ayeshaschroeder

Gainsdalf, until you battle an eating disorder and unhealthy obsession with weight you'll never understand why so many people, particularly women, dare to call the scale stupid. It's one number that casts a shadow over more important numbers like inches lost and, even more important than that, how one feels overall.

Translation: I don't workout there but I am in Haslett.

Don't workout the but am in Haslett. I workout at the Y.

100% agree with Tmedina. If you're weight training and eating at a deficit you might not see the scale move but you will notice inches lost. The scale is stupid. I use it maybe once a month.

Hey Gantic, My dad had sarcoidosis of the lungs when we were kids. I remember him being on pred and getting the typical "moon face" and also gaining weight. I will say that his diet wasn't the best at that time. Eventually he went off of the meds and hasn't had a flare up in over 10 years. He dropped the weight once he went off meds. It gets better! Sorry you have to go through all that. Seeing my dad go through it have me a front row seat to the challenges.

Congrats!! It's so rewarding to be able to share what you've learned with others. Way to pay it forward!

I agree with Wildross. Last year I got sick twice, which rarely happens. The first time I was out for a week, which really annoyed me. The second time I vowed not to let being sick get me down. I rested a couple days then got back in the gym and literally felt better within a day or two. G'luck!

Ahhhh that makes sense, Waldo. Thanks for clarifying.

Meteoric I totally get that. What I mean is that I don't necessarily have to focus on gaining mass to get stronger.

So totally random but I've been thinking about why I want to bulk and really what my goals are. Truthfully I want to get stronger. From my reading I don't necessarily have to bulk to get stronger, I just have to continue lifting like crazy, feeding my body, and kicking butt! Am I right? I mean I've seen some crazy strong people on American Ninja Warrior who complete the course and "bulkier" people who don't. Waldo - love the blog!

A nice soak in an epson salt bath helped me when I first started. Also, water and stretching.

Thanks everyone for your advice! What I'm going to do is a "diet break" as suggested on strength unbound. I'm just going to eat at maintenance and focus on strength. Although I look at how I live as a lifestyle, I think taking my focus off of fat loss for a month or so will be good for me. In the meantime I'll continue to research bulking.

I agree with El Exorcisto... also 5% fat in your diet is very low. I have my diet at 25% and that's even considered a little on the low side. Fat provides energy and is very necessary.

Just checking out his blog now. Thanks for recommending!

Thanks! I like your idea of not focusing on a number specifically. I didn't realize gaining 10lbs would be so hard. I can easily put on 10lbs of fat hahaha. What I'm thinking then is eat at maintenance plus 150 cal and just focus on improving strength, not actual weight.