Hey everyone.
As the title suggests, I have some questions concerning my diet. For context, I am 15 and weigh 150lbs at roughly 5'11. I have been naturally thin my entire life, and always have issues finding pants that fit my waist. As a results, I pledge allegiance to elastic. My situation is definitely not as poor as some of the soyboys at my school, but I would like to get in the gym and gain some.
Unfortunately, I fall into many of the traps that people my age often do. This includes processed food, canned soup, ramen noodles, and sugary sweets. Outside of my diet, I also struggle with sleep, dandruff, probably some vitamin deficiencies, and a few other less notable hygiene issues.
My testosterone is also a concern, However I thankfully still have some balls left. I come from quite a masculine bloodline and my dad is still kicking ass at 64. My levels, if I had to guess, are certainly higher than probably 90% of dudes I know. But with my diet and the aggressive chemicals I use daily (Shampoo, mouthwash, conditioner, deodorants, phthalates, etc.) I am certain I can go much higher.
The base questions I bring are as follows. What should I cut from my diet immediately? What should I add immediately? What supplements, if any should I take? Parasites?
As always, If you have any questions about this post, patterns in my generation, or anything else, ask!
OK, let's get to it.
First off, congratulations. The fact that you are even here on GAW means you already know more about the truth of the world than I did at 15. You already know more than most adults. You are on the right track. Always seek truth.
You probably already know that most of what you read and hear in school and the media is bullshit. When it comes to health issues, the advice given in the "mainstream" is usually the opposite of the truth. Always seek truth, no matter where it leads.
Many people here have weighed in with their ideas. I agree with some and disagree with most. I'll give you my take. The quesion is: How do you know which way to go? Maybe try one idea that sounds good for a couple of weeks, then try something else, etc. until you find something that really seems to work and feels right. Just a suggestion (although, I'm obviously sure that my ideas will be right up your alley).
So, you are 15. You are still in the automatic growth stage. So, you will grow over the next few years, no matter what. But you want to accelerate that and be "top dude" in school. I get it. The main thing is do you control what you can eat and what type of workouts you can do, or do your parents control that because they pay for everything? You don't have to answer that, just to yourself. Something that needs to be factored in.
The fact that you are skinny and a hard gainer means you can get away with some stupid shit that the fat boys can't. You CAN eat pizza and ice cream all day, but SHOULD you?
More important than gaining muscle is being healthy. So, health is #1, and building your physique is #2. You probably already know that the Covid thing is a scam, and you don't need vaccines or face masks. Health is #1. Always remember that.
The reason you have dandruff is likely a combination of (a) not eating enough saturated fat, and (b) using harsh shampoos/conditioners. It's an issue of dry, flaky skin. It just happens to be on your head instead of somewhere else, but it's the same issue. You probably don't need shampoo or conditioner at all. Your hair has natural oils. Those harsh chemicals strip away the natural oils. You likely don't need them, and would be better off without. Try going without for a couple of weeks and see what happens. I haven't used shampoo or conditioner for probably 10 years, and I have very nice hair (get compliments all the time). Looks good, feels soft, no problems at all. I'll get to diet and nutrition in a minute.
The reason you have sleep issues is your diet. You likely have malnutrition. Everything you listed that you eat is bad. But you already know that.
One thing you did not mention that most 15-year olds deal with is acne. If you have acne, it is because of your diet. A poor diet creates toxins in the body, and the body is trying to eliminate them through the skin. Clean up your diet, and the acne disappears.
So, you have a decision to make: Do you want to be "just average," or do you want to be above the crowd? Do you want girls to want to be with you, and guys asking you how you look so studly? If you want to be special, you have to do what it takes, and that means leaving bad habits behind. Drop the junk food, and do things the right way. After awhile, you won't even want the junk food, anyway. Remember: Health is #1.
