bulking for the first time HELP

[KNRogers4321]

Hi ya'll

I'm bulking for the first time in attempt to put on muscle instead of lose weight. I used the Katy Hearn Macro calculator to determine that my cals should be around 2400 a day: 323 carbs, 133 protein, and 55 fat.

I weigh 135, slim build, and have been eating around 1800 cals a day and havent seen the muscle gain I've been looking for since I began my fitness journey. I'm over trying to lose weight and now I just want to become strong and put on as much lean muscle as I can before I start to cut for my wedding next april.

Any advise/progress pics/fitness stories about women gaining and keeping on muscle would be AWESOME!

[ProYeo]

So the calculator says 2400, you eat 1800, and don't see gain... makes sense, doesn't it? It'll be hard to give much advice... we don't know what you look like, what you do, what your workouts are like, etc.

Feel free to look at my pictures in my gallery on here, or my IG listed in my sig. I have years worth of bulks and cuts documented in both places. I'm a physique competitor and a power lifter, so my weight swing is about 35 pounds - ranging from single digit body fat to wherever I'm at now.

Bulking is hard. Personally, it appears my maintenance is around 3000 calories right now. So if I don't exceed that, I don't gain. And I'm having a really hard time doing that consistently... 3500 - 4000 calories is a pain.

Your calorie intake, in the end if you want results, is going to require some trial and error. Calculators are a great starting point, but you have to find out your actual needs. If you aren't gaining, you aren't eating what you need to. If you gain too fast, it's too much. And obviously you have to be doing the work during a bulk, or it won't work either.

Finally, your timeline. I believe from your statement above, you are getting married next April? Or do you start your cut for your wedding in April?

If it's the former, you just don't have much time for the results you are after. My bulks that get results are generally 12-18 months to get a few pounds of muscle. Don't get me wrong, it's worth doing. Every little bit counts! Just 6 months for a bulk and cut won't net dramatic results.