Bulking

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I just started bulking this week and its been hard to eat more food. Can you all give me ideas on food that you eat when bulking and if the amount of carbs you eat matter while bulking. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you
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  • Cahgetsfit
    Cahgetsfit Posts: 1,912 Member
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    it gets easier to eat all the foods - just give it a couple of weeks and you will be fine :)

    As for food - generally just more of what I was eating before. Or the same amount plus a 'treat' with the leftover calories.

    However - I also gained more fat than I wanted when I bulked which was a pain in the *kitten* to lose later. So this time around I'm going to do it very very slowly to try to keep the fat down.
  • Miss_Krissy87
    Miss_Krissy87 Posts: 214 Member
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    That's what I'm trying to do is a slow bulk so I dont gain so much fat in the wrong places. Its the eating more that's hard and I don't know if eating more carbs is okay to.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    Us telling you how many carbs we eat isn't helpful. Eating 250 calories above maintenance shouldn't be leaving you that stuffed. That's like...a protein bar. And if that makes you stuffed, add a tablespoon of olive oil to your salad and another 100 calories somewhere else and call it a day.
  • MichelleLea122
    MichelleLea122 Posts: 332 Member
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    That's what I'm trying to do is a slow bulk so I dont gain so much fat in the wrong places. Its the eating more that's hard and I don't know if eating more carbs is okay to.

    Carbs are a wonderful thing. Like Ardita said it's really not that hard to add 250 more calories to your diet. My bro advice would be to add a few more carbs preworkout and more protein postworkout. Or you could just have 3 oreos and a tablespoon of peanut butter before bed. To each their own.
  • 11Templars
    11Templars Posts: 444 Member
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    I guess for starters you'll need to expound on what you mean by "bulking", or better still, what that term means to you.

    I'll assume you're hoping to add some muscle, but how much is the real question. If you're looking at putting on say 5lbs of muscle (totally doable) you're going to put on a bit of fat. However, it's a fine line. If you gain ten pounds, but five of that is muscle, that's a fair trade. Diet off the five afterwards and you'll look jacked!

    What kind of lifting program are you doing for your "bulk"? How about protein intake for the day? - Remember if you're lifting harder you're burning more too..

    I would shoot for 100 gm of protein a day. 1 cup of %1 cottage cheese has 180 cal and 30gm of protein. Split that up into two 1/2 cup snacks a day and you'll be well on your way.

    Try to keep your carbs clean.. ie. sweet potatoes, long grain rice etc.. As someone else pointed out; just add a little bit more food each day and before you know it, you'll be on your way.

    Good luck!
  • jolive7
    jolive7 Posts: 283 Member
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    I guess for starters you'll need to expound on what you mean by "bulking", or better still, what that term means to you.

    I'll assume you're hoping to add some muscle, but how much is the real question. If you're looking at putting on say 5lbs of muscle (totally doable) you're going to put on a bit of fat. However, it's a fine line. If you gain ten pounds, but five of that is muscle, that's a fair trade. Diet off the five afterwards and you'll look jacked!

    What kind of lifting program are you doing for your "bulk"? How about protein intake for the day? - Remember if you're lifting harder you're burning more too..

    I would shoot for 100 gm of protein a day. 1 cup of %1 cottage cheese has 180 cal and 30gm of protein. Split that up into two 1/2 cup snacks a day and you'll be well on your way.

    Try to keep your carbs clean.. ie. sweet potatoes, long grain rice etc.. As someone else pointed out; just add a little bit more food each day and before you know it, you'll be on your way.

    Good luck!

    100gram protein a day on a bulk?!?! I would UP that..
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
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    I typically eat a similar amount of Protein and fat when bulking as I do when cutting but add in carbs. I don't stress if I go over on the protein or fat but agree with @trigden1991 that carbs are where it's at for bulking.

    Stuff that I eat when bulking that I don't when cutting:
    • Bread (usually in the form of PB&Jelly s/wiches or pizza)
    • Pop tarts (massive calorie hit in a small desk friendly package)
    • Rice
    • Porridge (oatmeal for you US folks)
    • Bagels
  • bioklutz
    bioklutz Posts: 1,365 Member
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    I just started bulking this week and its been hard to eat more food. Can you all give me ideas on food that you eat when bulking and if the amount of carbs you eat matter while bulking. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you

    I am just starting to ease into this myself. I am finding I have the wrong groceries to do this! Until I can get to the store I am adding extra cheese and putting a little more food on my snack plate, adding a little extra cereal to my morning snack.

