Help! Now I'm Fat!

[raaf]

I have been doing the 1st phase of the program for about 6 weeks now to correct various imbalances. I weigh 185 lbs. I have put on somewhere from 8-12 lbs in these 6 weeks and notice that I have a much larger belly than I did before.

Since I have been doing this for 6 weeks and have been following the diet in the back of the book fairly rigidly (obeying the 90% rule and nutrient timing), I have come to the conclusion that I may have been an undereating mesomorph instead of a true ectomorph.

So where this leads me is that I need to adjust my program by decreasing 250 kcal (at the very least).

The problem I am having with this is that I do not know what to eliminate from the diet and couldn't find any SPECIFIC dietary recommendations for this situation in the book. I was thinking of cutting out the nuts because they have so much fat in them. Suggestions?

Also, does cutting down your diet by 250-500 calories decrease the net amount of muscle that I can gain during that time period? Or can I expect to gain an equal amount of muscle with less fat?

Should I try incorporating some traditional cardio work in my program?

Also, what is a "realistic" and healthy expecation of weight gain per week? I would suspect it to be no more than a couple of pounds a week. And I remember that the program mentioned that you should gain 5-9 lbs during this phase.

Thank you

[bobby]

Do you have any before and after pictures? Or any body composition measurements? In a bulking cycle you've really got to expect some fat gain. As long as you are following the dietary guidelines I would recommend eating the way you are eating and try to deal with the fat gain. I know that it can be difficult to see yourself getting fatter, but try not to think about it. Try instead to think about how strong you are getting, because chances are you really don't look any fatter.

[igunick]

Originally posted by bobby:
chances are you really don't look any fatter.

bobby is right, I've gained some fat too( IMO a lot) but when I look at the mirror, my abs and obliques are still very visible.

[Ctrain]

I went through a very similar "transistion." I did not do S2B but a program with very similar ideas. My diet was basically eat 6000+ calories a day albeit clean ones. I started at 178 and within the first month went to 185 then 190. After four months of bulking I hit 210.
If you are anything like me you got REALLY confused. We are ectomorphs and are not used to the idea of a fat stomach. You might not be a mesomorph because I looked like a mesomorph for a while too.
You said you are doing the two HIIT session a week right? I have had difficulties cutting out the belly fat and am going to start the lifting program from Bill Hartmann in the current MF issue along with three HIIT's a week and jump roping. I actually have upper ab and oblique definition. It is the lower abs right by the belly button that are being viciously stubborn. I hope it works because I want to keep the muscle!
I ran on a little but I know exactly what you are talking about and it is really weird and confusing. We should try to hear from big Mike on this one.

[raaf]

Let me add this: I had my body fat done today and it is at 24.4%. There is approximately 41 lbs of fat on my body and 145 lbs of lean muscle.

I stupidly didn't measure body fat before beginning the program but am noticeably fatter.

[UpNorth]

If you post up a typical day from your diet maybe we can help you with adjustments...

[Ctrain]

Raaf,
If you have been doing the HIIT, have you lost any speed? How are those going with the said weight gain? Have you added any MRP's or such?

[raaf]

I haven't done any of the cardio HIIT programs. I was considering doing them, but I didn't do them because I was interested in gaining the most amount of weight possible.

For a sample of my diet, take a look at the back of the book. The diet I am doing is literally identitical to that minus the cardio.

[Ctrain]

You can't skip the HIIT. That exclusively burns the fat and preserves the muscle. When I was bulking I cut back on that and while I got strong and big really fast it would have been much smarter to take a gradual approach. When I started to cut it took me a while to get my speed back and my joints were not used to the HIIT with the added weight. As long as you eat properly and rest the HIITs won't be a hindrance.

[Lost Dog]

I haven't read the whole book, so I'm just going off of Berardi's articles where he writes about this type of nutrition program. In the articles he states that these formulas are merely an estimated amount of calories. Some people need more, some less.

In his Massive Eating Reloaded articles, he talks about slowly increasing calories over a period of weeks, until finally you settle on the right amount for your body, gaining weight, but hopefully not too much fat.
Massive Eating Reloaded, Part I

I'm surprised that it's not in the book, too.