakes. Just make sure hit your macros and micros. Bulking like this is nice because you really dont have to have a calorie cut off.
have you heard of avoidant restrictive food intake disorder?
Sounds to me like he has a textbook case of ARFID tbh..
@@Starrypaws64AFRID to eat amirite??
(I also have this issue so all in good fun, didn’t know it was called that)
Yeah, his brain, gut, endocrine systems all out ARFID (low hunger, extreme satiety, low food reward, etc.) Psychologically and physiologically, the guy is a genetic outlier to be super skinny and he would surely die in any hunter/gatherer/famine-risk human historical context.
I have a little cousin with this exact syndrome. Her parents were too ignorant to see anything wrong, but I noticed immediately when she was tiny even. This 5 year old wouldn't touch or show interest in food others here age were going crazy for. And when she was hungry, she'd take, literally, 4/5 bites and be full. Wouldnt eat lunch at school... etc.
She and him are the same, except from her perspective skinny= good because societal standards for women are fucked. @mcfarvo
@@mcfarvoYour comment was fine, why did you have to add that last part in?😂
You do your best and that is what matters. You have a goal you consistently work at but, it doesn't look like you actually see what you have accomplished in the last year. Keep doing your best.
Would you consider working with a dietician that specializes in ARFID or other eating disorders? Idk if you even are diagnosed with that or if you've even tried working with a dietician before, but maybe having some professional help would benefit you
I went through the same struggles in my twenties, tried special diets and protein boosts plus even injections to gain weight, and tried training and bodybuilding to gain muscles... all in vain. My doc asked back then "Do you feel well?", I answered "Yes, but...", and he replied, "What do you want more?". So I stopped doing stuff I didn't like. I had and still have a high metabolism, a slim but athletic body shape, and a consistent BMI of 18.5-19 ("ideal weight"). I've seen my doc twice in the last 20 years for minor stuff, I can still outrun most 20-year-olds (to be fair, I did running in my younger years), and people give me 10 years less. As a smoker (old Gen X programmer and artist habit, and it was cool back then, lol). The moral of the story: accept who and how you are and enjoy the positive aspects of your body shape and life. Better skinny and healthy than overweight and out of breath after 10 minutes. Oh. And six packs are overrated, too, besides being fake more often than not these days. Cheers!
I go through a similar thing, the more I work out the less hungry and weaker I am and it negatively effects my weight gain, so I use mass gainers and protein shakes to help build the muscle it works really well, the mass gainers can help you get all the calories you need in-in 1 or 2 drinks through the day. Also give your areas you were working on 2 days to recover after each workout. I really hope this helps you out in some way it was a hard road of figuring it out for myself
I have mostly the same problems. Thank you for posting this!
Ive been in a very similar spot for my entire life. A couple months ago I saw this short from max euceda basically saying the easiest way to bulk is just 2-3 spoonfuls of peanut butter every meal, don’t chew it or anything just swallow it down with water. Bro it is a game changer. I really relate when you talk about it’s not just eating shit but putting it up to your mouth chewing and swallowing, let me tell you it is so much easier to gulp down 800 extra calories in a couple seconds than it is to eat food. I really hope you try it!
i was not expecting our skinny queen to be mentioned 😭😭💀
Not our dainty gorl on the goherping 😭
I have the same problem. If I don’t track my calories and make sure to eat enough, then I drop about 15 pounds in just a few months, and go from 150 to about 135.
I HAVE to track the calories, and eat three meals at the same times every day. If I don’t keep a routine about it, or I don’t weigh out my portions so I know the amount of calories I’m consuming, I will slip into a habit of under eating.
So that’s my recommendation - make eating and tracking your calories a routine chore, like brushing your teeth. Eventually it will just be habit.
Also my experience of hunger is the same. Growling stomach is just something I hear, I don’t really “feel” hunger until I ignore my stomach like all day. But I’ve learned that never ignoring my stomach, and always making a point to eat something when it tells me to, really helps in “normalizing” my eating habits.
It’s crazy, hunger for me can consist of anything from nausea, pain, lightheadedness… I never considered that it doesn’t feel the same for everyone. Don’t give up on your journey! Everyone has highs and lows
The thinnest woman I know naturally, grew up like you being told to gain gain gain weight. The way she did it, pounding ice cream and sugars, gave her diabetes so just be careful to increase calories with a fully balanced diet not just overloading with sugars and fats. People say that you shouldn't crash diet to lose weight, but they don't think the same of crash gaining.
I have the same problem you do, I was 100 pounds as a teen, and for 3 years my body stayed at 115-120. I turned 25, had a good Christmas and thankgiving, and got in a relationship with someone who has a healthy relationship with eating and food. I am 140, some of this is muscle, some of this is fat. I feel good though. I suggest getting a food buddy, someone you go out to eat with, someone who joins you for meal time.
