One Week Down: Observations
keithcw_the_first
Posts: 382 Member
Okay, observations after one week of bulking:
So I'll give it another week and see what's up.
- It's a lot of food
- I feel like a *kitten* eating cookies after I've hit my protein macros for the day and have 300 calories left.
- I'm having really intense DOMS from the volume I was able to put in at the gym. This hasn't happened in a while.
- Scale is up four pounds, which I assume is some undiscernable combination of fat, muscle, water, and "other".
- Fat calipers show fat loss -- which is impossible.
- Photo shows no change
So I'll give it another week and see what's up.
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Replies
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one week is pretty much nothing my friend- you've refilled your glcyogen cells. Buckle up- it gets fun- and much harder but you need to give it at least 3 to have real discernibly clear results.
But yes- it is a lot of food.0 -
You're not going to notice a ton of change in a weeks period of time.0
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I figured as much. I want to err on the side of having more data available. I'd rather have two months' of weekly progress pics than just a "start" and "finish". Plus I'm still feeling this whole thing out.
Any previous bulks weren't accompanied by trips to the gym, so they were more like "long period of stress eating and accompanying fat accrual". This is a difficult concept for me.0 -
Don't worry about "impossible" right away. In both last year's bulk and this years, my body fat % went down for the first 2 weeks before reversing the trend. Actually.. It just went down again in my 5th week while staying at the same weight as last week. Record the data, analyze the data as a complete set, not the occasional anomaly... Otherwise you'll see all sorts of impossible things! Keep it up and keep us posted.0
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Don't worry about "impossible" right away. In both last year's bulk and this years, my body fat % went down for the first 2 weeks before reversing the trend. Actually.. It just went down again in my 5th week while staying at the same weight as last week. Record the data, analyze the data as a complete set, not the occasional anomaly... Otherwise you'll see all sorts of impossible things! Keep it up and keep us posted.
Terry is right
It is good to keep tracking of how you are progressing so that you won't be so surprised by measurement "anomalies". I am pretty new to this myself (only about 9 weeks in) but I am learning to trust the process. Just do your best with eating and working out and keep that data available and I think you will be good to go!
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one week is pretty much nothing my friend- you've refilled your glcyogen cells. Buckle up- it gets fun- and much harder but you need to give it at least 3 to have real discernibly clear results.
But yes- it is a lot of food.
Give it a month and report back your results......until then EAT,LIFT,SLEEP...REPEAT!
IMO: I would only take pictures once a month.
@JoRocka too much vocabulary for a Monday!
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#wordsarehard
lol
also yes- not ready for Monday.
(man- gotta get you that word a day thing- get fun emails about words- although that wasn't one of them- that one is a regular for me- but yeah.. expurgate was one from the other day- I'm a nerd. don't hate)0 -
keithcw_the_first wrote: »Okay, observations after one week of bulking:
- It's a lot of food
- I feel like a *kitten* eating cookies after I've hit my protein macros for the day and have 300 calories left.
- I'm having really intense DOMS from the volume I was able to put in at the gym. This hasn't happened in a while.
- Scale is up four pounds, which I assume is some undiscernable combination of fat, muscle, water, and "other".
- Fat calipers show fat loss -- which is impossible.
- Photo shows no change
So I'll give it another week and see what's up.
OP I have been at this for a year and the increases have only happened in the last 6 months once I increased the calories levels to where I am now. I was like you after the first week, full and not enjoying it. However you get used to it and it becomes kinda fun seeing how much you can actually eat and how all that extra eating helps in the gym. Don't be looking at short term results, its more about the long term results.0 -
35 days strong, I can attest that the scale started working (lol), and clothes fit looser after a month of health(ier) eating and regular exercise.0
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spngnetwork wrote: »35 days strong, I can attest that the scale started working (lol), and clothes fit looser after a month of health(ier) eating and regular exercise.
wrong thread my friend.0 -
Finished a 6 month bulk recently. (Currently cutting.) I didn't bother to get on the scale until a month later after I started, or check bf% for another additional 2 weeks later. A week is two soon to expect any demonstrable change.0
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I see this come up on the gaining weight threads as a negative (and not just from people with EDs). This sounds awesome though. Is it really that much of a struggle to eat? Is it a mental thing? As in, you've spent so much time dieting down you're afraid your results will disappear or something? For me, I long for the day, which may never come, where I have a license to eat at a surplus for a while.keithcw_the_first wrote: »Okay, observations after one week of bulking:- It's a lot of food
over eating for a few days is one thing.
