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Thread: First time BULKERS apply here ;)
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02-02-2013, 07:17 AM #7681
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02-02-2013, 02:02 PM #7682
- Join Date: Jun 2011
- Location: Pennsylvania, United States
- Age: 49
- Posts: 1,709
- Rep Power: 6437
Do you mean not being able to get rid of the fat or do you mean that you didn't make any gains from the bulk?
I was able to lean out fine after my bulk. I was still holding fat in my lower back and legs but I think if I'd have kept cutting, I would have started to lean out in those places; I was starting to see changes in my legs. It's just that I hold most of my fat there so that's the last place it was coming off. And I was starting to lose strength and was starting to feel relatively crappy on a diet so I bagged the cut a couple weeks before I'd planned. Losing two more pounds wasn't going to make really any difference in the long run, and I knew going back to bulking would be more beneficial.
But if you mean not seeing muscle gains as a result of the bulk, I wouldn't say I saw no results. I sure made muscle gains but I think I experienced several things causing my results to not be as good as they could have. I was eating at maintenance for 3 months and stubbornly not raising my calories even though I wasn't gaining. Then when I got over that, it took a while for me to find the right calorie level. I think I underate/over-cardioed for so long and I think it took my body some time to adjust. And by then, I don't really think I truly bulked for long enough. I was pretty disappointed when I cut. Part of the reason I wasn't happy with how I looked at that point was because I just didn't make the gains I wanted and the gains I thought I made. I also wouldn't say I half-assed it in the gym entirely, but I now know I didn't push as hard on my upper body as I should have. Plus I didn't follow a program, not that following a program is a necessity but I think in hindsight, what I was doing was just not good enough to spark growth. I just wasn't working out smart.
Not that the bulk was an epic fail. Quite the opposite. I did make some gains even though it wasn't what I wanted, it got me over the fear of eating and gaining weight and seeing the scale go up. I went through a cut cycle so I know I can lose fat without cardio-ing myself to death - and gave me the drive and determination to do it better this time. When I realized I didn't make the progress on my upper body, it caused me to re-evaluate what I did and I've now realized I'm stronger than I thought. It was a learning experience and I can't look at it as being unsuccessful. And I hope my story will save others from making the same mistakes.
It's not smart to bulk for only a month and then cut. You won't make any appreciable gains in that amount of time. I think you should start bulking now. You won't gain so much weight between now and then that you won't still look good for your event. You should bulk for at least 6 months for it to be beneficial. But you should go for as long as you can stand it.Danielle xoxo
#TEAM HYPE
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02-02-2013, 09:02 PM #7683
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02-02-2013, 09:21 PM #7684
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02-03-2013, 04:20 AM #7685
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02-03-2013, 05:59 AM #7686
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02-03-2013, 12:46 PM #7687
Thank you so much for sharing this with me!!! Im going to take you're advise and bulk now and stick with it for a few months. I'm on day two of bulking. Counting calories to make sure I meet my cals. Trying not to be afraid of carbs like all the fad diets made me think. Did you watch you're fats intake much? And aside from cheats did you try and bulk on wholesome foods?
To clarify my first question, I guess I meant like if anyone's bulk phase had been a fail. As if they had bulked for x amount of time and once they began cutting saw no results?
Any recommendations for empty calories to take in when you have room? For example yesterday I had gone over my fats but I still had room to take in calories. The only reason I'm counting is to know what 2300 cals look like. I def need to get out my old mindset of low calories. Thanks again Dani!!
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02-03-2013, 01:23 PM #7688
If you've met your macros for the day you can fill the calorie gap with whatever you like. I aim to meet my protein & fats and then fill the rest with carbs because it turns out I do really well on lots of carbs. Icecream for dessert every day is pretty awesome too!
Training journal: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=151424793
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02-03-2013, 01:26 PM #7689
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02-03-2013, 01:44 PM #7690
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02-03-2013, 03:53 PM #7691
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02-03-2013, 04:03 PM #7692
Hi all! I haven't been here in a while. I started my own journal and have been updating progress there. Right now... all I can say is whaaaaaaaa!!! Can I whine for a minute? I have nothing to wear and it's getting to me. I've been bulking since the end of July, I'm up 25lbs, and I've been sitting at 150lbs for a few weeks now. Yes, I did gain more/faster than I intended but I wanted to make sure I was giving myself ample calories to gain as much mass as possible. I was also enjoying the food! Anyhoo... I have 1 week left of this bulk then we leave on Saturday for Disney. The cut starts as soon as I get back. I KNOW I made some amazing progress over the course of the last 7+ months. I have never been this strong or felt this "thick" in my life. I'm excited to see what's under here. I figure I'll need to lose about 20lbs in the next several months to reach 130lbs for my competition in July. I'm going to take some end-of-bulk pictures here soon... scared to post them.
... welcome new bulkers!! Stick with it... sometimes it sucks but it's so worth it!
