Some of you might have noticed, I recently started a twitter tied to this blog. Just like how I believe that this is the first gainer & encourager related blog to be started, I think this is also one of the first gainer and encourager related twitters. So follow me! It's a simple way to remain up to date on blog updates here, and little encouraging tips that don't warrant a full blog post on their own. Plus, how cool would it be to get a gainer oriented bunch of twitters? If you don't already have an account, make one of your own, and then follow me lol
Another development you guys might or might not be aware of is the introduction of BeefyFrat Mobile Beta, or iFrat as Matt Hess has dubbed it.
It's still in beta development, but, it looks like it has a lot of potential. You'll be able to easily update your status, see recently updated profiles, chat with people on your frat brothers list, and generally bebop around the site on your iPhone, iPod touch, or crackberry. Check it out on your phone at m.beefyfrat.com.
Now, I'm sure a bunch of you have already seen his blog already, but in case you hadn't found it on your own, I wanted to point out ExJock's blog, Tease | Bully | Praise | Worship.
He's really hot, used to be really ripped, and now just eats what he wants, and totally gets off on it. Oh, and he's a huge exhibitionist. What more could you ask for? His blog is awesome cause it puts the sexuality of gaining front and center, while so many of the people in our community sort of pretend that it's not really all that sexual. The vids of him and his boyfriend fooling around with his belly, there's nothing else like it online today. The before and after pics are enough to many any encourager drool. And did I mention he's hot?
The exploration of how gaining is tied to other more "traditional" fetishes, such as S&M, and humiliation kind of stuff is another reason Tease | Bully | Praise | Worship is really a unique contribution to the blogosphere. Check it out, you won't be sorry.
Here's an update on PJ James, the Australian personal trainer who packed on a whopping 90lbs in the time between New Years and today (May 5th).
Before: After:
That's how it's done boys. That's what dedication, and really pushing yourself to eat every day can do. While you most likely can't put on 90lbs in 5 months without impairing your health, there's no reason why you guys should not be putting on 20 or 30lbs in that span, eating well and working out. I've got to run but, man, what an inspiration.
One of the most dubious and avoided questions in the gainer community is the issue of how purposely gaining weight affects health. Mainstream society tells us that fat people have a host of problems avoided by the thin, ranging from heart issues, to diabetes, and just about everything in between. There are several points that one should make about how a gainer is different from your average fat guy. The first and most important is that a gainer, most of the time, is not someone who is naturally fat. What the studies generally do not account for, since they monitor people who are already overweight in comparison to people who are currently skinny, rather than comparing the before and after rates of skinny people who put on weight, is that maybe, whatever predisposes a fat person to be fat, is the factor that predisposes them to be more susceptible to the maladies that we associate with being overweight. Another difference between a gainer and your average fat guy is that your average fat guy is most likely fairly sedentary. A gainer doesn’t have to be sedentary. In fact, a gainer should make sure he works out. It’ll help him be able to easily and painlessly carry more weight, help shape a nice round gut, and, most importantly, keep his heart and body healthy. Most studies linking disease to overweight people don’t differentiate between a fat person and a sedentary person. An active fat guy is almost definitely going to have fewer issues than a sedentary twig.
Similarly, unlike someone who is fat by accident, a gainer likely pays great attention to his diet. Many of the crappy preservatives that is in processed food are things you really do not want in your body. Diseases linked with obesity (cancer, diabetes, heart disease) are definitively linked with the consumption of food additives such as high fructose corn syrup. So, what we can take from that is that a gainer, who generally eats a lot more food than the average person, is at risk to consume a lot more of this toxic shit if he doesn’t pay attention to what he puts in his mouth. But since a gainer is trying to get fat, making sure he’s putting all the calories he can in his mouth, it’s not a huge jump for him to pay attention and make sure he’s not putting crap in his mouth that’s gonna make him sick. Here is a list of stuff you just shouldn’t be putting in your body, even if you are a gainer (in no particular order)
Things to avoid:
Sodium nitrite -bad for you, makes you sick, found in cheap hotdogs and some cured meats. Hummel makes nitrite free hot dogs that are really yummy.
Butylatedhydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylatedhydrozyttoluene (BHT) -Preservatives that have been suggested to cause cancer. Read the ingredient list, and just don’t eat ‘em.
Propylgallate - Another toxic preservative. Don’t eat it.
High fructose corn syrup - This stuff is terrible mainly because it screws with how the body metabolizes sugar, and has been linked with the development of type II diabetes, a disease that makes gaining in any way that isn't totally self destructive very difficult and time consuming.
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) - is an amino acid used as a flavor enhancer in soups, salad dressings, chips, frozen entrees, and restaurant food. It is commonly associated with Asian foods and flavorings. MSG can cause headaches and nausea in some people, and animal studies link it to damaging nerve cells in the brains of infant mice. Don’t eat it, look for Chinese delivery places that advertise that they don’t use it.
Trans fats/ Partially hydrogenated oils - are totally horrible. They’re oils that are altered to make them more stable so food with them won’t go rancid as quickly, and although they do preserve food well, they do it at the expense of how they are metabolized by the people who eat them. Fats you eat go into not only building your belly, but also into maintaining cell walls, sustaining a healthy heart, keeping your skin looking good, your hair shiny and strong, literally tons of important processes in your body. Don’t eat transfats if you can avoid them, because they don’t exactly fit like normal, naturally occurring fats do when trying to fill into those bodily processes, and thus create all sorts of problems when they are too concentrated in your body.
Sugar substitutes - (excepting naturally occurring ones, like agave) generally cause cancer as a rule, and please, if you’re not worried about calories, just have some raw cane sugar.
Food colorings are a big no no. If its not in nature, it doesn’t belong in your body, and being a gainer doesn’t change that.
Potassium bromate is rare, but still legal in the U.S., and used as an additive to increase volume in white flour, breads, and rolls. It causes cancer. Don’t eat it.
I debated but ultimately chose to include both white sugar and salt on this list. They’re linked to all sorts of issues, sugar most clearly to diabetes and insulin resistance, and salt to all sorts of cardiovascular hypertensive unhappiness. Both have to be watched if you’re eating to gain. If you’re craving sugars, use sugar in the raw instead of bleached white sugar when you can. Try not to put a lot of salt on stuff cause there usually is a good amount already. Don’t kill yourself avoiding these two, but, keep them in mind.
So, after that big long list of what to avoid, we of course have to come to the what to eat list. One of the most beautiful, erotic parts of being a gainer is being able to indulge. All the rich, calorie laden delicacies of life are the domain of the gainer. Here are a bunch of healthy, appetizing little calorie bombs that will get you growing in no time:
What to eat:
Almonds (or any nuts -macadamia have the highest caloric content, but they’re expensive) Avocados -Calorie dense, full of good fats, and they taste great Although it’s not super healthy, it’s good to know that Butterfingers have no transfat, unlike most candy bars. Granola -super calorically dense, heart friendly, yummy healthy treat. The bf likes it with some vanilla yogurt for breakfast. Organic whole milk - Calorie dense, easy to drink, not full of crap like soda, used by bodybuilders when they’re looking to healthfully add mass. Try a gallon a day and you’ll blow up like you won’t believe (not for the faint of heart -whoever you are, bigger men than you have tried to grow like this and failed, but, try it haha) Root Veggies -Lots of non-sugar starchy carbs. Always good for bellybuilding. Sweet Potatoes -They’re just awesome, calorically dense, make great fries. Toss some olive oil on them to fortify the calorie count and snack away. Olive oil -Heart healthy, tasty, generally awesome. Put a little on everything. 9 calories per gram, it’ll add up and add inches to your gut.
Although it’s counter intuitive, most of the stuff for people trying to lose weight and take care of themselves actually holds a lot of useful information for a healthy gainer. Apart form things telling you to limit your calories, most of the information to be healthy can be adapted to a growing boy’s lifestyle. Being healthy and strong is basically the obligation of anyone choosing to gain. Make sure you go to the gym, run, not endlessly, but, for 15 minutes or so, enough to keep your heart pumping and healthy. Lift weights! I t will make you hungry, make the fat settle in a hotter, less cellulite-y way by increasing testosterone, and keep you healthy. If you run for 20 minutes, burn 200 calories, eat an Oreo or two and you’ve made up for the calorie loss, and still retain the benefit to your heart. I’ll get a total gainer friendly workout in another post, but, just get moving and get lifting.
