Why I Was Afraid of Gaining Weight Despite Being Skinny | The Moment Weight Training Turns Weight Gain into "Growth"

Hello! I'm Torimune, and I've been doing home workouts for 8 years.

“If I eat, I’ll get fat, but if I don’t, I’ll stay skinny. I’d rather be skinny than get fat”

Before I started weight training, this is what I used to think.

Being skinny my whole life, I never liked stepping on the scale. If the number went up, I’d think, “It’s just fat. Am I getting a beer belly?” But if the weight didn’t increase, I’d feel depressed thinking, “Still skinny, huh.”

It was a negative loop where I felt down no matter which way it went.

What’s more, for some reason, the minds of skinny people always imagine the “worst-case scenario” for how they’ll gain weight.

Just the belly sticking out while the arms and legs stay thin. A body type that is, to put it politely, not cool—what you’d call “skinny fat” or looking like a “starving ghost.”

I was so afraid of becoming that that I unconsciously avoided eating.

But at the same time, I hated my “skinny self.”

I wonder if there are people among you who feel the same way.

This time, based on my 8 years of home workout experience, I’m going to talk about how I, who was a “skinny person afraid of gaining weight,” managed to erase that fear.

Why skinny people fear "obesity" so much

There is a valid reason why skinny people are afraid of gaining weight.

When you gain weight without having much muscle, “only fat increases.” If you don’t have muscle, you don’t have a vessel to hold what you eat.

That’s why the conclusion that “weight gain = fat” is so easy to realistically imagine in our heads.

But the problem is that skinny people rarely reach the idea of “well, I should just build muscle.”

・The fixed idea that “weight gain = a protruding belly”
・The conditioning unique to Japanese society that “thin = beautiful and healthy”
・The mysterious assumption that “getting fat = lack of self-discipline”

I think these three things combine to create a psychology that prefers to stay skinny and maintain the status quo rather than gain weight.

The moment weight training erased the "fear"

I started weight training when I was 30. It was triggered by an OB-GYN who told me, 'You're too thin, you should start working out.' Until then, I had absolutely no connection to physical activity; I couldn't even do five push-ups.

For the first 100 days, honestly, my body didn't change much. The reason was that I didn't change my diet.

But as I gradually learned how to move my body, the mindset of 'eating to build muscle' began to sprout.

This moment was a turning point. The emotion I felt when the numbers on the scale increased changed.

It shifted from reading 'weight gain equals fat' to 'weight gain is proof that I have enough material to build muscle.'

It might sound like 'is that all?' when put into words, but when this change actually happened within me, it truly felt like the world had changed.
It's like the scale turned from an enemy into an ally.

If I hadn't started weight training, this probably would never have changed in my entire life. I still believe that the 'fear of eating' cannot disappear without the 'purpose of building muscle.'

The concept of 'nurturing' rather than 'getting fat'

When you think 'I don't want to get fat,' your mind can only imagine 'just gaining fat.'
But when you have the goal of 'gaining weight while building muscle,' a completely different image comes to mind.

Gaining weight is not proof of laziness, but proof of effort.

It's not weight gained from stuffing yourself with junk food, but weight built up by training properly and being mindful of protein and carbohydrate intake. That is the exact opposite of laziness.

Of course, you will gain some fat while bulking up. But the fat gained on a body with more muscle can be properly shed during a subsequent cutting phase.
The time spent doing nothing while remaining skinny is a much greater loss for the body.

When the mindset shifts to 'nurturing,' both diet and weight training start to look like an 'investment in yourself.'

You can change properly even with home workouts

For eight years, I haven't gone to a gym at all. I work out in a room at home with equipment like adjustable dumbbells, a training bench, and a pull-up bar.

I succeeded in gaining 13kg from my skinny 55kg frame, and people around me have started calling me muscular.

With home workouts, the weight limit might be lower than at a gym. But in terms of having an 'environment where you can continue,' it beats the gym. Zero travel time. Minimal changing. You can even do it after your family has gone to sleep.

This ease of continuity exerts tremendous effects in the long run👇

What's important is 'proper load' and 'keeping at it.' If you have these two things, anyone can go from a skinny physique to being muscular, even with home workouts.

Summary

"Weight gain does not equal obesity." It is "weight gain equals growth.".

Staying skinny might seem "safe," but it actually causes your body fat percentage to creep up slowly. On the other hand, weight gained through proper strength training and nutrition will definitely change you.

The feeling of being "afraid to gain weight" is a fear that only arises because you lack muscle.

Conversely, as you gradually build muscle, this fear naturally fades away. At least, that was the case for me.

Taking a step forward and facing your body is definitely more confidence-building than staying skinny.

I started at 30 and am still doing home workouts now, approaching 40. It took over half a year to feel the first changes, and there were times when I hit a plateau. Even so, by continuing, I have built up the conviction that "I could do it too."

I want you all to know that feeling, too.

When you start seeing the numbers on the scale as a "record of growth," strength training becomes fun. And that becomes the fuel for consistency.

Thank you for reading to the end this time as well!

⬇️The related articles belowcontain a summary of the weight gain, strength training methods, and mindset that I recommend based on my own real-life experience. Please take a look! 🙏

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