__freckles__ Member

Ding, ding, ding. Personally I don't like using percentages to calculate my macros. Instead, I know my body needs a minimum amount of fats and protein and I just try to hit those numbers. If I go over I don't really worry about it.

In to see the squat video. And agree with Jo. Be very happy for you if it's true.

True, you will look much better 15-20 pounds from now IMO, but I still think you look cute NOW. Rock it and know that with each month that passes, you will look hotter than the previous one. :flowerforyou:

Thiiiiiiiiiiiis. Personally, I eat gelato after my workout, but that's besides the point.

Bagel and cream cheese and hot cocoa most days. If I'm extra hungry I'll throw in a protein bar. On the weekends usually scrambled eggs with bacon, sometimes with pancakes.

I would do as others have suggested and go see a doctor and a therapist about your issues. You sound like you may have body dysmorphia. And in your case, it might be best to log off MFP. Definitely take a break at least. Nothing good is coming from you logging your food here and obsessing over everything sounds very…

Fair enough. Good luck OP. I think eating at maintenance for Christmas is a great idea. ;)

Also, I just want to throw it out there, but you can certainly eat more than 1210 calories to lose weight. Again, just throwing it out there, it's up to you. I'd rather eat as much as possible and still lose weight when cutting, but that's just me.

You will gain some water weight - so be prepared for that. But you will not gain any fat at maintenance so long as you are weighing and measuring everything and logging accurately.

I can only add that when I was bulking my lifts went up pretty much every week. During my cut, however, I stalled out and had to deload like crazy. I'm bulking again and lifts are going back up. More calories = more fuel. Cutting took a toll on my lifts and energy all around. Hopefully someone with some actual facts will…

If you're a newbie I would recommend finding a program and sticking with it. I wouldn't try to create your own. Something similar to PHAT is PHUL - it's also an upper/lower split but only 4 days. I ran it a couple of times and absolutely love it. http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/phul-workout The program does have…

Look into lean bulking. Seriously. It will do wonders for your body. Women usually eat about 125-250 calories over maintenance every day (but this varies, some eat more, you just have to play with your numbers). Find a good, quality lifting program that incorporates progressive overload. And be consistent. Here are some…

What are your maintenance calories? Are you trying to gain 3-4 pounds of fat or muscle - see my comment above.

Then eat more. ETA: Depending if you want to gain 3-4 pounds of fat or muscle will determine your next step. If you just want to add fat, just eat more. If you want to gain muscle (and inevitably a little fat) look into lean bulking.

I'm confused. But if you're trying to gain you need to consistently eat a surplus of calories, not maintenance.

And to answer your OP, you should hit both your calories and macros. Plan to go into the red every day. Your macros look fine. Don't know how much you weigh, but hitting a minimum of 135 grams of protein and 55 grams of fat sounds reasonable. Again, it would help if we knew your weight as your protein minimum is usually…

What is your maintenance? Eat 125-250 calories above that every day and lift the *kitten* out of everything. Some girls even eat more. If you don't know your maintenance, you really should test it and figure it out. Also agree with MrM27, no such thing as an ectomorph.

*Like* and agree. :)

What is your maintenance? How did you calculate it? Do you weigh everything you eat with a food scale? Need more info - and can't see your diary.

4 weeks isn't very long as Skye said. And remember women can only gain .25 pounds of muscle per week under the best circumstances. So this whole thing is a very slow process. You must have patience and keep doing your thang; none of this will come easy. But venting is ok too and that's what we're here for, especially since…

Do whatever works best for you. I just do TDEE because I don't have to think about it. I just eat the same number every day.

TDEE. FTW.

^^He said it much nicer than I'm going to. If you can't go out and enjoy yourself at a restaurant with your husband without freaking out about calorie content, that's just silly in my opinion. Do your best at guesstimating and just enjoy your freaking food.

All right, these are good things for me to look into. Thank you my fellow bulking friend. :flowerforyou:

Thanks 3laine. I'll look into Lanye Norton, I've read some of his other stuff. And I'll try to look into this for females, PwrLfter, as I know it's already hard enough for us to build zee mooscles.

Ah, thanks for this. Yeah, my carbs aren't relatively high - so that's not the problem. It's just strange that I'm gaining so much in the beginning compared to my last bulk. As far as 0.25 lbs/ week - I chose that because I'm wanting to do a very long bulk. Last time I bulked for 15 weeks and ate 400 calories over TDEE…

Thanks for the advice. I was thinking about bulking for 12-16 weeks, then cutting for a month and immediately jumping right back on the bulking wagon. How would that hinder me from gaining muscle?

Let me know if you get back into it Gigi. It's always nice to have somebody you know doing the same program.

Agreed! This is by far my favorite group. Thanks for making this such an informative and supportive place! :flowerforyou:

I think that's a fine idea. That's how I do it too. I never pre-log my food. Just be sure to weigh and measure everything as you go. Bulking is all about the numbers, so you still need to make sure you're hitting your calorie goal at the end of the day.