Gaining

I've tried gaining before, like 3500-4000 calories a day for almost 2 weeks straight, with almost no visible gain (1-2 lbs). My whole family is thin and I'm sure my metabolism is part of the problem.

Have any "successful" gainers here had that same obstacle? Was it possible to beat a high metabolism with an even more fattening diet, or are there proven/efficient ways to slow it down to make gaining easier? Any help would be appreciated

We share the same problem ("blessing", if you asked anyone else). The only time I've ever noticed even the most microscopic of changes in my own body fat percentage was when I crash dieted for a few days. Once I was sure my metabolism was getting dragged in the mud, I drank heavy cream every day and binged on a shit ton of food when I wasn't forcing the heavy cream down.

Try that.

Gainer friend of mine says she ruined her metabolism by drinking 2 pints of ice cream every day for a few months. Must've worked because she gained 67 lbs in her first year of gaining.

Thanks for the advice guys. I've been putting off gainer shakes because of how disgusting they sound, but I'll try one/two a day before bed and see what that leads to.

Really?

Just curious; is that an actual fact?

You're still relatively young. I had the same problem when I was thin and tried gaining in my teens and 20's. Even after gorging for months, the most I gained was 15 pounds. I'm not saying this to discourage you; it's just been my experience--and according to what I've read--that metabolisms tend to start slowing when you hit 25-30 years of age.
After I turned 30 I tried gaining again, and put on 90 pounds total (I'm real short so that's a lot) over three years, with most of the weight coming in the first eighteen months.

Time, patience, and dedication are crucial. Most gainers want faster results, but ime it's better to think in terms of months than weeks.

Four straightforward tips (though maybe not easy), followed by some diet stuff.

1. Beer.

2. Stop fidgeting. Fidgeting can burn a lot of calories.

3. Stay warm. We usually talk about visceral fat and brown fat, and those are the sorts of fat that store energy in your body. But we also have brown fat. Brown fat uses our body's energy to make us warm. If you layer up, you can teach your body that it doesn't need to produce heat, so it won't spend those precious calories on it anymore.

4. Eat a salad with bitter greens at the beginning of a large meal. Spikes your appetite.

I used to have this "gift"... I flirted with gaining every now and then (still do sometimes), but I think I'm meant to be thin.

Anyway. I broke my "gift" when I moved for a 3 month contract. There just literally wasn't enough food at my post, so I ended up losing over 20 lbs. Basically all my fat, and quite a bit of muscle too.

Your body doesn't like starving, so as a defense, it'll lower your metabolism.

When I came back, I gained close to 30 lbs without overeating. And ever since then, it's been waaaaaaaay easier to gain weight.

I don't recommend three months of malnutrition, but this is why crash dieting leads to weight gain. You may lose quite a bit of weight, but your body adapts and then puts the weight on much more easily when adequate calories are available.