Hello from a spaghetti-armed weakling!

[Katamay]

Hey everybody, I'm Kat, a massage therapist and copywriter from the Cleveland area. I'm known for beating my anatomy professor's own score on my State Medical Board exams and for being a meanie-pants editor. And for being so scrawny that I can shop in the the little boys section of the department store.

I'm here because my decision to get fit apparently pisses the rest of the world off.

I'm a 28 year old woman, 110 lbs, and my goal for 2012 is to put on five pounds of muscle.

Apparently, this is heresy. I'm supposed to be thrilled that I'm so thin, due to a combination of heredity and a vegan lifestyle, and any talk of exercise means I either have an eating disorder or just want to make other women feel bad.

"Do you think you're actually weak?" Um, yes. Until recently, I couldn't even do a full push-up. (I can do 5 now!)

"You're just not built for muscle." Dude, I'm a massage therapist with 7 quarters of advanced anatomy and physiology under my belt. Don't try and feed me pseudoscience about muscle tissue. I don't need to be huge, just strong.

"You're underweight. If you start working out, you'll lose more and stop having periods." I've been eating my whole life. I'm pretty confident in my ability to continue doing so. I can pack away the lentils when I need to, never fear.

I've been slowly getting stronger on my own, but it's tough when the only people who really support me are my husband and a couple of REALLY buff friends who don't have any concept of the level I'm at right now.

So I'm happy to be here! I'm especially interested in learning from other people who

-struggle to put on weight

-are or have been really weak themselves

-are building muscle while maintaining a plant-based diet.

-Kat

[ETFnerd]

Welcome to Orwell's originally-titled nerd farm...

And for being so scrawny that I can shop in the the little boys section of the department store.

My wife and I have saved a lot of money since we realized that a boys XL is equal to a man's small. I now get some of my clothes a lot cheaper and I'm not embarassed at all that I wear boys clothes. I laugh all the way to the bank... true story...

[Elastigirl]

Aweome goals! And 5 push ups, that's great. I'm trying to build muscle too, you're right most people just don't get it. But people here do. And other people will noticee when you look healthier and have more stamina. I know their are some vegetarians on the board, they can give you some pointer on muscle gain on a plant based diet.

[Damy]

I know how you feel. Been there, done that. You will have to eat a lot (and the right things) to put on some muscle - and that's a real pain in the ass! But don't worry, it's possible. Even without a gym.

[Shortkaik]

Love your attitude! You didn't mention your height, mind sharing? (just curious, helps put weight and such in perspective)

I always find it interesting to hear the story and struggles from "the other side" (me, starting from being an overweight person). I think making the decision to change from being skinny and unfit is a lot harder than from being overweight and unfit because there's such a societal idea of "if you're skinny, you're obviously doing it right and don't need to change".

[Katamay]

I'm about 5'4''. A half inch taller when I'm feeling good about myself.

[thescrawnycaveman]

Keep cranking out pushups, doing squats (or squat jumps if you are feeling ballsy), crawling on all fours, working your way up to doing pull ups, and getting creative with your body. Make sure whatever you are doing you are having fun with. And eat a shit load of beans and rice and peanut butter. I'd normally suggest bacon, but well.... yea...

[Pat G]

I am a hardgainer myself, most of my recent weight gain has come from less complex carbs more meat & veg.

Welcome to The Rebellion, there are many many many people like you who have got the data you want, and the support you need

[sisterburden]

I'm here because my decision to get fit apparently pisses the rest of the world off.

...

Apparently, this is heresy. I'm supposed to be thrilled that I'm so thin, due to a combination of heredity and a vegan lifestyle, and any talk of exercise means I either have an eating disorder or just want to make other women feel bad.

-Kat

This!!

You sound so much like me! I'm not vegan, but still, you have no idea how refreshing it is to see another woman who is uncomfortable being so small and that wants to gain weight/increase strength. I've gotten many of the same comments as you, and actually just made a somewhat similar introductory post right before seeing this. Yes, it is indeed very frustrating to hear "why would you want to gain weight, you're skinny!" It's just so ignorant. Thin =/= healthy, especially when you're weak. Coming into contact with the corners of tables... *shudder* I can't even think about it. I definitely think you can accomplish your goal of 5lbs of muscle despite your vegan lifestyle. We're in very similar boats right now, but I think we got this. Be well:)

[bigm141414]

Massage therapist + stronger muscles = deep tissue massage that turns people to jelly.

I approve. Welcome aboard!

When putting on muscle mass you will need to up your protein intake, which is rather difficult to do on a plant based diet. It can be done and I think there are others here who have tried it, but I am no expert on the subject.

[ebm1224]

welcome to the community!

[Shark]

Welcome!

I wish I could do 5 pushups! I can do like 8 on the knees and then collapse in a heap

[Katamay]

Thanks for all the encouragement, guys! I'm really enjoying getting stronger, even if folks think I'm nuts!

Kat

[alexgator]

Hey Kat! I'm in a similar, yet opposite situation from you. I've always been on the bigger side, so I'm expected to be a bit stronger. I used to work in community theatre and got stuck with loads more grunt work than my slimmer female coworkers. But I'm a weakling. I'm just starting my Adventure to Health, but I'm actually excited about focusing on strength training.

I like hearing your story, Kat. Insecure "larger" girls have a habit of downplaying the struggles of naturally skinny girls. I love that this community is filled with all types of people getting healthy. Good luck!!

[ryanmercer]

Heya there

[Guest guest4729]

Thanks for all the encouragement, guys! I'm really enjoying getting stronger, even if folks think I'm nuts!

Kat

People think you're nuts because they've probably never been in your shoes. Most people start from the other end of the spectrum. When you live in a society that idealizes thin (but not necessary thin and fit) you've got an issue. When you're starting out thin and say "I want to put on 5 lbs [of muscle" then people are going to think you're insane because you want to gain any type of weight - despite the fact that it's muscle and it's to be stronger. Sometimes people frustrate me...

[Atalan]

The Empire is insidious, fighting our Rebellion to be fit at every turn through expectations (people thinking you have a problem for wanting to exercise, the cashier at the whole foods thinking the stack of vegetables I was buying and a little separate from the meat was actually part of groceries for the girls behind me in line). Rise above! You can do it!

[black_fog]

Hey, Much respec. I too am vegan and a hard gainer. I weigh 125 and am 5'8" and I'm a dude so I frequently get the "Your scrawny cause your need a nice slab of MEAT, GAHH" I've never been able to do much above 30 push ups, though I found that over the summer when I was working on my mothers farm I was able to get up to 43. What this means to me is that having an active lifestyle is important. Like, more than going to the gym twice a week. Anyway, keep up the struggle.