5x5 going good, but getting fat!!!

[Gurrr]

HI, i posted a few months ago. Had been doing light weights over the years but hardly noticed any progress.
Thanks to 5x5, since the end of March '06 - i've put on quite a lot of muscle and almost doubled my lifts.
I did weigh 180lbs, now weigh 200lbs
Could only squat 88lbs before, now squatting 176lbs
also benching 176lbs
so my lifts are definitley getting better BUT

my waist is gettin big, i was told to EAT BIG/GET BIG, so i did. Not the cleanest eating but still pretty clean. I never used to take in as much calories but try and eat a lot more and quite clean.
Lots of chicken, beef steaks, turkey, eggs, bagels, oatmeal and cereals

My question is, i've gone up a trouser size to 36" and seem to have a big gut and love handles. I'm very happy with the progress with my chest, shoulders, arms, back and legs but i want to start cutting some body fat whilst continuing to make progress with the excellent 5x5 routine.


What do you guys suggest? I feel i can bulk more. I want to get my lifts up to at least 240lbs squats and bench press at least but still look good topless.

Should i involve cardio? if so, how much and when?
I lift Mon, Wed and Fri

Should i cut out late carbs (most of the time i workout in the late evening due to work)

Thanks guys for your positive feedback a few months back. Hoping you can advise me what to do next?

 

[anotherbutters]

Nothing's stopping you from including cardio, even when bulking. You just eat more to compensate.

You could just maintain your current bodyweight for a while, let your body recomposition itself a bit whilst you carry on training in the same way.

 

[Cynical Simian]

Eat cleaner, do some cardio, reduce the size of your caloric surplus (even assuming, say, 5 pounds of water weight in that 20, your rate was still 2-3 pounds per week).

 

[gjohnson5]

This should be in the diet board cause it's a diet related question

 

[gjohnson5]

HI, i posted a few months ago. Had been doing light weights over the years but hardly noticed any progress.
Thanks to 5x5, since the end of March '06 - i've put on quite a lot of muscle and almost doubled my lifts.
I did weigh 180lbs, now weigh 200lbs
Could only squat 88lbs before, now squatting 176lbs
also benching 176lbs
so my lifts are definitley getting better BUT

my waist is gettin big, i was told to EAT BIG/GET BIG, so i did. Not the cleanest eating but still pretty clean. I never used to take in as much calories but try and eat a lot more and quite clean.
Lots of chicken, beef steaks, turkey, eggs, bagels, oatmeal and cereals

My question is, i've gone up a trouser size to 36" and seem to have a big gut and love handles. I'm very happy with the progress with my chest, shoulders, arms, back and legs but i want to start cutting some body fat whilst continuing to make progress with the excellent 5x5 routine.


What do you guys suggest? I feel i can bulk more. I want to get my lifts up to at least 240lbs squats and bench press at least but still look good topless.

Should i involve cardio? if so, how much and when?
I lift Mon, Wed and Fri

Should i cut out late carbs (most of the time i workout in the late evening due to work)
Thanks guys for your positive feedback a few months back. Hoping you can advise me what to do next?

The general rule is no sugars after 6:00pm while dieting
If you are concerned about fat , just drop some of the carbs out.
if that still doesn't work then do cardio

But you should post your diet on the diet board for more help

 

[anotherbutters]

This should be in the diet board cause it's a diet related question

I think the distinction can get blurry sometimes. He also posted up his lifting progress and asked about cardio.

 

[blut wump]

You need to draw a priority between growing muscle and losing fat. It is possible to do both at the same time but the slimmer you are, the harder that becomes.

Cardio is a good choice to increase your aerobic capacity and work on fitness. After that you need to look at what you're eating. With the extra activity from cardio you might find a few pounds slipping away but cleaning up your diet can help.

Rather than get all paranoid about diet, though, start with cutting out sweets and trying to move from simple starches to complex ones.

 

[gjohnson5]

You need to draw a priority between growing muscle and losing fat. It is possible to do both at the same time but the slimmer you are, the harder that becomes.

Cardio is a good choice to increase your aerobic capacity and work on fitness. After that you need to look at what you're eating. With the extra activity from cardio you might find a few pounds slipping away but cleaning up your diet can help.

Rather than get all paranoid about diet, though, start with cutting out sweets and trying to move from simple starches to complex ones.

Good advice there

Yes, whole grains such as oats, green veggies , yams, and brown rice. If you are concerned about fat and want to diet down , I would only do sugars when I am swallowing protein powder in a fasted state. Stop drinking and stop doing junk food , potatoe chips, chocolate bars , fast food etc

Infact the sports bars I've found for the most part are chocolate bars full of sugar and very little protein. I'd like to find some good ones

 

[Tweakle]

you were not carrying anything like enough muscle and your bf % was way too high to do an indiscriminate bulk, simple as

the fatter you are when you start the 'bulk' the worse the results will be. And you do not need 1000's of extra cals to build enough muscle to squat 240, take it as a lesson that you need to be stricter about diet in future.

If you decide to 'bulk' again then I'd suggest eating big for 2 weeks then throttling back for 2 weeks to maintenece, repeat (strict carb cut offs at 6pm, no exceptions), do your cardio 3 x a week, drink your green tea and keep it clean as possible.

taking off the fat you'll probab ly lose all the gains you've made.

