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Avette's Bulking Log
a_vettestingray
Posts: 654 Member
Week One: 10/1/2013 to 10/8/2013
Starting Weight: 129.6
Ending Weight; 128.8 (-.8) (up from a low of 128.2)
Intake: Average 2121c/day
Workouts: 3 full body weight workouts, two yoga workouts
Notes: Started creatine this week. Weight is up and down daily, so pretty hard to get an idea of my true weight. I plan to weight daily from here on out and take the average to see gains/losses. Planning on increasing to 2200/day this week. Would like to see gains average .5lb/week.
Starting Weight: 129.6
Ending Weight; 128.8 (-.8) (up from a low of 128.2)
Intake: Average 2121c/day
Workouts: 3 full body weight workouts, two yoga workouts
Notes: Started creatine this week. Weight is up and down daily, so pretty hard to get an idea of my true weight. I plan to weight daily from here on out and take the average to see gains/losses. Planning on increasing to 2200/day this week. Would like to see gains average .5lb/week.
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Replies
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Tagging to follow! :flowerforyou:0
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Weighing in daily can be tricky, as weight fluctuates for many reasons (body fluid, waste, etc.) every day. To get a clearer picture, you may want to weigh in weekly--or at least plot your weight out on a graph to show trends rather than single day variations because that could drive you crazy. Good luck--excited to watch your progress.0
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Yay for bulking buddies!0
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Tagging0
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In to follow!0
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Following...0
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Day 12 Random update: Starting to feel fat/bloated. I know its mental, b/c my pants still fit the same, but I swear my belly looks more lumpy and gross.0
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Day 12 Random update: Starting to feel fat/bloated. I know its mental, b/c my pants still fit the same, but I swear my belly looks more lumpy and gross.
Hang in there, it is mental. The fat, if any, will come off when you cut.0 -
Day 12 Random update: Starting to feel fat/bloated. I know its mental, b/c my pants still fit the same, but I swear my belly looks more lumpy and gross.
Yep, mental. I was feeling that way a few days ago too. Then I woke up one morning and felt and looked less bloated and puffy. I'm sure it's all just the process.0 -
Fat mystery solved - TOM started the next day!
I didn't really do any "before" photos, so I will just use the last progress picture that I took this summer. It was the end of August and pretty much the leanest I was able to get before reverse dieting through September.
I weigh in again tomorrow and am not sure how it is going to go. I have been a little out of control with eating and find it very hard to meet my macros AND get enough calories. I tend to go over on fats. My carbs are also a little off, b/c I have been using beer as a filler to meet calories and not get any extra fat. Probably a terrible idea, but it tastes good!0 -
In to follow.
If I can offer any help it will be this and I am only going off of what I assume by you saying trying to hit your macros and cals. Find your calorie target, figure your macros for that target then only aim to hit those macros with a +\- 5-10g, ignore the calorie total. Try to use the database as little as possible bc it's full of crap and go by what you input or scan. I say this bc I hit my macros well for the most part but I'm always told I have 100-200 cals left sometimes. This simply isn't true. You hit your macros, you hit your calories. Label rounding up and down and MFP subtracts fiber calories out leaves you with offsetting numbers.0 -
Thanks for the advice HMVOL7409, I do double check the database entries for accuracy against my own labels before saving them to my diary, but I have never thought about the -/+5-10g thing.
Week 2 Recap:
Staring Weight: 128.8lb
Ending Weight: 130.1lb
It is TOM, so that could account for some of the extra weight. 1.3lb seems like a really high gain over a week with what appears to be approx. surplus of 300 calories/day. Also, I weighed in this morning while being pretty sore from yesterday's workout, so I imagine I am retaining some water. I am terrible with remembering to weigh in, so I don't have the ability to take an average this week.
Calorie Aim: 2200/day
Real Calorie Average: 2297/day (whoops, I had two really high days that threw off my average - like 2600+ days)
I did three Beautiful Badass workouts and two yoga workouts this past week.
Going to aim for 2300/day this week and try to stick to it. Hopefully weight evens out so I know what my actual gain is...
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In to follow!0
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Don't worry--it'll probably take a couple of weeks of weighin in to see what the actual trends are. You're doing great--the workouts sound awesome!0
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Yep....give it time. Everything I've read says it can take a few weeks to level off. Then you add in the fact that us ladies get to enjoy our TOM every 4 weeks and no wonder there is so much fluctuation.0
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I'm curious about your reverse-dieting strategy. What method did you use? Did you just incrementally increase your calories by 100 per week? I ask because I can't find a lot of info on reverse dieting, but I definitely plan to use that method to ease into my bulking process.0
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Westcoast - that was the initial plan and I tried to follow it, but then I went on vacation and didn't track, but based on my weight, I was eating at maintenance by the end of the month so it all worked out.
