Orexigenics

For many bodybuilders, the inability to eat enough food is probably their biggest obstacle to becoming massive. Many pro bodybuilders have a genetic advantage that allows them to eat and process food at a faster rate than the average person.  For the rest of us, perhaps artificially increasing appetite is the key. Like the bodybuilding saying goes: “Eat Big To Get Big”

All people are different. We are born as specific somatotype (a human physical type). Its  known that by example a pure ectomorph with a very lean body only very difficult builds either muscle or fat. This is simplification since we are born with a genotype (genetics) a phenotype  (development of a genotype in a given environment) and on the bodybuilders boards we mostly refer to somatotypes.  Let’s say you are a “ hard gainer”. A term often used in bodybuilders circles. If so you have to eat large amounts of food to get enough building-blocks to build new muscle-mass and some fat. But mostly when you are a hard-gainer you also have a small appetite too. This is also something we are born with and what we learned. Some are born with a big appetite, others will slowly have to learn to eat bigger amounts. Appetite and how soon you feel “full” is also hormonal steered.

Bodybuilding is divided into two distinct phases, mass gaining (bulking)  and fat reduction (cutting).  Traditionally, mass gaining (also known as bulking) is usually undertaken during the winter months.   It has been well established that food is your most anabolic agent.   The problem that most bodybuilders face when trying to get insanely large is food intake is that they simply cannot consume enough calories to truly promote an anabolic state in the body.

This leads to one of the biggest problems aspiring monsters face; where is their extreme hunger to go with this extreme eating that is required of them?  One of the most commonly asked questions is what can an athlete do to increase their appetite?  For this group of people the ” pharmaceutical box of Pandorra”  contains suited drugs. And of course there are also supplemental methods to increase your appetite. 

Still, it is hard to believe that a society so crippled with obesity would actually research appetite stimulants.  However, the threat of the HIV virus has changed this.  A great deal of research has been done on ways to boost the appetite of patients afflicted with HIV induced wasting.  Appetite stimulants are also used to help patients recover from or combat cancer.  Subsequently, much of the documented research comes from the arena of these terminal diseases. The subjects in the test are not healthy athletes.  Therefore, we must use discrimination in adopting these recommendations.

Anabolic Steroids

Once again we must talk about our favorite topic, anabolic steroids. In the United States anabolic steroids are primarily prescribed to treat AIDS and the accompanying loss of lean body mass.  The drugs most commonly used to in this sort of therapy are the bodybuilding classics, testosterone, oxandrolone (anavar), and nandrolone decoanate (deca-durabolin).  For people suffering from severe illnesses that are extremely catabolic, these drugs help promote weight gain.  But there is also some evidence that these agents also increase appetite.  On the boards most guys will mention Boldenone undecylenate (Equipoise) . Some athletes swear by it and will tell you it allowed them to eat more and better. So let us leave behind this familiar territory for uncharted waters.

Insulin

Insulin (“slin” in bodybuilders slang) has powerful appetite stimulating effects because it decreases your blood sugar by driving glucose into liver and muscle cells.  Sure, when you eat a lot of sugar (or take 15 IU's of insulin) you get really hungry a short while later.  But uncontrolled eating should not be combined with insulin.  This is the best way I can think of to get obese.  Insulin should be used in conjunction with a clean diet, making it a less then ideal appetite stimulant for a mass cycle.  This can be a double-edged sword, as insulin is incredibly effective for adding mass.  Bodybuilders who use insulin during a mass cycle must take care to eat clean while they exogenous insulin is active in the body; any junk food should be eaten outside this window. Insulin is a very dangerous substance that can kill you very easy. For non-competing athletes it’s much wiser to increase insulin with food (sugars) directly after your work-out (will be continued in a separate blog-post).

Other peptides

I think the majority of us already knows that advanced bodybuilders and pro-bodybuilders combine insulin with GH ( Growth Hormones).  This subject is so complex since GH is also used for athletic purposes and as a lipolytic (fat burning) agent, that I will only shortly want to mention this peptide.

