Once I figure out how to work this new phone I will post some pics. I would estimate my BF % is in the mid 20s right now. I thinking about extending my bulk a bit longer since we are heading into winter but mostly lean bulking to minimize fat gain.
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Lifestyle physical health/fitness thread
- Thread starter Ninahaza
- Start date
Once I figure out how to work this new phone I will post some pics. I would estimate my BF % is in the mid 20s right now. I thinking about extending my bulk a bit longer since we are heading into winter but mostly lean bulking to minimize fat gain.
A little about me... I'm 30 years old, 6'6". I've been chronically overweight to obese for basically my entire life.
In February we had a string of nice days, and something inside me just made me say 'I'm going to lose weight.' So I went on an EXTREMELY strict diet and started walking. Everyday.
I cut out added sugar, I dropped pasta and bread. Drank only water and green tea. I started using the S-Health app on my Note 4 to record EVERY SINGLE THING i put in my body.
Since then I've gradually loosened up a bit on my dietary restrictions since I've come to realize I need more variety to meet all my micronutrient requirements. I still record everything I put in my body in my S-Health app.
Now I know this thread isn't intended to be weight watchers, but reading Panther-T 'S post inspired me to come on and say this. Everything he said is true and more to anyone trying to lose weight.
I hit -160lbs today. I started around Valentine's day at 412.4 lbs, and left work at 251.6 today. I went from a size 56 elastic waist to size 40 Wranglers with room to spare. My ultimate goal is to get down to a 38 or maybe even a 36. I didn't have to pay for the extended size on my Smogon University t-shirt. I don't snore anymore. My attic ladder can actually hold mY weight. My daughter and girlfriend can actually get their arms around me.
I'm not sure why 160 lbs seems like such a huge milestone, but I really wanted to share here. I have a lot of work to do still (there's a lot of leftover skin to be dealt with...) but I am very proud and happy to be able to tell you all this.
Thanks to anyone who bothered to read it :p
In February we had a string of nice days, and something inside me just made me say 'I'm going to lose weight.' So I went on an EXTREMELY strict diet and started walking. Everyday.
I cut out added sugar, I dropped pasta and bread. Drank only water and green tea. I started using the S-Health app on my Note 4 to record EVERY SINGLE THING i put in my body.
Since then I've gradually loosened up a bit on my dietary restrictions since I've come to realize I need more variety to meet all my micronutrient requirements. I still record everything I put in my body in my S-Health app.
Now I know this thread isn't intended to be weight watchers, but reading Panther-T 'S post inspired me to come on and say this. Everything he said is true and more to anyone trying to lose weight.
I hit -160lbs today. I started around Valentine's day at 412.4 lbs, and left work at 251.6 today. I went from a size 56 elastic waist to size 40 Wranglers with room to spare. My ultimate goal is to get down to a 38 or maybe even a 36. I didn't have to pay for the extended size on my Smogon University t-shirt. I don't snore anymore. My attic ladder can actually hold mY weight. My daughter and girlfriend can actually get their arms around me.
I'm not sure why 160 lbs seems like such a huge milestone, but I really wanted to share here. I have a lot of work to do still (there's a lot of leftover skin to be dealt with...) but I am very proud and happy to be able to tell you all this.
Thanks to anyone who bothered to read it :p
It seems like a huge deal because it IS a huge deal. You've managed to drop more weight than a lot of smogoners weigh. That is incredible and honestly inspiring to hear. That 38/36 waist is definitely within reach my friend!
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Also try taking your shoes off. I always prefer to do most lifts bare footed. I find with squats and deadlifts I can ground myself better so I'll often slip my sneakers off. I find it makes a difference.
Seconded.
I've had a friend break his toe from dropping a weight on his bare foot, I'm not sure that's really the best advice. I normally use converse to squat because your foot sits flat in them still and at least there's some protection, though specialized weightlifting shoes would probably work as well.
Fuck man, Rey Mysterio weighs more, and 160 is pretty much your ideal weight. Reminds me of the time I dropped to 150 pounds from ~220. The best part is buying the new clothes and just the sheer burst of confidence you get every morning when you look at the mirror, even if you aren't shredded or anything.
