A woman who spent years trying to get smaller decided to get bigger by bulking—gaining weight on purpose to build muscle. This decision challenged everything she was taught about her body.
She had been lifting weights casually for a few years when her boyfriend proposed. Planning the wedding triggered a body-loathing spiral. She started weighing herself daily, tracking calories, and restricting food, then bingeing. She realized she had internalized an image of the bride as skinny—like a supermodel.
A month before the wedding, she moved into an apartment with a nice gym. She began lifting heavier weights and felt excited to see what she could do. On her wedding day, she didn't think much about her body. Afterward, exhausted by trying to shrink, she decided to take the opposite approach: gain weight by bulking.
What Bulking Entails
Bulking involves eating in a caloric surplus and training with progressive overload to build muscle. It requires careful adjustments: enough carbs for fuel, extra protein for muscle growth, training almost to failure, and rest. Building muscle is hard but essential for health, reducing blood pressure, protecting cardiovascular health, improving cognitive function, and alleviating anxiety and depression.
She loved lifting. The focus required made workouts meditative. She also wanted to build shoulders and glutes. Her bulk lasted three months.
She figured out her daily calorie goal through trial and error, using online calculators and adjusting based on hunger. She tracked calories but focused on getting enough food, which felt indulgent compared to her past restrictive dieting.
Challenges and Support
Eating more caused anxiety. She sought reassurance from her husband. The reasons for her poor body image were common: childhood comments, media influence, past relationships. Gaining weight on purpose felt scary but liberating.
Many women supported her, some intrigued but nervous. Casey Johnston, author of She's a Beast, said the concept challenges what women are taught to fear about their bodies. Johnston did her first bulk in 2016 and found it transformed her gym performance.
Tamara Walcott, a world-record powerlifter, has not bulked herself due to her history with food addiction, but programs bulks for clients. Sports psychologist Riley Nickols warns that people with extensive dieting history or eating disorders should be cautious, as bulking can activate fear and loss of control.
Results and Reflection
She developed confidence in the gym, lifting heavier weights. She had more energy, felt warmer at night, and noticed slight shoulder muscles. Clothes fit tighter, which sometimes caused despair, but gaining weight felt fine. Eating became boring as her body received consistent fuel.
After the bulk, she went into a slight calorie deficit. The experience changed her relationship with food and weight. Gaining weight no longer feels scary; it's a tool for strength. Body anxiety still exists but is quieter. She plans to continue lifting and possibly deadlift her body weight.
