WHY WON'T YOU FIT INSIDE ME?!
NekoneMeowMixx
Posts: 410 Member
Now that I've gotten your attention-- calories.
Recently I decided to switch from weight loss to slow bulking. I love lifting heavy, and do so 3 times a week with StrongLifts 5x5. It was suggested to me that I should be eating 2,000 calories a day, and then eating back whatever workout calories I burn. Well I'm struggling, and hard. I've logged everything that I have with me to eat today (until getting home at 6pm for dinner) and I still have 908 calories left.
How in the absolute hell am I supposed to fit 2,000 calories (nutrient-dense calories, that is) inside of my body? I'm used to eating 1,400 so this is a huge difference for me, and I'm getting increasingly frustrated. I'm doing my best to meet my macros (struggling on protein, especially) but I'm having a hard time finding foods that are both nutrient and calorie dense.
On Sunday, when I decided to follow the 2,000 calorie suggestion, I was 132.7 pounds. Today when I stepped on the scale, I was 137.1 pounds. I was warned about weight gain, but WOW that seems like a big difference for someone who normally doesn't fluctuate outside of +2/-2 pounds from day to day. I just want to make sure I'm going about this the right way, and would really appreciate any suggestions at this time!
Recently I decided to switch from weight loss to slow bulking. I love lifting heavy, and do so 3 times a week with StrongLifts 5x5. It was suggested to me that I should be eating 2,000 calories a day, and then eating back whatever workout calories I burn. Well I'm struggling, and hard. I've logged everything that I have with me to eat today (until getting home at 6pm for dinner) and I still have 908 calories left.
How in the absolute hell am I supposed to fit 2,000 calories (nutrient-dense calories, that is) inside of my body? I'm used to eating 1,400 so this is a huge difference for me, and I'm getting increasingly frustrated. I'm doing my best to meet my macros (struggling on protein, especially) but I'm having a hard time finding foods that are both nutrient and calorie dense.
On Sunday, when I decided to follow the 2,000 calorie suggestion, I was 132.7 pounds. Today when I stepped on the scale, I was 137.1 pounds. I was warned about weight gain, but WOW that seems like a big difference for someone who normally doesn't fluctuate outside of +2/-2 pounds from day to day. I just want to make sure I'm going about this the right way, and would really appreciate any suggestions at this time!
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Replies
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You could drink a glass of chocolate milk or eat peanut butter, or a bunch of nuts.....
The weight gain is water weight. Building muscle requires you to retain water..0 -
Ice cream.0
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ceoverturf wrote: »
Unfortunately I'm not able to really enjoy ice cream as much as I would like (my body and milkfats do not get along); I could eat maybe a cup's worth of ice cream before feeling sick to my stomach :c
I don't really see how ice cream is nutritionally dense, though? I mean, is it better to just eat "whatever" so long as it fills up my calorie meter? I'm trying to find foods that are preferably really heavy on protein, as I know that's the biggest macro that plays into muscle growth.0 -
I am so jealous of the people who struggle to eat more. I am only 5'7 and 170 pounds but in one sitting I'm able to eat 4000+ calories given the right foods. I struggle to keep it under 2000 a day.
I go to Costco each week and buy the packs of 12 chicken breasts. I prep my meals with these for 5 or 6 days. Half of them go to lunches, half to dinners. This amounts to about 10-15 bites of chicken per meal, and I end up around 150 or more grams of protein each day when other sources are accounted for. My dinners are tiny and occupy not much more than a bowl of cereal because they're almost entirely chicken breast. Surely you can do that.0 -
NekoneMeowMixx wrote: »ceoverturf wrote: »
Unfortunately I'm not able to really enjoy ice cream as much as I would like (my body and milkfats do not get along); I could eat maybe a cup's worth of ice cream before feeling sick to my stomach :c
I don't really see how ice cream is nutritionally dense, though? I mean, is it better to just eat "whatever" so long as it fills up my calorie meter? I'm trying to find foods that are preferably really heavy on protein, as I know that's the biggest macro that plays into muscle growth.