For your height 38] is absolutely fine, don't push yourself too hard, keep up your work and try adjusting to your new bodyweight, the lose skin tones itself up quite a bit eventually (it took me ~one year to get rid of most of my lose skin and stretch marks)...and you can opt for medical options if nature doesn't take its course properly. Also consider working out to tone yourself up a bit ;), helps quite a bit with your physique, and fatigue and will make you look less lanky.
Best of luck!
Not sure if this is the right place but I didn't find anything else in 3 pages.
Ok, let me just say this: I need some help.
I'm currently in high school, and while so far I haven't worried too much about staying fit (since I do a couple of sports), I've been having some trouble staying motivated while working on my homework. Since I don't have my own computer, I access Smogon and PS from my phone, which can be convenient but also very problematic. It's so easy to just pick up my phone and browse through some threads when I should be doing homework or paying attention in school.
It's the same way with this chocolate that I get. There's this local chocolate brand that tastes really good but is very expensive as well ($4 for 2 bars, it's worth it though) but more often than not I find myself eating them too quickly, and I want to enjoy them but I'm also concerned about saving money.
What should I do?
Ok, let me just say this: I need some help.
I'm currently in high school, and while so far I haven't worried too much about staying fit (since I do a couple of sports), I've been having some trouble staying motivated while working on my homework. Since I don't have my own computer, I access Smogon and PS from my phone, which can be convenient but also very problematic. It's so easy to just pick up my phone and browse through some threads when I should be doing homework or paying attention in school.
It's the same way with this chocolate that I get. There's this local chocolate brand that tastes really good but is very expensive as well ($4 for 2 bars, it's worth it though) but more often than not I find myself eating them too quickly, and I want to enjoy them but I'm also concerned about saving money.
What should I do?
Wrong thread for online browsing/homework thread. If you can't find something via search, feel free to start your own thread.
Regarding the chocolate, that's a little more on topic. There's nothing wrong with having chocolate here and there or sweet foods in general, just today I had two Krispy Kremes because I felt like it. However, it's only going to become a problem if you're likely to get addicted, binge eat or waste all your money on it. Not to mention it'll make you feel like crap on the inside and outside. What are your goals? Maybe you want to be in a certain shape, or maybe you want to save a certain amount of money for a trip or something else? Whatever your goal, over eating and spending of chocolate is most likely getting in the way of it. If you cant look big picture and see that, then there's nothing anyone in this thread can do to help you - it has to come from within.
No posts this year even with new years reasolutions?? Can't let this leave the first page! How is everyone doing? Silver_Lucario42 Lemaitre flargananddingle and everyone else....
Well after the holidays I had gained like 8 pounds back, and had nearly lost it by the 2nd week of January, but unfortunately I sustained a pretty substantial concussion at work and my activity levels have been down for a whiletter.
I've been trying to continue eating clean and everything but honestly the whole process with this concussion is throwing me for a loop.
Edit: I should say, prior to the holidays I had gotten down to 242 so the holidays had put me back around where I was at the time of my first post. My new goal is to get down to about 220 and then start focusing on building muscle>weight loss. I'm not looking to be completely jacked (..yet. we'll see how I feel about myself once I get to that point) but I'd like to top out around a lean 230. I use a bbmi calculator to account for my height and this puts me in at a healthy weight which is my overall goal.
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So, I've been trying to be healthier this year from an internal perspective. I've been on probiotics since the end of December, I juice cleansed 4 out of 5 Sundays this month, and I am trying really hard to not even keep any unhealthy junk food in the house.
I am 6'1" and weigh 150-155 pounds, so I don't really need to lose weight. In fact, I've gained 3-4 pounds this month I think primarily due to the probiotics helping fix my system a bit. I suffer from some bad digestive diseases which has caused my nutrient and water absorption to be subpar for most of my life.
My body is self-regulating better than it ever has before and I haven't had digestive discomfort all month. I run 3 days a week and despite that, I am still gaining weight, which would've never happened last year(I could basically lose 10 pounds a month eating healthy and running, even at 155 pounds.).
