Genetics and "Ease" of Staying Lean

@jeewani Same here brotha. At ~2500 cals I'll start slowly gaining weight. And even if I am gaining slowly and controlled, I bloat and carry a lot of water easily, making me look/seem much thicker/higher bf than I actually am.

I could also be completely wrong, and could just be perceiving myself as thicker/more fat because of my own body fat image issues toward myself, but not sure.
 
@lovelivelaugh Im the first kinda guy too. Am not motivated to eat at all and couldnt stick to my meal plan (target 3700 lcal to gain) lm hovering between 2-2.5 k kcal now and dropped 6 kg lol
 
@sclayton9 That's crazy to me.

I have been on a bulk where my calories got close to 3k/day, and I do remember some days being uncomfortable eating that much, but honestly, I fucking loved eating a ton of high carb meals all day.

I felt tired most of the day but fuck, eating all that food was so much fun lol.

I guess it all comes down to preference.
 
@lovelivelaugh i used to play alot of VB (2-3 days a week since i was 14 and when i was 16 5 times) and did some sort of home body workouts 3-4 times a week and i thought i ate alot but i was probably around 2k kcal haha. i weighted 64 kg on 184 cm back then. i pushed hard and got up to 86 kg peak after 3 years (learnd kcal tracking with 19 and started going to university gym, now im 22) but now im kinda burned out with eating. it took so much mental effort to eat all that shit with like 2k kcal shakes often, it made me feel so slow and dizzy, while i still had to study law lol. guess im just coming from a bad starting position and it would just need alot time to push the boundaries and get used to
 
@jeewani Did you and your buddy do sports when you were kids. What sports and for how long?
I noticed that those of us who were very active kids meaning did sports long term can keep a leaner body later in life as well.
 
@yakamoz I’m pretty sure he played football (soccer). I wasn’t an active kid and got quite chubby before puberty so maybe my body fat set point is higher if there is such a thing.
 
@lovelivelaugh Some people have the genetics for a big appetite. A combination of hormones and environment fill in the rest of the variables. A “lean” person might be at 9%, but they have the same appetite as a person >15%.

There are pros and cons to both cases. And we will always be envious of the other group
 
@lovelivelaugh That Joe Delaney guy looks pretty small. Not like he’s huge and Lean with freak genetics. Looks like a dedicated Highschool wrestler body type.

Bodyfat is mostly determined by calories in/calories out (diet).

Some people have trouble eating less, while others don’t mind (the way your brain feels about eating less + being lean is certainly partially genetic).
 
@lovelivelaugh theres no such thing as either. the reality is that there are guys who know they can only bulk in a 300 surplus without getting fat, and the retards who think they can bulk with a 1000+ surplus and it will all go to muscle. Heck im an enhanced bodybuilder and even I wouldn't bulk with over 400 calories on a heavy blast without getting chunky.

The first group stay somewhat lean throughout their bulk because the majority of their added weight is muscle they will possibly go from 10 to 15 percent throughout their bulk then quickly cut back down to 10 percent over 5 weeks. The second group quickly get fat af because for every lb of muscle they gain they gain a lb and a half to three lbs of fat and end their bulk in the low to mid twenty percent body fat range and have to piss away several months cutting when they could be bulking.
 
@lovelivelaugh One thing I have noticed about people who can stay leaner year around is that many did sports growing up.
It is just an anecdotal observation but I think those of us who “just” started lifting at one point in our lives are worse off when it comes to nutrient partitioning and fat distribution versus those who were very active growing up.
Just imagine a child who grows up going to soccer or swimming practice everyday versus another child who plays video games all day. When they pick up on lifting as a hobby or lifestyle I think the former child athlete will be able to keep a leaner body even with an equal diet and exercise plan.
 
@lovelivelaugh Well I am sure genetics and hormones have a huge roll here. I feel great bulking around 15% BF. I've overbulked 5,6 times reaching round 20% and the problem is - I just feel like shit! I feel bloated, a bit slower. I dont like eating that mich food (for me is like 3k+ cal). I also crave alot of trash foods and I dont like that either.

