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Dealing with my new greatest fear

Finishing up weight loss, and feeling hyper anxious about having to eat more to gain muscle

Juxtavarious
Juxtavarious g Dustin Schneider
6 Post(s)
6 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: January 1, 2018
Posted

In March 2017 I threw my back out after hitting 280. The most I've ever weighed in my life. This was the final kick I needed to start my most successful weight loss campaign. I became very strict with how much I would allow myself to eat and this has worked well. I'm now down to 188.6 with my goal of hitting 178 by the end of February. This is the lightest I've weighed since I was 12 years old. I have always been large, and never in a healthy way. It's taken me the whole of the last year to accomplish all of this keeping my calories around 1800.

According to the calculator on this site, I would need to be eating about 3000 calories a day to gain muscle. I understand that adhereing to well balanced macros is not the same thing as eating the crap that got me to where I was, but I'm feeling really hung up on the numbers. That's essentially 1.5x what I'm eating now and I get that what I'm eating now is the specific goal of losing weight. But I feel like I've developed a phobia of eating more. I conciously understand that it's not the same thing but I know it's going to be a huge mental block to deal with when I come to it. I have this mental image of walking a tight rope with it and any little screw up will somehow automatically lead to spiralling out of control.

Any thoughts on dealing with this would be appreciated.

Age: 30 Height: 6'2" Weight: 188.8 (01/19/18) Bodyfat %: 14.5% Goal: Weight Loss through March 1 2018, then Muscle Gain How long you have been exercising: March 2017 Daily calories:
jmboiardi
jmboiardi p John M Boiardi
2.6K Post(s)
2.6K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: October 10, 2013
Posted
Posted By: Juxtavarious

In March 2017 I threw my back out after hitting 280. The most I've ever weighed in my life. This was the final kick I needed to start my most successful weight loss campaign. I became very strict with how much I would allow myself to eat and this has worked well. I'm now down to 188.6 with my goal of hitting 178 by the end of February. This is the lightest I've weighed since I was 12 years old. I have always been large, and never in a healthy way. It's taken me the whole of the last year to accomplish all of this keeping my calories around 1800.

According to the calculator on this site, I would need to be eating about 3000 calories a day to gain muscle. I understand that adhereing to well balanced macros is not the same thing as eating the crap that got me to where I was, but I'm feeling really hung up on the numbers. That's essentially 1.5x what I'm eating now and I get that what I'm eating now is the specific goal of losing weight. But I feel like I've developed a phobia of eating more. I conciously understand that it's not the same thing but I know it's going to be a huge mental block to deal with when I come to it. I have this mental image of walking a tight rope with it and any little screw up will somehow automatically lead to spiralling out of control.

Any thoughts on dealing with this would be appreciated.

Congrats on the weight loss and taking control of your health. It is understandable to have the fear you have. What you need to remember is that it was not necessarily how much your were eating but rather WHAT you were eating that caused your past predicament.

 

This is why I have major issues with companies like Coca-Cola and Frito-Lay. They try to brainwash people into believing a calorie is a calorie regardless of where it is from and losing or gaining weight is just a matter of reducing or increasing calories. This is the biggest bullshit logic I have ever heard. The reason I bring this up is in your situation eating 3000 calories from wholesome, nutritionally dense foods is not the same nor will have the same effects on your body as eating 3000 calories from junk food.

 

Calories are the same in definition only - the amount of energy needed to raise 1 gram of water 1 degree centrigrade. They are not the same METABOLICALLY. This is where your fear can be assuaged. When you eat calories high in man-made sugars and fats, devoid of micronutrients and fiber, and quickly digested, they spike insulin levels and cause a whole cascade of metabolic and hormonal triggers that lead to fat and weight gain. When you eat food made by nature and in its natural form with no added anything, it is processed in the way our body and genome where designed to intake and process food.

 

My advice to you is keep being diligent with your nutrition. Know that 3000 calories from wholesome foods is not the same nor will have the same effect on your weight as eating 3000 calories from the food you ate in the past. This combined with a consistent and intense exercise plan will ensure any weight you gain will be primarily lean mass.

 

 

John

34 years of lifting and nutritional experience and resident "old man" :-) MS Athlete and past Super Hermanite since 2013.
Juxtavarious
Juxtavarious g Dustin Schneider
6 Post(s)
6 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: January 1, 2018
Posted

I have had to constantly fight and defend other people in weight loss groups from """""gurus""""" who insist that the be-all-end-all of dieting is calories in/out. I told several flat out that if they really and truly believed that and that macros meant nothing then they should have no problem at all losing weight on 1800 calories of pure Crisco and nothing else. Surprisingly, I've had no takers on such a challenge. Wonder why that would be?

