Hungry while bulking - am I doing it wrong?

leanmuscleway

Hi.

i've been on a bulk (400-500 cals over maintenance according to iifym) for a month and gained around 2lbs. I do actually struggle to stay to my calorie target (3300/day) as i often feel quite hungry. Should I stick to what calculators tell me or go by how i feel? I have stuck to my 3300cals so far as i don't want to gain more fat than necessary while on the bulk. I don't have a hugely active job - either at a desk or out driving, but do work from 4.30am up to 8.pm - maybe iifym doesnt take this into account? i have selected 6 workouts/week on their calculator as this is the amount i usually do per week, so in theory i should maintain at around 2850cals.?

watto1980

You will have to monitor what your weight does and adjust based on that. I wouldn't use hunger as an indicator of whether you are eating enough. I was always hungry (and ate) when I bulked and I got pretty fat.

Springfield1970

If you've gained 2lb in a month then you're eating 250 calories over maintenance per day, maybe less. Congratulations on finding your maintenance figure for your current weight (-259). 2lb is 7000 extra calories divided by 4 weeks=1750 divided by 7 is 250.
Looks like maintenance is 3050.
Try bulking on 3550, and bear in mind to recalculate as you get heavier, every 5lb or so.

Make sure you're weighing everyday and getting a seven day rolling average, as weight can fluctuate wildly. My calculations are based on my presumption that this is an actual 2lb gain, not a one off weigh in.

jsteckler30

.5 lbs a week is good build lean muscle while eating healthy. In 28 weeks I put on 18 lbs and maybe 2% body fat. 177-195. Eat clean and eat often and train hard. You feel hungry? Grab a shake or some rice and chicken.

leanmuscleway

Springfield1970 wrote: »

If you've gained 2lb in a month then you're eating 250 calories over maintenance per day, maybe less. Congratulations on finding your maintenance figure for your current weight (-259). 2lb is 7000 extra calories divided by 4 weeks=1750 divided by 7 is 250.
Looks like maintenance is 3050.
Try bulking on 3550, and bear in mind to recalculate as you get heavier, every 5lb or so.

Make sure you're weighing everyday and getting a seven day rolling average, as weight can fluctuate wildly. My calculations are based on my presumption that this is an actual 2lb gain, not a one off weigh in.

thanks very much. I will up my calories to 3550. On weight i aim to weigh once a day but have missed a few days. If i take the last 7 days which were consecutive it looks like this:
183
183
185
187.5
185
185.5
185.6

leanmuscleway

the 3 weeks before that i started at 183lbs and it fluctuated up to 185lbs but didnt stay there for more than a day.

Springfield1970

leanmuscleway wrote: »

Springfield1970 wrote: »

If you've gained 2lb in a month then you're eating 250 calories over maintenance per day, maybe less. Congratulations on finding your maintenance figure for your current weight (-259). 2lb is 7000 extra calories divided by 4 weeks=1750 divided by 7 is 250.
Looks like maintenance is 3050.
Try bulking on 3550, and bear in mind to recalculate as you get heavier, every 5lb or so.

Make sure you're weighing everyday and getting a seven day rolling average, as weight can fluctuate wildly. My calculations are based on my presumption that this is an actual 2lb gain, not a one off weigh in.

thanks very much. I will up my calories to 3550. On weight i aim to weigh once a day but have missed a few days. If i take the last 7 days which were consecutive it looks like this:
183
183
185
187.5
185
185.5
185.6

cool. Well i'd add em up and divide by 7 to get my average and plot it on a graph, every week, with your net AND gross calorie intake next to it. It's good to keep records. Especially when you're working to a timeline, ie summer hot body, or a race or competition.

It's the only way to really know the truth.

Springfield1970

jsteckler30 wrote: »

.5 lbs a week is good build lean muscle while eating healthy. In 28 weeks I put on 18 lbs and maybe 2% body fat. 177-195. Eat clean and eat often and train hard. You feel hungry? Grab a shake or some rice and chicken.

Eating clean has nothing to do with it. Just make sure you're eating .8 grams of protein per pound of body weight, .35g of fat per pound of body weight, and fill the rest with carbs, complex, slow, fast any kind!

