tricks and tips??

I have been working out for almost a year now, gained 40 solid pounds.
I just got off a mini cut 3 weeks ago, I lost about 5-6lbs from 175+ down to 169+. I felt comfortable with my body fat percentage and decided to get on a lean bulk To try and avoid the bulking and cutting fases all together.
I went from 169.5+ too 171+ in 2 weeks of my lean bulk, I slowly bumped my caloric intake up on the 3rd week and weighed myself this morning and clocked in at 168.5 - losing almost 2lbs in one week.
I am currently not counting calories like I used to. Just got annoyed with breaking out the food scale every time I eat a snack or meal.
Any tricks or tips for my lean bulk? I am starting too get discouraged and annoyed with the hard work but no change.

Replies

  • fangedneko
    fangedneko Posts: 133 Member
    kingkam21 wrote: »
    Any tricks or tips for my lean bulk?
    Dust off the scale. You can't accurately gauge your calorie intake if you're not measuring it.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    I personally would stick with the scale. I preferred to have control over my bulk, making sure I was gaining/not losing/not gaining too fast...mostly because I didn't want to be spinning my wheels.

    Did you increase your training volume or add cardio in the past week or two?
  • kingkam21
    kingkam21 Posts: 76 Member
    arditarose wrote: »
    I personally would stick with the scale. I preferred to have control over my bulk, making sure I was gaining/not losing/not gaining too fast...mostly because I didn't want to be spinning my wheels.

    Did you increase your training volume or add cardio in the past week or two?
    arditarose wrote: »
    I personally would stick with the scale. I preferred to have control over my bulk, making sure I was gaining/not losing/not gaining too fast...mostly because I didn't want to be spinning my wheels.

    Did you increase your training volume or add cardio in the past week or two?

    If anything I have been training harder because I was excited to bulk again. Nothing else has changed.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    kingkam21 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    I personally would stick with the scale. I preferred to have control over my bulk, making sure I was gaining/not losing/not gaining too fast...mostly because I didn't want to be spinning my wheels.

    Did you increase your training volume or add cardio in the past week or two?
    arditarose wrote: »
    I personally would stick with the scale. I preferred to have control over my bulk, making sure I was gaining/not losing/not gaining too fast...mostly because I didn't want to be spinning my wheels.

    Did you increase your training volume or add cardio in the past week or two?

    If anything I have been training harder because I was excited to bulk again. Nothing else has changed.

    So you train harder, possibly adding volume...your TDEE goes up. That happened to me when I started to bulk. I was cutting on a program with less volume, and when I switched to higher volume before the bulk it took me awhile to gain because my activity increased.
  • kingkam21
    kingkam21 Posts: 76 Member
    I will beginmeasuring my food again!
    I just need some motivation. I have no friends who go to the gym so I'm doing this solo. Any help from others impacts me greatly
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    kingkam21 wrote: »
    I will beginmeasuring my food again!
    I just need some motivation. I have no friends who go to the gym so I'm doing this solo. Any help from others impacts me greatly

    I know. I quickly learned that no one in real life cares about my macros. Even my gym buddies don't track food. I'd get out the scale.
  • kirstinethornburg
    kirstinethornburg Posts: 300 Member
    Do you have acess to a trainer at your Gym? Hang on you will get to your goal be sure to keep drinking that water to stay hydrated
  • robdog151
    robdog151 Posts: 1 Member
    I'm trying to put on 5 pounds of muscle in 2 months.... Weighing my food seems like a solid part of the plan. We're pescatarian so we don't eat red meat (only fish, veggies, grains, ect)
  • kingkam21
    kingkam21 Posts: 76 Member
    robdog151 wrote: »
    I'm trying to put on 5 pounds of muscle in 2 months.... Weighing my food seems like a solid part of the plan. We're pescatarian so we don't eat red meat (only fish, veggies, grains, ect)

    That sounds awesome man! I am dairy and gluten free but I love red meat even this it is very bad for us. I'm curious how your weight gain will go from this diet. Sounds like some lean gains to me
  • feisty_bucket
    feisty_bucket Posts: 1,047 Member
    kingkam21 wrote: »
    ]I am starting too get discouraged and annoyed with the hard work but no change.

    Welcome to the exciting world of recomp. Or "lean" bulk. Check out the giant recomp thread here.
    kingkam21 wrote: »
    I just need some motivation. I have no friends who go to the gym so I'm doing this solo. Any help from others impacts me greatly

    Anyways, solo here as well. I've always been surrounded by geeks, burnouts, and filthy casuals ;). Fortunately, in the 21st century we have the collective hive mind online to be our fitness community! Until we are brains in jars, long may it reign - and enable our gainz.

    huzzah.
  • fitnessjustin01
    fitnessjustin01 Posts: 239 Member
    Getting a scale for your food will help to see where you are at for calories. Also, possibly try switching up some of your routines at the gym. It's good to shock your body when it gets use to something.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Even if you lean bulk, you are going to need to cut at some point. Fat gains are inevitable, even during g a lean bulk
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    kingkam21 wrote: »
    robdog151 wrote: »
    I'm trying to put on 5 pounds of muscle in 2 months.... Weighing my food seems like a solid part of the plan. We're pescatarian so we don't eat red meat (only fish, veggies, grains, ect)

    That sounds awesome man! I am dairy and gluten free but I love red meat even this it is very bad for us. I'm curious how your weight gain will go from this diet. Sounds like some lean gains to me

    Why is red meat very bad?????
  • kingkam21
    kingkam21 Posts: 76 Member
    Red meat is known to swell red blood sells causing pressure on our heart, liver and kidneys.
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    kingkam21 wrote: »
    robdog151 wrote: »
    I'm trying to put on 5 pounds of muscle in 2 months.... Weighing my food seems like a solid part of the plan. We're pescatarian so we don't eat red meat (only fish, veggies, grains, ect)

    That sounds awesome man! I am dairy and gluten free but I love red meat even this it is very bad for us. I'm curious how your weight gain will go from this diet. Sounds like some lean gains to me

    Why is red meat very bad?????

  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    kingkam21 wrote: »
    Red meat is known to swell red blood sells causing pressure on our heart, liver and kidneys.
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    kingkam21 wrote: »
    robdog151 wrote: »
    I'm trying to put on 5 pounds of muscle in 2 months.... Weighing my food seems like a solid part of the plan. We're pescatarian so we don't eat red meat (only fish, veggies, grains, ect)

    That sounds awesome man! I am dairy and gluten free but I love red meat even this it is very bad for us. I'm curious how your weight gain will go from this diet. Sounds like some lean gains to me

    Why is red meat very bad?????

    Got a link to some peer-reviewed studies for that? Because I've never heard of such a thing.
  • feisty_bucket
    feisty_bucket Posts: 1,047 Member
    kingkam21 wrote: »
    Red meat is known to swell red blood sells causing pressure on our heart, liver and kidneys.

    Nope, not true at all.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    kingkam21 wrote: »
    Red meat is known to swell red blood sells causing pressure on our heart, liver and kidneys.
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    kingkam21 wrote: »
    robdog151 wrote: »
    I'm trying to put on 5 pounds of muscle in 2 months.... Weighing my food seems like a solid part of the plan. We're pescatarian so we don't eat red meat (only fish, veggies, grains, ect)

    That sounds awesome man! I am dairy and gluten free but I love red meat even this it is very bad for us. I'm curious how your weight gain will go from this diet. Sounds like some lean gains to me

    Why is red meat very bad?????

    Got a link to some peer-reviewed studies for that? Because I've never heard of such a thing.

    Neither have I. It seems bogus.