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02-04-2013, 08:22 AM #7693
I probably am. But Im trying to learn and do research, this forum alone has soo much information 257 pages worth of comments. I see most people talk about meeting your 200g plus carbs. 1-1.5g for protein. But not much info on Fats. Truth be told Im just wondering if there is a difference between Bulking and eating to gain weight/fat. I see the point of the carb intake to build strenght when weight traning. But is the bulking phase meant to be done by consuming wholesome foods, with the occasional/often "cheat meals" as some refer it too?
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02-04-2013, 09:24 AM #7694
This might be a dumb question, but this calorie gap has always confused me - when I meet my macros, that gets me to exactly the calories I need, and I never have extra calories left over to do something with. Is the gap because you only made protein and fat requirements, and no carb requirement, so after you hit f & p you just eat til you hit your cals by using carbs (aka what ends up being your carb requirement anyway?) I guess what I'm asking is if you worked out your carb requirement, would that be the exact same thing as if you were to eat your fats & proteins, then eat the rest in carbs? That's the only thing I can think of. I also always felt like my fat & protein numbers weren't something I should go over, like a max rather than a minimum, so I eat to them pretty exactly, but correct me if I'm wrong!
If you change nothing, nothing will change.
My journal - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=153752941
www.rachelelizabethknits.com
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02-04-2013, 09:33 AM #7695
- Join Date: Nov 2010
- Location: Houston, Texas, United States
- Posts: 5,495
- Rep Power: 18223
I would put emphasis on protein, fat, and fiber (a minimum of 25g) content. Once those are met, eat whatever you want. Just avoid completely nixing all of your healthy carbs like whole grains and such just to make room for sweets and treats. Get enough whole grain carb sources in to meet most of your goal and then relax it a bit.
Coming out of "retirement"...Meg is training for a Figure competition...again!!!
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=171008551&pagenumber=
My first ever training journal: Oh snap....Meg-O's training for a Figure comp...
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=139228463
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02-04-2013, 09:36 AM #7696
- Join Date: Jul 2012
- Location: London, State / Province, United Kingdom (Great Britain)
- Posts: 643
- Rep Power: 661
My understanding is you need a minimum amount of fat and protein which is based on your weight, for timbal body function and muscle growth/repair. The rest can be anything. More fat, more protein, or carbs. Certain lifestyles will require a more carb heavy balance (anyone very active for example). Otherwise you fill it how you like.
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02-04-2013, 09:40 AM #7697
Gaining weight as in just getting fat? If so, then yes, with bulking the aim is to gain strength/muscle and fat of course comes with it. It's more like a controlled weight gain, since you have total control over how much you eat as opposed to just stuffing yourself with food. It is very important to lift heavy too. There's many ways to do a bulk but the general idea of it is to eat above your maintenance calories. you can eat whatever you want as long as you meet your macros. You can bulk with Mcdonalds, ice cream, etc. if you want but healthy foods are better since they contain micros which is beneficial for us. Personally I follow a 80/20 rule of healthy/junk foods
Yes. The protein and fat req's are minimum, and after you've met them you can pretty much fill the rest with whatever. You can have more p&f if you like but carbs of course are ideal because of the energy it gives esp. in the gymtry and try until you die
current >>>>goal
S: 165>>>>185
B: 95>>>>135 (lol)
D: 235>>>315
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02-04-2013, 11:08 AM #7698
Thank you so much for the clarification! I was under the assumption that the protiens and fats were a max. So when I met my fats but still had some calories to work with I wasnt sure what to do with.
Reading through the pages on this forum, Ive come across a few people who have bulked after doing a competition. Would you reccomend bulking to someone like myself, not new to lifting heavier (or attempting to) but I def. am not "cut" like some of the Pre-bulk photos posted on here.
Thanks for any help
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02-04-2013, 12:25 PM #7699
- Join Date: Jun 2011
- Location: Pennsylvania, United States
- Age: 49
- Posts: 1,709
- Rep Power: 6437
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02-04-2013, 01:03 PM #7700
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02-04-2013, 01:57 PM #7701
Thanks for all your responses! This clears things up for me So then the nutrition sticky about calculating your macros would be for minimums, I see. I guess the reason that always tripped me up is because the protein that sticky had me eating ended up being around 165 g, and after the fact my mentor told me to aim for 90-110 because the 165 was way too high!
Right now I'm at 110 g protein, 73 g fat, and 275 carbs. Should I adjust this now, so that my protein and fats are minimum numbers (rather than those to fit 2200 cal + my 275 g carbs)? If so, would anyone mind pointing me in the right direction as to what my macros might be better of as?If you change nothing, nothing will change.
My journal - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=153752941
www.rachelelizabethknits.com
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02-04-2013, 03:09 PM #7702
- Join Date: Nov 2010
- Location: Houston, Texas, United States
- Posts: 5,495
- Rep Power: 18223
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02-04-2013, 04:11 PM #7703
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02-04-2013, 06:30 PM #7704
- Join Date: Nov 2010
- Location: Houston, Texas, United States
- Posts: 5,495
- Rep Power: 18223
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02-05-2013, 10:45 AM #7705
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02-05-2013, 10:51 AM #7706
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02-05-2013, 11:08 AM #7707
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02-05-2013, 11:21 AM #7708
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02-05-2013, 11:53 AM #7709
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02-05-2013, 11:54 AM #7710
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