Former fat guys - are you scared to bulk?

[randyrock]

I, for one am.

When I reached my lowest weight (142lbs) and was 29.9' waist, I could see that I skinny, but still had those last remnants of fat around by belly/hip area. It wasn't much at all and if I continued to lose weight (fat hopefully), my ribs would just be all over the place. I was actually looking gaunt.

I KNOW that in order to combat this type of problem I should have graduated to a bulk in order to build muscle, boost my metabolism further and then cut in order to create a more defined physique.

BUT, as a former fatty (220 pounds, 42' waist, 5'6), the thought of eating a calorie surplus and undoing all the hard work was, and still is a very VERY scary thought. I didn't want to do it at all. In the end, I binged for a few days and went back to my regular eating routine (this was last year).

Over the last few years I have fluctuated between 142-160lbs and at the moment I am getting to the level where I should think about bulking (I am now 148lbs and 31' waist).

Anyway, are any other former fatties in my position?

How do you feel about bulking?

Have you done it before with success?

How has the composition of your physique changed and was it for the better?

[AsianJKim]

My weight goes from 170-180 every other week. Depends on my eating habits really.

[TroyMM]

it is scary. you just gotta go for it. slow lean bulk

you've cut before, you can do it again if you gain a little fat

[moojeni]

You can eat at maintanance or at a small surplus (+100 / +200 calories) and lift heavy. It should work. If you're not in a hurry to bulk, you can take your time to add some muscle slowly.

[livinforthewave]

Dude I know I was scared. and i know your thinking what could a 17 year old know, but truth is when i was 15 i weighed 230 and was like 30% bodyfat but i cut for a long time then when i shoulda started bulking after I had become skinny i couldnt do it. didnt want to undo all that hard work and so i lost more weight till i was 6 foot 2 inches and 148lbs. at that point i decided that i needed to do something so i finally got over my fear of gaining wait and its been alot better since then. Remember the reason you got fat was not off of lifting and eating healthy foods so if you do that your not going to end up looking anything near what you came from even if you do gain a little fat, which another thing you have to realize if you allready were able to cut off all of that fat then it is gonna be real easy when its like 2 lbs and youve got more muscle anyway. so dude just go for a slow clean bulk and dont step on the scale for a month just go by the mirror. trust me dude itll help loads

[Layziegtp]

I wanted to ask this question myself actually. I'm not near enough to my target body fat to bulk yet, but I started thinking about it, and eating the amount of food required to bulk at this point sounds not only hard to do, but like a just plain bad idea!

I am enjoying my cut IMMENSELY at this point. I never, ever thought I would hear myself say that. Being calorie deficit feels... almost natural now. I know bulking certainly helps ones appearance greatly, but it seems like a slippery slope...

But I've got 20 more pounds and 10% body fat to lose before I even start seriously considering a bulk, so by then my mindset may change entirely. It definately has in the past few weeks, more than I ever imagined.

[jeffisdabest]

please remember your on bb.com not loseweightandlooklikeastick.com gaining weight and eating a bit of food is part of the process mind you done correctly fat gain can be kept to a minimum but it is part of bbing


so good luck!

[thomaslux]

well, i'm bulking up to 240 ish before a cut to a hopefully lean 210-215 or so, so we'll see how that goes. it has helped that i haven't gained much around the waist.

since i started the bulk, i've managed to put on 6-7 kilos in 5 months, so i think that's pretty solid considering the changes i'm seeing in my body (chest, back and legs are exploding!). was certainly scared though, but am confident in my ability to cut at least, having lost the 110lbs to begin with...

[J_Dieter]

Dude I know I was scared. and i know your thinking what could a 17 year old know, but truth is when i was 15 i weighed 230 and was like 30% bodyfat but i cut for a long time then when i shoulda started bulking after I had become skinny i couldnt do it. didnt want to undo all that hard work and so i lost more weight till i was 6 foot 2 inches and 148lbs. at that point i decided that i needed to do something so i finally got over my fear of gaining wait and its been alot better since then. Remember the reason you got fat was not off of lifting and eating healthy foods so if you do that your not going to end up looking anything near what you came from even if you do gain a little fat, which another thing you have to realize if you allready were able to cut off all of that fat then it is gonna be real easy when its like 2 lbs and youve got more muscle anyway. so dude just go for a slow clean bulk and dont step on the scale for a month just go by the mirror. trust me dude itll help loads

I couldnt agree more with what is said here. I just started my cut this past monday, and so far I think so good. Diet/calories is on, exercise is there. Then I think about whats going to happen after and get a little freaked out.