You don't need any supplements. None. They are almost all junk. Get your nutrients in real food. Most meds are also bad, with just a few exceptions for unique medical situations. Stay away as much as possible. Workout regularly and eat right, and it will likely never be an issue for you.
Testosterone is a hormone. All hormones are made from cholesterol. Cholesterol is good (not bad). Cholesterol is made from saturated fat, not from any other fats. You eat a good amount of saturated fat, workout regularly, and your testosterone will be fine.
Saturated fat is good for us, not bad. Forget the bullshit narratives about heart problems. NONE of that has ever been proven, and never will be. There are ZERO studies showing any causation between saturated fat and heart problems. It is ALL propaganda.
Your body is made of cells (and bacteria -- all of which is helpful to you, not harmful). The cells turn over regularly. Every 8 months, you have all new cells.
Cells are made from amino acids and fatty acids. They are NOT made from sugars or carbohydrates. Amino acids come from protein, and fatty acids come from saturated fat. Your body will not process protein if there is no saturated fat with it. That's why animal foods are the ideal foods for humans. They are ALL protein and fat (milk also has some carbs).
Vitamins and minerals help the processes of the body work, but the building blocks are aminos acids (protein) and fatty acids (saturated fat).
To build your body, you need 3 things --
Sleep. Quality sleep. No TV or music (except if you are having sex, then turn off the music afterwards). Sleep in quiet or if there is noise outside, find something for "white noise" like a fan. Do not eat or drink anything within the last 2 hours of going to sleep. That will help.
Nutrition. Focus your diet on animal foods, with little to no plant foods. Bill Gates wants you to eat fake meat and a "plant-based diet." Do you think he wants you to be healthy? Plants do NOT build the body. They don't even provide any real vitamins or minerals. All the micronutrients you need come from animal foods.
Workouts. Decide if you can and want to lift weights. If yes, you need a bench, rack (for bench press and squat rack for squats), plus a dumbbell set. Ideally, also a way to do pulley exercises (seated pulley rows, etc.). If you have access to a gym, great. If not, you have to build your own -- and that is why I mentioned the idea of your parents paying for it or you do. If weight training won't work, then do pushups and situps. It will take longer, but it works, too.
Nutrition is 80%. Fuck that up, and it will be an uphill battle. Workouts are 10% and sleep is 10%. Get your sleep! Eat right and workout, sleep with quiet surroundings, and you should sleep well.
You want to workout without weights? Do what Herschel Walker did. He was a fat kid who was bad at sports. He started doing massive amounts of pushups and situps, and running. He worked up to doing 1,000+ pushups and 1,000+ situps per day. By the time he was in high school, he was the star football player. He was recruited to Georgia as the star running back, and won the national championship. He won the Heisman Trophy as a junior. Went to the USFL and then NFL. One of the greatest running backs in history. At the age of 50, he became a professional MMA fighter and won both fights he fought. He still does massive pushups and situps. Never lifted weights. He's still in phenominal shape. That's one way to do it.
But weights can do more, and faster, IMO. Most people do not think it is possible to gain large amounts of muscle quickly. But in 1973, Casey Viator was the subject of an experiment to prove the world wrong. In 28 days of lifting, he gained 63 pounds of muscle. A lot of people don't believe it, but I do.
His lifting routine was full body, every other day. Short workouts. Only 1 set per exercise. IMO, this is the BEST way to lift. The body responds quickly when you do full body workouts, frequently. (The key: Do the movements SLOWLY -- this is what makes the muscles WORK.) Forget the split routines. The guys doing massive drugs can make that work, but natural guys are better off doing full body.
This has to do with how muscle grows, but that gets complex. Here is an article by someone who knew him, and has used similar concepts to train other guys:
https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/the-colorado-experiment-fact-or-fiction/
Here is Casey in his later years, training someone on how to do it (so you can see how it should be done):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGcVb3wBL_Q
He died a few years ago, so that is the best we have.
