lilljonas posted:

I was kind of in your situation, but not quite as much (6 feet, 140 lbs). I biked a lot, didn't have a car, and simply burned a lot of calories and never got bigger.

At 33 I started to go to the gym. For the first year, I went to the gym three times every week. As for diet, I kept it pretty similar to before, but I added a big protein shake every evening. After that year was over, I had gained weight for the first time since I was a teenager, about 25 lbs in muscles.

So yes, I think you're just eating normally, which keeps you at steady weight. The trick is to force yourself to eat more, even if you are not that hungry, and downing a big protein shake every evening before bed is a good way to make it a simple habit, rather than calculating your meals carefully. You say that you are not ok with milk, but there are various non-dairy alternatives out there, even if they won't be as caloric dense. But bottom line is: you just need to eat far more than you think you need when you want to gain weight. Trust me, I've been there.

Another thing that helped me: eating two breakfasts. I ate one breakfast at home, before going to work. Then at 9.30 or so I'd microwave a big-rear end bowl of oatmeal. 2 dl oatmeal + 4 dl water, 2 minutes or so, Bob's your uncle. Just cram that down your face every morning, helps you get those extra calories without getting too much sugar and poo poo.