When weight gain slows - what do you do?

[kloan]

Simple answer: eat more!

Yes, of course. That is an obvious answer.

But more importantly, eat what?

What do you guys eat to gain more weight when it slows? Do you just go for calories, eat whatever you want? Or do you eat more protein? For someone who's trying to eat clean, what would you suggest if their weight gain has slowed down?

I am eating more than I did last cycle, and that one I blew up... but I also got bloated and gained fat along with the muscle growth.

So this time around, I'm eating clean. Eating even protein and carbs for the first 3 or 4 meals (and low fat), then cutting back carbs in the evening, and consuming some fats with protein for the last 2 or 3.

So it's safe to assume I need more calories if my weight gain has stalled. But what would be the best approach to this so that I don't start getting all bloated and fat again (if that's even possible on Tren)?

[edit: still gaining, just slowly.. weighed myself tonight, up another 1lb.. seems im gaining 1lb every few days or so - currently at 178lbs]

[MMASTAR]

whats wrong with 1 pound every couple days? just eat more, but keep it clean, add some healthy fats to your morning meals maybe or some carbs to one more meal in the day...

[rated_rko]

more eggs!! or throw in some fish...red meat?

[waderow]

increase your calories in each macro

P/C/F + 10%

[natenator]

increase your calories in each macro

P/C/F + 10%
depending on current conditioning I agree with this.

Generally, when I bulk I stick to a structured diet until the gains slow and then I start adding in cheat/refeed meals. Start with one a week and go from there.

[GYMBRAT]

x2, too much too fast could equal unwanted fat gains

[ironwill]

depending on current conditioning I agree with this.

Generally, when I bulk I stick to a structured diet until the gains slow and then I start adding in cheat/refeed meals. Start with one a week and go from there.

I wrote out pretty much the same reply, so ill just say.....AGREED.....this is the course im on now........finding what works without getting "to" tubby.....

[Delt King]

If your protein intake is at least 1 gram per pound of bodyweight you won't need to increase more than this. Get your EFA's in and increase carbs to bring total caloric intake above your maintenance level and presto weight gain. The key is to be structured so that you know how many cals your taking in now in order to know what you're changing. Ideally off season weight gain would be a 1:1 ratio of fat to muscle keeping your gains LEAN. Stray above that ratio and bodyfat increases. I agree to some degree with the cheat meals...but large increases in calories once or twice per week generally will only increase your metabolic rate and glycogen absorption making it more difficult to gain weight but easier to lose weight when dieting. Consistent caloric overload is the only way IMO.

[tiramisu]

I'll take the other side for a change. After almost 5 months of force feeding I'm getting pretty darn tired of bulking. I should hit my 230 number in the next couple of weeks and then I'm cutting carbs and doing some cardio for a few months. I'm pretty sure I've added 10 pounds of meat this fall. I would have been happier if it had been more but there's only so much food that I'm willing to eat. It gets annoying after a while.

[LondonMuscle]

it depends, are u having problems eating enough as it is or are u still hungry most of the time but you're afraid of getting fat?

if u are still hungry most of the time id start just by keep your food choices the same and increasing the portions at each meal... so if a meal right now, for example, is 1 potato, 6oz of steak and 1 cup of veggies, id try 1.5 potatoes, 9oz of steak and 1.5 cups of veggies... do something similar for all of your meals

if u are currently having problems getting in enough cals and u are not hungry anymore, id increase the calorie density of each meal... so id switch up chicken for red meat, switch egg whites for whole eggs etc... also add in in things like cheese to your meals and nuts/pb to ur shakes... in this way it doesnt really feel like ur eating more food but the cals from that food will be greater

after u do this if ur still not putting on the weight u desire, id increase the post workout meal, this is the one time if day u can get away with almost anything... for the last bit of my offseason, my weight was stagnant and i had already increased the cals for each meal as much as i could handle... from here i ramped up my pwo meal to either be like 5 double hamburgers or a pizza... all the other meals should remain clean but pwo id maximize ur carb and protein intake... DO NOT resort to just eating junk with every meal and id still avoid the totally empty cals like cookies, ice cream etc

most ppl should not have to resort to maximizing cals for the pwo meal, but the option is there should u get big enough and have your metabolism fast enough that it is hard to gain mass any other way


now if ur already pretty fat to begin with, then maybe u dont actually want to add more mass... in this case id take a break from bulking, drop those extra pounds, slim up for a bit then resume bulking with a renewed appreciation for food, not to mention a solid rebound effect!

[ubcpower]

adding efa's is always an easy convenient option.
1 tbsp of ex v olive oil to any of your meals will bump calorie intake by 100+

[kloan]

Just want to acknowledge my appreciation for the replies so far. I'm on the can and have to go out in a min so I don't have time to address a few questions, but will when I get back later!

[buildinthaskinnys]

Simple answer: eat more!

Yes, of course. That is an obvious answer.

But more importantly, eat what?

What do you guys eat to gain more weight when it slows? Do you just go for calories, eat whatever you want? Or do you eat more protein? For someone who's trying to eat clean, what would you suggest if their weight gain has slowed down?

I am eating more than I did last cycle, and that one I blew up... but I also got bloated and gained fat along with the muscle growth.

So this time around, I'm eating clean. Eating even protein and carbs for the first 3 or 4 meals (and low fat), then cutting back carbs in the evening, and consuming some fats with protein for the last 2 or 3.