Idk I haven’t watched you in years and u actually look different to me, keep on trying it’s hard right now I understand how u feel I’m skinny too but I see the progress so keep it up❤
this video was interesting to listen to. Your perspective on eating is way different from mine, but I feel like you described your thought process so well. I don’t think about the swallowing part of food unless I have to eat something that tastes gross or has a jelly type texture. Like it’s a reflex not to swallow it but it’s also you psyching yourself out. It might be you telling yourself that you need food, but it comes with the negative thoughts of all the times you didn’t enjoy eating, or had a bad experience with it. It also comes with the guilt that you failed to achieve your task but you know you should have. I like to problem solve by assessing the negative thoughts and ask myself why I keep associating the thoughts with the thing that I’m avoiding. And then I try to think of solutions from there, whether it’s to fix it or make it easier on myself when doing the task. That way, you’re not overthinking on any short-lived fixes, you’re getting to the root of it. idk this might help
That analogy is perfect. That is pretty much how I felt about food as a kid till mid twenties, when someone tried to make me eat more than I wanted to. My main motivation to eat, was to keep my stomach from growling, because i was embarrased when other people heard it.
I'm 33, still hate food and try to interact with it as little as I can. I try to be as distracted as possible while eating (cellphone, TV, people around me etc.). It's better when it doesn't have much taste, or just one taste (just salty), also better when it doesn't smell too much and doesn't require much chewing. And most importantly, that I didn't have to prepare it myself. Eating already feels like a waste of time but when I also spend an hour preparing that stuff, I'm already done with it before taking the first bite. Even when I'm eating out I try to make the people I'm with pick something from the menu for me because I don't care and I don't want to think about it.
Ultimately, what helped me gain weight was probably age, from what I gather your metabolism slows down in your thierties and I don't really exercise. And living together with my partner who does most of the cooking and generally having some kind of social preassure to eat, like spending lunchbreak with my coworker...they eat, so it's weird when I don't. Or when my partner prepares a meal I eat it, because I don't want to be an ass :-)
Totally get it as I have the same sort of issue sometimes. Basically when I get to the point where I’m not hungry anymore I will gag trying to eat more.
That said don’t feel too terrible, because eating in surplus is hard even for people who are big. Body builders talk about this pretty frequently, how terrible it is eating for a surplus. Don’t give up. Drink the melted ice cream if you got to. Also just make sure you’re getting a gram of protein for each pound of body weight you have which can be achieved with a solid protein powder. I’d avoid the premade shakes. I find they taste worse than the stuff you mix yourself. The powders can also be mixed into a milkshake really well and everyone likes a good milkshake. It’s gonna look weird but who cares mix that powder up with ice cream and milk and just tell your self it’s a little treat (that you gotta eat twice a day lol)
This past year you have gained a lot of great knowledge. Keep up the lifestyle you love. Sleep when you are tired. Eat solid food when it appeals to you. Focus on getting the correct daily nutrients in your liquid diet. Let your body tell you where it wants to be, and live there. Nobody likes a micromanager lol. You are fine.
thank u king
Dude your honestly doing so good! you're noticeably in better shape and there's no reason for you to stop!
I've been watching your channel for awhile and I started watching because of the reptiles BUT I want to encourage you on this health journey because I think it might be your niche. It was hard for me to connect to your videos since you moved away from reptiles but I connected here. I think this personal journey will not only be good for you but also your channel and your viewers.
Im coming from a spot of texture eating so id say separate your dependency of eating from exercising. Less pressure of doing something gives me an easier time accomplishing it. Its valid to stop worrying about exercise & just diet to respect the complicity of it for you
i've had the same issues my whole life, and i've probably got about 10 years on you. some things i've learned is:
1. carbs will make you happy, protein will keep you consistently energized, fat will keep you satisfied, and fiber will keep your microbiome balanced and strong (which has hella downstream effects). i know what it's like to opt for simple carbs, sugar, and fat when you can't manage a more balanced meal, but your body operates best when all of these inputs are covered.
2. consistency over time will naturally change your body composition to carry more weight. this means you never have to be perfect, but the one thing you can't do is give up ;)
3. when you get older, you'll directly experience how consistent exercise and good diet will keep your body insulated from stress, sickness, and aging. getting sick as a skinny person sucks the older you get. this will add some extra motivation eventually lol
4. you seem like you'd make a good rock climber. expensive hobby, but you might find it a fulfilling tool to incorporate.
tldr old cat lady gives advice
I think it comes down to wanting it more. You’re capable of putting weight on and eating more but you dont want it bad enough. I believe in you, Im also trying to put on weight and its tough but we gotta go harder
When I was younger I was afraid to ride roller coasters. I went to a hypnotist show at Six Flags at Freight Fest one year and got hypnotized to not be afraid of coasters. I rode 7 of them that day and 20 years later, I still ride them. Maybe it’s worth a try for you. ❤
do you know how much you paid for that service? i know it was a while ago but i’ve been considering going to one for my nail biting habit. i’ve tried so much to quit and i cannot :( it’s a huge anxiety thing for me
@@sootsprite it was part of a hypnotist show. She did it after the show ended. Didn’t cost a thing.
@@davidhill5494nice, roller coasters are awesome, glad you get to experience them. Hell of an adrenaline rush.
Bro pulled a Shaggy from Scooby Doo.
