Author Tries 3-Month Bulk to Build Muscle After Wedding-Fueled Body Spiral

2 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 24

A three-month bulking plan replaced the author’s failed pre-wedding weight-loss push, with the goal of eating in a calorie surplus and lifting progressively heavier to gain muscle and strength.
Heavier gym access after moving apartments helped trigger the shift, while experts cited in the piece say muscle growth generally requires extra calories, progressive overload, rest and weeks of tracking or adjustment.
The regimen brought clear performance gains — including hip thrusts above body weight and deadlifts nearly double prior levels — but also anxiety as tighter clothes and intentional weight gain challenged long-held body-image fears.
Sports psychologist Riley Nickols warned bulking can be risky for people with eating-disorder histories, pointing to red flags such as rigid food rules, compulsive exercise and fixation on body numbers over performance.
By the end, the author said the experiment quieted food noise, improved energy and reframed weight gain as a tool for strength rather than a threat, even as body anxiety did not fully disappear.