# Needing to gain weight and Muscle mass HELP!!!!!!



## lookingintoit (21 Jul 2007)

O.K. So my goal is to enroll by February. My dilemmas are these. 

      1. Figuring out what I am doing with my son and where my man and I are headed.

      2. I weigh 102 lbs. 

  I desperatly need to bulk up. I have weighed in and around this weight ever since I was 12 years old. I am almost 23. I have tried everything to gain weight and nothing seems to work for me. I would do the whole proteing shake thing but I just can't seem to choke those things down. Are there protein pills that work just as well? Anyone at all know how to gain weight. I want to do it though so that I still look quite feminin and not all butch. If anyone has any tips at all I would love to hear them. Thanks.


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## 284_226 (21 Jul 2007)

Before I joined in '85, I was 5 lbs too light for the entrance requirements at 143 lbs and 6'2".  My family doctor suggested going on a diet that was heavy on peanut butter and steak.  I must've eaten at least a few 5 lb jars of peanut butter, and probably 30 steaks before I was rechecked a month later and managed to gain 6 lbs.

22 years later, at 205 lbs, the battle is keeping the bloody weight off!


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## lookingintoit (21 Jul 2007)

Would you by any chance know what the weight requirement is for a female that is 5' 6"?? Peanut butter I can do. Thank you for your input. It's much appreciated.


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## baudspeed (22 Jul 2007)

You could always eat my moms food? it made me happy and round for a while. Start with an appetizer of butter fried perogies. At least a dozen should start your appetite. They have to be home cooked variety. With either cottage cheese (high in protein) or potatoe/onion and cheese(high in... well... carbs). Then move on to the deepfried (err.. i mean butter fried) steak, fortified with all the essential fats and greases to lubricate even the most arthritic of joints. Back pain no more for sure!
Then top it off with cheese cake. if you want to add those last few pounds to fit into those pants your grandpa left you, this is the way to do it. Dont worry about offending, its customary to take two slices.

Actually, if you want to gain weight, just meat and potatoes more on the potatoes. Anything with the words glucose in the ingredients. Just dont forget to work out, because if you go on a high sugar high carb diet and you hit your healthy body with it all at once, you stand a good chance of diabeties, and gaining enough weight that you wont be able to do the basic physical requirements. its a slipper slope... trust me. Try and lift weights. More than you have. Protein powder is a tricky substance though. it is designed for super saturation of muscles when weight training for mass. But if you read the ingredients (and can understand them) it is really not mostly protein. If you want protein with components for fat building. eat salmon out of the can skin and all (not flaked the skin and fatty layer is removed). Tuna if you want to stay lean, but build muscle mass. Tuna has little fats in it. Both are good for you, but has the extra stuff you can pack away, especially if you are doing weight training, and trying to gain body fat.
I would advise against eating buckets of chicken as that will give you a heart attack.

just an opinion.


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## 284_226 (22 Jul 2007)

lookingintoit said:
			
		

> Would you by any chance know what the weight requirement is for a female that is 5' 6"?? Peanut butter I can do. Thank you for your input. It's much appreciated.



Raw peanuts would probably work well, too.  Avoid the salted ones.

Height and weight requirements went the way of the dodo.  So long as you're able to meet the physical fitness requirements, all's well.

Once I made it to basic, I put on a bit of weight.  The exercise and three squares a day allow you to build some muscle mass that you just can't get in a sedentary lifestyle.  I suspect that if you're able to meet the physical fitness requirements of basic, the weight will come along naturally.  Have you researched the fitness standards yet?


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## mysteriousmind (22 Jul 2007)

I had on Pres BMQ a gal that weighted 102 pounds, there were no trouble...she was able to keep up. Okay I admit she was shorter then 5'6" but she never got back and always followed. 

 get allot of protein, and do a program that will grow your muscular mass, ask at your local gym to help you   a program that suits your need.


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## mudrecceman (22 Jul 2007)

1.  Exercise.  Lean muscle mass weighs more than fat "per unit" if you know what I mean.  You can weight train and build up lean muscle mass without looking like Arnold.

2.  Protein shakes alone will not help you gain muscle mass.  Weight training and taking them can help.  It also matters when you take them, too.  They are not all bad tasting.  GNC/Popeye's sells one called ISO Xp that tastes really good.  45g of protein per serving.