We went out for pizza and beer last night. My skinny jeans are uncomfortably tight today and I feel very self conscious about my belly.0 -
Not an official weigh in day but I stepped on the scales anyway. I am down two full pounds. Weird.0
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Hmmm... you might want to try increasing your daily cals by 100 and see how that goes.0
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Hmmm..2 full pounds sounds like "real" loss. I would say increase your calories...how long have you been at your current calorie level? I've learned to give my macro #s at least 10 days or even 2 week before I make changes; often what doesn't work right away works in the long run (at least for me).0
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Week 3 Recap:
Staring Weight: 130.1lb (my data points look like this: 130.1, 130.8, 130.4, 128.1, and finally 131)
Ending Weight: 131.0lb
Calorie Aim: 2300/day
Real Calorie Average: 2328/day
I had an almost 5,000mg of sodium yesterday and feel quite bloated, I am sure there is water retention. I have gained 1.4lb since starting, if I only account for official weigh-ins. I think that puts me right where I want to be, so I am going to leave my calories at 2,300 for week four.
I did three Beautiful Badass workouts and two yoga workouts this past week. My weights are going back up nicely (I had a major deload after not lifting/tracking for all of September). I am scheduled to start my deload this week. (My week starts on Tuesday for tracking purposes). I might through in a cardio session or two during the deload since I haven’t done any for about two months.
I am suffering some major SI joint/low back pain (like always) and had to ditch lunges. Now I am squatting two times a week and deadlifting one time a week. I also ditched my chair at work for a yoga ball to see if it relieves some of the pressure on my low back. I usually get my squats and deads about 30lbs higher than I am right now, get an angry SI joint, and then have to drop the weight and play with my form again to see if it is something that I am doing or something else unrelated. I have a little bit of an anterior pelvic tilt and I really believe that a lot of my problems come from that, and a lot of pressure gets placed on my low back/hips when I have heavy loads on my shoulders.0 -
Be cafeful! Allow the deload to do its job and get back to the heaviness next week. Hopefully it will help the pain!0
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I realized that I forgot to take measurements prior to starting my reverse diet/bulk. The last measurements I have come from 6/8, (I weighed 5lbs less than I do now, so I guess I was pretty lean when I took the measurements)
Weight: 126lb (I am 5'6.5)
Waist (narrowist point): 25.75
Hips (widest point): 35.5
Biceps (unflexed): 10.75
Forearm (widest/unflexed): 9.25
Thigh (unflexed): 20.5
Calf (unflexed): 14 (no matter how much I diet or workout, my calves have been 14in for the past two years!)
My "fat jeans" (Athleta Yoga Bootcut Jean thingies) came in the mail yesterday. They are super stretchy and should see me through this! My only other problem is my work pants are 28's and I am not sure when we will have a uniform allowance to order a pair of 30's (just in case).0 -
My "fat jeans" (Athleta Yoga Bootcut Jean thingies) came in the mail yesterday. They are super stretchy and should see me through this! My only other problem is my work pants are 28's and I am not sure when we will have a uniform allowance to order a pair of 30's (just in case).
Yikes! I have a couple of pairs of jeans that should be good and only two pairs of work pants from my "fat" days (size 2 v. my usual size 0). Unfortunately I'm only a week and a half into the bulk (and TOM right now too) and I'm already wearing my "fat" pants!!!0 -
I realized that I forgot to take measurements prior to starting my reverse diet/bulk. The last measurements I have come from 6/8, (I weighed 5lbs less than I do now, so I guess I was pretty lean when I took the measurements)
Weight: 126lb (I am 5'6.5)
Waist (narrowist point): 25.75
Hips (widest point): 35.5
Biceps (unflexed): 10.75
Forearm (widest/unflexed): 9.25
Thigh (unflexed): 20.5
Calf (unflexed): 14 (no matter how much I diet or workout, my calves have been 14in for the past two years!)
My "fat jeans" (Athleta Yoga Bootcut Jean thingies) came in the mail yesterday. They are super stretchy and should see me through this! My only other problem is my work pants are 28's and I am not sure when we will have a uniform allowance to order a pair of 30's (just in case).
