Fatnesse Gainer Manual

This is the second half of my manualized series, following on my Fatnesse Encourager Manual. In this post, I present some ideas that I have about gaining. Similar to the Encourager Manual, these ideas are gathered from my experience as a gainer, as well as information told to me by other gainers. It is by no means exhaustive. In fact, I strongly encourage those readers who have tried gaining and see something missing from the manual to post it in the comments section section. You don't need to have a blogspot account to post a comment -- it can be done anonymously.

Let me also say, as a caveat, that these ideas and suggestions with regard to gaining reflect my sensibilities about gaining. There are lots of reasons that people choose to gain weight. Some might be dramatically underweight, and simply wish to look "normal." Others are tired of the fit, watch-everything-you-eat lifestyle and want to kick back, savor food and enjoy seeing a belly grow. My experience falls into this category. Still others are interested in packing on massive quantities of weight, to become a huge bear, chub or super chub, or even immobile. So clearly there are myriad reasons to gain weight. The advice that I proffer below may not be a "one-size-fits-all" situation (nor should it, given our collective girthy sizes) -- but, hopefully, it will provide some "food for thought".

Fatnesse's Gainer Manual

1. Gain for yourself. I put this first because I consider it most important. You should only decide to gain weight because you want the weight, not because you want to impress or tantalize someone else. One of the most common statements I hear from fellow gainers is, "My encourager wants me to gain 50 lbs, so I am going to." That's terrific that you have an encourager and admirer -- and if you also want to gain the weight, it can be mutually delightful. However, upon further discussion, I often discover that the gainer really has second thoughts about it, but just wants to please their encouraging friend. No matter how much you like your encourager, this has to be your decision. Look at it this way -- what is your encourager sacrificing to make you fat? At the end of the day/month/year, you will be fatter...perhaps significantly fatter. Your encourager could get bored and flit away to the next gainer-in-waiting. Will you be okay if he does? Will you still love all those extra pounds you tried so hard to pack on? Will you embrace your new weight and feel proud about your appearance? If you can't answer "yes" to all those questions, perhaps gaining is not right for you.

One of my encouraging friends is convinced that many "on-the-fence" gainers really want to gain and gain very large amounts -- and all they need is to be convinced of how much they would love it, how happy they will be, and how they can still easily manage their lives with the added weight. Its an interesting argument, but I still find myself thinking to myself, "why does anyone need that much convincing of something?" He argues that societal pressures to be thin have to be overcome, but I believe that is nearsighted. It is, in fact, significant body manipulation. Gaining 20 lbs is akin to getting a small tattoo...not a big deal, and could be easily reversed if disliked. But gaining 100 or 200 lbs, something my friend likes to advocate, is massive body manipulation, not unlike getting 10-15 tattoos, in very visible places. If the thought of adding that much body ink gives you pause, then why wouldn't gaining massive amounts of weight? Its your decision, and your decision alone, whether or not to take that plunge. Make it carefully.

2. Be prepared for the financial costs of gaining. Let's face it, food is expensive. And if you plan to gain fast, gainer shakes and other supplements add to the financial burden. I know a number of younger gainers who started with enthusiasm only to be broke in a week or two. So gaining does take some financial wherewithal. You probably don't want to do yo-yo binging whenever money is available. It won't work well for gaining, and will probably wreak havoc on your body. Get a part-time job, on top of whatever else you are doing (work, school, etc.) and use those funds solely for gaining. That way you won't need to choose between buying a case of beer or paying the rent.


3. Be prepared for the social costs of gaining. Very much related to financial costs, there is an ugly side to gaining...and it has nothing to do with the beauty of fat. Simply put, our society places value on thinness and fitness, and rejects fatness. I have blogged about this phenomenon in a previous post. I am pretty convinced that "fat fear" is a trend, a temporary societal construct if you will, and perhaps in another 50 to 100 years fat will return to being a status of wealth, power, and just friggin sexiness. But until then, we need to be comfortable with the idea that getting fatter may lead to social consequences. It may be friends and family commenting on the gains, or perhaps ridiculing. It may be a lover walking out on you. You might get turned down for a job for a similarly-qualified but fitter applicant. The social psychology literature is replete with studies showing that society tends to make life harder for the overweight or obese. Just recently, a study was published indicating that obese young people are even less likely receive financial support for things like a buying a car from their parents! So, the bottom line is, don't expect to get accolades and love from the social world for your gains. You should love the gains for yourself.

4. Be prepared for the physical effects of gaining. I'll admit I was a bit surprised by my own changes when gaining. I expected my clothes to get tighter, so no surprise there. I was delighted to find that I began to "jiggle" in places I hadn't before, an unexpected pleasure. However, I also found other interesting consequences. For one thing, my underwear got so tight that things got a bit... *ahem... crowded in there. Even larger-sized underwear didn't remedy the crowding. Fat also accumulated in my upper inner thighs, so I chafed when walking, leading to sore thighs and in-grown hairs. Strangely, I found it more challenging to perform my usual shower routine...my ample belly and handles and ass prevented me from being as flexible as I used to...leading me to perform all sorts of acrobatics in the shower. And this is after gaining 50 lbs. I can't imagine how people who have gained 200 lbs can get all those folds, crevices, and extra acreage cleaned and appropriately hygienic. The sad thing is, I don't think its possible to entirely remedy some of the hygiene issues when you get really big. Things like body odor and sweating are difficult to remedy. Heck, I began sweating noticeably more after 25-30 lbs were added... even on a semi-coolish day. Other physical issues are easily anticipated. You might get sore feet and legs from carrying more weight, so good shoes are a must. And for you fashionably-conscious gays out there, remember that good supportive shoes and fashionable shoes rarely coincide. Another thing I noticed was an emergence of heartburn and indigestion. This persisted even after I stopped pigging out and ate normal, healthy foods. Not sure why -- my guess is that maybe my bigger belly was putting pressure on my stomach, causing a bit of reflux. It went away not due to medication, but by dropping 10 lbs.

