Keep increasing calories?

NaomiSarahChan wrote: »

Hello hello! So I've been trying to bulk now, and am having a bit of trouble with how many calories I should eat. I get about 5000-7500 steps per day (I imagine I am lightly active), sit most of the time because.. studying and I lift weights for about an hour 4x a week. I don't run very much to be honest.
Anyways, I started eating at 2280 - didn't gain anything. Raised to 2440 - still didn't gain anything as of this morning.
I don't want to keep raising and suddenly find that it all catches up to me in a big weight gain, but I also don't want to be missing out on muscular gains I could be making. Should I keep increasing by 100-200 per week until I see some weight gain?

How long have you been trying to gain weight if you don't mind me asking?

And also, are you taking into consideration the calories you are burning during training versus the calories you are consuming? On days I train, I try to overeat somewhat. Doesn't always work, but I do try to keep a calorie surplus.

Also, have you found it easy to put on weight in the past? I have always struggled but I find consistency - and I DO MEAN CONSISTENCY - with eating, training, rest and maintaining emotional well-being help. It's slow... but I find weight gain tends to be in comparison to weight loss. I know that realistically, I won't be gaining about 2 stone in 2 months. But one thing to also focus on is measurements on your body and not just relying heavily on scales (as tempting as it may be!).

I feel thicker and stronger but in terms of scale weight, I'm only about 2 pounds heavier than when I consistently started eating like crazy a good few weeks ago.

Be patient and consistent with eating. But also be honest with yourself. Are you really eating the calories you need? Are you really training to suit your needs? Etc. I ask myself this regularly because, being human, it is easy to fluctuate! The last few days I was a bit moody and bored of food so probably under ate a little. It's things like that which are key to think about and definitely not underestimate.

That being said, wishing you the best in your goals and feel free to ask more

richardgavel wrote: »

How long did you try the 2440. It's only a 160 calorie increase so it's going to take a while to recognize whether that had an impact in the midst of regular daily fluctuations in weight.

I agree. You need to stay at each level for a little while to see if it's working the way you want it to.
You won't suddenly put on lots of weight so don't worry about that!