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.

Hi there fellow bodybuilding friends! I'm thinking it's time to do my first bulk ever. I've been lifting heavy and doing cardio since last October. I'm 26, female, 5'4 and went from 170ish to 127. I have a little fat all over, however, it's nothing grotesque and I'm not looking to get my body fat percentage down to anything super low. Estimates right now have it around 16-18%. With that in mind I want to do a bulk, but am terrified of gaining fat. So here's my grand plan: 1. Eat at maintenance level (1600) + 150 calories extra per day - I calculated maintenance level according to a sedentary lifestyle, however, I'm super active. I will eat back calories burnt while working out plus the extra for gains. 2. I still plan to do cardio along with lifting. Cardio is really important to me because heart disease runs heavily in my family and I want to keep the old ticker healthy. 3. I want to gain around 10 pound of lean mass in the next two months or so... 4. My main reason for doing this is because I want to improve body composition and I also don't see myself getting any stronger without gaining lean mass. Any thoughts or ideas? Do you suggest cutting a little more? I don't want to feel bloated or gross while bulking so any tips to avoid that would be great as well. I appreciate any input. Please be nice! We're all fighting a fierce battle.

My go to breakfast pretty much everyday: breakfast sandwich. I cook up some eggs, canadian bacon, and throw it on an english muffin. Add cheese and pepper (I don't add salt because the bacon has enough), and you're good to go. Typically I do 3 slices of canadian bacon and use eggs whites and a couple slices of cheese, but this can be modified to meet your protein goals (i.e. add more meat for protein, more cheese for fat, etc.).

My parents are completely vegan. When I go to their house we enjoy tons of delicious meals packed FULL of protein. One of my favorites is vegan chili. Add a couple cans of your favorite beans, bell peppers, onion, and chicken style seitan. 1 serving of chicken style seitan (which you can get at Whole Foods) has 21 grams of protein in it. Add in the protein from the beans and you've got one bowl of protein. Also, I love using TVP as a ground beef substitute in chili, tacos, etc. It's packed full of protein and fiber.

I LOVE chocolate and think that part of being successful involves managing how you fit your favorite foods into your lifestyle. I personally am very satisfied when I eat a Quest Double Chocolate Chunk bar. These bars have 160 cal, 20 grams of protein, 17 grams of fiber and I can almost guarantee you will love them. Try finding alternate ways of enjoying chocolate. I add a little unsweetened cacao powder to my oatmeal along with some stevia. It's delicious, gives you chocolate, but doesn't have a ton of added sugar or fat. I also make chocolate pudding from my protein shake mix. Take a couple scoops (or whatever a serving size is) add water and mix until it's a pudding like consistency. If you enjoy chocolate ice cream (who doesn't?) mix chocolate protein shake mix with some Greek yogurt, blend in a food processor, and freeze OR just have a Klondike no sugar added bar. Hope that helps! Good luck.

I think it's pretty crummy advice. What I'd advise the dude is to do 2-3 HIIT sessions per week to train his fast twitch muscles. That has helped me incredibly with increasing my speed.

Epsilon I will def let you know. I'll be down there for sure next weekend but for my sister in law's birthday.

I just went to Art Fest in June. Do they have another? I've also been to Art Prize...

I live in Okemos! Love it here. I have a fairly free schedule and hang out around Lansing and the Detroit area. Let me know if you're planning anything. I don't drink but am totally up for Beer Fest.

I'm in Lansing! Anyone in the area?

Lol! Thanks for replying anyway. All great advice.