Wow, do I know this too well. I wish that someone wrote some information about how to gain weight for someone with a fast metabolism when I needed help.
I used to be absurdly skinny. And of course I have heard all of the high schoolers jokes about how skinny I was. It’s funny to look back, because I literally thought being skinny was a lifelong condition.
I didn’t realize that you can alter your body how you want, as long as you follow some simple rules. Unfortunately for me, it took me 7 years after high school in order to figure this out. Lucky for you, all of the information that I learned is in this article.
If you are trying to learn how to gain weight for someone with a fast metabolism, you are going to find what you are looking for in this article. If you follow the principles outlined here, your body will gain weight. It has no choice.
Having a fast metabolism means you need to eat more calories
I have heard too many people say that since they have a fast metabolism, that means that they can’t gain weight or muscle. WRONG! That is simply not the case. The reality is that you have to eat more than the average person in order to put on weight.
For me, I learned that I have to eat significantly more than I ever imagined to combat my fast metabolism. In fact, if I want to gain a half pound per week, I need to eat 3,600 calories per day without fail.
That is a big number, and you might wonder how I got there. It starts with calculating your maintenance calories. Your maintenance calorie number is the amount of calories that you have to consume every day so that you don’t lose or gain weight.
If you are losing weight, you are most likely eating at a caloric deficit. If you are gaining weight, you are most likely at a caloric surplus.
Since we are trying to gain weight here, we definitely want to be at a caloric surplus. So find your maintenance calorie number, and then eat at a caloric surplus of at least 500 calories per day. I always recommend starting at 500 calories per day over your maintenance because it is a good benchmark.
I also want you to be aware that every single person has a different maintenance calorie number, which is why it is very important to take the time to find out what yours is.
My maintenance calorie count is 3,100, while my wifes is around 1,800. I know someone whose maintenance calorie number is 5,000 calories per day.
Struggling to eat?
I wanted to add in a quick section about those who struggle to eat enough calories. Unfortunately I know this all too well. I would try to eat everything I possibly could, but still struggled to hit my calorie goal.
What finally helped me was shakes. I even made my own 1000 calorie protein shake recipe. To this day, I still drink one every single morning for breakfast.
If you are struggling to eat enough calories, protein shakes are going to help you get over the edge of where you are trying to be.
If you are really trying to learn how to gain weight for someone with a fast metabolism, you are now realizing that you have to beat your metabolism by consuming more calories than it burns.
Working out is extremely important
If you are not working out, where do you think those extra calories are going? Here is the way that your body works. If you are eating at a caloric surplus and working out, your body is going to prioritize those extra calories towards your muscles. The remaining calories will go towards fat.
If you are eating at a caloric surplus and NOT working out, your body is going to take those extra calories and put them straight to fat. This concept should not be hard to understand.
Make sure that you are working out if you are eating at a caloric surplus.
Lucky for you, we have our own app called All Workouts: Personal Trainer (iOS | Google Play). It has plenty of FREE workout plans to get you started gaining size.
Maybe you aren’t the app type. Not to worry, you can browse our blog. We have so much content here to help you in your journey. You can even check out our beginner bodybuilding routine for mass.
Since you have a fast metabolism, you are going to have to be very intentional about your caloric surplus. You might find that working out increases your metabolism. This is fine, just make sure you consume more calories to combat the workouts.
You want your body to be in a constant state of caloric surplus. Working out is just there to make sure that your extra calories go towards muscle. If you aren’t eating in a caloric surplus, then you aren’t going to gain any muscle.
You cannot build muscle while in a caloric deficit. Therefore you must be at a caloric surplus and working out to build muscle.
Don’t skip a day
Let me show you how important it is to be consistent. Not just with working out, but with being in a caloric surplus.
Once I realized that I needed to eat 3,600 calories per day in order to gain weight, I was fairly shocked. That is a ton of calories. But eventually, I figured out a way to make it work. Then for about a month, I would have a “chill day” every week.
The chill day consisted of me not really paying attention to what I ate, but more than that, I didn’t eat that much because I was packing in calories every day. Ultimately, I didn’t gain much weight that month.
In an attempt to figure out why, I calculated how many calories I ate on those chill days. It turns out, I averaged 1,500 calories. So let’s do some math. 3,600*6 = 21,600 + 1,500 = 23,100/7 = 3,300. I averaged 3,300 calories per day across the week.
So what is that math telling us? It is telling us that on average, I was closer to my maintenance calories than I was to my caloric surplus. I will be honest, I was kind of devastated to find that out.
Even one day of slipping up and your metabolism will beat you. After that I made a commitment to not go under 3,600 calories while I was gaining weight. Ultimately, it worked, and I gained 20+ pounds in my first year.
What about working out? Can you skip a day of working out? I don’t recommend it. You are trying to transform your body here.
And think about this. All you need to do is workout 3-4 days per week. You can make that happen, especially if you have the commitment to eat at a caloric surplus.
Main Point: How to gain weight for someone with a fast metabolism
We have now conquered the path of how to gain weight for someone with a fast metabolism. It is actually pretty simple, right?
Having a fast metabolism does not mean that you cannot build some solid muscle and gain weight. I am personally a testament to that. If I never learned about these principles, I would still probably be 6’1” and 135lbs. Now, at the same height, I am around 190lbs.
I can tell you that my confidence is way higher than it once was, and I am happy with my body.
When you have a fast metabolism, that just means that your body burns more calories than normal. Most would consider this a good thing. But for people like us who just want to put on weight, it can be a struggle.
Don’t let it hold you back. Remember to calculate your maintenance calories and then build from there. Believe me, if I can do it, you can do it. It’s not rocket science. It is really straightforward and simple.
Working out is extremely important when you are eating at a caloric surplus. If you are eating at a caloric surplus and not working out, those extra calories are going to go towards fat.
You want to workout enough so that the extra calories in your body goes towards building muscle.
All in all, just because you have a fast metabolism does not mean that you are forever stuck as a skinny person. You can change your body any way that you want. You are just going to have to dedicate time and energy towards making it happen.
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