Help a girl with "bulking up" DIET

[Hardness23]

I just finished my second competition and was at a lean 12% bodyfat. 1 week, 3 buffets, alot of carbs and an added 10 pounds later, I feel horrible! I want to gain muscle on my shoulders and legs during this off-season as I probably won't compete for another 6 months, but I don't want to accumulate anymore fat! I don't want to cut again because I'm trying to GAIN muscle, but I'd like to at least maintain my fat % now since I understand you can't gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. Can someone help me with a "bulking up" diet for women? I don't need to eat what men eat when they bulk. I need to know how many calories/carbs/protein and any other helpful tips dealing with cardio and workouts. HELP!

[twinnett]

It would help to know your height/weight and your current diet

You want to eata little above maitenance and then monitor how fast you are gaining and how your measurements are progressing

[Donica]

Maybe this will be a "casual" reply, but although I'm not looking to gain mass for competition, I have been on a mass-gaining diet for a number of months now, and I've gained a couple of pounds for it, without any significant bodyfat accumulation. (I don't have calipers but believe me I watch my waist and the definition in my thighs.) Really, the understanding that I have is true "bulking up" involves gaining plenty of fat with your muscle--up to 20-30 pounds, sometimes. The extra adipose tissue helps move that extra weight when you train, and your joints stay plenty lubricated because your diet is so broad... A lot of the female bodybuilders from the '80s and '90s trained that way. So bulking up has really gone out of style in some circles nowadays--but it works, from what I understand, as long as you can keep your muscle as you shed the fat prior to competition.

What I'm personally doing to reach my long term goal of gaining 10-15 pounds, presently, is eating about 2400-2800 calories a day spread over seven meals, with about 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight (divided over those seven meals), at least 40 carbs at each meal (generally complex unless it's post-workout), and about 350-400 calories per meal. At 5'5" and now a mighty 122 pounds it's working for me. I "eyeball" my fat intake and haven't noticed any significant bodyfat increase--in fact, I'd say my thighs and abs are leaner than they have been in a long time, but the scale has thankfully stayed the same (since it's gone up). So I'd say--as unlikely as it sounds--that I'm losing fat this way even as I'm creating a positive environment to gain muscle...

For men, they say you need about a ten pound increase in bodyweight to show another inch on your arms; I don't know if that goes for women, too. But if you're very concerned about gaining the fat while you're trying to gain mass, I'd just suggest adding a little more cardio as needed: don't cut the calories, add the cardio! A loss of calories allows for the happy muscle-building ratio to get a bit off-kilter... you don't want that. (You'd need about 20 calories per pound of bodyweight per day, maybe a little less if you're small.) But I think that pretty much is everything I have to offer about all this right now--hope some of it has been of help.

[Hardness23]

Wow you eat almost 3000 calories a day??! I'm 5'5" 135 lbs right now so about the same as you, and if I ate that much I think I would gain so much weight fast. I usually eat around 2,000 spread over 6 meals. Maybe I should try eating more in the form of protein to see what happens.

[terracotta]

It also depends how active you are. When I was bulking I was eating around 2200 calories a day and doing no cardio (just weightlifting).

[Ancient Olympia]

Eat the same kinds of clean foods as you did while cutting for your show, just eat more. Add X amount of calories to each meal every day so that you are just a few hundred over maintenance for your activity level.

The thing about "bulking" meaning binge eating and eating garbage high calorie foods is the aftermath.

Stretched skin

losing muscle mass you gained because you are dieting for so long to get rid of it.

depression

Go clean with more calories. By the looks of your physique you know what to eat hehe.

[sherdi]

Eating off plan for 1 week will not put on any fat, so don't worry about that, your body has gone through a lot competing and being on a strict diet, it's just holding onto water and re-adjusting. I would try to gradualy up your calories. Just add 150 calories per week from your contest diet and then check the scales each week and try to sit at a good spot where you are adding about 1/4 - 1/2 pound per week. That seems to be a good way to increase. I would just be adding a little to every meal until you feel you have hit that magic number! You could also make use of the PWO window and add some more carbs there. It will help replenish glycogen and help build muscle.

Good luck!

[Donica]

Wow you eat almost 3000 calories a day??! I'm 5'5" 135 lbs right now so about the same as you, and if I ate that much I think I would gain so much weight fast. I usually eat around 2,000 spread over 6 meals. Maybe I should try eating more in the form of protein to see what happens.

I've actually seemed to taper off with my weight gain, which has been mostly muscle with acceptable fat gains--I'm not quite sure why that is. It's a bit of a bummer for me, though, I'm still hoping to hit at least 128 by the end of the year, and I can't imagine going much higher with my calorie count at this point (or affording to!)... but if your protein intake is lower (I forget if you mentioned it in another post in this thread, sorry) that might be some hindrance to your progress. Carbs are "magic" though, so don't forget that to build mass you need plenty of energy fuel, besides!

[Hardness23]

So to continue with this- I've decided to try cycling the carbs for awhile. I've learned not to drop calories no matter what while building muscle, just to alter the carbs. Don't know yet what exact cycle works best though. I've been trying a
HC-LC-NC and resting on the No Carb days. I've been doing this for 2 weeks and lately this has been making me so moody I'm like Jekyl & Hyde. PMS has nothing on it! Maybe I'll try a NC-LC-HC-LC-NC .

[imperfectly_lou]

Carb cycling is not designed for hypertrophy - it is more appropriate for someone cutting. A no carb or low carb diet will do you no favours if you are trying to build mass.