Back to Hi Carbs and Feeling "Beastly"

[bulkybud]

I decided to go to a high carb, moderate to high calorie diet for a while- a bit of a winter 'bulk up'. I'm keeping an eye on my weight and I've gained about 3 pounds over the last two weeks and I'll cut back if my body fat starts to get out of control.

But my workouts have been awesome! As one fellow put it, you walk into the gym feeling "beastly"- meaning you feel ready to lift some serious weight. The poundage on my lifts are going steadily up and my energy is through the roof and I always walk out with a major pump going on.

In other words, I'm really liking it.

Bulkybud

[inflated]

I have always enjoyed my carb-up diets, don't be afraid to put on some weight. Every once in a while switch to a high protein low carb diet and you will keep the weight on while staying fairly lean.

[dodoria21]

sounds great man. i'm hoping to do a high carb bulk phase for the winter. depends on how much fat I lose between now and then, but sounds like your workouts are going great. makes me can't wait til I do something like that. keep up the good work!

[bulkybud]

Been a mixed bag with the high carb diet, but still on it.

The bad:
Gained about 10 lbs since September first and we all know gaining that fast means the weight certainly isn't all muscle. So I may have to take it down a few pegs when I reassess at the end of the month.
I've been outgrowing shirts, my skin feels tight around the shoulders and armpits, and while I can see that cool vein down my bicep more than ever before I know I've gained fat pounds.
Stuffing myself can get to be a drag. On 'cheat' days, when I can eat whatever I want, I often don't eat much. It's hard to remember when I felt hungry- I just eat on the clock these days.

The good:
Workouts remain AWESOME! My lifts have been steadily increasing and I feel great. I have been able to reduce the intervals between working out the same body part because I'm recovering faster from previous workouts so I'm usually in the gym twice a day now.
People in the gym and at work have noticed the weight gain and I even got cautionary tales at the gym about stretchmarks on my pecs or shoulders. One guy even asked if I was 'on' something- I told him that I was... 'on' food!

October 1 is my first 'reviewing of the program' time. I still feel "beastly" and am having trouble staying out of the gym to recover- I want to go in too often and have to keep in mind that you grow muscle in the kitchen, not in the gym. But I am reminding myself that I do want to look like the big, muscle guy, rather than the big, fat guy so the diet may need a little tweaking at the end of the month.

But on the whole, this ride is sweet.

Bulkybud
(Chanting the new mantra- "More food on the plate, more weight on the bar. More food on the plate, more weight on the bar...")

[arpeejay]

Any updates? Are you still gaining? how much have you put on?

xoxo

Richard

[bulkybud]

Originally Posted by arpeejay

Any updates? Are you still gaining? how much have you put on?

Gaining has slowed- I've only put on about 6 lbs. this month. But after September's 10 lb. gain, which had to be mostly fat, I thought I should ease up on the carbs a bit.

When I was describing my plan and diet to a friend at the gym, his comment was, "and how are your abs?"

"Nicely buried," I replied, patting my gut.

If my body fat is increasing, the good part is that my strength is still going up as well. I'm lifting heavier than I ever have in my life and enjoying that quite a bit.

My arms are bigger. When I'm this fat, I call 'em pipes, not guns. They are 19+ inches around after a good tricep workout and that's a first for me.

I read an article that harped on overweight, offseason bodybuilders. It was criticizing them for getting so fat during the offseason and not having the ripped waist all year around.

I can see looking beach ready all the time, but I can also tell you that just being bulky definitly has it's appeal. Now when people are talking about large men, I'm used as a reference- "you know, a big built-up guy, like him" (and they point a me).

I think I'm going to keep bulking, just try to clean up the gain a bit.

Bulkybud

[bulkybud]

Nearing the end of the second month of the bulking program and I'm on the fence about whether to continue it.

When I see the new bulk in my arms, shoulders, and back I'm ready to keep going for the next two months as planned, but when I look at my waist I start thinking about starting to cut back and actually show some muscle.

