Anyone cutting after a bulk?
Replies
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pitbullpuppy wrote: »matthewbland wrote: »pitbullpuppy wrote: »Hey all,
I am doing a cut. I am following Arnold's plan which is basically 6 days a week, alternating chest and legs, arms, chest and legs, arms...
Would it be detrimental to go backwards in training? By that I mean doing chest one day, legs the next, arms the next and repeat that (basically his level 1)? Would that make me lose more muscle? I'm just not sure if people scale down their work outs when cutting or if you're supposed to maintain the intensity throughout a cut despite lowering your fuel. Thanks
Wouldn’t advise doing Arnold’s routine as he was on steroids and would lead to over training I would have thought
The amount of steroids that Arnold did was minimal in comparison to today's athletes. It was also given under his doctor's discretion (different times). Anyway, the book was written in the 90s well after he was out of professional bodybuilding and spent decades researching effective methods and the science behind bodybuilding. Arnold advocates for not doing even nicotine or alcohol, let alone steroids. As such, it is written for athletes who do not use performance enhancers. Regardless, I have absolutely zero intention of switching plans as I am all natural and several months into the plan with wonderful results. I simply want to know if it would be detrimental to muscle maintenance to scale back sets per week on a given body part.
As long as your are hitting adequate volume (which I believe is 10-20 sets per body part), eating adequate protein, don't have an aggressive weight loss goal, than you should be good to cut back on the volume a bit.1 -
pitbullpuppy wrote: »matthewbland wrote: »pitbullpuppy wrote: »Hey all,
I am doing a cut. I am following Arnold's plan which is basically 6 days a week, alternating chest and legs, arms, chest and legs, arms...
Would it be detrimental to go backwards in training? By that I mean doing chest one day, legs the next, arms the next and repeat that (basically his level 1)? Would that make me lose more muscle? I'm just not sure if people scale down their work outs when cutting or if you're supposed to maintain the intensity throughout a cut despite lowering your fuel. Thanks
Wouldn’t advise doing Arnold’s routine as he was on steroids and would lead to over training I would have thought
The amount of steroids that Arnold did was minimal in comparison to today's athletes. It was also given under his doctor's discretion (different times). Anyway, the book was written in the 90s well after he was out of professional bodybuilding and spent decades researching effective methods and the science behind bodybuilding. Arnold advocates for not doing even nicotine or alcohol, let alone steroids. As such, it is written for athletes who do not use performance enhancers. Regardless, I have absolutely zero intention of switching plans as I am all natural and several months into the plan with wonderful results. I simply want to know if it would be detrimental to muscle maintenance to scale back sets per week on a given body part.
As long as your are hitting adequate volume (which I believe is 20-30 sets per body part), eating adequate protein, don't have an aggressive weight loss goal, than you should be good to cut back on the volume a bit.
20-30 sets per body part?
Pretty sure Dr Mike recommendation is under 20 for most body parts with MEV been as low as 6 sets
Personally I’d die before I ever reached that number of sets, 16 sets of hammies over 2 sessions is my MRV and then it’s deload as I’m wrecked
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pitbullpuppy wrote: »matthewbland wrote: »pitbullpuppy wrote: »Hey all,
I am doing a cut. I am following Arnold's plan which is basically 6 days a week, alternating chest and legs, arms, chest and legs, arms...
Would it be detrimental to go backwards in training? By that I mean doing chest one day, legs the next, arms the next and repeat that (basically his level 1)? Would that make me lose more muscle? I'm just not sure if people scale down their work outs when cutting or if you're supposed to maintain the intensity throughout a cut despite lowering your fuel. Thanks
Wouldn’t advise doing Arnold’s routine as he was on steroids and would lead to over training I would have thought
The amount of steroids that Arnold did was minimal in comparison to today's athletes. It was also given under his doctor's discretion (different times). Anyway, the book was written in the 90s well after he was out of professional bodybuilding and spent decades researching effective methods and the science behind bodybuilding. Arnold advocates for not doing even nicotine or alcohol, let alone steroids. As such, it is written for athletes who do not use performance enhancers. Regardless, I have absolutely zero intention of switching plans as I am all natural and several months into the plan with wonderful results. I simply want to know if it would be detrimental to muscle maintenance to scale back sets per week on a given body part.
As long as your are hitting adequate volume (which I believe is 20-30 sets per body part), eating adequate protein, don't have an aggressive weight loss goal, than you should be good to cut back on the volume a bit.