Protein bars/shakes.
ETA- I do think they have powder not made with Whey if that bothers your stomach.
Also meats are high in protein. A big fat juicy steak does it for me.0 -
Anytime you are working muscles, especially in a way that causes damage (lifting can cause microtears), the muscles will retain fluid to work on repair. This will usually surprise you with a sudden increase in weight.
As far as eating your calories, try nuts, avocadoes, nut butters, full-fat dairy products, etc. The more calorie dense your food is, the less 'packing in' you have to do, while eating more calories at the same time.0 -
Hummus! Oh, or avocado! That's an easy (and delicious) 300 calories.
Also full-fat dairy, if you currently use low or non-fat. IT's amazing how that can add up.
Edited because cheese.0 -
NekoneMeowMixx wrote: »ceoverturf wrote: »
Unfortunately I'm not able to really enjoy ice cream as much as I would like (my body and milkfats do not get along); I could eat maybe a cup's worth of ice cream before feeling sick to my stomach :c
I don't really see how ice cream is nutritionally dense, though? I mean, is it better to just eat "whatever" so long as it fills up my calorie meter? I'm trying to find foods that are preferably really heavy on protein, as I know that's the biggest macro that plays into muscle growth.
Protein bars/shakes.
ETA- I do think they have powder not made with Whey if that bothers your stomach.
Also meats are high in protein. A big fat juicy steak does it for me.
Yeah, I need to find some more recipes involving meat. I love myself a good burger and chicken just as much as the next gal, but I get really bored, and I don't want to eat the same thing all the time (I mean, who does though?) I think expanding my recipe book is a great first step.
Surprisingly whey doesn't bother me... I'm definitely not a fan of the taste (I do Body Fortress: tried their chocolate and vanilla, and both are... bleh at best)0 -
May I suggest to make your increases in increments, like you would if you were trying to trim your calorie intake, only in reverse. Not to look at me now, but I used to be a bit of a liftie. I couldn't breach the 101 mark for almost a year, until a friend turned me on to two finger peanut butter. Literally it is two fingers in the jar. I started with three of these two fingers a day (one at each meal). Once I got over the 101 mark, I increased it again to two more times a day (two "in between" snacks, and I added an apple so I could *enjoy* it). I admit, back then there wasn't much more than peanut butter to throw in those extra grams, but now there is a plethora of choices I am sure.
Anyways, my point is to go from 1400 to 2000 PLUS eating back your work-out deficit... I say take it over a 4 week time to get there... they say you have to do something for 6 weeks before it becomes a habit... take your increase over 6 weeks. It is a change in habit. And you want to go about it in a healthy way, as opposed to empty calories...
That's just my opinion..
Good luck with it all!
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NekoneMeowMixx wrote: »NekoneMeowMixx wrote: »ceoverturf wrote: »
Unfortunately I'm not able to really enjoy ice cream as much as I would like (my body and milkfats do not get along); I could eat maybe a cup's worth of ice cream before feeling sick to my stomach :c
I don't really see how ice cream is nutritionally dense, though? I mean, is it better to just eat "whatever" so long as it fills up my calorie meter? I'm trying to find foods that are preferably really heavy on protein, as I know that's the biggest macro that plays into muscle growth.
Protein bars/shakes.
ETA- I do think they have powder not made with Whey if that bothers your stomach.
Also meats are high in protein. A big fat juicy steak does it for me.
Yeah, I need to find some more recipes involving meat. I love myself a good burger and chicken just as much as the next gal, but I get really bored, and I don't want to eat the same thing all the time (I mean, who does though?) I think expanding my recipe book is a great first step.
Surprisingly whey doesn't bother me... I'm definitely not a fan of the taste (I do Body Fortress: tried their chocolate and vanilla, and both are... bleh at best)
Definitely check out Trutein. It's life changing. It also bakes well. Their website offers samples. I also like Muscle Pharm Combat, they sell it at Costco for cheap.0 -
based on your diary I don't see someone bulking. Some days you are at 1k calories...
..and if you are worried about getting the calories in why are you eating low fat items, sugar free items, etc.
