When is the best time to gain?

I get asked this question a lot. And as a result, I have pondered when the best time is to purposely grow a belly. This question has come from guys of all ages, ranging from their teens to their fifties. And after encouraging guys for the past eight years, and doing some gaining of my own, I think I can offer some ideas on the ideal age periods to gain.

I'm going to try to be somewhat quantitative in my approach too (*cough* *ahem* nerd-alert *cough). Based on years of hearing feedback of guys trying to gain, failing to gain, being unhappy with gains, having health issues, and, of course, all those who loved the gains, I believe there are four primary dimensions where the gaining process makes a significant impact on one's life, and therefore needs close scrutiny. These are: 1) health, 2) physiological aspects of gaining, 3) financial aspects, and 4) social-cultural consequences. I doubt that these four areas have equal weight in the consideration to gain, and certainly vary from person to person, but let's say for this discussion that they can be considered equally. We can then assign a Likert-like rating system to each of the four, ranging from (1 star *) big problem in terms of gaining to (5 stars *****) no problem whatsoever when it comes to gaining. Weighting each item equally, we could thus assign a rating to each of the four areas listed above, sum all four, and derive a total score that ranks the periods in life that are best suited for gaining. The range of possible scores are 4 to 20, with 4 meaning that gaining is absolutely the wrong decision, and 20 meaning green light for gaining.

Yes, I am a nerd.

Let me first expand on the four dimensions above, before I begin rating the age periods. The first area is health. This area refers to one's general sense of good health, and considers the physiological toll of gaining on one's body. Obviously, physical systems like cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, bone and muscle, orthopedic, dermis (skin), sexual functioning, etc., would be considered here. I would also include immune systems, stress and psychological functioning, as these are intimately related. Obviously health changes related to the aging process are important here.

The second area is physiological aspects of gaining. While this area shares some commonality with the health aspects described above, here I am referring not so much to physical ailments or disorders that would fall under health, but rather the physical aspects of extra weight. So, ambulation would be an important aspect here, such as how well does the person move about with the extra weight. Is there leg or foot pain, and if so, how is that remedied, and is there any reduction in life activities as a result? How about physically moving around one's environment? Are you expected to run across a campus between classes where extra weight would slow you down? How about climbing stairs? Included in this category would be one's relative fitness, or the ability to physically get things done in our lives. Also included would be any changes to one's hygiene and daily living care. And finally, also included here is one's metabolism, which can dictate how easily fat is stored.

The third area is financial aspects. Gaining can cost quite a bit of money. Food is generally expensive and buying extra amounts of food can burden a bank account. Going out to eat at restaurants or even fast food can be expensive. If the gaining budget has to share funds with other vices (e.g., drinking, smoking, etc) then it will be even more strained. Then there are the costs associated with wardrobe updates as you burst out of your clothes. You may have to go through several sizes on your gaining journey, necessitating costly wardrobe replacement. Another financial burden relates to those who are very heavy. Need to take up two seats on a train or airplane? Yup, you gotta pay for those. You might just need to pay more for a car service or taxi to be more comfortable rather than public transportation, which adds to the costs.

The fourth area is social-cultural consequences. This area relates to your social community, and relative acceptance or rejection of getting fat within that community. To some degree, age factors in here, as people tend to naturally get fatter as they get older, so gaining weight might not be viewed as negatively (or shockingly) as a younger person gaining. One's culture also plays a role, regarding your peer group and whether or not other fatties are observed in that group. Family and friends' opinions and influences would be considered here. People who grow up in fat family might get less criticism for gaining than those who grew up in thin, very fit families. Similarly, if your peer group is fit and places value on fitness and health, and believes thin to be the ideal of attractiveness, your gaining might be at odds with their beliefs.

So now that I have defined these four dimensions, I will rate the age groups below on each four. Its purely subjective, of course. And I will provide a brief rationale behind my rating. Also, the scale below gives a rough sense of how attractive gaining is based on the total ratings score.

16-20 stars = Gaining is gold. Few complications and many benefits. Go for it! 

13-15 stars = Gaining is possible but will require work and some sacrifice. Be prepared for the challenges.

09-12 stars = Gaining is going to be a big challenge. You might want to consider if its a good decision. 