So it's safe to assume I need more calories if my weight gain has stalled. But what would be the best approach to this so that I don't start getting all bloated and fat again (if that's even possible on Tren)?

[edit: still gaining, just slowly.. weighed myself tonight, up another 1lb.. seems im gaining 1lb every few days or so - currently at 178lbs]

Ok , how about eat less because you are getting too fat? 2-3 pounds a week is plenty I would bet most of that is fat because you certainly arent going to build muscle tissue at that rate. How many people put on 30 pounds of muscle in ten weeks? Dont worry about the scale use the mirror, the tape and your log book to measure gains, if you are getting stronger you are getting bigger and dont weigh yourself every day, muscle gain is cyclic meaning you might gain a pound one week than 3 pounds the next, than half a pound and then 4 pounds the next week. The processes that lead to muscle growth are far more complicated than fat gain.

Sorry bout' the rant trying to make my posts more "green" worthy for wade.

[JacktheThriller]

if u are still getting stronger and eating a calorie surplus weight gain should be irrellevant, if u only gained 2 pounds a month u would still be 24 pds of pure muscle more than when u started which is a shit load of muscle, if u could gain this well u would be monster in a few years, good weight gain takes time, just focus on upping ur strength by small increments

[gregdoucette]

I dont get it ur complaining because ur only gaining a lbs every few days. How is that bad. I mean really if u only gain 1 lbs a week ul be up 10 lbs in 10 weeks. U dont need to eat masive ammounts of food to gain muscle mass if u do ull just end up bloated and fat.

[C-money]

I dont get it ur complaining because ur only gaining a lbs every few days. How is that bad. I mean really if u only gain 1 lbs a week ul be up 10 lbs in 10 weeks. U dont need to eat masive ammounts of food to gain muscle mass if u do ull just end up bloated and fat.

I agree, even at 1 pound every couple weeks is fine by me.. i find a couple pounds a week is too much, my physique starts to appear sloppy

[trainharder]

Go to the grocery store and weigh what a 1lbs of ground beef feels like....That's a shitload of muscle to be adding in a week!

If you're gaining more than 1lbs/week, you have to wonder how much of it is fat..

[kloan]

I dont get it ur complaining because ur only gaining a lbs every few days. How is that bad. I mean really if u only gain 1 lbs a week ul be up 10 lbs in 10 weeks. U dont need to eat masive ammounts of food to gain muscle mass if u do ull just end up bloated and fat.

who's complaining??
just asking a simple question.

weight gain is going to be different for someone who's on gear, which i am... so there's a difference with my question pertaining to weight gain.

nevermind eh... im in a shitty mood dont feel like responding to comments or questions anymore.

[JacktheThriller]

kloan i know u know this but the dumb thing to do is jump around in routines or try upping ur dosages, keep goin man

[LondonMuscle]

i didnt realize you were already gaining 1 pound every couple of days when i made my post

like everyone else said, thats phenomenal progress, probably too good actually to be mostly lean mass gains

i usually limit my weight gain to about 3 pounds per month, to ensure im putting on quality mass and not just mass... stick with what you are currently doing and revisit this thread when u arent gaining more than 2 pounds a month


just to put things in perspective, if u put on 1 pound of muscle per month, which is staggering progress imo, in 5 years u would have put on 60 pounds of muscle and in 10 years, 120 pounds, of muscle!! at that point u would be a pro

[kloan]

i didnt realize you were already gaining 1 pound every couple of days when i made my post

like everyone else said, thats phenomenal progress, probably too good actually to be mostly lean mass gains

i usually limit my weight gain to about 3 pounds per month, to ensure im putting on quality mass and not just mass... stick with what you are currently doing and revisit this thread when u arent gaining more than 2 pounds a month


just to put things in perspective, if u put on 1 pound of muscle per month, which is staggering progress imo, in 5 years u would have put on 60 pounds of muscle and in 10 years, 120 pounds, of muscle!! at that point u would be a pro
normally i would tend to agree with you... lean gains are optimal of course. however i am currently on test, eq and tren... so ive got a bit of extra help to gain the mass.

i have been keeping a close eye on my problem areas when it comes to fat gain, and so far fat gain has been minimal. ive gained roughly 9 lbs in 5 weeks total since i stopped the keto diet i was on prior.. so not quite 1lb every few days as i previously stated.

to answer one of your questions before... i am full, completely stuffed when i finish eating. i eat as much as i can, and then some. ive been keeping my whey shakes to protein/carbs only, no fats. so if my weight stalls, that will be the first change i will do, add healthy fats to my shakes, and go from there.

so far, im not complaining one bit. i am happy with the progress ive made so far. im not bloated at all, and fat gain has been minimal.. my stomach doesnt stick out like it did my last cycle. ive learned a LOT this past year, and have been applying this knowledge to the best of my abilities for this cycle.

i just wanted to get some opinions from people who have experience with doing bulking cycles, and what kind of calories they consume when weight gain slows. the last thing i want to do is start stuffing my face with whatever i can get my hands on and become a fat tub of shit... cuz then i have to work that all off and it takes too much time... plus its not healthy. i think my approach this time is working.

[gregdoucette]

Why not just eat till ur full and stop dont forcefeed at all. Instead of adding 9 lbs in 5 weeks ud have gained probably 5 but at the same time you would have reduced bodyfat and therefore looked even bigger.