Getting calories in is easy, have a beer, pizza, drink some fruit juice have a donut.
But that being said based on your diary you are probably eating more calories than you think anyway as you don't weigh a lot of your food based on your entries.0 -
NekoneMeowMixx wrote: »ceoverturf wrote: »
Unfortunately I'm not able to really enjoy ice cream as much as I would like (my body and milkfats do not get along); I could eat maybe a cup's worth of ice cream before feeling sick to my stomach :c
I don't really see how ice cream is nutritionally dense, though? I mean, is it better to just eat "whatever" so long as it fills up my calorie meter? I'm trying to find foods that are preferably really heavy on protein, as I know that's the biggest macro that plays into muscle growth.
If you're bulking, nutritionally dense is of less importance than getting calories in.
YES...you still need to be eating a nice variety of nutrient dense foods so that you hit all your macro and micro goals, but once you're there, fill the rest of your calories with whatever you can squeeze in, which is why calorie dense things like ice cream, nut butters, avacados, etc are generally recommended. Or try drinking some calories.
Bummer about the ice cream though
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NekoneMeowMixx wrote: »NekoneMeowMixx wrote: »ceoverturf wrote: »
Unfortunately I'm not able to really enjoy ice cream as much as I would like (my body and milkfats do not get along); I could eat maybe a cup's worth of ice cream before feeling sick to my stomach :c
I don't really see how ice cream is nutritionally dense, though? I mean, is it better to just eat "whatever" so long as it fills up my calorie meter? I'm trying to find foods that are preferably really heavy on protein, as I know that's the biggest macro that plays into muscle growth.
Protein bars/shakes.
ETA- I do think they have powder not made with Whey if that bothers your stomach.
Also meats are high in protein. A big fat juicy steak does it for me.
Yeah, I need to find some more recipes involving meat. I love myself a good burger and chicken just as much as the next gal, but I get really bored, and I don't want to eat the same thing all the time (I mean, who does though?) I think expanding my recipe book is a great first step.
Surprisingly whey doesn't bother me... I'm definitely not a fan of the taste (I do Body Fortress: tried their chocolate and vanilla, and both are... bleh at best)
There are a lot of ways to use whey protein powder and not worry about the taste. you can make a smoothie with it and add a lot of things to it. Tons of calories available there. Peanut butter, cocoa powder, Almond/soy milk (if you can't do dairy) and ice. Also do a bunch of fruits with it and the almond milk for a good fruit smoothie.
For meat, sometimes I do a chicken recipe where I brown chicken breast (diced) and then add broth, then cream (for you, probably a soy based cream) and season it well. You can serve this over rice or noodles. You get protein from the chicken and cream, and you can make it more calorie dense by cooking the chicken in coconut oil or olive oil.0 -
@RedRockChic -- Very valid point. And I do think that perhaps I should drop it down to 1700 or so to make this all less overwhelming. I have no problem eating food- I love food, haha. I just have a hard time eating food that will get me to my goals.
@randomtai -- Will do! Thanks for the suggestion!
@SezxyStef -- I have another thread open in regards to "bulking", but tl;dr version: I'm not interested in cramming my face full of anything that packs a caloric punch, and then trying to shed off the excess of fat once I have a desireable amount of muscle. I'm going for what I can only assume is described as a "slow bulk". I don't want a ton of sugar in my diet because it's not healthy to consume a f*-ton of sugar every day. I'm sure I could EASILY pack on the pounds if I was just pounding away on Hungry Howies pizza every night, but I don't see how that's going to get me towards being stronger the *right* way. It's only going to add on a bunch of unnecessary fat (yes, I realize that SOME fat will be gained with muscle gain, of course) but I don't feel like playing the heavy bulk/super cut game. I'd rather it take longer and do it the right way...0 -
All the olive oil. All of it.0
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nice title. that is all.0
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ceoverturf wrote: »NekoneMeowMixx wrote: »ceoverturf wrote: »
Unfortunately I'm not able to really enjoy ice cream as much as I would like (my body and milkfats do not get along); I could eat maybe a cup's worth of ice cream before feeling sick to my stomach :c
I don't really see how ice cream is nutritionally dense, though? I mean, is it better to just eat "whatever" so long as it fills up my calorie meter? I'm trying to find foods that are preferably really heavy on protein, as I know that's the biggest macro that plays into muscle growth.