So here is to health and the continued evolution of understanding how our bodies work.
I am 6'1" and weigh 150-155 pounds, so I don't really need to lose weight. In fact, I've gained 3-4 pounds this month I think primarily due to the probiotics helping fix my system a bit. I suffer from some bad digestive diseases which has caused my nutrient and water absorption to be subpar for most of my life.
My body is self-regulating better than it ever has before and I haven't had digestive discomfort all month. I run 3 days a week and despite that, I am still gaining weight, which would've never happened last year(I could basically lose 10 pounds a month eating healthy and running, even at 155 pounds.).
So here is to health and the continued evolution of understanding how our bodies work.
Today, I prowler sled marched 260kg (575 lbs) 10 meters (for reference, 3 feet is 0.92 meters) for 5 sets. I'm either looking to play rugby league or american football (for the best club in Australia) this year, so a lot more of my training has been geared towards conditioning and explosiveness. I'm about to start an 8 week power block next week, and I'm so excited for it. I find training with a specific purpose in mind so much more exciting!
@ above post, probiotics are legit. I'm trying to add more Kimchi, Sauerkraut and other fermented vegetables to my diet, it makes a big difference
@ above post, probiotics are legit. I'm trying to add more Kimchi, Sauerkraut and other fermented vegetables to my diet, it makes a big difference
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Can't believe how quiet its been here of late -- how's everyone going?
I've been training heaps lately (and consistently) so really happy with how things are going. Need to jump on to food, though. The Christmas break saw my eating habbits become a bit lax and tbh, indulgent. So i've been attacking portions, types of foods but this week -- is sugar. Always a bitch to bring back into line. Anyone have any tops to help stabilise your blood sugar when cutting it out while also hitting the cravings?
I've been doing liquid dinners late (almonds, spinach, ginger, blue berries, LSA, chia seets, ice/water, maca powder and some whey) tastes absolutely foul but quite nice. At about 50% green veggies (brocolli/spinach/kale) it can be a bit rough on the gut but found its helping with my overall weight loss and macro's.
I think Stallion has done it before and if you read this, can you help? I need to work out KJ, macro/etc. for daily intake again?
I've been training heaps lately (and consistently) so really happy with how things are going. Need to jump on to food, though. The Christmas break saw my eating habbits become a bit lax and tbh, indulgent. So i've been attacking portions, types of foods but this week -- is sugar. Always a bitch to bring back into line. Anyone have any tops to help stabilise your blood sugar when cutting it out while also hitting the cravings?
I've been doing liquid dinners late (almonds, spinach, ginger, blue berries, LSA, chia seets, ice/water, maca powder and some whey) tastes absolutely foul but quite nice. At about 50% green veggies (brocolli/spinach/kale) it can be a bit rough on the gut but found its helping with my overall weight loss and macro's.
I think Stallion has done it before and if you read this, can you help? I need to work out KJ, macro/etc. for daily intake again?
I gotchu. How active are you these days, how often are you planning to train a week, what's your height and weight and are you looking to bulk or cut?
Also nuts are amazing for sugar cravings....foods with fats may not seem like they'd help with sugar, but they're actually quite filling if you snack on them during the day. I've been doing it at work and it's made a world of difference.
How's everyone else going with their goals and training? Kind of depressing this thread is as quiet as it is
At work, moderately active -- work in a highrise and fairly insane hours however 15 levels have an internal stair case so moving between meetings is tough but quite helpful in getting the HR up and being 'active'. Training is roughly:
- Monday (20mins cardio -- typically 5km row) then a 1hr spin class.
- Tuesday 8km brisk walk (social thing)
- Wednesday PT (high intensity stuff; cross-fit esque circuits mixed with heavy squats, deads, etc)
- Thursday (rest)
- Friday; 1.5hr workout, moderate weights fast-ish sets OR heavy with low reps (depends on how body is feeling post PT and alternating to the opposite of what was covered.
- Saturday; 1hr spin class, bodyweight exercises (TRX, etc) along with 20mins core
- Sunday (rest, or if feeling ok, weight training).
