Trying to bulk but getting fat?
ohlookagiraffe
Posts: 6
Okay well I don't know if "fat" is the right word, but I started trying to gain muscle weight about 3 weeks ago and so far the only increase I have is in my waist, which is the place I store the most fat 
my measurements used to be 32-25.5-34.5 and now my waist is 26.5!!! my weight has also gone up from 108 to 110 but Im trying not to care about the scale. I lift upper body twice a week and lower body twice a week and I make sure I get enough protein (at least 110 grams for one per pound of body weight) also I only eat 200-300 above maintenance a day so I don't get why I'm not seeing better results. Is it too early? The main reason I wanted to bulk was to gain in my legs/butt so my waist would look smaller because I have a very rectangle-like body, so this is not what I wanted (((. What am I doing wrong?
my measurements used to be 32-25.5-34.5 and now my waist is 26.5!!! my weight has also gone up from 108 to 110 but Im trying not to care about the scale. I lift upper body twice a week and lower body twice a week and I make sure I get enough protein (at least 110 grams for one per pound of body weight) also I only eat 200-300 above maintenance a day so I don't get why I'm not seeing better results. Is it too early? The main reason I wanted to bulk was to gain in my legs/butt so my waist would look smaller because I have a very rectangle-like body, so this is not what I wanted (((. What am I doing wrong? 0
Replies
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Hang in there...help is coming.
I'd say buy the book New Rules Of Lifting For Women and perhaps lift whole body 3x per week.
Youre not doing lots of cardio by chance?
Check out the bulking group too.
I bulked for 6 weeks and gained about 1.5lb muscle/1.5 fat Love the results. Haven't cut yet.
Ps Squat! dead lift! Heavy!0 -
Some fat gain is pretty much inevitable, and you can't control where it's going to show up first. 2 lbs in the first 3 weeks seems pretty reasonable (about .66 lbs/week).
Generally for women you want to aim for an average of 0.25-.5 lbs per week. This is lower than the 1 lb/week recommendation for guys: we're more limited in terms of the amount of muscle that can actually be put on every week, so any additional mass past that point just ends up being fat: it's better to go slow. It's also pretty normal to see a bit of a jump in the weight initially once you go to a bulk intake, so I wouldn't worry too much about adjusting the pace (your intake) just yet - you might find it slows in the next couple of weeks.
There's also the issue of more water retention. If you've upped your carbs when you upped your cals, then you'll have more water retention/puffiness. Honestly, three weeks is pretty early to see any appreciable results. Keep in mind that bulking is HARD, psychologically. It's easy to see what seems like "bad" changes to your body shape and want to stop.
If you want some support in this process, there's a group for women who are bulking: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/51470-women-who-bulk0 -
You cannot spot reduce, and you cannot spot gain. Your body is going to put the weight where it wants to. If you gain in your belly first, then yes that measurement will go up.0
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What cmeirun said. And to add: you eat a whole lot more now that food is going into your belly. I walk around with a massive foodbaby the whole time (it's never gone down in the morning)0
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What cmeirun said. And to add: you eat a whole lot more now that food is going into your belly. I walk around with a massive foodbaby the whole time (it's never gone down in the morning)
Quoted for foodbaby truth :laugh:0 -
You will be alright. Fat comes with a bulk. The biggest reason people fail on a bulk is they get scared of a little fat. You can always cut the fat once you are done bulking.0
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My waist is the same size 25" and abdomen 26" a bit smaller (my problem is *kitten* and thighs) but it is a totally different shape! It was kind of bloaty looking, now my tummy has contours and dips and just looks...sexier.
Butt has lifted and now has a life of its own! I love it again, after 20 years of dragging it behind me!
That's the weird thing about bulking, it turns the clock back and gives you great shape, something that just skinny can't achieve.0 -
You will be alright. Fat comes with a bulk. The biggest reason people fail on a bulk is they get scared of a little fat. You can always cut the fat once you are done bulking.
x2.