To conclude - remember, that to gain one pound, a person must consume 3,500 calories more than are burned (500 calories per day over the course of a week). As long as your packing an extra 500 calories on top of what you're burning off with your daily caloric needs and exercise, you're gonna gain, no matter how healthy the food you get the 500 calories happens to be. A pound a week is a pretty respectable gain, I mean, think about it; You'd be 52lbs heavier this time next year if you just keep up that extra 500 calories a day. Pretty wild, hunh? And the boyfriend has gained nearly 100lbs in the nearly a year we've been dating, eating tons of organic, healthy food I've cooked and lifting a few times a week, so, I have first hand experience that following this kind of regiment works to get a guy healthy and growing. You just have to be consistent. So eat up, lift hard, and get growing guys ;)
Oh, and if any of you guys think of something I've missed, a good healthy gainer food, or something to avoid, a tip, a trick, just email me at getasnack@gmail.com and I'll tack it onto the post :)
I'm gonna be writing a handful of posts on essentials for encouragers. Just like I did for gainer essentials, but a little more broken up cause I'm busy.
One of the unwanted side effects of getting a guy really stuffed, is that after the moment has passed and the sexual charge of it all has faded, your gainer may be suffering from an uncomfortably full belly, and quite possibly a bit of an upset stomach from all of the rich food crammed into it. Now, my guy loves to eat just as much as I love to encourage him, but sometimes he has a bit of a sensitive stomach. I always feel bad when he feels sick after a particularly enormous meal, or playing around in bed with doughnuts and half and half, or something. What usually happens is after we finish things up in bed, he hits the tums and we cuddle up and call it a night. He's very stoic about it ( "Small price to pay for a growing belly" he says), but being the meddling perfectionist that I am, I wanted to try and hunt down some safe, simple, natural ways to calm an upset stomach.
So I started researching. My favorite stomach calming method is crystallized ginger root. Remember how your Mom would bring you ginger ale with the bubbled stirred out when you had an upset stomach as a kid? Same concept, but more effective. Ginger has been used for centuries as a way to fight nausea all over the world. On top of its stomach settling effects, ginger is considered a natural aphrodisiac, and may be helpful in lowering cholesterol and fighting heart disease! How awesome is that! And it's really pretty! Look! LOL
Two more ginger related items I'm intending to try soon are Domainede Canton ginger liqueur, and the always wonderful Payard bakery's Domain de Canton ginger truffles. I picked up a bottle of Domainede Canton after reading about it and realizing it was on Fresh Direct, and am seriously debating wandering across the park to Payard to grab some truffles. I intend to use the Domainede Canton in a handful of cocktails to accompany the major feast I have planned for the boyfriend this weekend, so I'll report back on how well it works as a method to calm an upset stomach (or prevent one).
If you're intimidated by the recipe for crystallized ginger, you can always buy it at a store. Most grocery stores will have it, but it won't be as fresh and generally awesome as it would be if you make it yourself. And also, if you're an encourager and intimidated by a recipe that has 3 ingredients, one of which is water, you need to take a cooking class, a.s.a.p. Every encourager worth his salt knows how to cook -a topic I will get into more next time. Have a great weekend everyone, and please, if you have any other stomach settling tricks, post 'em in the comments section.
Something that has always amazed me is that a lot of gainers don’t have scales. I was hunting around online for a good one as a gift for the boyfriend, and I got to thinking. What are the essentials for a gainer? I talked with a few of my buddies about it and this is the list we compiled.
Scale
Numbers can be a great motivator. Although in the end, it’s all about finding the body you want, who are we kidding. We’re guys, guys like measuring things. Watching the numbers go up on the scale can be an incredible turn on.
Make sure you have a scale, but don’t weigh yourself every day. As I said in the post before, the small ups and downs on the scale will generally just discourage, but, weigh once a week and watch the numbers go up up up. Make sure the scale has a high enough upper weight (most go only to 300, but home scales going up to 400 do exist).
