I hate how skinny I am!

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KWalker

KWalker

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I hate how skinny I am. I'm 22, I'm 5'11 and vary from 150-155lbs. To me, I think it's absolutely disgusting. I know a lot of guys probably don't care about their size and most people would say to enjoy it because atleast I'm not overweight but I would never go outside without a shirt on. Of course at work all the guys are huge and work out all the time too lol. I tried the whole working out thing and for the few months that I was doing it, the gains were extremely minimal. Then when my abscess got bad I had to stop and the little that I gained just went away.

I feel like I eat enough, but I do bike a lot (to work) and I am doing physical work all day. Do you think it could have anything to do with vitamins and maybe crohns is stopping us to absorb vitamins so if I took a multivitamin it could help?
Health wise I feel normal, I just hate how small I am.

I know I'm just ranting but does anyone have any advice? I don't want to go to work all day and then come home and work out without any difference.
 
Hey Kwalker,

The biking and physical work will certainly burn calories. What did you do when working out? Certainly no expert here :) but, if you were doing weights on a regular basis but saw minimal muscle growth, you may have been doing too many reps (and turning it into a quasi-cardio work out instead of muscle building)??? Perhaps, try again but do fewer reps and add weight when you need to increase the 'challenge'. Also, you need to focus on specific muscle groups per workout - not the same muscles each day. Working the same muscle groups every day will 'tone' the muscles but not increase size.

My son is almost exactly your size (height and weight) and, yes, he is slim but I don't find him 'skinny'. :confused2: But, having said that, he is also trying to build up a bit. :)

I don't know about the multi-vitamins (...don't think it can hurt) but protein shakes may help; my son has also started eating Greek yoghurt as it has 2-3 times the amount of protein as other yoghurts. Have no experience with it but have heard whey protein shakes are helpful...

Good luck!:thumleft:
 
I'm suprised you GI hasn't mentioned taking any supplements to you? With some of the drugs you have listed, they can inhibit certain vitamins & minerals being formed so it's likely you have some sort of deficiency. Maybe the pass drugs made you deficient.

I have issues with my weight as well. Even on Prednisone I lose so much weight. Your BMI is still in the 'normal' range but it is on the lower end. I went to a CCFA diet & nutrition class & the rule of thumb-when flaring- for calorie intake is how many kilos you weigh times 40. Whatever number you get, that's at least how many calories you should be eating a day. Since you work out, I would probably add a few more hundred calories in there. I drink a lot of smoothies & milkshakes to keep on the pounds.

Good for you for being active! I'm sure you look lovely, no matter how thin :)!
 
How much protein do you take daily? It's more the protein than the vitamin that come into consideration when it comes to shaping up yourself. The whole paleo-food idea is quite excellent for anyone who wants to train and gain. And you want to avoid the useless calories (processed sugar, starchy food, etc). You are looking at intakes of protein up to 1,5-2g/kg you weigh when you really want to put on muscle. That is only if you intend on working out. Well what I mean is that if you don't have tissues (muscles) to regenerate there is no reason to get that much protein in your system but if you don't have enough protein when you have the intention of training, then, the muscle won't grow without them. Anyway, since you bike and work physically at work, you will benefit from the protein intake even though it's specifically indicated when you train. Then you don't need as much as mentioned but more like 60-80g/day. And, as Tess said, the way you train is also quite influencial on the result you will get (lean muscle vs bulky muscle).
 
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When my flares would have my weight dropping, my sister in law told me to try eating peanut butter on bread or toast before bed. She said she gained by doing that when she was underweight.
 
So bulk up, I did the same thing, (girl / guy, same thing)

There's only 2 ways to gain weight.

-eat more calories, that means high calorie dense foods, nuts, safe oils, (junk food is bad although once a week when you're bulking isn't an issue). You need to eat more calories than you consume.

