I have read here on the forum you need to eat a surplus of about 500 calories over your recommended caloric intake based on your weight. For me that is 1850 + 500 = 2350
I have been doing this and stepping up my workouts at the gym for about 4 weeks and I am seeing my layer of fat increase. Basicly my fat is growing faster than my muscles and it is not just in my belly but over all body fat.
At what point do you stop the excess calories to lose the fat?
Also am I doing something wrong here are you suppost to be putting on fat during this process?
I am getting the extra calories by adding 3 egg whites 1 yoke(234) 1 whole avocado (235)
My main diet is
40% protein(steak, chicken breast, cod)
35% good fats(avocado, nuts, olive oil, smoked salmon)
20% carbs(salids all raw veggies) no starch like potatos
5% sugar( from fruit bananas, pears, grapefruit)
The only sugars I eat are what is naturally in the foods no added sugar.
Disclaimer: I have never been a bodybuilder or joined a gym until now just very active outdoors, mtn biking, hiking, climbing in the Rockies. So I am a complete noob when it comes to weight lifting. Using youtube I have learned most of the exersizes and I follow several weightlifting coaches that do weekly YT posts. I pick all my exersizes from them. I don't follow anyones complete program.
I have also learned the names for all the major muscle groups. So now you kind of know my lvl of expertise it not very much.
When one is in a calories surplus (250-500 cal/day) and looking to add some muscle mass COMPLEX CARBS are key!
I would say your downfall is lack of starch and your diet macros are composed of mainly fats/proteins. Sure low carb/moderate protein/higher fat diets work exceptionally well for shedding body fat/maintaining muscle but as far as gaining muscle mass complex carbs are much more effective.
Muscle cells are roughly 30% protein (actin/myosin) and 70% water.............whats that 70% water!
The human body is capable of storing 500 grams of carbohydrate as glycogen before glycogen stores become full and for roughly every gram of glycogen stored 3 grams of of water is pulled along with it intracellularly.
Having a glycogen stores topped up will allow one to train with higher intensity/endurance when lifting weights (anerobic),fuller/harder muscles/better gains in strength and muscle mass/increased pumps/vascularity and increased recovery.
So many people think negatively of carbohydrates when in fact as long as one has a descent insulin sensitivity and is not obese than low g.i. complex carbs can do wonders for gaining muscle/strength in the gym.
The key here is to try a moderate carb/moderate protein/lower fat diet.
I would say 1 gram protein/lb lean body mass so if you were roughly 200 lbs muscle than 200 grams protein/day= 800 cal.
1 gram carb/lb from complex starchy sources (oats/beans and lentils/basmati rice/quinoa/yams and sweet potato/buckwheat/soba noodles/whole wheat pasta) so 200 grams carbs/day= 800 cal (say 5 meals/day 40 grams carbs each meal or 4 meals/day 50 grams carbs each meal).
Last but not least make up the rest of the calories from healthy fats (EFAs most important,olive oil,coconut oil,grass fed butter,egg yolk and so on) to meet your daily calorie goals (250-500 cal/day above maintenance) when looking to add muscle. I would start at 250 and work your way up depending on weight gain.
Your protein is already too high as in a calorie surplus 1 gram/lb is more than enough to see growth where as when in a calories deficit 1.5 grams/lb is more sensible.
I would say do a 360 and look at increasing your complex carbs and lowering your proteins/fats.
Of course ones genetics/insulin sensitivity plays a big role but trust me on this one try eating 200 grams complex carbs and work out the fat/protein amounts as I stated.
Even though you are going to be in a slight calorie surplus any carbs you do not burn for energy are going to be stored as glycogen in the muscle cells before any excess could converted and stored as fat.
I will put money on it that you will find a new found increase in strength/energy in the gym, your muscles will be bigger and harder and you will feel improvements in recovery.
I would not be surprised seeing that you have basically been low carb for awhile that you will gain 5-8 pounds (muscle tissue/stored glycogen and water in the muscle) within 2-3 months as long as you are lifting hard and have your diet in check.
If I had a choice of following a low carb/moderate-high protein/higher fat diet or a moderate-high carb/moderate protein/lower fat diet when in a CALORIE SURPLUS and looking to gain muscle mass while still staying relatively lean I would choose the moderate-high carb diet hands down every time.
Sure the lower carb diet would be more effective for getting that ripped/lean muscular look but as far as adding muscle mass/size and gaining overall muscle/strength COMPLEX CARBS hand down!
I am on the opposite end of the spectrum as I was consuming 500 grams carbs daily and just recently increased to 650 grams/day along with moderate protein and low fats and am currently taking in a whopping 4200 calories/day.............................mind you my carb tolerance is freakish.
But it's the bodybuilder's dilemma: you lack definition when you look bigger in your clothes but you look smaller in your clothes when you have definition.
then you might wanna do some research on bodybuilding vs strength training. Big difference in the way you'll train depending on your goal. Last week I saw a 6' dude who didn't have big muscles walk up to 500 lbs and deadlift it several times with no lifting straps....amazing
