How to gain weight without losing the Pack
Options
Replies
-
JeffseekingV wrote: »Wouldn't keeping the surplus really small possibly hinder being able to bulk in the first place?
Why? You're still in a surplus.0 -
Because of the inability to accurately track calories in and out. Taken to the extreme, are you saying one can actually bulk if we could get it to like 10 calories surplus? Because it's a surplus? How would that affect the bulk process?0
-
JeffseekingV wrote: »Because of the inability to accurately track calories in and out. Taken to the extreme, are you saying one can actually bulk if we could get it to like 10 calories surplus? Because it's a surplus? How would that affect the bulk process?
That's a poor example and I would consider that maintenance. I think there is a difference between say a 200 and 1,000 calorie surplus though.0 -
LolBroScience wrote: »JeffseekingV wrote: »Because of the inability to accurately track calories in and out. Taken to the extreme, are you saying one can actually bulk if we could get it to like 10 calories surplus? Because it's a surplus? How would that affect the bulk process?
That's a poor example and I would consider that maintenance. I think there is a difference between say a 200 and 1,000 calorie surplus though.
ie.. being able to bulk easier on 1k vs 200? If so, I agree and thanks for clarifying.0 -
JeffseekingV wrote: »LolBroScience wrote: »JeffseekingV wrote: »Because of the inability to accurately track calories in and out. Taken to the extreme, are you saying one can actually bulk if we could get it to like 10 calories surplus? Because it's a surplus? How would that affect the bulk process?
That's a poor example and I would consider that maintenance. I think there is a difference between say a 200 and 1,000 calorie surplus though.
ie.. being able to bulk easier on 1k vs 200? If so, I agree and thanks for clarifying.
Sure if by bulk easier you mean get fat while not adding any additional LBM in it's place. Unless you're saying there is no such thing as a particular cap for the amount of LBM you can add over a given period of time? Naturally of course.0 -
JeffseekingV wrote: »LolBroScience wrote: »JeffseekingV wrote: »Because of the inability to accurately track calories in and out. Taken to the extreme, are you saying one can actually bulk if we could get it to like 10 calories surplus? Because it's a surplus? How would that affect the bulk process?
That's a poor example and I would consider that maintenance. I think there is a difference between say a 200 and 1,000 calorie surplus though.
ie.. being able to bulk easier on 1k vs 200? If so, I agree and thanks for clarifying.
False. Law of diminishing returns.0 -
LolBroScience wrote: »JeffseekingV wrote: »LolBroScience wrote: »JeffseekingV wrote: »Because of the inability to accurately track calories in and out. Taken to the extreme, are you saying one can actually bulk if we could get it to like 10 calories surplus? Because it's a surplus? How would that affect the bulk process?
That's a poor example and I would consider that maintenance. I think there is a difference between say a 200 and 1,000 calorie surplus though.
ie.. being able to bulk easier on 1k vs 200? If so, I agree and thanks for clarifying.
Sure if by bulk easier you mean get fat while not adding any additional LBM in it's place. Unless you're saying there is no such thing as a particular cap for the amount of LBM you can add over a given period of time? Naturally of course.
I actually was just wanting to understand what the differences are inbetween 200 and 1k bulk. Are you stating there's no diff in the actual bulk and the only diff is the fat gain?
And in your opinion, how small of a surplus can you really cut it and still expect to see muscle gain? 200? 150? 100? At some point the law of returns has to run the other way too right?0 -
I would say only put on 5-10 lbs then cut again, mini bulk/cut cycles
0 -
JeffseekingV wrote: »LolBroScience wrote: »JeffseekingV wrote: »LolBroScience wrote: »JeffseekingV wrote: »Because of the inability to accurately track calories in and out. Taken to the extreme, are you saying one can actually bulk if we could get it to like 10 calories surplus? Because it's a surplus? How would that affect the bulk process?
That's a poor example and I would consider that maintenance. I think there is a difference between say a 200 and 1,000 calorie surplus though.
ie.. being able to bulk easier on 1k vs 200? If so, I agree and thanks for clarifying.
Sure if by bulk easier you mean get fat while not adding any additional LBM in it's place. Unless you're saying there is no such thing as a particular cap for the amount of LBM you can add over a given period of time? Naturally of course.
