Hit my goal weight.....now what????

jmule24

I should know this, but wanted the advice from a few of the regulars on here as I respect your opinions.

So I bulked for the last 10-11 weeks and went from 158lbs to 170lbs. My calorie goal was 3250 and my maintenance is now 2770.

Do I slowly go back down to 2770 over the next 5 weeks so I don't feel as hungry or can I just drop to 2770 right away?

Current lifting program is : 3-day/week DUP program (Squat/Bench/DL + 2 accessory)


Thanks in advance!

JoRocka

I dropped to maintenance for a week or two and then go to my cut- transitioning from a high calorie number to a low one can be hard mentally and sometimes physically. Totally up to you thought. 2700 is still a fair bit of food all in all- and it's not a huge jump down- but if you think it's going to cause you grief you can always drop to 3K- then down to 2770.

jmule24

Thanks JoRocka! Always a darn mental game!!! So is the weight on the bar!!

3270 is so much more forgiving than 2270

AKDonF

It is fine to drop to maintenance. If you are going to cut, then you definitely do not want to slowly decrease. Doing so can begin a down regulation of metabolism. Some people believe that you should spend at least 2 weeks at maintenance and others just go right to the cut. I generally think staying at maintenance for about 2 weeks is good, but everyone is different.

sjohnson__1

To piggyback: should I recalculate my maintenance?

JoRocka

sjohnson__1 wrote: »

To piggyback: should I recalculate my maintenance?

Start your own thread- and put all the details in- question is way to vague to give a good answer.

AKDonF

I am not certain what you are asking. You are in a bulk, correct? If you are gaining at the appropriate rate, all is good. If not adjust by eating a bit more and track for about two weeks to see if there is improvement. Actual maintenance calories are important when trying to maintain or just beginning a cut or bulk.

sjohnson__1

JoRocka wrote: »

sjohnson__1 wrote: »

To piggyback: should I recalculate my maintenance?

Start your own thread- and put all the details in- question is way to vague to give a good answer.

Meant to say: How should I recalculate maintenance... And you're right, a new thread is probably in order. I'm likely to begin a cut in a few weeks. Just trying to fine tune the process.

AKDonF

Well this is actually where a lot of us bulkers are at the moment; about to cut. I think many could benefit from this information but perhaps a new thread is in order?

Basically, the change from a bulk to a cut will trigger a hormonal change. When carbohydrates decrease, leptin will decrease and ghrelin will increase as they are inversely related. Leptin affects satiety and ghrelin affects hunger. Both influence the hypothalamus which helps regulate metabolism.

The reason not to decrease calories slowly is that a reduction of carbohydrates will lower leptin but you will still be in a calorie surplus. When you are trying to cut, the last thing that you want is to have your brain trying to conserve energy (from the decrease in leptin) while you are overfed because it will result in more fat storage and poorer partitioning.

The reason for dropping to and remaining at maintenance for a couple of weeks is to allow the hormonal change to normalize. Ghrelin changes can be difficult to deal with mentally. Also, this period at what is believed to be maintenance gives the opportunity to track changes in body composition and/or weight. Using the information gleaned during this time, an educated guess as to where to officially start the cut can be formulated. For most, a reduction of 20-25% off of maintenance is where a cut should begin.

As a side note, refeeds during a cut are for the purpose of attempting to temporarily increase leptin and decrease ghrelin. The benefits are to maintain metabolism health and decrease the sense of hunger thereby aiding adherence to the cut, which is arguably the most difficult part.


Edited

sjohnson__1

AKDonF wrote: »

Well this is actually where a lot of us bulkers are at the moment; about to cut. I think many could benefit from this information but perhaps a new thread is in order?

Basically, the change from a bulk to a cut will trigger a hormonal change. When carbohydrates decrease, leptin will decrease and ghrelin will increase as they are inversely related. Leptin affects satiety and leptin affects hunger. Both influence the hypothalamus which helps regulate metabolism.

The reason not to decrease calories slowly is that a reduction of carbohydrates will lower leptin but you will still be in a calorie surplus. When you are trying to cut, the last thing that you want is to have your brain trying to conserve energy (from the decrease in leptin) while you are overfed because it will result in more fat storage and poorer partitioning.

The reason for dropping to and remaining at maintenance for a couple of weeks is to allow the hormonal change to normalize. Ghrelin changes can be difficult to deal with mentally. Also, this period at what is believed to be maintenance gives the opportunity to track changes in body composition and/or weight. Using the information gleaned during this time, an educated guess as to where to officially start the cut can be formulated. For most, a reduction of 20-25% off of maintenance is where a cut should begin.

As a side note, refeeds during a cut are for the purpose of attempting to temporarily increase leptin and decrease ghrelin. The benefits are to maintain metabolism health and decrease the sense of hunger thereby aiding adherence to the cut, which is arguably the most difficult part.

New thread posted. & Thank you!