Going Through A Calorie Surplus

Well guys, we did it. I gained 8-10lbs in my calorie surplus since November!
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Q: why would you be in a caloric surplus? What’s the benefit?
A: Genetically its VERY hard for me to gain muscle. I had been working consistently for 2 years 5 days/week & built a great deal of muscle until for 2 months May-July 2019 I was forced out outta the gym completely due to medical reasons & lost a good bit of muscle.
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In order to build it back a bit quicker, I opted to get uncomfortable & gain some weight for the first time in years.
(Its not optimal to build muscle in a deficit & w/out being able to workout my cals had to be pretty low which = even more muscle lost).
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Q: should everyone go in a surplus?
A: Absolutely not. Many women DO need to reverse diet back up to their maintenance calories though if their currently living around 1300-1500 calories.
Going back to maintenance doesn’t cause weight gain like an intentional surplus does.
(If there are hormonal issues women MIGHT need to gain weight for health reasons though!)
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Q: how do I know what a surplus should be for me?
A: Figure out your TDEE (there’s some free calculators online) to find your maintenance calories then add around 10-20% & I recommend at least 12 weeks for decent results, but can obv do longer if it’s not too hard on you. I wish i would’ve started a bit earlier maybe October to extend it a bit more.
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Q: how do you deal with gaining weight on purpose?
A: Was I uncomfortable a lot, yes 😅 but my strength increased & I started feeling strong in the gym again, my sleep got a bit better, I was able to eat things I normally don’t have the macros for/not as food focused, it was easier to travel, etc.
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Q: now what?
A: for ME, I’ve gone back down to slightly below my maintenance to track here for a while before decreasing again down the line to reveal what I’ve rebuilt 👙
-Don’t just slash a ton of cals afterwards bc you’ll likely lose a lot of the progress you made. Slow & steady & keep protein high 🙌🏻
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🗣Lemme know any more questions y’all have!
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Www.coachedbycait.com
Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist (NASM)
BSN/RN