I had the same struggle as you trying to gain weight and I was stuck for around 3-4 years. Recently I went from about 140lbs to 160lbs and cut to 150lbs all in about 3 months. The main thing that helped me was tracking all my calories and partitioning my meals. You need to build up the tolerance for eating big meals (eating two or three big meals a day) within a certain time. For example, start eating at 8AM and stop eating at 6PM. While bulking I went from eating 3000 calories at the start to almost 4000 on my last day. I never really enjoyed eating food and during this time I would make a shake for my last meal while already full and I would literally almost throw up every sip. Then, when I started cutting on 2400 calories which was my previous maintenance I could eat the same amount with ease, so my stomach did not retract to my old metabolism. With this cut done I am now bulking again starting today, and it feels much easier. In terms of my compound lifts I pretty much doubled the amount of weight that I could do and progressive overload just felt natural while eating a ton. All my body measurements went up except for my waist which actually got smaller. I also only did this on 3 workouts a week with some cardio, I took almost every exercise to failure and switched from bodyweight calisthenics to weighted calisthenics almost instantly to maximize growth.
Here are some two things to eat that are very calorie dense for bulking:
Smoothie:
250ml whole milk (130 cal)
1 banana (100 cal)
4 raw eggs (320 cal)
60g peanut butter (380 cal)
1 scoop of protein powder (130 cal)
1060 cal total
Waffles and milk:
750ml cup of milk (390 cal)
2 Eggo waffles (340 cal)
15g of butter on the waffles (105 cal)
30ml of maple syrup (78 cal)
913 cal total
Consider working towards a weight goal (like 130lb for you) at a certain bodyfat percentage, gaining at a certain amount of weight per week and a potential cut at the end to cut any extra fat off. This will make you less stressed about gaining weight in general and have your mind focused on an active goal. Forget about protein as it is just makes you feel more full and you will hit optimal protein levels for muscle growth just by eating more in general. Just get through that first month and it will become second nature. You got it man.
I heard someone else with ARFID describe it as eating soil and worms, and they also talked about the different steps of trying to eat it and how keeping it down is really difficult as well. Just a hamburger. I wish more people knew about it, and I think your videos are really helpful to some people even though you’re not specifically talking about ARFID.
I went from 118lbs all the way to 200lbs. My goal was simply to get as strong as possible in the squat, bench, and deadlift. I just laser focused on those goals, tracked my calories, and the weight came with time.
Honestly, given the degree of difficulty you're describing with eating, it's really impressive you've managed to get to 115 lbs, and are now able to maintain that weight! That's awesome! I hope you can find a way to let go of the degree of anxiety you're having about losing your gains if you don't eat immediately as soon as your stomach growls, or while you're sleeping, since it sounds like it's interfering with your ability to eat to some degree.
It does sound like you're eating way more protein than you need. Most of the advice I've seen from the saner fitness RUclipsrs is that you only need between 0.7g to 1g of protein per lb of body weight to give your body all the building material it could possibly need to convert into muscle. Which, depending on how satiating you find protein vs. other kinds of food, might also help?
The other bit of unsolicited advice I'd give (sorry!) is to set your calorie goal lower. I think you said you're trying to hit 3,400 cal daily? That seems way way higher than what you need, and is maybe contributing to demotivation. It's like someone who wants to lose weight setting their daily calorie way way lower than their baseline, and I think you're running into the same issue as that but from the other side. If the goal calories are way below the daily norm, they're going to put themselves through way more stress (way more hunger all the time, discomfort, cravings, irritation, constant thoughts about food). Same for you, I'd assume - anxiety about how big the gap is between your goal and what you've managed to eat, increased feelings of disgust if you do push to higher caloric intake, etc. So I'd suggest a goal of only 250 calories more per day than your maintenance amount. Which hopefully is an easier target to hit, makes the whole thing less stressful, and helps you avoid thinking about it as often (or as intensely) as you are at the moment.
Wishing you the best of luck with your goal!
Once you get the food thing sorted, people that don't exercise out there have no idea how great life gets, and it stacks with muscle, like i'm 80kg now, the weight i dreamt of having for over a decade (i'm 29).
Muscles have made me immune to workplace drama/toxicity, it's like you start to view society from the 4th dimension almost. (i'm not joking lmao)
I no longer view everyone else as above me, and that "Only they were destined for success and joy in life, while i'm down here, undeserving", that darkness also went away the bigger i became, along with other family/life improvements, it all stacks.
Like the internet and hearing people talk about muscles it's always in this shallow frame of vanity, and not the mental health improvements sadly.
Never give up Alex.
I have ARFID and it's been an insane struggle. Always been underweight and have been trying to gain my entire life. I'm not aware of all that you've done in this struggle but I have a dietician and have gained about 10 pounds. It took like 7 months to do so but I'm still trying my best to gain more. That could help for you but I'm not sure! I wish you luck and can understand completely.
I don’t know a ton about it, but I’m curious if he may be struggling due to AFRID as well.
