Ok, so I've always been thin. I was probably borderline underweight as a child, and then struggled with body image and eating disorders as a teen. Everyone on both sides of my family seem to struggle with chicken legs (unfortunately, that's where I most want to gain). I've heard soooo many people talk about how quickly and easily they gained weight on T, so when I started, I was excited to see what would happen (especially after I got top surgery, and knew I wouldn't gain in the chest).

I've been on T 10 months now. About 6 months on the starting dose, a month off for my top surgery, and 3 months on the higher dose. After switching to the higher dose, I did manage to gain about 2 pounds somehow. I think that was back when I was able to workout more often (with my job and health problems, it's difficult). Other than that, however, I've had the hardest time gaining anything. For reference, I'm a little over 5'4" and weight maybe 118lbs if I'm lucky.

A little over a month ago, I started using Ensure Plus, twice a day, and semi-tracking calories to make sure I'm hitting some kind of surplus. Unfortunately, despite the fact that they say it's "Suitable for Lactose Intolerance", that is a flat-out lie, and I was constantly in the bathroom. :/ I realized that Lunchables have about the same nutritional facts, so since then, I've replaced the shakes with those (even with the cheese in the Lunchables, I still suffer almost no issues, unlike the weight gain shakes). In the past month or so of doing that, I've MAYBE gained a pound or so (assuming my scale is right, which, it usually isn't).

Even before trying on my own to gain weight, I would go through periods where I would eat very fatty, unhealthy meals often (like cheesesteaks that are over 1000 calories for just one of my daily meals). No matter what, it wasn't helping me gain. I do have stomach issues, and sometimes it's hard for me to be able to eat, making things even more difficult. I watch the people around me eating the same way I do, gaining and losing left and right (depending on our eating habits), but I can't seem to get my body to change.

Is there anyone else out there suffering from the same problem??? I've only seen guys who are able to gain or lose easily on T, but I've yet to hear people complain about stagnating. I'm not trying to become fat or anything, but I can't help but feel I'm losing out on a lot of development from T without being able to gain anything.

Please don't tell me I'm "lucky" for not gaining a bunch of weight from T; I've spent a lot of money that I barely even have trying to make sure I get extra calories in the past month. I've struggled with trying to gain weight for years, and am losing more and more hope now realizing that T is not helping me get there.

Have you seen a professional about it? Maybe there's a chance you've calculated your caloric intake wrong, or perhaps there's an underlying condition that isn't letting you gain despite a caloric surplus.

I can reply a bit more in depth later, but I want you to check out the Fairlife brand of milk. Their filtration process increases the protein, reduces the sugar and removes the lactose. I have a few friends that are lactose intolerant that drink it without an issue.
I, myself, drink it for the protein boost and the way it blends with my protein shakes. I've never been a hard gainer (pre-T, I was honestly getting to the point where I was the opposite direction in that I was starting to put on pure fat
really easily) but milk is a good addition if you're looking to gain.

http://fairlife.com/our-products/whole/

Check out some of the stats.

And dude, I feel for you. People, especially those prone to weight gain, are always on the 'YOU SHOULD BE LUCKY YOU'RE SO SKINNY LOL' train. It hardcore sucks both ways. Anyway, I have to take my fiancée to an appointment, but I'll ask a couple of my hard gainer friends and see what they come up with.

Quote from: Muscle Matt on September 07, 2016, 09:15:55 AM
A little over a month ago, I started using Ensure Plus, twice a day, and semi-tracking calories to make sure I'm hitting some kind of surplus. Unfortunately, despite the fact that they say it's "Suitable for Lactose Intolerance", that is a flat-out lie, and I was constantly in the bathroom. :/

I don't know if you know this but Lactose Intolerance is cause by the lack of an enzyme in your digestive system. The drug stores sell tablets that contain the enzyme and can be taken or used to treat food that would give you difficulty. Ask at the counter for it but I have seen it in the racks with the supplements.

If you don't have a nut allergy...

There is a cure!

PEANUT BUTTER.

There does not exist a body metabolism that can exceed the amount of calories you can consume via peanut butter. Don't do whole nuts, or crunchy butters as you might lack the gut bacteria that help get calories out of hard things like that.

Yeah kind of.

I make smoothies, you can replace yoghurt with whatever other thing that you are not intolerant or allergic to. I usually put fruit in it, avocado, nuts, peanut butter (like rwOnnaDesuKa mentioned), but you can also use veggies, oil, go wild with it. I think it helps to just drink that in between meals.

If you´re skinny to start with, stress (emotional) can make you lose weight. In that case anything to try and de-stress can help increase weight too. I do yoga from time to time, if you´re into that.

Fast food never worked for me, and people who are really about increasing weight and body mass tend to advocate not eating fast food. It actually does not help you gain a healthy weight. Actually eating healthy and balanced will probably help more.

Man, I can so relate to people telling you that you´re lucky because you´re skinny and can´t seem to put on weight. Story of my life. I once managed to get to 70kg, and it felt awesome. I hope I can get there again.

If anything my weight gain has stayed the same or slowed down, having gained ten pounds since I started over a year and a half ago. Do you have any medical conditions by any chance? I know thyroid issues can mess with your weight.

Quote from: Stone Magnum on September 07, 2016, 01:49:18 PM
I can reply a bit more in depth later, but I want you to check out the Fairlife brand of milk. Their filtration process increases the protein, reduces the sugar and removes the lactose. I have a few friends that are lactose intolerant that drink it without an issue.
I, myself, drink it for the protein boost and the way it blends with my protein shakes. I've never been a hard gainer (pre-T, I was honestly getting to the point where I was the opposite direction in that I was starting to put on pure fat
really easily) but milk is a good addition if you're looking to gain.

http://fairlife.com/our-products/whole/

Check out some of the stats.

