Trouble gaining weight - low testosterone?

[rolodex propaganda]

I've always been skinny and underweight at 5"11 and 150 pounds. For the past month, I've been lifting weights every day and consuming 4000 calories daily, including a protein/creatine shake. Yet I have not gained a pound in the past month. What could be the problem? I'm 20 years old and everyone around me seems to pack on muscle while I won't, even though I'm working harder. What kind of doctor should I see?

 

[huolesoh]

maybe its just your natural build. you must feel stronger, no? maybe you just have a quick metabolism

 

[addictivepersona]

What kind of doctor should I see?

First, you should visit a primary care physician--This way if you need a referral you can get it.

 

[SirTophamHat]

I've always been skinny and underweight at 5"11 and 150 pounds. For the past month, I've been lifting weights every day and consuming 4000 calories daily, including a protein/creatine shake. Yet I have not gained a pound in the past month. What could be the problem? I'm 20 years old and everyone around me seems to pack on muscle while I won't, even though I'm working harder. What kind of doctor should I see?

Well, first of all, 5' 11'' and 150lbs is pretty normal. Normal BMI is 18.5-24.9 and you're at a 21.

Are you using a bathroom scale to measure weight change? They are notoriously inaccurate; try to find a good ol' analog one somewhere. Additionally, expect there to be about a 3-5lb difference in your weight from morning to evening. I really doubt you are being precise in your calorie counts. If you were eating that much, every day, for a month now, you would have put on at least 10lbs. You either have misinformation or a metabolic disorder if all you have presented in the OP is true.

If you still want to gain weight, keep doing what you are doing. Lifting weights regularly and forcing yourself to eat over maintenance will do it.

 

[KStoner6tb]

Your primary doc is fine. Tell him you want your total and free test levels checked. I went it thinkin mine were low because of libido issues. Turns out they were above average ahaha shit. Yours will most likely be fine.


You're still young at 20, making it hard to gain weight with your body type/metabolism cuz that is lean man.

 

[rolodex propaganda]

Well, first of all, 5' 11'' and 150lbs is pretty normal. Normal BMI is 18.5-24.9 and you're at a 21.

Are you using a bathroom scale to measure weight change? They are notoriously inaccurate; try to find a good ol' analog one somewhere. Additionally, expect there to be about a 3-5lb difference in your weight from morning to evening. I really doubt you are being precise in your calorie counts. If you were eating that much, every day, for a month now, you would have put on at least 10lbs. You either have misinformation or a metabolic disorder if all you have presented in the OP is true.

If you still want to gain weight, keep doing what you are doing. Lifting weights regularly and forcing yourself to eat over maintenance will do it.

I have a very fast metabolism. I've been measuring my calories with caloriecount.about.com, which lets you search for foods to count the exact number of calories in your meal. I have a hard time reaching 4,000 each day and it wouldn't be possible without my protein/creatine shake.

I've heard that when some people begin exercising heavily to lose weight, they initially gain weight as fat is replaced by muscle. Can someone explain this phenomenom, and could I be undergoing something similar? I don't have much fat to lose. Can anybody speak from experience about delayed weight gain like that I'm experiencing, or am I doing something wrong?

When I was a teenager, and weighed as much as I did now, my primary care doctor said I was underweight. I'm very toned and always have been, but remain skinny. I was using a bathroom scale to measure my weight and didn't account for changes throughout the day, but I'll use the analog scale at my gym now.

 

[SirTophamHat]

I have a very fast metabolism. I've been measuring my calories with caloriecount.about.com, which lets you search for foods to count the exact number of calories in your meal. I have a hard time reaching 4,000 each day and it wouldn't be possible without my protein/creatine shake.

I'm an ectomorph too. I know this might sound counterintuitive here, just listen to me though. Stop counting your calories and focus on eating as much as you can at breakfast, and as much as you can directly after working out. Stuffing yourself at the beginning of the day will stretch your stomach over time to the point where you will feel hungry or even starving as soon as your stomach is done digesting its contents. To gain a considerable amount of weight you are really going to have to eat continuously, every 2-3 hours the entire day. Each of those meals must also contain a good amount of protein if you want to recover from your weights sessions. The take-home point here is basically: You are underestimating the amount you eat, I can almost guarantee it. Start eating as much as you can, as often as you can. I have put on 10lbs in a month many times before. I didn't count calories but I can tell you I was eating between 2,500-3,500 every day, 100g+ PRO.

I've heard that when some people begin exercising heavily to lose weight, they initially gain weight as fat is replaced by muscle. Can someone explain this phenomenom, and could I be undergoing something similar? I don't have much fat to lose. Can anybody speak from experience about delayed weight gain like that I'm experiencing, or am I doing something wrong?

Muscle is more dense than fat. I wouldn't worry about what you are doing incorrectly until you ascertain what your BMR is and whether or not you are eating as much as you think you are. My only hunch as to a plausible explanation for your 4,000kcal-and-maintaining problem would be that you are biking 20 miles to work or school and back each day.

When I was a teenager, and weighed as much as I did now, my primary care doctor said I was underweight. I'm very toned and always have been, but remain skinny. I was using a bathroom scale to measure my weight and didn't account for changes throughout the day, but I'll use the analog scale at my gym now.

Please stop thinking of yourself as underweight. We all have different set points, or the weight at which our bodies are most comfortable. As long as you are exercising regularly, eating whole, non-processed foods, and stay hydrated/rested/do all of that menial health bullshit, your weight should be the last of your worries. Are you doing it for sex appeal? 20 years from now you'll laugh at yourself.

roloprop, please post what an average day's diet for you looks like. Include dry/uncooked weights of your food and what you think the kcals are too, if possible. I am not trying to hate on your endeavor, it just seems very strange that you are eating as much as you claim without results.