gah! what can i do yo gain?

ShutupndMovee257
ShutupndMovee257 Posts: 316 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
I've cut down on my cardio, upped the amount, intensity, duraiton and frequency with my weights. Considerably upped my intake twice and I can't gain a single lb! I'm trying to gain more muscle mass, to bulk a bit. I'm seeing good results from my work just not gaining. I eat VERY healthy and wondering if maybe I don't have to be so OCD with what I eat. I eat a lot but all very very healthy,....... is it as simple as adding a cheese burger into my diet? ........

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Is your logging accurate? It looks like you're only eating between 2000 and 2500 calories and no real consistency. I'm 5'10" and 38 y.o....I do moderate amounts of cardio and lift a few times per week and maintain around 2700 - 2800 calories. I'd say eat more and do it more consistently.

    Also, trying to "clean" bulk is a pretty tall order due to the sheer volume of food you have to eat. You might have to be a little "dirty"
  • ShutupndMovee257
    ShutupndMovee257 Posts: 316 Member
    Based on my diary lately you would be completely accurate. I've been slacking lately when it comes to logging my food. I've still been eaiting healthy and I'm getting to a point where I eat so much of the same that I know my intake without logging it. Normally i try to eat 2700cals, 200-250 carbs and 70-75g fat. I'm usually dead on whether I log or not. I'm 5"11 27 years old. My burns are usually huge so I'm trying to adjust my intake acaccordingly.

    You're right though, need to log more consistently and I might try ti get a bit more "dirty". Thanks!
  • tonynguyen75
    tonynguyen75 Posts: 418 Member
    First of all, you can start by actually hitting your calorie goal and logging consistently.

    Secondly, if you're having trouble with meeting your calorie goal, try putting calorie dense foods into your diet. Cheese, fats, bacon etc..
  • Live4theLift
    Live4theLift Posts: 329
    You may not be eating enough, @ 5'11 180 i would say you should be around 28-3000+ cals a day (closer to 3). im 6'3 190 and i eat 32-3300 a day easy and i gain on avg .75lbs a week. Try to limit your cardio or even eliminate it completely, it just burns cals you need to build muscle. Go week by week and try to find your TDEE if you dont gain a lb at 2700 a week then up it 500 and you should be golden
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    Little things like eating 2 tablespoons of peanut butter instead of one, eating tastier cuts of meat, or adding some butter to vegetables, will provide more calories with very little food volume added.

    Or just go with the cheeseburger concept. No need to eat skinless chicken breast so much, unless you just really like it.
  • trojanbb
    trojanbb Posts: 1,297 Member
    Not sure of your weight and muscle mass, but if I ate 2800 Calories a week...I'd lose 2 lbs a week. pretty hard for most any guy to gain mass while lifting at under 3500 Calories
  • ShutupndMovee257
    ShutupndMovee257 Posts: 316 Member
    Not sure of your weight and muscle mass, but if I ate 2800 Calories a week...I'd lose 2 lbs a week. pretty hard for most any guy to gain mass while lifting at under 3500 Calories

    I've heard the same... thinking you're right and I'm not eating enough. That's just so much food! Going for it though. Thanks man!

    Great ideas jwdieter! Thanks y'all for the help. Pretty sure I need to eat more. Might cut cardio altogether for a bit too.
  • trojanbb
    trojanbb Posts: 1,297 Member
    looked at your pics. you have a good amount of muscle mass. I would for sure bump those calories up. you don't need 4000 yet but play around with 3500 and adjust as needed. doesn't need to be squeaky clean either.
  • djeffreys10
    djeffreys10 Posts: 2,312 Member
    Dude, 5'11 180 and trying to bulk at 2700? I am 5'8 163ish and bulking at 2800. Eat more foodz! Also, no reason to eat so clean on a bulk. Maintain a 250-300 calorie surplus while hitting minimum protein and fat macros and the gains will come.
  • Chadomaniac
    Chadomaniac Posts: 1,785 Member
    Honestly


    EAT WHAT YOU WANT

    Fit it into your calories and macro nutrient AND micro nutrient targets

    Good job on the transformation!
  • TheFitnessTutor
    TheFitnessTutor Posts: 356 Member
    It's not rocket science. Either you have a disease/malfunction or you're simply not eating enough. Occham's razor would suggest the latter. Plus if your "burns are usually huge" then how do you expect to gain weight? Don't forget that "burn" is on top of "basal" or basic maintenance and your skeletal muscle only accounts for 30 percent or so of your caloric needs. For one there's absolutely no need to to do more than 400 or so calories of "cardio" a few times a week especially if you're lifting weights also. Your true caloric need if you're burning huge amounts of calories could very well be 3500 or more calories. If you're doing anything resembling traditional cardio for more than say 1200 calories a week, then cut it back. It's lame.over hyped, misunderstood, and ....well ....sucks. And my usual motto is Get Serious. If you're not really measuring and tracking, then why ask what's wrong?
  • skywa
    skywa Posts: 901 Member
    Eat more. Try to eat only 50% super heatlhy.

    I eat around 2500-3000 cals a day and it took me 6 months to gain 5 lbs(from 125 to 130lbs). I don't do cardio. I only lift 3-4 times a week. I have a sedentary job. And I'm a woman. You should be eating more than me if you're looking for some decent gains. xP
  • Willbenchforcupcakes
    Willbenchforcupcakes Posts: 4,955 Member
    Eat more! I'm struggling to gain on 3000-4000 a day, with only one run, and lifting 4-5 days a week, I'm 5'8.5" and currently 160ish pounds.
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
    log daily and eat more. you don't have to eat unhealthy things.
    add peanut butter, butter, coconut oil, olive oil to your fodds.

    at 2800 calories a day, I was dropping weight.
  • NRBreit
    NRBreit Posts: 319 Member
    During my last bulk, I was eating 3,000 - 3,200 cals in order to hit 180 lbs. I was gaining less than 1 lb. per week as I approached 180.
  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
    Not sure of your weight and muscle mass, but if I ate 2800 Calories a week...I'd lose 2 lbs a week. pretty hard for most any guy to gain mass while lifting at under 3500 Calories

    This. Anything less than 3300 cals and I'm cutting.

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