Bodyweight

[Mmll]

Hi Rip. Im 33, 6'3, and have some questions about weight.

I went to the gym on and off for a couple of years starting 2018, but have been going consistently and doing SS for 6 months now. My lifts are continuing to increase, but my weight gain has barely changed for months now...

You should see how much I eat...Ive been eating myself stupid for 2 years now, constantly force feeding myself...and my body just doesnt seem to get over 225 lbs. Its been stagnant for months.

I weigh myself a few times daily. I generally wake up at about 220-221 lbs, and before i go to sleep im generally about 224-225 lbs. Same thing every day, force feeding myself all day. Ill take a piss once or twice during the night, wake up after a good 8.5 to 9 hour sleep, and then im back to where i started at 220-221. The cycle just keeps repeating itself.

AND...this is only when im eating way more than i want to. As soon as i have a day where i eat like a normal person (eg 3 meals and a couple of snacks in between) my weight starts dropping quickly, back to about 218.

When I started lifting in August 2018, I was 166 lbs, weak, and gaunt. I have bad genes and am naturally weak. So i am proud of myself to have made massive strength gains and to have got to 221 lbs. But I have 3 questions:

1. Are some people just unlikely to ever get big/solid looking? I want to get to 250 lbs...at 6'3 i think this is a good weight to aim for. But my body just seems to have reached a weight limit. I dont look thin anymore, but at 221 lbs at 6'3, i still wouldnt say i look solid.

2. Should I just stop caring about my weight if my lifts are going up? I want to keep getting stronger, and you often say gaining weight helps this process. So i want to gain weight for this reason (as well as to look better).

3. It seems i can only stay at around 221 if i eat ridiculous amounts of food every day, and as soon as i eat normally the weight drops. Am i going to have to eat like this for the rest of my life if i want to remain strong and maintain the bodyweight? Because this isnt sustainable...i cant see myself force feeding myself like this into my 40s 50s and 60s. Ive heard you talk about GOMAD as something you do for a few months initially to gain weight but not long term...well i was hoping the force feeding myself thing would be something similar, in that once the weight is gained, i dont need to keep eating the same amounts of food to maintain it. Or is this not how it works?

Thanks a lot.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Somehow, you have omitted your training information.

[Mmll]

Sorry. Most recent bench press was 3 sets of 5 at 105 kg. Press 3 sets of 5 at 63.5kg. Squat 3 sets of 5 at 125kg. Deadlift - i can do 2 or 3 double overhand at 160 kg. The most ive lifted so far with mixed grip is 170kg.

[Bbinck1]

Why the hell can’t I have this problem? I was skinny and weak for almost my entire life but man I can eat sensibly and gain body weight like it’s nothing. And the lifts never seem to go up as fast as my bodyweight does lol

[Mark Rippetoe]

You are 6'3" and 220, and you're squatting 275. You are still a novice and you have not done the program.