Skinny People

Hmm, considering thath you eat a lot and are still skinny, seems you have a genetic disposition to be skinny, which is a lot better than having the opposite problem. You will begin to gain when your metabolism slows, but you've got atleast a decade before that happens. In the meanwhile I would say change the ratio of carbs/ protein in favor of protein. More meat, eggs, etc. Eat smaller portions, but more frequently throughout the day, becuase your body can only absorb so much at one time. Also increase your dairy intake particularly in the form of protein shakes..have one a day. Lift heavier weight, less reps (no more than ten reps for the basic exercises) and see how that works.

You'll eventually grow out of it; I was like that until about 22, at which point I was unable to continue eating whole pizzas to lose weight. As Aries suggested, I would recommend eating more protein and focus on muscle building exercises, as general advice.

Cut back on the cardio and double up your portions.

eat more and lift 3 days a week.

it's okay to do cardio, but you'll have to further increase your caloric intake.

Wow, I have the exact same build, and the same situation as yours as well. I would also like to know how to gain some weight maybe 5 to 10 pounds more?

You'll eventually grow out of it; I was like that until about 22, at which point I was unable to continue eating whole pizzas to lose weight.
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I'm five foot seven, age fifty-one. 148 pounds. All through college, I could eat entire cheesecakes, carbs in impressive amounts, drink soda, and never gain an ounce. Until I turned 25 or so, my waist was 29 inches. Things began to change after I hit 35. After forty, an entirely new means to an end had to be employed. Otherwise, I'd have gotten too heavy. After fifty . . . let's just say that unless I'm hungry most of the time, I'm too heavy.

I would recommend eating more protein and focus on muscle building exercises, as general advice. Sounds reasonable, to me.

I found a cheap weight gainer recipe on another forum... (HERE)

Thought that might help? You're probably best trying to just bulk up right now... and then cut down the fat once you've achieved your desired weight. I too am very skinny... and have been trying to increase my size for the past couple of months. I've made a semi-improvement, but with it, have developed a little more fat than I would like... I plan to continue my bulking regime until around June and then shed the excess weight for the last 2 months of summer...

I don't have any skimmed milk here at home, but wouldn't regular milk be more effective?

It would be more effective, in the sense of more calories. However, milk fat is pretty bad for you. If you want a fattier weight gain formula, perhaps add more peanut butter, or a healthy oil like flax oil.

To the OP, do less cardio, eat more, do big lifts. It's probably not going to be easy.

Over the past 18 months I've gained 20 lbs., so I'm now 6'3" and 180 lbs. I did it by lifting weights 5 days a week, alternating upper and lower body workouts (perhaps overtraining), and eating 4 meals a day or 3 meals plus a protein shake. I eat my last meal right before going to bed. My protein shakes are typically 24 oz. and my meals include more protein, such as tuna, eggs, and peanut butter (I've always eaten a lot of chicken). Every other day, I drink a 500 calorie commercial protein smoothie containing 40g of protein immediately after my workout (protein within an hour of your workout is recommended by so-called experts). I also increased my water intake, since extra protein can clog up your kidneys. I gained the first 15 lbs. within about 4 months and it's taken another 14 months to gain another five. Since I have no cholesterol worries (my blood cholesterol was 125 and HDL 51 at the last test), I don't worry how much fat is in my diet, but you _may_ want to be careful. Before I started, I saw a personal trainer to learn proper weightlifting technique, had a whole body workout developed, and bought several books on weightlifting, so I could vary my workouts. Although I don't know as much about nutrition as I would like, I know enough to eat a healthy diet and judiciously break the rules dieters must follow to lose weight (e.g. eating right before bed). As background info, in hgh school I was also 6'3" and weighed 135 lbs. I lifted weights sporadically, without much dedication, and ate whatever I wanted without gaining an ounce. During college, I gained 10 pounds and in the intervening 25 years (yes, I'm 46), I slowly gained another 15 lbs. I can still eat pretty much anything I want, although I've replaced my daily bacon and egg breakfasts with cereal and juice. The bottom line is, lift weights regularly, lift heavy weights, and do short sets. Ingest protein within an hour of your workout, increase your protein intake and increase your caloric intake. Don't expect to see rapid results, but stay dedicated. Nutrition, exercise, and dedication are the key. Edit: I've also cut out cardio work temporarily and I *will not* use supplements other than protein powder. I've only got one body and it needs to last for a while longer, so I won't poison it looking for shortcuts.

A further FYI - you should get not only protein, but also simple carbohydrates immediately after a workout. Since your commerical 500 calorie smoothie only has 160 calories from protein, it likely has plenty of simple sugars, but it isn't clear from your post.

wow i was just about to make a post about this! i'm basically the same size as the topic starter and thinking about bulking up a bit, mainly the top part of my body. I'm going back for holidays for a month and really want to gain 2 inches in my chest during that time. any tips on what to do and how often to do it? I'm a complete workout noob so explanations would be helpful

Thanks for the info; I didn't know this. The smoothie's bottle reports 64g of carbs. At 4 calories per gram, I should be getting 256 calories from carbs, probably sugars. Since I follow this up immediately with a breakfast of cereal, milk, and juice, I'm probably OK on carbs, though maybe I'm overloading on sugar. Edit: ciadd40, I think expecting to add 2" to your chest in a month is way too ambitious. A tailor told me I added 1.5" to my chest over 18 months of the regime I describe in my first post. Admittedly, I'm older and can't grow muscle as fast, but I think your first goal should be health. Slow and steady is the key to building functional muscle. I found the "Men's Health Book of Muscle" and "Strength Training Anatomy" to be useful books (both available from amazon.com, if not in your local bookstore).