Also, think about investing in a talking scale, if you plan on getting really huge. My friend Oneoddguy (from BellyBuilders) was talking to me about this and said:
“They need to make a scale that dings when it’s done, cause I can’t see past my belly.”
Bryan (author of Trouble in the Mix) suggested gym shorts. They’re comfortable, elastically waisted, and perfect for a really big meal. And oh yeah, you can use them for the gym too. ;)
Bryan said:
“You can find stylish workout shorts, pair them with zipups (like this one) and do american sportswear look and accommodate an elastic waistband for lunch. But buy your size, don’t just get big ones, cause you want them to hug your ass. The elastic will give, but you still want a hot ass. You can do casual and comfortable that gives you room to get stuffed but still be sporting prep. Because if I'm in tight pants and I eat so much that they get painfully tight, I usually stop eating.”
And anything getting in the way of Bryan’s eating is not good. Not good at all.
Lotion
Another indispensable thing for a gainer (or an encourager actually) is lotion. Nothing increases the pleasure of a bellyrub than a little bit of lotion. Keeps the skin soft and strong, and if fortified with vitamin E, often helps prevent or fade stretch marks a little.
For you guys worried about stretch marks already existing, ask your dermatologist about retin-a for fading them. Although a lot of over the counter stuff doesn’t do much, there are things you can do, just ask your doc.
Tape Measure
Any generic tape measure will do. As I mentioned with the scale, numbers can be a big motivator. Measure your belly -you’ll notice growth there even sometimes when you don’t see it on the scale.
LiveStrong Calorie Counter App for iPhone
This app is fantastic for a gainer. You put in your stats, tell it you want to gain 2lbs a week, and log everything you eat. It tracks your progress, accounts for exercise (cause a strong, healthy gainer is a happy gainer) and gives you a visual representation of how much you need to be packing in each day (at least haha). Blender
What aspiring fatboy doesn’t want the internet to bring him food. There are a host of websites that make finding a local place that delivers easy. A few places even deliver groceries.
In Manhattan, I am a fan of SeamlessWeb.com, and a little less so of Delivery.com. Bad customer service experience on Delivery.com, but both are pretty solid. Menupages is a little less streamlined, but also useful. FreshDirect.com is unbeatable for groceries, and they have nutrition facts. You can pick the most caloric thing, and have a great selection of high quality and organic stuff delivered right to your door. Awesome.
Zagat.com is great if you’re planning on leaving the house, and they have guides for cities all over the world. If you're in college, or even near one check out CampusFood.com According to Oneoddguy, a lot of pizza places have online delivery too. His favorite website is Domino’s. Here’s why:
“I love Dominos. It tells you what’s going on with your pizza, from who made it to who’s bringing it.”
I personally enjoy Poppa Johns cause they’ve added a whole wheat pizza crust. I mean, I know it’s still not good for you, but it’s cute they’re making the effort.
Camera
The one complaint I’ve heard consistently over the years from gainers is that they wished they had taken more pics of their progress. Nothing is hotter than seeing how far a gainer has come, and few things are more inspiring to a beginner who doesn’t even think they’ll be able to get fat. Get a decent digital cam, and take pictures whenever you feel like it. I have a Canon Elph, and I love it. So, take a pic. Make a vid. Even if you don't show anyone, you’ll be glad you did when you’re rubbing your hard earned belly, reminiscing about your skinny days.
See? That hotness would not have been possible without a camera. And a lot of beer contributing to that Freshman 40.
Premium Beefyfrat
Although some guys might find this a little controversial (and no, I’m not being paid a dime to say this), I really think every gainer needs a premium Beefyfrat membership. Seriously. It’s 5$ a month. That’s like, one frap at Starbucks, or two ATM fees a month. I’ve def. spent a lot more money on things that don’t directly lead to me getting off. The guys on there are incredibly inspiring. Feeling full? Look at a few pics of one of your idols on Beefy and try finishing that last slice of pizza. It’ll make it easier.
The Encourager has already tackled the some of the big obstacles to building American bellies—tight pants, lack of focus, etc.. Now it’s time to take it home: Use these simple tips to turn your home into a fat-gaining, belly growing superweapon.
