Feeling Good About my Progress

[polisciguy1]

I introduced myself awhile back, but to briefly reintroduce myself, I'm a skinny, 5'10 120 pound guy. Or I was 120 pounds. Now I'm 130 pounds.  I've remained dedicated to my goals of getting bigger and stronger after a lengthy battle with some health issues.  I'm riding high because I'm seeing results.  I figured I would share some advice that has helped me significantly, should there be anyone reading this in a similar situation.

 

Getting bigger requires eating more. A lot more than you're used to eating.  And at first, this part really sucks.  When I first started, I was tracking my calories while simultaneously building a workout routine and figuring out how the hell to properly do some of the exercises.  It was a little overwhelming at first, and I found myself getting discouraged.  But then I decided to try taking it a little slower.  I focused on researching effective, full body exercises, mostly courtesy of this community and website while just focusing on eating more.  I didn't concern myself too much with hitting the gym just yet. I had one thing on my mind. Eat.  I decided, as a broke college student, to adopt the "see food" diet. If I saw food, I ate it.  Admittedly, little of this was healthy food, but it was effective nonetheless, and I've since focused more on healthy foods that provide the calories, protein, carbs, etc. that I need. At any rate, eating more got easier and became a habit.  Before I knew it, I was just eating more in general, like it was routine.

 

Now that I have been able to stick to eating more in general (and putting on about 5 pounds in the process), I've turned my attention to the actual exercise routines. I'm still in the full-body exercise stage. I'm not strong or experienced enough to focus on isolated parts of the body yet.  But I've gained 10 pounds since the end of November, and though that doesn't sound like much, it's a huge milestone for me, personally.

 

So, in summary, if you're like me, a skinny guy trying to get bigger and stronger, but you are feeling discouraged or overwhelmed, maybe this advice will help you.  Focus on eating more first. Make that a habit. Then make your workout a habit.  These things take time, and though we all want to see results fast, we have to accept that it just doesn't work that way.  And if you go in with the proper mentality, you'll start seeing results, slowly and steadily.  Anyway, I hope this helps anyone that might be discouraged in their pursuit of gaining weight and getting stronger!

[Fus Ro Brah]

First time I stepped into a gym I was 5"11 and 140lb, so not all that different from you, fella. I remember the amazement I felt as the scales started showing weight gain, I just wish I'd learnt about strength training/full body stuff early on like you. Keep going, you're doing great!

[Lou_be_Lou]

Superb!

Are you enjoying feeling stronger?

[polisciguy1]

First time I stepped into a gym I was 5"11 and 140lb, so not all that different from you, fella. I remember the amazement I felt as the scales started showing weight gain, I just wish I'd learnt about strength training/full body stuff early on like you. Keep going, you're doing great!

Thank you! It's always helpful knowing people have succeeded in pursuing the same goal I am!

[polisciguy1]

Superb!

Are you enjoying feeling stronger?

 

Thanks! And yes, definitely. I'm already feeling better about myself in general, and the noticeable difference in my strength has me pumped!

[jfreaksho]

I'm about your height, and started working out at about 146 lbs, after losing 40.  Now I just weighed in at 180, and well over half of that gain has been muscle.  I went up to 165 in less than a year, took two more years to get to 172, then another year or so to finally hit 180.  You can do it, and probably much more quickly than I did.