Then I remember....I got heavy because I WASN'T lifting and doing cardio. I got heavy because I was eating garbage.

Knowing I'm lifting/cardio and the bulk comes with eating good food, just in large quantities puts me at ease.

[Modest_Force]

I was afraid to do a bulk when I was fat and had no muscle. I was 6'3" at 235 lbs with 20.5% body fat with no real muscle. People were like "you have to eat a lot to gain muscle and then cut the fat.. Now that I am cut (8-9% body fat), I don't want to lose my ripped physique, especially at the beginning of beach season. But that is also my problem, my 'ripped' physique really isn't THAT ripped. If I were 20-30 lbs more muscle, I'd look so much better.

To correct this, instead of a straight up bulk I am going to carb cycle throughout the summer as a means to build muscle and keep my body fat low.

"OH NOEZ!!!11one1!! He is building muscle and cutting fat at the same time?!"

If it is possible to cut fat and preserve muscle mass, then it is possible to gain muscle and maintain your body fat (or even lose some body fat).

I used to be afraid of the idea of a bulk. Even the word bulk just sounds dirty and full of fat gain. Now, I am going in with an open mind. I also have to remember that I still look better than most of the people I have my shirt off around. =) That's just my little ego boost for the year. El oh el.

[chud50]

i'm somewhat afraid to bulk, but i like the physique i'm developing. i'm muscular and lean and don't want to get big... so i'll just maintain a lower calorie diet

[Gorath]

Now, admittedly, I've not lost the weight yet, but here's my 2 cents on the matter.

The way I figure it, I put on this weight trough lack of exercise and poor eating habits. It was all out of control. By the time I lose all the necessary weight, I'll have a strict control of my diet and will be regularly exercising, at that point, I won't care about bulking up for 2 reasons;

1) I'm in control of the weight gain, and it is for a purpose
2) The results of the bulk are entirely different. I won't just be loading on lard around the gut, it'll be building blocks for a more muscular frame, entirely different and VERy intoxicating.

As long as you maintain control and focus, I personally don't see it as being a problem.

And for what it's worth, I can say without a doubt that I'll feel this way in a years time when I have dropped my weight as for me, dropping the weight means I've managed half the work, the next half is putting it back on in a better fashion.

Personally, I'm REALLY looking forward to it.

[Indians79]

When i finally lose these last 30 pounds im going to be at my goal weight. My weight always fluctuated since i was in 3rd grade. During football season i would lose 20 pounds and i would gain it all back after the season was over. This cycle happened until i was a senior in high school. Im done with football now since i declined playing in college so i have no need to be big anymore. Ive lost 35 lbs in 3 months so far, so hopefully by the end of the summer i can reach my goal weight. Ill see how i look from there but if i ever decide to bulk i will be terrified to gain fat. feelsbadman

[Clamz]

I'd be afraid to going back to eating whatever I want because I fatten up extremely fast. But I've been dieting for so long that I'm somewhat used to low cals and the thought of doing a clean bulk at 3000 cals or so seems like a very enjoyable and sustainable thing. So I'm not afraid of it since I should be able to bulk and eat well without getting fat again.

[ewitte]

Not only slowly but with the highest quality food. Junk food can get addicting no use adding fuel to the fire. It took 10 years but ended up where I started around 240lbs (probably with a small bit extra muscle since there was a good amount of weight training in there at times). Good thing is if your really knowledgeable you can go from 30%+ bf to the teens fairly quickly.

[Gusthebus]

I was scared now that I am in not loving it cuz I have to eat sooo much but gains are great a weight went up but belly is same

[scfrank97]

Being at one time 535 n a 64 waist n now 250 n a 34 waist, looking big is not good in my eyes. I know its a different kind of big but i would like to be fit in a perfect scenario.