So, these are just a few of the physical aspects of gaining that I encountered. I am curious to hear other's observations as well. Suffice it to say, gaining is more than just growing a beer belly that is soft and fun to jiggle and rub. There are myriad physical dimensions that need to be considered before taking the gaining plunge. And since I am a strong advocate of hygiene (smelly body = eww), I urge you to take the necessary steps to stay fat AND healthy.

5. Enjoy the process. Simply, gaining should be fun. You should love to eat, and savor every bite. If making half-and-half shakes turns you on and packs on the pounds, then have fun with it. But if you are choking down gross-tasting shakes, powders or pills simply to pack on pounds, the "fun" element is clearly missing. If you are too stuffed to eat, and feel compelled to stuff in more to the point of nausea just to meet some arbitrary gaining goal, you are not having fun. As a result, you will likely give up on gaining...and therefore, what was the point of even starting? I advocate fun from start to finish. Enjoy eating, enjoy watching yourself grow, and enjoy sharing the experience with others. Besides, fat people need to be jolly. :)

6. Stay healthy. This is an important one. It IS possible to gain in a healthy way that doesn't stress your cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems. Other bloggers have posted on healthy yet fattening diets, so I won't go into it here. Yes, you can gain very quickly on heavy creams, fried fast foods, and loads of refined sugars, but your body will not really be happy about it. It is a better idea to take natural foods like good quality ice cream, peanut butter, nuts, cereals, fruits, etc., and simply eats lots of them. You will still gain, but just at a slower pace. Once you have packed on the pounds, be sure to visit your doctor regularly. Sure, you will have to endure his or her berating for getting so fat, but at least you will be monitoring your health for any unexpected complications. You want to live to a ripe old age enjoying all that blubber, so gain in a healthy way.

7. Maintain your typical daily activities, goals and aspirations. There are two aspects I wanted to mention here. First, I think that whatever your interests, goals and career happen to be, gaining should never interfere with them. If you are too fat to get your fat ass to work, your fat ass is too big. Its time to diet. Same goes for other "life activities" like dating, meeting new people, traveling etc. When your gaining kink begins to interfere with your ability to enjoy life, it has exceeded its usefulness as a kink and is now a hindrance. The other aspect to mention here is that sometimes the gaining kink becomes quite engrossing, even addicting, particularly the need to "check in" with the community, get compliments, get belly rubs, see how many people viewed your profile etc. It can even become a source of pride. I speak from personal experience. Just before my first YouTube account was terminated, I had over 1.5 million views of my videos. That's a lot of Fatnesse, and it goes to the head after awhile. But don't lose sight of the important goals, obligations and people in your life. This is, after all, just a kink.

8. Seek support -- and belly rubs. As alluded to #3 above, you may encounter some social rejection when gaining, ranging from comments from close friends or family, or even appearing to be less desirable at clubs/bars based on how little attention your fat ass is getting. It is important to seek support from the gaining community. That could mean supportive chats online, or in-person meet-ups for food or more. I talked about the importance of building communities in our gainer world, and this is precisely why. It can feel lonely to gain by oneself, compounded by societal rejection. We are all social beings, so make sure you get social support in this process.

9. Know your body, your metabolism, and your health history. Now I am going to sound like your doctor. Before gaining, you should investigate and be familiar with your family medical history. Even if you haven't had a disease, your parents or grandparents might have -- in which case its in your gene pool and therefore you are at risk. If you are at risk for heart disease or cardiovascular illness, diabetes, or arthritis/osteoporosis, then you probably shouldn't gain, since it will significantly accelerate your risk for those disorders. Even if you are lucky enough to be without those family health risks, you should still be attuned to your body and know your limits. Also, if you have a fast metabolism, and never seem to gain a pound, its probably best to just wait. It is really difficult to challenge Mother Nature by overwhelming your system with loads of unhealthy foods. You probably still won't gain, and now your body is left to clean up the carnage. Above all, make gaining a healthy endeavor.

10. Set limits for yourself and others (know when to say when). It's really important to set gaining goals and stick to them. You should know your Fat Attractiveness Threshold and don't exceed it unless you are ready to. Encouragers will promise you the moon and back just to get you fatter, but its not their body they are playing around with. I commented on this in my Encourager Manual. You are the one gaining, so you are the one in the driver seat. Never let anyone tell you how fat you need to be. When I get those comments, I close chat windows.

That said, there certainly is an erotic element to gaining, and the fantasy about gaining to massive weights can be explored by both gainer and encourager. Just be sure to delineate what is fantasy versus what are your actual goals. Some guys fantasize for, and seek out, immobility. I would never do that, because basically its a death sentence. Whereas the fantasy of immobility can be visualized and seem awfully fun, the reality is far from it.You want to enjoy your life and make the most of it, so be sure your gaining limits reflect that.

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So that concludes my Gainer Manual. I expect you may have agreed with me on some of it, disagreed in other parts, but hopefully overall found it an interesting read. Please be sure to comment below with your thoughts, ideas, critiques, or contributions. Remember you don't need a blogspot account to comment.

xFatnesse