@@Alison-yt5lm I think he mentioned in one of his videos that he didn't like his food touching and that is definitely ARFID related.
i feel you man, been struggling with the same. i'm a taller guy so i gotta eat a ton to see much muscle or weight gain. have you thought about seeing a specialist in nutrition or exercise to see if they would be a better fit for gaining weight for the aesthetic of it? they seem like they would be a better fit for that rather then a doctor. good luck on your journey though brother!
As someone who also hella struggled to keep weight on, dude... fish and veggies. I felt the absolute best on fish and veggies as a regular part of my diet.
But as far as trying to make sure I ea enough, I CONSTANTLY had snacks on me, in my pockets, or in my water bottle. Milk was a big one because I could just drink it, but I kept baggies of mixed nuts, peanut butter and crackers, and jerky in my car at all times and sometimes in my pockets if I was out being active. I also carried cheese sticks around.
I also would lose so much weight whenever I got sick and had to eat like a beast to gain that ten/fifteen pounds back, but found the easiest way to do that was through hardy soups with fatty cuts like pork and chicken thighs. Something about being able to just practically drink it instead of having to constantly chew, helped a lot.
I just wanted to add onto this, because I forgot, adding pasta to the soups and fish, or rice, also helped a lot. It gave me more energy and more of an appetite weirdly enough.
Oh my, I hope you get courage to continue fighting against the weight loss. Stay healthy!
I wish you could see yourself like we see you and we think you’re awesome and perfect dude!!!!
Hey man, 3500 calories might be too high for you. Your daily expenditure is probably around 2200-2300 (if you're as active as you say). You should shoot for a 200-300 cal surplus for a lean bulk. You will put on about .5 pound per week if you eat +250/day. Also, trust me, you're not accurately tracking macros/calories without a scale, guessing doesn't work. I've made that mistake many many many times.
That’s what I was thinking.
Same struggles as you. My body always stayed around the same weight, when I get sick and lost weight I would always recover quickly to my original weight (and was actually hungry), if I gained, it would only last for a short while and lose interest in food and would lose weight; my body always hovered where it was comfortable and my ability to eat would fluctuate to maintain that weight. Slowly over 20 years my body baseline has added weight but I'm only 20 pounds heavier than highschool. I accepted where I was weight wise and let body hunger dictate where I stayed weight wise.
Lmao the way literally more than half of the comment section is people making suggestions or saying things that were already discussed in the video. On another note, I appreciate your openness. I feel like I learn a lot from hearing your experiences even if Im not in the same position as you
I’d love to hear about how you ground yourself I have a dissociative issue so I’m always looking for new suggestions. You’re doing your best and you’re definitely capable of achieving your goal it’s just about trying new things until you find a comfortable routine. You’ve got this
“I’m a beautiful hunk of man” ya damn tootin u are
getting ready for goherping food review arc
lmao. just a 100 part series of "0/10, disgusting"
After a breakup I was depressed and lost all sense of hunger. My stomach even stopped growling at the time. I lost weight rapidly and the thought of food alone would make me gag. Even foods I've enjoyed before that episode. I would force myself to eat sometimes even throwing up afterwards. I never stopped trying. Eventually, I started feeling better emotionally and started dating again. Made me fall in love with food. I cant stand being hungry anymore - Im always munching on something now. Ive never weighed more in my life. Now I need to figure out a way to get fit & find that sweet spot. Not weigh too much and not too little
One extra tiny group of people interested in these videos: bodybuilders and weightlifters such as myself. I am trying to gain weight myself, and its inspiring seeing other people doing the same thing, albeit much smaller people 😅.
One thing I can say as far as the eating goes: If you don't mind eating the same exact thing every day, that makes it the easiest. Its like having a schedule. You know you have to eat this, this, and this. You know exactly what needs to be done, and you know exactly when you have or haven't done it. You can hold yourself accountable, and you don't have to worry about any of it. Takes all the "craving" and emotion out of it. Its just a checklist. you do, or you don't.
Jay Cutler, a bodybuilder, once said "I eat for function, not for taste". I often feel the same way, so I wouldn't be surprised if you did as well. I like the taste of food, but I rarely actually want that much of it. Just eat the stuff that will work, and make the muscle grow.
Another thing is: Make the caloric surplus a SMALL one. Say you usually eat one sandwich for lunch, make it two, or even one and a half. do a small change like that for all your meals. That is much easier than trying to force feed a massive amount. If the weight on the scale goes up by five pounds every MONTH, that's good progress. This process is very slow, even if you eat a lot very easily, so you don't have to stress too much.