Height: ~195cm,
weight 104kg (currently. My weight fluctuates hugely depending on how much water I drink, exercise etc. Not a great measure but even when i've been lean its always on the ehavier side. I spoke to my doc about it ages ago as my BF% was quite low yet weighed a bit more than normal. For my build, it was recommended 93kg would be optimal. So i don't really know where the 11kg is. I can do with losing say 5 or so more but will have to keep my finger on the pulse with this and judge what is appropriate.) I also drink about 3L of water per day so should weigh myself of a morning.
Goal: Cut. Going for lean but muscular frame -- i.e. definition and unable to pinch any fat on my stomach. I'll be doing measurements on the weekend to help keep track as weight has been very unreliable for me of late.
Yeah, they do a fair bit -- i had planned (and consumed) today ~40g of nuts -- 80% almonds with a few macadamia's and 1 square of 98% dark chocolate, like literally one flat square. 1.5cm x 1.5cm. So i'm not worried about what it had in it given i know it stopped me from reaching to something higher in sugar and worse for you.
Appreciate your advice here and any kind motivation you can help me with like keeping on track -- trending the right way over the past week or 2 but really need to smash out some goals!
I'm 179cm without shoes and 89 kilos without clothes, I'm not shredded but I am fairly lean. I'd trust your instinct and just go with it. If you have a decent amount of muscle mass, there's no way that at 16cm taller than me, you should only be 4kg heavier. I reckon get down to 100kg and assess from there.
I forgot I needed your age, I'm just assuming you're my age (24), we can adjust accordingly if needed.
Assuming a goal weight of 100kg, 5 days a week of exercise, 5 hours of difficult exercise a week (elevated heart rate, puffing) and also assuming you're around 20% body fat, your maintenance calories are around 3200.
I'd eat at maintenance for a week or two, just to assess whether that's actually your maintenance level or not. From there we can reduce calories at an amount that has you consistently losing fat without implicating muscle. Aim for around 185g of protein a day minimum. Carbs and fat can be shifted around, the calculator I'm using says 468 g carbs and 65g protein, but id much prefer extra fats and protein because I know super high carb days are something I only respond well to on days with very tough exercise. You can go a 200g protein/75 g fat/430g carb split and see how you respond. Let me know if I've fucked up any of your stats
One thing I find people REALLY underplay when it comes to staying healthy is cooking your own food! Eating out a lot, and in general eating food that you don't prepare really puts a detriment on your health. You have literally no idea what has actually gone into the food, but most importantly, you can't really gauge proper portion size. What I mean is that the sizes served at restaurants or takeout (fast food as well) are way larger than what you'd normally prepare, and you don't realize this because you have no dinner plates to compare with. So you may eat 1.5-2X dinner plates worth of food by getting takeout without even realizing!
By making your own food, you can not only directly control what goes into the food, and consequently how healthy it is, but also naturally prepare way less food than you'd eat otherwise if you went out because you have a 'standard' to compare to (dinner plates, or plates in general). Plus it really doesn't take that long to actually prepare decent food -- it takes around an hour generally. For instance here is what I ate recently. It's finally warm enough to start BBQing, so I marinated some lamb, made an onion flatbread, and prepared a salad with romaine lettuce with vinaigrette and feta cheese. I suppose the only unhealthy thing in this is the cup of coffee considering that I already had 2 cups earlier, but whatever.
By making your own food, you can not only directly control what goes into the food, and consequently how healthy it is, but also naturally prepare way less food than you'd eat otherwise if you went out because you have a 'standard' to compare to (dinner plates, or plates in general). Plus it really doesn't take that long to actually prepare decent food -- it takes around an hour generally. For instance here is what I ate recently. It's finally warm enough to start BBQing, so I marinated some lamb, made an onion flatbread, and prepared a salad with romaine lettuce with vinaigrette and feta cheese. I suppose the only unhealthy thing in this is the cup of coffee considering that I already had 2 cups earlier, but whatever.
