My experience bulking and cutting as a petite person
- Thread starter eheart77
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inhissight
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@inhissight I am really liking this new macro cycle! It is killing me lol! I figured out my calories through mostly trial and error. At first, I used an online TDEE calculator which said I could be maintaining at 1700-1800 calories. I did that for months and it was enough until I was craving more food. I added an extra 100 calories per month until I got up to 2100 to find I still wasn’t gaining any weight. Then I started bulking after that. Since I gained more muscle after this bulk, my maintenance calories seem even higher at 2200-2300. At least that’s what I was eating for a full month with no weight gain. I hope that makes sense!
@philm Throughout my bulk I’ve been following a program that varies between lifting 75%-95% (depending on the week) of my one rep max. I hit some new 1 rep maxes during my bulk.
I checked back on my stats and at the peak of my bulk I was deadlifting between 110-140lbs; benching 55-70lbs; squatting 105-135lbs; and hip thrusting 130-160lbs.
I’m still currently cutting. I haven’t hit any new 1 rep maxes since my bulk, but I can definitely do more reps than I used to. It used to be sooo hard for me to squat 110lbs 3x back in November. I am now doing it 8x no problem. I’ve felt no lack of strength in my cut.. so far!
I checked back on my stats and at the peak of my bulk I was deadlifting between 110-140lbs; benching 55-70lbs; squatting 105-135lbs; and hip thrusting 130-160lbs.
I’m still currently cutting. I haven’t hit any new 1 rep maxes since my bulk, but I can definitely do more reps than I used to. It used to be sooo hard for me to squat 110lbs 3x back in November. I am now doing it 8x no problem. I’ve felt no lack of strength in my cut.. so far!
@banky I got an InBody scan at the end of November when I weighed 116 and was at 20% body fat. I’ll do another InBody scan when I finish my cut.
I have 2 non-lifting rest days. On the first one I truly rest, maybe take a slow walk with my dogs. Sometimes I’ll skip the walk if the weather is bad or I’m busy. On the second rest day, I go to a 1-hour hot power yoga class to stretch and recover.
I have 2 non-lifting rest days. On the first one I truly rest, maybe take a slow walk with my dogs. Sometimes I’ll skip the walk if the weather is bad or I’m busy. On the second rest day, I go to a 1-hour hot power yoga class to stretch and recover.
I think my metabolism has skyrocketed too.@mel62 Yeah! I did eat junk food a lot too! I just kept it 80/20 instead of only junk food.
On a typical day, I’d have cereal with milk + a serving of whey protein mixed in. It would end up being 38g of protein.
For lunch I’d make scrambled eggs with goat cheese and bacon and toast.
For dinner I’d make something big and filling with tons of protein. Every way I could think to add protein I would. For example, I always make beef burritos with lean ground beef, it has more protein, use mozzarella cheese (more protein), sub sour cream for Greek yogurt (again more protein), add beans. Another dinner I enjoyed would be huge pieces of salmon (like 10 oz) with a mound of rice and veggies.
I’d always have dessert too with a glass of milk to again.. add protein! I basically knew no bounds.
On a typical day, I’d have cereal with milk + a serving of whey protein mixed in. It would end up being 38g of protein.
For lunch I’d make scrambled eggs with goat cheese and bacon and toast.
For dinner I’d make something big and filling with tons of protein. Every way I could think to add protein I would. For example, I always make beef burritos with lean ground beef, it has more protein, use mozzarella cheese (more protein), sub sour cream for Greek yogurt (again more protein), add beans. Another dinner I enjoyed would be huge pieces of salmon (like 10 oz) with a mound of rice and veggies.
I’d always have dessert too with a glass of milk to again.. add protein! I basically knew no bounds.
@eheart77 I was surprised how long it took me to gain weight. I ate at similar rates as you during my bulk and my weight would go up 1-2 lbs each month. It kind of helped me be less nervous about weight gain when I saw how hard it was to do when active.
I only got up to 3-4x per week (basically every other day) and my steps averaged 7k, so I'm not surprised you actually lost weight sometimes.
I only got up to 3-4x per week (basically every other day) and my steps averaged 7k, so I'm not surprised you actually lost weight sometimes.
I also stopped when my stomach started looking a little bloated. I later learned that most bulks are 1-3 months, not 4-6 months like I did. I really enjoyed the first three months and the back half got monotonous and I hated needing to eat extra to keep from feeling hungry in the middle of the night.
I tracked calories with no adjustments for a week to see how much I actually needed to feel full, which was 1800-2000 at first and slid down to maintenance. I lost weight at roughly 1 lb a month for a good 6-8 months.
I tracked calories with no adjustments for a week to see how much I actually needed to feel full, which was 1800-2000 at first and slid down to maintenance. I lost weight at roughly 1 lb a month for a good 6-8 months.
@eheart77 Wow! Our timeline is similar. I started weightlifting again last year after not doing it for years and easily put on 10 pounds. It really messed with my head but come the new year I started using my walking pad more and still incorporate weight training and the bloating seems to be shredding off so easily.
I never thought it would be possible (or was true) that I could achieve a “slim/toned” by strength training/ weights because I failed so many times. Congrats and cheers to loving our body in 2024!
I never thought it would be possible (or was true) that I could achieve a “slim/toned” by strength training/ weights because I failed so many times. Congrats and cheers to loving our body in 2024!
@blastcat I had always wanted to be shredded and fit but had no real plan on how to get there. I’d pick up a new routine and drop it in a couple months with like no results. It wasn’t until lifting that I saw the progress I wanted to keep me motivated. It’s also more fun for me.
I always had a little bit of body dysmorphia. However the last few months have been incredibly healing for me. I think I accidentally kicked body dysmorphia’s ass by intentionally gaining weight and liking it.
I always had a little bit of body dysmorphia. However the last few months have been incredibly healing for me. I think I accidentally kicked body dysmorphia’s ass by intentionally gaining weight and liking it.