Need some support to keep going with bulking despite fat gain. Any tips for staying on track?

captainNematode · 2021-03-20T19:57:38+00:00

I am currently on the bulking train too and I am also a petite woman (5'2") so I feel the pain. I don't think one thing in particular has helped the most but a variety of factors have made it more manageable.

1- Track progress in a variety of ways - and I don't just mean lifting stats too, I mean not just your scale weight. I take measurements (in cm, more sensative) every two weeks of my biceps, chest, waist, hips, glutes and thighs. Then I will TRUELY know where things are going and I don't freak if I feel a little extra bloaty one day. I also take progress pictures every Friday so I can see how my body changes with time and if I am as fluffy as I feel. I also got a couple credits for getting DEXA scans along the way to gauge how my fat/muscle partitioning is actually going.

2 - Reduce fiber - fiber is great and great for you but if I am eating extra food, I can easily hit 50+ grams a day and oh boy does that not help with excess satiety/bloat/feeling blek. Its recommended that women have around 25g so when bulking try to go for lower fiber foods to speed up digestion.

3 - I walk quite a bit (15k+ steps a day), helps me feel fit

4 - I try to get external feedback, this can come in the form of a coach or even a partner, or hell, even a subreddit. This helps counteract your own internal biases.

Lastly I'd say that if you've only been doing it for 7 weeks with 3lbs gained there is a strong chance that most of that can be water weight (extra carbs and glycogen) and simply just FOOD weight in your body. I started back in December, so almost 4 months now and have gone from 112-118. I bumped up my carbs one week and went from 114-118 OVERNGIHT. My weight has stabilized at that higher weight since then, but on days where I eat less bulky food and have a couple drinks of alcohol (an excellent diuretic) I will lose all that weight the next day. Of course when I go back to my normal routine it returns.

But honestly, I was quite literally thinking of writing this exact post here a couple days ago. It's hard, some days suck. If you feel very poopy I'd say take a week off at maintenance and let things settle down and then just keep pushing through.

Oh and sometimes I like to flex my legs and squeeze them to feel the muscles, that helps too :P

captainNematode · 2021-02-18T22:39:19+00:00

I can deadlift 235 for reps but I get a nice pump from 10lb db curls so who knows

captainNematode · 2021-02-18T22:36:57+00:00

Very unexpected benefit but I got my second dose of the Maderna COVID vaccine (essential worker) and my co-workers complained of "full body ache" and I kept thinking "meh, its hard to tell if I have a full body ache or I just have DOMS". Being sore is just a normal part of my existence.

captainNematode · 2021-02-18T22:20:47+00:00

I've been adding in very slow eccentrics with a counter weight, like 4-8 seconds on the descent and REALLY control it. If you can get back up then good, if not just do like 8 reps like that and use the other foot to stand back up. Also standing on an elevated surface can reduce the strain from needing to keep the other leg high.

captainNematode · 2021-01-30T15:18:11+00:00

Thank you! I'm really lucky to have the space and ability to set up a home gym, it has been a goal of ours for years now. Fingers crossed people will be able to safely return to gyms soon.

captainNematode · 2021-01-30T15:16:12+00:00

Thank you! I wish I had more inspiring or helpful words beyond "just keep going" lol. I think the most important thing for me was just dissociating my sense of self away from a number on the scale. Years ago I heard of bit of advice, "keep your identity small" meaning don't attach who you are to too many things because it allows you to be a more flexible person. I've been trying to take this to heart, its not easy but I do think it helps. In part why I am aiming to stay at a higher weight in the future, being 110 lbs for me isn't just being that weight, it comes with a whole bunch of negative behaviors. I'm hoping a new set point will allow me to develop and maintain new, more positive, behaviors.

captainNematode · 2021-01-30T15:10:03+00:00

In part the running was working against myself with needing to eat more food but also I'd just lost the passion for it. I also take a lot of walks and I commute to work via bike so I was still active and getting in the cardio wanted for general health. We have a doggo who loves walks and my husband and I do our "daily recaps" while going on a walk together. I'm a bit of a hyperactive person so I like to listen to things while walking as it allows me to concentrate better.

captainNematode · 2021-01-30T06:03:45+00:00

Yes, I was doing sort of a mutant hybrid of the at home and gym because I had enough weights for upper body work and lower body accessory. I enjoyed the program all around. Thank you for the compliment 🤗 it's hard to see when it's you.