20-30 sets per body part?
Pretty sure Dr Mike recommendation is under 20 for most body parts with MEV been as low as 6 sets
Personally I’d die before I ever reached that number of sets, 16 sets of hammies over 2 sessions is my MRV and then it’s deload as I’m wrecked
Wow, that was a big typo. It's 10-20 lol. I will update my previous post.
Although, that might even be too generic because I believe newbies can get benefit from less. And there is also an intensity component too.2 -
pitbullpuppy wrote: »matthewbland wrote: »pitbullpuppy wrote: »Hey all,
I am doing a cut. I am following Arnold's plan which is basically 6 days a week, alternating chest and legs, arms, chest and legs, arms...
Would it be detrimental to go backwards in training? By that I mean doing chest one day, legs the next, arms the next and repeat that (basically his level 1)? Would that make me lose more muscle? I'm just not sure if people scale down their work outs when cutting or if you're supposed to maintain the intensity throughout a cut despite lowering your fuel. Thanks
Wouldn’t advise doing Arnold’s routine as he was on steroids and would lead to over training I would have thought
The amount of steroids that Arnold did was minimal in comparison to today's athletes. It was also given under his doctor's discretion (different times). Anyway, the book was written in the 90s well after he was out of professional bodybuilding and spent decades researching effective methods and the science behind bodybuilding. Arnold advocates for not doing even nicotine or alcohol, let alone steroids. As such, it is written for athletes who do not use performance enhancers. Regardless, I have absolutely zero intention of switching plans as I am all natural and several months into the plan with wonderful results. I simply want to know if it would be detrimental to muscle maintenance to scale back sets per week on a given body part.
It might have been minimal compared to a current Mr. O but it's was still a ton more than any natural.
Anyhow, the current idea that seems to work (works for me) is to keep intensity intact. Lower volume as you get deeper into your cut and then lower frequency if needed. Do not lower intensity (weight on the bar).pitbullpuppy wrote: »matthewbland wrote: »pitbullpuppy wrote: »Hey all,
I am doing a cut. I am following Arnold's plan which is basically 6 days a week, alternating chest and legs, arms, chest and legs, arms...
Would it be detrimental to go backwards in training? By that I mean doing chest one day, legs the next, arms the next and repeat that (basically his level 1)? Would that make me lose more muscle? I'm just not sure if people scale down their work outs when cutting or if you're supposed to maintain the intensity throughout a cut despite lowering your fuel. Thanks
Wouldn’t advise doing Arnold’s routine as he was on steroids and would lead to over training I would have thought
The amount of steroids that Arnold did was minimal in comparison to today's athletes. It was also given under his doctor's discretion (different times). Anyway, the book was written in the 90s well after he was out of professional bodybuilding and spent decades researching effective methods and the science behind bodybuilding. Arnold advocates for not doing even nicotine or alcohol, let alone steroids. As such, it is written for athletes who do not use performance enhancers. Regardless, I have absolutely zero intention of switching plans as I am all natural and several months into the plan with wonderful results. I simply want to know if it would be detrimental to muscle maintenance to scale back sets per week on a given body part.
As long as your are hitting adequate volume (which I believe is 20-30 sets per body part), eating adequate protein, don't have an aggressive weight loss goal, than you should be good to cut back on the volume a bit.
20-30 sets per body part?
Pretty sure Dr Mike recommendation is under 20 for most body parts with MEV been as low as 6 sets
Personally I’d die before I ever reached that number of sets, 16 sets of hammies over 2 sessions is my MRV and then it’s deload as I’m wrecked
I had to learn this the hard way. It's of course easier if your frequency is high and can spread those sets out over multiple days during the week - but for anybody running any bro-split variant, getting in 20-30 high quality sets and then RECOVERING from that gets tough. People tell me that "well, you get 7-10 days to recover" but then I ask them how many of those days they think protein synthesis is actually happening? It might take you a week to fully recover but you sure aren't building muscle for all those days... which genrally means if you accumulate too much damage/stress during that session you aren't going to be able to repair all of it.1 -
Had a bit of a discouraging moment over the weekend. I have a few functions coming up, and I didn't expect to fit/look good in all my old dresses, but, arggg, it's so frustrating having your fave clothes not fit.
