Endomorph dieting/training problems galore!!(repost)

[shanks911]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone had any helpful suggestions for me, my situation is I'm male, 20yrs old, currently about 155lbs, 5ft9in. I used to weigh around 180lbs (being an extreme endo my weight is very erratic! also I had/have rounded features - wide hips, rounded stomach, large thighs). Being unhappy with my bodyweight and more specifically, bodyshape, I underwent a 2/3month cutting phase during which I lost around 20-25lbs through strict dieting (11-1500cals) and occasional cardio.

My weight then settled around 150-154, and I was pleased with this, however, I felt that I was becoming a little TOO lightweight. And although I lost a lot of weight, I'm not too sure how much of it was actually fat, and how much was muscle. Post-cut I was definitely slightly leaner and tighter in all the right places, but I now have a lack of muscle size/definition.

Now I want to re-gain some of the lost mass, through exercise and dieting, and I want it to be muscle rather than fat. However, my diet is posing a huge problem for me as I can put on weight by just looking at food!.. My metabolism is THAT slow. I'm not a compulsive junk-food eater, I lost all those compulsions a long time ago. I recently started a bulking diet, it was very clean, contained a lot of protein and very little fat, yet the simple number of calories (around 2k) was enough to bring back a hint of a pouchy stomach. I stopped the bulking diet about a week in as I was apprehensive of how far the stomach fat would progress.

If I can tweak my routine somehow to allow for a bulking phase, I'd like to continue weights for a year or so, primarily as an experimental exercise - I enjoy exploring what happens to my body when I try new things!!

I have a fairly well-rounded weights program set-up and I am confident on that front, however I have a few, mainly diet-related questions I hope someone can answer for me!!..

1) What (approximately) would be an ideal weight for me to stop at, once I've bulked - I'm 5.9, small frame, currently 155ish lb. I don't want to be popping out of my shirt or anything - just want to have a medium-sized upper body and a trim mid-section.

2) How on earth do I tweak my diet to stop the fat piling on?!, esp to my midsection (I am aware of the dangers of complex carbs n certain sugars late in the evening and I try to only have them post workout - I think the problem is just that my body metabolises food so slowly??)

3) What foods would be best during my bulking phase, considering I have a requirement of the absolute minimum amount of fat with high protein. I have down chicken breast, nuts, protein shakes (2 a day),peanut butter - but I feel I need more to chose from.. I have a very basic pallette so I won't be eating anything fancy, I just would like more basic meal-options!.. And again, fats, at least, saturated fats are an absolute no-no for me!..

Thanks in advance for any suggestions/hints/criticisms!..

Kal

 

[(Silent)]

You should wait till you are in your mid 20s. You should not eat more just because you want to be "bigger".

I also recomend you find a trainer. If you want to find one you can look here:

Whatever this idiot has to say, don't listen to it.

 

[deschain]

You should wait till you are in your mid 20s. You should not eat more just because you want to be "bigger".

I also recomend you find a trainer. If you want to find one you can look here:

I'm sorry, but I'm not following you.

Why should one not eat a caloric surplus for muscle hypertrophy? Also, 2000 kcal/day for him is probably not much of an actual surplus (if at all). 1100-1500 was most likely too low, and possibly could have contributed to a reduced metabolic rate, depending on the duration of the caloric deficit. That might explain the rapid wt gain at a moderate caloric intake.

****edit***
I calculate the OP's BMR to be roughly 2400kcal (multiplying by slightly active) - which would put a decent deficit somewhere in the 1900 kcal range, maybe even down to 1700ish - but not 1100-1500. 2000kcal would most certainly not fall into the surplus.

 

[shanks911]

Thanks

Hi,

Thanks for the replies.. In response, I'd say that because I have such a small frame, my calorie requirements ARE lower than the average person of my height, so I think frame AND height are the right way to measure it, rather than using height as a general measure..

When I was losing weight, I'd say anything over 15/1600cals would not see any reductions, so my maintenance was just over that at, say 17-1800cals.. That would mean that taking in around 2000cals would not be THAT much of a jump.. So I can't see why I would gain a stomach so fast.. I think the person who said something about slowling my already slow metabolism down further by cutting and taking in super-low cals may have a point!..

And to the person who said I should wait till I'm in my mid-20s - I am fully developed and I don't think there'll be any further growth spurts, my height and frame were fully set by the time I was about 18.. And I'm not looking for/expecting any changes on that front, so I don't think waiting till my mid-20s is all that great of an idea!.. but thanks anyway!..

Since posting my initial post, I've had a change of heart due to a recent change in personal circumstances and decided to take my diet a different way so I won't be too fussed on the stomach/cals/ideal weight front anymore!!.. Perhaps I'll pick it all up again in the winter or later.. Thanks for the replies thus far..

Kal

 

[deschain]

Shanks,

One of the most commonly accepted formulas for calculating estimated caloric needs is the Harris Benedict equation (which factors sex, age, height, weight, and activity level) - this is the calculation I used to mention your BMR. It can be a useful tool in helping determine about where your needs may be - you can google it if you are interested whenever you decide to pick it all back up again.

Do you mean you have changed your target goals, or that you need to put the whole thing aside altogether for a while?

 

[shanks911]

hey,,

thanks for the reply,, erm, yeah I think that equation is actually pretty accurate, BUT I think I'm one of the few people that would have that apply to them only in parts - I say this with my very slow metabolism and small/medium (more small) frame in mind!.. However, I guess overall - size is size is size, so it does apply.. But beacuse of my 'weird-ness' I have a really hard time figuring out whats what..

The main problem, or question I had, was about calorie/cardio control, basically how to stop the stomach fat from piling on. So that I can do the old weight training routine, eat the required excess cals, and NOT be a potato by the end of it. I understood that I'd put on some fat weight, but I thought this would be spread everywhere, not just on the stomach/upper thighs.. And the weight doesn't pan out much at all, it's just concentrated smack dab in the centre of my stomach, which I can't stand!.. Cutting is not something I'm afraid of, it's just that I don't want to have a massive stomach by the time I'm done bulking, and if that is the only way I can do it then I guess I'd rather just do weights without the big calorie excess and tone the mass I do have, perhaps gaining 5/6lb muscle over the course of the year..

And I just meant that other things have started to take priority and I can't spend much time thinking about/deliberating this, so unless I can get a handle/gameplan set for it NOW so I can just go by that, I'm fairly certain it's going on a backburner till at least December/January!..

Thanks again,

Kal