Hello all,

I have terrible ADHD and it’s been really bad lately. Finding focus to cook and eat is so difficult. I used to love cooking but my ADHD has made it such a chore; maybe it’s because I’ve severely downsized into a very small apartment. My kitchen counter space is basically just a butcher block. I can easily go 8 hours and not eat. Doesn’t really help my agenda. Anyone else out there finding ways to deal with this?

I grew up really skinny and was super determined to escape at last! I’ve made some really solid progress and wanted to share. I ate about 3000cal a day and did a PPL program. I finally feel muscular for once. That being said my friend was saying that my progress isn’t that great because my current physique looks like the untrained starting point of some other people which kind of got me down and made me feel like my progress wasn’t as great as I thought. I wanted to ask for help on what looks good, what needs more work, where I’m at body fat % wise, and any tips for the road ahead in terms of what to do next- keep bulking or what? I’m excited to keep going!

Photos on the left were 10 months ago. Photos on the right were recent. The second photo when you swipe was a few days ago. A couple of mini cuts were done but mostly gaining the whole time with a few weeks maintaining as well. The highest my cals got was 3500 and was actually stalled out on these cals before deciding to cut again. I have been cutting for the last 6 weeks to get a little leaner before bulking through winter again, I might push it a little longer. Weekly cardio, 10k steps/day and followed a U/L rest repeat split but have recently switched to a 5x U/L/U/R/U/L/R which I really like.

Hey, I'm 6ft2 and in the past 10 years or so went from 78kg to currently 103kg. I went from not being able to squat the bar to a 140kg pb, not freakish but made some good gains relative to myself. I find myself still feeling DYEL pretty often, and other times I find myself exaggerating bad posture to look less intimidating. People seem to react less friendly to me when I'm standing tall. Anyone got some advice to get me out of my head?

If I maintain the same caloric surplus, will marathon training while lifting reduce my muscle/strength gains?

I started off very skinny at age 16, just as any other teenager that wanted to have a good physique

as time passed by my ambitions went from the classic greek good aesthetic physique to a little more bulky, them bodybuilder like and soon i wanted to look like kevin levrone (the body dysmorphia is real), after the first year i realised i couldn't get to that size without gear, so i turned myself into strength training(powerlifting and strongman) and that was when the heavy bulky started i went from 185 to 242 in a year, i may not be the most defined but i like the way i look specially in oversized clothes

in the second pic i was alredy 135, it was my first progress picture ever

i wont get into advice to get bigger as i train to get stronger, but i always eated in a decent surplus (i never counted calories), the first program i followed was bullmastiff (strength program) and it took my lifts up by a lot

if i made some english errors sorry, im not native

On a cut right now but i've basically been permanently bulking since i started lifting. Never really tracked my macros and just ate what i could and what felt right.

I do PPL and dont really complicate things to much. 2-3 exercises per body part and try to hit 9-10 rep for all three sets until i up the weight

Allaboutbodybuilding sub deleted my post claiming i was not natural but I very much am. I have T1D so any steroids is risky for me so i'd rather not

Gained 21 lbs during these past 16 months. This has been a couple different phases of bulking, eating at maintenance, and one short deficit period. For me, maintenance is around 3200 cals, and i seem to have the best results gaining muscle at around 3600. Ive tried a couple different splits but what works best for me is PPL doing push, pull, rest, legs, rest, repeat, and i do around 8-12 sets per muscle on each workout. I always take every single set to form failure, and on my 3rd set of an exercise I will sometimes add in a drop set

Been skinny my whole life, im really trying to get a little healthier as i am pretty dangerously underweight. im hoping to gain at least 10-20 pounds this year.

Few problems I have been having though:

- Im in university, and breakfast/dinner is provided. They give roughly I think 1500 calories combined, can't really change much because they restrict portions

- For some reason, my shared fridge is really stupid and cannot store milk/whole milk because it melts and leaks everywhere

- don't have a blender to make any smoothies

I have been trying the gym and I have been going every morning for the past few days, but I have read a lot of posts here that suggest that isn't enough and that I need more calories. My lunch usually consists of two slices of pork/chicken which is around 600 calories, I am not sure whether I should make more food or get some drinks or if I should do anything at all there

would appreciate any advice from anyone that has had a similar situation. thank you so much!

