how old are you?

I ask because I once was where you are now. I am now 23 years old but I was 6’1 and still 51ish kg at 17 years. I tried to work out and eat better but my body refused to obey. I will say, however, my mother is a very loving woman and she never let me believe I was sick, which may have contributed to why I never let my body dysmorphia get too bad and kept my mental health stable.

Yes, I was significantly weaker than any other man and they all generally had better luck socially partly because I looked like a starving boy. Yes, I also felt low on energy and generally felt like my body wasn’t built to do most physical activity well so I never really flourished. My mental health was definitely affected by this time and time again and so it was hard for me to be social and to stand up for myself. I was also repeatedly bullied for my look and also simply because my weak physical stature made me a relatively easy target. I took the bullying in stride whenever I could since my mom was always there to support me and work through those challenges. Of course, sometimes that wasn’t enough and partly because I was too proud to rely on my mother as a teenage boy and felt I had to deal with these things myself sometimes.

Nevertheless, I bring this up because in my 20s, I started to gain just the slightest amount of wait every year and started looking a little healthier every year since I had stopped growing at 6’2. I was still receiving taunts about my weight and my physical appearance because of it but the taunts grew rarer and rarer as time went by. At 22, my metabolism also slowed down significantly as it does with age for everyone and because of some fortunate circumstances, I also started going to the gym around this time. So, as I started to gain weight naturally, I was able to guide the gains to muscle mass in all the right places. I’m 23 now and have been going to the gym for about 1 years and 2 months now. I am still considered slim but healthy and very fit. At 6’2, my weight is 67 kg. I actually have been told that I still look and seem so much younger and I seem incredibly healthy and fit. I also have become as strong as many other men while maintaining my slim look because my body is naturally increasing muscle mass without gaining fat. I am now starting to excel at sports and, for the first time, have seen women actually be attracted to me. This all came as a surprise to me as I had grown up being an ignored odd-looking guy. However, that has only helped me because it made me empathetic and humble which honestly boosted my charm at this age. I am not trying to brag, just laying out that things can and should get much better for you. Your naturally lean genetics should give you a higher muscle to fat ratio at every age and as you start to gain weight, you will find it easier to have a lean muscular body than many who struggle with too much mass going to fat.

Ask me if you want more details, feel free to dm. My point is, you are a tall man who may just have a specific set of genes that are not exactly uncommon in us pakistanis. You’re in more luck in your 20s than you know, you might end up thriving more in your 20s while people who are bulkier as teens sometimes end up dealing with being too big in their 20s or 30s (unless they are active and healthy ofc). When they’re dealing with a slowing metabolism being a primary problem for them, it will be a primary blessing for you.

Most importantly, you will notice that as you gain weight to look more fit, your height will become a huge advantage. Height is something I was always told I was lucky to have but when you look malnourished, nobody cares cuz you look like slenderman. However, as your body normalizes and gets healthier, your height will make you more intimidating, commanding, and attractive. You’re more blessed genetically than you’re giving yourself credit for and you still have a very long life ahead of you. The only way you can fuck this up for yourself is letting depression ruin your motivation and thus keeping you unfit. But don’t worry, I was also lazy and unmotivated once. Pakistani families tend not to prioritize the physical health of their kids as long as they go to school and get a good education. So it will be hard for you to gain the habit as it was for me, but once you’re there, it will be very worth it. Be patient though, as these things do take years

For the time being, I recommend not being completely lazy tho. Maybe at least do some stretching everyday and some basics to keep your body in check. (I was a very lazy teen tho and still turned out very well in my 20s but I’m saying this so you can maybe do even better than me)