-gain mass by doing heavy compound reps, don't do isolation if you want mass, isolation is useless, don't use those gym machines. Start doing deadlifts, military presses, pullups, pushups, squats etc, compound. Forget the gym, get a really wide barbell and dumbells. Isolation machines is for bodybuilders when they're already done bulking, but they got their bulk from compounds.

To bulk up you need to do both, EAT, tons, calories / protein and you need to do heavy compound exercises.



Another thing is, if you see someone hitting the gym every day, and still gaining mass, don't copy those people or even listen to those people, the only reason they can do it is because they're on steroids and they are getting much faster recovery. A normal person takes a week to recover fully and gain mass, if you're hitting the same muscles again within that week you won't gain mass, you will lose mass. Someone on steroids can recover within 2 or 3 days, so don't listen to those people. Mass gain happens outside of the gym, not inside, shouldn't be exercising more than 20 minutes per day, and plenty of rest in between.
 
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Tesscorm said:
Certainly no expert here :) but, if you were doing weights on a regular basis but saw minimal muscle growth, you may have been doing too many reps (and turning it into a quasi-cardio work out instead of muscle building)??? Perhaps, try again but do fewer reps and add weight when you need to increase the 'challenge'.
Click to expand...

Yeah, for mass you need to be somewhere between 6 and 16 reps and 4-6 sets. At least one of those last reps should be the one before failure.

Another reason is that you don't eat enough calories and protein.

Another reason is not enough rest, your muscles break down if you don't rest them enough, that was my mistake at first, I broke my muscles down and didn't leave enough rest, I actually lost weight, now I know the importance of rest.

Another reason is that people think isolation exercises will make them gain mass. Ain't going to gain mass by doing biceps curls. (people under like 21 shouldn't be doing barbell compounds though, since their growth plates aren't closed yet and they lack the form to do them correctly often times, just saying since your son is 17 I just read, so many people have bad form when doing deadlifts or squats and put too much pressure on their back)
 
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KWalker,
I am so glad to read that you "feel normal". That is the most important health marker--if you have the energy to do what you want, make sure that you get supplements for any vitamin/mineral deficiencies that are common with your disease, get lots of exercise and are otherwise happy with your life--all is good.

My son weighs 135-140 pounds at 5' 10". In high school he went to the provincial level for five sports and last year he was on the varsity track team. He has always been very slim and despite two-hour daily training, six-days a week, with extra food and healthy protein supplements last year, he only gained five pounds and a few inches of girth. He had some surgery recently and was appalled to see all his hard work disappear in 6 weeks. So, at age nineteen, he has finally made peace with the fact that this size is healthy for him.

Our culture has promoted large muscles as attractive for men. If you look at old movies, you will see that slender men used to be the "movie star look" that was appreciated back then.

My advice to you is to think about your health first. If you want to dedicate more time and effort to working out because you enjoy it--go for it. But if you are doing it because you think that you should look like the athletes and action stars, work on your self-esteem instead.
 
Thanks for the replies guys and sorry for the late response. When I was working out I was working to gain mass by doing heavier weights and lower reps. I realize that now with biking and working I'm not really helping myself with the calories I'm burning every day.

Keepingfaith- I'm not flaring right now. I went through a period where I moved and therefor lost the doctor I did have and now I have a doctor who's answer for everything is Imuran. You don't need vitamins, no other medicine works, you only need Imuran. I have found a family doctor however who has given me papers for bloodwork and he wants to check for everything and see if there's anything we can do. When I spoke to this doctor however he wasn't keen on giving me anything because he does feel I'm a healthy, normal weight but if the blood work comes back with a problem he will help me out.

PsychoJane- I actually eat a lot of protein because luckily it's all the food I like. When I was working out last year I was also taking protein shakes and drinking 1300cal drinks twice a day on top of what I regularly eat. I was averaging 4-5000 calories a day. It has dropped since then however when I had the problems with my abscess and I just felt it got expensive with all the food I was eating and the lack of gains. I do still have some of the protein power so I'm going to start that again and hope that helps a little.