Personally, I take a different approach, but with similar concepts. I do full body workouts MON-FRI, and take SAT-SUN off. Each workout is 10 exercises, full body. Always start with squats, so you don't puss out and not do them when you are gassed at the end of your workout. Leave the arm work until the end.
These workouts are only about 20 minutes. In and out. You feel fantastic -- especially if you eat foods that allow you to recover quickly.
What to eat.
Meat. Eggs. Milk.
THOSE are the most anabolic (muscle-building) foods on planet Earth. Add to that beef liver. The bodybuilders from the "Golden Era" (Arnold and the boys) ate these foods, primarily.
Milk -- Do you have access to RAW milk? If so, great! It will make you GROW. But if you do not, then pasteurized milk is questionable. The pasteurization process destroys most of the important nutrients. Probably best to not use it. But if you can get it raw (the way it comes from the cow), then definitely use it to grow muscle.
Eggs -- Be a man and eat them raw. You can also put them raw into shakes (with raw milk). Eggs are one of the best foods for building your body. Especially raw. You can also cook some up when you feel like it, but eat some raw. Eggs are the richest source of Leucine of any food, an important amino acid. Leucine triggers the mTOR pathway, which is the pathway that turns on Muscle Protein Synthesis. Eggs also have a high amount of Lysine, which is good for your skin. All animal foods have all the essential amino acids for humans, but eggs just have more and/or better quality that most other foods. Lifting weights and eating raw eggs will make you grow muscles. Period.
Meat -- Beef is best, but all meats are good. Pork, chicken, fish, seafood, whatever. Just be sure to get that red meat (beef) in. It is the best. Cook the meat as little as possible. Rare is better than medium, which is better than well done. Well done is terrible. If there are any negatives from eating meat, it is because the meat was cooked way too much. Rare, at most. I usually eat bleu, which is seared on the outside and raw on the inside. Tastes great!
Beef Liver -- You want to kick it up a notch? Have an ounce or so of RAW beef liver every day. THAT is your multivitamin/multimineral. Best source of Vitamin A on the planet. Best source of Iron on the planet. Best single food you can eat.
Focus on these foods, first and foremost. If you want to eat a brownie, eat it ONLY AFTER you had your main meal. After awhile, working out regularly and eating like this, you actually will not even WANT to eat junk food. It will be unappetizing.
Here is a random YouTube guy that ate 3 dozen eggs a day. You don't have to do that many, but see the incredible results:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq-sAoRLWVs
Someone like you should eat 3 times per day (not more). Between meals, eat nothing; just fast. If you want to drink some water, drink pure water.
We should be getting our water from our food, not just from drinking a lot of water. Our body's water comes mainly from inside our body. The body's process of breaking down nutrients and creating energy has water as a byproduct. That's why we are 70% water. Not because we drink it all day, but because it automatically comes from inside. Just stay away from that shit that comes out of the kitchen faucet.
If anyone tries to tell you to "eat your veggies," watch this first:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbNDrcoRi8g
Get a tan in the Summer. Get jacked. Look great. Feel amazing. Pick the girl you want, and have the balls to tell her. You will be in the top 5%, maybe the top 1%. Don't give a fuck what anybody else thinks about it.
Seek truth.
Be a good man.
Enjoy life!
This is the answer. Just read, will be watching the videos shortly. I live my life by these principles. Game changer.
This was an awesome post. So many of you on here just pour out your knowledge in a post and I am both impressed and grateful. Anyway, I definitely plan on eating a substantial amount of meat and doing weight training, hopefully at home.
I've actually been around since r/TheDonald!
Actually, my acne isn't that bad. It was massively worse a few years back, but it seems to have gotten much tamer as I get older. Not sure if its diet related, but anyway, I'm happy.
I do however have noticeable bags under my eyes and the ridge across my nose is quite red. People often say I look tired/depressed/sick. Likely due to diet and sleep regimen.
Overall I definitely plan on putting much of what you said into action. Again, thanks!