As jeans start to be tight in the waist and thighs moving into the low-carb phase seems good, but then I hit a new lifting personal best (110 lbs. for 2 sets of 10 in preacher curls- woo-hoo!) I want to keep bulking.

Friends are polite and no one has said anything about the fat gain, but I certainly see it.

What I need to do is stop second-guessing myself and make a plan and stick to it.

I'm going to make a decision by Nov 1. on whether to keep bulking through December. AND I'm making a pledge to myself to stop being so wishy-washy.

But right now it's off to the gym and hopefully set a few more personal bests in my chest workout.

bulkybud

[THE BODYBUILDING GIANT]

why dont u diet down and see if uve actuallu gained some good muscle

[bulkybud]

Originally Posted by nathan

why dont u diet down and see if uve actuallu gained some good muscle

I read, and agree with, the idea of gauging muscle growth by strength- if you're lifting more weight, you've gained more muscle.

I'm lifting a LOT more weight than before. Poundage that used to be my limit in pyramid routines is now lower than my starting weight in my current pyramids.

So judging by my lifts, my shape, and comments made to me, I know I've gained some good muscle.

My question (mainly to myself) is do I keep building muscle or work on losing fat? Contrary to scattered claims to the contrary, I really believe you can't do both at the same time.

bulkybud

[monstermusclebe]

I too thought you could not gain muscle and lose fat at the same time.

But I seem to be doing exactly that.

Now, the muscle I'm gaining is still with the bounds of size that I have been within already, in the past, ergo I've already had this muscle size before.

But I'm clearly losing fat at the same time as this muscle is returning to my body.

I think this has a lot to do with my diet, which is mostly raw foods (inc. a lot of raw milk). I was getting a pump from it before I even returned to the weights.

I am shocked and obviously pleased by this turn of events. I have no idea if it will continue, especially after I reach my former muscle size maximums... Which may be quite soon. I never thought I'd get to looking this muscular again so quickly. I'm humbled and blown away by my progress... And very, very inspired to keep going.

I f**king love bodybuilding.

[bulkybud]

Right now, I'm LOVING the high carb diet!

Though I'm not gaining the bodyweight I was hoping for, my lifts are getting better. Today's tricep workout included pyramiding db French Press with two sets of 6 with 70 lb dumbbells at the peak. Then finished up the workout with regular EZ curl barbell French Press ("Skullcrushers") at 105.

Last bicep workout included 120 x 8 while pyramiding on the Preacher bench.

There are people at my gym who do these heavier, but these are personal bests for me and they keep me motivated to train.

bulkybud

[bulkybud]

Back to gaining- packed on few pounds and lifts are still going up. I think I discovered an obvious flaw in my diet- lack of vegetables. I wasn't feeling that "beastly" focused on just on protein and carbs so I added more vegetables to my food intake and I'm gaining weight again.

My personal theory is that just protein and carbs rush through my digestive system and I don't absorb that much. Vegetables seem to slow things down and the protein and carbs are in me longer and I absorb more of them.

By my calculations I haven't added many calories or carbs with vegetables but my bodyweight is starting back up and I'm feeling strong in the gym again.

bulkybud

[THE BODYBUILDING GIANT]

Originally Posted by bulkybud

Back to gaining- packed on few pounds and lifts are still going up. I think I discovered an obvious flaw in my diet- lack of vegetables. I wasn't feeling that "beastly" focused on just on protein and carbs so I added more vegetables to my food intake and I'm gaining weight again.

My personal theory is that just protein and carbs rush through my digestive system and I don't absorb that much. Vegetables seem to slow things down and the protein and carbs are in me longer and I absorb more of them.

By my calculations I haven't added many calories or carbs with vegetables but my bodyweight is starting back up and I'm feeling strong in the gym again.

bulkybud

vegetables are important with insulin levels o mate