First bulk after losing 100 pounds, should I be eating more?

batorkin
batorkin Posts: 281 Member
I lost 100 pounds over the last year (6'2" male, 252 to 152), and during the fall/winter I decided to switch into building muscle. My goal was to hit about 180 (+28 pounds) over 6-7 months then cut back down in the spring/summer. Currently, I am lifting 3x a week and also running 2 miles 3x a week, but I log it and eat back 100% of the calories.

I set my profile to gain 1 pound a week with a sedentary lifestyle (12+ hours/day sitting at a desk), which put me at 2650 calories. After 4 weeks of that I had only gained ~2 pounds, so I switch it to very light activity which put me at 2910 calories. However, I still have only gained ~1 pound in the last 3 weeks. Overall I gained about 3-4 pounds in 7 weeks.

Based on what I read 2910 (+ exercise calories) is already on the high side for a bulk if you don't want to gain a lot of fat... but as a beginner I've also read I should aim for gaining 1 pound a week because I should be able to put on at least half a pound of muscle a week in the early stages.

Everything I eat is measured and weighed, I got good with counting calories during my weight loss. I meet my macro of 50/25/25 every day and spread my protein out. I have even started to eat pretty dirty (1200 calories of pizza in a single meal) because otherwise I get way too full. My lifts haven't really increased but my roommate claims there is a visual difference.

Should I just keep doing what I am doing or should I up my calories?

Replies

  • jseams1234
    jseams1234 Posts: 1,216 Member
    edited November 2018
    You should have a pretty good idea of what your maintenance is going to be based on your loss from 252 - 152... assuming you logged well during your diet. Use those calculations and numbers and not what MFP is telling you and you should have a much more accurate idea of how much more you need to eat to gain. Also, calculating exercise calories, especially cardio can be tricky. I'm 6'1 and I've been in maintenance for about 3 weeks now after a cut and I'm consuming an average of 3200-3400 calories a day. I have a desk job and I don't do cardio... I also don't eat back my exercise calories as I find that over complicates things since my routine is so static. I'm a good bit heavier than you so don't use my maintenance is a template.

    edit: Oh, and congrats on the weight loss. That's a pretty significant achievement for one year and shows real dedication.
  • CowboySar
    CowboySar Posts: 404 Member
    Congrats on the weight loss, I too lost over 100 lbs before I decided to bulk, 320 down to 185. If you don't want to put on a bunch of fat it will take time. I went from 1600 -> 2300 -> 2800 -> 3300 -->3800+ but over a total of 7 months. Every time I quit gaining and lost weight I would recalculate my TDEE and adjust accordingly. At last weigh in I was 212 lbs. I know some of it is fat as that is a given, and I am now slowly transitioning back into a cut. I know more than scale weight my hip and waist measurements stayed relatively the same, and the rest went up. In a bulk I quit doing cardio and concentrated solely on weight training.

    I question your macros as well as your calories, macros are just as important when gaining. Find what works for you in both your nutrition plan and training program, ensuring the both meet your goals. Each person is individual in how they respond, experiment and see what works.

    I am now switching to a cut and will be doing what I did above in reverse slowly lowering calories as needed. I will continue to weight train as I have.
  • batorkin
    batorkin Posts: 281 Member
    edited November 2018
    Thanks guys, I am going to up it to "Active" lifestyle which puts me at 3,240 calories/day and see how the next few weeks go.

    My guess is I am burning more calories while sitting around than I usually do since I am rebuilding muscle.
  • CowboySar
    CowboySar Posts: 404 Member
    tyrindor wrote: »
    Thanks guys, I am going to up it to "Active" lifestyle which puts me at 3,240 calories/day and see how the next few weeks go.

    My guess is I am burning more calories while sitting around than I usually do since I am rebuilding muscle.

    That's a great start, again watch your macros ensure you are getting enough of each. I can tell you what mine were but we are all different so you will need to experiment with what works for you. Let your body tell you what it needs as far as calories. Not gaining, increase calories, gaining fast and too much fat, decrease calories. When I say increase or decrease keep the increments small, 200-300.

    Also while cardio is great it limits you gains to an extent. Think of it this way, CICO, meaning if you cant gain on 3240 cals then you are burning more than 3240 cals. Maybe instead of increasing cals lower the cardio thus lowering your energy expenditure.

    Wishing you luck on your bulk