 

[Anthrax Invasion]

Uh, cutting out carbs isn't going to do anything. Calories are calories - eat less and you won't add as much weight. It's just a matter of finding the right amount of excess.

 

[Gurrr]

thanks guys for your views
this 6pm carb cut-off dont seem appropiate to me
i have a wholegrain cereal in the morning
a big chicken breast sandwich at lunch
snack on almonds or have a protein bar
then i get home at 6pm and have a protein shake
have a carb and protein meal like chicken or fish with veg
post workout shake
bagel with turkey and eggs or cottsge cheese
pre-bed shake

as u can see, i cant really cut out carbs after 6pm
i agree i can eat cleaner cos i do eat fast food at times and snack a lot
i'll cut out any sugar (in coffee or protein bars)
i'll add about 20mins of cardio intervals on tues and thurs and maybe one on a weekend

 

[BiggT]

thanks guys for your views
this 6pm carb cut-off dont seem appropiate to me
i have a wholegrain cereal in the morning
a big chicken breast sandwich at lunch
snack on almonds or have a protein bar
then i get home at 6pm and have a protein shake
have a carb and protein meal like chicken or fish with veg
post workout shake
bagel with turkey and eggs or cottsge cheese
pre-bed shake

as u can see, i cant really cut out carbs after 6pm
i agree i can eat cleaner cos i do eat fast food at times and snack a lot
i'll cut out any sugar (in coffee or protein bars)
i'll add about 20mins of cardio intervals on tues and thurs and maybe one on a weekend

If you eat just like that, provided you don't have any medical issues like a thyroid condition etc, there is no way on Earth you'll ever be fat.

 

[Gurrr]

If you eat just like that, provided you don't have any medical issues like a thyroid condition etc, there is no way on Earth you'll ever be fat.

hi biggT,
i took your advice of increasing my intake and lift heavy and i'm definitely pleased with the progress,so thanks for your advice there. i'm not REALLY that fat, just around the belly and sides. My chest is still holding fat (awaiting gyno op).
The diet i posted is what i aim for but i tend to slack off by missing meals or eating too late (like 1am!!!). I want to maintain my muscle progress but not put on as much fat. My jeans dont fit anymore!!!
I know my ass is gone much bigger and my shirts are tight on the chest and back but my waist is big. Seeing a bit of fat on my face too.

Oh and also, instead of chicken all the time, would steak be a better alternative?

20mins of HIIT at least twice a week from next week then

 

[BiggT]

I'm glad you made progress......with a lot of you guys and bulking, it is hard to tell if you're really getting 'fat' or if the 6 pack is getting blurry and you're just freaking out, lol, but thanks for clearing that up......it just sounds like you added some fat and your personal preference is to walk around a little leaner. Thats perfectly fine, again, just tweak things, as opposed to a crazy, mapped out 'diet', just trim off any and all junk and give it 2 weeks, if you still don't like what you see, cut out some oils, then give it 2 weeks, just cut back only what is absolutely necessary.

 

[eat big]

hi biggT,
i took your advice of increasing my intake and lift heavy and i'm definitely pleased with the progress,so thanks for your advice there. i'm not REALLY that fat, just around the belly and sides. My chest is still holding fat (awaiting gyno op).
The diet i posted is what i aim for but i tend to slack off by missing meals or eating too late (like 1am!!!). I want to maintain my muscle progress but not put on as much fat. My jeans dont fit anymore!!!
I know my ass is gone much bigger and my shirts are tight on the chest and back but my waist is big. Seeing a bit of fat on my face too.

Oh and also, instead of chicken all the time, would steak be a better alternative?

20mins of HIIT at least twice a week from next week then

Lean beef, lean ground turkey and fish.

 

[Protobuilder]

BiggT is like, genius, dude. Good advice as always.

You are pretty much exactly where I was last June, same strength levels (roughly) and same weight issues (roughly). I bulked way too long and let my BF get out of control. I paid the price -- spent the last 10 months (roughly) cutting down. Good news is, you don't have to lose muscle or strength. I haven't. Follow BiggT's advice. Also, get a caliper bodyfat measurement if you haven't already. Work from there. Or just u se the waistline as a rough estimate. But, IMO, you need an objective measure to guage your "progress." If you're not really a bloated pig, then you can probably just use the mirror I s'pose. I like working against hard numbers, but maybe that's just me. The "carb cutoff" stuff is really just a way to reduce calories. Nothing magic there. Tell people to cut out carbs after 6 and BINGO! They drop the cookies, and other higher-calorie foods. They're left w/ meat and vegetables. And most people don't compensate by doubling up their chicken and broccoli portions. LoL So, basically do what T said: tweak the diet so you're cutting out some calories. But be SURE to keep your protein intake up. And be sure to continue lifting heavy weights. And start adding in the cardio. A few sessions a week, whatever it takes to shift the balance of the "calories in vs. calories out" equation. Two hiit sessions may be sufficient for now. Truly, "calories in" will determine the BULK of your success here. Just don't do anything stupid like torpedo your cals right off the bat or slice your protein intake and you'll be fine.

*edit:

You must spread some Karma around before giving it to Tweakle again.

I wish someone had told me that when I started my first bulk.