Switch from Cutting to Bulking Diets

**SergeantCarbs** · 02-18-2011, 06:20 AM

Well after 18 months of dieting I've finally hit my goals. Now underweight and with a vacation coming up in about 3 months, I really want to put some weight back on before then. (is it really necessary to say I want this to be lean weight like everyone does every time they mention weight gain, who wants to add fat really)

Anyway going from a calorie deficit to a surplus this week has been lets say uncomfortable and not as fun as I thought it was going to be. With gaining my normal water weight back plus the addition of creatine, I've packed back on about 13 lbs in the last 5 days. This was expected but what I didnt expect was my waist line growing 1.5 inches in a week... Im a bit paranoid about fat gain at this point and really just looking for comfirmation that this is normal. I really didnt expect waist line measurements to change by that much just from water weight.

**POPS** · 02-18-2011, 06:50 AM

Originally Posted by SergeantCarbs

Well after 18 months of dieting I've finally hit my goals. Now underweight and with a vacation coming up in about 3 months, I really want to put some weight back on before then. (is it really necessary to say I want this to be lean weight like everyone does every time they mention weight gain, who wants to add fat really)STAY THE WAY YOU ARE AND WAIT UNTIL YOU ARE ON YOUR TRIP OR THE DAY BEFORE START CARB LOADING SO BY THE TIME YOU HIT THE POOL OR BEACH YOULL LOOK LIKE A MONSTER!A LITTLE TRICK I WAS TOUGHT

Anyway going from a calorie deficit to a surplus this week has been lets say uncomfortable and not as fun as I thought it was going to be. With gaining my normal water weight back plus the addition of creatine, I've packed back on about 13 lbs in the last 5 days. This was expected but what I didnt expect was my waist line growing 1.5 inches in a week... Im a bit paranoid about fat gain at this point and really just looking for comfirmation that this is normal. I really didnt expect waist line measurements to change by that much just from water weight.

How many calories are you changing from, meaning your defecit to your surplus?

**SergeantCarbs** · 02-18-2011, 07:47 AM

Originally Posted by POPS

STAY THE WAY YOU ARE AND WAIT UNTIL YOU ARE ON YOUR TRIP OR THE DAY BEFORE START CARB LOADING SO BY THE TIME YOU HIT THE POOL OR BEACH YOULL LOOK LIKE A MONSTER!A LITTLE TRICK I WAS TOUGHT

Typically I would agree with this but after losing near 80 lbs, I'm underweight now. Twas thinking I have abouy 12 weeks, spend 8 trying to put some weight back on and the last 4 burning off any excess fat gained. Agreed or bad plan?

**lonelysoldier1988** · 02-18-2011, 07:55 AM

Look going to be frank with you, you have to pretty much decide your goals. If you wanna be a guy who packs on 20-50pounds of dry muscle in 1 year then you have to eat in a 1k surplus. Cause on your off days is when u grow. Alot of people really misjudge the number in which you have to eat for optimal growth. Sit down and decide what goals you are aiming for, and go from there. If I had a choice of being chubby for 2 years, but then 4-5 months shedding the excess and revealing greatness, I would choose chubby. Goodluck

**baseline_9** · 02-18-2011, 08:27 AM

Originally Posted by lonelysoldier1988

Look going to be frank with you, you have to pretty much decide your goals. If you wanna be a guy who packs on 20-50pounds of dry muscle in 1 year then you have to eat in a 1k surplus. Cause on your off days is when u grow. Alot of people really misjudge the number in which you have to eat for optimal growth. Sit down and decide what goals you are aiming for, and go from there. If I had a choice of being chubby for 2 years, but then 4-5 months shedding the excess and revealing greatness, I would choose chubby. Goodluck

Thats is ur opinion but my opinion is quite the oposite

And most guys would agree with me that u need to gain weight slowly 1 lb per month max if naturall to make good clean gains

And if u tyink u can gain 50 LBS of 'dry muscle' in one year i would love to see you do it

It may be possible for an underweight noob but apart from that it is unlikley

If you are verry yound 15-16 i would say hammer the food big time and get as big as you can for 4-5 years ( eat clean tho )

**SergeantCarbs** · 02-18-2011, 08:41 AM

Guys thanks. Im definitely interested in hearing more of both sides of that opinion about gaining slow/fast. But my main question wasnt really based on that. I was thinking of keeping track of my waistline to judge whether what was gained is going towards fat/mass. Growing 13 lbs and 1.5 inches @ waist in less then a week from what I know must be mainly if not all water sort of shoots that down though. Since water weight goes towards mass, I didnt expect that much size difference at the naval. Am I completly off in my way of thinking?

