Is it possible to slow down your metabolism?

[Garth]

I am 6'2 and 160 pounds and I just can't gain mass. I work out regularly and I've tried changing my diet to include greater amount of protein and of course eating a lot more, but it has no effect on me, other than making me crap more. Is there anything I can do to slow down my metabolism so that I can actually gain weight? Also, I've been thinking that the cause of my skinnyness might be a more serious problem, such as a tapeworm? I don't think it's a genetic problem because all of my family are either average or kinda fat, I'm the only one who is skinny. I eat more than anyone in my house yet I'm the skinniest by far.

[jubaji]

I am 6'2 and 160 pounds and I just can't gain mass. I work out regularly and I've tried changing my diet to include greater amount of protein and of course eating a lot more, but it has no effect on me, other than making me crap more. Is there anything I can do to slow down my metabolism so that I can actually gain weight? Also, I've been thinking that the cause of my skinnyness might be a more serious problem, such as a tapeworm? I don't think it's a genetic problem because all of my family are either average or kinda fat, I'm the only one who is skinny. I eat more than anyone in my house yet I'm the skinniest by far.

Nap after meals. Drink alcohol. Get older.

[sloppycoder]

dunno about those second two but definitly make sure you get a good lot of sleep.. try doing the same training/diet as you are now but with at least 8 hours sleep a night (more if you can:P) for a month and see if it helps.

as to the medical possibilities.... well you would want to see a doctor about that..

slop

[eXcessiveForce]

You can also reduce your food intake by about 3/4 for a month then go back to the way you eat now.


But you'll probably end up fat.

The less you eat the slower your metabolism. Also do no activity what so ever. Just sit around and watch tv. That will help too.

it sounds like your body type is ectomorphic, so it will be hard for you to gain mass.

If you are just skin a bones and no muscle or fat then you may have a thyroid problem. But you actually appear to be at a healthy weight. Maybe a little light but only by 10 or 20 lbs.

also how old are you? it gets easier to bulk as you get older.

[Builderofmuscle]

U should go see a doctor if youthink the problem is that serious. I have friends who are extremely skinny. One is on the baseball team,a nd begen eating double the calories he ate to get big for the team, and worked out 4 days a week in the weight room. Double your calories, and double your volume.

Another friend of mine is even skinnier, but he's extremely strong, almost as strong as myself, and he doesn't work out with weights or anything. He's extremely vascular and plays basketball.

Everyone is different. Adding muscle doesn't necessarily mean you're getting stronger. You're most like stronger pound per pound than most of your friends. Be happy the way you are my friend, do what you're good at.

[JukoDan]

Oh man, I have the exact same problem as you! No kidding, I work out alot and barely gain anything.In fact before I started working out I was 'underweight' according to a Body Mass Index? thing. I eat as much as I can and try to get alot of protein too, I tried the powder stuff for a week, I couldn't any longer since the stuff I had tasted too bad and I never bothered buying anymore.

[Builderofmuscle]

I used to think that being overweight was a problem. But this'll only be a problem if you make it a problem. I engaged in dieting and bodybuilding type workouts, but this affected my training negatively... I became slower, and gassed out way to quickly. That was when I decided to screw it. I just basically reduced my eating by a few calories, stopped bodybuilding and began doing basic calisthenics, running, jumproping, and adding an extra day to my karate practice, and wala, I was beating up everyone in my class. I wasn't cut, and I didn't look like I could do any damage, but when I got on the mat, I showed them what I was made of.

Stop worrying, and start training.

[EmptyneSs]

i hear if u eat a bowl of ice cream before u sleep at night, it will help u gain weight. some of the fighters at my school advocate this, they say they eat ice cream before they sleep to put on some xtra pounds when they need to. also , i dont think u want to slow down ur metabolism. increasing it is bettter if u are working out because ur body will absorb more nutrients fast. ive been working out consistently for a little over a year now. before i started i was 5'10 140 lbs. now im 160. i could never gain weight, but by working out consistently, and eating right i was able to gain 20 lbs of muscle. it takes time, but it is doable. just workout consistently and eat 6 meals or so, spreading them out during the day. u want to eat every few hours. u should eat smaller portions, but eat them more frequently. also, dont overdo it with the protein. u do need protein, but u also need other foods, liek fruits an vegetables, and carbs and water. just keep working out consistently and u will slowly start to gain. i was a skinny guy and if i could do it anyoen can.