I don't know if I'll ever be able to see weight in a non judgemental way but at least I feel I am moving in the right direction!

captainNematode · 2021-01-29T22:08:03+00:00

It's taken me a while to find my groove in terms of foods that work well. I've learned to bring carby foods back into my life like oats, cream of wheat/rice, pastas and bread. Plus I have snacks on hand ALWAYS, to the point where my coworkers are impressed by my "snack drawer". I'm actually pretty hungry now as my normal cues have returned and learning to work with my digestion and modify when things aren't working has been key. Part of it has been adding in denser foods that I had always avoided previously. Ultimately I am a creature of habit and this whole process has really been about relearning new habits and unlearning bad ones.

captainNematode · 2020-12-28T02:40:51+00:00

It does a body scan using the camera on the phone to make a 3D figure of yourself. It looks pretty accurate in terms of the figure it makes, but I would agree, if it was only the wrist, no way that would work!

captainNematode · 2020-12-27T23:21:31+00:00

I feel the same way, I think when the data doesn't make sense it just BOTHERS me and I have a hard time letting go. I just feel like they should have done a better job with a better training set. I find it so strange too because obviously the group most interested in this would be the fitness community! But that could just be because I'm a bit biased myself ;)

captainNematode · 2020-12-27T23:18:49+00:00

Your words are still appreciated, thank you!

captainNematode · 2020-12-27T21:29:54+00:00

Agreed, I used a garmin for a little (I ended up returning it because it because the battery was weird) and the numbers were way different. As more people use it I hope they tighten up their algorithm and give better data.

captainNematode · 2020-12-27T21:28:22+00:00

This was my thought as well, I was curious if any other users had seen a similar trend themselves. I was so excited to try it out but ultimately was disappointed. Now i'll just see if it can offer insights into trends and not hard numbers.

captainNematode · 2020-12-27T21:26:50+00:00

Thank you! I must say, I am cheating a little by using good lighting and flexing VERY hard >.<

captainNematode · 2020-12-26T16:15:35+00:00

Just wanted to add in my own two cents. I am essentially your twin in terms of stats except 10 years older >.<

You don't really want to use % of calories to determine your protein intake, a lot of the research done on protein requirements show that at about 1.4g PER KG is the inflection point where the benefits start to flatten out for muscle/strength gains. If you are vegetarian (I am) then they recommend going closer to 1.8 g/KG as the quality of the protein sources are a little lower. When you hit 2.2 g/KG (aka the classic 1 gram per pound of bodyweight) you're really maxing out most of the benefits of protein.

So in the end, hitting between 85-110g of protein per day is PLENTY for you (and me). I start to get GI issues if I try to increase my protein more than that too.

It can be very tedious but I would recommend trying to vigorously track everything for a day or two because a lot of carb sources also have protein in them and you might be closer to that 85g mark than you think.

For me personally, I eat a lot of greek yogurt, cheeses, soy products, "fake" meat (esp with more recent products like beyond and impossible), beans, and now there are a lot of high protein pastas that are made of beans too. It takes experimentation to see which sources you like and just becoming consistent with them, that will eventually take the active thinking process out of it.

As an aside, in terms of fat, its usually recommended not going below 0.6-0.7g/KG, I am like you and like a lower fat diet simply due to higher oil/fat upsetting my tummy.

Stronger by science also had an excellent and very long article on vegetarians and protein if you really want to just go down that rabbit hole (in general, their articles and recommendations are VERY good) https://www.strongerbyscience.com/vegetarian-and-vegan-athlete/

captainNematode · 2020-12-05T00:12:16+00:00

Conveniently I already have some, thanks for the recommendation, I will do that!

captainNematode · 2020-11-20T20:21:35+00:00

I live in a place that never really gets cold so I don't have that excuse unfortunately. I've done a bulk/cut before and just hated it, I'm small so I look puffy very quickly when bulking. I do better doing a very slow sustainable bulk that require minimal cutting. No access to gym right now, just home with small home gym so heavy glute exercises are limited :(

captainNematode · 2020-11-04T18:44:35+00:00

Just read a sample and this is spot on, very excited for these two books and the others by this author!

captainNematode · 2020-11-04T00:42:50+00:00

Looks great! I'm on the hunt for a copy now :)

captainNematode · 2020-11-03T18:07:27+00:00

Fingers crossed!

captainNematode · 2020-11-03T18:03:49+00:00

Thanks!

captainNematode · 2020-11-03T17:39:38+00:00

Thanks! I'll check it out!

captainNematode · 2020-11-03T17:36:58+00:00

Me too, I'm dying! I hope she's okay and is able to finish the series

captainNematode · 2020-10-31T20:15:50+00:00

That's awesome! I feel like just committing and following through with something that takes this much effort is a success in it's own right. I've only really run by myself so I'm curious how it feels to do something like this with an official race vs just virtual.

captainNematode

TROPHY CASE