I hope you keep going bro, this is great to see. You have a lot of potential. 💪💪
Edit: you said you were trying to eat 3,000 plus calories a day from what I recall. that's around what I have to eat, and I weigh 155-160 pounds. I am larger, you are trying to eat the amount a bigger person would have to eat to gain weight. Look up "calorie calculator", put in your stats, and set it to weight gain. It should show you what you need to eat to gain weight for YOUR size. Go with the slow weight gain option. Muscle grows slowly, all these extra calories aren't going to help as much as simply being in an easily maintainable surplus. You only increase the surplus when your weight stops going up. (I just put in your stats myself, assuming you are 5,10 and 19 years old, and it says you need 2,600-2,800 calories to gain, NOT 3,000+)
Just keep it up bro 3-4 lifting / calisthenics and eating high protein animal fats. You already have your shoulders looking wider, it takes time, years of slowly doing the right things for your body to change and take shape. Keep it up
okay so as someone else who was chronically skinny for most of my life i understand the struggle. if you’re vaping or using copious amounts of caffeine or other known appetite suppressants either stop them or cut back. next high calorie drinks, they are going to be your best friend. don’t go crazy with them but if you’re only able to get in 2 meals a day drinking some calories will be easier to get down but try not to drink more than 500 calories worth of beverages unless it’s a protein shake. that leads to my next point, protein powder. it’s not essential but if you’re struggling on gaining weight especially muscle mass it might be good to add it in your diet. personally i sprinkle some into my waffle mix every morning along with 2 eggs and some cheese and a glass of milk i’m able to get easily 30-40g of protein and roughly 500ish calories. lastly what i would recommend if all else fails are appetite stimulants. you can talk to your physician about getting a prescription appetite stimulant or if you’re able to in your state try smoking marijuana in moderation before meals. hopefully this helps and i can’t wait to stick along for the transformation!
Don't give up. You is inspire me to not give up on my goals that I feel like I am making no progress on. We can keep on keeping on.
I know you read comments so I just wanted to say a few things.
1. I love your videos, youre def one of my favorite youtubers. I really like how much b-roll you use, even if its unrelated to what youre talking about.
2. I have no money but I have never wanted to download discord in order to join a youtubers discord before but I do with you so keep plugging it.
3. I am curious on your opinion of video games, for me they make me feel unproductive so I cant enjoy them. But I'd love watching you play though some game that you enjoy.
4. I would love a series or a video where you go to another state and stay at a hotel and do your gig apps there instead of in NC for a day or two, and vlog the experience.
Thanks for being you and good luck with your journey
I struggle to stay over 100lbs due to medical so I understand the struggle! My nutritionist suggested making my coffees with protein milk or shakes and adding extra butter to things. Drinking calories is easier than eating them. You can try ensure/boost but if you're normally healthy then don't drink many of those.
Have you tried calorie dense foods? Like eating foods that are high in fat, such as keto diet like foods that are made with bases of cheese or eggs. I understand when someone doesn't want to eat food or has dietary restrictions, etc. I'm not a dietician, but I have noticed that the body doesn't like change, so adding new foods that your body isn't used to breaking down can struggle and will add more weight, so an example someone who eats a lot of sugars in their diet will put on more weight if they remove the sugars that they usually eat higher fat/protein heavy foods. In the reverse is true too, someone who doesn't eat sugars often will put on a lot of weight (that typically doesn't stick around and will be bloated) when they eat sugars. The scale isn't helpful, listen to your body instead. If you aren't feeling well, try new foods, go to new restaurants or order things you've never tried.
GoMukbang is just over the horizon
But they're all 30 second videos!
I have zero advice, but I was 89lbs for much of high school and just couldn’t get the number to go up. (Context I take vyvanse it probably is the culprit)
I am currently 29, and finally at 120.
I hit 104 at around 25.
You’re doing more than I did to try to eat, keep up that mindset.
niceeee
It's more socially acceptable for girls to be skinny, while for guys it's not okay to be skinny or fat, we have to have the perfect muscular physique.
Have you considered seeing a dietician who specializes in healthy weight gain? They’re out there and have experience with food aversion. They also understand the difficulty of maintaining and will welcome you as a client even if you’re “healthy” now.
I can’t really relate to the overall condition dude but you have my utmost sympathy. If I could give you any practical advice the number 1 thing would be just stick to the tracking calories and expenditure via smart watch/fitbit. Estimation is well and good for someone looking to maintain, but for someone looking to lose or gain the difference of +/- a few hundred calories is enough to take you from deficit to surplus and vice versa. It’s hard to move in the right direction consistently by guessing
I weighed 120lbs well into my late 20’s and I hated it. Took protein powder, ate as much food as possible, nothing worked.
Then i hit about 27/28 and my metabolism naturally slowed way down. I weigh 160lbs now and wish O could go back to when i weighed 120lb and couldnt put weight on
Be careful what you wish for
It sounds like you've figured out the core issue - anxiety about your weight. And you're doing helpful things like mindfulness and grounding to get through it. I understand the difficulty of gaining weight and forcing yourself to eat without throwing up. When I was your age (and I think we're the same height, though I'm a woman), I also struggled to gain weight. I weighed about 115lbs, coming up from 105 after an illness. I was very boney. I tried eating calorie dense meals, hulk smoothies, and sneaking macros (mostly fat and protein) in when I could. It didn't work lol. I think part of it is just being young. I'm in my 30s now, and have been hovering between 135-145lbs, mostly just from living.
I had the same problem gaining weight. You just gotta get used to eating when you’re not hungry. It sucks at first but it gets easy quick. Try to eat things that are moist so it goes down easier. Don’t skip breakfast, eat within an hour of waking up and you’ll be able to eat more throughout the day. And try not to go more than 4 hours without eating.