Shopping is not an option right now, so it might just be the same 2-3 meh ones I keep wearing over and over. I am so tempted to run a small cut and scrap this recomp for a bit... someone please talk me out of it!! 6 -
Had a bit of a discouraging moment over the weekend. I have a few functions coming up, and I didn't expect to fit/look good in all my old dresses, but, arggg, it's so frustrating having your fave clothes not fit. Shopping is not an option right now, so it might just be the same 2-3 meh ones I keep wearing over and over. I am so tempted to run a small cut and scrap this recomp for a bit... someone please talk me out of it!!
Same. I wear business clothing through the week, and my dress pants are all too tight. Dress pants are expensive! But now I'm cutting, so I'm not the right one to talk you out of it. 1 -
Had a bit of a discouraging moment over the weekend. I have a few functions coming up, and I didn't expect to fit/look good in all my old dresses, but, arggg, it's so frustrating having your fave clothes not fit. Shopping is not an option right now, so it might just be the same 2-3 meh ones I keep wearing over and over. I am so tempted to run a small cut and scrap this recomp for a bit... someone please talk me out of it!!
I know you know but you gotta be patient if you are intent on recomping. It’s like watching paint dry.
I feel ya with the shopping though. I’m mainly hanging out in stretchy leggings. Lycra is my friend.0 -
quiksylver296 wrote: »I'M DONE BULKING!!! HALLELUJAH! 205.2 lbs this morning. Dropping down to maintenance calories, ~2400, to ease into cutting.
I've been cutting 5 whole days and I'm only down one pound! What am I doing wrong?!? :laugh:
Truthfully though, this is tough. A person gets used to basically eating whatever they want.2 -
Had a bit of a discouraging moment over the weekend. I have a few functions coming up, and I didn't expect to fit/look good in all my old dresses, but, arggg, it's so frustrating having your fave clothes not fit. Shopping is not an option right now, so it might just be the same 2-3 meh ones I keep wearing over and over. I am so tempted to run a small cut and scrap this recomp for a bit... someone please talk me out of it!!
Are you familiar with the phrase, "You'd look good in a gunny sack", or am I just that old?
I had to pull out belts for pants that used to fit, I'm getting effing old so I'm basically looking like Skeletor as I lose weight and I've pretty much been constantly hungry for the last month. Stick with recomp!0 -
pitbullpuppy wrote: »matthewbland wrote: »pitbullpuppy wrote: »Hey all,
I am doing a cut. I am following Arnold's plan which is basically 6 days a week, alternating chest and legs, arms, chest and legs, arms...
Would it be detrimental to go backwards in training? By that I mean doing chest one day, legs the next, arms the next and repeat that (basically his level 1)? Would that make me lose more muscle? I'm just not sure if people scale down their work outs when cutting or if you're supposed to maintain the intensity throughout a cut despite lowering your fuel. Thanks
Wouldn’t advise doing Arnold’s routine as he was on steroids and would lead to over training I would have thought
The amount of steroids that Arnold did was minimal in comparison to today's athletes. It was also given under his doctor's discretion (different times). Anyway, the book was written in the 90s well after he was out of professional bodybuilding and spent decades researching effective methods and the science behind bodybuilding. Arnold advocates for not doing even nicotine or alcohol, let alone steroids. As such, it is written for athletes who do not use performance enhancers. Regardless, I have absolutely zero intention of switching plans as I am all natural and several months into the plan with wonderful results. I simply want to know if it would be detrimental to muscle maintenance to scale back sets per week on a given body part.
Don't lower intensity. That removes the stimulus indication for the body to hold onto the muscle you've already built. But you will naturally have to reduce volume. That's fine.
Intensity here is weight on the bar. Previously doing 3 x 5 for 200 on Squat/Bench/Dead: 1 x 5 as a top set should work fine. You can then add metabolic volume work for glycogen depletion if you're interested.
Hope that helps!3 -
Had a bit of a discouraging moment over the weekend. I have a few functions coming up, and I didn't expect to fit/look good in all my old dresses, but, arggg, it's so frustrating having your fave clothes not fit. Shopping is not an option right now, so it might just be the same 2-3 meh ones I keep wearing over and over. I am so tempted to run a small cut and scrap this recomp for a bit... someone please talk me out of it!!
Don't I know it - my suits are getting tight around the chest and barely fit around my quads.
Thankfully! I'm finally (finally) on a cut. Starting now at around 170~ and 24.5%~ bf
Let's see how it comes along.
