Kestrelwings Member

The tummy bulge will melt away again once your body has gotten used to the extra food & got the muscles growing.

My trainer is on 4500-5500 to gain. I am 5'5" 125lbs and to gain I need 2,000 - 2,200 minimum, but it is not an exact science. I lift 4-5x per week plus a little bit of cardio. I tend to go through mini bulk-cut cycles as I put on a kilo or two, freak out and hold where I am or mini cut, then build up comfort with my new…

If you fart in public, just yell 'turbo boost' and walk faster... ;-)

FWIW, I am 5'5" and 121lbs. I carry a lot of weight on my stomach, with twig-like arms and legs. Body fat guestimate is 21-23%. I have weighed a lot less, and looked worse for it. I have put on 10lbs in the past couple of years, and look a million times better and can lift a lot more. I am currently trying to clean bulk…

It is normal, and very common in ED recovery. It takes a very long time for (a) the gut to fully recover from disordered eating (b) your brain to recover from the distorted body image and (c) the shape of your limbs to go from 'skinny but no muscle' to 'healthy size with enough muscle' in order to balance out the tummy.…

I get through 3,000 easy, just wish it would build me more muscle. Lots of snacking & eat lots just before bed. Seems to all add up.

NEVER try to change your body based on what some guy says. It is a road to disaster. Whether you were 100lbs or 300lbs he would have used it as an 'excuse'. And changing to what you think someone else wants will not work. You are a woman, not a mannequin that is to be adjusted to what each bloke says.

I have put on 2kg in 24hrs. Doncha just love being female, and all the delightful water retention each month! LOL

Howdy, I am 5"6', 37y, and am trying really hard to bulk. I was 110lbs about 7m ago, now 120lbs, and it has kind of gone up and down along the way due to 'time of the months' and also panic when it shoots up, followed by mini-cut. Unfortunately I always have a big belly (and get asked 'when are you due' on a regular basis…

Creatine on lifting days - mostly because I bought a big bag so may as well use up the stuff. Not sure if it makes any difference! Vit D (from Dr) Multivit & iron if and when I remember (which is not often) Protein powder if I am way too short on my protein target for the day

I didn't have any set length of time in mind when I started. I told myself to aim for 55kg (a gain of 5kg) as my starting point, and then see if I was able to take it further. It is really a case of wanting to increase my lifts more than a set number on the scales that is the aim.

Thanks for the replies. I deload every 8-12 weeks, depending on how long a programme my PT writes for me. My last programme was German Volume Training for two cycles of 8 weeks then deload, lifting 3xper week. I am just starting a new cycle, which is going to be 5x5 and I do not know if it will be 4x or 5x per week yet. I…

I have just had to scale back slightly from 2,400-2,500 plus eat-back calories for exercise, to 2,300 + exercise as gain was too fast, but hopefully things will settle now. I still do cardio, partly because it is a vital stress reliever for me & partly because it allows me to eat more. No idea what my BF is, but when it…

Cutting is horrible, and not something I want to think about right now. I am hungry enough on my bulk as it is, and the thought of cutting down to 'maintenance' is quite depressing!

Damn - I prefer Ice Cream...

The fourth Macro??? Please God tell me the fourth macro is Ice Cream? ;-) I have honestly no idea how I used to survive on 1,700 Kcal per day, but now don't feel full on 2,500. Time to bring out the oily fish and the other 'good' fats. But not advocado - as it is truly disgusting!

Thanks for all the fab replies, plenty to think about! I eat tons and tons of veggies, as all my main meals are made from scratch and consist of a form of protein + lots and lots of yummy veg. The magic slow cooker (crock pot) goes on every evening in order to make the next day's food. I just log them as my own recipes and…

I get really confused about protein. Some places say 0.8g/lb, others up to 3g/lb. I am getting in about 1.5 g/lb, sometimes more, sometimes less.

Mostly just because I need the protein and carbs to be high, so fat ends up being lower % by default.

I started bulking on Sep 1st, and was upping calories by 100 if no weight gain. Overall have gained 2.3kg, but most of that gain has been in the last 6 weeks. I aim for a 35% protein 45% carb 20% fat split, as I find I need my carbs to function. Not sure I could manage just having two meals per day - I am a grazer by…

I tried to bulk before, but wimped out and got nowhere. Doing much better this time. Reverse dieted slowly, now at about 2500-2700 plus eat back calories for exercise. Starting to see some slow gain at last, and working hard at keeping my nerve. x

Diary is open. I am a very novice lifter, with crappy numbers, but enjoying my workouts :smile:

Taking a quick look at your diary: 1) I often eat more protein than you do per day, and I am a tiny female! 2) Lager does not count as a decent calorie source. It is 'empty' calories and burns off very rapidly with no nutritional benefits (sorry dude) 3) I suspect you are not measuring quite as accurately as you think 4)…

Your body is just trying to restore itself by laying down some essential hormone-producing fat anywhere it can, in your case on the stomach. As you continue to regain, your body will build up your limbs etc and you will end up back in proportion again - just a far healthier and stronger version of yourself.

You are absolutely correct that 'peeing it out' refers to deamination rather than actual 'peeing protein'. Your kidneys are designed not to let any big valuable protein molecules escape!

Thanks for all the replies, and the links to articles. Yes, I can (and do!) get through that amount of protein, but I think it is a good idea to reduce the protein and up the other two. Like most women, I have had the 'fat is evil' brainwashing over the years, so most of my fat comes from fats occurring naturally in food…

My MFP puts my target protein intake at 260g/day on those ratios. Most of my protein is from chicken & eggs, as I will sit and eat my way through a huge bag of cooked chicken like it was popcorn - nom nom nom. I do have shakes as well, with breakfast and then before bed. I used to have the opposite problem - my diet was…

If it makes you feel any better, I always have my tummy sticking out. Always has been that way, always will. I am underweight (51kg and 166cm - sorry, don't know it in pounds!) but frequently get asked if I am pregnant. It really upsets me :-( However, since taking up weight training my posture has improved dramatically…

That sounds a good compromise, thanks :-)

With marmite on hot toast Chopped up on hot steamed cauliflower On Ryvita Mixed in scrambled egg Mixed with breadcrumbs and spread on flat mushrooms, then under the grill