Also, drink a protein shake or even just eat some high calorie food like right before you go to sleep. Track your macros and be consistent and you’ll definitely see results.
Anddd cannabis helps too. Lol
(Sorry if you've covered this i caught the first 10 minutes). I'd say carry on the with the shakes if it allows you to also eat food. And absolutely drown all of your food with olive oil or whatever oil you like. Put it all over everything. It will increase you calories alot without eating extra food (and/or shakes). Also sugar. Put lots of sugar or oil over everything you eat. Also you have an active lifestyle, which is good. But you're burning calories doing so. Purposely opt for hypertrophy exercises. Always always include enough protein to build muscle. All the best. You're a good guy regardless
Like other people are saying, you need to carb up! Get some good smoothie recipes. Frozen fruit and honey are amazing for your body. Melons are great for hydration and for carbs. You need is since you're doing so much cardio. Fruit sugar is the best source of carbs and full of micro nutritients and antioxidants.
Hi, I was the same as you for over 7 years, stuck between 52-56 kg max. If I didn't eat much or if I pushed to eat 3000kcal for a long period, the result was pretty much the same.
Wish I could tell you the answer, but the past 2 years I gained 15kg, out of nowhere, just bcuz I got older (I'm 28 now) and my metaboli slowed down I guess (my blood work is good, no issues)
Do you have someone in your family that was also skinny young? Could you see at what age they did start to gain? My father was the same.
My only advice would be to stop fixating on it, and concentrate on sleep/movement and for food, just try to eat healthy & how much you can without it disturbing your life.
People say "eat more" but they don't understand that for us that's hard, and it doesn't even bring results, because that's how we are born.
Just wait it out and live life, you look better than I was (I'm 1.82cm)
My weight goes up and down a lot and sometimes I feel like crap and don't want to eat. It happens to the best of us man just don't give up natural progress can be slow af sometimes but future you will be happy.
Hey man, I see you’re a hard working guy and do a lot of physical activity, which is very good! In terms of eating, what I would do is cook/buy some food and put it on the counter, every time I go to the kitchen for some water, I take a few bites of meats and carbs; rice, potato, pasta; and go back to what I was doing. You could try doing that after your yardwork, biking, calisthenics, and weight training. At the end of the day, Eat a normal sized Dinner. I feel that you should get used to eating before tracking calories, which might demoralise this journey. Hope this helps, and take it one step at a time.
Herp:
As a longtime big fan, someone who has worked hard to gain control over his own dietary habits himself with success and failure, and has worked in behavior analysis for a couple years: I’m just gonna give my two cents in the comments.
I also want to respect that I know every person‘s body is different and my input might just not be for you/correct.
You gotta make eating as easy as possible for yourself. (Ex: have a rotating list of 5 to 10 meals that you very much enjoy and is somewhat macro friendly. Easy to prepare. And set a routine on days for which you will prepare or buy that food.) - for me I eat a lot of ground beef or ground turkey. And rice with sauces. Sometimes I change it up and do almond butter and jelly sandwiches (fiber, carbohydrates)
Accept that consistency is the goal over all. (the only way that you’re going to gain is by eating at a surplus and since you don’t like eating, you’re gonna have to make it as easy as possible for yourself so that could include stuff like oatmeal protein shakes with peanut butter and banana blended in, maybe rice cakes with canned chicken or tuna and cheese, sauces are your best friend, etc.)
For me, MyFitnessPal has been the most helpful. I don’t really rely on my own intuition as far as what my calories are because I don’t think our brains are very good at doing that, unless we eat the same thing/amount every day. A lot of what we eat is very misleading in regards to macros or fats, etc..
So for you, if you are still attempting to be consistent about this: establishing a routine of tracking once a week and then increasing your frequency of tracking by a day after 1-2 weeks. You do this so it feels more natural and less tedious in the beginning- it establishes behavior momentum. And you should give yourself the same grace with every new action or behavior you give yourself in regard to diet. Slow and steady achievable increments of change, and if you have a mentality of there’s always tomorrow and then actually follow through tomorrow and if you fail again, try again.
What’s the most important could be reinforcing yourself after every attempt (eating/tracking, etc) - reinforcement needs to happen very soon after the target behavior is completed. For example say you’re trying to eat more, and you really enjoy something like a show or an activity. maybe you don’t allow yourself to have access to that activity until you eat what you’ve set out for yourself) you could also try spreading out your meals, although that might be kind of tricky, maybe you could try splitting your meals into two cal dense meals per day (bacon, sausage, protein oat shake, Favorite fruit/applesauce for breakfast-- seasoned ground beef, half a frozen pizza, whatever else, for dinner)
Also take everything I say with the grain of salt because of course I’m a stranger on the Internet , I am not a dietitian, I’m only speaking from my own trials and tribulations, and I feel for you, man.
Self acceptance is something that might need to be addressed too because if you’re doing all these things and you think that your body is not good enough as it is, it’s gonna be really hard once you actually achieve whatever goal you do. It’s taking me a while to realize that happiness really is intrinsic, it’s awesome that you have strength goals for yourself and that you’re stronger than you were last year. That is something to be praised.