CLynn- I actually just bought a big tub of peanut butter and have been bringing pb&j sandwiches for lunches at work and *trying* to eat peanut butter toast in the morning. I know it doesn't help but during the week I'm having a hard time motivating myself to wake up earlier before work and make some breakfast.

Kiny- As much as I appreciate the advice, Ideally I don't want to work out. I'm just too busy right now to commit to working out on top of my already super busy schedule. I understand that you can't just expect to wake up one morning after doing nothing and weigh more. I would never buy a gym membership at this time because for me personally it would be a waste of money for how often I'd actually find time to use it. I do however have access to a bowflex-like machine that I could use if I could benefit from it. I also have a rowing machine in my apartment building that I've used before and again I could use it if it would benefit me. I always get atleast 8 hours of sleep every night but usually I get around 10.

happy- Thanks for the kind words :) I do feel healthy like we've said. When at work I have no problem keeping up with the other guys when it comes to lifting things or stuff like that so I don't feel weak, I just look weak lol. You're right and our society does make big guys the "ideal". I actually just took a gender studies course in University where I learned all about that stuff and how hard they have to work to achieve the look we're all expected to have and I'm actually usually the last person to care about stuff like this or worrying about what other people say about someone my size but I just look in store windows or my mirror at home and I actually hate what I see. I'll throw in a "lol" because that sounds so depressing haha. I think I'm a decent looking guy. I'm well kept, short hair that I always take care of and style, clean clothes, etc but I feel like the extension cords are bigger than me! LOL
 
Although I'm a female, I can relate on the lack of results after months of lifting weights. I've been lifting weights 3x per week for just over a year now (although I do higher reps to tone rather than bulk) and it wasn't until about 6 months into it that I finally started seeing some minor results. I'm 13 months in now and still flabbier and less toned than I'd like to be, although I'm not giving up. (My #1 goal is to get as healthy as possible, so the whole looking-good part isn't as important to me.) My theory is that the illness took away some of my natural muscle mass (I lose weight very easily when I flare and I'm sure some of that lost weight was muscle mass), and steroids probably contributed to muscle-wasting too. I was on Entocort for about 7 months and I've read that corticosteroids can cause muscle wasting. So, as I see it, I started out with much less muscle than a normal person would have, so it's not really bugging me greatly that it's taking forever to look toned and put on some muscle, because basically I had to build myself back up to just being at a normal human level of muscles first. You just have to stick with it and be patient, look at it as an investment into your health rather than something that'll make you look good. Good luck!

Oh, and with regards to peanut butter - be careful not to eat TOO much. My hubby used to eat a ton of PB - most mornings for breakfast, he'd have several bananas and smear a ton of PB on them. Then he got kidney stones, and when he was discussing his diet with his urologist, they told him that his excessive intake of PB was most likely contributing to his stones. He's since had surgery to remove the stones and has cut wayyyyy back on his PB intake, and so far so good, he hasn't had a recurrence of stones and it's been a year now. I didn't know that overdoing it on peanut butter could contribute to kidney stones until it happened to my hubby!
 
How much PB was he eating? I was never a huge fan of it to begin with so unlike him I don't see myself covering everything with it but I thought it would help a little. It's not even that I'm not happy with how I look, I just feel like I don't fit into my clothes. I have shorter legs but my top section is long so I almost always need a large shirt and then it just looks like I've got these long twigs hanging out lol. I don't need to gain big muscles, I just want to be bigger all around.

Here's a pic of me:

https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/i...1YRAcdkNUwb94vJhyESGTMd0n2YL2yFwtjfucoyUtuhcw
 
Hey KWalker, i'm like in the ezact same boat. I'm 22, 151lbs, and can't stand how skinny I am either. I've gained about 10lbs over the past 2 weeks by just eatting anything I can see and most likely going to continue that. I also am lifting everyday to get muscle and not just fat.