I haven't been into lifitng for a few years due to medical reasons but Idk a better place to post this.

I got fat for a while, then int he past year got on some pain meds that allow me to function but I am rapidly losing weight. I have 0 appetite, can go days without eating, eating to much makes me nauseses etc. I also am just pretty low energy from medical stuff + not eating enough, so its hard for me to cook.

Im getting to a pretty low weight (165 at 6ft), was 240 this time last year, and 185 like 2 months ago. Not the good kinda weight loss, and its messing with in alot of ways.

I also have a fatty liver (somehow?) so Im supposed to be avoiding saturated fats/sugar and all that other shit - and trying to also just eat healthy food and not processed shit in general to see if that helps me at all - which has made the weight even harder to keep.

Can yall recommend me some meals I can prep that are easy on the gut - also if theirs any good mass gainers or protein powders/drink recipes/things i can buy that are just grab and eat that aren't to hard to get down that would be really helpful (used to force myself through stomach cramps and the shits back in the day when id bulk with - no go now adays lol)

I don't really need amazing macros or anything - just enough calories to live without fucking my liver more.

Thanks

So this is the first year in a long time where I’ve really tried to be consistent in the gym and with my diet, my original goal was to try and hit 80kg within a few months however due to the nature of my job which is extremely physical with a lot of walking I’ve really struggled to consistently stay in a calorie surplus. To be honest I gave up trying to count my calories 2 months in and instead just focus on ensuring my diet is good with plenty of protein.

I workout 4-5 days a week, just a regular push/pull/legs split. I’ve recently started to really push the progressive overload and go as heavy as possible and push to failure with fewer reps and sets. The overhead press has become a staple of my push days and has been a game changer for my upper body.

Having a long torso and long arms and legs I’ve always felt like my progress is slower than others but I finally feel like I’m getting somewhere and I’m excited to see where I am in another few months.

Thanks for the motivation everyone and feel free to ask any questions.

After 5 years the bulk is finally over (i’m going to cut like 4 pounds then bulk again because I hate the idea of cutting)

My calories were always around 3000-3500. When i was skinner the first 2 years, I only needed about 3000. Now i need closer to 3500-3700.

This brings me to an important point. I was always very skinny. I did gain a lot of weight and stalled for a long time. I was so confused, because I was eating so much food but I wasn’t gaining anything. Eventually, I figured out that I really wasn’t eating a lot, I just had a bad mindset. You really need to believe you are eating to become fat. Eat like you genuinely are a crazy person trust me that scale will move (but definitely count your calories. Use myfitnesspal)

Keep protein high, it’s important, dont slack on counting it.

Eat lots a fruit, 4 servings a day, i don’t know if its placebo but I feel really good.

Don’t skip cardio. A baseline level of fitness is important for everybody, including permabulk meatheads like us.

Dont stop working out because of pain, just change the exercise. But do not give up at trying that exercise. It took me 4 years to learn to deadlift/squat full ROM without pain. Many times I was discouraged, but do not give up. Lengthen and strengthen.

Edit: just wanted to add this sub was a godsend for me when I first started trying to bulk. I haven’t been here in a while but I learned most of my eating habits from this sub. Mythical strength has some good perspectives on weight gain I recommend following his advice.

i've been trying to gain a little more weight with gym and a 3000 calorie diet (which is 300 cals more than i need for maintenance), but i havent been able to get even near that, always ending up between 2000-2300 calories. ive been eating a lot of protein, and while it makes my body more solid with the gym, it makes me so full i cant really bulk and get all my calories in. ive had around 140g of protein daily for 2 weeks rn and ive gained barely a pound. im 6'0 and 158lbs for perspective.

