Ass getting bigger. Traps getting bigger.
This is peak gaining season, and, after months of hating how I felt and looked, I’m finally here for it.
Photo stats: 20 weeks, +20lbs
To get to this point, mind, I’ve had to:
- eat a LOT more food than I ever have before
- learn from countless mistakes with food choices and calorie aims
- use the facilities more times in a day than I used to in a week(!)
- apologise to the people closest to me for being tough on them when it was me that I was upset with.
In September (third column) something shifted. Through the fog of physical stress and mental distress that had grown heavier the thic[c]er I was getting, I started to see myself again.
My back was less spasm-y, my joints were hurting less, my energy was through the roof and my gym numbers exploded. I felt right in my body, and (so) I felt right in my mind. I was better for everyone.
In November (fourth column), I hit 183lb (83kg), the heaviest I’ve ever been, and I decided to take a diet break. Now, some people might roll their eyes at this point – mate, just keep bulking – and I will, but I’m going to do it in a way you might not expect.
When people lose weight very quickly, they tend to rebound quickly. That’s exactly what I’m aiming to do.
Eh?
Yeah. One of the biggest issues I’ve had with getting to this weight is that – and I know this is a privileged position to speak from – I’ve had next to no appetite for the amount of food I’ve needed to eat to see my weight go up. At the same time, l suspect I’m putting on disproportionately more fat now, which my data seem to back up.
So, I’m on a minicut to drop as much fat as I can, reset my appetite and insulin sensitivity and ride the rebound to a few more gains before the new year.
Dieting like many people do in January is actually a great strategy for gaining more weight overall rather than losing it and keeping it off. Something I aim to prove with experience and data.
If you're tired of rebounding after dieting and want a plan to make your results stick, do get in touch. Otherwise, feel free to read some of my earlier thoughts on gaining weight and mini-cutting.