Loving the number on the scale but hating my physique

alondrakayy

Hey y'all! Need input. On the right I was 153 lbs and on the left I'm 144-145 lbs. I'm 5ft 7 in tall. Honestly, I'm tired of cutting. Not even because of food but because I'm disappointed in the amount of muscle I have. I really thought I had more... my goal weight was 135 lbs but now I'm wondering if I should start bulking again or if I should keep doing what I'm doing until I reach my goals. Any advice welcomed.

usmcmp

I don't think bulking is appropriate for you. I think recomp is probably more appropriate. Maintain weight and dig into a solid lifting program.

alondrakayy

usmcmp wrote: »

I don't think bulking is appropriate for you. I think recomp is probably more appropriate. Maintain weight and dig into a solid lifting program.

So eating at maintenance and lifting at the same time. Do you have time to explain why you don't think bulking is appropriate for me?

sardelsa

First off you look great!
But I definitely know the feeling of getting down in weight and not having the muscle base to support the look you want. If not already, find a good progressive lifting program since you don't mention what you are doing lifting wise.

You mention bulking.. how many bulk cycles have you run? Sometimes it can take quite a few to get where you need to go (I just finished my second and I think there are at least two more in the books for me).

In your case, I would either recomp (eat at maintenance and lift) or take a diet break then continue at deficit to lean down to bulk again.
It all depends on what you are comfortable with, your physique goals and how long you want to spend getting there. At the end of the day, none of the options will be fast.. so you have to be patient and keep going. Believe me though, it's worth it!

Goober1142

Uh, you look perfect..

alondrakayy

sardelsa wrote: »

First off you look great!
But I definitely know the feeling of getting down in weight and not having the muscle base to support the look you want. If not already, find a good progressive lifting program since you don't mention what you are doing lifting wise.

You mention bulking.. how many bulk cycles have you run? Sometimes it can take quite a few to get where you need to go (I just finished my second and I think there are at least two more in the books for me).

In your case, I would either recomp (eat at maintenance and lift) or take a diet break then continue at deficit to lean down to bulk again.
It all depends on what you are comfortable with, your physique goals and how long you want to spend getting there. At the end of the day, none of the options will be fast.. so you have to be patient and keep going. Believe me though, it's worth it!

Honestly, this would be my first real cutting and bulking cycle. I've been on 'diets' before but it's was basically me losing some weight (not a large amount because I don't believe I'm obese or anything like that) and then gaining it back. This time is different, since I've been cutting way longer and have stuck to it. I've been VERY SLOWLY dropping weight since February. My thought was that once I saw some ab definition and/or get to 135lbs, then I'll start bulking for a few weeks then go back to cutting again.

I've never done the maintenance thing because I heard it takes a very long time to see results and it can be very discouraging. But am open to the idea of it!

I guess my main goal during this cut was to have flat stomach, I just didn't think I'd have practically no butt and I thought my biceps would look better with less fat on them but they really don't...

tillerstouch

If youre unhappy with how much body fat you have then a bulk would not be a good idea as you would add more fat.

Are you currently on a good compound lifting program?

sardelsa

Oh I see, when you said bulk again I assumed you had bulked before.

Also a typical bulk cycle would be anywhere from 4 months to a year (or longer) so a few weeks would not really do you any good. Then you would cut from there. But to bulk you would want to be lean enough to start which would mean even more time. While recomp can be slower, in your case with the cutting, bulking, cutting you would have to do, not to mention you have never bulked before and the mental aspect it can bring... it might make more sense to spend some time recomping so I would definitely recommend looking into that.

What program are you running? If your goal is to build a butt, definitely want to focus on a glute program like Strong Curves or something similar.

RedSquadronLeader

It's a little hard to compare -- you're wearing very different styles of clothes in both photos, and it obscures your physique a bit in the second. I think you look great in both, and you have a lot of definition where you're at now! But, you know your body and what you're happy with.

If you want to put on a bit more muscle and stay around the same weight, you have a few options. You could either bulk/cut, cut further and then bulk, or you could recomp as suggested by others.