The same is true for the GH secretagogues. There are many of them but I want to mention GHRP-2 and 6,  GHRP-6 is a peptide hormone that affects the release of HGH in the body, and reduces inflammation and promotes healing and  fat-burning in muscle. Some claim these peptides deserve the nickname “appetite increasers from hell”. Since it facilitates uncontrolled eating.  As with all things some will agree others won’t.

Non-anabolic hormones

Megesterol Acetate (Megace)

This drug is a semi-synthetic derivate of the hormone Progesterone. Side effects that result are those typical with female hormones and include breast development in men (gyno) and water retention.  Megace has demonstrated a great increase in appetite in a short period of time. This drug has two drawbacks.  One, it is very expensive.  Secondly, as you might expect from a drug that's derived from Progesterone, the weight gain is most commonly fat.  However, it is possible that a hard-training athlete might experience more muscle gain with Megace than the average person prescribed the drug.  If a normal person suddenly and drastically increases their food intake, we would expect most of the weight gain to be fat.  If this drug were used in conjunction with heavy androgen therapy and a strict training program, it is likely that the appetite stimulating effects on the drug would result in an even greater gain of lean body mass (LBM).  While the weight gain potential of Megace is dose mediated, it appears the side effects (impotence, fluid retention, nausea and vomiting) are also dependant on the level of drug intake. An effective dosage of 160-400 mg has been shown to have an appetite and weight enhancing effect without manifesting many of these side effects.

Glucocorticosteroids

These commonly available and relatively inexpensive drugs have been found to have appetite-stimulating effects that promote weight gain. The drawback is that they are immunosuppressive and may cause protein wasting and glucose intolerance.  Unbelievably, many AIDS patients have been put on high dosages of glucocorticosteroids like prednisone in an attempt to increase their appetite and weight.  These patients certainly do gain a bit of weight, that being all water and fat at the expense of even more LBM.  That's because the biggest problem with this class of drug is the enhanced catabolism they cause.  Granted, a high calorie diet coupled with anabolic agents is going to significantly offset the catabolic effects of these drugs, but the action is still antagonistic. It would be my recommendation to avoid glucocorticosteroids, especially if you are not using AAS.

Non-hormonal agents

Dronabinol (Marinol)

Marinol is derived from sesame seed oil that contains the same active ingredient THC (delta-y-tetrahydrocannabinol) found in marijuana.  Marijuana has been a popular appetite stimulant, clinically demonstrated to drastically boost food intake.  This drug offers the benefits of this appetite increase. Basically, Marinol has the same kind of side effects has marijuana, including confusion, mood changes, and paranoia.  While significant improvements in appetite and mood have been demonstrated in people with HIV/AIDS, weight gain has been non-significant.  The application of this drug to bodybuilders might be more helpful.  Hopefully your body is in a state more conducive to weight gain.

This drug does increase your appetite and many bodybuilders use it recreationally. It helps them gain weight or cope with the pain of training.  It also helps to relex.  Marijuana has depressing effects on serum testosterone levels.  I wrote a blog-post on the use of Marijuana. //juicedmuscle.com/jmblog/content/marijuana-and-bodybuilder  Well it seems Arnold knew how to appreciate it.

Cyproheptadine (Periactin)

This is an antihistamine with anti-serotoninergic properties used for the treatment of acute and chronic allergies.  This drug is also used as an anti-depressant and weight gain agent for patients with anorexia nervosa.  It is also speculated that this drug increases growth hormone levels in the body; perhaps as a function of increased sleep. This drug is extremely potent.  It drastically boosts your appetite and food intake. It also makes you extremely sleepy, making it a very useful nighttime drug if you have difficult with insomnia from high levels of circulating testosterone.  Athletes can expect to gain weight even without AAS when using this drug.

