Is it time to bulk?

yogaga1

I am 5'4'' and 122lbs with estimated 18% body fat from the heybales spreadsheet but I feel I look closer to 19-20%- down to a size 0-2/XS from a size 16. I am about a year and 3 months into losing and I am 3 lbs below what I set as my goal.

I lift heavy (stronglifts 5x5) 3x/week, do 30 minutes of low intensity mat pilates 5 days a week and about to switch that back to a 5k run 3 days a week now that the weather is cooling and my foot is healed from a running injury, yoga 1-2 days a week. I have been eating at -10% TDEE and consume 1g/lb of body weight in protein, with carbs and fat falling where they may (usually carbs a bit higher than fat, but not by much).

Anyway, all that to say- I kept my cals at -10% a few lbs past goal because i still have a little tummy fat covering my abs and some upper thigh/saddlebag fat I was hoping to burn through before I started a bulk. Of course, since you can't choose where you lose, my upper body (which is already thin and noodle-like thanks to my lame genetics) is where the weight is dropping. I take measurements every 3 weeks and haven't had a change in my lower body in about 2 months.

To me, this says it's time to start my bulk and build up some more muscle before I try and cut anymore. Am I correct in thinking this? Or, do I continue and try to get down another point or two in body fat percentage and then give it a go?

Thanks!

Fithealthyforlife

I agree it's time to gain; your stats are perfect right now for bulking as a woman. But I'd work my way up to maintenance before trying a surplus. Slow and steady wins the race when making dietary modifications.

tonynguyen75

Reverse diet.

If you follow Matt Ogus on YouTube AKA Flexforall2, he's currently doing a reverse diet and he might have a video or two explaining how to do it well. You should pay close attention to your weight and your macros.

funforsports

I would recommend starting a bulk/reverse diet right now as well. Work your way up to 10% over TDEE by increasing calories slowly. Remember to get at least 1 g/lb of protein a day while bulking. If you add some muscle for 6 months or so, the next time you get down to 18% bf, you will look completely different and look much tighter than you do now from the addition of the extra muscle.

Chief_Rocka

I would recommend starting a bulk/reverse diet right now as well. Work your way up to 10% over TDEE by increasing calories slowly. Remember to get at least 1 g/lb of protein a day while bulking. If you add some muscle for 6 months or so, the next time you get down to 18% bf, you will look completely different and look much tighter than you do now from the addition of the extra muscle.

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yogaga1

Okay, great. Thanks guys! I will look into the youtube channel suggested - have a few more questions of course...

After some research, I intended on adding 100 calories a week until I hit +10% TDEE. Is this too conservative or does that sound about right? Or do I need to build up and hold at maintenance for a few weeks and then continue up?

Also, shall I adjust my fat and carb macros? I agree with your advice and intend to keep protein the same at 1g/lb of body weight, but do I need to keep my fat or carbs lower or can I continue to let them fall where they may as my protein is in check? I am usually around 30-33% fat and the rest carbs.

funforsports

Okay, great. Thanks guys! I will look into the youtube channel suggested - have a few more questions of course...

After some research, I intended on adding 100 calories a week until I hit +10% TDEE. Is this too conservative or does that sound about right? Or do I need to build up and hold at maintenance for a few weeks and then continue up?

Also, shall I adjust my fat and carb macros? I agree with your advice and intend to keep protein the same at 1g/lb of body weight, but do I need to keep my fat or carbs lower or can I continue to let them fall where they may as my protein is in check? I am usually around 30-33% fat and the rest carbs.

Yes, increase by 100 cals each week and you should be at maintenance in about 2 weeks. Continue adding cals until you get to +10%. If you start gaining faster than you want, you can always bring it down a bit (you should aim to gain about 0.5 lbs/wk). If you stall out, add more cals until you start gaining again.

I may increase my grams of protein a bit when I am bulking but not drastically (I go up to 1.5 lb/bw). You additional cals should be going into carbs and fats. The additional carbs will aid you in your workout and you should feel more energy and be able to push more weight with the additional fuel.

Fithealthyforlife

Okay, great. Thanks guys! I will look into the youtube channel suggested - have a few more questions of course...

After some research, I intended on adding 100 calories a week until I hit +10% TDEE. Is this too conservative or does that sound about right? Or do I need to build up and hold at maintenance for a few weeks and then continue up?

Also, shall I adjust my fat and carb macros? I agree with your advice and intend to keep protein the same at 1g/lb of body weight, but do I need to keep my fat or carbs lower or can I continue to let them fall where they may as my protein is in check? I am usually around 30-33% fat and the rest carbs.

Not at all conservative. I go even slower. (But then again, sometimes I'm still hungry and eat over my target.) I've probably been at this about ten weeks now, with a couple of weeks off from lifting here and there, and I'm just now up to 300 calories extra per day officially (was at 275 before, 250 before that, etc.). Then again, due to hunger, I have days where I eat 400 calories over (after exercise calories are accounted for)...official numbers don't mean much on a daily basis...but my averages are what count.

Protein should prbably be between 1 g per kilogram and 1.5 g per pound of body weight. I'm never good at remembering suggested carb and fat ratios, but my numbers usually align with what MFP suggest with little effort on my part.

Proceed slowly, lift hard, track body weight and calories and sets/reps/lbs, and figure out your upper limit for tolerable body fat (don't set too low a number; you may not be able to figure this one out until actually get to it). The worst thing you can do, I've heard, is cut too soon and lose everything.

yogaga1

Awesome, thanks for taking the time to reply guys!