I 'think' I have 2-3 pair of my "fat jeans" in my closet that I almost donated. I'm hoping they are still there...0 -
Week 4 Recap:
Staring Weight: 131lb (my data points look like this: 131.8, 131.6, 131.7, 130.6 and 130.6)
Ending Weight: 130.6lb (+1lb from 1 October, but - .4lb from last week)
Calorie Aim: 2300/day
Real Calorie Average: 2219/day
I felt HYOOGE this morning and was sure I would weigh in at 132lbs. I was a little disappointed when I was actually down and only gained one pound for the whole month. I am going to up my calories to 2400 and try to be more consistent with eating, rather than 1900 one day and 2700 the next…it’s just too hard and I feel like its inefficient while trying to build.
I did two Beautiful Badass deload workouts and one 10 minute walk on the treadmill. My walks to/from the bus stop for the commute are my “cardio” – which equals about a mile three to five times a week, plus the random dog walks. I am shocked at how slow I am gaining while lifting and eating. When I put on weight after meeting my husband, I put on twenty pounds in about 4-5 months (I am pretty sure none of that was muscle…mmmm deep fried food and midnight shifts)! Lifting really makes a huge difference in weight gain! I picked up a DVD player to bring to work so I can do Yoga during Health Incentive Program (three paid hours weekly to workout).
Deload week is over and I plan on hitting it hard tonight after work. I do find that I am eating ALL THE TIME and I am always full. So, I am overriding my hunger signals – which I don’t really like to do. I do wake up starving every morning though, which is a new experience. I need to trade out the carrots and brussel sprouts for bread or something to get more calories/carbs in.
ETA: Changing over to 5/3/1 Big But Boring because I am worried that I am not getting in the appropriate volume for maximum growth. I did it for a while last winter and enjoyed it, but went back to a three x week full body workout to work more on squat/deadlift form.0 -
Week 4 Recap:
Staring Weight: 131lb (my data points look like this: 131.8, 131.6, 131.7, 130.6 and 130.6)
Ending Weight: 130.6lb (+1lb from 1 October, but - .4lb from last week)
Calorie Aim: 2300/day
Real Calorie Average: 2219/day
I felt HYOOGE this morning and was sure I would weigh in at 132lbs. I was a little disappointed when I was actually down and only gained one pound for the whole month. I am going to up my calories to 2400 and try to be more consistent with eating, rather than 1900 one day and 2700 the next…it’s just too hard and I feel like its inefficient while trying to build.
I did two Beautiful Badass deload workouts and one 10 minute walk on the treadmill. My walks to/from the bus stop for the commute are my “cardio” – which equals about a mile three to five times a week, plus the random dog walks. I am shocked at how slow I am gaining while lifting and eating. When I put on weight after meeting my husband, I put on twenty pounds in about 4-5 months (I am pretty sure none of that was muscle…mmmm deep fried food and midnight shifts)! Lifting really makes a huge difference in weight gain! I picked up a DVD player to bring to work so I can do Yoga during Health Incentive Program (three paid hours weekly to workout).
Deload week is over and I plan on hitting it hard tonight after work. I do find that I am eating ALL THE TIME and I am always full. So, I am overriding my hunger signals – which I don’t really like to do. I do wake up starving every morning though, which is a new experience. I need to trade out the carrots and brussel sprouts for bread or something to get more calories/carbs in.
Don't worry--weight gain, like loss, isn't linear. I'm sure you'll make up for it this week. Upping your cals a bit and being more consistent is probably a good idea.0 -
Don't stress too much that you only gained 1 lb in a month. That's actually a very good and possible lean gain. 1-2lbs is what one should aim for but even those gaining 2lbs a month don't have a great chance of that being all lean mass bc it's not as simple as eating more and lifting to add muscle. It's difficult for women but consistency is key. I rather lean gain instead of adding a bunch of weight and then struggling to cut. You're on the right track!0
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I rather lean gain instead of adding a bunch of weight and then struggling to cut. You're on the right track!
Agreed, you're doing great!0 -
Don't stress too much that you only gained 1 lb in a month. That's actually a very good and possible lean gain. 1-2lbs is what one should aim for but even those gaining 2lbs a month don't have a great chance of that being all lean mass bc it's not as simple as eating more and lifting to add muscle. It's difficult for women but consistency is key. I rather lean gain instead of adding a bunch of weight and then struggling to cut. You're on the right track!
Very much agree with this. 0
This discussion has been closed.