Chubby me

**Uglybugly** · Posted On: 6/05/2011 12:24pm

I used to be a ripped guy. However I have eaten around 4000 calories each day now for one month while I have been on a starter strength program. My goal was to get the bearmode look and become stronger. alot stronger.

In one month I have gained 5 kilos which is mostly fat located around the lower stomach area. It looks awful and it feels horrible. Straight out I feel sick. I feel stomach pain all the time and sometimes I have a hard time breading after a meal. It is just not right for me. My agility has also suffered. I am probably just as fast and flexible but my body is unbalanced. I can really feel my stomach moving when I run or move fast in anyway. It feels so horrible I can't understand how some people can endure this.

Now back to the reason I am posting this thread. I need a plan to get ride of the pregnant stomach. I want my body back.
I have and am still doing a beginner strength program loaded with squats and other compound movements. However will this training along with a lower calorie consumption be enough to make me a lean mean killers machine again?

I have calculated that I normally eat around 2500 calories each day .. which is about what I need. So weight training 3 times each week.. maybe some kind of cardio.. bjj.. boxing .. running.. etc.. now and then ofc.. This should do the trick right?

Another thought I have.. is weight really that important? maybe it is better to have an effective body.. meaning alot of muscle compared to body weight .. good flexibility and good ability. Maybe it is better to be 75 kg and strong/fast/agile instead of 90 kg and sloppy.. ofc the bigger the better but.. not at the expense of "functionality" or .. what do you think?

**Travis17** · Posted On: 6/05/2011 1:05pm

If you're trying to build muscle then you want to eat a surplus while lifting weights. Although 5 kilos in a month is a little much. You probably want to gain weight more slowly. If 2500 is your maintenance then maybe just eat 3000 calories a day. That way you gain 1 pound a week (about half a kilo).

If you're trying to lose weight you might want to eat just 2000 calories a day.

The whole point of eating a surplus while lifting weights is to build muscle. You're going to gain a little fat. Usually after you've reached your goal for gaining weight you do a weight loss phase where you try to lose fat while maintaining as much muscle as possible by eating a small calorie deficit.

There is also 3500 calories in a pound of fat. So if your maintenance was 2500 and you were eating 1500 extra calories a day, you were probably putting on about 3 pounds of fat per week, which about matches up with your gains of 2+ kilos a week.

**No.1_Son** · Posted On: 6/05/2011 1:21pm

Only eat when hungry. Eat just enough to satisfy your hunger. Make sure every meal has some protein and some fat. For weight loss, cardio is king. The consensus on size seems to be that smaller and more efficient is better.

If you're up for it, consider going paleo. The science on it looks fairly solid.

Hope that helps.

**Matt Phillips** · Posted On: 6/05/2011 3:15pm

Insanity.

**Uglybugly** · Posted On: 6/05/2011 4:21pm

Originally Posted by Matt Phillips

Insanity.

nah.. it is just that I was hoping for other results than I got.. I have been ripped and skinny all my life and I was hoping that the fat would spread out more evenly.. and that the muscle gain would be some what higher.. Now I know.

**November** · Posted On: 6/05/2011 10:13pm

I think the idea is generally to eat a few hundred calories over your maintenance of a protein heavy diet while lifting, not to just eat an extra thousand calories. By my estimation you were eating ~1300 extra calories a day to gain 5 kilos in a month, which is definitely way too much. IIRC the rule of thumb is to never gain more than a pound a week unless you're really hardcore about strength gains and nothing else.

**Eddie Hardon** · Posted On: 6/06/2011 6:17pm

Originally Posted by Uglybugly

nah.. it is just that I was hoping for other results than I got.. I have been ripped and skinny all my life and I was hoping that the fat would spread out more evenly.. and that the muscle gain would be some what higher.. Now I know.

You've mentioned your weight (before and after) but not your height, nor your physique. There are 3 types, Ectomorphic (think Basketball Player), Endomorphic (US Football or Rugby type) and Mesomorphic (say, Chris Eubank - muscular). Very roughly stated.

You might also want to ask a qualified Dietician. Me? I've just been training and celebrated on the return train journey with KFC. I deserved it...

***WhiteShark*** · Posted On: 6/06/2011 8:11pm

I don't get it were you also lifting heavy this whole time or did you decide to just eat a lot?

**Rabiddog** · Posted On: 6/07/2011 12:10pm

I don't really understand why a mma fighter would bother bulking and cutting anyway.

**Uglybugly** · Posted On: 6/07/2011 2:30pm

Originally Posted by WhiteShark

I don't get it were you also lifting heavy this whole time or did you decide to just eat a lot?

yeah.. I am on this starter strength program http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?t=106130 I have missed 2 trainings but still..

also.. I am 6 foot tall and Ectomorphic I guess.. think anderson silva with chuck liddel tummy.