08 stars or below = Gaining is not recommended

Age periods

Teens (under 20): 11 stars Health (*****) Physiology (***) Financial (*) Social-cultural (*)

I first gained when I was 17 and a freshman in college, so I know its possible and can be quite exciting. But its not without its challenges, hence the rating of 11 stars. First, for many teens, their body is still growing, and so its hard to pile on fat when the body wants to make it muscle and bone. Also, metabolisms at this age are at their peak in life, which means eating enough to add fat is a big challenge. For these two reasons physiology is marked down two stars, but still retains three stars because the teen years represent the time in our lives when we are most physically strong and able to easily carry the weight. We are also typically at our peak health, so that rates five stars. Unfortunately, most teens are cash poor, and therefore buying ample food to stuff with and new clothes to grow into becomes an immense (heh) challenge. Many teens are still reliant on their parents for food, shelter, and allowance to buy things like food and clothes, and unfortunately some parents like to withhold these things when they see their teen getting tubby. This ties in with the generally very unsupportive social-cultural climate this age, where most peers are thin and fit, so gainers really stand out against the crowd. This is occurring at a time in life when peer and family opinions are so important. Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget called the egocentrism that develops during the teen years the imaginary audience, which is the belief that the whole world is watching and the teen thinks that everyone is as preoccupied with him as he is. So, not only is the teen hypervigiliant and sensitive to criticism of unsupportive peers and parents, but also will struggle with affording the food necessary to gain and clothes to grow into. In short, gaining in the teen years can be done, but can be quite challenging. Be ready for the challenge. 

College (20-24): 14 stars Health (*****) Physiology (****) Financial (**) Social-cultural (***)

The college years are often marked by weight gain, facilitated by buffet-style meal plans, long hours of studying, and plenty of alcohol consumption at parties. Physically, the body has stopped growing, so extra calories become fat and not additional height. The body's metabolism begins to slow a bit, but metabolism is still overall quite high, which can make gaining difficult. College students are still at a peak of health, so physiologically the body can handle gaining at this age quite well. On the other hand, college students often need to run all over campus, which burns a lot of calories, and can be cumbersome for those with significant extra weight. Since most college students pack on some weight, the social-cultural environment is somewhat more accepting for gaining too. The frat-boy beer belly is almost something to be proud of, rather than scorned, and I'll admit its one of my favorite looks on a guy. My friends had a keg-o-rator in their dorm, for fresh-from-the-tap beer every hour of the day (and the blown-up bellies to prove it). However, financially most college students are still struggling to afford the basics, let alone extra food and new clothes. Overall, the college years rates 14 stars, which means gaining is possible but will require extra effort and dedication.

Post-college/Early Employment (25-35): 16 stars Health (****) Physiology (****) Financial (****) Social-cultural (****)

After college, some important things happen that bode well for the gainer. First, the metabolism really starts to noticeably slow, making gaining much easier. For guys who have never hit a gym, this is typically when they start going, as they realize how flabby they've become, and also realize that a few push ups and sit ups won't cut it any more. So fat is much easier to pack on. Health is still relatively strong, but I dropped a star here to reflect the fact that health disorders begin to rear their ugly heads here, especially for those with excessive lifestyles (think about all those singers, most recently Amy Winehouse, who died at the age of 27 following years of hard partying). So that means that gaining is much easier at this age but should be done in a healthful way, so as to not stress the body. Financially, most have found gainful (heh) employment at this age and therefore can afford a bounty of food and replacement clothes. Also, perhaps most importantly, this age group has moved out from under the parents' watchful eyes, literally and figuratively, and can gain with abandon, so long as they are okay with the comments and glares during family get-togethers. Most peers also put on a bit of weight during this age too, so the gainer doesn't feel so out of place. The exception to this is certain cliques of the gay community (twinks, gym bunnies) who triple their gym efforts so they can stay eternally young in their eyes. If the gainer belongs to this community, gaining can really stand out and they might end up losing their superficial friends (which I would argue isn't a loss at all). All in all, the post-college years are ideal for gaining, rating at 16 stars and making it one of the best times for gaining.