Most of us bulkers have bulked clean eating every kind of food as long as we tick our macro and micro box first.

leanmuscleway

thanks Springfield

Wheelhouse15

Springfield1970 wrote: »

jsteckler30 wrote: »

.5 lbs a week is good build lean muscle while eating healthy. In 28 weeks I put on 18 lbs and maybe 2% body fat. 177-195. Eat clean and eat often and train hard. You feel hungry? Grab a shake or some rice and chicken.

Eating clean has nothing to do with it. Just make sure you're eating .8 grams of protein per pound of body weight, .35g of fat per pound of body weight, and fill the rest with carbs, complex, slow, fast any kind!

Most of us bulkers have bulked clean eating every kind of food as long as we tick our macro and micro box first.

Completely agree with your posts but one small point for the OP in his situation: if he is happy with his speed of bulking and feels hungry he might want to eat more bro foods to feel fuller rather than eating more. It will depend on his goals and how he feels about his current progress.

Springfield1970

Could be he needs more fat? That always satiates the appetite better than fibre.

Wheelhouse15

Springfield1970 wrote: »

Could be he needs more fat? That always satiates the appetite better than fibre.

Low fat consumption is often the problem a lot of people seem to have so it might be the solution.

ndj1979

Springfield1970 wrote: »

jsteckler30 wrote: »

.5 lbs a week is good build lean muscle while eating healthy. In 28 weeks I put on 18 lbs and maybe 2% body fat. 177-195. Eat clean and eat often and train hard. You feel hungry? Grab a shake or some rice and chicken.

Eating clean has nothing to do with it. Just make sure you're eating .8 grams of protein per pound of body weight, .35g of fat per pound of body weight, and fill the rest with carbs, complex, slow, fast any kind!

Most of us bulkers have bulked clean eating every kind of food as long as we tick our macro and micro box first.

beat me to it ...

ndj1979

OP - how much fat are you getting per day? what is your current macro split?

leanmuscleway

I would love to have more fat (peanut butter, red meat always seem to take me to my limit). my split is currently 50% carbs, 25% 25% so i usually eat around 80 - 90g fat a day.

leanmuscleway

Now i have increased my calorie target to 3500 fat 'allowance' is now 97g/day. Today for example i am over it.

Wheelhouse15

leanmuscleway wrote: »

Now i have increased my calorie target to 3500 fat 'allowance' is now 97g/day. Today for example i am over it.

Don't worry about your splits so much as your calories and getting full on them. You will hit your minimum requirements just by having a balanced diet but if you box yourself into the thought pattern of "I must have x/y/z macros" then you are going to find yourself searching to fit foods in rather than just getting foods that will satisfy you. As long as you make the min fat and protein grams don't worry.

ETA oh and about 45g of fiber should be good.

leanmuscleway

Ok - thats helpful and a new view to me. I'm often a bit over protein, just under carbs and try not go over on fat but I'll aim now to jus tnot be under any of them.

giantrobot_powerlifting

Wheelhouse15 wrote: »

...he might want to eat more bro foods...

Hey Wheels... I'm still kind of new to this internet subculture of bb... but what the heck is "bro food?"

Wheelhouse15

leanmuscleway wrote: »

Ok - thats helpful and a new view to me. I'm often a bit over protein, just under carbs and try not go over on fat but I'll aim now to jus tnot be under any of them.

That should help you a lot; keep us posted.

auddii

nakedraygun wrote: »

Wheelhouse15 wrote: »

...he might want to eat more bro foods...

Hey Wheels... I'm still kind of new to this internet subculture of bb... but what the heck is "bro food?"

Oh hey, I can't read comprehension...

Wheelhouse15

nakedraygun wrote: »

Wheelhouse15 wrote: »

...he might want to eat more bro foods...

Hey Wheels... I'm still kind of new to this internet subculture of bb... but what the heck is "bro food?"

Bro foods are the micro dense, filling whole foods that body builders use on a cut. The stereotypical bro foods are chicken breasts, brown rice, sweet potato, and broccoli.

giantrobot_powerlifting

...

giantrobot_powerlifting

Wheelhouse15 wrote: »

nakedraygun wrote: »

Wheelhouse15 wrote: »

...he might want to eat more bro foods...

