Mental barrier to gaining weight
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At the start of a bulk it is normal for the scale to jump up. For some it's 2lbs, others it's more. You have to remind yourself it is not fat gain especially if you just upped the calories by a small amount. It just doesn't happen that fast. If you don't deal with this now it is going to be a long road ahead.
Take measurements, use the mirror, try not to put all your focus in the scale. Yes you will be uncomfortable but at this point if you want to make the changes you desire, then it is going to be uncomfortable.
If you are not ready to deal with that, then take a break and hang out at maintenance (and realize the limitations of that) and try again in a few weeks or months.4 -
cupcakesandproteinshakes wrote: »OP I didn’t want to bulk for my first 3 years of resistance training. During that time I hovered around the same weight. And trained religiously. I made some progress with my vogue goal of getting more muscular. I made some progress on a few emotional issues around eating and food.
There is nothing at all wrong with recomping if bulking is too mentally stressful for you at this time. Is recomping ‘optimal’ ? maybe not, depending on how you define optimal. But it taught me patience and allowed me to get into a good training routine and habits. If it takes me a little longer than it might have done otherwise then I’m ok with that because I think mental health gainzzzz are as important as looking ripped.
This is a similar spot I was in. As mentioned in Oroginal post, I was much bigger a couple years ago. Now I’m told I’m too thin and I think being 112, still on the lower end of BMI. Want more muscles to help muscles pop and I know cut bulk is the way to do that. I recomped for those 2 years. All that said, I’m in the same spot you were.
Those people who say you are “too thin” may not be right! They may be unused to seeing you at your lower weight. They may also be overweight themselves and do have a skewed view of leanness/fatness. People who are lean are not so common these days and so we look unusually ‘thin’. I also get similar comments from people I know. I tell them
My bmi is 20 and so I’m a healthy weight. Then I change the subject....3 -
112.6 lbs today. What??? Thinking it’s time to drop 100cals. Back to 2100 and reassess. Seeing the scale jump 2lbs in one week..,that makes me think I am on a dreamer bull.
Is that your trend or a point-to-point jump? It's nothing for me to a see a 2-lb bump day-to-day depending on sodium and carbs. I suggest not making adjustments on a single data point, if that's the case.2 -
If it helps as an illustration, my last seven days including this morning were:
166.4 - 168 - 168 - 166.8 - 167.4 - 166.4 - 168.6
Fair bit of fluctuation; although I am not bulking. But I will compare this to my numbers last week and the week before.
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I totally get it. According to my scale this morning I gained 3lbs in the last 24 hours! WTF?!
I'm a logical person. I make my living being that way. I read scientific literature on any topic I'm interested in, including weight management, resistance training, endurance training, etc. I know all about fluctuations in weight due to water retention and food digestion. I know you can't gain 3lbs of fat in 24 hours, even after I had that glass of wine and banana above my calorie goal last night.
And still, I saw the number on the scale this morning and many non-scientific, non-logical expletives came out of my mouth! It can be very hard not to let it get to you, but if you do let it get to you, as others have pointed out, it'll ruin your progress because the stress will wreak havoc on your body.
So, hang in there and ignore the short-term fluctuations and focus on your end goal.1 -
113.4lbs today. Is this too fast? Just last week I was 109!!! This week has gone like this: 110.4, 111.0, 111.8, 112.6, 113.4. Is it me or is this way too fast?1
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Have you eaten 10,500 cals over maintenance this week?1
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Guess or know?
Do agree with some other posters that you need to have a serious think about if you are ready to deliberately bulk. This seems to be causing you a lot of stress, that's not a happy or healthy place to be.2 -
Guess or know?
Do agree with some other posters that you need to have a serious think about if you are ready to deliberately bulk. This seems to be causing you a lot of stress, that's not a happy or healthy place to be.
Know. It’s something I will think about.3 -
Guess or know?
Do agree with some other posters that you need to have a serious think about if you are ready to deliberately bulk. This seems to be causing you a lot of stress, that's not a happy or healthy place to be.
Know. It’s something I will think about.
A suggestion. Why not eat at what you think are your maintenance cals for 2 months and see what they daily fluctuations are in your weight for those 2 months. Then you will have an idea. Those daily weights you posted look similar to my fluctuations. I can’t say whether they are ‘normal’ for you.
