Mental Weight Gain

mashinhu

For the past 8 months I have been on a clear cut of weight, but have since moved up to eating more calories and working on gaining mass. However, while working out and doing cardio I am still losing weight.

I know that all I have to do here is eat more and eat good foods. I know how I can and what I need to do but mentally, I always tell myself that I don't need it and I hold myself back. This is the only problem that I have right now. I am mentally holding myself back from gaining weight. I was wondering if anyone went through this. Easy fix but I feel that I am just so afraid of going back to where I once was.

I eat 2500+ calories a day. Maintain for me is something around 2900 calories and a gain would be somewhere over this. Seems like a lot of food but I know this is right because I have tested these gains over scale weight. Just interested in what other people have experienced because my only setback is mental right now.

Gym gains are going well

quiksylver296

mashinhu wrote: »

For the past 8 months I have been on a clear cut of weight, but have since moved up to eating more calories and working on gaining mass. However, while working out and doing cardio I am still losing weight.

I know that all I have to do here is eat more and eat good foods. I know how I can and what I need to do but mentally, I always tell myself that I don't need it and I hold myself back. This is the only problem that I have right now. I am mentally holding myself back from gaining weight. I was wondering if anyone went through this. Easy fix but I feel that I am just so afraid of going back to where I once was.

I eat 2500+ calories a day. Maintain for me is something around 2900 calories and a gain would be somewhere over this. Seems like a lot of food but I know this is right because I have tested these gains over scale weight. Just interested in what other people have experienced because my only setback is mental right now.

Gym gains are going well

Are you actually tracking your food in the MFP food diary? If not, I'd start there. It may help to see the numbers in black and white. And drink your calories, if 2500 in real food seems too tough. You don't get bonus points for continuing to eat healthy after you've met your macros/micros for the day. Get a milkshake!

GaryRuns

That shift can be tough for a lot of people, especially people who put in a LOT of hard work to lose fat in the first place. There is always recomp, depending on where your body fat level is. People who have psychological struggles with gaining fat often find recomp more palatable. It's generally a much slower way to gain muscle, but you don't have the problems with gaining fat that some folks struggle with.

If you do go with a bulk then take a look at the sticky discussion in this forum entitled Most Helpful Posts - Goal: Gaining Weight (Must Reads). In there is a link to a post about hard gainers. It's got some great discussion on foods that will help you gain weight.

AnnPT77

If the worry is gaining fast if you increase calories and overshoot maintenance by too much, maybe work your way up gradually?

Rationally, if you overshoot maintenance by 100 calories daily, it'll take over a month to (re-)gain a pound of fat. Clearly, you know how to lose a pound, right? If you work your way up in 100-200 calorie increments, increase then monitor, then increase again, what's the worst that can happen?

alexmose

Following as I have been in this for a bit myself. Learning to let go is tough on us all.

alexmose

alexmose wrote: »

Following as I have been in this for a bit myself. Learning to let go is tough on us all.

alexmose wrote: »

Following as I have been in this for a bit myself. Learning to let go is tough on us all.

“Us all” being those who are terrified of weight gain.