# Stopped gaining weight now what?



## belly257 (Nov 19, 2015)

HI guys i have been going to the gym for a good few years, steadily gaining weight, until recently i decided to up the game a little. so last 4 months ive upped my kcals and having almost 5000kcals a day!.

i was 12.11 stone now i am 14,4 (91kg) i look better than i did and feel better but i have now stopped gaining weight, its been weeks and weeks of the about the same eating and no more weight, has my body hit its plateau? i am 6 foot 1 tall.

i will put what i eat down, may not be the cleanest but it was working for me:

morning around 7am:

3 weetabix and full fat milk 200kcals

1 mass gainer protein shake 266

half pot full fat natural yoghurt 312

9am:

tin of spag bol 320

protein cookie 312

12pm:

potatoes, tin beans and sausages and turkey breast 544

half pot full fat natural yoghurt 312

2pm

1 pint of full fat milk 350

4pm

tin of ravoli and half chicken breast 440

(gym)

6.30pm:

1 mass gainer protein shake 266

similar kcal tea as 12pm 544

half pot full fat natural yoghurt 312

9pm:

half pot full fat natural yoghurt 312

protein cookie 312

1 mass gainer protein shake 266

usually the odd good fat snack too in between what i have listed.

bed around 11pm

that's getting onto 5000 kcals,usually get 7 hours+ sleep, i have a fairly active job a bit of walking and lifting (engineer) i do have a fast metabolism, i have put some good weight on with not much bloating at all, but now its stopped whats next i'm guessing more kcals but surely not? any advice would be good. i don't want to be a 20 stone+ bodybuilder i would like about another stone on would be ideal.

Edit: gym times

I go 5 days a week Monday to Friday.

Monday

10 min warm up at the start

Chest (3 machines 3 free weight sets. 3 sets of 8reps) lifting heavy weights getting heavier each time

Tuesday

Back 3 machines and 3 free weight sets 3 sets of 8 reps again heavy weights and get heavier everytime

Wednesday:

Abs and legs 4 ab workouts and 4-5 legs

All ways getting heavier weights 3 sets 8 reps

Thursday

Arms. (Bi's tri's for arms )

4 on each 3 sets of 8 reps heavier every set

Friday

Shoulders. 3 free weights 3 machines 3 sets 8 reps getting heavier everytime


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## Irondan (Nov 23, 2014)

Can't quite see what macros you have, but providing you are getting the right amount of protein you should think to up carbs.

I might be scanning too quick, but your carbs seem a bit light.


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## belly257 (Nov 19, 2015)

Irondan said:


> Can't quite see what macros you have, but providing you are getting the right amount of protein you should think to up carbs.
> 
> I might be scanning too quick, but your carbs seem a bit light.


yeah maybe a little light, i will add the protein up tomorrow, i think it is pretty high though


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## Irondan (Nov 23, 2014)

If all else fails I know doughnuts and lager will sort the problem......but not in a good way.


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

How much fat have you gained? Eating more is the only short term way to increase weight further but my bet is this may not be the best plan...


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## belly257 (Nov 19, 2015)

Ultrasonic said:


> How much fat have you gained? Eating more is the only short term way to increase weight further but my bet is this may not be the best plan...


i don't look fatter , just more muscular, around my arms etc my bmi says i am overweight


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## FelonE1 (Dec 23, 2013)

belly257 said:


> i don't look fatter , just more muscular, around my arms etc my bmi says i am overweight


Bmi doesn't work for us. You could be 15 stone @10% bf and your bmi will say you're fat


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## belly257 (Nov 19, 2015)

FelonE said:


> Bmi doesn't work for us. You could be 15 stone @10% bf and your bmi will say you're fat


yeh is not accuate know. Best way of measuring fat?

