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Nutrition not gaining weight with 4K calories.

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sebape

Level 4 Valued Member
Hey,
I am 6.2 feet tall (190cm) and weigh 178lbs (81kg). I have been trying to gain weight for a while now and eaten +-4000 calories every single day now for a bit over 2 months. I am 6.2 feet tall (190cm) and weigh 178lbs (81kg). I haven't gained ANY weight at all in these 2 months. i don't think i'v lost fat either since my abs look the same and i was already at 9.1% body fat 2 months ago.
I have been tracking my calories with Yazio(same as MyFitnessPal).
I eat extrememly healthy though like only chicken breast, whole grain brown rice, fat free milk, boiled eggs, spinach and i only treat myself to some candy twice a month max. other than that it's as healthy as you could possibly eat.
Could this healthy food really be the reason i'm not gaining even though i eat 4000 calories of it?

edit: i workout hard 5 days/week (monday-friday) then some light cardio (jump rope, fast paced walking...) on saturday and sunday.
 
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Not enough information to go on.

It's not just caloric intake that is a factor.

TDF riders routinely eat more than this daily, and probably lose weight in the bargain..
 
offwidth said:
Not enough information to go on.

It's not just caloric intake that is a factor.

TDF riders routinely eat more than this daily, and probably lose weight in the bargain..
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yeah, i was just about to edit my post and add that, i workout hard 5 days/week (monday-friday) then some light cardio (jump rope, fast paced walking...) on saturday and sunday.
 
Antti said:
Why not just try to eat some more for a while and see if things change? Wouldn't that be the easiest?
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yeah i guess, though i'm already eating more than i'd like to. i actually wanted to know if it's normal or really bizarre and crazy that i don't gain weight under these circumstances.?
 
sebape said:
yeah i guess, though i'm already eating more than i'd like to. i actually wanted to know if it's normal or really bizarre and crazy that i don't gain weight under these circumstances.?
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There are too many variables to know whether it's normal or not etc. Of course, 4000 kcal a day is a lot for the typical sedentary man.
 
You might have to dial back your workouts, either less time, reduced pacing etc. Chopping it back to M/W/F would be another option.

While it is certainly possible to outwork a healthy 4k calorie diet, it should be enough to put some weight on even with a fairly intense routine. If you increase your fat intake as a percentage, maybe some more of the carbs and protein will get stored away.
 
sebape said:
i workout hard 5 days/week (monday-friday) then some light cardio (jump rope, fast paced walking...) on saturday and sunday.
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Maybe look at each training day, and the exercises within it, and ask yourself "what am I getting out of this", i.e. "what is the purpose of it"? Aerobic base development? Heart health? Strength gains? Muscle hypertrophy? Body shaping? Specific performance goal? Skill practice? Recovery? Mobility/movement quality?

Apparently what you are doing burns a lot of calories, but since you aren't necessarily wanting that right now, examine each component for its value towards your goals and eliminate a few things that may be just random physical expenditure.
 
North Coast Miller said:
You might have to dial back your workouts, either less time, reduced pacing etc. Chopping it back to M/W/F would be another option.

While it is certainly possible to outwork a healthy 4k calorie diet, it should be enough to put some weight on even with a fairly intense routine. If you increase your fat intake as a percentage, maybe some more of the carbs and protein will get stored away.
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i don't quite understand the last sentence. could you explain it so an idiot could understand it :D? i did realize with this thread that i would gain a lot from seeing a professional "nutrition expert". since this subject has always been a bit mind boggling for me.
 
Anna C said:
Maybe look at each training day, and the exercises within it, and ask yourself "what am I getting out of this", i.e. "what is the purpose of it"? Aerobic base development? Heart health? Strength gains? Muscle hypertrophy? Body shaping? Specific performance goal? Skill practice? Recovery? Mobility/movement quality?

Apparently what you are doing burns a lot of calories, but since you aren't necessarily wanting that right now, examine each component for its value towards your goals and eliminate a few things that may be just random physical expenditure.
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well, i train calisthenics so i benefit from all of it, and yes i have been training with all of these in mind. i'v never wanted to just focus on strength and skip cardio or vise versa. but yes, body shaping has always been the biggest motivation.
 
If you are looking to gain weight maybe try shifting gears ans moving onto something like "Mass Made Simple" by Dan John. It involves a lot of squatting, a lot of eating and a lot of resting.

Good luck
 
DavThew said:
If you are looking to gain weight maybe try shifting gears ans moving onto something like "Mass Made Simple" by Dan John. It involves a lot of squatting, a lot of eating and a lot of resting.

Good luck
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Thank you!
 
I agree with @DavThew.