February 2015, my body was thinner than an Alolan Exeggutor. I was 6'1 and only 115 lbs. I'm not sure how I was living being this skinny. And to be honest, I probably wasn't. I was the butt of so many jokes in high school (such as how I looked like a holocaust victim) because of how weak I was. I wasn't athletic, I wasn't confident in my body, and I sure as hell wasn't confident in myself. I never realized how tired I was or how little energy I had because I was so used to being a skeleton.
I decided to make a change after seeing a fair maiden in my Physics class. I knew I needed to make a change in my life if I wanted even a chance at attracting a girl I liked. Before this point, I never really considered relationships at all, mostly because I didn't think anyone could ever like me. At first, I mostly focused on playing tennis (which ended up helping me gain 7 or so lbs after 4 months), becoming more confident in my daily life by interacting with new people, etc... but over the summer, I started to dabble in "weightlifting" (quotes cuz... what I was doing wasn't fucking weightlifting lmfao.). All I was doing was some pushups, situps, cheat dumbbell curls, and some miscellaneous ab exercises every day for 60 days. Now this was all a load of bullshit, but since I didn't really do anything before, I actually gained about 3 or so lbs over the summer. I actually got a faint hint of abs too cuz... I was a skeleton. I was so proud of my accomplishments, but crushed when I went to school senior year and everyone kept calling me skinny. My brother, who used to be a personal trainer (unfortunately, he moved on w/ that part of his life and was very busy), showed me some basic dumbbell lifts like bent over rows, presses, shoulder raises, etc. that I could do at home. Over the next 3 months, I gained another 5 or so pounds and stalled.
November 2015, my brother decided to take me to the gym and show me how to bench press, deadlift, pullup, and a couple of other lifts (forget about barbell squats... I could barely do fucking bodyweight squats.). It was humiliating to see how weak I was. I could barely bench the empty bar. I started out deadlifting 65 lbs (this gym had massive 10 lb plates). I could barely do 3 half pullups. It humbled me and made me realize... I was a weak motherfucker and wasn't really weightlifting this whole time.
I got an actual gym membership in December 2015. The next chapter of my "weightlifting" life was from December 2015 to June 2015. I ended up gaining about 12 pounds or so bringing me up to ~142 lbs. I felt a lot better about myself, and I even got my deadlift max up to 265 lbs... but I was still very skinny (decent abs though!). As for my bench press... I stalled at an embarrassingly low number. I wasn't eating enough to really build up my strength, and I definitely wasn't pushing myself hard enough on the bench press.
Unfortunately, there was about a month break in the summer where the closest gym was a really small planet fitness 30 minutes away, so I just didn't train. I ended up going down to about 136 lbs over this time. I don't think I lost much mass, but it definitely didn't help.
Now, you guys must be wondering how I wasn't gaining much weight at all despite going to the gym 2-3 times a week. Well, first, it was because I wasn't training each body part enough, but more importantly, it was because I just plain didn't eat enough. 3,000 calories was just not enough for somebody of my body. But it was so hard to eat more because my body physically had issues eating this much food, and I also didn't want to lose the only somewhat aesthetic body part I had - my six pack.
I trained every day when I got to college. I only missed about 18 days total from August 2016 - December 2016 (and 16 of those days were due to a variety of really really unfortunate circumstances n November - 1 week break, 5 days gym renovation - 4 days rest period cuz my shoulder felt funky, all happening literally consecutively). Went from about 138 to 148 lbs in this time, with some fairly noticeable gains. However, I still wasn't eating enough to properly make gains, until late December. I slowly realized that I just needed to eat as much food as possible. I started eating 3 peanut butter sandwiches a day because they were easy calories w/ good macros. I aim for 3500 calories minimum every day, and some day I end up moving towards 4000. I also started eating more nutrient dense foods like beans, chickpeas, etc. over pizza. In just 2 and a half months, I went from 148 to 158, and I feel really good about myself. Never before have I seen such fast gains, and I've been working out for a year now (w/ about 2 months of breaks inbetween). Interestingly enough, despite gaining 10 lbs in this period, my abs actually got even more defined, my veins became more prominent, etc.... which I didn't think was possible to do at this rate of weight gain.