Middle Employment (36-45): 16 stars Health (***) Physiology (***) Financial (*****) Social-cultural (*****)

The middle employment years (for lack of a better term) represent another excellent time for gaining, where the individual still enjoys generally good health and overall physical ability. I can speak to this personally since I fall in this category. Health is dropped by one additional star from the preceding age group, because health problems can start to surface at this age, including those that relate to the extra weight. One issue that surfaced for me was foot problems (plantar fasciitis, or foot pain). Much of this is because I live in a big city where I walk alot, but clearly my feet weren't happy lugging around the extra pounds. Fortunately, a big (heh) benefit of this age is becoming well-established in one's career, which means job stability (i.e., less stress related to income, which affects one's appetite and ability to gain) and more income. With greater income it is easy for me to buy expensive shoes that reduce the foot pain. I can buy as much food as I want, and dine in whatever restaurants I want. Clearly this benefits the waistline. Also, most people this age are fighting expanding waistlines so the gainer will fit right in. I recommend that the gainer also include muscle bulking during this period, if he hasn't done so already. This extra muscle will help frame the fat better (preventing the saggy flabby look), and improve his overall appearance. Its also better for one's health. If he hasn't done so already, I would also advocate for cardio as well, between 2-3x a week, to keep the body physically in good condition. This may mean quite a bit of additional eating to overcome the calories lost during cardio, but hey, its much easier now that the metabolism is dropping and you've got all that extra income to burn. At 16 stars, this is another ideal time in life to enjoy gaining.

Veteran Career (46-60): 14 stars Health (**) Physiology (**) Financial (*****) Social-cultural (*****)

This age reflects a slight dropping of stars from the previous age group, and is matched with the college age years in terms of overall stars, but for different reasons. Obviously, health and physiology become more of a limitation in this age group. The complications from obesity become more pronounced as well as disorders secondary to obese conditions, such as cardiovascular issues, diabetes, orthoskeletal problems, etc. If the gainer has a family history of any of these conditions, he really needs to carefully consider whether gaining more weight is wise. Not only might he want to just maintain, but losing some weight could significantly improve his overall health functioning. Certainly I would recommend a regular gym routine with both weight training and regular cardio. On the plus side, gainers in this age group are at the peak of their earning potential, sometimes making more money than they know what do with. In fact, some, after reflecting on their health, chose to switch from gainer to encourager, and may financially support younger gainers instead. It is their way of "giving back" to the gainer community. Socially, this is another good time to be fat, since many of the gainer's peers are also carrying extra weight (so long as the gainer doesn't mind their doctor's chiding to lose weight). In sum, this represents a somewhat challenging time to gain; although packing on pounds is quite easy, the gainer needs to carefully weigh (heh) their health options.

Senior (61+): 8 stars Health (*) Physiology (*) Financial (***) Social-cultural (***)

This period reflects the lowest star rating and falls into the "not recommended" category. And here's why. Simply put, there are too many health risks to consider gaining at this age, as the extra weight would put a serious strain on the body. Many physical disorders emerge after age 60, and those who are overweight or obese are taking risks by choosing to gain. In fact, they may want to lose weight so they are only mildly overweight or normal weight at this age. Of course, knowledge of one's family healthy history is important here. For example, my paternal grandfather developed type II diabetes in his 80s and my paternal grandfather has some undisclosed blood sugar issues. Clearly, then, I am at risk for diabetes and/or hypoglycemia and plan to maintain normal weight in my 60s. Each gainer will have to judge whether the benefit of having a big fat belly outweigh (heh) the potential risks to his health. If he entered into his 60s with a big belly and his health hasn't changed all that much, it is possible to keep the belly and just monitor his health stats regularly with his doctor. But I wouldn't recommend gaining weight at this age. And socially speaking, his peers wouldn't be happy about it either, since his peers will be concerned about his health too. Financially, gaining during this period can be a burden as well, as retirement often leads to a fixed income, meaning less money for extras like excessive food. In short, gaining in the 60s is not recommended. Instead, I would recommend that folks in this period maintain a healthy lifestyle but stay active in the gainer community by encouraging others and sharing their wisdom and stories about a lifetime of gaining. New gainers are always excited to hear the gaining adventures of others.

***** ***** ***** *****

So there you have it -- the gaining age-period rating scale. Let me know what you think, whether you agree or disagree, and if so, which parts. Did I leave anything out? Not consider something important about a particular age? Feedback and comments are always welcome. :)