Edit: added my gym workout


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## FelonE1 (Dec 23, 2013)

belly257 said:


> yeh is not accuate know. Best way of measuring fat?
> 
> Edit: added my gym workout


Calipers or just measure the amount of fat you can pinch by your belly button


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## belly257 (Nov 19, 2015)

FelonE said:


> Calipers or just measure the amount of fat you can pinch by your belly button


id say i can pinch just over an inch of fat

I am only slim I've always been able to put good weight on, u just fairly struggle to do so but when I do it is usually all good weight


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

> id say i can pinch just over an inch of fat
> 
> I am only slim I've always been able to put good weight on, u just fairly struggle to do so but when I do it is usually all good weight


In that case, I'd personally spend a bit of time losing body fat. As well as the more obvious benefits, this will also help to reset your metabolism so that when you come to bulk again you will be able to gain weight on fewer calories.


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## FelonE1 (Dec 23, 2013)

Ultrasonic said:


> In that case, I'd personally spend a bit of time losing body fat. As well as the more obvious benefits, this will also help to reset your metabolism so that when you come to bulk again you will be able to gain weight on fewer calories.


I've found the leaner I am the more calories I need. That's just me though,not saying it's the same for everyone


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

FelonE said:


> I've found the leaner I am the more calories I need. That's just me though,not saying it's the same for everyone


So you decrease calories over the course of a bulk rather than increasing them?


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## FelonE1 (Dec 23, 2013)

Ultrasonic said:


> So you decrease calories over the course of a bulk rather than increasing them?


Lol no, I don't get leaner over the course of my bulk.

What I mean is if I'm say 14stone at 10% bf I'll need more cals than if I was 14stone at say 15%bf.


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

FelonE said:


> Lol no, I don't get leaner over the course of my bulk.
> 
> What I mean is if I'm say 14stone at 10% bf I'll need more cals than if I was 14stone at say 15%bf.


My point about bulking was that if you need more calories as you get leaner then this would mean you'd need less as you got fatter, and therefore be reducing calories over the course of a bulk to achieve consistant results... I didn't believe you did this for a second, which was my point.

I guess what is more relevant than absolute body fat levels is the recent history of over vs undereating.

If the OP cuts for a while it will reverse some of the body's adaptations to overeating and so reduce the calories required to gain weight. I don't believe that following a cut you have ever needed to eat more calories to gain weight than at the start.

For your own example, any chance you were more active at 10% vs 15%?


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## FelonE1 (Dec 23, 2013)

Ultrasonic said:


> My point about bulking was that if you need more calories as you get leaner then this would mean you'd need less as you got fatter, and therefore be reducing calories over the course of a bulk to achieve consistant results... I didn't believe you did this for a second, which was my point.
> 
> I guess what is more relevant than absolute body fat levels is the recent history of over vs undereating.
> 
> ...


I'm confused lol

After my cut I could literally eat anything and I'd burn it off. Probably because more muscle mass burns more calories. Activity level was the same


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

FelonE said:


> Lol no, I don't get leaner over the course of my bulk.
> 
> What I mean is if I'm say 14stone at 10% bf I'll need more cals than if I was 14stone at say 15%bf.


Just realised you were comparing yourself at the same weight but two different body fat levels! You replaced fat with more metabolically active muscle so you would expect this to increase your calorie needs. This is very different to someone simply losing fat, where even at the simple level of having less bodyweight to move around will reduce calories used.


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## FelonE1 (Dec 23, 2013)

Ultrasonic said:


> Just realised you were comparing yourself at the same weight but two different body fat levels! You replaced fat with more metabolically active muscle so you would expect this to increase your calorie needs. This is very different to someone simply losing fat, where even at the simple level of having less bodyweight to move around will reduce calories used.


You're too clever for me lol I'm out


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## belly257 (Nov 19, 2015)

Maybe I should do a little more cardiovascular. I don't feel or look fat though. And I wanted to bulk more ideally before I trimmed down. As I don't want to start losing weight I want to gain it a touch more. Unless like you said I cut some fat out then up the kcals again so I can put more weight on.


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## nathanlowe (Jan 8, 2008)

I am no expert but there are a lot of processed tins of food here combined with a chicken breast. Could you not have a chicken breast, rice and veg instead?

