Gaining weight - what to expect - how to do it safely

[kfisherx]

With your collective help I came from being a chronic under-eater into a phase of my training where I want to actually gain. Over the course of the past 5 weeks or so I have taken my calorie intake from 1400 kcals (avg) a day up to 1900 kcals a day. During that time I dropped an amazing amount of fat and am way little right now. Down in clothing size, etc. The weight lifting aspect of training really kicked in my metabolism.

While it is fun to wear tiny clothes, it isn't where I want to ultimately be. I want to have good definition and maybe even be "buff" a bit. I am glad I lost bf% but know I need to gain muscle if I want to reach my real goal. So I have been focusing on learning how to eat. I can see that I will soon reach 2200 or more a day as I have a few "kicker" suppliments that I can get in if I cannot do whole foods. My macro-nutrient goals are on track at about 40-40-20 (protein, carb, fat)

My goal is to gain muscle and get a bit more beefy over the next months and then go into a cut phase at some point. I have never gained with on purpose before so this is brand new ground for me. I will be lifting 3-4 times a week and doing only very light cardio.

When I gain weight will my bf% also go up? If so what is an expected range for it to go up? Also how fast can I gain and still do it in a safe way? I am surrounded by folks who do bodybuilding and they do crazy up and down cycles gaining and cutting year round it seems. Is that really needed or can I gain weight and then cut and stabalize at some point? Sorry for all the questions.

Any other advise would be appreciated. I am working really, really hard at this and am very much ignorant about nutrition and proper eating so am seeking knowledge.

[drs]

Results are sure to vary.
Some authors recommend increasing by 250 calories a day for a while to see what effect this will have, wait for a month or so and determine if you will need to increase again by 250.
I'd recommend that you not try to gain more than a pound a week but I don't have any science to back that up.
Your body fat will invariably go up, but by gaining weight slowly you should be able to minimize this.
There is no reason that you personally need to do the cut/bulk thing. When you reach the desired weight, back off a little to stop the gain.

[Alcoholiday]

Also how fast can I gain and still do it in a safe way? I am surrounded by folks who do bodybuilding and they do crazy up and down cycles gaining and cutting year round it seems. Is that really needed or can I gain weight and then cut and stabalize at some point? Sorry for all the questions.

just don't over complicate things.

add a little more calories than you're eating now. When you start to see the scale go up weekly by a pound or so, then you're on the right track. If you don't, eat some more. If you're gaining too fast, cut it down.

When I gain weight will my bf% also go up? If so what is an expected range for it to go up?

If you gain muscle without fat, your bf% will go down. You're going to gain some fat with your muscle, the key is to just keeping it to a minimum by raising your calories slowly.

[kfisherx]

Thanks for the response guys. That gives me exactly the answers I was looking for. I am talking to these dudes at the Max Muscle place who are talking about eating 8000 cals a day. Others were throwing big numbers at me such as over 5K or so. I also talked to some body builders who threw big numbers like this around. Funny thing is I look at these people and they all seem fat to me.

I can do 2400 and gain at 1 lb a week. I think I will shoot for that but not for another couple of weeks. I will keep it at 1900 for a little while and see where that takes me. I think that will yield me a .5 lb a week gain which should be just right.

[Lost Dog]

I like the idea of adding 250 calories. Go a week. Add 250. Repeat. Once you get to about 1 lbs added every two weeks or so, stop and cruise at that level for a while.

Strategic eating can also help keep fat loss at bay. Eat your extra calories in the
24 hours following the weightlifting workouts when your body can put it to best use.

[Espi]

Also, be aware that maintenance can be weird. It will fluctuate along with intake. Go up when you eat more and go down when you eat less.
Also, it can happen that you increase calories, see nothing happen.. increase a bit more and then wham.. gain a lot (including fat).
I've seen weird things happening, also from myself. No weight gain and then suddenly indeed, wham... very fast gain all of a sudden.

It can help to throw in 1 or 2 low-kcal days to keep fat gain at bay. Though for an undereater like you, it will probably be less necessary, to remind yourself how exactly to eat on a dieting day.

Have fun with it.. just don't overdo it. Women will put on less muscle than men can. The leaner you are to start with, the more muscle you will gain though.. so you are at a great starting point.