It's inevitable on a calorie surplus to gain fat.0 -
I haven't been doing cardio because I heard it can burn up muscle so that scared me away from it, but I am trying to lift heavy
the food baby theory makes a lot of sense actually, because I always feel stuffed from having to eat so much 
Maybe i am just feeling stuffed all the time so my head thinks im getting fat I'm definitely going to check on the bulking group you guys talked about! 0 -
What cmeirun said. And to add: you eat a whole lot more now that food is going into your belly. I walk around with a massive foodbaby the whole time (it's never gone down in the morning)
me too *high five*
I don't care because I just keep thinking about the end result
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I haven't been doing cardio because I heard it can burn up muscle so that scared me away from it, but I am trying to lift heavy the food baby theory makes a lot of sense actually, because I always feel stuffed from having to eat so much Maybe i am just feeling stuffed all the time so my head thinks im getting fat I'm definitely going to check on the bulking group you guys talked about!
It's a good group. At least once every few days one of us shows up crying, "I'm faaaaaaaaatttt" :sad: and talking about bailing on their bulk. And then everybody else talks her down and reminds her that muscles are awesome and we all laugh at ourselves (because we all do it) and carry on 0 -
Bulk is a long process... If you want to see if it works, you need to stick with it at least 12-16 weeks. Many people bulk for 4-6 months out of the year. I am recently off a bulk, and I didn't get my best results until month 3 and 4.0
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I haven't been doing cardio because I heard it can burn up muscle so that scared me away from it, but I am trying to lift heavy the food baby theory makes a lot of sense actually, because I always feel stuffed from having to eat so much Maybe i am just feeling stuffed all the time so my head thinks im getting fat I'm definitely going to check on the bulking group you guys talked about!
It's a good group. At least once every few days one of us shows up crying, "I'm faaaaaaaaatttt" :sad: and talking about bailing on their bulk. And then everybody else talks her down and reminds her that muscles are awesome and we all laugh at ourselves (because we all do it) and carry on
Haha! Been there! Except I was in total denial and wanted to be a special snowflake and not gain fat. Turns out I liked the way the fat looked on the muscle and decided not to cut. Yet.0 -
Bulk is a long process... If you want to see if it works, you need to stick with it at least 12-16 weeks. Many people bulk for 4-6 months out of the year. I am recently off a bulk, and I didn't get my best results until month 3 and 4.
Next winter I'm going to try and get further than 6 weeks.0 -
Bulk is a long process... If you want to see if it works, you need to stick with it at least 12-16 weeks. Many people bulk for 4-6 months out of the year. I am recently off a bulk, and I didn't get my best results until month 3 and 4.
I agree with this. I've been bulking since September (three weeks to go!) and really started to feel good about the way things are shaping up in the last couple of months (even though the fat makes me sad :P)0 -
gaining bulk will also gain a small percentage of fat, you can't avoid it, unless you are really lucky. You have to stay anabolic. I usually do some cardio ( 20-25 min) after lifting to keep the fat down as much as possible. Its part of the cycle. after a bulking period usually in winter. Do a fat cutting for summer. Look at the body builders in off season, they get fat too.0
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i've never put on any muslce without basically 'getting fat'
not saying it can't be done, or even that i can't do it, but its been my experience.
of course i've never managed to limit myself to 300 over maintenance
I really didn't notice and muscle or strength increase until i went up a pants size.
the cool part was, when i started cutting calories, i started seeing the positive results i had in the lower pant size (prior to the bulk) before i had slimed down enough to be back in the pre-bulk pants size.
just take the ride0 -
WHATT!!!???? I just started bulking. You mean I am going to gain weight!? Ugh. Should I stop!?!0
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Make sure you are not over eating (excess calories), as they will not end up as nutrients for your muscles. Plus 3 weeks is a but early. Give it more time.0
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WHATT!!!???? I just started bulking. You mean I am going to gain weight!? Ugh. Should I stop!?!
not sure if you're being serious. how are you going to build bigger muscles without gaining weight? for a start you need to be in a caloric surplus to grow, secondly, muscle weighs something...the more you have, the more you weigh?
if you're being sarcastic..haha :P0 -
Some fat gain is pretty much inevitable, and you can't control where it's going to show up first. 2 lbs in the first 3 weeks seems pretty reasonable (about .66 lbs/week).
