T Nation

Dealing with Life and Trying to Eat/Workout!

Beginners
#1

Hey guys, noobie here. I’ve kept up with this site for a while but haven’t really posted as I didn’t think it was necessary. Everything I wanted to find out had already been asked by someone else. Well, I wasn’t sure where to post this but I figure beginner is the best place.

I have always thought of myself, not as a hard gainer because I know I just don’t eat enough, but as someone who well… Just doesn’t eat enough :wink:

Anyway, recently my girlfriend (and someone who I believed I would marry) broke up with me after 6 years. Since then, it has been even harder for me to eat, workout, or really do anything. Of course I know it’s just time that will lead to me getting over it, but time is really of the essence right now. I will hopefully be investment banking soon and will not have the same time I do now.

I am 23 years old, 6’0", and 140lbs. If you would have asked me 3 weeks ago I would have been 152lbs, still not good but much better. The problem for me is that my appetite just isn’t there and I don’t know how to increase it. I would really appreciate any advice or vitamins which may help to increase an appetite, if any actually exist.

Thanks a lot.

#2

You just have to teach yourself to eat. Don’t try to down 8000 cals right away, work up to it (well, probably not 8k). Just increase by 500 or so each week. Start somewhere doable, then go from there.

You can also get a lot of calories in you with small, calorie dense foods: nuts, natty PB, olive oil, etc.

2 tbsp of natty PB is 200 cals, and it’s like desert. Awesome.

#3

[quote]amenasch wrote:

I am 23 years old, 6’0", and 140lbs. If you would have asked me 3 weeks ago I would have been 152lbs, still not good but much better.

The problem for me is that my appetite just isn’t there and I don’t know how to increase it. I would really appreciate any advice or vitamins which may help to increase an appetite, if any actually exist.

Thanks a lot.[/quote]

Train harder ~ Toss in weight gainer protein. Eat food that actually tastes good? Learn to shovel food rapidly into your mouth while inhaling at the same time.
Eggs ~ easy to eat and packed with cals.

Learn to love cheese ? o.O Drink Milk instead of Water.

#4

convert that self-pity into rage

use that rage when squatting and deadlifting

and I’ll add to what Kinein said about the milk…make it whole milk

#5

Sorry about your loss, we all go through it at one time or another. One thing to keep in mind is that time literally heals all wounds.

Use activity as a distraction… any kind of activity. The reality is that the more intensity you put into activity (weight lifting, running, whatever) the easier - at least for me - the mental and emotional stress is to deal with it.

Force yourself to lift, and take small steps toward eating more frequently. Once the focus is off of “her” and onto you, you’ll start realizing the benefit of eating A LOT more than you do now.

Just takes time, bro.

#6

You should get a cat. They rub up against you a purr and will curl up and sleep with you at night. It’ll be make you feel so loved.

Good news is there are tons and tons of investment bankers losing their jobs everyday in this financial crisis. You’ll have plenty of time to workout.

#7

Drown your sorrows in food.

Thats what fat people do and they are pretty successful at it.

#8

[quote]LiamBrady wrote:
You should get a cat. They rub up against you a purr and will curl up and sleep with you at night. It’ll be make you feel so loved.

Good news is there are tons and tons of investment bankers losing their jobs everyday in this financial crisis. You’ll have plenty of time to workout.[/quote]

ROFL

As for the op. What the hell do you think you are “special” ? Need someone to encourage you and say “YOU CAN DO IT BILLY”. Alot of people are in the same position as you and some with more real life problems.

If things are going rough for me I might take a week or two off and eat a little lighter (still eating a nice amount though. You know what though, I get my head straight. I get back at it just as hard as when I started.

For instance I work as a stock boy at a retail store to get me through school. I move 25 to 50 lb boxes 5-6 days a week. I burn about 3,600 calories in a 8-9 hr shift, around 300-400 cals during a workout and a little more here and there. So I burn around 5,000 cals a day, which means I have to consume over 5,500 to 6,000 calories a day to gain. I made a plan on how to get my calories, I didn’t make a thread saying “Dealing with Life and Trying to Eat/Workout!”

Without struggle there is no progress.

#9

Exercise combats depression, especially mild depression which you are showing symptoms of. As for the issues with eating enough; you can try upping your weighttraining, that will not only help you feel better but may stimulate your appetite. If that doesn’t work, just try and “force feed” yourself some shakes. Something like
two scoops Metabolic Drive choc
2tb evoo
4tb nat pb

That is ~800kcals in a glass and a half.

To quote one of the authors, maybe Shugart, “Food is fuel” Treat it as such.