Good luck with your events0 -
happysquatter wrote: »Had a bit of a discouraging moment over the weekend. I have a few functions coming up, and I didn't expect to fit/look good in all my old dresses, but, arggg, it's so frustrating having your fave clothes not fit. Shopping is not an option right now, so it might just be the same 2-3 meh ones I keep wearing over and over. I am so tempted to run a small cut and scrap this recomp for a bit... someone please talk me out of it!!
Don't I know it - my suits are getting tight around the chest and barely fit around my quads.
Thankfully! I'm finally (finally) on a cut. Starting now at around 170~ and 24.5%~ bf
Let's see how it comes along.
Good luck with your events
I bought a "slim cut" suit four years ago for my honeymoon. Had it tailored and it fit beautifully. The wife and I are going on another cruise in May and there are two formal nights, so I tried my expensive Italian custom made suit.... lol. I can't even get my ARMS into the sleeves. Pants still fit, but that jacket is a lost cause.1 -
jseams1234 wrote: »happysquatter wrote: »Had a bit of a discouraging moment over the weekend. I have a few functions coming up, and I didn't expect to fit/look good in all my old dresses, but, arggg, it's so frustrating having your fave clothes not fit. Shopping is not an option right now, so it might just be the same 2-3 meh ones I keep wearing over and over. I am so tempted to run a small cut and scrap this recomp for a bit... someone please talk me out of it!!
Don't I know it - my suits are getting tight around the chest and barely fit around my quads.
Thankfully! I'm finally (finally) on a cut. Starting now at around 170~ and 24.5%~ bf
Let's see how it comes along.
Good luck with your events
I bought a "slim cut" suit four years ago for my honeymoon. Had it tailored and it fit beautifully. The wife and I are going on another cruise in May and there are two formal nights, so I tried my expensive Italian custom made suit.... lol. I can't even get my ARMS into the sleeves. Pants still fit, but that jacket is a lost cause.
Ahh that is such a shame! And I know what you mean about Italian slims; they're really quite next level. Nice choice though!
My bespoke still fits me, thankfully. And it has adjustable tabs for my waist (one of the few times my overthinking came in handy). One of the reasons a straight bulk to 200 is never going to be my cuppa!
Hey, have fun in May! You could just do an odd waistcoat look and still pull off formal1 -
It's been over a week since I could spend any time on the forums so I'm catching up on some of the conversations I missed with this comment
- Regarding the Arnold program, I've been running it as well and it's not on the verge of overtraining, at least for me and where the intensity is. Granted, given the time needed I can't say I've gotten to every single set for some of the accessories but I definitely think its' doable
- All my suits definitely fit differently too. I'm not to JSeams point where the jackets are a lost cause but some definitely have the Ari Gold (Entourage character) look. The custom fit suit I had made about 18 months ago is even starting to get like that in the jacket but the waist is loose. My other two favorites I've had since 2013 and could use some adjusting. The custom shirts I have are getting a little snug in the chest to the point I've had two get small rips right at the placket. Luckily they're small and a tie covers them up.
Weight wise I'm trending up at 180.6 after the last two weeks have been calorie-tastic. I thought I'd turned the corner and had some good trending data on 2/13 but my graph took a comedic upward turn and I've gone from 176.8 to 179.8 in that span. Overall it's fluffier than I'd like but workouts have been solid and I feel like I've been getting a lot more positive comments from friends and coworkers which makes me think I need to ride this upward trend for a little longer4 -
How is everyone doing? So much sick going around hopefully everyone is recovering or staying healthy!
Things are going well over here. I looked at myself in the mirror this morning and thought - wow I look really lean, almost too lean. Which could possibly mean I am not actually maintaining but losing since physique changes do not happen that fast unless I am in a deficit. Uch. Maybe by some chance I am recomping. According to trend weight I am losing again but I am not giving it enough data points because I keep forgetting . I also need to pick up a measuring tape and actually take measurements soon to help track progress.
Lift wise- I am definitely getting stronger and pushing myself more. The only lift I am struggling with is my squats (barbell-wise I only do Zercher squats) they just feel so heavy the past two sessions and my right quad is just so tight, so I gotta work on those.
Things are mediocre on the diet side. It seems like every time i hit in the 160's i go back up. Again at 172-173 these past few weeks. I am seeing some recomposition but i would much rather get leaner faster. I am noticing that calorie counting is causing me a bit of craziness and always working to max out my budget.