[Maxx]

Gaining Mass

I am 6'2 and 160 pounds and I just can't gain mass. I work out regularly and I've tried changing my diet to include greater amount of protein and of course eating a lot more, but it has no effect on me, other than making me crap more. Is there anything I can do to slow down my metabolism so that I can actually gain weight? Also, I've been thinking that the cause of my skinnyness might be a more serious problem, such as a tapeworm? I don't think it's a genetic problem because all of my family are either average or kinda fat, I'm the only one who is skinny. I eat more than anyone in my house yet I'm the skinniest by far.

Garth, there are a couple of things that you have to consider with regards to your metabolism and how it will effect your ability to put on mass. First of all, your metabolism can, in fact, be either increased or decreased based on a couple of things, but a decreased metabolism is probably not the way that you will want to go. As the metabolism slows down, the body generally interprets this as a state of starvation, in which case the body will begin to reley on your muscle tissue as a fuel source and spare what bodyfat you have as a last resort.

If you want to put on mass, there are a few things to consider:

1: Calorie surplus -- ending the day having taken in more calories than you burned

2: Frequent meals roughly once every 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours. This will keep a constant supply of the foods you need going to the parts of your body that need them.

3: Meals combining good quality proteins (lean beef, turkey breast, chicken breast, fish) and higher glycemic carbohydrates to help speed the proteins into your tissue.

4: High intensity weight training using higher weights with relatively lower reps -- don't go so much for the burn as much as you go for the pump after a set. The pump means that blood is being fed into the muscle to speed nutrients to it to promote healing.

Due to your metabolism, growth will come gradually, but if you follow these above guidelines it should help.

[Carrbear]

I know how you feel.

Oh man, I have the exact same problem as you! No kidding, I work out alot and barely gain anything.In fact before I started working out I was 'underweight' according to a Body Mass Index? thing. I eat as much as I can and try to get alot of protein too, I tried the powder stuff for a week, I couldn't any longer since the stuff I had tasted too bad and I never bothered buying anymore.

I have been battling this problem for many years. I am 5'8 105lbs female 29 years old. I am at the lowest weight I have been in years and there is nothing I can do to gain weight I have tried junk food diet, high carbs and protein and nothing works. Right now im tring to 3x's everything protein carbs and cal's to see if that works plus adding a weight gainer shake to the mix I will update you all to let you know if with any luck I have gained something.

[Marksmarkou]

Firstly go to the docs just to check yourself that everything is cool.

Food wise (most important)

Eat every 2 - 3 hours (a must),
Each meal should have fist sized portions of carbs and palm sized portions of protein,
Use low GI carbs such as oats, brown bread, brown rice sweet potato,
Snack on nuts throughout the day,
Drink plenty of water to keep the muscles full,
Always mix your protein/weight gain drink with milk,
Drink a glass of milk (extra to your supplement drink) upon waking and before bed.

Training wise

Make sure you do minimal cardio (2 times a week for no more than 30 mins),
Weight train 3 times a week,
Use heavy compound exercises (deadlifts, sqauts, bench presses, shoulder presses, rows, leg presses etc),
Make sure your rep range is in the 8-12 bracket,
Dont train for more than an hour each workout,
Take a supplement drink to the gym and have it with a bannana straight after working out.

Hopefully this should help you gain some weight. Yes some may be fat but some will also be muscle., and with your metabolism, you should not have a worry losing the fat again.

[initialfaust]

i can't completely relate to this but i have some friends like you garth. I don't know if its just the differences between peoples bodies but between the two of them doing the same thing with meals and weight gaining shakes and lifting one gained weight gradualy and the other (believe it or not) actually lost weight at the start and stayed relatively at the same weight.

i dont know which is the bigger pain being able to gain weight just by looking at food, or not being able to gain weight even if you eat like its a full time job.

[ck5]

I'd rather be too skinny.