It does suck tho, I can't stand when people say i'm skinny. I got into a fight once because someone called me that, it's that bad.
 
yeah it sucks. I know crohns doesn't help us, but I just found out that my dad was VERY thin when he was my age and a little older. (He died when I was young) so that there shows I guess its a genetic problem as well. I've never really had any problems with people making fun of me per say but I get the occasional joke about me hiding behind an extension cord and stuff about me being skinny. That part doesn't bother me because it's always at work and we all joke around with eachother and nobody gets bothered with it, I just hate when I look at myself in a t-shirt and the sleeve looks way too big for my arm.
 
One thing that I think is helping me is Ensure Nutrition or Ensure Muscle. I've been in a flare for a few months and lost a bunch of weight and lost muscle because of it. Around the time I actually got put on meds (pentasa) for it, I started taking the ensure. Since then, I've noticed considerable increase in muscle mass (not too much on the scale). The problem (for this topic) is, I'm not sure if it's because I'm not flaring as bad or if in fact it was the Ensure. I've also started protein shakes as another form of protein/calorie intake. My appetite isn't great at meal times so I make up for it in the supplement drinks.

I wish you luck with gaining weight/mass. If you guys start a weight gain competition, I'll join. I want to get back to where I was. Many of my friends are on weight loss programs and I just laugh as I'm trying to gain. On a side note, losing the weight wouldn't be so bad, but I still have a gut despite the weight loss.
 
My hubby was eating a LOT of peanut butter. He'd literally go through one of those big family-sized tubs every few weeks, by himself (I avoid peanut butter as it causes nasty heartburn for me). So as long as you're not eating that much, you should be okay.

And I totally laughed at that picture! Hey, at least you're tall, look happy, and have cool hair. :p
 
KWalker said:
yeah it sucks. I know crohns doesn't help us, but I just found out that my dad was VERY thin when he was my age and a little older. (He died when I was young) so that there shows I guess its a genetic problem as well. I've never really had any problems with people making fun of me per say but I get the occasional joke about me hiding behind an extension cord and stuff about me being skinny. That part doesn't bother me because it's always at work and we all joke around with eachother and nobody gets bothered with it, I just hate when I look at myself in a t-shirt and the sleeve looks way too big for my arm.
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I've been in the same boat most of my life. I was always on the skinny, gawky side as a child and teen. I can remember my grandma always giving me oreos and milk before bed, trying to fatten me up, lol, so there was that plus at least! I think the teasing was easier to take than once I got Crohn's, people, knowing I was sick, telling me I need to gain weight. I felt like saying "no sh*t, Sherlock, thanks, I didn't know that"....I see pics of me when flaring where my legs and arms look like twigs, bones sticking out in my shoulders, etc. I burn them, lol!
We just recently bought a punching bag, so I am going to use it when I can, figure it will help my muscle mass and take out some frustrations at the same time, haa haa haa!
 
EthanPSU if you wanna try and get some sort of little competition going I'll do it. I just signed up on myfitnesspal.com also to track my foods, I went out and bought a ton of healthy food and I'm going to start today. I will not be working out though because with the amount of biking I'm doing and the work all day, I'm already losing a lot of calories so I don't want to contribute to that any more. If you did plan on working out maybe it could be interesting to see how we both do with one working out and the other not.
 
I didn't even think of using a calorie counter, thats a great idea. I signed up but it says I should average 1lb per week. I'm pretty sure I can do more then that hah.

I am starting at 148lbs and 5'11''. My goal weight is 165
 
Yeah the website is more designed to lose weight but it does work gaining as well. I think 1lb a week is actually decent. Really that's just over 3 months which isn't long. I think if you go too much more than that people might start wondering. If it would take 3000 calories a day to gain 1lb a week, trying to consume 6000 calories a day would be nearly impossible. I think another thing to consider if our weight flucuates a lot because of crohns. I almost always weigh 4-5lbs more at night because I get bloated and stuff so although it may look like you've gained more its really important to always weigh yourself at the same time of day.