I am 5'11" and 61 kg, ive been pretty thin almost the entirety of my life and for the last month Ive been eating at least 2.8k calories per day, I would also workout 5 times a week, ive gained 3 kg since september and noticed some difference in my torso, but also ive noticed my face getting a lot fatter, i compared 2 pictures and i can tell my jawline is just getting less and less noticeable, would the reason be that I am eating fatty food a lot more than healthy food

1/2 to 1cup of milk(I use lactaid whole milk cuz I'm lactose intolerant)

2tbsp of cashew butter(I don't like peanut butter so decided to try other nut butters and cashew barely has a taste and is slightly sweet. Was using nutella but its a lot of sugar and I'm trying to cut back as I have a horrible sweet tooth and eat a lot of sweets)

A few table spoons of Vanilla Honey Whole milk greek yogurt(was using vanilla non fat as I hate the taste of greek yogurt but the honey vanilla was on sale for $5 for a 48oz tub so bought it and its not as strong as other greek yogurts. I refuse to do plain greek yogurt)

A little bit of vanilla extract

A little bit of olive oil(not to much or you will taste it. Once put 2tbsp and its all I could taste)

1 Scoop of Dairy free Equip Prime beef protein cinnamon roll protein powder(the protein powder washes out the strong greek yogurt taste so if you hate greek yogurt like I do try mixing it with protein powder so its not as strong. Saw a hack where you mix the powder with a small amount of liquid to make it a syrup so its not clumps of powder in your yogurt)

A small amount of Unsweetened cocoa powder(not to much as unsweetened is bitter and strong)

Just add whatever you like. Many add banana and or other berries. I tried banana to get my fruit in as I hate fruit but it was over powering and it was all I could taste. I did one with 3 strawberries and it was fine couldn't even taste the strawberries really so if you need to get some fruit in try berries and it also adds fiber

6’7 male 30 y.o

Started at 185 - just hit 250 the other day.

Diet/lifting:

Minimum 3500 calories per day. The hardest part is the eating as I have a large frame which is a ton of food to put on any size. Meal prep is key.

Lifting routine I have tried a few different ones over the years. 3x per week full body, bro split, bodybuilding 1 body part per day 5x a week.

Lately I’ve been doing upper/lower 4x a week and that has been most comfortable for recovery and feeling like I’m hitting everything equally. I feel more proportionate now after sticking with that routine.

The first pic was me during lockdown Covid and last pic was taken today.

Got back into the gym around late March this year and started a bulk on 5/1, ended the bulk on 8/15 and put on 12 lbs in that time. First comparison pic was taken on 4/3 and last was 8/15.

Strength
Strength on my main lifts increased a lot, I had prior lifting experience before but I never took it this serious. Followed PPLPP split and some weeks I would hit legs again on day 6.

Diet
Diet was very simple and I didn’t really get bored of it. I ate mainly chicken and rice/potatoes, steak. Oats/eggs for breakfast. Towards the end of the bulk I really got tired of eating and started to cheat on my meals to get calories in faster, this is when I knew it was time to take a break.

Post Bulk
I have since cut back down these past 7 weeks to 162 lbs( last two pictures) and I’m getting ready to repeat this process all over again starting November 1st.

What have been your victories this week? Have you made good progress? Set a new lift PR? Enacted a new habit that is helping you greatly? Post it here!

35M, 5'5'' and been skinny my whole life, I think my highest weight ever has been like 120. I always wanted to build muscle but was too lazy I suppose and I still was physically healthy and relatively proportionate so I never bothered.

Then life happened and now after years of depression I'm left severely underweight and borderline emaciated. Not gonna share my weight because it's a bit embarrassing for me but let's say it's lower than you think. I'm trying to get my life back through therapy and I want to use this as a chance to actually get fit for once. I just want a nice strong, fit and healthy body and stop bejng a walking stick. It's not even about aesthetics at this point although of course that would help.

I guess I'm not asking if it's possible for a male in his mid 30s who's never stepped into a gym and never had anything resembling real muscle to do that, because I expect your answer to be yes...what I am asking is do you know anyone who ACTUALLY did that? Whenever I think about it I feel lost because my brain defaults to it just not being attainable for me, but maybe that's just my depression talking.

I've been on this subreddit a while but finally felt happy enough with my results that I wanted to post!