My motivation for lifting may seem kind of silly, but honestly, I just wanted fucking compliments. After I gained basic hygiene back in February of 2015, I started getting a lot more compliments about my appearance, and it was this weird high. I fucking loved the compliments. Once I started lifting, part of my reason for lifting was I wanted people to notice the fact that I was making gains. I wanted people to see the hard work I put in the gym and be proud, or inspired. I wanted to feel valued. After so much time, I am finally starting to get the compliments I desired so much (from people who weren't just my friends/family trying to encourage me haha). And it feels fucking great. People are describing me as "fit" as opposed to "skinny". People assume I am athletic as opposed to a weakling. My shirtless body actually looks fairly good now aside from my small chest (yay small waist + average size shoulders/back).
So for any of you struggling to make gains, just know that it's possible, and you're not alone. I struggled making gains for such a long time (especially in comparison to my shorter bodybuilding friends -- not to discredit them, but they could make more gains w/ eating less food) My body is very very ill-suted for lifting (very long arms, very small chest, very weak joints, etc), and after hard work and commitment, I'm starting to develop a body that is actually fairly suited for lifting. Turns out being 6'2 means you can build a very aesthetic and strong body.... it just takes a lot of fucking hard work and commitment, especially if you're literally a skeleton beforehand. But that hard work is fucking worth it, cuz people will treat you differently as a result of it. That said, I guess in some ways I am thankful for being a skeleton, cuz it means that I kick body fat's ass hard. I feel as if I gained very little body fat in this time because I've gotten much leaner. Of course, once I start getting up to 170-175, it's gonna be a lot harder to pack lean mass without gaining some fat.
'"
Once this semester is over (May 10), I'll grace you guys w/ the shirtless pics. ;) Aiming for 165 before then! My 4 year goal is a very lean 180 lbs ("goal" body is Ryan Reynolds, who at his "peak" was 6'3 185 lbs.)
I realize this was a tl;dr where I just kind of rambled on, but I hope that my experience may have helped motivate some people. I was fucking clueless as all hell when I first started, and it didn't help that my body was naturally a dick when it came to making gains. But I've been making gains, I will continue to make great gains for a while, and I can't wait to see what I'll look like in a couple of years.
I decided to make a change after seeing a fair maiden in my Physics class. I knew I needed to make a change in my life if I wanted even a chance at attracting a girl I liked. Before this point, I never really considered relationships at all, mostly because I didn't think anyone could ever like me. At first, I mostly focused on playing tennis (which ended up helping me gain 7 or so lbs after 4 months), becoming more confident in my daily life by interacting with new people, etc... but over the summer, I started to dabble in "weightlifting" (quotes cuz... what I was doing wasn't fucking weightlifting lmfao.). All I was doing was some pushups, situps, cheat dumbbell curls, and some miscellaneous ab exercises every day for 60 days. Now this was all a load of bullshit, but since I didn't really do anything before, I actually gained about 3 or so lbs over the summer. I actually got a faint hint of abs too cuz... I was a skeleton. I was so proud of my accomplishments, but crushed when I went to school senior year and everyone kept calling me skinny. My brother, who used to be a personal trainer (unfortunately, he moved on w/ that part of his life and was very busy), showed me some basic dumbbell lifts like bent over rows, presses, shoulder raises, etc. that I could do at home. Over the next 3 months, I gained another 5 or so pounds and stalled.
November 2015, my brother decided to take me to the gym and show me how to bench press, deadlift, pullup, and a couple of other lifts (forget about barbell squats... I could barely do fucking bodyweight squats.). It was humiliating to see how weak I was. I could barely bench the empty bar. I started out deadlifting 65 lbs (this gym had massive 10 lb plates). I could barely do 3 half pullups. It humbled me and made me realize... I was a weak motherfucker and wasn't really weightlifting this whole time.
I got an actual gym membership in December 2015. The next chapter of my "weightlifting" life was from December 2015 to June 2015. I ended up gaining about 12 pounds or so bringing me up to ~142 lbs. I felt a lot better about myself, and I even got my deadlift max up to 265 lbs... but I was still very skinny (decent abs though!). As for my bench press... I stalled at an embarrassingly low number. I wasn't eating enough to really build up my strength, and I definitely wasn't pushing myself hard enough on the bench press.