3.  Eating is very important as well.  The right food, the right time and the right amount.  Canada's food guide is improved, and is "interactive" now vice just the straight ol rainbow tables.

4.  First question is...how much weight do you want to put on?   And in how much time?

I sent this thread to my better half.  She is a nurse, trains and is in the CF...she knows things about nutrition that I never will.  She trains well enough that she was Top Female Athlete during her Basic Trng at 37.  She should be able to help, and from the "how a female needs to do stuff" perspective.


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## TN2IC (22 Jul 2007)

Mud Recce Man said:
			
		

> 2.  Protein shakes alone will not help you gain muscle mass.  Weight training and taking them can help.  It also matters when you take them, too.  They are not all bad tasting.  GNC/Popeye's sells one called ISO Xp that tastes really good.  45g of protein per serving.




I'm on that now. Good stuff. But I was always Buff anyways.... big ...ulgy...fat..... truck...  ;D


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## Hot Lips (23 Jul 2007)

Hello Lookingintoit...

If you would like me to try and give you some info which might work for you by all means PM me...
However, I do believe there are a few great threads here on Army that have addressed similar questions such as yours and you can find them if you do a search under Training and/or Nutrition...

The idea basically is that you need to increase your caloric intake approximately 500-600 above what your daily intake should be...
Follow Canada's Food Guide, as this is the most healthy way to provide your body with the proper nutrition so it can maintain and regenerate cells...

There are of course ways to supplement, how you do this however is a very individual thing...what might work for me may or maynot work for you...so it is somewhat trial and error...

HL


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## weiss (25 Jul 2007)

I am at about 195# now and despite all efforts to loose some I am still gaining, lean muscles of course.  Three things: weight training 6 days a week, eat (EAT), sleep 8 hours daily.  You need all three components together, not one or two but all three.  Take creatins too and drink a lot of water.  Water expands your muscle cells and makes it grow faster.


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## baudspeed (25 Jul 2007)

Just a suggestion But In my opinion creatine is a great way to bulk up in the short term (because as stated it binds water molecules), but its really not something i would suggest for more than body building/appearances sake. Also there has not been long term health checks on the stuff. Just my opinion.


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## Van Gogh (22 Dec 2013)

lookingintoit said:
			
		

> O.K. So my goal is to enroll by February. My dilemmas are these.
> 
> 1. Figuring out what I am doing with my son and where my man and I are headed.
> 
> ...



If you ain't getting any results you are doing it wrong.
Nothing impossible to do, all it takes is 
1) Some knowledge 
2) Commitment.

I won't go into much details, but I would say do some research and learn how to gain weight smartly.
There are a lot of factors coming into play and its really hard to put them into a small paragraph. I will try to summarize in a couple of words anyways.
- Eat often, (5-6 times a day), 
- Sleep enough
- Substitute protein shakes for weight gainers (they are proteins with extra calories thrown in)
- Eat lots of carbs (potatoes, pasta, bread, rice). Don't forget about protein though, otherwise you will get fat
- Work out (again, not to get fat, but to gain mass)
- Peanut Butter. A very cheap and fast way to gain weight is peanut butter. It it, put it on everything, and you will gain weight. 

*And most importantly, eat a lot*. If you don't push yourself, don't put a little bit of discomfort on your body and increase it over time, you will get nowhere.
Again, I highly recommend for you to read more about nutrition/training. Its very easy once you know the right "ways".


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## Bruce Monkhouse (22 Dec 2013)

I'm sure at 30 the OP is now wondering how she can drop a few pounds. :-*


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## weiss (22 Dec 2013)

I divorced, married and divorced again since the last post. And my 12yo son is now 20. Time flies...


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## armrecceman (23 Dec 2013)

weiss said:
			
		

> I divorced, married and divorced again since the last post. And my 12yo son is now 20. Time flies...


But the real question is, did you ever put on that weight and enlist?


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## SupersonicMax (23 Dec 2013)

How to put on weight is also on Monitor Mass, check it out!  It also prints reports of weight over time for leadership to monitor!  

Se Help Desk for more information.


