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[–] EnemyGoat 0 points 3 points (+3|-0) ago  (edited ago)

If your gaining fat but not muscle, increase protein consumption, decrease other forms of caloric consumption (fats and carbs)

When I bulk I don't really ever feel fatter but then I try to keep my diet mostly clean when I bulk. But if you feel you are getting fatter and do not want that result then yes decrease your carbohydrate intake a little AND increase your protein intake

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[–] Wumbology_Major [S] 0 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago 

I'm not looking fatter, I just feel a bit fatter. I'll try replacing some of the carbohydrates with protein. Would another solution be to get more carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables and less from grains, or does it not make much of a difference (I eat both, but I get more from grains)?

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[–] cheeese 0 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago 

What exactly does "feel" fatter mean? Maybe you are just feeling more full throughout the day because you are eating more than you are used to. As to fruits/veges vs. grains that's something you got to experiment with. I personally don't prefer starchy or grainy carbs and like to make smoothies with just fruit and vegetables for my carbs. Everything is really based on your individual body and what you like and work best with.

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[–] EnemyGoat 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

It doesn't make much of a difference. Because in the end it's the total number of calories in that matter.

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[–] KarmaYoga 0 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago 

What is your exercise routine? Are you getting stronger? Are you doing squats or deadlifts?

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[–] Wumbology_Major [S] 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

I run about a mile or two. Then I do some hip adduction and abductions, chest presses, pull ups, leg extensions, fly rears, crunches (with weight), and back extensions. Then I move onto the dumbells and do curls, punches, and arm extensions (I think that's what they're called).

I am getting stronger.

I don't do squats and dead-lifts since I work the muscles out through other machines.

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[–] KarmaYoga 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

For most people (especially hard gainers), you will not gain much (if any) muscle until your CNS is maxed. What I mean by this is, the muscle you already have is probably sufficient to to lift more than what you are lifting now. This is proven over and over by cases of people lifting cars or other heavy objects in life threatening situations. In the beginning, your weakest link will not be muscle mass, but nerve synapse connections and overall ability of the Central Nervous System . Strength training is as much about training the CNS as it is training for hypertrophy. The easiest and most effective way to train the CNS is heavy compound lifts (squat, deadlift, bench). Only once your CNS is being stressed to near its max, will your body adapt and built muscle.

Lets take this from a different perspective. As we evolved as hunter gathers, we went through periods of time of feast and famine. In the scenario of feast or famine, muscle is an expensive commodity. Since muscle is metabolically active, it requires calories to maintain and can be taxing and expensive to have more of it than is necessary for physical labor demands. The body knows it can produce VERY high levels of strength with a baseline of muscle if necessary, and has no incentive to have more muscle than necessary. Hence why training for CNS adaptation, as well as hypertrophy is essential.

Again, to reiterate, if you are serious about strength training, you must incorporate heavy compound lifts. Nearly every BIG body builder ever started out with a foundation of compound barbell exercises. Arnold is among the most famous for besides being Arnold, also squatting 500+ lbs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6SJf1TcMks

Check out either: http://stronglifts.com/ http://startingstrength.com/

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[–] Zaxer 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago  (edited ago)

Feeling fat is usually a matter of water weight. Watch your sodium intake. The fix for this is to actually drink more water. Generally, make sure you're not going more than about 500 Kcals over your TDEE. I usually suggest only eating the extra calories on the days you workout. If you're just beginning, the extra calories are probably not needed. The first 2 or 3 months you are mostly training your nervous system and the calories are not necessary.

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[–] xcats 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

By "a good mix," exactly what are you shooting for as far as daily protein intake? Chances are it's still not enough. A good go-to rule is generally "eat more," especially in regard to lean protein. Go to Aldi, get a family sized bag each of chicken breast and salmon. Maybe add cottage cheese as a snack throughout the day, too; adding fruit, like pineapple, is optional. That one's kind-of hit or miss as far as personal preference, but I grew up eating it. I looked at a nutrition label recently and was pleasantly shocked at the protein content. As far as decreasing your carb intake, just depends on what you're comfortable with. For myself, I feel like carbs translate directly to energy, so I try to set a healthy medium. I feel absolutely drained when I cut carbs, but I might just be a wuss, haha.

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[–] nirop1 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

For most people you dont actually need to eat more to put on muscle (more protein but not more overall) so just eating a higher protein diet should work well. The bulking/cutting cycle is only necissary when you get closer to reaching your potential for muscle mass. I dont know why your working out but if its for aesthetics eating more is actually usually counterproductive as it could increase bf% or at least make you not lose bf% from putting on muscle mass as fast.