My Transformation - Now What???

DazzaGainz

Hi Guys and Gals,

Newbie here!!! :-)

Been on a diet (average weekly deficit of 3750 based on TDEE of 1850) and workout plan (3 Cardio sessions of one hour plus 4 days split weights) since November 2016.

I've attached my before pictures as at 01/11/2016 and pictures taken today.

Was wondering if someone can help me with the following:

- does it seem I have gained muscle?
- how can I lose the fat on by chest and back?
- what would you estimate my body fat to be? Scales say 14.5% which can't be right.
- And finally what do I do now to maximise muscle gain? Shall I eat more? Eat less? Workout more?

Any help would be much appreciated guys.

Thanks

DazzaGainz

JB035

No pics.... @DazzaGainz

DazzaGainz

JB035 wrote: »

No pics.... @DazzaGainz

Added now :-)

dlionsmane

Hi - Nice job on the weight loss. IMHO:

- does it seem I have gained muscle? - You really can't 'gain' muscle in a deficit, unless you have been lifting some significant weights> what you see is the muscle definition of what was already there but perhaps covered up a bit with extra fat layers
- how can I lose the fat on by chest and back? You can recomp by Lifting Heavy
- what would you estimate my body fat to be? Scales say 14.5% which can't be right. Hard to eyeball that...if you really want to know you need an accurate measurement. (calipers, etc)
- And finally what do I do now to maximise muscle gain? Shall I eat more? Eat less? Workout more? I would eat at maintenance and lift a lot of heavy weights.

Again - nice job! Congrats!

DazzaGainz

dlionsmane wrote: »

Hi - Nice job on the weight loss. IMHO:

- does it seem I have gained muscle? - You really can't 'gain' muscle in a deficit, unless you have been lifting some significant weights> what you see is the muscle definition of what was already there but perhaps covered up a bit with extra fat layers
- how can I lose the fat on by chest and back? You can recomp by Lifting Heavy
- what would you estimate my body fat to be? Scales say 14.5% which can't be right. Hard to eyeball that...if you really want to know you need an accurate measurement. (calipers, etc)
- And finally what do I do now to maximise muscle gain? Shall I eat more? Eat less? Workout more? I would eat at maintenance and lift a lot of heavy weights.

Again - nice job! Congrats!

Thanks :-)

Rusty740

I don't see where any photos are... but I can help with your other questions.

Losing fat on chest and back. Unfortunately there is no way to "spot-reduce" fat. The only way is to get your overall body fat lower, then those areas will also look good.

Body fat scales can be finicky, you're right to question them, but what they can do is provide you a guide to your progress if you are losing BF over time. So don't chuck it completely I believe the cheapest method and (fairly accurate) are photos and height to waist circumference ratio. The Navy formula is as good a one as you'll find. Couple this with your scale and you'll be able to guess fairly accurately.

Maximizing muscle gain. I'm going to assume you are new at bodybuilding. If you are you are lucky in the sense that you may be able to gain muscle and lose body fat at the same time. You are also young and so have more testosterone. These are good things. You may be able to pick up weight lifting 2 or 3 times per week. Cardio is up to you. Cardio is for overall fitness/endurance and some fat loss, but it may also make you lose muscle so take it easy on the cardio, but once a week will be good for your heart so why not. Generally speaking if you want to lose body fat you get yourself in a calorie deficit and if you want to gain muscle you want to get yourself in a small surplus. Pay attention to your macros too. Believe it or not, more protein will help you lose body fat and a bit less will help you with your muscle gains. You may be able to get yourself in a maintenance calorie situation with good macros (I'm not sure what the macro split will be, you'll have to figure this out over time for your body and situation, but expect it to take several weeks/months. In a maintenance, you may be able to gain muscle and lose body fat, but possibly not. BTW gaining muscle takes a long time too. The max you can expect is about 2 lbs per month and it will level off too. Expect less.

I would suggest a good youtuber/body builder named Vitruvian Physique (Igor something). Google him and some of your questions and you'll probably find the answers. He provides a lot of good back up for his opinions and will tell you if he thinks he doesn't know or the science isn't clear.

DazzaGainz

Rusty740 wrote: »

I don't see where any photos are... but I can help with your other questions.

Losing fat on chest and back. Unfortunately there is no way to "spot-reduce" fat. The only way is to get your overall body fat lower, then those areas will also look good.

