How many Pounds a month?

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Ok i already have a good bit of body fat im "skinny fat" at 160 pounds 5"9 i have decided to bulk for football i have been on my bulk for about 2 weeks now i haven't done a Weigh in yet but i was wondering how many pounds should you try to aim for to gain a month? Like i said im trying to not gain to much fat during this bulk even no i will. So i just want to know how many pounds should i try to gain a month some say 0.5 pounds a week but idk at the rate ive been eating lately Mfp says im would gain about 4 pounds a month is that too much?

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  • sdeidjdbeje
    sdeidjdbeje Posts: 19 Member
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    If you don't mind the fat 4lbs no problem but without the fat maybe 1lb of muscle
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,389 MFP Moderator
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    itsflaccoi wrote: »
    Ok i already have a good bit of body fat im "skinny fat" at 160 pounds 5"9 i have decided to bulk for football i have been on my bulk for about 2 weeks now i haven't done a Weigh in yet but i was wondering how many pounds should you try to aim for to gain a month? Like i said im trying to not gain to much fat during this bulk even no i will. So i just want to know how many pounds should i try to gain a month some say 0.5 pounds a week but idk at the rate ive been eating lately Mfp says im would gain about 4 pounds a month is that too much?

    If you want to limit fat gains, your surplus should be 250 calories or 10% over your TDEE.
  • HamsterManV2
    HamsterManV2 Posts: 449 Member
    edited May 2016
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    Step1: Go on google, type "TDEE Calculator". TDEE = total daily energy expenditure. Based on your age, weight, height, activity level, etc., it will determine how many calories it takes to maintain your current weight.

    Step2: In order to gain +1lb a week, you need to eat 500 calories OVER your TDEE. That means you need to be weighing your food on a scale and tracking everything that you put in your mouth. It takes 3500 calories for 1lb of weight gain, so that makes TDEE+500calories daily = +1lb per week.

    This might be hard as you are a smaller person (500 calories for a 100lb woman is VERY different from 500 calories for a 200lb man), so I suggest you aim for a surplus of 10% to 20% instead - this is more realistic and you won't feel disgustingly full all the time. Perhaps you can aim for TDEE+250 calories = 0.5lbs of weight gain per week, or +2lbs of gain per month.

    Using this system, you can clearly and accurately measure how long you need to do this for get to your weight goal.

    Also, keep on lifting! Lifting during a bulk is the best time to build strength and muscle. What program are you lifting to if you don't mind me asking? A famous one is "the strong shall survive" by Bill Star which rotates on power cleans, squats, and press/bench. Great for explosiveness and strength, designed for high school football players specifically.