Burned

I was hoping to have some pictures for this week, but in going to the amusement and water park this past week, I got myself a nasty sunburn that makes me look silly. It's starting to peel already though, which is a good thing.

It was nice to take a little vacation like that. Going to the water park was an interesting thing, as well. It was the first time I had been shirtless in public in quite some time--probably the last time was about 40 pounds ago. I was a little self-conscious at first, but my boyfriend certainly liked it. Also, it helped that it was an Ohio water park, so there were plenty of other hefty guys walking about to make me look normal.

I'm not sure why I felt so self conscious. It's been happening off and on lately. I think it's because I haven't been going to the gym lately. My love handles are getting wider than my back, and that's a good sign I'm letting my fat get ahead of my muscle. Unfortunately, I'm running out of time at my university's gym, I'm going to have to start looking for another gym in town. Considering I don't have a job, it'll be hard to pay for one.

I'll get a picture post up next week after I'm done shedding my sunburn. Is there anything you guys would like to see?

Making Up for Lost Pounds

Unlike most people I know, when I get stressed out I actually eat less. I get too focused on whatever I'm working on( say, studying for finals) and I simply forget to eat. So, instead of gaining in my last weeks of college, I ended up losing about fifteen pounds on accident. Although I don't think you could notice if you looked at me. I do honestly feel the same size--if not bigger.

Nevertheless, my first priority is to regain that weight. I'm going to try to find things that I love to snack on and keep a good stock of those things. So far it has helped as I've at least gained five of those pounds back. This is perhaps aided by how sedentary I've been lately.

After graduation, I got a new computer for a graduation present, so most of my time has been spent in front of my shiny new monitor. It doesn't help that both of us here have been sick for a while, though. I've been neglecting the gym and other hobbies, but I feel I deserve a little break from my responsibilities.

I've got no job and no school to worry about, so I'm going to make this summer a summer of weight gain!

College

Boy, college was certainly good to me. I can't believe it's already been four years. So much has changed since I started but it feels now like it was only yesterday.

When I was feeling all nostalgic, I remembered the pictures my parents had taken of me when they moved me into my first dorm room. Sifting through all my old emails from my mother (and believe me, there are a LOT of them) I managed to find them. I couldn't believe how different I looked--almost like a completely different person. Back in those pictures, I was so nervous about everything, and very self-conscious. When I see them I can feel all that emotion again.

Still, it's amazing to see how far I've come. Two years of working out boosted my self-confidence and another two years of gaining made me actually proud of my body. You can see it in my progress pictures. As the pounds came on, the more I smiled, the more I looked at the camera... So, as a little tribute I attempted to recreate those poses in my apartment to compare. I would have tried to wear the same clothes, but I remember donating them last year. At any rate, there'd be no way to even fit those red shorts on anyway.

I encourage anyone out there who is gaining or thinking of gaining to take as many pictures as possible. Even if you hate how you look in pictures like I did back then, you'll be glad you have them one day. As for me, who knows where I will be in another four years? Better get started, then!

Final Finals

Goodness, this month is going to be crazy. Last week I had a trio of midterm exams to start off my final month of my final semester. So, unfortunately there's not much else on my mind. At the same time though, everyone seems to want me to think about other things. Graduation invites, celebrations... I really just don't have the time.

This poor blog hasn't gotten the attention I wanted to give it lately because of school. But, the idea of finally graduating and having a ton of time to do anything I want is very appealing. So, I suppose you'll just to have bear with me until then. I'll have plenty of things to report once I finally get this over with. Not just your your sake, but for mine as well. It's time to get that scale moving again!

5 Tips for Gaining

Even though I haven't been too successful in putting on weight lately, I have acquired some things that have worked for me in the past, as well as lessons I've learned that I can warn you new gainers out there of. So, I put together this little list of tips and tricks.

1. Don't worry about eating huge meals.

One of the things I focused too much on when I was first starting out was being able to eat large meals in single sittings. While that certainly helps when you begin to need more calories to maintain your weight, when you first begin to gain it is not a crucial.

Instead, focus on consistently eating. Between your meals, try to snack on anything you can. Keep something in sight so you remember to do so. I grew up only eating when I needed to, so I often forgot to eat at all. So, to get around that, or to get yourself into the habit of snacking, set up timers or get someone to remind you every two hours to get anything to eat. Remember, it takes just two weeks to make a habit of something.


