Who else thats lost a lot of weight is "afraid" now to bulk up?

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s2mikey
s2mikey Posts: 146 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Long story short - was 271 lbs in Feb of 2013. Now Im 178 and feeling great. I got a little too skinny at 169 and have added a "little" weight back hence the 178. Ive added a little muscle back too which is great but I'd love to get to around 185 or so. Im 6' 1". Im pretty lean too.

But - to add bulk I have to get passed being "scared" to eat more since I do NOT ever want to be heavy again. Its just scary for me but the only way to really add bulk is to eat more good foods and increase my calorie intake. Im quite active doing weights 3 times a week and cardio(rowing/cycling/running) 2-3 days a week so my metabolism is always flying.

Has anyone else or does any else "fear" eating more to bulk worrying about adding fat or gaining too much? :(

Replies

  • keithcw_the_first
    keithcw_the_first Posts: 382 Member
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    This guy gets it:

    http://www.jcdfitness.com/2009/10/the-former-fat-boy-syndrome/

    It's a little intimidating. Just trust the system. You lost almost 100 pounds so you know how this works. If you're gaining weight too fast, you can decrease your surplus. This won't be like a "blink and you missed it and you're 20 pounds heavier in four months". You'll know what's happening on a month to month, week to week basis.

    Also, when you do inevitably gain some fat with the new muscle, you already know how to get rid of it.

    You'll also see how difficult it is to actually put weight on without getting just totally sloppy. Plenty of people on here struggle with getting enough calories to hit a surplus. Try it for a few weeks. Eating a lot -- but not bingeing -- it's tricky at first.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
    edited April 2015
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    My advice would be to spend some time maintaining and eating maintenance calories and lifting/training. I did this for over a year and had good results just re-comping and it gave me time mentally to adjust to things and focus on training, etc.

    I did my first bulking cycle last September and started cutting in February. I put on about 10 Lbs and I've cut about 5 or 6 and working on the last few pounds. For me it was beneficial mentally to just take some time working on maintenance and training rather than going straight into a bulk...and really, the only reason I did a bulk was to break through some lifting plateaus...I was pretty happy in terms of body composition just from my re-comp. I'm not sure that I'll do another unless I really get serious with my coach about Oly lifting and getting into some meets and such...but just for general health and fitness I'm pretty ok where I'm at now.

    Just give it some time...even then, it was a little intimidating for me.
  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,323 Member
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    Once in my life I bulked up and I quickly learned...15 lbs of muscle, 15 lbs of sugar, 15 lbs of feathers....15 lbs of fat. Its ALL 15 lbs. I stripped that off pretty quick and never did that again.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    urloved33 wrote: »
    Once in my life I bulked up and I quickly learned...15 lbs of muscle, 15 lbs of sugar, 15 lbs of feathers....15 lbs of fat. Its ALL 15 lbs. I stripped that off pretty quick and never did that again.

    15 pounds of muscle feels very different than 15 pounds of fat. Energy, performance, metabolism, and CNS response are very different when you add 15 pounds of muscle (which for females like us take over a year even under ideal conditions).

    OP: Read the former fat boy link provided above. It will help.
  • Shouliveshappy
    Shouliveshappy Posts: 161 Member
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    Hello! I actually posted a similar thread just last week! I'm in the exact same situation as you... I've received some really good advice! Although I'm not counting calories now I'm sure it's more of a psychological fear...

    I told myself that I'll judge by my energy level, weights I lift and mirror. I've decided to ditch the scale, at least for month and stop counting calories. Here's the thread if you are interested!

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10138362/from-weight-loss-to-bulk-does-weight-gain-scare-you/p1
  • keithcw_the_first
    keithcw_the_first Posts: 382 Member
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    urloved33 wrote: »
    Once in my life I bulked up and I quickly learned...15 lbs of muscle, 15 lbs of sugar, 15 lbs of feathers....15 lbs of fat. Its ALL 15 lbs. I stripped that off pretty quick and never did that again.
    If you're aware of an exercise that will allow me to put on fifteen pounds of feathers, I'd appreciate a link. I mean, assuming the feathers are attached to wings and in this scenario I can fly.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    You'll get over it. If you've lost over 100lbs you know by now how easy it is to drop weight.
  • s2mikey
    s2mikey Posts: 146 Member
    edited April 2015
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    Thanks for the info/replies. Its 80% mental...fo sure. Its like taking your recoveringalcoholic frind to the bar with you and telling him just to ignore the drinks and not worry about it. If it were just that easy,we'd never have gotten fat to begin with. ;)