    When I get to the store I am going to pick out a more calorie dense ice cream, a little more calorie dense cereal. I am going to try to not change my eating habits too much - just pick items that I already eat and choose a higher calorie alternative.
  • Miss_Krissy87
    Miss_Krissy87 Posts: 214 Member
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    I guess for starters you'll need to expound on what you mean by "bulking", or better still, what that term means to you.

    I'll assume you're hoping to add some muscle, but how much is the real question. If you're looking at putting on say 5lbs of muscle (totally doable) you're going to put on a bit of fat. However, it's a fine line. If you gain ten pounds, but five of that is muscle, that's a fair trade. Diet off the five afterwards and you'll look jacked!

    What kind of lifting program are you doing for your "bulk"? How about protein intake for the day? - Remember if you're lifting harder you're burning more too..

    I would shoot for 100 gm of protein a day. 1 cup of %1 cottage cheese has 180 cal and 30gm of protein. Split that up into two 1/2 cup snacks a day and you'll be well on your way.

    Try to keep your carbs clean.. ie. sweet potatoes, long grain rice etc.. As someone else pointed out; just add a little bit more food each day and before you know it, you'll be on your way.

    Good luck!

    Thank you this was really helpful!!
  • Miss_Krissy87
    Miss_Krissy87 Posts: 214 Member
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    bioklutz wrote: »
    I just started bulking this week and its been hard to eat more food. Can you all give me ideas on food that you eat when bulking and if the amount of carbs you eat matter while bulking. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you

    I am just starting to ease into this myself. I am finding I have the wrong groceries to do this! Until I can get to the store I am adding extra cheese and putting a little more food on my snack plate, adding a little extra cereal to my morning snack.

    When I get to the store I am going to pick out a more calorie dense ice cream, a little more calorie dense cereal. I am going to try to not change my eating habits too much - just pick items that I already eat and choose a higher calorie alternative.

    Thank you for the advice. Trying to build my legs and gluts. I don't like how small they are.
  • Miss_Krissy87
    Miss_Krissy87 Posts: 214 Member
    Options
    I guess for starters you'll need to expound on what you mean by "bulking", or better still, what that term means to you.

    I'll assume you're hoping to add some muscle, but how much is the real question. If you're looking at putting on say 5lbs of muscle (totally doable) you're going to put on a bit of fat. However, it's a fine line. If you gain ten pounds, but five of that is muscle, that's a fair trade. Diet off the five afterwards and you'll look jacked!

    What kind of lifting program are you doing for your "bulk"? How about protein intake for the day? - Remember if you're lifting harder you're burning more too..

    I would shoot for 100 gm of protein a day. 1 cup of %1 cottage cheese has 180 cal and 30gm of protein. Split that up into two 1/2 cup snacks a day and you'll be well on your way.

    Try to keep your carbs clean.. ie. sweet potatoes, long grain rice etc.. As someone else pointed out; just add a little bit more food each day and before you know it, you'll be on your way.

    Good luck!

    This is a combination of poor and typical bro advice. Not to mention that 5lbs of muscle won't make you "jacked" nor is a 50/50 muscle to fat ratio good.

    To bulk the only requirement is to consume more calories than you burn (CICO). To gain less fat your surplus should be smaller, this is not a race.

    Protein is usually set to 0.8-1.2g/lb , fats at a minimum of 0.4g/lb and carbs as the remainder. Contrary to popular belief, as much as protein is necessary to gain muscle, carbohydrates are king.

    Thank you all this advice is really helpful!
  • Miss_Krissy87
    Miss_Krissy87 Posts: 214 Member
    Options
    I guess for starters you'll need to expound on what you mean by "bulking", or better still, what that term means to you.

    I'll assume you're hoping to add some muscle, but how much is the real question. If you're looking at putting on say 5lbs of muscle (totally doable) you're going to put on a bit of fat. However, it's a fine line. If you gain ten pounds, but five of that is muscle, that's a fair trade. Diet off the five afterwards and you'll look jacked!

