I've been lifting for 5 years, but not until the most recent months have I really gotten into the nutritional part and because of this, I was always a smaller built person. roughly 90 some days ago I started to keep track of my calories/percentages and started off with 3000 calories daily. With each week I increased my caloric needs and eventually after 47 days I made a 15 lb weight gain. For a few weeks after that in preparation for some traveling i decided it would be best to maintain in order to make it easier to keep up the calories while on the move. By the end of this vacation, i did not lose weight, but I was significantly leaner/cut as compared to when I left. it has been roughly 3 weeks since then and I have been bumping my calories each week again using a calorie counter and I am currently doing 3500 daily yet I am making no gains? I go to the gym 3 days a week as well and I am making strength gains....just not weight gains. I'm trying to figure out what to do because I've been increasing calories on a consistent basis yet my body is seeming to just reject any weight gain.
Update:starting weight: 130 lbs
current weight: 145 lbs
goal weight: 160 lbs
height: 5'8"
you need to take 1.5 - 2 grams of protein per lb of bodyweight and 2 grams of carbs per lb . Fats should fill the remainder. so 300 grams of protein , 300 grams of carbs and 100 grams of fat per day roughly.
The more you exercise, the less food you need to eat. Your body works better at digesting food, so you gradually eat less. For mass, do Reyometrics.