A note on weight: I did go from 170 lbs around August 2024 to 165 lbs this month. However, I bulked up to a peak weight of 190 lbs around January 2026. Needless to say, I took the bulk a bit too far. I haven't included a photo of that here but I definitely put on more fat than I intended and didn't realize it at the time.

I had always been on and off about going to the gym and trying to put on muscle mass for a while. Prior to August 2024, I would go 1-2 times a week to do light cardio and weights but I had no idea what I was doing. August 2024 is when I really started getting serious about things. I went to the gym 4-5 times a week and did a 3 day split between muscle various groups. But I still wasn't making a ton of progress. March 2025 is when I got started tracking calories, trying to eat in a surplus, and making sure I hit my protein macro. I was able to make progress, but this is also where my downfall started with the bulk, as I way over estimated my TDEE in cronometer. Instead of a 300 calories surplus, it was more like 700. Combined with the fact I was still relatively new to training, I put on more fat than I intended over the year long bulk.

I've been cutting since May 2026 at about a pound per week with a two week diet break thrown in. I switched to using macro factor for the cut which was a huge help. Its algorithm very quickly caught on to the fact that I had been way over eating and got an accurate estimate of my true TDEE.

Overall, I've lost almost 25 lbs from my peak weight, and I've been able to maintain all of my lifts and I've actually made progress on some of them thanks to the excess fat I was carrying. I definitely could have been smarter about this from the beginning but it's just a lesson learned, and I'm definitely going to be careful to lean bulk this winter.

Near the start of the cut, I also switched to a 4x a week split for upper lower.

Upper consists of: 2 chest variations, 2 back variations, 1-2 shoulder exercises, 1-2 arm exercises, abs

Lower consists of: Squats + Deadlifts (Alternating which one I do first), leg press, RDLs, calf raise, and abs

I do 3-4 sets of each exercise, always trying to add more weight/reps than last time.

1 RM: Bench (definitely my worst): 185, Deadlift: 335, Squat: 275

Happy to take suggestions for how I could improve or tips you have for lean bulking!

Three months (so what the heck do I know?) on an Upper Lower split designed by my now-deceased beefcake lifelong lifting boyfriend. (RIP).

Had one other period of 6 months of lifting 2 years ago while dating said boyfriend before he checked out early. Teaching me to lift is the biggest gift he gave me. I believe I made strength gains much more rapidly this time.

History of anorexia, so eating is often a battle, including aggressive gagging. If I can do it so can you.

FULL WEIGHT HISTORY:

2014 - 98lbs. 2017 - 112lbs. 2021 anorexia rehab - 135lbs (higher bf). Lifted weights June-Dec 2024 - 144lbs (new muscle under bf). July 2026 - 125lbs (unintentional weight loss/anorexia relapse, returned to weightlifting to assist recovery). Oct 2026 - 132lbs. I gained 5 lbs right away transitioning off a low-carb and low calorie diet to a moderate carb and high calorie diet. So I've "really" only gained about 2lbs I guess.

I lift 3x/week and hit ULUL every 8-9 days.

Started on a bulk then decided to switch target to recomp or very slight surplus to help get rid of belly fat, and avoid having to do any kind of prolonged or steep cut, due to potential for triggering an anorexia relapse. I am much happier not on a big bulking diet but here were a couple tricks I picked up that first month in a high surplus:

FOOD:

If you're struggling with volume of food: it helps when your carbs can provide some protein too: wheat pasta has 7g protein/1 cup cooked serving. Lentils have 10g in just 1/2 cup cooked. Hit two macros at once, same volume of food.

To hit more calories: add 1-2tbsp of olive oil or avocado oil to everything you eat. If you are eating 4 meals a day, that's another 480-960 calories. If you also add it to your shakes, that's even more. DON'T DRINK IT.

I only did this at the beginning making the jump from 1300-1500 cals/day up to 2500-2900, as my stomach got used to a higher volume of food.

I also used this on days of high stress (nervous stomach), "too busy to eat," or when my anorexia thoughts cropped up.