In general, I've found it best to concentrate on fewer goals at a time. Spending something like three months on a proper hypertrophy program should work very well for you.
 
It would be hard to imagine getting 4000 kcal per day from spinach, chicken, fat free milk and brown rice. Maybe your calculations are in error? Also, where is the fat in your diet? If that is all you are eating, you have room to add quite a bit of fat.
 
sebape said:
well, i train calisthenics so i benefit from all of it, and yes i have been training with all of these in mind. i'v never wanted to just focus on strength and skip cardio or vise versa. but yes, body shaping has always been the biggest motivation.
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You can train both cardio and strength (I do), but best to train them with separate activities. A lot of people try to get them both out of the same activities and end up in the middle. For example, let's say you're doing 200 bodyweight squats in a training session in an attempt to get cardio and strength at the same time. You might ask yourself, what is the most important thing I'm trying to get out of this? Aare these squats to make my legs bigger? legs stronger? to get my heart rate up for cardiovascular benefit? To build endurance for a squat contest? Etc.... Then change your activity to better support the primary goals. If legs bigger and stronger are your primary objectives, then switch to something like "Mass Made Simple" instead of callisthenic type squats. If it's cardio, switch to something more traditional like running, cycling, or rowing to support that objective with less intensity. If you're trying to build endurance for a bodyweight squat contest, then by all means, keep doing them :D.
 
sebape said:
i don't quite understand the last sentence. could you explain it so an idiot could understand it :D? i did realize with this thread that i would gain a lot from seeing a professional "nutrition expert". since this subject has always been a bit mind boggling for me.
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If the carbs are not needed for energy, some of them will be stored as muscle glycogen. Increasing your fat consumption even if you don't increase total calories will increase your total energy stores.

Think of gaining weight as creating an energy surplus - currently you don't have one due to the total amount of work you do in a week and I suspect your workout intensity is consuming everything you eat. The fat will be used to power your lower threshold aerobics, the entire time you are asleep and, as you recover from your workouts, sparing some of the carbs to increase storage.

If you run lean enough your body will also break down those proteins to supplement the carbs and for energy in their own right.

Or you can just keep a food diary and keep eating more! I have to hit about 3800 to gain weight and for me its an effort to keep up - that with about 25% fat calories.
 
sebape said:
yeah i guess, though i'm already eating more than i'd like to
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Drink protein/weight gainer shakes then.

I have to eat 3300 to maintain and have to eat some junk food like candy, because otherwise I have a hard time to get that much calories through just clean, healthy food choices. I can't imagine eating 4000 clean...

Like others here I also doubt that you really consume 4000 and additionally I also question whether you need 4000.
I'm 6'4 (194cm) and 93Kg (205lbs). Even if I chose an exercise level of "daily exercise + physical job" in the calorie calculator I only end up with 3805cal to maintain. You're over 10Kg lighter and a bit smaller so you'll definitely wouldn't need more than I would.

If you're really doing everything right (calculations etc.) you might want to see a doctor.
I had a friend who eats everything in sight, really big amounts of food including junk food, but he is so thin that he looks sickly. He has some kind of rare metabolic disfunction that doesn't allow his colon to extract all of the nutrients, so said in a simply way his body only uses half of what he eats and the other half goes through him untouched.
 
mprevost said:
It would be hard to imagine getting 4000 kcal per day from spinach, chicken, fat free milk and brown rice. Maybe your calculations are in error? Also, where is the fat in your diet? If that is all you are eating, you have room to add quite a bit of fat.
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my fat is mostly from my eggs (6x) here's screenshot of everything i'v eaten, recorded on YAZIO
YAZIO calorie count
 
Kettlebelephant said:
Drink protein/weight gainer shakes then.

I have to eat 3300 to maintain and have to eat some junk food like candy, because otherwise I have a hard time to get that much calories through just clean, healthy food choices. I can't imagine eating 4000 clean...

Like others here I also doubt that you really consume 4000 and additionally I also question whether you need 4000.
I'm 6'4 (194cm) and 93Kg (205lbs). Even if I chose an exercise level of "daily exercise + physical job" in the calorie calculator I only end up with 3805cal to maintain. You're over 10Kg lighter and a bit smaller so you'll definitely wouldn't need more than I would.

If you're really doing everything right (calculations etc.) you might want to see a doctor.
I had a friend who eats everything in sight, really big amounts of food including junk food, but he is so thin that he looks sickly. He has some kind of rare metabolic disfunction that doesn't allow his colon to extract all of the nutrients, so said in a simply way his body only uses half of what he eats and the other half goes through him untouched.
Click to expand...
I know my calorie count is correct because i'v double checked the food packages that they says the same as YAZIO
YAZIO calorie count
 
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