    Also wanted to post some details onmy calorie/macros:

    Im 6'1", 178. Roughly 16% bodyfat

    I currently have a maint calorie goal of 2700 according to fitness pal. I am quite active to I used that as my activity level. Its truthful :)

    Many days I come in a little under that though. Around 2400-2500. My macros are setup as: Carbs 35%, Protein 30%, Fat 35%. I LOVE my good fats like nuts, olive oils, etc so plenty of calories come from fats. Seems to work for me. Some weight lifters may find my carb % too low or protein % too low but I am NOT going to overeat protein or carbs since both can cause various problems.
    Shouliveshappy wrote: »
    Hello! I actually posted a similar thread just last week! I'm in the exact same situation as you... I've received some really good advice! Although I'm not counting calories now I'm sure it's more of a psychological fear...

    I told myself that I'll judge by my energy level, weights I lift and mirror. I've decided to ditch the scale, at least for month and stop counting calories. Here's the thread if you are interested!

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10138362/from-weight-loss-to-bulk-does-weight-gain-scare-you/p1

    Wow - good to know Im not the only one then :smile:

    Good idea about simply using how you feel and all that to decide whats best. Right now I have tons of energy and feel great so I must be doing something right. If I up the calories and start to feel aluggish, letahrgic, "overfed" then I can always back off.
  • kjablinskey
    kjablinskey Posts: 47 Member
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    I'm in a similar place too. Lost 45 pounds starting a year and a half ago, from 200 to 155. 5' 6" 44 yo male. Went down to 145 for a while because that's what BMI chart said I should be at and found that too lean for me. Maintained 155 very steadily for over a year now.

    Been lifting 2-3 days a week and cardio 2-3 days a week. Can definitely see improvements in muscle but would like more so am currently cutting back to 145 just to have the lower body fat % to help maximize gains. Then I plan to start a first bulk using strong lifts 5x5 and reducing cardio.

    I've been reading a lot of threads here, mostly just lurking but have gotten a lot out of it. There's a lot of really knowledgeable people here with just enough nuts to make it entertaining
  • s2mikey
    s2mikey Posts: 146 Member
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    kjablinskey wrote: »
    I'm in a similar place too. Lost 45 pounds starting a year and a half ago, from 200 to 155. 5' 6" 44 yo male. Went down to 145 for a while because that's what BMI chart said I should be at and found that too lean for me. Maintained 155 very steadily for over a year now.

    Been lifting 2-3 days a week and cardio 2-3 days a week. Can definitely see improvements in muscle but would like more so am currently cutting back to 145 just to have the lower body fat % to help maximize gains. Then I plan to start a first bulk using strong lifts 5x5 and reducing cardio.

    I've been reading a lot of threads here, mostly just lurking but have gotten a lot out of it. There's a lot of really knowledgeable people here with just enough nuts to make it entertaining

    Im 44 yrs old also. Building muscle for us "middle aged" guys is especially tough due to reduced testosterone and everything else working against us. You seem to be on the same workout structure as me. Im pleased overall with the results and I have beefed up a bit after getting too "marathon-runner-sick" looking for a while. But.... I want more mass and thats the hard part because of course I do NOT want to add any flab. For me, flab always goes right to my !@#$%^ lower belly area and it pisses me off! :)

    I like your idea(and have also read about) reducing or straight out cutting cardio while bulking since cardio counters some of the bulking effect. Thats another "scary" thing to do....back off of cardio which has helped me so much to get where I am now. Plus, spring/summer are the best cardio seasons as I enjoy cycling and running outside.

    Congrats on the weight loss too, BTW. I bet ya feel 100% better!

  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
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    bulking game == mental game.

    Gotta get you head right about it or else you'll do a few weeks, freak out, scale the calories back and end up getting nowhere (When in reality you'll probably need to keep increasing cals once you get underway since maintenance is a moving target in a bulk...)
  • Caged_Heat
    Caged_Heat Posts: 1,031 Member
    edited April 2015
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    I'm right there with you, OP. I went from 208 to 150 in just over 3 years. Once I hit about 160, my strength started to disappear and my workouts suffered. But I kept eating at a deficit trying to lose those last few pounds around my waist - which never happened. I should have started maintenance much sooner. In December, I started increasing my calories from around 1700 and am now up to 2400. I've gained back ~10 pounds and 1-1/2" in my waist. Currently steady at ~160 for the past 6 weeks even though I've added 300 calories. My workouts are much better now but the psychology of deficit eating for so long (and worrying about that damn belly fat) has been a difficult hurdle. But at the same time I see changes in my overall physique so I'm pushing forward and trusting the system and support from knowledgeable MFP friends. All the same, can't wait to cut and see what's left.

