It's "common knowledge" that most people are at their most desirable weight at high school graduation and the gradual (or sometimes rapid) weight gain begins with the dreaded "Freshman 15." Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, like myself I was a portly 200 lbs. (height 5'11") at high school graduation and now, 5 years later, am a much trimmer 160 lbs and intend to stay that way. There were also several guys in my high school who lost a significant amount of weight during their high school years. Perhaps not so coincidentally, they certainly set off my gaydar... There's the stereotype that gay guys tend to be slimmer, but there's definitely truth to it. What are other people's thoughts/experiences/observations with weight gain/loss?

[ February 10, 2004, 05:33 PM: Message edited by: joe47 ]

One of society's changes in recent years is that high school boys are paying attention to their weight, fitness, and nutrition, and appearance. In my school days, only the wrestlers did that. It's all part of the metrosexual revolution. I barely paid attention to my clothes, face, body, or hair. As long as I had jeans, a t-shirt, and tennis shoes, I didn't care.

At 5'-8", I was 130-135 pounds in high school. As a devoted gymnast I was solid muscle, something that I didn't really notice or appreciate at the time. For the next 6 years in college I didn't devote a single brain cell to thinking about my weight or fitness or nutrition, or even eating -- I was too wrapped up in my architectural work (as any friend of an architecture major can attest). I have no idea how much I weighed, except that near the end of my college career, a friend told me I was skin and bones.

Around the time I was ready to come out of the closet at age 27 I started looking at myself, and saw a flabby pasty guy who weighed 165 and whose 34" Levis were getting tight. My father had just died of a sudden heart attack, and that was my wake-up call. I started working out and paying attention to my diet. Now at 39, I've watched my weight and diet for the past 12 years. I've gone from 145 to 165, depending on whether I'm working out with weights or doing mostly cardio, but my jeans have been 30" for the past 10 years. Generally I'm now in the 150-155 range. In the past 6 months I started falling off the work-out wagon, and fell completely around Thanksgiving. I started seeing my paunchy 27-year-old body return, so THIS WEEK - as of yesterday - I'm back on a 3-times-a-week workout schedule. I told the gym's front desk clerk to send some goons to drag me to the gym if I'm not there at noon today. wink

When I was a senior in high school, I weighed 185lbs. At 6'9, that is NOT very big at all. My college coached promised/boasted that they would pump me up to 225-230 by the end of my freshman year. Well, at the end of freshman year, I think I weighed...maybe 200lbs? This was with the help of Exceed (called Ensure today) and the dorm food, which did not encourage my wanting to eat.

Anyway, the summer after my freshman year, a fellow ball player and I moved into an apartment (home cooking, yum). By September of my sophmore year, I was a huge 215lbs (the most I've ever weighed until last year). The only problem was that all of my weight was in my legs. Back then (1989) they did not have the baggy jeans, so I had literally busted out of my pants. So I was only able to wear sweats or shorts for the majority of that year.

Then last year I was obsessed with increasing my weight. So, I started with the protein shakes (myoplex) and creatine. They worked very well. They also broke me. But, I had finally done it. I weighed 235 pounds, but I had not done any form of cardio work while taking the supplements. So when basketball season came around, I could not get around on the court the way I had in the past (my lungs were on fire everytime I played a game). So I stopped the shakes & creatine and hit the treadmill. I dropped from 230 to 215-220 within 3 weeks and figured it wasn't ment for me to be that big.
Now I just was a bigger chest and arms...the legs develop if I think about doing squats.

When I was in my teens, I had a helluva time trying to gain weight. I was active in school (yet scorned) and I did many farm chores as well. I started to gain weight after I started working at McDonalds, then dropped it again.

When I entered college, I just blew up in my weight. I gained 40 lbs! I was fat! I wasn't active at all. I knew I had to change when people told me that I looked "healthy." Other reasons were that I could put my arms on my stomach and I could not see my penis anymore. THAT freaked me out.

I took weightlifting as a class and I learned I could change the way I look by working out and doing cardio. I fell in love with working out and cardio. I still do.

Right now, I am trying to gain some more size on me. I like the weight and I want to get to the 180lbs I was when I was fat and didn't workout. I want to be that big at my 5'9" frame.

When I was in high school I was pretty thin. I played a lot of sports, but I wasn't very muscular. At 5'9" I weighed about 145. I then went to college to play football for a small school, and that first year I started lifting with a fellow receiver. By my sophomore year I had developed a decent chest, shoulders, and arms and weighed 160. I quit playing football, but stayed around the 160-165 range. After college I moved to L.A. where I didn't know anybody and I ended up not being very active. I put on 20 pounds over a couple years. Last year, after seeing a horrible picture, I started focusing more on getting my body back to my football days. I dropped the 20 pounds, but I still want to drop another 10. I don't have the definition I had when I was in college. I'm trying hard to get there before summer comes and I start heading to the beach.

To me thats NOT common knowledge - those of us who graduated at 17 1/2 from hi school and were late bloomers to begin with looked better 5 years later. I think a 21 - 25 year old has a more desirable weight and build than a skinny 17-18 year old. PLUS very few MEN can be expected to retain the body that they had as a boy.

I'd agree with copman that most guys come in to their best bodies some where between 21-27. On a some what similar topic, I gain muscle mass fairly quickly. If I start lifting, I get results right away and can see a noticeable difference in my body. However, trying to lose weight for me is incredibly difficult. I can drop a quick 2-3 pounds but end up staying there for a couple weeks before anything else happens. I do cardio 3-4 times a week, and for quite a while. Anybody have any tips on dropping weight?

I've hit my ideal weight *now* - I'm nearly 35. When I graduated from high school I weighed about 180 lbs, on a 5-foot-9 frame. At one point in h.s. I went as high as 195. Through college I kept my weight in the 180s , but by 25 I was back at 195. My midsection looked like I had swallowed a tire! That's when I started running & biking, and changed my diet (no more sweets!); in 3 years I had dropped to 155. I was happy with the loss, but I felt underdeveloped above the waist, especially compared to my legs (my thighs are really big). Since I joined a gym 3 years ago, I've slowly built up to my current 170 or so lbs. I get compliments at my gym for how I've developed, which, considering how much I hated my body when I was younger, is always a pleasant surprise.