I'm starting at 5'11 and weigh 149.4 right now. My goal is also 165. I would like to reach a little higher but for now I would be happy with 165. I'm assuming you have a scale?
 
Yeah, we have a little bathroom scale, i'm guessing it's not 100% accurate but it's good enough.

I didn't think of it like that, 1lb a week does seem pretty good then
 
Yeah when you think of it as 1lb a week it seems like such a waste but gaining 15 lbs in 3 months is pretty good. So what do you wanna do? We'll have a look each week or something and compare?
 
Sure, Every friday we can reply and post where we are at. I have a large shipping scale in my basement that hasn't been used in forever, if I can get it working then it will be ezact down to the oz.
 
I'm 6'2" and only about 135lbs. The only time I was able to out on weight was when I was on predisone, lol. I do drink a high calorie high carb shake a couple times a day, and it seems to help with mass. I have gotten used to every person I see saying, "you need to eat more".
 
stickman7755 said:
I'm 6'2" and only about 135lbs. The only time I was able to out on weight was when I was on predisone, lol. I do drink a high calorie high carb shake a couple times a day, and it seems to help with mass. I have gotten used to every person I see saying, "you need to eat more".
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My firends say that too and then we go out to dinner and I get the most hah. But I can never get use to it, for some reason I can't stand it
 
For sure. The worst is at the beach when everyone calls me "skelator". When over weight people tell me I need to eat more, I'm thinking "you need to eat less!" I've never said that out loud, but I have been tempted to several times
 
6000 Kcal a day is either going to make you fat, or kill you. There are people who have taken that amount of calories but they are people who do it for really short periods and who are built like a truck and they are pro athletes who use it, since the only way to use 6000 Kcal is by having a huge body that can use it, all the rest is going to become fat. Fat has a memory, since the fatcells that once stored the fat don't go away, that's why ppl who were once fat have little trouble getting fat again. 6000 Kcal is what a male tiger eats who weighs as much as a van. 2000 - 3000 is something you want if you want to gain weight, maybe 4000 if you're big, but nothing over that.

How fast you can gain depends if you're an ectomorph, mesomorph or endomorph, and it if you work out, it depends on the amount of hormones and insulin your body produces. 1lbs a week is a good goal, it's still a lot.
 
kiny said:
6000 Kcal a day is either going to make you fat, or kill you. There are people who have taken that amount of calories but they are people who do it for really short periods and who are built like a truck and they are pro athletes who use it, since the only way to use 6000 Kcal is by having a huge body that can use it, all the rest is going to become fat. Fat has a memory, since the fatcells that once stored the fat don't go away, that's why ppl who were once fat have little trouble getting fat again. 6000 Kcal is what a male tiger eats who weighs as much as a van. 2000 - 3000 is something you want if you want to gain weight, maybe 4000 if you're big, but nothing over that.

How fast you can gain depends if you're an ectomorph, mesomorph or endomorph, and it if you work out, it depends on the amount of hormones and insulin your body produces. 1lbs a week is a good goal, it's still a lot.
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I get that fat part and if I over-eat it will just be stored as fat. But what if the food i'm eatting to reach 4000cal or so doesn't really contain much fat at all?
 
EthanPSU said:
I get that fat part and if I over-eat it will just be stored as fat. But what if the food i'm eatting to reach 4000cal or so doesn't really contain much fat at all?
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Yeah, anything you overeat will turn into fat. You can't avoid carbs and protein and fats, especially if you work out, since those are you primary energy sources, high in calories needed to work out. You can pick and choose though, you want fast digesting carbs and protein post workout to spike insulin and recovery.

All 3 will be stored as fat if you don't use them, even water can make you fat since it's stored, it's even stored in muscle, that's why creatine bulges muscles, it retains water, if you eat lots of salts ppl say you get fat, it's just water retention, anything can make you fat. Just need to watch your calories, see what you need, and when working out you need to hit a slight calorie surplus, if you want to gain mass, you're going to get a tiny bit fatter, you can't avoid it, if you want to cut after is a personal choice I guess, I don't like to cut, I like a bit of fat since I don't want to look like a guy with bulging muscles, it looks weird when your muscle stick out a bit because you have no fat, well I think it does. I don't mind fat, and if you want mass, you want "some" amount of fat, just don't overdo it.

