Need help breaking through a plateau

winneyj
winneyj Posts: 16 Member
edited November 19 in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Hey guys. I'm writing this in hopes of getting some advice from some people who may have experienced what I'm experiencing. Since I've started my goal of gaining I've been pretty successful. I've gained 19 lbs in 14 weeks.
But now I'm reaching a plateau. I have to eat over 4000 calories a day to gain. And sometimes I even lose weight. I'm starting to lose motivation for a few reasons. 1) even though I've gained, I've obviously gained some fat too and the fear of gettin any fatter is starting to sink in. 2) I'm not sure how much is gonna actually be muscle once I cut so I'm afraid to go further) 3) the excessive body heat from increased metabolic rate is starting to become a problem in these summer months.
My goal was to reach 180 lbs and then cut. I started at 155, and I'm currently at 174. I'm happy with what I've gained. But I really want to see that scale read 180. If there is anyone who has been here before and can maybe help me with some advice weather it's my thinking process or food ideas, or how to deal with the excessive heat I would love to hear it! Thank you so much!

Replies

  • winneyj
    winneyj Posts: 16 Member
    @Non_Stop I guess no matter what your body type or size is it will always be a struggle. The struggle is real haha.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    winneyj wrote: »
    Hey guys. I'm writing this in hopes of getting some advice from some people who may have experienced what I'm experiencing. Since I've started my goal of gaining I've been pretty successful. I've gained 19 lbs in 14 weeks.
    But now I'm reaching a plateau. I have to eat over 4000 calories a day to gain. And sometimes I even lose weight. I'm starting to lose motivation for a few reasons. 1) even though I've gained, I've obviously gained some fat too and the fear of gettin any fatter is starting to sink in. 2) I'm not sure how much is gonna actually be muscle once I cut so I'm afraid to go further) 3) the excessive body heat from increased metabolic rate is starting to become a problem in these summer months.
    My goal was to reach 180 lbs and then cut. I started at 155, and I'm currently at 174. I'm happy with what I've gained. But I really want to see that scale read 180. If there is anyone who has been here before and can maybe help me with some advice weather it's my thinking process or food ideas, or how to deal with the excessive heat I would love to hear it! Thank you so much!

    you have two options..push through to 180 pounds….or transition to maintenance/slow cut….

    if it was me and I had put on 20 pounds I would go to a slow cut and then maintenance...
  • BradW99
    BradW99 Posts: 103 Member
    Had the same problem trying to get to 220. I got to 218 and hit the wall. Two fricken pounds and I just couldn't do it. Eating 4500 calories but nothing. At some point your body just hits a point where it's comfortable. I listened to my body and just said close enough and stayed there. I'd say stay at 174. Especially if you're having image issues because you probably won't look good at 180. Use the mirror more than the scale. That was another reason I stopped there. I was getting too fluffy and didn't like what I saw. Not to mention anything you out on you'll have to work off later. Up to you though man.
  • winneyj
    winneyj Posts: 16 Member
    @BradW99 @ndj1979 I just wanted to say I really appreciate the advice! Not too many people seem to respond to the issues I have haha. I was kinda leaning toward what you guys both suggested, a slow cut/ maintenance. I think the puffyness is sort of what has really caused me to slow down and check myself. Not liking the way it looks. I was also considering cutting and then trying to bulk during the fall. What are your guys thoughts on that? @BradW99 did you ever end up hitting 220 later on?
  • BradW99
    BradW99 Posts: 103 Member
    Yeah, the puffiness can get to you mentally. Especially if esthetics is your goal. I like fall bulking the most because you have all those holidays that you can just go ham on. Ha .You can just wear hoodies and sweat pants, so that wouldn't be a bad idea. No, I never got to 220. But that's okay. Maybe next time.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    winneyj wrote: »
    @BradW99 @ndj1979 I just wanted to say I really appreciate the advice! Not too many people seem to respond to the issues I have haha. I was kinda leaning toward what you guys both suggested, a slow cut/ maintenance. I think the puffyness is sort of what has really caused me to slow down and check myself. Not liking the way it looks. I was also considering cutting and then trying to bulk during the fall. What are your guys thoughts on that? @BradW99 did you ever end up hitting 220 later on?

    I bulked last winter until February …I did a pretty aggressive cut - one pound a week - until middle May and am now on .5 pound per week loss …I am planning to bulk again in September.

    My only advice would be if you do an aggressive cut then only do it for a month or so and then go to .5 pound per week loss….I think I cut too aggressively and it cut into my gains..

    would be curious what @bradw99 thinks about this...
  • Brolympus
    Brolympus Posts: 360 Member
    winneyj wrote: »
    Hey guys. I'm writing this in hopes of getting some advice from some people who may have experienced what I'm experiencing. Since I've started my goal of gaining I've been pretty successful. I've gained 19 lbs in 14 weeks.
    But now I'm reaching a plateau. I have to eat over 4000 calories a day to gain. And sometimes I even lose weight. I'm starting to lose motivation for a few reasons. 1) even though I've gained, I've obviously gained some fat too and the fear of gettin any fatter is starting to sink in. 2) I'm not sure how much is gonna actually be muscle once I cut so I'm afraid to go further) 3) the excessive body heat from increased metabolic rate is starting to become a problem in these summer months.
    My goal was to reach 180 lbs and then cut. I started at 155, and I'm currently at 174. I'm happy with what I've gained. But I really want to see that scale read 180. If there is anyone who has been here before and can maybe help me with some advice weather it's my thinking process or food ideas, or how to deal with the excessive heat I would love to hear it! Thank you so much!

    I would be leery of setting a goal based on body weight OP. The scale is a cruel mistress and doesn't really tell much of the story. Are your lifting numbers getting consistently better as you are gaining weight? Do you have a rough idea what your bodyfat % is? If your strength numbers are not going up, but the weight is, you likely need to either change up your program and stress the muscles differently. Add some extra sleep to your schedule maybe. If your bodyfat is past 20% at this point, you are starting to shift p-ratio of surplus cals toward fat storage instead of muscle production as well. Most dudes try to cut once they are 20-25%, since it gets progressively harder to build muscle past this point.
  • BradW99
    BradW99 Posts: 103 Member
    @ndj1979 I see where you're going with that idea. You want to lose the weight slowly so you retain the most muscle mass. I would call losing 1 pound a week normal. It's not too fast or too slow. It's like they say, cut 500 calories out a day and in a week you'll be down a pound right? And there's nothing wrong with that.
    However, when I start to cut I'm looking to drop 2-3 pounds a week. The reason is because I'm not doing it to get healthy, if you will. I'm not overweight and trying to change my life. I want to drop the weight in 2-3 months. Now after a few weeks of dropping 2-3 pounds naturally my body slows up and I can only get off 1 or 2. By that point I'm close to my goal weight. So I may be sacrifice a little more muscle but I'm getting the results a lot faster. It's all personal though and depends how you want to go about it. Plus I think it'd be hard to lose less than a pound a week since the caloric difference from the week before would be so minimal I doubt the body would even recognize it. If it's working for you stick with it!
  • winneyj
    winneyj Posts: 16 Member
    I have a super high matabolism. I was pretty slack this week so far and already dropped a lb. which sucks. I think I'm just gonna maintain for a few weeks. Let my digestive system rest a little and get back on it after that. Im 6 foot and as you can see 174 still looks pretty skinny on me. I don't want to lose what I've worked hard for. But to answer your question @Brolympu I did go up in strength so that's good.
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