    @s2mikey: If you think it's hard at 44, try 64! lol I'm NOT giving up though!
    @keithcw_the_first: Thanks for that link!
  • WickedPineapple
    WickedPineapple Posts: 698 Member
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    I'm also a bit afraid of it. I'm the smallest I've ever been as an adult and I have no desire to ever get back up where I was. I'm currently training for a half marathon in 3 weeks, but I plan to get back to weight training after the half is over. I don't worry about gaining too much muscle, being a woman, but I do worry a bit about adding too much fat. It's a bit hard to believe (without direct, prior experience with lifting) that eating in a surplus will not have the same results the first time I did it and got overfat. However, as someone(s) said above, I know how to lose weight now. So even if I did gain a bit more fat than is desirable, I know how to lose it and so do you!
  • jangus9416
    jangus9416 Posts: 69 Member
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    oooh me, me! Pick me!
    I am also terrified. I think I'm going to do what another person said and work my way up to maintenance and stay there for a while. I'll then add slowly what I feel necessary to increase muscle mass.
  • s2mikey
    s2mikey Posts: 146 Member
    edited April 2015
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    Caged_Heat wrote: »
    I'm right there with you, OP. I went from 208 to 150 in just over 3 years. Once I hit about 160, my strength started to disappear and my workouts suffered. But I kept eating at a deficit trying to lose those last few pounds around my waist - which never happened. I should have started maintenance much sooner. In December, I started increasing my calories from around 1700 and am now up to 2400. I've gained back ~10 pounds and 1-1/2" in my waist. Currently steady at ~160 for the past 6 weeks even though I've added 300 calories. My workouts are much better now but the psychology of deficit eating for so long (and worrying about that damn belly fat) has been a difficult hurdle. But at the same time I see changes in my overall physique so I'm pushing forward and trusting the system and support from knowledgeable MFP friends. All the same, can't wait to cut and see what's left.

    @s2mikey: If you think it's hard at 44, try 64! lol I'm NOT giving up though!
    @keithcw_the_first: Thanks for that link!

    The belly fat IS the major sticking point since any "fat" weight I do gain gets conveniently shoved right there. Damnit! So, Im going to move extra slow with this and maybe add 100 cals a day just to test the waters. Why cant my stupid body store fat on like...my ankles or something? :smiley: Just so hard to find that muscle gain balance with minimal fat gain. At least I have added some bulk and its noticeable since my t shirts are tighter in the right spots(arms/chest/back area) and Ive been told I no longer look like "skinny marathon guy".

    Good job trusting thre system and if you are happier with your physique then thats the major thing here. Mega props to you for doing this at 64 years old.... thats terrific!

    @Jangus & Wicked - glad to have you both in the "club". I had a suspicion that I wasnt the only one with this problem. Hang in there and stay tough mentally. This issue is certainly "menatl" as others have mentioned.

  • EzRemake
    EzRemake Posts: 128 Member
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    This thread is just what I needed. I did my first cut ever last year, lost around 27lbs, and have been maintaining (or spinning my wheels) for the last few months. I have noticed a very very very small recomp once I reversed my diet into maintenance mode, but have not seen any changes since.

    I think the mental problem with bulking, is that even after your first cut you still have some of that stubborn lower body fat, and you assume that you're just going to go full blubber mode the moment you start eating more..
  • s2mikey
    s2mikey Posts: 146 Member
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    EzRemake wrote: »
    This thread is just what I needed. I did my first cut ever last year, lost around 27lbs, and have been maintaining (or spinning my wheels) for the last few months. I have noticed a very very very small recomp once I reversed my diet into maintenance mode, but have not seen any changes since.

    I think the mental problem with bulking, is that even after your first cut you still have some of that stubborn lower body fat, and you assume that you're just going to go full blubber mode the moment you start eating more..

    Absolutely. For most guys the lower belly region is the last place that fat gets burned. And it's the first place that fat gets stored. I'm at my ideal weight and even have a few pounds to gain but damnit.... It keeps me up at night thinking about how any excess calories will just go to my damn belly versus lean muscle. Gotta trust the system as others have pointed out. Just so hard. The replies to this thread indicate to me that I am NOT alone though so the support is appreciated.

    Folks, let's do this together! Bump up the calories, keep working hard in the weight room, stick with smart cardio, and make it happen! :)

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