Trying to build muscle - can someone check my diary please

foxyhotgal
foxyhotgal Posts: 79 Member
edited December 18 in Food and Nutrition
Hey

At the moment i'm trying to build my muscle, i'm doing limited cardio and lots of weights, could someone please look at my food diary (it should be open!) and tell me how i could improve please xx
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Replies

  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    I guessing you're light on calories without knowing your actual weight. Eat in a surplus of 10-20% over TDEE.
  • foxyhotgal
    foxyhotgal Posts: 79 Member
    my weight at the moment is 138lbs and height 5 foot 4
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    I guessing you're light on calories without knowing your actual weight. Eat in a surplus of 10-20% over TDEE.

    Agreed. I was eating around 3000 calories when trying to gain muscles. I'm 5'9" and started at 150lbs.
  • foxyhotgal
    foxyhotgal Posts: 79 Member
    ok thanks both of you for your help!! its scary eating loads though but i guess if it gets me where i want then i shall do it :D
  • Quickster34
    Quickster34 Posts: 209 Member
    up your protein too, go for at least 1g per lb if your workoing out with the intent of building muscle
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,519 Member
    Get your calories up to 2,000. Track progress for a few weeks and see if you gain any weight. If not, add 250 calories and give that a few weeks. Repeat as necessary.
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    Listen to Acg, Rae, and Rock..they know their stuff.

    Also remember that when you eat a surplus of calories, you are going to gain a little fat along with the muscle. It's the nature of the beast. But you can cut again after you put on a little mass. Also remember that women build muscle twice as slow as men do. If your diet is spot on, and your training is good, about 1lb of muscle in a month is fantastic.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    It IS scary. I almost gave up a few times. You will gain some fat with your muscle. It's unavoidable. But comparatively fat is much easier to lose than muscle is to gain, so don't sabotage your muscle gain with fear of fat. (A friend of mine gave me the same pep-talk).
  • foxyhotgal
    foxyhotgal Posts: 79 Member
    how long should i bulk for?
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    how long should i bulk for?

    Until you feel "too fat". For me this was at about 10lbs gained. Suddenly I felt like my abs were gone, and my thighs had gained about a pound each.
  • foxyhotgal
    foxyhotgal Posts: 79 Member
    ok thanks so much x
  • laurcampbell
    laurcampbell Posts: 54 Member
    I guessing you're light on calories without knowing your actual weight. Eat in a surplus of 10-20% over TDEE.

    Agreed. I was eating around 3000 calories when trying to gain muscles. I'm 5'9" and started at 150lbs.

    holy amazing abs and holy jealous I would love to eat around 3000 calories a day - I am such a fat kid at heart haa!
  • amysj303
    amysj303 Posts: 5,086 Member
    Interesting. I want to build muscle too. I just followed the NROL4W, somoene posted it, but basically I am eating at TDEE and I add 200 cals on lifting days. That is still way over what MFP gave me for maintenance, so it seems like a lot, but I wonder, maybe it is not enough?
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    I guessing you're light on calories without knowing your actual weight. Eat in a surplus of 10-20% over TDEE.

    Agreed. I was eating around 3000 calories when trying to gain muscles. I'm 5'9" and started at 150lbs.

    holy amazing abs and holy jealous I would love to eat around 3000 calories a day - I am such a fat kid at heart haa!

    Thank you.

    Me too. I've been trying to go back on a diet for 2 months now after eating that much all winter.... Yeah, haven't made it more than a few days yet.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    Interesting. I want to build muscle too. I just followed the NROL4W, somoene posted it, but basically I am eating at TDEE and I add 200 cals on lifting days. That is still way over what MFP gave me for maintenance, so it seems like a lot, but I wonder, maybe it is not enough?

    You're not gaining muscle if you're weight. If the scale isn't moving up, add more food.

    P.S. I sound like I'm smart but most of the info I pass on I read somewhere else. I think that ^ came from Lyle McDonald.
  • medennison123
    medennison123 Posts: 191 Member
    regular eggs have great fats in them. dont forget you need to be in a caloric surplus to build muscle.
  • amysj303
    amysj303 Posts: 5,086 Member
    Interesting. I want to build muscle too. I just followed the NROL4W, somoene posted it, but basically I am eating at TDEE and I add 200 cals on lifting days. That is still way over what MFP gave me for maintenance, so it seems like a lot, but I wonder, maybe it is not enough?

    You're not gaining muscle if you're weight. If the scale isn't moving up, add more food.

