Help a skinny guy

Mikeb93

First of all I'll give you a bit more of an understanding about me. I am 22, 5ft 7 in height and weigh only 8-8.5 stone. Not a lot I know and Have always struggled to put any weight on. A few years ago I was anaemic and have never fully recovered, some days I will be fine but some days if have dizzy spells and my hands will shake and I won't have much strength, sometimes I refuse to drive or work at heights which is the main part of my job. Because it causes me to not think properly and make the wrong decisions which could end very badly.

I always make sure I have had 3 meals a day, drink plenty of fluids but I sometimes find I almost binge eat if I know I have a busy day at work ahead of me where I won't get to eat as much during the day just to keep my energy and strength up. I am a signmaker/fitter which can be very physical at times and involves lifting some heavy weights.

The reason for this post is I am starting to get into mtb but worry the problems above will dramatically affect my riding and I don't want the riding to dramatically affect my health, so I am looking to see what people can suggest when it comes to eating,drinking etc. before during and after a ride so I get the best performance without destroying my health. People have suggested protein recovery shakes to help me put on the weight but the world of supplements is a whole new world to me and have no idea what any of it means.

I know there are all sorts of products out there aimed for sports and fitness, what would people suggest?

I look forward to any advice and hopefully I can get over this horrible thing.

robertpb

So are you taking a guess at your weight, 8-8.5 stone. My weight I know exactly, weigh myself once per week to make sure I've eaten enough.

Tell us what's in these 3 meals a day, sounds like you are not putting in your 2,500 calories per day.

Mikeb93

My weight varies between 8 and 8.5 from month to month.

Breakfast I have a bowl of weetabix minis and then bel vita breakfast biscuits 40 minutes after. That' keeps me going until 12:30 when I then have a sandwich, crisps, apple, chocolate bar and drink and for dinner I have pasta, chicken, fish, steak, pizza with potatoes, rice, veg, salad.

So I wouldn't say what I eat is too unhealthy or not enough.

mattyfez

I had that issue at your age, now I'm 36, still slender but not skinny but with a bit of a gut due to bad diet and sedentary work for the last 6 years.

I'd suggest actually counting your calories for a few typical days to establish a Base to work from,portion size matters a lot.

Adding more is easy, but first you need to establish if you need more.

mattyfez

Just to add, I bought some 'mega mass 4000' type product about your age and it did indeed work, I gained some fat and muscle (about 2 stone) as I was in a physical job at the time, but i found the weight dropped off again not long after I stopped taking the supplement. Only talking short timescales here, 6 months or so.

Supplements are just that, if your regular core diet is too low in fat, carbs, protein etc, then taking supplements is kinda just masking the issue.

GingerBeardMusketeer

I can see two separate things going on here.

First, I would have thought that if you are getting dizzy spells and your hands are shaking then you probably need to seek medical advice. It's affecting your life (stopping you driving, limiting your work), so you should get it sorted.

Secondly, there's the question of fueling for riding and weight gain. A rough calculation of your BMI is 18.6, so you just scrape into the healthy range (18.5-24.9). So I can see why you don't want to lose anymore. Why not start counting your calories (I use myfitnesspal, great app) and make sure that you don't run a calorie deficit? Eat a good amount of carbs, some protein, lots of vege's and fruit, stay away from processed food, "junk" food (and alcohol!). Space your meals out throughout the day, making sure you eat enough so you don't feel the need to binge. This is especially important if you've got an active job and you're trying to fit exercise in and maintain or increase weight.

For post-workout fueling I use something like Hammer Nutritions Recoverite (mix of protein and carbs). For pre-workout, I often just have a peanut butter sandwhich! During exercise I take in somewhere between 200-300 Calories an hour, either from a "sports drink" (Hammer Perpetuem or similar), sports bars, sandwiches, rice cakes etc etc. Something with lots of carbs. Don't be afraid to experiment. Find something that works for you! Everyone is different, and what works for one person might not work for you.

And don't give up! Good luck!

kajjal

Get your health sorted out first and i wouldn't worry about being slim, in twenty years time you won't be slim any more.