I actually was just wanting to understand what the differences are inbetween 200 and 1k bulk. Are you stating there's no diff in the actual bulk and the only diff is the fat gain?
And in your opinion, how small of a surplus can you really cut it and still expect to see muscle gain? 200? 150? 100? At some point the law of returns has to run the other way too right?
You mean difference in LBM versus "bulk" I presume?
0 -
YES0
-
JeffseekingV wrote: »LolBroScience wrote: »JeffseekingV wrote: »LolBroScience wrote: »JeffseekingV wrote: »Because of the inability to accurately track calories in and out. Taken to the extreme, are you saying one can actually bulk if we could get it to like 10 calories surplus? Because it's a surplus? How would that affect the bulk process?
That's a poor example and I would consider that maintenance. I think there is a difference between say a 200 and 1,000 calorie surplus though.
ie.. being able to bulk easier on 1k vs 200? If so, I agree and thanks for clarifying.
Sure if by bulk easier you mean get fat while not adding any additional LBM in it's place. Unless you're saying there is no such thing as a particular cap for the amount of LBM you can add over a given period of time? Naturally of course.
I actually was just wanting to understand what the differences are inbetween 200 and 1k bulk. Are you stating there's no diff in the actual bulk and the only diff is the fat gain?
And in your opinion, how small of a surplus can you really cut it and still expect to see muscle gain? 200? 150? 100? At some point the law of returns has to run the other way too right?
Sure, there would be a point in which you're not at enough of a surplus. What is that exact number? Not sure. The vast majority of research out there recommends a range of 250-500 calorie surplus for a "lean bulk" though.
But I can for certain say there is a large difference in the amount of weight you'll be gaining on a 250 calorie surplus versus 1,000. Since you're capped at a certain point as to how much LBM you will be adding in a given time frame. Even more so as training age increases.0 -
A pound of lean mass is roughly 1600 calories (it takes slightly more calories than that due to necessary stimulus to the muscle to make them grow). Most bodies (natural, not steroid users) can only build maximum of half of a pound of muscle in a week (less depending on how close you are to your natural potential). So, 800 extra calories to make the muscle, plus some more (amount depends on experience, volume of training) as the stimulus to build it. Anything else on top of that is fat.
ETA: Clarifying, that's 800 extra total in the week. So 200 calories a day would be a surplus of 1400 leaving 600 calories for stimulus and slight fat gains.0 -
LolBroScience wrote: »JeffseekingV wrote: »LolBroScience wrote: »JeffseekingV wrote: »LolBroScience wrote: »JeffseekingV wrote: »Because of the inability to accurately track calories in and out. Taken to the extreme, are you saying one can actually bulk if we could get it to like 10 calories surplus? Because it's a surplus? How would that affect the bulk process?
That's a poor example and I would consider that maintenance. I think there is a difference between say a 200 and 1,000 calorie surplus though.
ie.. being able to bulk easier on 1k vs 200? If so, I agree and thanks for clarifying.
Sure if by bulk easier you mean get fat while not adding any additional LBM in it's place. Unless you're saying there is no such thing as a particular cap for the amount of LBM you can add over a given period of time? Naturally of course.
I actually was just wanting to understand what the differences are inbetween 200 and 1k bulk. Are you stating there's no diff in the actual bulk and the only diff is the fat gain?
And in your opinion, how small of a surplus can you really cut it and still expect to see muscle gain? 200? 150? 100? At some point the law of returns has to run the other way too right?
Sure, there would be a point in which you're not at enough of a surplus. What is that exact number? Not sure. The vast majority of research out there recommends a range of 250-500 calorie surplus for a "lean bulk" though.
But I can for certain say there is a large difference in the amount of weight you'll be gaining on a 250 calorie surplus versus 1,000. Since you're capped at a certain point as to how much LBM you will be adding in a given time frame. Even more so as training age increases.
That's what I was looking for. Thanks for clarifying0 -
Tis the season for bulking, not worrying about six packs0
-
FitnessTrainer69 wrote: »Up calories with Carbs/Protien, but keep your fats low
Terrible advice, and you can't seriously be a trainer -- no knowledgeable person on earth still believes that eating dietary fat leads to fat gain.
