Sport Help me prove my friend wrong

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Easton

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My friend and I have been arguing about this on and off for the last few years. He's a tall, lanky 22-year old guy at 6'2" and currently at 155 lbs. He's had a lot of trouble putting on weight in general but especially around his legs and thighs. But the main mystery between the both of us is how he's unable to put on any weight.

The argument here is that he feels he can eat anything as long as it contains protein to boost his weight. Not that he'll dine at fast food restaurants and down
Whoppers all day long, but his meals include fried chicken, frozen pizza, oven-toasted french fries, and burgers. Occasionally, he'll stop over his family's place and join them for dinner (much healthier from what I've seen), but for the most part what I just listed is what he diet consists of.

So for one thing his diet is crap, overloaded with carbs and fat, the other thing is he rarely eats any fruits and vegetables. I don't have any facts to back it up but I've always believed a balanced diet with fruits and vegetables can be a great benefit to weight training and possibly even gaining weight.

Could you give me some facts to better convince my friend?
 
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Who needs facts...Obviously what he is doing is not working. Shouldnt that be fact enough.
 
Dunno about winning your argument now, but based on a lot of guys I know, something tells me that if you re-visit your argument in 20 years, you'll find that your 6'2 friend will have had no problem putting on 40-50 lbs with the "diet" he is following. Can't say that it'll do much for his leg definition, though.
 
I know people like your friend.. they claim their fast metabolism prevents them from gaining any weight.

Those people just don't understand how to eat!
 
What about his negligence for fruits and vegetables? Basically, how would it aid him in his weight gain?
 
I don't think fruits and veggies would really aid him in his weight gain.

He just needs to eat more.. if he kept eating his fast food type of diet though, I think he would gain mostly fat off of it.

He should get a cleaner diet (veggies and fruits could certainly be added), and just eat like a man! heh. Really though.
 
What is your friend's overall lifestyle like - i.e does he have an active lifestyle, does he participate in sports etc. etc. ? Does he eat 6 or 7 meals a day or only 3 meals a day ?

Could be his ' maintenance level ' of calories is high enough such that his present diet seldom puts him in a consistent and sustained calorie surplus.

If he is in a sustained calorie surplus above and beyond what his body requires for BMR, lifestyle , training etc. he'll gain weight - mostly fat.
 
He doesn't play any sports but he does spend about an hour a half in the gym daily, one day for arms and upper body the next for legs and abs. The guy doesn't do any cardio which is something I've been preaching to him. Other than the gym, he leads a pretty active lifestyle going to classes and spending a lot of time on his feet (he works at Starbucks).
 
Easton said:
He doesn't play any sports but he does spend about an hour a half in the gym daily, one day for arms and upper body the next for legs and abs. The guy doesn't do any cardio which is something I've been preaching to him. Other than the gym, he leads a pretty active lifestyle going to classes and spending a lot of time on his feet (he works at Starbucks).
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Thanks.

Well, based on that info, I'd guess that the reason he isn't gaining any fat / weight is simply because he isn't taking in enough calories ( to create a calorie surplus ) to cause him to gain weight.
 
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Wrangell said:
Thanks.

Well, based on that info, I'd guess that he isn't gaining any fat / weight simply because he isn't taking in enough calories ( to create a calorie surplus ) to cause him to gain weight.
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exactly... and what perfect conditions for a bulk! He's missing out on some awesome gains... he just has to learn how to eat!
 
Like others have pointed out he's just not eating enough, junk or not. I have a boyfriend who says the same thing "It doesn't matter what I eat, I always stay the same weight"...It's just not true. I've seen what he thinks is a lot of food in one day and it's not that much. Besides the next day he'll end up eating less. It's all about consistency.
 
Easton said:
He doesn't play any sports but he does spend about an hour a half in the gym daily, one day for arms and upper body the next for legs and abs. The guy doesn't do any cardio which is something I've been preaching to him. Other than the gym, he leads a pretty active lifestyle going to classes and spending a lot of time on his feet (he works at Starbucks).
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If his goal is to gain weight (particularly muscle), why would you recommend more cardio to him?

He should be eating more, eating healthier, and, of course, lifting HEAVIER.
 
you do need carbs to grow. carbs are the body's primary energy source, so you need to meet the body's energy needs first, so excess calories (from protein) can be used to re-build muscles larger.

of course, if your training routine sucks, you're not gonna grow either. or if the program is stagnent and needs an overhaul to incite growth.
 
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