If you're bulking, nutritionally dense is of less importance than getting calories in.
YES...you still need to be eating a nice variety of nutrient dense foods so that you hit all your macro and micro goals, but once you're there, fill the rest of your calories with whatever you can squeeze in, which is why calorie dense things like ice cream, nut butters, avacados, etc are generally recommended. Or try drinking some calories.
Bummer about the ice cream though
I guess I just don't understand, then. I mean, calories = energy. Energy is required to build muscle. That makes sense. But protein is needed to build muscle as well. So that's pretty important. I mean, when you say "If you're bulking, nutritionally dense is of less importance than getting calories in." to me (and I could be misinterpreting, so please, correct me if I'm wrong) that says "Go eat a Big Mac and a couple large fries. Better than making a real burger at home, cause mmm, those calories" (now I feel like an *kitten*... v.v)
Maybe I shouldn't be bulking?? I mean, my goal is to gain muscle, burn fat. To me, that's recomp. But I was told that recomp is basically bullsh*t, and that it's a waste of time, and that I need to shove my face full of food and then practically starve myself to cut out the fat...
If that's the case, I'll sign up for the recomp... v.v0 -
NekoneMeowMixx wrote: »ceoverturf wrote: »NekoneMeowMixx wrote: »ceoverturf wrote: »
Unfortunately I'm not able to really enjoy ice cream as much as I would like (my body and milkfats do not get along); I could eat maybe a cup's worth of ice cream before feeling sick to my stomach :c
I don't really see how ice cream is nutritionally dense, though? I mean, is it better to just eat "whatever" so long as it fills up my calorie meter? I'm trying to find foods that are preferably really heavy on protein, as I know that's the biggest macro that plays into muscle growth.
If you're bulking, nutritionally dense is of less importance than getting calories in.
YES...you still need to be eating a nice variety of nutrient dense foods so that you hit all your macro and micro goals, but once you're there, fill the rest of your calories with whatever you can squeeze in, which is why calorie dense things like ice cream, nut butters, avacados, etc are generally recommended. Or try drinking some calories.
Bummer about the ice cream though
I guess I just don't understand, then. I mean, calories = energy. Energy is required to build muscle. That makes sense. But protein is needed to build muscle as well. So that's pretty important. I mean, when you say "If you're bulking, nutritionally dense is of less importance than getting calories in." to me (and I could be misinterpreting, so please, correct me if I'm wrong) that says "Go eat a Big Mac and a couple large fries. Better than making a real burger at home, cause mmm, those calories" (now I feel like an *kitten*... v.v)
Maybe I shouldn't be bulking?? I mean, my goal is to gain muscle, burn fat. To me, that's recomp. But I was told that recomp is basically bullsh*t, and that it's a waste of time, and that I need to shove my face full of food and then practically starve myself to cut out the fat...
If that's the case, I'll sign up for the recomp... v.v
Your goal can't be to gain muscle AND burn fat, because you can't do both. You can only do one at a time. You can definitely do recomp by focusing on heavy lifting and gain. Just focus on eating extra calories, and try to make sure that your protein is a higher portion of the extra calories while you're gaining.0 -
When i am in bulking season, i had peanut butter with practically every meal. Make sure you are sticking away from sugar though, although you want to eat calories, remember a calorie is not a calorie and sugar will cause more fat gain then muscle. You should only expect to put on 7-10lbs for bulking, anymore and you're doing it too dirty. It took (with a lot of effort) 5 months (oct-feb) to put on 8lbs.
Also Dymatized Elite XT protein actually tastes really good. Another suggestion i have is eat every 2-3 hrs at most. The more often you eat the easier it is to get the calories in. If you have larger meals only 3x a day, its harder to eat that much food.
Good luck!0
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