bulking/cutting question

Jessicaruby

when in a bulk phase you have to eat above maintance. Your body gets used to eating so many calories a day. When you switch to a cut phase you must eat considerably less. How hard is it to go from eating above maintance to eat significantly less?

Lyadeia

For me, it's the opposite that is hard. In bulking phases, I am scared to death of getting fatter! When cutting, eating less seems natural since I have spend so long losing weight in the first place.

Right now I am losing fat, but will be going through the bulk/cut when I am done here. I have to be honest when I say that it is much harder for me to start eating MORE than less!

Rae6503

I was losing at 1750 net. I plan to bulk at around 2500 net. That's not even 1000 calorie difference. I don't think it'll be much of a problem, but of course I haven't done it yet.

HeidiMightyRawr

I'm bulking on 2800 net.
Yes it's definately going to be hard for me to cut down (I'm used to around 3000 a day now!) but I'm not going to be going to that big a deficit (around 2-300 a day under maintenance) - I want to maintain as much muscle/strength as possible during the cut so I'll probably still be eating around 2000 net.
If anything it will make me want to exercise more so I can eat what I'm used to in food haha

Jessicaruby

2500/2800 net...hum i can tell that i am building muscle but i am only eating around 1600-1900 net i am scared to go higher!!! i gained weight at the begining but i think it may have been due to water retention? but i have not lost it and i have been lifting for a month now... should i eat more? i was not losing before when i was trying to and only eating about 1200-1400 net either so i do not know what to do?!?!

Yanicka1

bump

Rae6503

2500/2800 net...hum i can tell that i am building muscle but i am only eating around 1600-1900 net i am scared to go higher!!! i gained weight at the begining but i think it may have been due to water retention? but i have not lost it and i have been lifting for a month now... should i eat more? i was not losing before when i was trying to and only eating about 1200-1400 net either so i do not know what to do?!?!

The trick is finding your maintenance. What does MFP guess for yours?

HeidiMightyRawr

2500/2800 net...hum i can tell that i am building muscle but i am only eating around 1600-1900 net i am scared to go higher!!! i gained weight at the begining but i think it may have been due to water retention? but i have not lost it and i have been lifting for a month now... should i eat more? i was not losing before when i was trying to and only eating about 1200-1400 net either so i do not know what to do?!?!

As Rachel said, you need to find your own maintenance and then go a little above that. I bulk on 2800 because my maintenance is around 2300 I think (I gain just under a lb a week) - but I wasn't even gaining anything on 2600 The point of bulking is to gain weight and some of that weight will be fat, but also a large portion should be muscle (more than you would gain from leading a sedentary lifestyle) You lose the fat when you cut

1600-1900 doesn't sound much to be building muscle, is that your maintenance according to MFP? If you've not been gaining recently it sounds like you need more calories, it could well have been water at the beginning, especially if you haven't seen a change since. I'd try 2000 a week and see how you get on (that's based on if you've been maintaining your weight the since the "initial gain" You should be gaining something, even if it's like a fraction of a lb a week.

Jessicaruby

MFP gives me 1990 for maintance plus exercise calories. I wear a bodybugg though and on average i burn about 2700 calories a day. I am just worried that i will gain alot of fat and appear bigger. and i am not sure of how much or how long i should be lifting while bulking to maxamize muscle gains

Rae6503

I've read that eating 10-20% above maintenance will only produce 0.3lbs of fat for every pound of muscle. You've got to get over your fear of gaining if you really want to add muscle. You are already ahead of most of us in that you know your TDEE. Go up 100-200 calories a week until you reach your 2700, and then go over that slowly by the 10% first. See what happens.

Jessicaruby

that is a lot of food!!! lol i want this but am scared of not working out enough or sufficently and just getting fat......