DAMN. It's hard to go from cutting to bulking!

[yadrutas]

Psychologically speaking, going from a successful cut to bulking or even to maintenance is hard. Forming a solid habit of low calorie eating, then sticking with it, then seeing great results, mentally you've associated with eating more as a bad thing.

I went from 160 and 22% BF to my current stats in my signature. And now that I have lost fat and look better than being chubby, I realized I probably should increase some muscle mass.

But I want to do it slowly and carefully. When I was cutting I was routinely eating 1700-1800 cal a day. Today, I am trying to get myself to 2000 cal and it's hard! It's not physically hard of course. Only mentally.

Basically what's going through my mind is that I was happy with my cutting results, and I don't want to get fat ever again even though I do want to build more muscle.

Has anyone here successfully cut, then successfully bulked without increasing body fat? If so, care to share exactly how you did it? I think if I saw some definitive answers on how to eat and work out without gaining fat, I'd have an easier time doing it.

FAT, that's the fear.

[joejccva71]

Two words: Carb Cycle

[sureshk]

I guess just try to keep your bulking diet as clean as possible to avoid fat gains, and don't go too far over maintenance (only a few hundred cals). I'm having the same thoughts, I've been cutting for almost 11 weeks now and soon will be clean bulking, and worried about fat gains. Also worried how I'm going to physically eat that much (raising cals up by around 2000 over what I'm eating now!)!

[Roniboney]

good work in the past man. as for bulking without fat it is extremely hard.even guys on gear accept small fat gain.Though I've fond that taking sesamin,fish oils and cla are a great anti fat stack
i bulked and gained 2% fat so it can be done
I would recommend though to cut to around 10-12% body fat and eat only 250-500 cals over maintenance
dont over do it
increase your cals every week by 1 or 2 hundred until you're at your bulking calories
.
To minimize fat gain remain consistent with cardio.You should be fine but seriously consider cutting to at least 12% bodyfat

[The_Animal11]

300 cals is like extra few bites of food?

[yadrutas]

300 cals is like extra few bites of food?

Nah, 300 calories goes far! That's 6oz of chicken right there.

[The_Animal11]

Nah, 300 calories goes far! That's 6oz of chicken right there.

6oz of chicken, if you are eating 6 meals a day, is 1 extra oz per meal.

thats literally adding one slice of deli turkey to each of 6 meals.

[IIcovski]

You cant bulk without some fat gain

[yadrutas]

6oz of chicken, if you are eating 6 meals a day, is 1 extra oz per meal.

thats literally adding one slice of deli turkey to each of 6 meals.

Haha, if you divided everything up that way it would sound minimal. If you got 2 sushi rolls of 6 pieces each, and divide that into 6, that's only 2 pieces of sushi! lol

[MAX.MAREK]

carb-cycle. clean food. CARDIO STAYS IN!

that will net lean gains, and keep fat gain low. BUT you do need to realize what your main goal is....to BUILD MUSCLE. you cant mold a bigger sculpture without adding MORE clay (fat) on top of it first, before you can start chizzling away the excess off when the time is right. so keep in mind your main LONG TERM goal. if you know how to cut, it will be easier to cut the next time around....

[seansquared]

If you're really concerned about the increase in BF% from bulking, do another 90 day cut first and drop another couple of % points. When you DO bulk you'll go back up to 14% and you already know you're comfortable with that.

[yadrutas]

If you're really concerned about the increase in BF% from bulking, do another 90 day cut first and drop another couple of % points. When you DO bulk you'll go back up to 14% and you already know you're comfortable with that.

There's gotta be a way to bulk without increasing body fat percent or maybe even reducing it.

[The_Animal11]

Haha, if you divided everything up that way it would sound minimal. If you got 2 sushi rolls of 6 pieces each, and divide that into 6, that's only 2 pieces of sushi! lol

thats what im sayin! and how hard is it to eat a extra 2 sushi rolls?

[Nolem]

There's gotta be a way to bulk without increasing body fat percent or maybe even reducing it.

intermittent fasting ?

[yadrutas]

carb-cycle. clean food. CARDIO STAYS IN!

that will net lean gains, and keep fat gain low. BUT you do need to realize what your main goal is....to BUILD MUSCLE. you cant mold a bigger sculpture without adding MORE clay (fat) on top of it first, before you can start chizzling away the excess off when the time is right. so keep in mind your main LONG TERM goal. if you know how to cut, it will be easier to cut the next time around....

i thought fat doesn't convert to muscle... From what I've been reading you just need the fuel for the muscle. And anything that isn't used for fuel turns to fat. So if that's true, getting muscle without fat seems to be just a matter of finding the right amount of fuel to efficient convert to muscle... And that can only be done through small incremental trials and errors. Correct me if this hypothesis is off base.

[HotPie]

It is hard, and it's something I struggled myself after losing 45 lbs. and dropping down to about 8-9% body fat. In fact I'm still struggling with it.

You just gotta tell your mind and subconscious to go **** itself and just eat. And chances are, you can eat a hell of a lot more than you think you can and still bulk cleanly as long as you eat properly.

[joshuatrester]

You'll be 40 yrs old before you even reach 150lbs eating 2000 calories a day...

[yadrutas]

You'll be 40 yrs old before you even reach 150lbs eating 2000 calories a day...

I'm going to increase incrementally.

[yadrutas]

It is hard, and it's something I struggled myself after losing 45 lbs. and dropping down to about 8-9% body fat. In fact I'm still struggling with it.

You just gotta tell your mind and subconscious to go **** itself and just eat. And chances are, you can eat a hell of a lot more than you think you can and still bulk cleanly as long as you eat properly.

So what are you currently doing?

[HotPie]

So what are you currently doing?

Eating 3000 calories a day +/- 200 calories or so depending on my schedule, workout, etc,

Workout 4 times a week, full body workout, no cardio. Actually thinking of going back on SS though because I still think I can make some decent gains on it.

[yadrutas]

Eating 3000 calories a day +/- 200 calories or so depending on my schedule, workout, etc,

Workout 4 times a week, full body workout, no cardio. Actually thinking of going back on SS though because I still think I can make some decent gains on it.

Wow! Where was your body before you cut?

[EmperorRyker]

intermittent fasting ?

With responses like these I start hating being on IF.

i thought fat doesn't convert to muscle...

He never said it does.