I already said this, but you should go slow. whatever MyFitnessPal says is the slowest you can increase your weight that’s what you should do so 0.5 pounds per week.
You hit a certain goal say 1 pound or two you should take a break for a week or so and just stick to maintaining your new daily calorie intake amount (that way your body/brain can adjust, and it’s not go go go all the time)
Accept that there’s gonna be many days where you’re not gonna reach your goal or you’re gonna fail and remember that consistencies is the most important and try your best not to beat yourself up over it, I don’t know if people talk about this enough, but it really is a mental game with diet/ and overtime you can build confidence in that you can try again the next day and that it’s OK to fail.
Also, I know that you’ve already done this, but the number one thing is talking to your doc, perhaps it’s just a medical thing. No input on that, it is what it is.
Also, just wanted to say , big fan, me and my girlfriend watch your videos anytime it’s out, loving the pivot you’re doing, haven’t seen anyone else on RUclips do it like you. And I personally think it’s really cool that you can do bouldering and all this stuff, it’s genuinely impressive.
People be like “just eat” 🤯
Dealing with the same issues, caused my body to break down and got real sick.
To heal I've been drinking heavy cream, eating 2lbs beef daily with cold butter on everything. It is working!
24 eggs a week too
I would suggest eating smaller meals more often. Up your carbs about 25 percent... preferably complex carbs. Lower your cardio since you already have a high metabolism and add more time to your weight lifting. Have you tried a bulker drink like a protein drink with weight gainers, you could drink a couple between meals. Also if you lower your cardio you might be more hungry. Because in my weight loss journey i would do cardio because after i didnt want to eat so much. Just thoughts...
Something I have been doing is finding a few meals that like I can eat 2-3 times a week. My go too is a steak and cheese, high in calories, lots of protein, and some good fats. Also, liquid calories is the best too, milk gets much easier to drink often after a week, just push through that first week.
I am so glad you make these videos, because I have the same struggle pretty much exactly. I simply have no time and money to eat more, so my stomach cant handle normal amounts of food anymore and I can only consume small amounts if food. Your video actually reminded me, that I was hungry. So thanks, I finished the second half of my breakfast (1 slice if pizza lol) just bow at 4pm haha
Alex, how much water do you drink? When you are dehydrated you do not crave food as much. And it can be physically hard to eat as you describe. I think the reason you actually had carvings when you where drinking the protein shakes. Has very little to do with the shakes themselves. It was that you were drinking something regularly throughout the day. That was not further dehydrating you.
Seriously??? Do you honestly think thru all this he didn't know that? Come on get a grip. This is not as easy as drinking water. Wtf
Also he said in this video he drinks a lot of water. Do you ever listen?
@eliracine9020 Do you even understand the concept that people can make comments on videos before someone says something. Meaning that at the time I made the comment, he had not said that yet. Also, you're just a dick. So, I really do not feel the need to interact with you beyond this comment.
Honestly just found your channel you seem like an amazing guy i’m also glad you got out of that situation a couple weeks ago I struggle with the same problem I’m 6’1 and barely weigh 140 pounds so I understand how you feel I try I give up I try and I give up everybody around me doesn’t have these problems so there really isn’t anybody to help me push me to keep going if I had somebody like you bro we could be pushing each other Fs 💯 Love your videos watched three of them within two hours stay healthy and please eat so you can keep making content for us if I had something like this yt or just anybody to keep me going that would be my motivation I also know this paragraph is going to be hard to read bc I don’t do , or . Just too lazy But yeah like I said use this channel as motivation you have all of these people here waiting for you to post a video every week if I had something like that it would definitely motivate me more to eat more and to be more healthy for the people who want to see me healthy
“You’re so skinny! You need to eat more.” - as I am finishing an entire pizza to myself at 9 years old 👁️👄👁️
Hey, I love your videos and think you're a great person. I always wish you well. :) About eating, have you noticed any flavors or textures you don't mind eating and are pretty comfortable with? And does it help to be distracted while eating? I hope you figure it out, because I do want you happy and to have energy.
I don't know if you'll ever read this comment, but I've watched your journey for a while now and you need to realise you ARE making progress.
You may not see it on the scale, however you have got stronger, and most importantly you are learning about your body, food, macros. Etc.
Just like everything it's a learning process, it can take years to finally get it and get to a point where you notice significant change.
I had the opposite problem as you, but I had the exact same feelings - I was overweight my whole life and it felt like no matter what I would do I just couldn't lose weight for such a long time, but eventually through I guess repetition and most importantly learning and understanding, and banging my head against the wall lol, I lost a lot of weight, I'm not exactly where I want to be yet but I am so proud of my progress.
Look at your progress in ways other than just the scale and you'll realise you've progressed quite a lot, just keep going and I bet eventually you'll figure something out that works for YOU specifically and your lifestyle / eating habits etc.
Keep it up brother, you only fail if you quit. 🫡
Alex. I also struggle to gain or maintain weight. I share a lot of the same feeling about food as you do. The guilt of not eating is real.