You don’t have to throw away any of your favorite foods, stop going to the gym, or turn your life upside-down. Just make these 15 simple tweaks to stay motivated and active as you drive toward your weight-gain goals.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
If you’ve got candy or nuts sitting in your cupboards from the holidays, put ‘em out, and make sure there are always snacks around all the time—Never put them in a cabinet.
“When those things are in plain view, you’ll eat them regardless of whether or not you’re hungry,” says Chris More, Ph.D., nutrition adviser to the Discovery Channel and others. “When you’re not walking by and seeing them, you’re less likely.”
In Sight, In Your Mouth
While you’re moving food in your kitchen, get whole fruit out of your fridge—and out in the open. You’ll be more likely to grab a piece when you see it—and when it fills the room with aroma as it ripens.
“Whole fruit is getting a bad rap,” says Get A. Snack, The Encourager’s weight gain coach. “It’s the perfect snack –Natural sugars and carbs to keep you healthy, but no shortage of calories. Grapes and blueberries are great little anti-oxidant laden calorie bombs”
Work On This
Keep your muscles growing with your gut. Put a pair of barbells by a door you use a lot in your house—each time you cross the threshold, do one rep of bicep curls, and one lunge. It won’t seem like much, but all that moving will add up, and your muscles will keep your heart healthy, and support your growing belly.
Set This Alarm
Does Apple's iCal beep to remind you of meetings? (Us too.) Does it annoy you? (Us too.)
Put that little beep to work: Set an alarm every 15 minutes—using Outlook or your phone—as a reminder to get and grab a handful of something to snack on. Each time it rings, eat a hand fun of some healthy, caloric snack food—nuts are great, mixing almonds and M&Ms, anything.
Your I'm Late! Strategy
Does this routine sound familiar? You wake up in the morning, stumble out of bed, and realize you’re already late… and run straight out the door. You’re famished, but you don’t have time to even grab something quick (and probably less than you’d like to be eating).
“Change your pattern,” says Chris More, Ph.D., nutrition adviser to the Discovery Channel and others. “Pack something substantial the night before for the car ride to work so you’re not missing out on your hunger. And try and make time to eat, the results will show for themselves.”
Reorganize Your Fridge
The “crisper” drawer in your refrigerator is made for fruits and vegetables—and don’t forget it. Use the more visible parts of your frige to keep higher-calorie foods like high quality protein, cheeses and chocolate in plain sight, and move the fruits and vegetables down to the crisper. Keep easy-to-grab snacks that will kickstart your progress—on the top shelf, in plain sight.
Banish Your Scale
Don’t leave your scale to sit out and haunt you. Put it in a bathroom closet so you’re not tempted to weight yourself too often—and get distracted by small fluctuations in weight.
Weigh yourself just once each week, and spend the rest of the week focusing on the stuff that will move the needle—your eating, your workouts, and your attitude.
Empty These Bags
A lot of carb calories are usually easy to grab—chips, cookies, bagels, or bread (for a quick sandwich). Make sure you keep the easy calories in your kitchen, don’t just favor of foods that need preparation—meats, brown rice, or vegetables—or you might be more likely to let a fleeting craving pass.
If you snack on an easy high carb option, “you might get less nutrients, but there are often lots of calories, and it’ll stick to you,” says Carlos Gordo, author of The Perfect Belly Diet. You’ll stay be less full, and for a shorter period of time, and feel more likely to grab more food. And the tried and true rule of, "If you can open it, you can finish it" is sure to pack on the pounds quickly
Always Have Time For A Shake
Keep all the components of a gainer shake in your fridge—all of the ingredients of a high calorie gainer shake, ready immediately.
“You’re not making the whole shake ahead of time,” says Chris More, Ph.D., nutrition adviser to the Discovery Channel and others. “But it’s like your own encourager.” And the calories in your shake bar are safe—gainer shakes are basically free calories in your diet, as long as you stay away from hydrogenated oil and too much saturated fat.
Take a Tip From Rocky IV
Rocky stared at a picture of Ivan Drago every day as he trained to fight the enormous Russian. Find your own motivator: a nemesis like a picture of the way you never want to look, a mantra that reminds you why you’re gaining, or a photo that reminds you of your goal—like a picture of a guy with a belly you’d like to have.