Lean bulk is hard to measure, yet for me its worth. I gained very slowly and have huge control over my food supply (its not so problematic for me) . And my hornomes are in better shape being 13-17% BF.

So I effortlessly stay in group 1. But as I mentioned its for big number of reasons. Most important one is that I just feel much better that way.
 
@lovelivelaugh Imho genetics plays a huge role.

I'm like my mother. Small frame, and was skinny fat before started litfing (literally never had a 6-pack even when i was a sport geek as a teen- swimming, martial arts, cycling a lot). When i get fat tissue it's like jelly. Now when i lift i need to starve myself to see 4-pack (but very foggy) and it's hard to sustain it.

My brother is like my dad. Very easy to stay lean, and if he eats tons of calories he does get bigger, but the fat he gains is different than mine (jelly). His body is far more solid, like a rock. He never touched a bar, never did any sports, never kept a diet, and i look only little bit better than him (and i train/ diet for about 16 years).

Also i have some diabetic/ thyroid issues just like my mom, while he is perfectly healthy just like my dad.

So ok, i won't be a pussy saying that i have shitty genetics and that explains why i look how i look, but the fact is it plays a role.
 
@lovelivelaugh Group 2 for sure. Have friends that eat whatever they want and aren't in the sport that are way leaner than me. I'm 5'3", though, so as soon as I eat over 2000 calories my body packs on fat like it's getting ready to never eat again lol
 
@lovelivelaugh My dude... I think genetics is definitely a big big thing (can't change that), but I think one very important factor is what your body has become accustomed to and your habits - and that.... you can change.

I'm going to use myself as an example. After yo-yo dieting between 50-70 lbs on and off and between contest seasons, I went on a 10 year permabulk lifestyle... topping the scale at about 270 lbs with a 40 inch waist and well over 30% bf. (I still thought I was sooo ripped lol - I was wrong).

Then end of 2018 I was like - eh its probably time to be a bodybuilder again, so I dieted down 60 lbs in 6 months, and then slowly dropped some more weight in another 6 months... now I'm 190 lbs with a 32 inch waist (at about 12% bf).

I never ever ever thought I could be this lean all year round.... but it's happened.

I may compete again, but for the most part I'm happy holding it here.... Do I track what I eat... yes pretty much EVERYTHING with the exception of one cheat meal day... But is it hard? ... no, not so much, but I think it does take some effort, and from time to time some will power.... it has been over a year now and I think my body is starting to adapt (AND BECOME ACCUSTOMED) to this weight / bf etc. I took a week off last week and went on vacation, didn't track anything I ate (and I ate like absolute shit), didn't train, didn't bother with anything... came back - jeans still fit, abs still somewhat visible, and still feeling ok (back on track again this week).

Moral of the story:

You can't control your genetics, but you can control your habits, and by dong so for an extended period of time - your body will adapt to it, and it will become easier!

Edit and fun fact: I had a nasty foot fracture this year too... And did zero cardio for 3+ months (I was doing cardio 6 days a week), still managed to maintain my weight and bf and only had to drop 100 calories. I just bought a rower so back at it lol...

Again, this is after 10 years at 30% bf!!!!
 
@mamabdog Lmao that's kind of awesome lol.

Do you find that if you don't track that you just end up eating way less? And when bulking I guess you have to track to make sure you are getting enough cals in?
 
@lovelivelaugh The most likely reason probably has something to do with our gut microbiome. However, we still know so little about it that it is hard to say with conviction. I am strongly inclined to believe that the "somotypes" that people like to talk about (which don't exist in the way that they are largely portrayed) are actually tangible evidence of microbiome differences. Take it for granted that I have no evidence for this statement because evidence in this are of science doesn't exist yet due to the novelty of the area of research. BUT I am convinced that this has got to be the reason that somotypes became popular in the first place, because there do seem to be undeniable difference between individuals and their "metabolic set points" and since somotypes are pseudoscience SOMETHING has to be causing the massive trove anecdotal evidence supporting it.
 
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