Each post you have made sounds like you are panicking and honestly I would say don’t bulk if you are panicking. You simply don’t have to. Do some work around what is making you so anxious then when you are more chilled, try a gaining phase again. It may take longer but the alternative. - bring anxious for months on end- does not sound like a good place either.5 -
cupcakesandproteinshakes wrote: »
Guess or know?
Do agree with some other posters that you need to have a serious think about if you are ready to deliberately bulk. This seems to be causing you a lot of stress, that's not a happy or healthy place to be.
Know. It’s something I will think about.
A suggestion. Why not eat at what you think are your maintenance cals for 2 months and see what they daily fluctuations are in your weight for those 2 months. Then you will have an idea. Those daily weights you posted look similar to my fluctuations. I can’t say whether they are ‘normal’ for you.
Each post you have made sounds like you are panicking and honestly I would say don’t bulk if you are panicking. You simply don’t have to. Do some work around what is making you so anxious then when you are more chilled, try a gaining phase again. It may take longer but the alternative. - bring anxious for months on end- does not sound like a good place either.
100% agree with this. Based on your posts you are not in a good mental place to bulk, at least not right now. Bulking is not for everyone.
I know there isn't a lot of information on women bulking out there and it can be a lot of unknown and a huge mind trip. But in the end you if this is something you want you have to trust the process and you can't overthink every single little decision or you will drive yourself crazy. I know easier said than done.
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cupcakesandproteinshakes wrote: »
Guess or know?
Do agree with some other posters that you need to have a serious think about if you are ready to deliberately bulk. This seems to be causing you a lot of stress, that's not a happy or healthy place to be.
Know. It’s something I will think about.
A suggestion. Why not eat at what you think are your maintenance cals for 2 months and see what they daily fluctuations are in your weight for those 2 months. Then you will have an idea. Those daily weights you posted look similar to my fluctuations. I can’t say whether they are ‘normal’ for you.
Each post you have made sounds like you are panicking and honestly I would say don’t bulk if you are panicking. You simply don’t have to. Do some work around what is making you so anxious then when you are more chilled, try a gaining phase again. It may take longer but the alternative. - bring anxious for months on end- does not sound like a good place either.
100% agree with this. Based on your posts you are not in a good mental place to bulk, at least not right now. Bulking is not for everyone.
I know there isn't a lot of information on women bulking out there and it can be a lot of unknown and a huge mind trip. But in the end you if this is something you want you have to trust the process and you can't overthink every single little decision or you will drive yourself crazy. I know easier said than done.
I agree with everything you both say. I will be keeping track through next week, that is given if I can go to the gym per corona. I am telling myself next Friday will be check in here. I will not post til then and just live w the fluctuations. Perhaps I will attribute them to time of the month
next Friday. For sure. 2 -
Gym closed. Maintence for now.1
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Little bit of an update. I have been maintaining well on 1900 cals with resistance 4/day and getting at least 6K steps a day. Plus whatever calories my apple watch gives for cardio (mostly walking). I have decided to up my calls to 2000 to see if i can maintain at this higher level and b/c i have been eating hard boild eggs at 1am to get me through the night
i have been making up my upper/lower split but will do some research on the lifting thread about maybe some REAL routines i feel my core getting stronger! i have never worked my core so much pre-quarantine 0 -
I'm working my core more also, because I can't do my regular heavy free weights. Have you seen Sydney Cummings on YouTube? I tried her legs, arms&cardio routine and thought it was really good. She has a lot of different workouts to try with dumbbells and bands.0
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DancingMoosie wrote: »I'm working my core more also, because I can't do my regular heavy free weights. Have you seen Sydney Cummings on YouTube? I tried her legs, arms&cardio routine and thought it was really good. She has a lot of different workouts to try with dumbbells and bands.
I have seen her suggested and watched one cardio video while eating dinner lmao but I will perhaps try an arm and back routine.
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Thought perhaps to just put a little update here. I maintained well on 2000 cals and have now increased to 2100 cals to see if I can maintain. worst comes to worst, i gain a pound of fat in a month. Core work going well. Home resistance training, even with my miserable 20lb adjustable dumbbells is kicking my butt. This is actually my deload week. Although my lighter DL day today (70% weight and 1 less sett per exercise) still kicked my butt. I have been really hungry lately, so I wonder if I am building some muscles with the ability to maintain on more cals. Only time will tell.
One thing I have learned, how the heck did I even survive on only 1700 cals when I was cutting a couple years ago!!??! Anyone else feel like this during maintence?2
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