Try less protein and more carbohydrates. Right now you just have to put some meat on your body not necessarily pure muscle! Carbs give insulin spikes and they'll make you want to eat more often while protein makes you feel fuller. Refined carbohydrates also give you sugar spikes like white bread, cereal, pasta etc... will make you feel a boost of energy and then just drop you of and you'll find yourself hungry again after 2 hours. You should mainly drink your protein in an isolated or a hydrolyzed form and just a whole lot of carbs if you struggle eating! That's what helped me by a lot. Btw ditch the fast food because they have high fat sources that also make you feel full, pizza cheese and French fries and stuff make you feel saturated and fuller faster. Just eat carbs, sugary carbs and aim at 90-110 g of protein per day. Don't actually get scared about getting fat, this way your just gonna convert the food into fat and then the fat to muscle. No one can just put muscle on and that's it. This is why people go throughout bulking and cutting cycles every year. You basically just put on lets say 25 pounds of bodyweight and then do a cut and just shed the fat and your left with lets say 8-10 pounds of muscle and then you repeat. In your case you might have post eating fatigue (basically you feel sh*ty after eating and don't have energy and just wanna lay down) that's a thing that carbs don't cause and i can assure you for that, id also suggest to break your meals so you give time to make your stomach pass the food faster, lets say that you aim for three 700 cal meals you could break its to six 350 call meals. This way your never actually feel full during the day and still take your calories. Pls try my method at least for 2 days, im sure its gonna help you by a lot and also boost your mentality.
I hope i helped even a little bit, sometimes the mind wants but the body rejects and when the body rejects we shouldn't push it to its limits (especially if you are already healthy).
Liquid calories are your best friend when you struggle with eating, as well as spacing out meals. If you have 5-6 meals a day and force yourself to snack its easier to convince yourself to eat. Setting alarms on your phone to eat I've found to be extremely helpful. It is very easy to go throughout your day and not eat because you don't feel hunger, but if you force yourself to eat SOMETHING every 2-3 hours its a lot easier to get in calories. Carb powders, blending oats & peanut butter, and even mass gainer. (Just protein powder and carb powders together, nothing magical.) WHOLE Milk is really good as well. You can 100% eat more if you try your hardest and stick with it! Focus on getting in more carbohydrates, to start with you can do something easily digestible like white rice or pasta. Carbs = energy for body, Protein = repair muscles, Fat = hormonal function. Each gram of protein & carbs are 4 calories while a gram of fat is 9, so if you really can't get carbs down try upping fats. Things like nuts & peanut butter will be your best friend. Once you reach a gram of protein per pound bodyweight DO NOT add in more protein and switch to carbs & fats. Proteins are harder for your body to digest and will make you feel way more full.
EATING IS A SKILL. The more you work at it the better you will get at it. DO NOT GIVE UP! It is okay to feel demotivated but as long as you try your best to achieve this goal and put in your best effort THE SKILL WILL COME. It's a journey and progress is not always linear. I've been watching your content on and off, I mostly get recommended your fitness stuff. I think you have an incredible work ethic and I 100% believe the reason you are struggling is from lack of information and technique versus effort. Please really try liquid calories & setting alarms to remind yourself to eat, I PROMISE YOU you will see a noticeable difference. When you leave all of your calories to be eaten in only one meal because you lack hunger it becomes IMPOSSIBLE to get in enough calories. I believe in you bro, you got this. Don't give up.
ALSO don't gain weight faster than a half a pound a week. If the scale is moving faster than 2 pounds a month you're gaining more fat than you need to, the muscle building process is extremely slow.
I would honestly try an anxiety medication. It sounds like a lot of stress around food and eating that could be alleviated by medication. You can probably get it through your doctor pretty easily. My brother has to eat to take his meds or he will become nauseated, so that might help too.
What's up young man. Big fan. Now down to the topic at hand. I to had problems eating to gain weight, I found that for me the secret was raw vegetables blended up with a protein shake plus blended up fruits and vegetables and drinking it 😅 I was able to ingest lots more drinking the food then I could eat. I can drink a whole container of baby spinach and baby kale all day but I couldn't eat that much 😩....so I hope this help as it helped me alot
this is possibly a very stupid question… but have you ever gotten checked out for AFRID? if you haven’t already i would also go to see a gastroenterologist, it could also be a medical issue? it’s probably annoying hearing people ask or say you should do this if you’ve already done it. i hope that you get to a place where you feel happy with yourself regardless if you gain more muscle
Advise from someone who lost about little over 100lbs in a year. You need 1 g of protein per goal body weight to build muscle. If you want to be 120lbs, get 120grams of protein daily. It is impossible to gain muscle without gaining a little fat. Fats are super important macro for your hormones. Do not cut them out. Fats in does not me a fat gain. I would recommend trying to eat 500 more calories a day than you are on average. Liquid calories are your friend. So if you’re having issues with eating, but not drinking them, I recommend protein shakes. Or since you enjoy ice cream get a ninja creami and make your own protein ice cream!