That's awesome, thank you! I've actually looked at their milk before, but it didn't flat-out say "Lactose-free" (or at least not anywhere that I saw), and it was expensive, so I didn't buy it. I'll have to go back and try it.

I just looked at their site, and it's not technically "lactose-free", but it does contain the lactase enzyme that the body needs to digest lactose, so that's probably why I didn't notice it in the store. Unfortunately, that may mean I might still have issues, but it's worth a try.

Quote from: Dena on September 07, 2016, 04:14:44 PM
I don't know if you know this but Lactose Intolerance is cause by the lack of an enzyme in your digestive system. The drug stores sell tablets that contain the enzyme and can be taken or used to treat food that would give you difficulty. Ask at the counter for it but I have seen it in the racks with the supplements.

I actually used to use Lactaid pills, but they barely helped. I would still suffer symptoms, they just weren't as bad. I didn't bother trying to use them with the weight gain shakes because I know it's not worth the money for my body (it barely helped with regular milk, and the shakes are sooooo much more rough on my body than plain milk).

Maybe I'll check my thyroid. I used to have issues with hypo-thyroidism, but even then, it didn't help me gain weight, it just made it so I couldn't lose weight (when I had boobs and was trying to lose). I have had issues with my bathroom habits for a while now, maybe it's a sign that I've tipped slightly over into hyper-thyroidism.

I'm honestly surprised there's a few guys here also having trouble gaining weight. I've searched the web so many times and can't ever seem to come across guys who complain about this issue. Which is strange, because us skinny guys need to gain weight in order to develop more muscles and a stronger build! I just feel hopeless knowing that working out at the gym will only be able to help me so much if my body doesn't want to gain weight.

Hey, I just wanted to say that I've been having the same issue, sort of...

I've been on T for almost 11 months, and like you I was expecting to gain a bit of weight (muscle or fat, I really didn't care, I just wanted to bulk out), but it hasn't really been the case. Over the past year I've managed to put on 6 pounds, despite trying to increase my calorie intake. I'm currently 10 stone (140 pounds), and my body just seems to stop there, drop back down to 9 and a half stone (134 pounds) and then I work my way back up to 10 stone again. I'm 5' 8" and so I look quite slim for the weight I have, which is frustrating! I have no issues with thyroid or anything like that, I honestly think it's just genetics as the rest of my family are all fairly slim. Could genetics also play a part in the difficulties you're having?

The only thing I can think of doing, as has been recommended to you above, is increasing calorie intake through liquid calories, as it seems to be a bit easier than stuffing as much food in you as often as possible, which I find a bit hard to do. I'm also sorry to hear that your dietary requirements might also be hindering your weight/muscle gain, I quite like oat milk as a substitute as it still contains a fair amount of protein, so don't know if that would be an option for you? (Sorry if I have suggested something which may make you ill, as someone who thankfully has no food/drink trying to maul their insides I am a bit lax at knowing what people can and can't have...)

Anyway, just wanted to let you know you're not alone, and that hopefully in time we will be able to get to the weight we want to!

Quote from: Muscle Matt on September 10, 2016, 12:33:22 PM
That's awesome, thank you! I've actually looked at their milk before, but it didn't flat-out say "Lactose-free" (or at least not anywhere that I saw), and it was expensive, so I didn't buy it. I'll have to go back and try it.

I just looked at their site, and it's not technically "lactose-free", but it does contain the lactase enzyme that the body needs to digest lactose, so that's probably why I didn't notice it in the store. Unfortunately, that may mean I might still have issues, but it's worth a try.

Man, I'm sorry. I probably should've looked a little bit closer before I said anything. My one LI friend drinks it (I found out after he mentioned it one day and I was surprised because, like you, I didn't even initially notice the claim) and reports no issues, but I know LI is one of those things that greatly varies from person to person. I'll cross my fingers that it works for you. Our Wal*Mart (bleh, I know) around here sells it for really cheap, so if you're up for it, see if they carry where you are. They also sell the small single serve ones for a buck and some change; that would definitely be the cheapest way to see if you end up with gut rot.
If it DOES work (and I hope it does because it's got great stats), you could try pairing it with something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Isopure-Protein-Powder-Vanilla-Packaging/dp/B000E95HP0/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1473624937&sr=8-2&keywords=isopure+mass
It's a little pricey but it's both lactose and gluten free. My buddy Nick uses it. Its base stats aren't as great as a mass gainer (which would be ideal in your circumstance) but, when paired with the milk and followed up with a couple spoonfuls of peanut butter, you've got a decent amalgamation. I know some guys that even add neutral tasting oils (coconut/extra light olive oil) to boost up the calories without really compromising the flavor or texture. I'd toy around with amounts but starting with a tablespoon and increasing from there may work to your benefit.

Another good thing to add to your diet if you haven't already is granola. A lot of people use it to try and lose weight under the assumption it's healthy and low-cal, but... it's pretty caloric. One cup depending on the brand can be 500 calories. It's pretty versatile in the sense that you can consume it dry while snacking, eat it with LF milk or dump it into a protein shake and blend the hell out of it.
Otherwise, eggs, nuts (macadamia nuts, peanuts and hazelnuts in particular) and seeds are relatively cheap and pack a good caloric punch.

I also know that going to the gym or starting a workout regimen at this point might feel discouraging. Try some of the stuff above if possible for a month or so and then maybe consider just biting the bullet.
It may be the kickstart you need to start making gains, even if they're modest at first. Just stick to weight lifting (low reps and higher weights) and avoid cardio.
You can pack on weight (provided, of course, that your thyroid is sound and whatnot) and break through that ceiling, you just have to shake things up a little.

All I can say is... eat, eat, eat and lift, lift, lift.