Workout wise, i am doing very well. Overall increases in volume and loading. Been consistent with my 5 day program, except when i am on travel for work. Unfortunately, i have a lot in March.
Oh ya travelling and keeping on program is definitely tricky. Hopefully it's not too crazy for you in the upcoming months.
What are your plans after you lean down and get to goal? Would you hang out there and maintain for a while or run a bulk?
My goal is to get lean enough for abs (probably low 160s) and then slowly build back up to low or mid 170s. I believe the 160s will be too low for my liking.
From a bulk, i may just try to creep up 1/2-1 lb a month), instead of a traditional bulk. But i haven't developed the full plan. And i have also debated if i want to run a TKD bulk or low carb.
Sounds like a great plan. I would love to know how you get along with the low carb/keto bulk. Keep us all posted.
So I might have a slight modification to my plan. Keto doesn't really suit my wife well, so i might bump up to low carb/Mediterranean. Since she doesn't have a gallbladder and had 14" of her colon removed, she needs more veggies. Given i am the cook and my main goal is to support her weight loss and health, it would make a bit of sense. I do enjoy the Keto diet. It has eliminated almost all my cravings and got me into the 160s. So might be moving on to slightly higher carb. I might throw in some Mediterranean keto occasionally.
It will be interesting to see if i get my lifts back. Keto + weight lifting sucks!!! I lost 10-15% on all my lifts and never got them back. I was able to maintain cardio though.
Will keep people posted on progress. I am going to put a greater emphasis on veggies, fatty fish, leaner meats and healthy oils.
So I ended up coming off a Keto and going up to a low carb diet. Still under 100g and have days that are keto. But I do put more emphasis on getting veggies with leaner proteins. I also plan on semi-tracking. Weight only went up 2 lbs (glycogen/water) and has started to trend back down. Sitting at 172.3 this morning.
Interesting note since the men are talking about clothes. I have noticed that my arms are much fuller now since I added a bit more carbs. My biceps in almost all my workout shirts are starting to be tight; I should also note until recently, I never really trained direct arms. I just really don't like isolation moves and I hate working arms. But since then, I have seen an improved response and have increased the size of my arms. I have also dropped to a Medium shirt or a fitted large shirt. Overall, even though my weight hasn't changed in 4 months, I have seen improvement in size for my chest/arms, seen increased definition in my legs and my v-taper, and a little loss in my stomach. Still have more to go, but form a NSV, I am happy. Side note, I have had a few people in my gym see the improvements too, so that seems to be confirmation.8 -
Diet and training need to be spot on going forward. I got 7 weeks before I have a trip to Miami Beach and Key West.
Hopefully this will be the event push i need to get lean enough.4 -
I’m feeling a bit unhappy with bulking. I’m gaining a bit faster than I’d like. So trending up 2.5 pounds over last 30 days. I have to keep telling myself this is ok and not the end of the world. Also feeling a bit bloated today which doesn’t help. I have to silence the inner voice saying” what ya doing fat girl.” Cos I am no longer that girl.
I made the decision to stop tracking my food as it makes me a bit obsessive and I also find it quite stressful remembering to log stuff. I’m gonna stick with the plan but eat a bit less and see if I can achieve a gain of about 1.5 pounds a month.
My jeans are getting a bit tighter round the thighs ( and waist). I may be living in Lycra for a few months.
Progress in the gym is going well.
How’s everyone else?5 -
cupcakesandproteinshakes wrote: »I’m feeling a bit unhappy with bulking. I’m gaining a bit faster than I’d like. So trending up 2.5 pounds over last 30 days. I have to keep telling myself this is ok and not the end of the world. Also feeling a bit bloated today which doesn’t help. I have to silence the inner voice saying” what ya doing fat girl.” Cos I am no longer that girl.
I made the decision to stop tracking my food as it makes me a bit obsessive and I also find it quite stressful remembering to log stuff. I’m gonna stick with the plan but eat a bit less and see if I can achieve a gain of about 1.5 pounds a month.
My jeans are getting a bit tighter round the thighs ( and waist). I may be living in Lycra for a few months.
Progress in the gym is going well.
How’s everyone else?
Still working to try and find my balance to gain .5lb/week. Currently at 2200 cals. Gym is ok. Really sore this week. I didn’t have great sleep Monday so I think that’s part of it.0 -
cupcakesandproteinshakes wrote: »How’s everyone else?
