Fat Gain vs Muscle Gain (mental frustrations)

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shannonbrewelch
shannonbrewelch Posts: 63 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Good Morning!

I recently have been going through a season of bulking (+200 calories over a day). It has been a good season, as I have reached several weight lifting PRs and am proud of myself. But I am struggling with how to measure if I have more fat or muscle gain. I have gained over 15 pounds during the past three months.

I have kept my diet relatively the same (keeping a 30/30/40 split) and increased lifting while decreasing cardio.

Even though I have reached my goals, I am very unhappy with the way my body looks right now. I feel lumpy and unhappy with how I look, despite doing well with my training.

In the next few weeks I will be adding 2-3 days of cardio in, along with lowering of calories (-150 from maintenance).

I just have a few questions, to help with my mental take and understanding on the issue, so I don't get so hard on myself and my current state.
  • How do you all deal with the fat gain you get while also building muscle?
  • How do you change your mentality to not just focus on aesthetics?
  • Also, how do you choose to accurately measure fat gain v muscle gain?

Thank you all!

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  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    Hope you get lots of good feedback and help.

    Have you taken measurements? are your clothes fitting any differently? that would let you have a good idea if its fat gain rather than muscle.
    Muscle takes up less room so if you are gaining muscle you'll find you could have a smaller waist but have some gains in your thighs/glutes/biceps.

    I have recomped a few times in my 7 years of maintenance. It takes months and months to see progress. I'm doing a recomp (since August), have upped my strength training/lifting and am up around 5lbs but my measurements are still the same as when I was lighter.
  • shannonbrewelch
    shannonbrewelch Posts: 63 Member
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    sardelsa wrote: »
    Gaining weight be difficult for many, especially when it comes with some fat gains. I would say you get used to it after a while, once you see the results and know the fat does come off.

    Over what time period did you gain the 15lbs? If you gained it slow and steady, followed a progressive lifting program (and actually progressed in the gym), got adequate protein (0.8-1g per lb minimum), your measurements haven't increased too much (in places not related to muscle gain such as the waist) then you probably gained as much muscle as you could while keeping fat gains minimal. Even if you slipped up a bit, it's ok! Fat can come off and you likely still built some decent muscle under there.

    I have run 3 successful bulks, each time gaining more weight (10,12 and 15lbs) and I can tell you it gets easier the more you do it, you become more confident each time (at least that is my experience)

    My advice to deal with the mental aspect is:
    -Go slow and steady and don't gain too quickly, spread it out over a long period of time especially if it's your first time
    -I would also recommend not gaining too much for the first bulk (unless you started off ultra lean or underweight) to test the waters and get a feel for gaining
    -Embrace the awesome energy and workout progression
    -Aesthetics-wise, try to focus on the positives, so the muscles that are growing (delts, quads, glutes, etc), wear loose clothing that doesn't emphasize your trouble areas
    -Know that the fat can come off, it's not too difficult to lose fat and maintain (most if not all) the muscle you build
    -Talking to people that have done this before and tell you that it is worth it if done correctly helps!

    Now that you are on to cutting, make sure you continue your lifting program, keep up the protein and go slow and steady. If you bulk again I would probably recommend you go slower and gain less if you are that unhappy with your appearance. At the end of my bulks, even when I gained 15lbs, I still felt relatively lean and strong, a bit fluffier than I like but nothing I couldn't handle. I still wore tight dresses and went to parties and felt confident. I would say you don't want to reach a place where you gain so much that you feel really uncomfortable.

    Thank you for your feedback, it helps a lot with putting things into perspective. I am very proud of myself with my current progression in the gym, I just need to be more patient and accepting with myself with the extra weight.

    I have so long looked at weight gain a negative, and although I have been trying to think differently about it for the past two years, and there are just some days I need some extra encouragement. So thank you so much! I will implement these tips!
  • Papachecs
    Papachecs Posts: 1 Member
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    I use a scale that measures 12 body analysis (weight, BMI, fat%, muscle%, bone mass, water%, etc) sent via Bluetooth to your smartphone. I highly recommend it and it’s fairly accurate (you should stand on it barefoot). You can get it on amazon for $20, look up “TWB smart Bluetooth scale deluxe gift set” comes with a free book and tape measure. You’re welcome.

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