[MyDenverMint]

I was in this boat for a long period of time. But lately I've started to realize that adding some mass is probably a good way to go. I've overcome my fear of bulking and am going to do a clean bulk.

[Dexter3000]

Adding some mass on a clean bulk makes you look only better. Fat gain is not such a big deal, as it will be minimal if you know what you're doing.

You don't have to go from 1800 cals cutting to 3000+ cals in one day. Just slowly up the calories with no more then 200 a week. See what happens.

If you monitor strength, body weight AND waist then you know what is happening.

[glennyboy]

Hell no, I'm looking forward to bulking, I've been cutting for around 8 monthes and I'm looking forward to more variety in food and seeing some gains in my lifts. in saying that it will be a long slow clean bulk so I dont have to cut for atleast 6 monthes hopefully.

[carlson61]

Not scared by hesitant. My family is large - i was large - then lost 100lbs. Granted i now work out consistantly and have a better metab. then i used to; i can still see that i put weight (bad) very easily. Im like a fat storage magnet. For instance - i put on 10lbs in one week at disney (Granted good chunk was prob spike in sodium, thus water retention)...

..regardless, I hesitate to full on bulk in fear ill pack on serious fat. I know ill lose it again - but it would defeat the purpose and effort of bulking. So when i do try and bulk -- i attempt real hard to keep it clean and very gradual.

[BunkMoreland]

ill be hesitant when i get to that point, no doubt.

[Jav111]

i was so scared to bulk but now my weights gone up 5 lbs and i dont think i put on any fat.
you just have to man up (no hate) and deal with the fat gains in order to put on that muscle. just like when you have to sacrifice the foods you love when cutting. either that or clean bulk at a 200-300 calorie increase.

[frank112]

I am more excited than scared - mostly because I get to eat more hehe. Like you OP, I am a couple of pounds from my target weight and even when I hit it, i'll still have a little fat on the chest and love handle area. But I feel really scrawny now and can't stand hearing how "skinny" I look (I want them to say im cut! lol).

My bulk starts in 2 weeks whether I lose the additional 2 pounds I need to lose or not. I'm definitely taking it slow though (starting at maintenance for a few weeks to see how my body reacts) but with all the discipline and motivation that i've used to get me to this point, I doubt i'll fall off the track again.

[xxxxfactor]

Yes! I'm at around 136 and ~14% bf...maybe i'll try the slow bulk when the weather starts to get colder

[Crush086]

I'm looking forward to it. I've had small skinny arms all my life (but the gut didn't stay small lol), and once I lose these last 5 or 8 pounds I look forward to gaining some mass.

[jman194]

unfortantly i am very terrifed of bulking, through out the few bulks that i went on, i would go half way through and give up and get back to my lean state. through out most of my life i was practically fat( big tits and everyhting) so fat at one point that i couldnt even see my dick. iv only been lean for about a year, before that i was skinny fat, and before that i was fat fat. iv only just gotten super lean. although im not fat anymore, my fat former self is still in my head. which is why im terrifed of bulking, the most succesful bulk was about 4 months. i gained like 7 pounds, 4 of it was muscle( i could tell) but i had a huge stomach. i then said **** it good enough and went on a cut and now im my lean self again. =( its a shame i wanna be big like the mucles models, but i dont have the proper mindset to bulk. however i am extremly good at cutting, i resit all my temptations, i cook my own meals, no bull **** junk food, i routine is on key and i can get abbs in like 2 months if i choose to. but my bulk is sooooo bad, i need help!

[softpounder]

Strongbump/10

[MookyStick]

Strongbump/10

For real.

[JVRICHARDS]

Not scared, no. I've been cutting relatively slow for 18 months now, doing compound lifts most of the while. I've got a pretty decent physique going on. When I'm not working 80 hours a week, I think I'll find slow bulking to be quite pleasurable. Will most likely bulk at 3000 a day and keep close count on my fatness.

But overall, I know what it took to get morbidly obese, and what it took to get 'not so morbidly obese'. Armed with that knowledge, I'm not going to have too much trouble.