Time to start gaining?

ge105

Hi there! I was hoping for some advice on looking a little more fit. I lift in the winter but move around too much in the summer to be able to have a gym, so currently I do things like swim, hike, walk, or paddleboard everyday for about an hour (lately its been mostly paddleboard) and then I do body weight tabata stuff like burpees, pushups, squats, jump lunges, 1-2x's a week. Im always sore the next day, as I would be with a "real" weight workout. Along with all this, I've been dieting for a while and have lost weight since joining here.

Top pics are me when I joined here back in late January; I asked for some advice on losing weight and I've lost about 5-7lbs since then (weight changes depending on the day lol).


Bottom pics are my goal.

I look like this now;



Trouble is I feel I look farther from my goal now, am I right? I'm not unhappy with my results, but its not exactly what I wanted. Question is, do I keep going in this direction, if I keep dieting will I eventually expose some abs? On my side pic you can almost see some (kinda). Or should I start eating to gain?

ravenmiss

To gain muscle I believe you have to eat at a surplus and lift heavy.

Someone else will come and explain in more detail I'm sure.

Aaron_K123

To gain muscle I believe you have to eat at a surplus and lift heavy.

Someone else will come and explain in more detail I'm sure.

Not sure if there is need for much more detail really. You look good OP, definitely don't need to lose more weight so if those goal images are what you want looks like you just need to slap on some extra muscle.

ge105

To gain muscle I believe you have to eat at a surplus and lift heavy.

Someone else will come and explain in more detail I'm sure.

Not sure if there is need for much more detail really. You look good OP, definitely don't need to lose more weight so if those goal images are what you want looks like you just need to slap on some extra muscle.

Thanks! More weight loss seemed to be going in the wrong direction all right. Is it possible to put on muscle without putting on fat? I am pretty happy with having lost the love handles and would prefer keeping them off, sounds terrible but I've been dieting for so long Im kinda scared to eat more.

Aaron_K123

To gain muscle I believe you have to eat at a surplus and lift heavy.

Someone else will come and explain in more detail I'm sure.

Not sure if there is need for much more detail really. You look good OP, definitely don't need to lose more weight so if those goal images are what you want looks like you just need to slap on some extra muscle.

Thanks! More weight loss seemed to be going in the wrong direction all right. Is it possible to put on muscle without putting on fat? I am pretty happy with having lost the love handles and would prefer keeping them off, sounds terrible but I've been dieting for so long Im kinda scared to eat more.

It is possible but difficult. You have to eat enough of a surplus to gain weight and you strive to make as much of that muscle as possible. You probably will gain a little fat along with it but then that is what a cut is for. Lots of people on this site have much more experience than I with bulk/cut cycles and you might find good advice on the maintenance and weight gain forums.

One thing is for sure though, to put on muscle you are going to have to eat more...probably a lot more. You need to be above maintenance or at least at maintenance for recomp.