Unfortunately, there was about a month break in the summer where the closest gym was a really small planet fitness 30 minutes away, so I just didn't train. I ended up going down to about 136 lbs over this time. I don't think I lost much mass, but it definitely didn't help.
Now, you guys must be wondering how I wasn't gaining much weight at all despite going to the gym 2-3 times a week. Well, first, it was because I wasn't training each body part enough, but more importantly, it was because I just plain didn't eat enough. 3,000 calories was just not enough for somebody of my body. But it was so hard to eat more because my body physically had issues eating this much food, and I also didn't want to lose the only somewhat aesthetic body part I had - my six pack.
I trained every day when I got to college. I only missed about 18 days total from August 2016 - December 2016 (and 16 of those days were due to a variety of really really unfortunate circumstances n November - 1 week break, 5 days gym renovation - 4 days rest period cuz my shoulder felt funky, all happening literally consecutively). Went from about 138 to 148 lbs in this time, with some fairly noticeable gains. However, I still wasn't eating enough to properly make gains, until late December. I slowly realized that I just needed to eat as much food as possible. I started eating 3 peanut butter sandwiches a day because they were easy calories w/ good macros. I aim for 3500 calories minimum every day, and some day I end up moving towards 4000. I also started eating more nutrient dense foods like beans, chickpeas, etc. over pizza. In just 2 and a half months, I went from 148 to 158, and I feel really good about myself. Never before have I seen such fast gains, and I've been working out for a year now (w/ about 2 months of breaks inbetween). Interestingly enough, despite gaining 10 lbs in this period, my abs actually got even more defined, my veins became more prominent, etc.... which I didn't think was possible to do at this rate of weight gain.
My motivation for lifting may seem kind of silly, but honestly, I just wanted fucking compliments. After I gained basic hygiene back in February of 2015, I started getting a lot more compliments about my appearance, and it was this weird high. I fucking loved the compliments. Once I started lifting, part of my reason for lifting was I wanted people to notice the fact that I was making gains. I wanted people to see the hard work I put in the gym and be proud, or inspired. I wanted to feel valued. After so much time, I am finally starting to get the compliments I desired so much (from people who weren't just my friends/family trying to encourage me haha). And it feels fucking great. People are describing me as "fit" as opposed to "skinny". People assume I am athletic as opposed to a weakling. My shirtless body actually looks fairly good now aside from my small chest (yay small waist + average size shoulders/back).
So for any of you struggling to make gains, just know that it's possible, and you're not alone. I struggled making gains for such a long time (especially in comparison to my shorter bodybuilding friends -- not to discredit them, but they could make more gains w/ eating less food) My body is very very ill-suted for lifting (very long arms, very small chest, very weak joints, etc), and after hard work and commitment, I'm starting to develop a body that is actually fairly suited for lifting. Turns out being 6'2 means you can build a very aesthetic and strong body.... it just takes a lot of fucking hard work and commitment, especially if you're literally a skeleton beforehand. But that hard work is fucking worth it, cuz people will treat you differently as a result of it. That said, I guess in some ways I am thankful for being a skeleton, cuz it means that I kick body fat's ass hard. I feel as if I gained very little body fat in this time because I've gotten much leaner. Of course, once I start getting up to 170-175, it's gonna be a lot harder to pack lean mass without gaining some fat.
'"
Once this semester is over (May 10), I'll grace you guys w/ the shirtless pics. ;) Aiming for 165 before then! My 4 year goal is a very lean 180 lbs ("goal" body is Ryan Reynolds, who at his "peak" was 6'3 185 lbs.)
I realize this was a tl;dr where I just kind of rambled on, but I hope that my experience may have helped motivate some people. I was fucking clueless as all hell when I first started, and it didn't help that my body was naturally a dick when it came to making gains. But I've been making gains, I will continue to make great gains for a while, and I can't wait to see what I'll look like in a couple of years.
the pursuit of pussy is a hell of a motivator
