Should I continue adding on weight?

cookielover_96

I am 5'9" and 160lbs. I started eating 500 calories over my maintenance since January 2016. I use to eat 1300 for maintenance and now, 1700-800. I've added 15lb over the course of 4 months. I've seen some nice improvements and added a little mass but my waist is getting chubby...should I cut back my calories? How long should a female bulk?

TR0berts

cookielover_96 wrote: »

How long should a female bulk?

Until she thinks she shouldn't.

If you're OK with your waist as it is, you can keep going if you want. Or you could maintain. If you're starting to not like it, then it's probably time to maintain/recomp or cut.

Hauntinglyfit

With your stats I find it hard to believe 1300 is your maintenance. Are you logging everything accurately? Using a food scale?
As for whether you should continue adding, that's up to you and how you feel about your body. I think a 15 pound bulk is more than decent. You could go into a very small deficit to trim some of the fat you may have added during the bulk, then reassess.

carcarxx94

If you 'maintain' on 1300 then you are either not logging correctly ( digital weighing scales ? Every oil, butter, drink, candy ??) or you have been eating way too low calories for a while so your metabolism is slowed. Your body gets used to a certain calorie intake and adjusts your metabolism to that - recovering from anorexia I have 'maintaned' a weight eating 1,000 calories and then 'maintained' at the exact same weight but now eating 2,400. If you are eating too low calories your body goes into starvation mode ( no starvation mode does not mean not eating at all - just low calories so your metabolism slows down in a survival instinct ) . Calculate your TDEE using a trustworthy online calculator and eat at least that -more than that ( 25% more if still wanting to gain ) . Average woman needs 2,000 a day - at 5'9 and 160lbs you definitely would need more . I am 5'5 and 110lbs and I eat around 2,500 a day and either maintain or sometimes lose if i dont reach this ! Remember weight is only a number - tone up if you like to be more more toned, gain if you like to gain, just be sure you are happy and healthy !!

diverroboz

Excercise
Please do tell what excercise routine and frequency you keep... that would help understand the other aspect of the equation.

Diet
Include details of lifestyle activity levels. Also the type of diet has a crucial part to play here too.

We might then know what the string looks like! Lol!!