Generally for women you want to aim for an average of 0.25-.5 lbs per week. This is lower than the 1 lb/week recommendation for guys: we're more limited in terms of the amount of muscle that can actually be put on every week, so any additional mass past that point just ends up being fat: it's better to go slow. It's also pretty normal to see a bit of a jump in the weight initially once you go to a bulk intake, so I wouldn't worry too much about adjusting the pace (your intake) just yet - you might find it slows in the next couple of weeks.
There's also the issue of more water retention. If you've upped your carbs when you upped your cals, then you'll have more water retention/puffiness. Honestly, three weeks is pretty early to see any appreciable results. Keep in mind that bulking is HARD, psychologically. It's easy to see what seems like "bad" changes to your body shape and want to stop.
If you want some support in this process, there's a group for women who are bulking: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/51470-women-who-bulk
^^this.
A lot of people fail on a bulk (as in give up early) as they are not prepared to gain fat. It is an inevitable part of bulking. The trick is to keep the fat gains to a minimum while eating enough to make as much muscle gains as possible. As cmeirun notes, women can only gain a relatively small amount of muscle each week so keeping the weight gain to a reasonable level is a god idea. The issue with working out what your true gains are is compounded by fluctuating water and food weight, especially as you eat more, and also as part of normal fluctuations that we have. Three weeks is really too early to tell anything.0 -
Ditto to this as well. I started with my bulk in September as well and have been seeing good results. Yes I have a belly roll again, but I'm also smaller and more shapely then I've ever been at this weight. I intend to bulk on to the end of March :happy:Bulk is a long process... If you want to see if it works, you need to stick with it at least 12-16 weeks. Many people bulk for 4-6 months out of the year. I am recently off a bulk, and I didn't get my best results until month 3 and 4.
I agree with this. I've been bulking since September (three weeks to go!) and really started to feel good about the way things are shaping up in the last couple of months (even though the fat makes me sad :P)0 -
Some fat gain is pretty much inevitable, and you can't control where it's going to show up first. 2 lbs in the first 3 weeks seems pretty reasonable (about .66 lbs/week).
Generally for women you want to aim for an average of 0.25-.5 lbs per week. This is lower than the 1 lb/week recommendation for guys: we're more limited in terms of the amount of muscle that can actually be put on every week, so any additional mass past that point just ends up being fat: it's better to go slow. It's also pretty normal to see a bit of a jump in the weight initially once you go to a bulk intake, so I wouldn't worry too much about adjusting the pace (your intake) just yet - you might find it slows in the next couple of weeks.
There's also the issue of more water retention. If you've upped your carbs when you upped your cals, then you'll have more water retention/puffiness. Honestly, three weeks is pretty early to see any appreciable results. Keep in mind that bulking is HARD, psychologically. It's easy to see what seems like "bad" changes to your body shape and want to stop.
If you want some support in this process, there's a group for women who are bulking: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/51470-women-who-bulk
^^this.
A lot of people fail on a bulk (as in give up early) as they are not prepared to gain fat. It is an inevitable part of bulking. The trick is to keep the fat gains to a minimum while eating enough to make as much muscle gains as possible. As cmeirun notes, women can only gain a relatively small amount of muscle each week so keeping the weight gain to a reasonable level is a god idea. The issue with working out what your true gains are is compounded by fluctuating water and food weight, especially as you eat more, and also as part of normal fluctuations that we have. Three weeks is really too early to tell anything.
Agree.
There is the option to bulk 4-6 weeks on and 2 weeks off for a few rounds... but the most common and accepted is bulking is a long process that takes months. However, the weight gain is inevitable but not permanent, as long as you commit back to a healthy cut.
I am in the middle of 4-6 weeks on/2-4 weeks off formula and it's been working for myself and my lifestyle, but every body is different and you have to look at the options and decide what might work best for you and then re-evaluate mid way through to see if there is progress.