Over eating for months on end is a totally different ball of wax. i'ts hard- you're body doesn't WANT to do that- most people have the ability to self regulate and the body will happily find homeostasis. So forcing it to over eat consistently isn't comfortable.
So yes- it becomes a chore- a burden and it's not fun. Which is kind of why it's so effing annoying with people come in here regularly and go ";man I wish I had that problem" or "boo whooo for you"
its' rude- and if you haven't done it- you don't know what it's like. It's like us going into the "general weight loss" section and going- oh must be nice- you're eating at a deficit- boo hoo you getting to look cut and lean.
If we did that- the whole crowd would be in a complete uproar.0 -
I see this come up on the gaining weight threads as a negative (and not just from people with EDs). This sounds awesome though. Is it really that much of a struggle to eat? Is it a mental thing? As in, you've spent so much time dieting down you're afraid your results will disappear or something? For me, I long for the day, which may never come, where I have a license to eat at a surplus for a while.keithcw_the_first wrote: »Okay, observations after one week of bulking:- It's a lot of food
over eating for a few days is one thing.
Over eating for months on end is a totally different ball of wax. i'ts hard- you're body doesn't WANT to do that- most people have the ability to self regulate and the body will happily find homeostasis. So forcing it to over eat consistently isn't comfortable.
So yes- it becomes a chore- a burden and it's not fun. Which is kind of why it's so effing annoying with people come in here regularly and go ";man I wish I had that problem" or "boo whooo for you"
its' rude- and if you haven't done it- you don't know what it's like. It's like us going into the "general weight loss" section and going- oh must be nice- you're eating at a deficit- boo hoo you getting to look cut and lean.
If we did that- the whole crowd would be in a complete uproar.
heh, kinda true0 -
I see this come up on the gaining weight threads as a negative (and not just from people with EDs). This sounds awesome though. Is it really that much of a struggle to eat? Is it a mental thing? As in, you've spent so much time dieting down you're afraid your results will disappear or something? For me, I long for the day, which may never come, where I have a license to eat at a surplus for a while.keithcw_the_first wrote: »Okay, observations after one week of bulking:- It's a lot of food
To be honest, when I went from a certain calorie level to the one I am at now, yeah it was a struggle for the first week because it was so much damn food. It takes time to get used mentally and physically. Your brain is telling you no no more food. I'm used to it now but if I go away for a weekend or something like that and eat less than my normal amount, takes a day or two to get used to all the food again.0 -
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I see this come up on the gaining weight threads as a negative (and not just from people with EDs). This sounds awesome though. Is it really that much of a struggle to eat? Is it a mental thing? As in, you've spent so much time dieting down you're afraid your results will disappear or something? For me, I long for the day, which may never come, where I have a license to eat at a surplus for a while.keithcw_the_first wrote: »Okay, observations after one week of bulking:- It's a lot of food
Part of it is yeah, I'm coming from a strong "diet" eat at a deficit mindset.
The other part is though... When you listen to your body's signals that say "Hey, enough!" and you're still low for the day, that's daunting. To me, at least. I still check out restaurant menus beforehand and I go in knowing "I *have* to eat this whole thing or else I'm going to have to eat more later".
You could throw a pint of ice cream on every day too, and I think some people do. I can't bring myself to do that and even ice cream is unpleasant when you're really full.
As everyone else has said though, it's only been a week for me.
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People who over eat daily- to the point of making themselves extremely over weight (and I'm not saying this is you specifically{) but many times there is an emotional aspect- or mental issue at hand- and that over rules the body's natural self check mechanism.
Yeah but I have done it. Sure, in an uncontrolled manner while not doing any sort of exercise at all but I consistently overate daily for years. I'm not trying to be rude but it's just fascinating to have two really different point of views. I just want to understand it. Maybe I'm just naturally a high volume eater and have to work at limiting the same way someone else may have to work at eating a high volume. A couple weeks ago I remember a thread where a discussion on ice cream serving sizes came up. For me I just can't imagine not eating a whole pint at a time. I mean, why only part of the pint? A pint container seems tiny. So I just don't eat ice cream often and when I do I eat the pint. The thought of being able to do this nightly sounds awesome, assuming 1200 extra calories are in order.
I see this come up on the gaining weight threads as a negative (and not just from people with EDs). This sounds awesome though. Is it really that much of a struggle to eat? Is it a mental thing? As in, you've spent so much time dieting down you're afraid your results will disappear or something? For me, I long for the day, which may never come, where I have a license to eat at a surplus for a while.keithcw_the_first wrote: »Okay, observations after one week of bulking:- It's a lot of food
over eating for a few days is one thing.
