Well, fam. I’m doing it. I’m heading into a calorie surplus this summer.
The thing I tried to do not that long ago (and then got scared and chickened out).
During a time of year when most of us are wearing less clothing, spending a LOT of time in swimsuits, and wanting to be leaner and look our best…
I’ve decided that it’s time to eat more, to GAIN weight (even though I still have body fat I’d like to lose), and intentionally go into a muscle-building phase – right as summer begins.
Surplus Summer
It’s time to give my body the fuel it needs to do the things I want it to do.
This is me jumping in headfirst into Strong Girl Surplus Summer.
I’ve done the “eating at maintenance” thing.
I’ve acquired the newbie gains in the gym.
I’ve done a few planned diets over the years (to try and lose weight/body fat).
I did have one phase of gaining weight accidentally (while living my best life in San Fran).
But I’ve never done a slow, controlled, and methodically thought-out surplus to gain muscle.
Mostly out of fear.
Mostly out of my own body image issues.
Mostly out of my own bullsh!t 🙂
Why Now?
It’s hard to consider gaining weight when you still have body fat you want to lose.
But for many people (myself included), pressing “pause” on weight loss goals and focusing on trying to gain muscle first will set you up for more success.
Because then the body that is revealed when you DO go on a diet is closer to the body you had envisioned in your head.
And since having more muscle increases your metabolism and energy expenditure (so you get to thrive on more food daily) – it also makes future dieting easier, because you potentially get to do it while eating a lil more.
Knowing all this doesn’t make the idea of gaining weight any easier.
I’m not necessarily scared of the scale going up. But there is some fear that I will gain more body fat than I intended.
And I know my emotions and self-image are going to get riled up at times (thank gosh for friends I can lean into if/when things get messy).
But I also know that by:
- tracking data closely
- working hard during my Paragon lift sessions
- taking nutrition things slowly (the goal is to gain ~0.3 lbs/week, which is ~1.2 lbs/month)
I am setting myself up for success.
Fueling for My Lifestyle
There’s no avoiding gaining some body fat while eating in a surplus.
Can’t grow something from nothing. Enter your gaining phase with the expectation of knowing you WILL gain some fat, and this all becomes somewhat easier on the brain.
But it’s time to give my body the fuel it needs to do the things I want it to do.
In a few months, this hopefully looks like me weighing a few pounds more than I do now.
In addition to all the lifting, hiking, adventuring, and playing outside in preparation to crush Tour du Mont Blanc – a 10-day, 105-mile hike through France, Italy, and Switzerland. 10,000m in altitude and over 60 hours of hiking!
More About Kelly
Follow me on Instagram to track my journey: @kellywright.co
Go check out my lifting program: @paragontrainingmethods