    What kind of lifting program are you doing for your "bulk"? How about protein intake for the day? - Remember if you're lifting harder you're burning more too..

    I would shoot for 100 gm of protein a day. 1 cup of %1 cottage cheese has 180 cal and 30gm of protein. Split that up into two 1/2 cup snacks a day and you'll be well on your way.

    Try to keep your carbs clean.. ie. sweet potatoes, long grain rice etc.. As someone else pointed out; just add a little bit more food each day and before you know it, you'll be on your way.

    Good luck!

    Thank you for the advice. Trying to add muscle to my legs and gluts. There small to me I would like them to be bigger before next summer. Not in a hurry just trying to start now.
  • Miss_Krissy87
    Miss_Krissy87 Posts: 214 Member
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    Cahgetsfit wrote: »
    it gets easier to eat all the foods - just give it a couple of weeks and you will be fine :)

    As for food - generally just more of what I was eating before. Or the same amount plus a 'treat' with the leftover calories.

    However - I also gained more fat than I wanted when I bulked which was a pain in the *kitten* to lose later. So this time around I'm going to do it very very slowly to try to keep the fat down.

    Thank you for the advice!
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
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    To add on to my previous points. Take it slow! Bulking is about trying to stimulate and fuel muscle hypertrophy without the adding too much fat. Too far one way and you won't gain, too far the other and you'll get fat. Normal rate of gain is 0.25-0.5lbs per week for men and I would say the lower end for women (purely my opinion).
  • Miss_Krissy87
    Miss_Krissy87 Posts: 214 Member
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    To add on to my previous points. Take it slow! Bulking is about trying to stimulate and fuel muscle hypertrophy without the adding too much fat. Too far one way and you won't gain, too far the other and you'll get fat. Normal rate of gain is 0.25-0.5lbs per week for men and I would say the lower end for women (purely my opinion).

    Thank you! I'm trying to slowly bulk so I don't gain to much fat.
  • 11Templars
    11Templars Posts: 444 Member
    Options
    I guess for starters you'll need to expound on what you mean by "bulking", or better still, what that term means to you.

    I'll assume you're hoping to add some muscle, but how much is the real question. If you're looking at putting on say 5lbs of muscle (totally doable) you're going to put on a bit of fat. However, it's a fine line. If you gain ten pounds, but five of that is muscle, that's a fair trade. Diet off the five afterwards and you'll look jacked!

    What kind of lifting program are you doing for your "bulk"? How about protein intake for the day? - Remember if you're lifting harder you're burning more too..

    I would shoot for 100 gm of protein a day. 1 cup of %1 cottage cheese has 180 cal and 30gm of protein. Split that up into two 1/2 cup snacks a day and you'll be well on your way.

    Try to keep your carbs clean.. ie. sweet potatoes, long grain rice etc.. As someone else pointed out; just add a little bit more food each day and before you know it, you'll be on your way.

    Good luck!

    This is a combination of poor and typical bro advice. Not to mention that 5lbs of muscle won't make you "jacked" nor is a 50/50 muscle to fat ratio good.

    To bulk the only requirement is to consume more calories than you burn (CICO). To gain less fat your surplus should be smaller, this is not a race.

    Protein is usually set to 0.8-1.2g/lb , fats at a minimum of 0.4g/lb and carbs as the remainder. Contrary to popular belief, as much as protein is necessary to gain muscle, carbohydrates are king.

    So quick to pull the brology card... ;-)

    Well, in fairness, I have been living (Lifting) it for over a decade. So I can speak from personal experience on what I certainly have gleaned over the years.

    The 50/50 thing wasn't meant as science. It was an illustration. She's already tiny, so I would say if gained 5lbs of Muscle and lost the excess fat she put on during her bulk, then should would indeed look pretty damn good! I thought it was pretty obvious that I was trying to be encouraging.. Guess not.

    As far as protein intake goes, what many ppl fail to understand is that the "suggested" 0.8 -1.2g/lb is based on "Lean Muscle". My understanding is that she currently weighs 130/lb, so my suggestion of 100 gms of protein is fairly realistic. Sure more is better.
    To bulk the only requirement is to consume more calories than you burn (CICO). To gain less fat your surplus should be smaller, this is not a race.