    P.S. I sound like I'm smart but most of the info I pass on I read somewhere else. I think that ^ came from Lyle McDonald.
    I meant to say I follow the calorie-guidelines from NROL4W.
    But, if I can only expect to gain a pound of muscle each month, how much fat do you think I should count on? I mean, the scale has been within a couple pounds of 112 for awhile. I am at 114 but that could change in a couple of days... Do you think I should be seeing more changes on the scale? I am surprised that I am still hungry at night, maybe I will eat more. Just eating the right things is hard.
  • amysj303
    amysj303 Posts: 5,086 Member
    regular eggs have great fats in them. dont forget you need to be in a caloric surplus to build muscle.
    If I eat at TDEE and +200 on lift days, isn't that a surplus?
    MFP says maintenance for me is 1490, but I upped it to 1800 (TDEE) and add 200 on lift days. I am not doing any cardio.
  • Hotrodhoodlum
    Hotrodhoodlum Posts: 148
    YES THIS
    up your protein too, go for at least 1g per lb if your workoing out with the intent of building muscle
  • Anthonydaman
    Anthonydaman Posts: 854 Member
    Have a 30-40 g whey protein shake post work out. this will blunt the cortisol released by your body via exercise. the cortisol is a catabolic hormone, and the whey will blunt its affects.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    Interesting. I want to build muscle too. I just followed the NROL4W, somoene posted it, but basically I am eating at TDEE and I add 200 cals on lifting days. That is still way over what MFP gave me for maintenance, so it seems like a lot, but I wonder, maybe it is not enough?

    You're not gaining muscle if you're weight. If the scale isn't moving up, add more food.

    P.S. I sound like I'm smart but most of the info I pass on I read somewhere else. I think that ^ came from Lyle McDonald.
    I meant to say I follow the calorie-guidelines from NROL4W.
    But, if I can only expect to gain a pound of muscle each month, how much fat do you think I should count on? I mean, the scale has been within a couple pounds of 112 for awhile. I am at 114 but that could change in a couple of days... Do you think I should be seeing more changes on the scale? I am surprised that I am still hungry at night, maybe I will eat more. Just eating the right things is hard.

    Some one told me at least 0.3lbs of muscle per pound of fat. I gained 10lbs total in 4 months. I like to give myself an extra pound for "newbie gains" and good genetics and say I gained 5lbs of muscle, 2 lbs of fat, and 3lbs water and glycogen. Again, I was told to start at 10% above TDEE every day, not just lifting days. So if your TDEE is 1800, I'd add that 200 every day and see where you are. I'd want to gain about pound every 2 to 3 weeks. If you are, add another 100 a day until you are. I started at 2600 net (my TDEE is about 2300). I gained 3lbs right away then nothing for 4 weeks, it was then that I upped it to 2800 net (I did do cardio, but ate those calories, so that's how I got to around 3000).
  • scapez
    scapez Posts: 2,018 Member
    Where is the most accurate source to determine your TDEE?
  • chachita7
    chachita7 Posts: 996 Member
    bump to the bump bump for laterzzzzz
  • autumnk921
    autumnk921 Posts: 1,374 Member
    Bump for later too....Sounds very interesting & that is what I am trying to do....Gain muscle but lose fat at the same time.
  • autumnk921
    autumnk921 Posts: 1,374 Member
    Where is the most accurate source to determine your TDEE?


    I use this one -

    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/
  • autumnk921
    autumnk921 Posts: 1,374 Member
    My pc is messing up & duplicating my messages.. :(
  • petreebird
    petreebird Posts: 344 Member
    Ok, I have a few questions....:happy: ....
    I have been eating at maintenance, 1800 cal's, for a couple months now which is several 100 cal's more than mfp tells me my maintenance is...anyway...my questions are, my TDEE is around 2030 according to several websites, so I know what that is.
    But since eating 1800 I haven't lost or gained and I started weight training back at the end of February. So wouldn't I just add a couple 100 calories to my maintenance because if I add 200 to my TDEE that would put me at 430 MORE than I'm eating now!! Isn't that an awful lot!! Ok, excuse the "!!!!", it's just the idea of eating that much makes me dizzy!:noway:
    But like I said, I've been eating 1800 (maintenance) since starting to lift (almost 2 months) and haven't gained anything, so I know that I need to increase my calories, I'm just so confused and scared as to how many....
    Oh and lastly, if I eat all these extra cal's, are they net? As in, do I eat my exercise calories back?? Sorry, I'm just trying to do this right.

    Ugh...any help would be great! :smile:
  • amysj303
    amysj303 Posts: 5,086 Member
    Petrie, I think your TDEE is maintenance, it is supposed to include the exercise factor. But if you want to gain muscle you would have to eat over TDEE. I think your experiment suggests 1800 cals IS maintenance for you.
  • AngelAura777
    AngelAura777 Posts: 225 Member
    Bump
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
    Petrie, I think your TDEE is maintenance, it is supposed to include the exercise factor. But if you want to gain muscle you would have to eat over TDEE. I think your experiment suggests 1800 cals IS maintenance for you.

    Agree with the bold, not necessarily the second part. As you're looking to build lean mass which will increase your BMR and TDEE, I would eat at the recommended level rather than what 'seems' to be your maintenance.

    Use http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/510980-my-gift-excel-spreadsheet-for-bmr-tdee-cut-build-and-ma to work out how much you should be eating. You'll need to head back to the original topic :)
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