Just eating more isn't going to do it either. You and the weights have to become committed best friends.0 -
Hmm, I've always found the first 2 months of bulks to have the best gains. After the 2 month mark the fat gain always starts to accelerate.0
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Hmm, I've always found the first 2 months of bulks to have the best gains. After the 2 month mark the fat gain always starts to accelerate.
That's interesting....why do you think that is?0 -
Bulk is a long process... If you want to see if it works, you need to stick with it at least 12-16 weeks. Many people bulk for 4-6 months out of the year. I am recently off a bulk, and I didn't get my best results until month 3 and 4.
and right around month 2-3 you start to doubt- FOR SURE.
I planned at 6 month bulk- and sure enough I'm 3 months in and doubting- but I'm pushing through and I just upped my calories since I'm sabotaging myself not eating enough. The thing about this type work and food/body manipulation is you have to be consistent with it. Nothing significant happens in 6 weeks unless you're pushing the top of your gain and have everything dialed in.0 -
Bulk is a long process... If you want to see if it works, you need to stick with it at least 12-16 weeks. Many people bulk for 4-6 months out of the year. I am recently off a bulk, and I didn't get my best results until month 3 and 4.
and right around month 2-3 you start to doubt- FOR SURE.
I planned at 6 month bulk- and sure enough I'm 3 months in and doubting- but I'm pushing through and I just upped my calories since I'm sabotaging myself not eating enough. The thing about this type work and food/body manipulation is you have to be consistent with it. Nothing significant happens in 6 weeks unless you're pushing the top of your gain and have everything dialed in.
But the per day gains aren't any less in the short time frame, there just isn't enough days stacked to make a huge physical difference.
The flipside is that shorter bulks allow for short intense cuts and rapid transitions up and down; adding a lot of efficiency to the non-bulking part of the cycle.0 -
Hmm, I've always found the first 2 months of bulks to have the best gains. After the 2 month mark the fat gain always starts to accelerate.
That's interesting....why do you think that is?
No idea. Possibly insulin resistance? Maybe cutting/maintaining builds up some latent progress that can be rapidly unleashed with a surplus?
I dunno, but my measurements always confirm that fat gain accelerates and muscle gain slows right around the 2 month mark.0 -
It's funny the things the body does. For myself if I go over a certain body fat, things start to go pear shaped, my health, vitality, and it just feels wrong. I eat less to maintain, and sports suffers. All obvious stuff, and also could be imaginary, but I'm sure I've read about how inefficient the body becomes after a certain point.
I've also read that cuts slow down, and are better in 6 weeks periods, hence my philosophy of adding as little fat as possible on a shorter (6-? Week) bulk. I also think it's really more unhealthy than we think it is to be in any kind of macronutrient or micronutrient deficit, and it's better to not play around too much with the cutting.
But these are just feeling and thoughts. I'm still learning.0 -
Okay well I don't know if "fat" is the right word, but I started trying to gain muscle weight about 3 weeks ago and so far the only increase I have is in my waist, which is the place I store the most fat my measurements used to be 32-25.5-34.5 and now my waist is 26.5!!! my weight has also gone up from 108 to 110 but Im trying not to care about the scale. I lift upper body twice a week and lower body twice a week and I make sure I get enough protein (at least 110 grams for one per pound of body weight) also I only eat 200-300 above maintenance a day so I don't get why I'm not seeing better results. Is it too early? The main reason I wanted to bulk was to gain in my legs/butt so my waist would look smaller because I have a very rectangle-like body, so this is not what I wanted (((. What am I doing wrong?
TOO early. Give it more time as in 2 months. But if you really as though you're not progressing, try changing your current workout program...sets, rep ranges, or your split. I would stick with what you're doing for a little longer, just make sure you're kicking *kitten* in the gym not half assin.
Also, if you're bulking I'm assuming you're eating over your maintenance, therefore, you're gonna gain some fat, but muscle too. After you reach a desired weight or you feel as though you packed enough lean muscle, go on a cut.0
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