Catovit (Prolintane hydrochloride plus B group vitamins)

This alternative and inexpensive therapy is promoted as an appetite stimulant. There is little published information to support this.  Bodybuilders have been using B vitamins (particularly B-12) as an appetite stimulant for years.  Some people find it works very well while others perceive no effects.  Some foreign anabolic steroids include B-12 in their formula to boost energy levels.  However, it is unlikely that extra B-12 will do all that much for you unless you are suffering from a chronic insufficiency.

Hydrazine Sulphate

Hydrazine sulphate decreases the rate of gluconeogenesis by inhibiting phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase.  Gluconeogenesis is defined as the formation of glucose, especially by the liver, from noncarbohydrate sources, such as amino acids and the glycerol portion of fats.  If gluconeogenesis is inappropriately elevated, as may be the case in HIV/AIDS, this agent may restore this pathway decreasing both glucose production and whole body protein breakdown.  This might be a very useful for a bodybuilder seeking to use a low carbohydrate diet.  If carbohydrate intake is too low, the rate at which protein is converted to glucose will increase (in the absence of dietary fat).  This drug might prevent this from occurring. The evidence that this drug is an appetite stimulant comes from AIDS patients; I have not been convinced of its direct application to bodybuilding (as an appetite stimulant).  However, its biochemical effects may still be of use.  This is a drug that deserves further attention from the bodybuilding community.

If I had to pick one substance that I felt had the most significant effect on appetite, it would have to be testosterone.  Beyond that, I feel Periactin can be extremely effective

Non-pharmaceutical ways to improve your appetite

Increase your zinc intake. Zinc is a very important important mineral for bodybuilders - it strengthens the immune system and stimulates testosterone production. Low zinc levels have also been linked with poor appetite, as zinc is needed to produce HCl  (hydrochloric acid or stomach acid), which regulates digestion in the stomach. Therefore, by increasing your zinc intake you can also increase your appetite

 •It is recommended that beginner bodybuilders start out with 15 milligrams a day (for men) and 9 milligrams a day (for women), though this can be increased overtime.

•It is possible to increase your zinc intake by taking a supplement, however toxicity is a concern so it's best to get as much of your daily zinc intake from food as possible.

•Some foods which contain high levels of zinc include: oysters, chicken, beef shank, pork chops, wheat bran, cashew nuts and pumpkin seeds.

Restore your body's HCl levels

As mentioned before, HCl is an important substance for increasing your appetite when bodybuilding. HCl helps to break down food in the stomach, allowing your body to absorb essential nutrients. Low HCl levels have also been linked with a decreased appetite for protein, which is bad news for bodybuilders.

 •You can naturally increase your HCl levels by drinking a glass of fresh lime juice diluted in water first thing in the morning. The natural acids in the lime juice will help to stimulate your stomach's HCl production.

•There are many different types of protein drinks, but most come in a powdered form which you can then dissolve in milk, water or juice.

•You should drink them before or after a work-out, or in place of a meal, if necessary.

Restore your body's HCl levels. As mentioned before, HCl is an important substance for increasing your appetite when bodybuilding. HCl helps to break down food in the stomach, allowing your body to absorb essential nutrients. Low HCl levels have also been linked with a decreased appetite for protein, which is bad news for bodybuilders.

•You can naturally increase your HCl levels by drinking a glass of fresh lime juice diluted in water first thing in the morning. The natural acids in the lime juice will help to stimulate your stomach's HCl production.

•There are many different types of protein drinks, but most come in a powdered form which you can then dissolve in milk, water or juice.

•You should drink them before or after a work-out, or in place of a meal, if necessary.

•Take a supplement. Certain forms of B vitamins are said to help bodybuilders increase their appetite - namely, B12 and Folic acid. You can take these vitamins in tablet form or more directly, through injections which your doctor can prescribe. It is recommended that you take 1 cc. of each, two times a week.

• Drink protein shakes. If you're having trouble eating the large quantities of food necessary to build muscle, you can consider drinking protein shakes. Protein shakes are essentially a type of supplement which provide high levels of protein in an easily drinkable form. They are helpful when consuming large quantities of protein-rich foods leaves you feeling bloated and overly-full.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc7uJ-22bwQ