NRBreit Member

I used MFP custom settings to adjust my sugar limit to 1/3 of my total carb allowance (100g sugar for 300g total carbs). This was an arbitrary amount, but it helps me balance my daily complex carb food choices vs. simple sugars. At the end of the day, make your sugar allowance whatever you are comfortable with.

It's interesting that many of us who got to the point of needing to lose some weight then find it hard to eat enough to maintain a lower weight when it's all said and done. I think you just get used to eating certain foods to hit a lower calorie level and it's very hard to eat those types of foods for maintenance and…

It's a balance, but I'm much happier getting my remaining carbs for the day by eating ice cream instead of my 4th serving of brown rice. My wife always complained that she had to 'give up' things like bread and chocolate to lose a few pounds. We did a few days of MFP tracking where she hit her macros on just 1500 cal/day…

I agree with this. Once you get near the top end of normal BMI, you will begin to see how much further you need to go. It's really 'fine-tuning' of about 10-15 lbs. (plus or minus) if you are small or large framed versus being average or medium framed.

For a 5'3" 102 pound female, I calculate a TDEE of 1468 cals assuming a desk job/little exercise. Add in your exercise cals and I can see where you would not be gaining on 1700-1800.

People gain weight differently, but my lower ab skin fold is 12mm at approx. 13% BF and 16mm at 15% BF.

I'm a guy, but I also have to kick the weights up from my thighs for incline bench and overhead press. Basically, if you can incline or overhead press more weight than you can curl, you have to kick them into position somehow. Otherwise, you expend all of your energy getting the weights into position before you even start…

I agree I don't think you'll see major changes in measurements without weight loss or gain. For me, I lose about an inch off the waist for every 7-10 pounds lost. For arms, it's about 1/2" - 3/4" for every 10 pounds. But like Chris said, you might see changes in composition in the mirror without changes in measurements.

I put them on my greek yogurt for an extra couple hundred cals.

It's a bit soon to tell as I am only about 6 weeks into the bulk and 6 or 7 pounds up in weight, however, my strength has gone up on the big lifts and I feel really really good in the gym on this bulk using IIFYM. I also feel a tad bit sloppier in the stomach, but the tape measure says the same as last year at my current…

I tried that on my last bulk and for me it was very tough to consume enough oats, brown rice, and sweet potatoes to hit the carb macro. I increased my fruits (including dried fruits) and that helped quite a bit. This year, I'm following IIFYM and I'm eating a lot more simple sugars and grains. It's WAY easier to bulk this…

I rechecked my notes from last year. Start: Oct. 10th, 165 lbs., 10.49% BF (Jackson-Pollack/3 method), 13.22% BF (JP/4 method) Finish: Feb. 11th, 180 lbs., 12.96% BF (JP/3), 15.17% (JP/4) Using the JP/4 body fat method, I went from 143 to 152 lbs. LBM and from 21 to 27 lbs. Fat. Soooo, I gained 9 lbs. 'muscle' (5 lbs. of…

Can you explain this some more? Are you saying to gain weight slower (lean gain)? Or, are you saying recomp? I don't think upping your intensity should be a variable because you should be killing it in the gym with 110% intensity and making strength gains on any bulk.

Maybe I missed it in the thread, but how much scale weight have you gained on your bulk while adding 4% body fat? It doesn't seem like an unreasonable BF gain. The last bulk I did I put on approx. 3-4% body fat with a 15 lb total weight gain.

Great work on the weight loss! Now you get to work on the fun part of carving out the body you desire. People will always be saying you're either too light or too heavy. 167 lbs. at your height is a perfectly healthy BMI. I am 6'1" with a small frame and feel my best at 165 lbs. That is also the weight at which people…

Keep going. As you lean out, the places on your body where you tend to store the most fat will tend to become more noticeable as the other areas of your body lean out a bit quicker. It's normal.

My target is 100g simple sugars or 1/3 of my 300g carb macro (3,000 cals per day). I don't distinguish between fruits, natural sources vs. refined sugar. I've have tried staying 'cleaner', but there's only so much oatmeal and brown rice I can eat on a sustained basis. When it comes down to weight loss (or quality weight…

6'1", 44 years old CW: 179 End of Year GW: 185-190 (15-17% BF) Next Spring/Summer GW: 167-170 (10ish% BF)

I'm sure people will debate this endlessly, but you got plenty (more than enough) protein, plenty of complex carbs including veggies, and your ratio of simple to complex carbs isn't too bad. You probably didn't even need the multi-vitamin. 18 oz. of chicken in one sitting is impressive - I could not stomach that much all…

Your cals and macros look good. Given your current weight, you should be gaining unless you are extremely active.

What is your routine that is causing each workout to last 2+ hours? Can you shorten the routine and possilbly increase the intensity (fewer sets with higher effort, shorter rest periods)?

Nice results! Had you been lifting weights previously? Any changes to your weight training plan during the recomp period?

I agree, I'm getting the same cals as you but my macros are 188g protein, 117g fat, 300g carbs. It's much easier to get the fat cals than 400+g of carbs.

My current calorie goal is the same as yours and I am only eating approx. 300g carbs per day. 420g is a ton of carbs especially if you are trying to get them from good sources.

I just tried this method and found it to give VERY similar results to prior caliper tests (Jackson-Pollack 3 site and 4 site) at the same weight.

Log it and count the alcohol calories as carbs. If it fits into your daily calorie limits/goals, no reason to deprive yourself of a fun night!

I added 2 inches to my waist in 4 months/15 lbs. I wish I were 20-something again. : )

Current thinking is that you should bulk to approx. 15% body fat and then cut down to 10-12%. Rinse and repeat. Last year I started feeling pretty sloppy after a 15 lb weight gain and my pants were getting really tight.

I eat 2-3 eggs, a slice of ham, and either a slice of cheese or 1/4 cup shredded cheese just about every morning. My fat macro is set at 35%. I eat this during both my weight gain cycles (3,000+ cals.) as well as my weight loss cycles (2,000-2,250 cals.) but I add more oatmeal when bulking.

Your cardio/activitiy level might require some additional cals. I am 6'1" 177 lbs. right now gaining at approx. 1lb. per week on 3,000 cals with similar macros to yours. Our BF% is in the same range too. I do 3-4 workouts per week averaging 45 mins. each. I will occasionally run 3.5 miles (25-30 mins), but no more than…