Bulk/Cut: Yay, more food! Takes some diligence and a dedicated lifting program to minimize fat gain and maximize muscle gain. Can be hard to see the numbers go up if you've been losing for a while. Mentally shifting from the bulk to the cut is difficult (for me anyway).

Cut/Bulk: Ugh, more dieting. Also be prepared for some strength loss. But you can lean out to pretty low BF levels if you're diligent, then focus on doing a bulk and gaining strength back to the levels you want to be at. A shorter cut at the end can put the finishing touches on your physique. You said you're tired of cutting so this probably isn't the way to go.

Recomp: Best option IMO. If you've never done this be aware that it's a long, sometimes grueling process, where the very slow change can sometimes be discouraging and you might not always know if you're moving in the right direction. But: you'll maintain or increase strength, and gradually lose BF levels. You don't have to restrict food as much as on a cut.

This is just a very superficial overview, you can dig into more details if you want -- but the best way to change your physique is the one that fits best with your schedule and preferences.

alondrakayy

I would say I'm on a good lifting program. I cannot say where I found the program because for the life of me I cannot find it online anymore. I usually switch programs every 6 weeks, and am on my 2nd week with this one.

Program:
1st day: Chest/Tri's (includes B press, incline DB press, Flies, Dips, Tri ext, and skull crushers)
2nd day: Back/Bi's (includes grip pull ups, deadlifts, lat pull downs, cable rows, DB curls, chin ups, hammer curls)
3rd day: Shoulders/abs (includes military press, DB shoulder press, Lat raises, Front raises, setups, crunches, planks)
4th day: Legs/abs (includes squats, leg press, leg curls, calf raises, oblique twists, leg raises, bicycle kicks)

Almost all require 4 sets of 10 reps.

Thank you for those who complimented me. It's usually scary to ask for advice because I fear that people will see a picture and will be like 'What fat??' or something along the lines then won't offer any advice. To best explain it.. I look okay with clothes on but without clothes I look like a big blob (IMO). I want to look great naked for the husbanndd (and myself of course).

Anyways, I'm now looking into recomp. If you have any websites you think are informative please send me a link.

sardelsa

Definitely check out this link for recomp info:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1

The lifting program is fine if you like it, but working legs only once a week and doing just squats and leg press for your glutes really isn't super optimal IMO. But if it is working for you and you are seeing results, keep at it

jemhh

alondrakayy wrote: »

I would say I'm on a good lifting program. I cannot say where I found the program because for the life of me I cannot find it online anymore. I usually switch programs every 6 weeks, and am on my 2nd week with this one.

Program:
1st day: Chest/Tri's (includes B press, incline DB press, Flies, Dips, Tri ext, and skull crushers)
2nd day: Back/Bi's (includes grip pull ups, deadlifts, lat pull downs, cable rows, DB curls, chin ups, hammer curls)
3rd day: Shoulders/abs (includes military press, DB shoulder press, Lat raises, Front raises, setups, crunches, planks)
4th day: Legs/abs (includes squats, leg press, leg curls, calf raises, oblique twists, leg raises, bicycle kicks)

Almost all require 4 sets of 10 reps.

Thank you for those who complimented me. It's usually scary to ask for advice because I fear that people will see a picture and will be like 'What fat??' or something along the lines then won't offer any advice. To best explain it.. I look okay with clothes on but without clothes I look like a big blob (IMO). I want to look great naked for the husbanndd (and myself of course).

Anyways, I'm now looking into recomp. If you have any websites you think are informative please send me a link.

Do you do all of the above once per week or do you do all four days and then repeat? You are only hitting legs once per week if it's the former and that is suboptimal. You do deadlifts on that other day but you could be doing more and would get better results I believe. I really think you could have a better program.

As for cutting or not, I do think that recomp would be good for you. You look good in both pictures thought they are hard to compare due to different clothes and all. I think that a lot of women could do well with not dieting so much and instead focusing on building muscle more.