 

I understand from a logical perspective that 3000 calories of healthy food paired with exercise is a whole other world from 3000 calroies of pure garbage and championship couch potatoing, but in my brain that number had developed a taboo. I know it's something I need to work through. And I also know that eating that much will cause weight gain. Which is another paralyzing hangup I know that I'm going to have. Logically, I understand that muscle growth requires weight gain because that's how that works. You can't have part A without part B. That's simple physics and chemistry.

 

I can understand all of that on an intellectual level but my brain is locking up on that many calories and the idea of gaining weight. It's like I have a mild panic attack just thinking about it. I feel like I've developed some notion of body dismorphia and I just don't want to let that get out of hand. I'm still finishing up with my weight loss and that will continue through the end of February before I can even start with this new plan. I'm still taking it all one step or even half-step at a time because it's just easier to deal with.

Age: 30 Height: 6'2" Weight: 188.8 (01/19/18) Bodyfat %: 14.5% Goal: Weight Loss through March 1 2018, then Muscle Gain How long you have been exercising: March 2017 Daily calories:
Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: Juxtavarious

In March 2017 I threw my back out after hitting 280. The most I've ever weighed in my life. This was the final kick I needed to start my most successful weight loss campaign. I became very strict with how much I would allow myself to eat and this has worked well. I'm now down to 188.6 with my goal of hitting 178 by the end of February. This is the lightest I've weighed since I was 12 years old. I have always been large, and never in a healthy way. It's taken me the whole of the last year to accomplish all of this keeping my calories around 1800.

According to the calculator on this site, I would need to be eating about 3000 calories a day to gain muscle. I understand that adhereing to well balanced macros is not the same thing as eating the crap that got me to where I was, but I'm feeling really hung up on the numbers. That's essentially 1.5x what I'm eating now and I get that what I'm eating now is the specific goal of losing weight. But I feel like I've developed a phobia of eating more. I conciously understand that it's not the same thing but I know it's going to be a huge mental block to deal with when I come to it. I have this mental image of walking a tight rope with it and any little screw up will somehow automatically lead to spiralling out of control.

Any thoughts on dealing with this would be appreciated.

John's right @Juxtavarious.. well first off.. congrats on the weight loss!! Basically 100lbs lost, that is AWESOME!! Proud of you man!!

 

Now for your calories.. it's normal to be a little skiddish about increasing your calories if you used to be bigger than you would have liked. But the best way to go about it is adding calories slowly, so you don't overwhelm yourself or your body.

 

If you're eating 1800 daily at the moment, start eating 1900-2000 calories daily for the next week or two. The next week or two after that, start eating 2100-2200 calories daily, and slowly work your way up. You might even find that you get to a point before 3000 calories where you can actually still add some muscle too. It's all about trial and error, and doing it slowly to minimize any fat gain is the best way to go about it.

 

Add the calories bit by bit, monitor your carb intake, make sure you're still doing some cardio (HIIT would be a good option), and you will be OK! Just keep an eye on your body composition as well so that you can notice if you're starting too feel too fluffy.

Need 1 on 1 coaching? Send me a direct message to learn more!
Juxtavarious
Juxtavarious g Dustin Schneider
6 Post(s)
6 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: January 1, 2018
Posted

That's part of my plan. Move into maintenance level of calories before going into growth. Any weight gain without sufficient calories is just bloating and it will go away. A lesson I screamed myself through the first time last year. I still need time to get into a proper exercise routine for growth anyway. Everything gets stiff the first few times before I break into it. Needs time to get into it. Also need time to plot my new diet more effectively. Hunt down the whole grain this and lean protein that. Figure out what it costs and balance my schedule with it. It looks like it SHOULD be cheaper than my current plan which is "whatever strikes me at the moment."

Age: 30 Height: 6'2" Weight: 188.8 (01/19/18) Bodyfat %: 14.5% Goal: Weight Loss through March 1 2018, then Muscle Gain How long you have been exercising: March 2017 Daily calories:
Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: Juxtavarious

That's part of my plan. Move into maintenance level of calories before going into growth. Any weight gain without sufficient calories is just bloating and it will go away. A lesson I screamed myself through the first time last year. I still need time to get into a proper exercise routine for growth anyway. Everything gets stiff the first few times before I break into it. Needs time to get into it. Also need time to plot my new diet more effectively. Hunt down the whole grain this and lean protein that. Figure out what it costs and balance my schedule with it. It looks like it SHOULD be cheaper than my current plan which is "whatever strikes me at the moment."

Yeah nothing wrong with making a plan! There are plenty of programs available here on the site to help you get on track and that will take away a lot of the guesswork for you. I'll also link you to a good food guide to help you get some ideas for your diet - http://muscularstrength.com/article/healthy-shopping-list-for-life

Need 1 on 1 coaching? Send me a direct message to learn more!
muscular strength
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