The right kind of weight gain

ericat4488

Hello MFP family. I am just looking for some advice. I overcame a bout of disordered eating while I was in college and have been able to maintain a healthy weight since.

I go to the gym most days of the week and have realized, sadly, you cannot out-train a bad diet! I want to gain muscle and lose some of the "excess" fat I have (I put that in quotations because I know I don't have a ton of weight to lose but do have the extra on my stomach region).

I struggle because after years of trying to cut calories and eat as little as possible, it is hard to eat more even if it is the right foods. Has anyone struggled with this, too? Also, any advice on how to get to this magic nirvana of gaining muscle and losing fat would be much appreciated. I have started to lift heavier weights and cut down a bit on cardio. I am trying to cut down on carbs and adopt more of a "paleo" diet. NO FUN!

Thank you, and I hope to get some sound advice.

ndj1979

OP - First, do you have any kind of professional that you can discuss this with? Given your history that may be the best course, as when you run a bulk you are going to gain fat and there is no way around that, and given your history you may have some issues with that concept.

Second - You can't really gain muscle and lose fat at the same time quickly. You can run a recomp = eat at maitence level, hit micros, and macros, and follow a structured lifting program and you will, over time, gain some muscle and lose some fat. however, it tends to be a slow process. Or, you can run a few bulk/cut cycles, where you eat in a small surplus, say 250 calories, to minimize fat gains, but you WILL gain fat and add muscle at the same time. Then you run a cut to get rid of the fat and show the muscle.

Third - You don't need to eat low carb or paleo to lose fat, gain muscle, etc. Actually, eating low carb is counter productive to gaining muscle, because the insulin spike from carbs signals muscle growth; so insultn spike + stimulus from progressive lifting = good for bulking.

Finally - here is my advice:

1. Pick a strategy - recomp or bulk/cut cycle
2. get on a structured lifting program like all pro beginner, strong lifts, new rules of lifting for woman, etc
3. set your macros to .6 to .85 grams of protein per pound of body weight; .45 grams of fat, and fill in rest with carbs.
4. get adequate nutrition.
5. realize that no foods are off limits or bad, so yes you can eat calorie dense foods like pizza, ice cream, bagels, etc, just make sure that you are hitting your calorie, macro, and micro targets.
6. given your history I would suggest talking to a professional before embarking on any bulk/cut cycle..

good luck to you ...

ericat4488

ndj1979

Thank you for the sound advice. T

he place that I exercise has set up a lifting program for me so I can start getting into it. I know how to properly lift but just tend to do cardio versus lifting if I have the choice. I think that I get too wrapped up in looking at diets when I should really just keep it simple. I hate when some diet plan tells me I cannot eat something that I enjoy... hence why I have a problem with Paleo. Not eating carbs like sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, etc. just makes me sad. And not having a protein shake?!

Any suggestions on figuring out my macro and micro targets?

Wheelhouse15

ericat4488 wrote: »

ndj1979

Thank you for the sound advice. T

he place that I exercise has set up a lifting program for me so I can start getting into it. I know how to properly lift but just tend to do cardio versus lifting if I have the choice. I think that I get too wrapped up in looking at diets when I should really just keep it simple. I hate when some diet plan tells me I cannot eat something that I enjoy... hence why I have a problem with Paleo. Not eating carbs like sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, etc. just makes me sad. And not having a protein shake?!

Any suggestions on figuring out my macro and micro targets?

You could try looking around If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM.com) and using some of their tools and suggestions. I'm not big on specific macro breakdowns and if you have struggled with disordered eating in the past I would caution against making strict targets as this has been known to lead to disordered eating or worsen already existing conditions. Generally, aim for minimums of .8g of protein/pound of body weight and .45g or fat/lb and don't worry too much about the actual breakdown as long as you hit those minimums. Also, don't forget fiber and micro requirements.