I'm having trouble finding people on this site who are trying to gain weight (which is understandable but no less frustrating). Maybe this is the right place to post this.

Any ideas on how I might gain weight while remaining LC? I was encouraged by "Life Without Bread" where they said thin people actually respond the best of anybody to a LC diet. Problem is, I'm not gaining weight.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to be a bodybuilder. I'm a 6ft 0in male and weigh 145. I'd like to add 20 healthy pounds. I have tried different workouts, but currently doing about 30 to 40 minutes of weights followed by 15 minutes of cardio 3 times per week.

Please don't just say "Eat more". That's worse than telling someone who is overweight to just "Eat less". Certainly if you have hints on how I might "sneak" more LC calories in, I'd like to hear.

Any thoughts?

First don't do cardio the days you work out. You want to build muscle, so workout hard on weights, go home and feed yourself and recuperate. I would reduce cardio to 2 days a week..when you get closer to reaching your goal,then up it if you see fit.

I would use butter liberally. I would also eat some nut butters and take in a couple of tbls of coconut oil a day. I would try and take at least 5-8 grams of fish oil a day.

Are you taking a protein shake? If not, I would have 3 meals and 2-3 protein shakes. Make sure your main protein powder is a combination of whey ,egg and casein. Use whole cream as a base,,add some ice, nut butters,cinammon,..I use raw egg yolks from free range, omega 3 fortified eggs.

Try and make sure to get in enough red meat. That is vital for low carbing weight gain.

Make sure your lifting is heavy and use big compound movements. Squat,dips,deadlift,chins etc..

Thanks, Gostrydr. Does whey protein have lactose? I'm lactose intolerant. I've been using egg white protein.

You might consider creatine. It adds muscle by stimulating blood flow into the muscles. Or check out some bodybuilding mags. They tend to have diet and supplement programs designed to increase muscle mass quickly.

hello Tom,
i would agree with Gostrydr. Don't overdo cardio, some bodybuilders who are "hardgainers" never do any cardio. heavy weights, a couple days rest between workouts, don't work out too long (more than 45 min). Get plenty of sleep... reduce stress...

i am not trying to gain weight right now, but i am trying not to lose. i'm about a size 4 (at 5'5" 128 pounds) and i'm way too thin if i get under 125. I do okay on Low carb (can maintain and not lose) if I eat enough and rest enough. I probably could gain but I would have to eat more than I really want too.

not sure how helpful this is, but just to let you know there are at least others here not trying to lose weight....

P.s., re. sneaking calories in.
make a low carb cheesecake!

delicious and chock full of calories.

Thanks for the tips and for letting me know I'm not TOTALLY alone.

Hey Tom! I know I was reading your post and going "I wish" but that's just the thing, we each have our difficulties.

I have been using Coconut oil recently and I think that would be great for you. I also just got some Champion Nutrition Pure Whey Protein Stack. I think the container said "low lactose" so I don't know if that would help. But my point is, that was a great meal replacement for ME, but for you it could easily be an add-on, ya know? I just did a water and powder with a touch of cream mix (shook in a container versus blended so it wasn't thick). If you have issues with appetite, I'd make something similar like that - it'd be like having chocolate milk (or whatever flavor you like) with your meal. (Also this particular brand is no aspartame, which I appreciated.)

I also have a great cheesecake recipe if you need it.

I had to laugh...when I read the "gain weight" part...after the jealously wore off I joking thought "he should eat like I do naturally!"

Hope these ideas help!

St Louis Tom..

Man you got to eat some egg yolks. Egg white protein is good but all the "great stuff" is in the yolks.

Egg white protein is also usually fat free so make sure you add some fat to these shakes. I t does have a nice BV, but as Liza says there are some lactose free powders out there and it would be worth checking into some of those.

I also forgot to suggest glutamine powder in your shakes as well About 2 tsps per shake if you can afford it. It tastes like sugar.

But it is very important that the minute you are done working out, you take in a protein drink. This drink should be low fat, a fast acting protein and glutamine 15 grams.

Great advice, Gostrydr. So doing the protein drink is an immediate necessity afterwards? Tom, the drink I found is great but again...it was "low lactose" only, I think. I would just read labels like crazy (like I did) and choose one that fits the bill for you. Gostryder, what about your tip to NOT add fat right after working out? Does it just apply to me or to Tom too? (BTW, your PM box is full, I couldn't respond. Feel free to e-mail me - I think I have one on file in my profile.)

Yes post workout should be a fat free or close to it shake.

Fat slows down gastric "emptying". You want the amino acids and the glutamine to get into the blood stream as quickly as possible post workout.

Post workout protein ideally should be whey isolate. It is a very fast acting protein. Casein and egg are slower acting thus they get into the system at a slower rate.

But any protein(except soy) is good.

Just thought I'd share...I looked around online at some options, and liked the looks of Champion Nutrition (because of the ingredients). I picked the chocolate one...130 cals, 2g fat, and 23 g of protein...and of course low carb for me, 4g (with 1.5 fiber).

The ingredients are: Micro-filtered and ion-exchange whey protein concentrate and isolate, whey peptides, low-fat dutch cocoa, glycine, natural and artificial flavoring, fructose, salt, acesulfame-K.

I appreciate ingredient lists that don't go on for the whole bottle/label. I also liked lack of soy and aspartame. Looks like it's pretty consistent with your recommendations.

Ummm, he is like 145 lbs. This dude shouldn't be low carbing it in a million years. You should be eating anything you can get your hands on. Steak, oatmeal, apples, small children, pigs, MAC trucks. ANYTHING!!!

Low carb diets aren't for everyone. You obviously haven't had any problem maintaining a skinny figure eating the way you want. So find a balanced diet and lift heavy weights. If you worry about sticking with low carb you will be skinny fat for years. Man up and eat big dude. Good luck.

If you want to gain you need to look more at your workout. If you only want size and weight your reps need to be really low(1-3). Personally I think thats stupid because you get slow and ackward.
What i have done in the past is training for strength. You gain mass, albeit slower but its isn't just for show.

3-4 days a week do Supersets. This is like 80% of max press. You should JUST be able to do 5-8 reps and keep form. Shoot for 8 on the first set so you'll get at least 5 on the third. Then do an opposing workout. an example is benchpress/high rows or tricep pushdown / curls. You get 90 seconds rest til the next set.

Legs get you quick gains. Arms/chest/back are pretty slow. Dont neglect the abdominal region and make sure to do opposing workouts or you'll get a differential in strength and start pulling back muscles all the time.

Or just do Bill Starr's 5x5 or Ripptoe's starting strength (google). Those have worked for years and are all laid out for you.