Over eating for months on end is a totally different ball of wax. i'ts hard- you're body doesn't WANT to do that- most people have the ability to self regulate and the body will happily find homeostasis. So forcing it to over eat consistently isn't comfortable.
So yes- it becomes a chore- a burden and it's not fun. Which is kind of why it's so effing annoying with people come in here regularly and go ";man I wish I had that problem" or "boo whooo for you"
its' rude- and if you haven't done it- you don't know what it's like. It's like us going into the "general weight loss" section and going- oh must be nice- you're eating at a deficit- boo hoo you getting to look cut and lean.
If we did that- the whole crowd would be in a complete uproar.
It's clear and proven that people who get absurdly over weight are not suffering from food/hunger issues- it's way beyond that.
Some people tend to be okay eating significantly more food- not every single body is chemically the same- but people who over eat so much to gain regularly at that rate- with no engaged though about their healthy and fitness are actively ignoring their bodies signals- and or have deep emotional/mental issues.0 -
keithcw_the_first wrote: »
I see this come up on the gaining weight threads as a negative (and not just from people with EDs). This sounds awesome though. Is it really that much of a struggle to eat? Is it a mental thing? As in, you've spent so much time dieting down you're afraid your results will disappear or something? For me, I long for the day, which may never come, where I have a license to eat at a surplus for a while.keithcw_the_first wrote: »Okay, observations after one week of bulking:- It's a lot of food
Part of it is yeah, I'm coming from a strong "diet" eat at a deficit mindset.
The other part is though... When you listen to your body's signals that say "Hey, enough!" and you're still low for the day, that's daunting. To me, at least. I still check out restaurant menus beforehand and I go in knowing "I *have* to eat this whole thing or else I'm going to have to eat more later".
You could throw a pint of ice cream on every day too, and I think some people do. I can't bring myself to do that and even ice cream is unpleasant when you're really full.
As everyone else has said though, it's only been a week for me.
Keith you sound a lot like me as I do the exact same thing when I go to a restaurant, I will check out what is on the menu, log what I'm going to have, see how much (hopefully none) calories I have left and say great have to eat more. I am also the same as you when it comes to Ice Cream.0 -
Two weeks in at this point:
- Still seems like a lot of food. It's not as bad, and it doesn't feel like a binge like I thought it would because if I had been on binge I would have stopped already. It feels more like an occasionally enjoyable chore.
- I increased my volume at the gym again and pulled (just once!) 340 on the deadlift. For me, that's a PR.
- Calipers indicate fat gain is marching in lock step with lean mass and might actually be out-pacing it.
- Photo shows no change.
- Waist measurement is actually down a half inch and I'm noticing increased vascularity in some areas.
Over the last 30 days, which extends past this bulk, I've averaged 2800 calories a day. Over the course of the bulk, such as it is, I've averaged about 3200. This changes between rest days and workout days.
My rolling 14 day average weight is up about 1.5 lbs since April 6th, and my scale weight since then is up 3 pounds. So that's either 1.5 lbs a week or .75 pounds a week or somewhere in the middle.
Verdict: Too soon to tell. I'm going to continue doing what I'm doing until I can tell I'm definitely putting weight on too fast, as determined by the rolling 14 day average. I'm also enjoying daily weigh-ins because seeing the scale swing 5 or 6 pounds in both directions from day to do is an interesting exercise in self-control and anxiety management.0 -
keithcw_the_first wrote: »Two weeks in at this point:
- Still seems like a lot of food. It's not as bad, and it doesn't feel like a binge like I thought it would because if I had been on binge I would have stopped already. It feels more like an occasionally enjoyable chore.
- I increased my volume at the gym again and pulled (just once!) 340 on the deadlift. For me, that's a PR.
- Calipers indicate fat gain is marching in lock step with lean mass and might actually be out-pacing it.
- Photo shows no change.
- Waist measurement is actually down a half inch and I'm noticing increased vascularity in some areas.
Over the last 30 days, which extends past this bulk, I've averaged 2800 calories a day. Over the course of the bulk, such as it is, I've averaged about 3200. This changes between rest days and workout days.
My rolling 14 day average weight is up about 1.5 lbs since April 6th, and my scale weight since then is up 3 pounds. So that's either 1.5 lbs a week or .75 pounds a week or somewhere in the middle.
Verdict: Too soon to tell. I'm going to continue doing what I'm doing until I can tell I'm definitely putting weight on too fast, as determined by the rolling 14 day average. I'm also enjoying daily weigh-ins because seeing the scale swing 5 or 6 pounds in both directions from day to do is an interesting exercise in self-control and anxiety management.
Sounds like it's going great. Keep it up!0 -
As soon as I saw 340 PR, I tried to click the "like" button. Forum posts really need a like button..
Good stuff, and seems somewhat similar to what I am experiencing. My waist got smaller for a week or two also, but it has reversed that trend (as evidenced by the difficulty I had with my pants this morning)0 -
Okay, so we're here about a three weeks in:
Eating is much easier.- I picked up some Enzyme 13 and that helped tremendously with a lot of the digestive issues that arise. It is, as the name suggests, 13 different digestive enzymes packed into one gelcap. Kinda pricey.
- I feel like I'm increasing my volume too much and I might need to step down to 3x5 for some of my Stronglifts crap. I've tweaked my back and my shoulder in the last two weeks and they're both taking longer to heal than I'd like.
- I hit 340x2 on the deadlift, but it was sketchy as hell and basically wiped me out for the rest of the workout.
Now the graphs:
This first one is my weight for the month of April. The bulk didn't officially start until the 9th or so; roughly indicated by the green diamond. You'll see the 14 day moving average weight indicated by the dotted red line.
It has leveled off. That's a two week average, remember. Initially, that would suggest to me that my surplus turned into maintenance and it's time to adjust upward, which I've begun this week. Just 100 calories initially. We'll see what that does.
This graph is the same month period's intake/burn:
I've averaged about 3200 calories in (as you can see it varies). Average surplus is 317.
Like I said, I'm really starting to feel *kitten*-kicked and I think the answer is more food. Just a little, but I think it will be more beneficial on rest days. I want to see that 14 day average trending upwards again.
Oh, and my Overhead Press seems to have stalled. Again, I think it's too much volume.
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keithcw_the_first wrote: »
Like I said, I'm really starting to feel *kitten*-kicked and I think the answer is more food. Just a little, but I think it will be more beneficial on rest days. I want to see that 14 day average trending upwards again.
Oh, and my Overhead Press seems to have stalled. Again, I think it's too much volume.
I would take a look at other factors like sleep, stress etc. before you go dropping the volume. Perhaps consider a deload week as well.
Try to microload OHP, or add a back off set.
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What does a deload week usually look like? Do you go by percentage?
And the back-off set?0 -
keithcw_the_first wrote: »What does a deload week usually look like? Do you go by percentage?
And the back-off set?
There's a lot of ways to structure them, but ultimately you're just backing off the weight or the number of sets and reps. Some people prefer to work off percentages - 50%, 60% etc. Some people use to to play around with other lifts...
Here's a write up example : http://breakingmuscle.com/strength-conditioning/deloading-101-what-is-a-deload-and-how-do-you-do-it0 -
I see this come up on the gaining weight threads as a negative (and not just from people with EDs). This sounds awesome though. Is it really that much of a struggle to eat? Is it a mental thing? As in, you've spent so much time dieting down you're afraid your results will disappear or something? For me, I long for the day, which may never come, where I have a license to eat at a surplus for a while.keithcw_the_first wrote: »Okay, observations after one week of bulking:- It's a lot of food
I'm with you on this one. Not to downplay other peoples struggle, but I sometimes wish I felt like this. Apart from the odd day, during a 3 month bulk, I had zero issues with the amount of food (but then, I'm a girl who does no cardio so my surplus was only 250, nothing like the calories some of the folks need to hit).
You're not alone, I also long for the day when I can bulk again.
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Well done on the PR! - this is the best bit about bulking IMO 0
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keithcw_the_first wrote: »[snip]
[*] I hit 340x2 on the deadlift, but it was sketchy as hell and basically wiped me out for the rest of the workout.
[/snip]
Just wanted to ask a question. Are you doing 1x5 for deadlift, and are you lifting after that set or is it the last set? I agree that DL wiped me out for stronglifts, but I always made them my last lift of the day. Squat, then OHP, then DL. And since my legs were already warm from the squats, I didn't really need a warmup set (although I often did one anyways as a mental practice).
If you're adding in accessories, I'd cut them out if you're having recovery issues. If you aren't DL at the end of your workout, I'd try switching around the order if possible (sometimes racks and equipment aren't free which is always annoying) and end with deads.0 -
I had been been doing them 1st, 1x5 (or 5x1 if it's really rough).
Lately though, after the 1x5 in totally gassed for the rest of the workout. I was trying to conserve strength for the DL.0
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