OP, all you need to do is eat slightly over maintenance. Basically, you want to do a recomp, rather than a bulk. You'll gain muscle slower (possibly much slower) than you would on a bulk/cut cycle, but you'll be able to keep your 6-pack. It might not be as ripped as it currently is, but it doesn't need to go away entirely.
Over the past 9 months or so, I've gone from having no abs at all to having slight abs, and my weight has remained right around 180 (give or take 2 pounds in either direction) -- I've also gotten noticeably larger shoulders and arms. So what you want to do is possible, but it's going to take patience.
It's also worth mentioning that some people get visible abs very easily, and some people struggle for it, depending on where your fat is stored. If you're in the latter group, you're going to have tougher time of it (if it's even possible for you at all).
0 -
Good luck trying to accurately gauge a 200 calorie surplus. Even if you weighed every ounce of food you ate, there's too many variables to be that accurate consistently. Shooting for a 500 cal surplus is reasonable, and should at least keep you on the positive side.0
-
Hey, that was more than I had hoped for. Thanks for all the advice. Currently I'm doing the same training routine but increase calories gradually every couple of weeks to see what difference that will have...
Have seen the word 'patience' mentioned a few times and so will stick with it... Thanks all for the feedback, much appreciated
Jesse0 -
I'm in the middle of my second bulk. What you think your maintenance is will likely be different than what it is in another 8-10 weeks of eating at a surplus. Last fall, I started with a maintenance calorie amount of about 2100. After 20 weeks, I put on 11 lbs and had to continue to up my calorie amount to continue to gain 1/2 lb per week. At the end of 20 weeks, I was eating around 2900 cals a day to keep the scale moving up. When all was said and done, I put on about 5-6 lbs of new lean mass. All my big lifts went up and cutting afterward wasn't crazy hard.
I'm about 10 weeks into my second bulk and hoping for similar results this time.
Decide what you think you maintenance is and eat about 200-300 over that and monitor your weight and strength. When the scale stops moving up after a week or two....add more food. Rinse and repeat until you reach your goal weight.0 -
You mentioned that you were eating 2900 calories at the end of your bulk, but do you know what your maintenance actually was? I've heard supposedly a pound of muscle only burns an extra 6 calories, but it seems like your new maintenance was a lot higher than just 36 more calories.sarahstrezo wrote: »I'm in the middle of my second bulk. What you think your maintenance is will likely be different than what it is in another 8-10 weeks of eating at a surplus. Last fall, I started with a maintenance calorie amount of about 2100. After 20 weeks, I put on 11 lbs and had to continue to up my calorie amount to continue to gain 1/2 lb per week. At the end of 20 weeks, I was eating around 2900 cals a day to keep the scale moving up. When all was said and done, I put on about 5-6 lbs of new lean mass. All my big lifts went up and cutting afterward wasn't crazy hard.
I'm about 10 weeks into my second bulk and hoping for similar results this time.
Decide what you think you maintenance is and eat about 200-300 over that and monitor your weight and strength. When the scale stops moving up after a week or two....add more food. Rinse and repeat until you reach your goal weight.
0 -
ForecasterJason wrote: »
You mentioned that you were eating 2900 calories at the end of your bulk, but do you know what your maintenance actually was? I've heard supposedly a pound of muscle only burns an extra 6 calories, but it seems like your new maintenance was a lot higher than just 36 more calories.sarahstrezo wrote: »I'm in the middle of my second bulk. What you think your maintenance is will likely be different than what it is in another 8-10 weeks of eating at a surplus. Last fall, I started with a maintenance calorie amount of about 2100. After 20 weeks, I put on 11 lbs and had to continue to up my calorie amount to continue to gain 1/2 lb per week. At the end of 20 weeks, I was eating around 2900 cals a day to keep the scale moving up. When all was said and done, I put on about 5-6 lbs of new lean mass. All my big lifts went up and cutting afterward wasn't crazy hard.
I'm about 10 weeks into my second bulk and hoping for similar results this time.
Decide what you think you maintenance is and eat about 200-300 over that and monitor your weight and strength. When the scale stops moving up after a week or two....add more food. Rinse and repeat until you reach your goal weight.
2900 would be the presumed new level of maintenance if she was holding weight at that level.
0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.5K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 391 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 926 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions