Cutting/bulking

[crace23]

Okay I'm just curious as to what kind of help you guys can give me on bulking? Or if I should even start to bulk. I'm 5'9" and weigh around 177. I've lost 50 pounds since last June and I feel like it's time to start getting bigger. I'm pretty cut now and I think it's just all in my head and I'm worried about getting fat. Any advice would be awesome! My fail macros go as follows:

Protein: 205-222g
Carbs: 194-210
Fat-59-74

 

[crace23]

Daily macros*

 

[Zoomie33240]

If you are worried about getting fat then it's really simple to bulk honestly still. All you need to do in order to bulk is be in a calorie surplus at the end of the day. In saying that, you can either cut back cardio a little bit (so that you don't burn so many calories) AND/OR you can add in 300-500 calories per day and see how that treats you. Just keep an eye on the mirror/scale and if you are gaining fat too fast cut back the cals. Conversely if you aren't gaining weight or strength then you need to up your calories.

If you are trying to stay lean then take the "slow and steady" approach to bulking. Slowly lower the cardio/add in calories and adjust every 2-3 weeks as needed. I like to stay lean while bulking too! Cudos to you man on losing the weight!

 

[crace23]

Thank you! My biggest fear is gaining all that weight back so I think that mindset really prevents me from successfully bulking. Do you have any recommendation for my daily caloric intake? My macros?

 

[JudoJosh]

Fat gain is a part of bulking. Accept it as it is unavoidable. That said, what can control is the amount of fat gain, meaning, you can bulk and maintain a relatively lean body composition.

Your macro split looks fine to me

 

[crace23]

Thanks for the input. Everyone just keeps telling me to increase my carbs and I wasn't sure what to do

 

[Zoomie33240]

Honestly it's impossible for me to really help you with your macros. You can guess what your body needs but everyone's body is different. The only way to know is if you are eating certain macros and aren't gaining any weight then that is your baseline macros. You have to play around with your body for months or even years to find what truly works sometimes. However, on the easier side of things, if you are cutting at those macros I would just add in 50g of carbs and 15g of fat to my post workout meal and start there and see how your body responds. If you gain strength/weight on that then just keep doing that until you stop gaining strength/weight and add in another 30-50g of carbs and 10-15 fat. Just keep doing that until you are satisfied with your results and adjust back and forth as neccessary.

 

[Quads_of_Stee]

zoomie pretty much hit the nail on the head. Calorie dense foods are always good when bulking, but some people prefer to eat more volume. Do you have any trouble eating enough by any chance?

 

[crace23]

Yes I have trouble eating enough. I've been working on it a lot recently

 

[Quads_of_Stee]

Yes I have trouble eating enough. I've been working on it a lot recently

try adding in calorie dense foods such as peanut butter, oils, and fats. They make it easy to get calories in. Think more cheese, avocados, and cooking with oils. Otherwise you could try a supplement such as slinmax which makes it easier to eat a greater amount of food.