Tape your motivator to your bathroom mirror—look at this one every morning to stay motivated. Tape another to your refrigerator—look at this one whenever you feel your hunger slipping.
Recycle Paper
All those menus in your kitchen drawer and next to your fridge? Put as many as you can on the frige itself. Even if you have the numbers memorized, adding the visual cues—the menu in plain sight—will increase your temptation to order.
Decorate Your TV
Give yourself a constant reminder to eat: Put a can of nuts on top of your television each day. Keep them there until you’ve finished the can for the day. Don’t like the look it gives your living room? Get eating and get ‘em off the set. Get New Plates
You’ll gain weight with bigger plates: A study at Cornell University found that participants scooped out 50 percent more ice cream when given bigger dishes and spoons.
Put the power on your plates: Swap 10-inch plates for 12-inchers, and you’ll eat 22 percent more calories.
Use Your Couch
Make sure you eat when you’re in front of the tube. People who eat meals in front of the TV snack more between meals—20 percent more, according to a British study.
Invest In Yourself
Use your wallet to stay motivated: Buy a pair of pants, book a vacation to visit an gainer or encourager buddy you always wanted to meet, or make reservations to gorge yourself at a spectacular restaurant—choose a goal, and throw your cash behind it. Remind yourself of the investment by keeping your new purchase in plain sight. When your money’s in it, your motivation won’t be far behind.
Stick with these tips, and you'll have packed on 20lbs before you know it.
The Article was adapted from Men's Health Magazine for Gainers
So, I know I haven't been updating regularly, but between moving twice, my laptop dying, and the general vagaries of life, I'm not actually feeling that apologetic about it. ;)
First, I want to take a moment (I know this is a little ridic, but I do feel sad about it) for the loss of The Oinquirer. Huge, huge amounts of effort went into that site, and there was nothing else like it on the internet. I'm sure that it was some sort of issue with the webmaster not wanting to shoulder the burden of such a big site on his own, but, it's a tragic loss. Thank you Mr. Oinquirer webmaster guy, whoever you are, for all your hard work. It was much appreciated.
We've also lost BellyGrow's blog, and Zmariottax's blog, Ravenous Haven. Both will be missed.
Second, I have some new blogs to point out. First, the blog of a dear friend of mine (you may know him as Bryan on BeefyFrat):
It's an excellent mix of gainer inspired fiction, general exploration of masculinity, and an intelligent viewpoint on life. Read it, even if you don't beat off to all of the posts haha it's very worth it. Be sure to check out his story series, Lucky -it's excellent.
Another very new blog is The Ballooning Jock. A former wrestler who wants to get big -he's straight, but, I'm sure you guys will find it stimulating, and I don't think he minds the attention ;) It's a great start, and I hope he keeps up the good work. Check it out:
And here is a vid he posted on youtube of him trying to fit into some old 32 inch jeans, now that he's hit 260(up from 189, when they fit):
Another nascent gainerblog is Fatten Me Up (run by flip07924 from Beefyfrat). A handsome guy, a growing belly, and a hint of interactivity? What more could you ask for:
Finally, last, but certainly not least is UrsoLogo's blog, In The Closet. A Chilaen psychologist, he offers not only an interesting and intelligent perspective on gaining, but also a very hot, growing gut. Check out his writing at:
And check out his belly in this vid -he's up to 207 from 187 a few months ago and man, I think he looks fantastic:
Well, that's it for now. I've got some stories in the mix, and am def. looking to feature some new gainers. I'm debating of doing a promising young gainers post, so, if you think you'd qualify, shoot me an email. Hope all you guys are finding time to eat even though it's summer. ;) I know it's hot, but it's worth it.
Some of you might have noticed, I recently started a twitter tied to this blog. Just like how I believe that this is the first gainer & encourager related blog to be started, I think this is also one of the first gainer and encourager related twitters. So follow me! It's a simple way to remain up to date on blog updates here, and little encouraging tips that don't warrant a full blog post on their own. Plus, how cool would it be to get a gainer oriented bunch of twitters? If you don't already have an account, make one of your own, and then follow me lol