2. Go on an Anti-Diet

A good way of thinking about what you need to eat is looking at what other people avoid when they're losing weight. Do the opposite of Atkins and load up on carbohydrates. Do the opposite of what breakfast food companies suggest and skip breakfast (the point being, by the time you get to lunch you'll be so hungry that you'll unintentionally overeat).

One good thing that diets suggest that is good for gainers is to keep track of your intake. Just calculate how many base calories you burn in a day (which depends on your weight) and any amount you consume after that amount goes toward your new weight. Since it takes 3500 extra calories to gain one pound, try to spread that amount over however many days you wish you gain that pound.

3. Protect your skin

I know that some of you guys like stretchmarks, but for those of us that don't, you can attempt to prevent them in several ways. You can use specialty lotion designed for pregnant women which cocoa or shea butter. I myself had a pretty severe allergic reaction to that stuff, so I stuck with vitamin E lotion. Be sure to apply it daily, particularly before a day when you plan to eat big. Also, to answer a question someone brought up, for the most part, stretch marks do not go away unless you lose that weight again--and even then they would just come back if you gained it back. However, for the majority of guys I know, they do get less pronounced and red as time goes on.

There are other problems that start to show up as you get bigger. When your thighs get to the point that they rub together when you walk, be sure to be proactive in preventing callousing. I've seen a lot of big guys whose skin looks well maintain, but when you see between their thighs or under their arms, their skin is very brown, rough and hard. It's generally an enormous turnoff, because it's a sign that you're not taking care of your body. Plus, it's extremely uncomfortable! So, be sure to use baby powder or wear boxer briefs. Just take a look at how worn my pair got after a few months!


4. Go to the gym

I'm not saying you should do any cardio, but lifting weights will do nothing but help you. Spend plenty of time working on your legs and lower back to help carry your future weight. In addition, working your upper body will only make you look bigger. The awesome thing is, because you're consuming so many calories and protien, your muscles will be fueled better and faster than most men there! Think of it as a permanent bulking phase.

And don't worry about burning too many calories. Lifting weights really don't burn that much at all. By the time you get home and have a sandwich, you'll have gained back what you lost. But, just like weight lifters, be sure to have a protien-packed, large meal right away.


5. Be patient!

The people who generally want to gain weight are those who can't do it very easily. As such, you can't be impatient when it comes to results. Even if you don't see any, keep trying. You'll run into similar plateaus down the road where the same mentality applies. Sometimes all it takes is trying something new. For me, it was going to the gym for a year.

If all else fails, try again later down the road. I attempted to gain in high school only to see absolutely zero results. It was immensely frustrating and I did give up, but a true gainer can't resist their desire to be bigger. Even if it takes waiting a year to let your metabolism slow down, you'll get there. Just keep trying!

Lazy Lazy

I don't have much to report this week either, really. Spring Break ends tomorrow and boy, I haven't done anything this week. The vast majority of my time was spent sleeping or playing video games. I haven't eaten a whole lot, but I sure have been pretty sedentary. It was a shame I didn't get to go on my cruise, but my parents have offered to buy me a pair of cruise tickets for a graduation present, and it's very tempting.

I don't know how this has affected my weight yet. I've decided not to weigh myself for a while. It's made me a little less concerned about putting on weight as fast as possible, and I like that. Who knows how long that will last though, hah.

More exciting post next week, I promise.

Spring Break

Oh dear, is it Sunday already? I've sort of lost track of time, as my final spring break ever started on Thursday. Unfortunately on that same day, I also had more work done on my toes (hopefully for the last time) so it got off to a pretty uncomfortable start. We're not going anywhere this time either, as the cruise plans fell through, so I'm pretty much just going to spend this week being pretty sedentary. Not that I mind.

I found out I got my first impersonator the other day (thank you for the tip, anon). I'm a little flattered that I've been deemed attractive enough to impersonate, unlike the collegehumor incident where the guy was just in it for the money. Usually it's guys like bigbryan or huge superchubs who get the impostors. I'm starting to get a tad annoyed that he seems to be ignoring my request to take the profile down, though. I'm not saying you should harass him about it, but I'll just leave the link to the profile here (Well, that was fast! Thanks guys). He even cataloged all the pictures I've posted on this blog. I suppose that's the risk you run by having so much content up in public view. Still, it's interesting that there are so many impersonators in this community. You'd think that impersonating a fat man would be something that wouldn't be so common, given the stigma they have in most situations.

But yes, my name is not Jim and I'm not from New York. For those of you who don't know, my name is Pete, and I hate myspace.