Not too hard to find good foods though, meat is basically muscle, when you eat beef or chicken, you're eating muscle, it has most of the stuff you need for your muscles, since .. it was in the muscle of the animal, that's why it has stuff like creatine, minerals, protein, it's muscle.
 
k so her is wut u gotta do k?

k so firs no sex, cuz is bad n 300 calories don't like it, k?

thn, u gott a do sum run, becuas dope-mine

is good

no sex
 

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@ EthanPSU and Kwalker

guys I am 23 and i am facing the same problem as you two. what I hate about myself is that I have got really thin wrists and legs (the part below the calf). In the past tried doing some wight exercise, but I think I never got any result at all. then i started bulk eating..but that helped me gain a little wight but no mass on my limbs...and only a little fat on my belly..lol...nw I think I am going to start gym again with higher protein intakes...hope that helps.
 
Yes I've been very busy too and my laptop charger broke so I've only been using my phone. I reached 152.X around last Saturday but have since dropped back down to 150 and I'm really not sure why. I bought almond milk, bananas, apples, and a big bag of trail mix which I thought was really helping because I was feeling really healthy and happy to be eating more food like that but then my weight went right back down.
 
ah weight problems......up down up down.....try buying clothes ..I have 2 set of clothes...one for when I'm skinny and one for when I'm fatter...in a fat stage a present..how long it will last is anyones guess...Its something you can't win.....haven't any advice other than ..don't panic :dance: and take the long view on things......:sheep:
Take care :kiss:
 
I just weighed myself at 152.2. I believe I started at 149.4 so I guess I'm on track too lol
 
Yea, I got DR of Congo, bottom one on the list...fantastic.

KWalker, I don't really have any useful advice for you I don't think, but I can sympathize and tell you how similar I am.

24, male, 127 lbs at the doctor this morning, with my shoes, belt, wallet, phone, keys, pocket knife, and ipod in my pockets haha, so maybe more like 125, 5'9".

I can't gain weight from eating, no matter how much of an appetite I have it just stays the same, so I don't even try to eat a lot like I used to because it doesn't seem to make a difference one way or another. Although I do drink "Instant Breakfast" everyday, not as a breakfast replacement, but in addition to whatever I'm eating, so it's like breakfast X2, I think stuff like that helps, or at least maintains what you have if it won't help you gain weight.

Cycling isn't a great builder of bulk though, my dad did a lot of biking when he was my age and he actually weighed 5-10 lbs LESS than me, and he's the same height. So it's definitely good for the exercise, but I don't think it would help your weight gaining as much as your weight training would.

In college (just 2 years ago), I was up around 150, most I've ever weighed. The only way I got to that point was because I used to be a gymnast. Now I'm a fresh anatomy/biology teacher, which leaves me little to no time for any real training during the school year. So pretty much as soon as I got out of college and quit practicing, I lost 20-25 lbs of muscle in no more than 3 months.

I think we're probably both in the same boat of having crohn's compounded by very fast metabolism from genetics, and in my experience that fast metabolism results in very fast muscle atrophy (and hence, weight loss) if they aren't constantly worked.

But it looks like you and Ethan are having some great results from your plan, that's awesome! Keep it up! If either of you want to expand your workouts, let me know and I can share some of my gymnastics workouts with you. Just simple stuff that uses your own body weight that I used to do at home or in my dorm all the time.

I hope your progress continues!
 
I have been going really hard on the eatting and lifting the past two weeks because i'm going to the beach next week.

I weighed in this morning at 156.8lbs. That was right after a big breakfast so most likely more around 156lbs.
 