Body fat scales can be finicky, you're right to question them, but what they can do is provide you a guide to your progress if you are losing BF over time. So don't chuck it completely I believe the cheapest method and (fairly accurate) are photos and height to waist circumference ratio. The Navy formula is as good a one as you'll find. Couple this with your scale and you'll be able to guess fairly accurately.

Maximizing muscle gain. I'm going to assume you are new at bodybuilding. If you are you are lucky in the sense that you may be able to gain muscle and lose body fat at the same time. You are also young and so have more testosterone. These are good things. You may be able to pick up weight lifting 2 or 3 times per week. Cardio is up to you. Cardio is for overall fitness/endurance and some fat loss, but it may also make you lose muscle so take it easy on the cardio, but once a week will be good for your heart so why not. Generally speaking if you want to lose body fat you get yourself in a calorie deficit and if you want to gain muscle you want to get yourself in a small surplus. Pay attention to your macros too. Believe it or not, more protein will help you lose body fat and a bit less will help you with your muscle gains. You may be able to get yourself in a maintenance calorie situation with good macros (I'm not sure what the macro split will be, you'll have to figure this out over time for your body and situation, but expect it to take several weeks/months. In a maintenance, you may be able to gain muscle and lose body fat, but possibly not. BTW gaining muscle takes a long time too. The max you can expect is about 2 lbs per month and it will level off too. Expect less.

I would suggest a good youtuber/body builder named Vitruvian Physique (Igor something). Google him and some of your questions and you'll probably find the answers. He provides a lot of good back up for his opinions and will tell you if he thinks he doesn't know or the science isn't clear.

Thanks for the reply!

Photos are in post 2

Rusty740

I see the photos now, yes you could be 14.5%, but I think you could be what's called 'skinnyfat'. Don't take offense, well done with the losses you're doing awesome. Check out the youtuber I suggested above and you'll do great.

Good job!!

DazzaGainz

Rusty740 wrote: »

I see the photos now, yes you could be 14.5%, but I think you could be what's called 'skinnyfat'. Don't take offense, well done with the losses you're doing awesome. Check out the youtuber I suggested above and you'll do great.

Good job!!

Thanks Rusty :-)

Found the YouTuber - thanks

JB035

Awesome job on losing all that fat!!

Time to start building some muscle! Really try and find what your surplus is and just get enough above it to get into the muscle building sweet spot.

Again congrats on the weight loss!! Looking good bud!

DazzaGainz

JB035 wrote: »

Awesome job on losing all that fat!!

Time to start building some muscle! Really try and find what your surplus is and just get enough above it to get into the muscle building sweet spot.

Again congrats on the weight loss!! Looking good bud!

Thanks mate!

So you think I should start a sting at a surplus and lifting heavier?

Rusty740

DazzaGainz wrote: »

JB035 wrote: »

Awesome job on losing all that fat!!

Time to start building some muscle! Really try and find what your surplus is and just get enough above it to get into the muscle building sweet spot.

Again congrats on the weight loss!! Looking good bud!

Thanks mate!

So you think I should start a sting at a surplus and lifting heavier?

It won't hurt, this is where you'll end up anyhow But don't make the surplus too big. Try 100-200 per day extra depending on how much you're working out. If you'll only be able to put on a maximum of 2 lbs per month of muscle so aim for 3 lbs total weight gain. If you're gaining more than 5 lbs per month maybe think about curtailing your surplus.

Of course the numbers here might not be right for your body. You might gain 2.5 lbs per month muscle and be cool with another 4 lbs fat gain over that time. You'll have to narrow it down over time, but the one thing you don't want to do is go 'dirty bulk'.

DazzaGainz

Rusty740 wrote: »

DazzaGainz wrote: »

JB035 wrote: »

Awesome job on losing all that fat!!

Time to start building some muscle! Really try and find what your surplus is and just get enough above it to get into the muscle building sweet spot.

Again congrats on the weight loss!! Looking good bud!

Thanks mate!

So you think I should start a sting at a surplus and lifting heavier?

It won't hurt, this is where you'll end up anyhow But don't make the surplus too big. Try 100-200 per day extra depending on how much you're working out. If you'll only be able to put on a maximum of 2 lbs per month of muscle so aim for 3 lbs total weight gain. If you're gaining more than 5 lbs per month maybe think about curtailing your surplus.

Of course the numbers here might not be right for your body. You might gain 2.5 lbs per month muscle and be cool with another 4 lbs fat gain over that time. You'll have to narrow it down over time, but the one thing you don't want to do is go 'dirty bulk'.

Thanks - that's makes a lot of sense!