**gbrice75** · 02-18-2011, 09:07 AM

Originally Posted by lonelysoldier1988

Look going to be frank with you, you have to pretty much decide your goals. If you wanna be a guy who packs on 20-50pounds of dry muscle in 1 year then you have to eat in a 1k surplus. Cause on your off days is when u grow. Alot of people really misjudge the number in which you have to eat for optimal growth. Sit down and decide what goals you are aiming for, and go from there. If I had a choice of being chubby for 2 years, but then 4-5 months shedding the excess and revealing greatness, I would choose chubby. Goodluck

This is pretty bad advice IMO. Nobody but genetic freaks and the occasional noob are going to naturally put on 20lbs of 'real' muscle in a year, forget about 50. As for 1k surplus, do you think that's a magical number that works for everybody?

A person can achieve slow and steady gains while maintaining or slowly reducing bodyfat... that's what a body recomp is all about.

Originally Posted by baseline_9

Thats is ur opinion but my opinion is quite the oposite

And most guys would agree with me that u need to gain weight slowly 1 lb per month max if naturall to make good clean gains

And if u tyink u can gain 50 LBS of 'dry muscle' in one year i would love to see you do it

It may be possible for an underweight noob but apart from that it is unlikley

If you are verry yound 15-16 i would say hammer the food big time and get as big as you can for 4-5 years ( eat clean tho )

^ ^ ^ this.

Sergeant, don't worry about the 1.5 inches. Unless you're eating like a madman (and based on your diet, you're not), there is no way you've gained fat like that. For the most part, it's water retention and your stomach holding on to the extra food it's a system shock since you've been in a deficit for so long. Are you feeling very uncomfortable/gassy/bloated?

**SergeantCarbs** · 02-18-2011, 09:13 AM

Oh without a doubt uncomfortable, gassy & bloating....
Again, I know Im just being paranoid and its water weight, just didnt expect an large size difference due to water weight since its supposed to go towards mass...
Congrats again about the pregnancy, is this your first child?

**lonelysoldier1988** · 02-18-2011, 12:00 PM

not dry muscle, but water and glycogen as well! More muscle u add the more space your muscle develops for storage. You need to shoot past your goal ripped look by 30-40 pounds. Its the only way not to look like the guy who has been training for 7 years and looks the same as he did five years ago

**gbrice75** · 02-18-2011, 01:49 PM

Originally Posted by SergeantCarbs

Oh without a doubt uncomfortable, gassy & bloating....
Again, I know Im just being paranoid and its water weight, just didnt expect an large size difference due to water weight since its supposed to go towards mass...
Congrats again about the pregnancy, is this your first child?

I'd suggest you give it another week or so, give you body a chance to adjust and see if the discomfort passes before you make any big changes.

Thank you man! Yes, i'm 35 but this is my first! Better late then never I suppose!

**baseline_9** · 02-18-2011, 03:56 PM

Originally Posted by lonelysoldier1988

not dry muscle, but water and glycogen as well! More muscle u add the more space your muscle develops for storage. You need to shoot past your goal ripped look by 30-40 pounds. Its the only way not to look like the guy who has been training for 7 years and looks the same as he did five years ago

Your talking out of ur arse

Why would you want to look like a fat bastard for a long duration while to gain muscle?

Ok lets say that your happy to look like a fat bastard who doesnt train for 2 years, you gain a load of weight and then you have to diet down to look half decent

By the time you have dieted down to low BF you will have lost some of the size you have gained

If you simply stay lean and gain good weight then you end up with the same results except u dont look shit for 2 years....

Any added benefit to stacking on the pounds 'in the off season' is short lived because you will loose the benefit when u have to diet down to shape.

**baseline_9** · 02-18-2011, 03:59 PM

Also the body can only utalise a certain surpluss of calories...

500 cals surplus per day will add 1lb of BODYWEIGHT

1000 cals surplus per day will add 2lb of BODYWEIGHT

however the 1000 calorie surplus will not create double the muscle gains, it simply does not work like that

**gbrice75** · 02-18-2011, 05:27 PM

Originally Posted by baseline_9

Also the body can only utalise a certain surpluss of calories...

500 cals surplus per day will add 1lb of BODYWEIGHT

1000 cals surplus per day will add 2lb of BODYWEIGHT

however the 1000 calorie surplus will not create double the muscle gains, it simply does not work like that

Exactly. If it did work that way, we'd all suck it up and eat 10k calories/day for a few months and all be beasts.