I'm in the same boat as you guys in that I'm trying to gain weight. It seems like every time I do, something happens and I lose it again. Have you guys found that weight lifting helps you gain weight faster and/or keep the weight on?

PS. I'm already drinking carnation instant breakfast to supplement breakfast. I'm drinking ensures, "green drinks" from the juicer, and protein shakes when possible.
 
Ask your doctor to write a prescription for Peptamen 1.5 drinks. Tell him that you would like to supplement your diet with these drinks. Made by Nestle. Apria Healthcare will deliver them to your door.

These drinks are specially formulated for people with impaired GI tracts - and are predigested. So you will be able to absorb the nutrients. The 1.5 version has more calories, and is high in protein too. Just water it down a bit, and take your time to drink these during the day between meals. Every 8oz (1 cup), has 375 calories. Order the vanilla flavor.

http://www.tchomemedical.com/IBS/SimpleCat/Product/asp/hierarchy/0E04/product-id/36716977.html

These drinks are also great when your appetite is not so good - you can use them as a meal replacement drink too if you are not hungry. Many people use these drinks on elemental diets without eating food to get them through a flare.

Also snack on some Muscle Milk protein bars if they agree with you.

For meals, try to eat a lot of lean chicken and rice.

For peanut butter - go for the natural brand like Laura Scudders - smooth, not nutty:)

http://www.laurascudderspeanutbutter.com/product
 
I see this thread is a bit old but thought I'd bump for interest.

I've been weight lifting on and off since 07. I was diagnosed in 04 I think. My gains have of course always been limited since for an average person gains are probably 50/50 diet/routine, when you start, you'll make gains pretty much no matter what, as you progress your diet becomes more important, and at an elite level it probably goes back to 50/50 again, where diet is super important but so is routine.

As a CD patient you're probably looking at 90/10 diet/routine, or close to it.
If you have chronic diarrhea, like I did, you probably won't see much gains because you aren't digesting food right. If you have motility issues or anything like that you're going to struggle to gain weight because you're just not getting the calories you need.

That said there's a lot to learn and it's hard to learn when all the advice is geared toward normal, healthy individuals, or steroid users, I can never get a straight answer on bodybuilders.com half the time except 'ask your doctor' so I've had to learn most of this myself.

What I've gathered so far is this:
-Find a routine with a MODERATE intensity, that you can attack each day well rested. Soreness afterwards is perfectly acceptable, soreness the day of your next workout is perfectly acceptable. Fatigue however is not and is symptomatic of over-training and as a CD patient you are more prone to this. Listen to your body should be your rule of thumb here!

-Whatever anyone tries to tell you about a magic number of reps, or sets, is entirely subjective and personal, you have to do what feels right for you.

I highly suggest this guy's Youtube videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TBr8S8FZdE&feature=share&list=UU0ASolYU_Yh3yShLFQC0stg
I just found him, and he is unlike most Youtube health gurus who are one-approach nazi's for their preference. He explains options, and tells you why one does one thing better than the other, but more importantly he understands bio-mechanics, and building a body with -healthy- strength, not just aesthetic size, as well as the mentality and life philosophy behind everything, he's very down-to-earth.

Some of his titles may be sensationalist to draw in views but you'll find the information very reliable.

I also like that he advocates Paleo diet, and all workout routines, whether it's crossfit, bodybuilding or strength training, he doesn't tell you anything is best, it depends on your goals which is 100% true.

http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html
This is a good reference websites for muscles, workouts that stimulate them and proper form.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121353501
I highly recommend this as an 'intro' routine for CD because it's balanced in intensity and rest.
The short version is you rest and workout every-other day and you're doing squat-press-deadlift-row, or some variation of this. This means you hit the same body part once every 8 days, so you're never over-worked and fatigued. If you feel this becomes too 'easy' and think you can up the intensity, you can find a faster paced one in the future.

Early this year when oils started to disagree with me I got very sick and lost weight, down to 110 lb.s (5'11.75") I'm back up to 129 in a few months with a fairly low cal diet and some proper exercise and I have to say it shows, I used to hover at 114 when healthy and not exercising.