Also make and use dips and sauces liberally for additional calories. Especially mayo or sour cream based sauces. Homemade ranch is off the charts delicious.

Not proud that I lean heavily on nutritional and protein shakes due to the constant anorexia battle. The nutrition source priority list goes: whole unprocessed foods > processed foods > shakes > nothing.

Bare minimum protein is 90g/day (as in I won't let myself go to bed without hitting 90). Goal is 120g and I typically hit it.

CHEAT CODE/GAME CHANGER:

One huge mentality switch for me flipped this time:

Treat gaining muscle like it is your job. You are paid in gains. You don't have to like your job whatsoever, but if you want to be paid in the form of putting on muscle, then you have to go to work. "Work" includes rest, nutrition, and the actual lifting. If you don't do all three of your essential job duties well, don't expect any raises, and you might even stop getting paid at all.

You want to gain it? Congratulations you've just been hired at your second job. Treat it like work, and your gains like a paycheck. Even on days you do not want to go to work, you still go, because it's your job. Don't want to eat more protein? Too bad, it's your job. Don't want to go to the gym? Too bad, it's the job you hired yourself to do.

If you wouldn't come up with excuses every day or every week at your normal job to get out of doing work, then why would you make excuses to slack on your gains job if you want to get paid in muscle?

This mentality switch released me from the burden of chasing motivation, and even the dream of simply being disciplined. If I want to get paid, I gotta go to work. Simple as that.

BLOOD WORK: At the beginning of this period of lifting I had a full battery of wellness tests including hormones and found out that my testosterone levels for a woman are out of range of normal on the high end. The timing of this data point has done wonders for my motivation: I know that it should be easier/more rapid for me to gain muscle compared to less androgynous women. I feel like I have a privilege, so I both have no excuses and also owe it to myself to capitalize on my privelege. I don't know why but this mentally makes me even more committed.

BEST LIFT PROGRESSIONS (don't laugh!):

RDLs: 30lbs >>> 75lbs

Pullups: 1 set of 4 reps of 6-second negatives >>> 3 full pullups

Squats: Body weight >>> 75lbs

Pushups: incline at waist height >>> 4 real pushups

BSS: couldn't complete full sets at bodyweight >>> 36lbs

GOALS:

1. Lasting lifestyle change; I want to be on this journey for years, not months.

2. Improve cardio fitness to support lifting (currently do none).

3. Improve ab muscle growth (I currently do very little dedicated core work).

4. Reduce alcohol consumption as I can tell it interferes with both performance and recovery.

5. Eventually I want to be strong enough to pull/drag or even carry an unconscious adult out of a burning building or car because I am the type of person who would do that and currently my strength cannot support my personality.

6. Job-based physical fitness tests (I work adjacent to one of these types of fields as support staff and the guys would be so stoked for me).

PICS:

Side pic is no flexing at all just standing relaxed. Pump pic comparison is immediately after doing bicep accessory lifts. My arms still look completely normal and flat when hanging at my sides. I call it concealed carry.

These days 80% of what I'm eating is smoothie (peanut butter+banana+protein powder+water), chicken. (Legs or breast), sandwich (bread+cheese+some greenery, carrot etc). I'm trying to reach 4400 calorie per day, on enrage I reach 4000:/ and still i have to use bathroom often, I'm farting much more often. Plus my sleep is getting interrupted with pee. So when I'm gonna eatz when I'm gonna drink etc to solve these prooblems?

edit: I don't have any allergies

Edit: 30m, 189, 94 kg. Goal is 107 kg. in my work I do 10k+steps every weekday+ going to gym 5 times a week

I’ve been lifting 6 days a week for 3 months now but started eating more and pushing heavier weight for a solid month. Tracking calories and workouts and eating 3,200 calories and 190 protein daily I’ve been able to hit my goal weight of 180 after maintaining 170 without diet and exercise.
I want to push for 190 within next 6 months. I’m really happy with the progress so far though. I’ve always been skinny and all it took was eating more like everyone’s said to do.

What have been your victories this week? Have you made good progress? Set a new lift PR? Enacted a new habit that is helping you greatly? Post it here!