Gaining weight

[knorm]

You know I can't believe how much people worry about gaining weight. As a nation, we are the fattest but seem to be obsessed with our weight. I don't mind gaining 20 lbs if it adds 100 lbs to my squat because I know that if I maintain that weight and continue to train hard (and not eating shit as well as getting enough protein) it will even out as my body recomposes itself and I lean out. It sounds to me like it's the complaints of the weak whom have such a low self esteem that they can't envision themselves any other way. Thoughts?

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

A lot of what you said is very accurate, although I'd couch that with the fact that a lot of people start SS and training programs, in general, a little fatter than they ought to be. The program and the dietary recommendations are pretty simple for SS, if you're emaciated, skinny, etc. then you need to gain weight. You have come to be this way, i.e. skinny, because your dietary habits and stimulus to grow have not been adequate to support a larger, stronger human. Therefore, you must eat, grow, and get strong. You don't have to get fat to do this, and I'd argue that if you do get fat you're doing it wrong. However, if along the way you do it's not really a big deal unless the fat gain messes with your head enough to make you stop doing the program. I don't see fat and strong being inclusive with one another...

On the flip side, if you're significantly overweight and starting training then the stimulus to grow big and strong is there but you do not require a very big influx of calories to allow this to happen. Instead, you can sustain strength gains for a good bit of time and recomp if you start to pay attention to your diet, which didn't happen previously.

[afatgoat]

You know I can't believe how much people worry about gaining weight. As a nation, we are the fattest but seem to be obsessed with our weight. I don't mind gaining 20 lbs if it adds 100 lbs to my squat because I know that if I maintain that weight and continue to train hard (and not eating shit as well as getting enough protein) it will even out as my body recomposes itself and I lean out. It sounds to me like it's the complaints of the weak whom have such a low self esteem that they can't envision themselves any other way. Thoughts?

On the flipside, don't sit there as a 160 pound skinny jean wearing bicep curler implying i'm a fat hairy sack of shit because I have shoulder hair and a conspicuous lack of beach abs.

[strideknight]

As a nation, we are the fattest but seem to be obsessed with our weight ... It sounds to me like it's the complaints of the weak whom have such a low self esteem that they can't envision themselves any other way.

Well, you have the right idea right there, which is that as a society we're over the top with our obsession on weight. But then you apply the societal norms to the microcosm, and that's where I think you're going astray. All day long people are inundated with propaganda and advertising, from their trusted sources too: Doctors, parents, teachers, etc. So I guess my counter argument is that people aren't just weak or low self esteem (although that may be true), but that people are sheeple and being led by fear mongering. As usual.

In our own little corner of the world, here on the forums, I think you just see a lot of complaining about putting weight on because you get a fair number of people who are 1) New to real exercise, so don't get that putting on weight isn't counterproductive. Or 2) Coming from a BB background and trying to increase strength. 3) Also sheeple.

On the flip side, if you're significantly overweight and starting training then the stimulus to grow big and strong is there but you do not require a very big influx of calories to allow this to happen. Instead, you can sustain strength gains for a good bit of time and recomp if you start to pay attention to your diet, which didn't happen previously.

True story. Anecdotally, I literally just measured/weighed and I lost 2 inches off my waist but gained 12lbs (only 3.6%BW) this month, while still getting LP in month 5.

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

i'm a fat hairy sack of shit because I have shoulder hair and a conspicuous lack of beach abs

I legit lol'ed.

Doctors, parents, teachers, etc. So I guess my counter argument is that people aren't just weak or low self esteem (although that may be true), but that people are sheeple and being led by fear mongering. As usual.

Aka people who don't know what they're talking about, yet are in a position of power.

[quikky]

Beauty is defined by society, for most. Our society says a man has a beautiful body if he has abs, biceps, and chest. I mean really, when was the last time you heard someone say "look at the hamstrings on that guy"? Many young men care about how they look. Since losing abs, or just gaining more fluff around the stomach is in contrast with what beauty is, they don't want to do what's necessary for strength. Realistically, not many really want the strength to begin with. I mean sure, if you gave them a strength pill, they'd take it, and they like the idea of being strong, but they don't want it enough. So you have a combination of becoming "less beautiful" and doing something they want without the real effort and you have high failure rates.

I introduced a guy, fully grown man mind you, to Starting Strength that was ~130lb (granted he was quite short). He gained 12lb, decided he was too fat and switched over to doing aerobic workouts exclusively. His diet consisted of a lot of fast food, in fact I think the only things he is used to digesting are pizza, fries, burgers, soda, pop corn, and sweet treats. Of course all advice I gave him fell on deaf ears. The only thing he did was order larger burgers, and he started drinking a few glasses of milk a day. I think he liked the idea of strength, but when he was faced with the actual required lifestyle changes and effort, he decided to quit.

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

The human mind and psyche is fascinating sometimes.

[sbhikes]

You know I can't believe how much people worry about gaining weight. As a nation, we are the fattest but seem to be obsessed with our weight. I don't mind gaining 20 lbs if it adds 100 lbs to my squat because I know that if I maintain that weight and continue to train hard (and not eating shit as well as getting enough protein) it will even out as my body recomposes itself and I lean out. It sounds to me like it's the complaints of the weak whom have such a low self esteem that they can't envision themselves any other way. Thoughts?

This has been a hard one for me to come to terms with. I'm a woman. I don't want to get fatter but I want to get strong. Nobody will ever see my success at lifting if they see a fat lady with bingo wings and muffin top. Fortunately, I can stay at my current fatness and make strength gains okay so long as I eat so much frickin' chicken breast it makes me sad.

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

I don't want to get fatter but I want to get strong. Nobody will ever see my success at lifting if they see a fat lady with bingo wings and muffin top.

This is an unfortunate facet of female weightlifting and powerlifting. At any rate, there is no need to get fat to get strong as I've alluded to elsewhere (not that I'm implying you think that). I feel as though people put strength and fat together on one end of the continuum and weak and lean on the other side of the spectrum, which is too black and white for how this all really shakes out. If you want to get stronger and get leaner/not get fat, your programming must reflect that you will most likely not have a crazy caloric surplus to draw from. With proper programming and intelligent nutritional strategies, it's possible to gain a lot of strength without getting fat/gaining weight. On the other hand, if someone has better leverages at a higher body weight then ultimately he or she should move up there to be their strongest, if that's what they desire.

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

Call me dense, but I don't get it.