I follow the routine I linked but have increased the intensity for my personal tastes.
I do squats & abs - rest - back, biceps, tricps - rest - deadlift, traps & abs - rest - chest, tris, bis, delts - rest - repeat.

It's nice because you don't have boring luls on weekends where you do nothing for 2 days, but also you're never drained.
 
Ok..after 2 and 1/2 months of continuous weightifting..I think finally I am in my best shape since I got CD. I now weigh 63 kgs with very less fat on my stomach area...have gained some muscles..but need to work more on that. will upload the pic..may be after 2 more months..Just hope I am able to maintain this.
 
Awesome Sid! I have to admit I stopped lifting but I started the SCD diet, have been going to the bathroom way less and is now formed, and I think I might be finally starting to absorb nutrients into my body properly. I think after a little while on the diet I'm going to start lifting again
 
EthanPSU said:
It says i'm most likely someone from a 3rd world country Maldives. I'm not too happay about that! hah
Click to expand...
It says that I am most like someone from Ethiopia!:eek: (19bmi) But when my Crohn's was at its worst, I weighed 40kg (88lbs) and so had a 15bmi.
 
LOL yeah I don't know how accurate that thing is. According to that we're all pretty much dead. Although with obesity rates in the US I'm not bothered that it says I fit in there haha.
 
Grats. Bulking is a delicate balance between fat gain and muscle gain, most people just gain as much as they can then cut calories and lose the fat later (bulking & cutting cycles), some lucky folk (like =D) can gain muscle without the fat and some run super tight diets to do it, carefully measuring everything.

I put on 10 lb.s in 3 months between doctor visits, my doctor was like "Is this right? Do I have to take you back out there and re weigh you?"

Just gotta keep at it. I'm hoping when I have the funding to take Mark Rippetoe's advice, gallon of milk a day diet.
 
Up to about 140lbs now, deadlift 90kg so that still needs work hah

Also I'm someone from Nepal, which is cool since I actually know a Nepalese guy.
 
I didn't read all the replies, but here's my take.


I feel your pain.....sort of. I'm 5'10 and right now about 190lb and feel skinny. I much rather be between 210-220lbs.

So, anyway, a lot of people either OVER estimate or UNDER estimate how many calories they are actually eating. You being active at work and also biking to/from, are burning a good amount of calories.

Honestly, you could do 5 reps or 20 reps per set and you won't see any growth if you aren't eating enough. It all comes down to food. It takes a lot of food for me to stay in that 210-220lb range........about 4000-4300 cals a day and I eat clean foods, not junk where calories are high. I also eat 6-8 times a day.

Good luck my man, eat, eat, eat.
 
Jer said:
I didn't read all the replies, but here's my take.


I feel your pain.....sort of. I'm 5'10 and right now about 190lb and feel skinny. I much rather be between 210-220lbs.
Click to expand...

5'10 and 190? That's almost perfect. 210-220 would be overweight or fat. I am 5'11-6" and still around 160 and feel that i'd be in perfect fitness at 175 or so.

My friend about the same height as me that is a gym rat is 190 and he is trying to lose some. He looks huge at 190.
 
EthanPSU said:
5'10 and 190? That's almost perfect. .
Click to expand...

We all have different views.

I'm a gym rat myself, keeps me out of trouble. Trying to gain that size while keeping the fat levels down is the fun/ride for me. I can sit at 210-212 and still have abs, so I'm not "fat" at that size.


I just prefer being that size.
 
Jer said:
We all have different views.

I'm a gym rat myself, keeps me out of trouble. Trying to gain that size while keeping the fat levels down is the fun/ride for me. I can sit at 210-212 and still have abs, so I'm not "fat" at that size.


I just prefer being that size.
Click to expand...

Yeah I def know what you mean. And yeah when I said me friend looked huge, I meant jacked huge. hah
 

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