Additionally with your training, it hasn't been picked up but you say you do 8 reps on each exercise and increase the weight each time. Surely if you can lift 8 reps at your heaviest weight, there isn't much going to happen when you are lifting 8 reps at lower weights also, it will probably act more of a warm up/work up to just one heavy set. If you can lift 8 reps on your heaviest, surely you can do 8-12 on your lighter. Or try two sets of 8 on the heaviest.


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## belly257 (Nov 19, 2015)

There is some processed tinned food I know. For my main meals I don't eat any processed food it's always cooked. Yeah I mean as in a lighter weight it's not exactly light I still lift heavy to start with and then get really heavy like on the pec Dec machine I'll start on 75kg then just up it to the rack which is 85 then add free weights when needed.

It's not a the best diet but it was working I put around 1.5 stone on over last few months off good weight.I think I need to make it better now


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

FelonE said:


> You're too clever for me lol I'm out


Muscle burns more calories than fat.

If someone is heavier it takes more calories just to walk around.


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## MRSTRONG (Apr 18, 2009)

your eating 5k cals of shite thats the problem , clean diet up .


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

belly257 said:


> Maybe I should do a little more cardiovascular. I don't feel or look fat though. And I wanted to bulk more ideally before I trimmed down. As I don't want to start losing weight I want to gain it a touch more. Unless like you said I cut some fat out then up the kcals again so I can put more weight on.


The point at which someone feels fat is largely a personal thing. If you can pinch over an inch of fat your body fat is definitely on the high side though. As well as looking better there are two potential advantages to cutting for a while. The first is to allow you to then bulk on fewer calories as I mentioned above, which if you really are going to struggle to eat more is a very real benefit. The other is that as you get fatter the body gets less good at using extra calories to build muscle rather than simply storing it as fat.

I'm not saying you should definitely cut, just explaining why this is an option to consider.

The other thing I'll mention in passing is that focusing on weight gain, and having an arbitrary weight target, has a tendency to make people fat. Progress in the gym is very important at well.


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## belly257 (Nov 19, 2015)

Yeah I see what you're saying ultrasonic, I think I might try cutting some fat out then and I will tidy my diet up. Progress in the gym is going quite well definitely am stronger than I was. Might try putting a little cardio into it too.


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## FelonE1 (Dec 23, 2013)

Ultrasonic said:


> Muscle burns more calories than fat.
> 
> If someone is heavier it takes more calories just to walk around.


I know. The way you worded it before twisted my melon man lol


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## DoIEvenLift (Feb 10, 2011)

Ultrasonic said:


> The point at which someone feels fat is largely a personal thing. If you can pinch over an inch of fat your body fat is definitely on the high side though. As well as looking better there are two potential advantages to cutting for a while. The first is to allow you to then bulk on fewer calories as I mentioned above, which if you really are going to struggle to eat more is a very real benefit. The other is that as you get fatter the body gets less good at using extra calories to build muscle rather than simply storing it as fat.
> 
> I'm not saying you should definitely cut, just explaining why this is an option to consider.
> 
> The other thing I'll mention in passing is that focusing on weight gain, and having an arbitrary weight target, has a tendency to make people fat. Progress in the gym is very important at well.


Sorry to jump in on this thread, but you have summed me up so well in that comment lol. i also can pinch over a inch of fat around belly. and ive been bulking ever since i started training, and recently just trying to hit 100kg which i now have(started at 70kg 3 year ago), having to eat around 5000+ calories a day just to put on a tiny bit of weight at a time atm!

ive been contemplating whether to carry on bulking as i still dont feel big, and well ofcourse its bulking season now lol. but at 100kg, eating 5000 cals + a day, feeling tired all the time and not feeling like im gaining much muscle, youve just make it clear to me its time for me to cut! and then start from scratch again. although i am enjoying my strength atm at this weight lol


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## nathanlowe (Jan 8, 2008)

This has now made me question if I should cut.

6ft, 13 stone 12, around 20% fat. I can pinch fat on my stomach a lot more than any other area. However it doesn't come out over my jeans or further out than my chest.


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## DLTBB (Jan 26, 2015)

If my weight stalls I just bump my calories up by 200 a day and it always seems to pick up again.


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