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## weiss (23 Dec 2013)

armrecceman said:
			
		

> But the real question is, did you ever put on that weight and enlist?



good question. I am 46, obviously aged out from just about anything. Passed my long security checks through the course of 3 (fkn THREE eh) years, and then I had to reapply and fill in another security form, because the old one lapsed through the passage of time. At which point I said fokkit, and rightly so. So much for recruiting process. There are Canadians and "other Canadians" apparently. I have my mom living in Russia, and I served in Russian navy, perhaps that was a bit to much for recruiters to swallow. As for weight, I am at my 189lbs, lean as a rabbit, train twice daily, lift weights and some boxing. And shoot pistol competitively. I have great career in my field that also pays the bills. doubt I would have this much fan if I enlisted. Although sometimes I dream that things were different, I still have this bug about being a soldier. Enough wenting


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## UnwiseCritic (23 Dec 2013)

There was 2 Russians in my old battalion. They both spent up until about age 17 living in Russia. But obtained dual citizenship and joined the CF.  It may have been your trade and security clearance required. Or we can chalk this one up to our awesome recruiting process.

If the CAF thinks making people wait forever only allows us to only select people who really want to join...


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## medicineman (23 Dec 2013)

SupersonicMax said:
			
		

> How to put on weight is also on Monitor Mass, check it out!  It also prints reports of weight over time for leadership to monitor!
> 
> Se Help Desk for more information.



 :rofl:

Max, you owe my RHA a new monitor.

MM


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## Goodeman (23 Dec 2013)

Eat big and lift big. At least that's what my bodybuilder friends tell me  ;D


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## peltch34 (24 Dec 2013)

Try going to bodybuilding.com and navigate through the site. There's a lot of good information for both men and women on what kind of meals, supplements, and workouts that one can do to achieve to build muscle and gain weight. It's also one of the cheapest places to buy any workout related supplements or gear, and is highly reliable.


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## Jarnhamar (24 Dec 2013)

weiss said:
			
		

> good question. I am 46, obviously aged out from just about anything. Passed my long security checks through the course of 3 (fkn THREE eh) years, and then I had to reapply and fill in another security form, because the old one lapsed through the passage of time. At which point I said fokkit, and rightly so. So much for recruiting process. There are Canadians and "other Canadians" apparently. I have my mom living in Russia, and I served in Russian navy, perhaps that was a bit to much for recruiters to swallow. As for weight, I am at my 189lbs, lean as a rabbit, train twice daily, lift weights and some boxing. And shoot pistol competitively. I have great career in my field that also pays the bills. doubt I would have this much fan if I enlisted. Although sometimes I dream that things were different, I still have this bug about being a soldier. Enough wenting



You mean our recruiting system managed to turn away a physically fit person with life experience and previous military experience? I don't believe it.


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## Humphrey Bogart (24 Dec 2013)

lookingintoit said:
			
		

> O.K. So my goal is to enroll by February. My dilemmas are these.
> 
> 1. Figuring out what I am doing with my son and where my man and I are headed.
> 
> ...



1.  You need to hit the gym and get on a weight lifting program, a proper weight lifting program as well.  A good one for beginner's is stronglifts 5x5 http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/

I used this program over a year and put on 25lbs of muscle, went from 180lbs to 205lbs. 

2.  You need to eat good food and a lot of it.  Don't skip meals either!

Good food for weight gaining/muscle building:

1.  Chocolate Milk
2.  Salmon
3.  Lean Beef
4.  Greek Yogurt
5.  Eggs
6.  Chicken
7.  Sweet Potatoes 
8.  Spinach/Broccoli/Asparagus
9.  WATER (Most important one)

You do not need to take pills or any of that other junk, just buy proper foods and drink plenty of water and you will get all the nutrients you require.

EDIT:

Didn't realize this was an old post haha


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## weiss (24 Dec 2013)

ObedientiaZelum said:
			
		

> You mean our recruiting system managed to turn away a physically fit person with life experience and previous military experience? I don't believe it.



ok, we are wildly off topic here. For DEO I am sure it is quite normal to go through security checks. Plus don't forget this was all not too long after 9/11, new measures were already in place or so I was told. I am thinking now, just so we learn something from it, what if the recruiting process was designed in such way that long security checks were running on the background, while the person is involved in basic training. Sort of "enlisted with conditions" and is not exposed to any sensitive information until the conditions were removed. Catch the prospect while he is still warm with the idea of service. Sales people do this all the time. In my situation this should have worked, and I am sure many others are the same way. In three years of waiting people get promoted or land interesting career somewhere else, relationships and kids etc.


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