Hey Wheels... I'm still kind of new to this internet subculture of bb... but what the heck is "bro food?"

Bro foods are the micro dense, filling whole foods that body builders use on a cut. The stereotypical bro foods are chicken breasts, brown rice, sweet potato, and broccoli.

I just don't get the internet. Get off my lawn.

leanmuscleway

Thanks Wheelhouse15.

Wheelhouse15

nakedraygun wrote: »

Wheelhouse15 wrote: »

nakedraygun wrote: »

Wheelhouse15 wrote: »

...he might want to eat more bro foods...

Hey Wheels... I'm still kind of new to this internet subculture of bb... but what the heck is "bro food?"

Bro foods are the micro dense, filling whole foods that body builders use on a cut. The stereotypical bro foods are chicken breasts, brown rice, sweet potato, and broccoli.

I just don't get the internet. Get off my lawn.

ROFL ... but Mr I'm just trying to get my ball!

giantrobot_powerlifting

Wheelhouse15 wrote: »

nakedraygun wrote: »

Wheelhouse15 wrote: »

nakedraygun wrote: »

Wheelhouse15 wrote: »

...he might want to eat more bro foods...

Hey Wheels... I'm still kind of new to this internet subculture of bb... but what the heck is "bro food?"

Bro foods are the micro dense, filling whole foods that body builders use on a cut. The stereotypical bro foods are chicken breasts, brown rice, sweet potato, and broccoli.

I just don't get the internet. Get off my lawn.

ROFL ... but Mr I'm just trying to get my ball!

lol

leanmuscleway

Hi again. Since my lasts posts about my weight gain and feeling hungry as above the following has happened to my weight:

29/01/2015 185.6
30/01/2015 185
31/01/2015 185.3
01/02/2015 185
02/02/2015 184
03/02/2015 184.6
04/02/2015 185.6
05/02/2015 188.6
06/02/2015 188
07/02/2015 187.2
08/02/2015 189
09/02/2015 188.9

This is a much faster gain than I expected and really than I want as I was aiming to keep fat gain to a minimum. Should I lower my calories to more like 3300 again?

Strength is increasing by minimum of 1 rep per set on all compounds every week for the last 4 weeks and weight is being increased once I hit 6 reps on more than 2 sets.

Can anyone suggest the best way to adjust anything?

leanmuscleway

I don't think much would be noob gains as I have been lifting for over 3 yrs. January 2014 i hit 205lbs at 15% body fat, I then dropped to 175lbs (much to big calorie deficit for too long so lost too much muscle size without monitoring properly) and ended up at 10%. I maintained there for June/July/Aug and started eating just over maintenance during September/October, increased by another 100cals for November, increased to around 3200cals in December and increased this to 3500 from end of January.

Springfield1970

leanmuscleway wrote: »

Hi again. Since my lasts posts about my weight gain and feeling hungry as above the following has happened to my weight:

29/01/2015 185.6
30/01/2015 185
31/01/2015 185.3
01/02/2015 185
02/02/2015 184
03/02/2015 184.6
04/02/2015 185.6
05/02/2015 188.6
06/02/2015 188
07/02/2015 187.2
08/02/2015 189
09/02/2015 188.9

This is a much faster gain than I expected and really than I want as I was aiming to keep fat gain to a minimum. Should I lower my calories to more like 3300 again?

Strength is increasing by minimum of 1 rep per set on all compounds every week for the last 4 weeks and weight is being increased once I hit 6 reps on more than 2 sets.

Can anyone suggest the best way to adjust anything?

I think you should change the way you're recording your weight. Daily weights are just noise and makes it really difficult for us to see what's really going on. The last week could be anything...overtraining and the body hanging on to water, upping carbs, high sodium?

Weigh every day and average every 7. Then plot on a graph.

You might have got a bounce up of glycogen and water from upping your calories, which isn't weight gain as such. Keep going for three more weeks and see. As you get heavier you'll need more calories anyway so you may find you even stall soon.

leanmuscleway

Thanks Springfield. I do plot the measurements on a graph but i will edit the graph to only show the average of every week rather than every single day.