Maintaining Weight Through Nutrition

[Wig44.]

Hey, thanks for your advice, much appreciated. I'll look into lifting some weights and some more advanced abdominal workouts. I suppose it's right what they say about 2000kcal is about right because some days I feel really tired and starving but I do feel guilty as I said if I do eat some extra calories on top of the 1300-1500 kcal mark.

Drop the ab workouts completely, they are doing nothing for you.

[James89]

Drop the ab workouts completely, they are doing nothing for you.

My abs do feel harder and I can see a visible 4 pack, it's just the bottom 2 that aren't visible fully. Why should I drop the ab workout Wig?

[Wig44.]

My abs do feel harder and I can see a visible 4 pack, it's just the bottom 2 that aren't visible fully. Why should I drop the ab workout Wig?

They aren't doing anything for you.

Abs come from low body fat %, not doing exercises. You can't lose fat in just one area either. You are wasting your time with them - if you do planks/crunches you'll get better.. at planks and crunches. They don't build up core strength anywhere near as well as a proper exercise like the squat, if core strength means anything to you.

[James89]

They aren't doing anything for you.

Abs come from low body fat %, not doing exercises. You can't lose fat in just one area either. You are wasting your time with them - if you do planks/crunches you'll get better.. at planks and crunches. They don't build up core strength anywhere near as well as a proper exercise like the squat, if core strength means anything to you.

Seems logical yeah. But surely if I consume more calories, my body fat percentage will increase, therefore my abdomen muscles won't be as visible?

[Wig44.]

Seems logical yeah. But surely if I consume more calories, my body fat percentage will increase, therefore my abdomen muscles won't be as visible?

You may gain fat but it is a small price to pay for the far better muscle gains you get when you eat above maintenance. Drop the fat later, you're a skinny guy - you'll shed fat without trying. Since I know skinny guys can have a problem with gaining even small amounts of fat, just think, you have like 10 months before summer, a few weeks is usually all it takes for skinnies to drop fat from several months of accumulation.

[James89]

You may gain fat but it is a small price to pay for the far better muscle gains you get when you eat above maintenance. Drop the fat later, you're a skinny guy - you'll shed fat without trying. Since I know skinny guys can have a problem with gaining even small amounts of fat, just think, you have like 10 months before summer, a few weeks is usually all it takes for skinnies to drop fat from several months of accumulation.

Thanks for replying informatively again Wig, much appreciated. How many calories do you think I should consume then on an average day? Sorry about all the questions, you seem like a smart guy who knows what he's talking about.

[Wig44.]

Thanks for replying informatively again Wig, much appreciated. How many calories do you think I should consume then on an average day? Sorry about all the questions, you seem like a smart guy who knows what he's talking about.

No problems, if the knowledge is there you may as well make good use of it eh?

I would say 3000 is a minimum, 3500 is better and 4000 is a good target. Even when I was a lot skinnier I could get down 4.5k calories without too much hassle. Build your way up, start at 3000 though. Track calories (not because I necessarily believe in it - just skinny guys over estimate what they eat, from experience). If you can go above 4000 then by all means, do it. Consider GOMAD (Gallon of whole milk per day) obviously this is to get your calories up, you won't do it long term, more like 2-5 weeks. Drink the milk straight after each meal. Gomad is, of all the recommendation, the most optional.

[James89]

No problems, if the knowledge is there you may as well make good use of it eh?

I would say 3000 is a minimum, 3500 is better and 4000 is a good target. Even when I was a lot skinnier I could get down 4.5k calories without too much hassle. Build your way up, start at 3000 though. Track calories (not because I necessarily believe in it - just skinny guys over estimate what they eat, from experience). If you can go above 4000 then by all means, do it. Consider GOMAD (Gallon of whole milk per day) obviously this is to get your calories up, you won't do it long term, more like 2-5 weeks. Drink the milk straight after each meal. Gomad is, of all the recommendation, the most optional.

Okay, that sounds cool, thanks. Is it 3000 to maintain my current weight, or 3000 to make me gain weight?

[Wig44.]

Okay, that sounds cool, thanks. Is it 3000 to maintain my current weight, or 3000 to make me gain weight?

Gain, but you may find you need to go a bit higher (3.5/4k) to get a decent weight gain (2lbs a week is a minimum to shoot for I guess).

[James89]

Gain, but you may find you need to go a bit higher (3.5/4k) to get a decent weight gain (2lbs a week is a minimum to shoot for I guess).

I don't really want to gain weight, so how many calories would I need to consume to keep my weight the same as now?