PB Diet for a skinny guy? page

[Peloquin]

Hi folks,

I'd appreciate some advice: I am a 31 years old male, 5'5'' (1.69m) in height and weighing about 120 pounds (55 kg) so I'm a rather skinny guy, always been. I have tried to gain weight several times in my life an I have always failed. The reason is simple - I never managed to eat enough food to gain weight. I just can't eat enough to get anywhere near, say, the 60 Kilograms mark, especially not carbohydrates.

Forcing myself to eat oatmeal for breakfast and more rice and noodles with my meat dishes and all that never worked, because it felt unnatural for me to eat that way, this stuff kills my appetite so quickly. I can't eat much noodles, rice or potatoes and I just can't force it.

Now according to Mark Sisson avoiding carbs won't kill me or make me sick. If anything it will make me healthier. Then again, gaining weight is about eating enough calories (right?). I do feel that I can eat larger amounts of the kinds of food that Mark recommends, but probably not enough to make up for the calories lost by avoiding carbs. I mean, I'd have to eat a whole pineapple for breakfast to get the same amount of calories as in a small serving of oatmeal.

Although the PB way of eating sounds good to me, (I love all kinds of meat and fish, fruit and veggies are okay, it's the grain-stuff that's giving me a hard time) the numbers tell me "don't do it!" I noticed that in other threads from people who share my problem some people advised them not to avoid carbs as strictly. But high insulin is just as bad for me as for anyone else, right?

Thanks in advance for any advice, I highly appreciate that since I am a little clueless here.

[Edje Noh]

Coming from a previously skinny guy (went from 150 to 163 lbs at 6'1 and planning to go to 168-170):
Eat more fat and protein (meat, fish, eggs) and hit the gym for short high intensity strength training (do compound exercises like weighted squats, deadlifts, reverse rows, pull-ups, bench press, bar dips, overhead press). You'll gain muscle mass.

You don't have to go extreme low-carb, you can still eat 100-150 grams a day, sometimes even extending it to 150-200 grams of carbs on days with high physical activity. This is not low-carb, this is normal carb. The standard american diet is high carb, not normal.
Just make sure the carbs come from veggies and starch and a bit of fruits. Avoid grains, they are nutritionally inferior foods that human beings never ate in their natural habitat. ALL grain foods are processed foods, you can't eat grain raw and digest it, you have to throw it in a mill and grind it to pieces, than make a processed food out of it. Eating that type of food is not in alignment with how nature intended us to eat. Get the bulk of your calories from meat, eggs, fish and other high fat foods such as avocado, olives and coconut.

[jfreaksho]

Eating is only part of the equation here. If you want to gain muscle, you have to stimulate your body to build more muscle, then provide it with the building blocks to do so. That means lifting heavy things and sprinting, which will probably increase your appetite for the increased fuel you need.

[RitaRose]

Primal isn't just about losing weight. Sure, people do typically drop some pounds, but what they're really doing is getting to a healthier place. There is a lot of good that comes from eating this way that is totally unrelated to spare tires or love handles.

I think you're going to like how much better you feel, and you might just add some muscle on too.

[AndreaReina]

Primal isn't just about losing weight. Sure, people do typically drop some pounds, but what they're really doing is getting to a healthier place. There is a lot of good that comes from eating this way that is totally unrelated to spare tires or love handles.

I think you're going to like how much better you feel, and you might just add some muscle on too.

+1. A healthy diet will lead to a healthy weight, deep-seated hormonal or nutritional issues notwithstanding. I'm one of those ever-skinny guys, my weight was perennially at 128#. After a month on PB it went up to 135-138 where it's been for the past 8 months. Mind you I'd like to gain more, but from what I've already tried it'll take sustained force-feeding and I'm not that wedded to the idea of gaining more weight.

[Griffin]

Primal isn't just about losing weight. Sure, people do typically drop some pounds, but what they're really doing is getting to a healthier place. There is a lot of good that comes from eating this way that is totally unrelated to spare tires or love handles.

I think you're going to like how much better you feel, and you might just add some muscle on too.

She said what I was going to say!