    Unless of course you're referring to gaining weight as your only measurement of said bulk, I would suggest that there's quite a bit more to the puzzle. Supplements, lifting program/schedule, sleep, protein intake etc etc.

    I appreciate that you obviously know all this.. Just a little tongue in cheek sass for ya... ;-)

    I've been going to the gym for quite some time now and I see folks all the time day in day out think all they need to do is eat more and lift, and they never make the progress they want to.

    As I'm sure most of you know; The lifting part is the easy part. Dialing the kitchen, now that's where the real work is!

    @trigden1991 - I appreciate your input brother.. You clearly have much to offer!

  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
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    @trigden1991 - I appreciate your input brother.. You clearly have much to offer!

    Your point about gaining 5lbs on a small frame is indeed valid and an oversight on my behalf! The scale weight is the trap that a vast majority of the population fall into ( I myself have been there). Chasing a goal weight or strength goal with no regard for lean mass gain. Couldn’t agree more about the importance of diet though. Diet is 80% of the battle for any fitness goal with training a close second.

    Oh and just to add, I may be your junior but also have nearly a decade of training behind me ;) Always nice to get a constructive, informed opinion!
  • Miss_Krissy87
    Miss_Krissy87 Posts: 214 Member
    Options
    I guess for starters you'll need to expound on what you mean by "bulking", or better still, what that term means to you.

    I'll assume you're hoping to add some muscle, but how much is the real question. If you're looking at putting on say 5lbs of muscle (totally doable) you're going to put on a bit of fat. However, it's a fine line. If you gain ten pounds, but five of that is muscle, that's a fair trade. Diet off the five afterwards and you'll look jacked!

    What kind of lifting program are you doing for your "bulk"? How about protein intake for the day? - Remember if you're lifting harder you're burning more too..

    I would shoot for 100 gm of protein a day. 1 cup of %1 cottage cheese has 180 cal and 30gm of protein. Split that up into two 1/2 cup snacks a day and you'll be well on your way.

    Try to keep your carbs clean.. ie. sweet potatoes, long grain rice etc.. As someone else pointed out; just add a little bit more food each day and before you know it, you'll be on your way.

    Good luck!

    This is a combination of poor and typical bro advice. Not to mention that 5lbs of muscle won't make you "jacked" nor is a 50/50 muscle to fat ratio good.

    To bulk the only requirement is to consume more calories than you burn (CICO). To gain less fat your surplus should be smaller, this is not a race.

    Protein is usually set to 0.8-1.2g/lb , fats at a minimum of 0.4g/lb and carbs as the remainder. Contrary to popular belief, as much as protein is necessary to gain muscle, carbohydrates are king.

    So quick to pull the brology card... ;-)

    Well, in fairness, I have been living (Lifting) it for over a decade. So I can speak from personal experience on what I certainly have gleaned over the years.

    The 50/50 thing wasn't meant as science. It was an illustration. She's already tiny, so I would say if gained 5lbs of Muscle and lost the excess fat she put on during her bulk, then should would indeed look pretty damn good! I thought it was pretty obvious that I was trying to be encouraging.. Guess not.

    As far as protein intake goes, what many ppl fail to understand is that the "suggested" 0.8 -1.2g/lb is based on "Lean Muscle". My understanding is that she currently weighs 130/lb, so my suggestion of 100 gms of protein is fairly realistic. Sure more is better.
    To bulk the only requirement is to consume more calories than you burn (CICO). To gain less fat your surplus should be smaller, this is not a race.

    Unless of course you're referring to gaining weight as your only measurement of said bulk, I would suggest that there's quite a bit more to the puzzle. Supplements, lifting program/schedule, sleep, protein intake etc etc.

    I appreciate that you obviously know all this.. Just a little tongue in cheek sass for ya... ;-)

    I've been going to the gym for quite some time now and I see folks all the time day in day out think all they need to do is eat more and lift, and they never make the progress they want to.

    As I'm sure most of you know; The lifting part is the easy part. Dialing the kitchen, now that's where the real work is!

    @trigden1991 - I appreciate your input brother.. You clearly have much to offer!

    I'm very thankful for both of your inputs. As I feel both of you brought great ideas to help me. Thanks