Nutrition Advice

J

Joe.Muscle

Active Member
Ok need some help.

After being lazy on protein intake for a while now about 2 months ago I got serious with it. I am getting 1 gram per pound of lean bodyweight....here is were I need some help.

I started off at 184 pounds at 15% bodyfat. Now I know the rule of cut to 10% bulk up to 15% but my bodyframe is different. At 6 feet tall and 184 pounds My waist is 33 inches..so I am not to heavy. Also consider I am guilty of not working my legs that often over the years so the majority of my muscle is upperbody. If I were to squat and deadlift like I am suppose to I could easly gain more leg muscle over next 2 years from the lack of training those muscle have always received.

That being said after 2 months my bodyfat is now 16% and my bodyweight is 190 pounds and my pants / waist is noticably bigger.

From my calculations out of the 6 pounds I have gain only 3 pounds of that is lean muscle mass or muscle.

Is this normal rate of return in the context of having to gain fat to gain muscle?
 
My advice is to cut calories and drop down bodyfat if you are really at 16%.
 
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re: protein, 1 gram per pound of lean bodyweight is a good measurement. The only problem is that you may have to restrict calories from carbs and fats, in order to cut your fat gain. At this point, I can get all that protein in, and even just a few carbs and fats in my meals, is enough to put me at maintenance! Its like basically my body doesn't want to lose any more bodyfat than it is now!
So to stay in the 10-15% bodyfat range, I have to: train HST, get adequate amounts of protein, while restricting carbs and excess fat from my diet as much as possible in my crazy modern schedule...:p
Good luck!;)
 
With a 33 inch waist, I find it hard to believe you are at or over 15% bodyfat.

How are you measuring bodyfat?

I also have a hard time believing you only gained a 50/50 ratio of fat to muscle.

Re: protein - there is debate about this, but really there is no risk to getting more protein than 1 gram per lb of lean mass, I would prefer to see you getting 1 gram per lb of total bodyweight rather than lean mass, but unless you have a kidney problem or something, there really is no reason to restrict protein intake. Protein has a higher thermic effect than other macronutrients so higher protein intake generally means less risk of fat gain. Also, protein intake itself is mildly anabolic - just eating more protein will increase protein synthesis, so I always try to get at least 1.5 grams per lb just to be safe.

With regards to whether to bulk or cut... honestly, I think you need to just break the 200 lb barrier and be done with it. Reevaluate your diet, reevaluate how you are measuring everything, make a plan and stick to it. If your waist measurement goes up, it's not a big deal, you can cut the fat later. Honestly, I think most people in this game would be better off taking pictures and posting them regularly, letting everyone else evaluate their progress instead of doing it themselves and saying "omg I'm getting so fat" when they probably haven't really gained as much fat as they think, or when they are cutting thinking they are wasting away when they really aren't.
 
Measure my bodyfat with the hand held electronic machine at 15%.

I did skin calipers tonight and it showed around 13%...???

When you say to question 50/50 muscle to fat gain are you saying that good or bad?
 
I'm saying that you most likely gained more muscle than you think and that your bodyfat measurements are most likely off. 13% sounds more realistic.
 
Skin calipers are more accurate. It sounds like you are likely 13%, and you could go either way. Would you rather be bigger or leaner right now?
 
If you're unsure about the precision of the measurements, don't be afraid to let the mirror factor in as well - one of the best pieces of advice Bryan ever gave out, I reckon. That 1:1 ratio doesn't sound quite right, I'd expect more like ~ 2-3:1. Fat being far less dense that muscle means a little goes a long way, vice versa as well - you lose 3-4kgs at 18-20% and ppl will think you've lost 10 or something.
 
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