I'm deciding what direction to take as we've decided on a beach vacation in July, so just over 19 weeks away. As is well-documented, I'm pretty dreadful at cutting to get properly lean but I've never had much in the way of events or deadlines to work with. Pre-lifting I got down <160 for our wedding in 2013 which may or may not have been leaner than I have been recently, but that's the closest comp for cutting with a deadline I have. Since my post last week the scale trend dropped by 2 lbs of water that I must've been hanging onto from flying around for work.
I'm thinking to stay the course with the recomp+/lean bulk I've fallen into though April and then switch to a fairly agressive cut through May and June, which would give me about 11 weeks. I'd expect to be around 180 at the end of April and would target <170 for the trip.
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cupcakesandproteinshakes wrote: »I’m feeling a bit unhappy with bulking. I’m gaining a bit faster than I’d like. So trending up 2.5 pounds over last 30 days. I have to keep telling myself this is ok and not the end of the world. Also feeling a bit bloated today which doesn’t help. I have to silence the inner voice saying” what ya doing fat girl.” Cos I am no longer that girl.
I made the decision to stop tracking my food as it makes me a bit obsessive and I also find it quite stressful remembering to log stuff. I’m gonna stick with the plan but eat a bit less and see if I can achieve a gain of about 1.5 pounds a month.
My jeans are getting a bit tighter round the thighs ( and waist). I may be living in Lycra for a few months.
Progress in the gym is going well.
How’s everyone else?
Two weeks into my cut, officially down one pound. Coach cut carbs a little again this morning. Still a little sad about the loss of food. :laugh:
I feel you on the bulking. I had to go buy bigger pants (with Lycra) about half-way through my bulk. That was hard mentally. I now have sizes between 8-14 US. LOL I did learn to keep my "fat" pants now.3 -
cupcakesandproteinshakes wrote: »I’m feeling a bit unhappy with bulking. I’m gaining a bit faster than I’d like. So trending up 2.5 pounds over last 30 days. I have to keep telling myself this is ok and not the end of the world. Also feeling a bit bloated today which doesn’t help. I have to silence the inner voice saying” what ya doing fat girl.” Cos I am no longer that girl.
I made the decision to stop tracking my food as it makes me a bit obsessive and I also find it quite stressful remembering to log stuff. I’m gonna stick with the plan but eat a bit less and see if I can achieve a gain of about 1.5 pounds a month.
My jeans are getting a bit tighter round the thighs ( and waist). I may be living in Lycra for a few months.
Progress in the gym is going well.
How’s everyone else?
Yea bulking is hard especially when those thoughts get to you. Also I am with you on the food logging. It was a great tool but it was ultimately not healthy for me. I usually try to keep most of my meals the same, add or subtract snacks or portions if I can. It can take some trial and error but it can be done!
I am still maintaining. Honestly, recomp stinks! I am really not enjoying it, and it's only been a month or so. I think if I was at goal or really close it would be different (but also likely less optimal...) so... I am just trying to trust the process. I am still very tempted to cut but I know that will be temporary satisfaction, gotta keep my eye on the prize. I know it is a really long process, and right now it is really more of a stopover between bulks and a way to get my strength and volume numbers back up without burning out. I'm really not expecting much in the physique department. At least not until I eventually do cut down.
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On the plus side, I usually don't talk about my strength much but I am getting back up there. Right now my deadlift is finally at 1x bodyweight, hip thrust at 1.5x bw, and Zercher squat at 0.6x bw, all for 6+ reps. Super happy with that
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Oh and I don't mention upper mostly because carrying my 18lb baby for hours really affects those PRs!
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So it sucks trying to get lean. Dropped a few pounds while adding carbs back (100-130g) but holy *kitten*, has my hunger returned like no other.
Its a crappy predicament, keto suppressed my appetite but I couldn't get passed the frequent cramping. It got me leaner than i ever have been since middle school. Carbs help my performance, get rid of my cramps but increases hunger which makes it difficult to stay in a deficit.
Struggling to decide how i can attack this. Any ideas or personal experiences? I have unintentionally recomped over the past 2 years but no where as lean as I want.
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So it sucks trying to get lean. Dropped a few pounds while adding carbs back (100-130g) but holy *kitten*, has my hunger returned like no other.
Its a crappy predicament, keto suppressed my appetite but I couldn't get passed the frequent cramping. It got me leaner than i ever have been since middle school. Carbs help my performance, get rid of my cramps but increases hunger which makes it difficult to stay in a deficit.
Struggling to decide how i can attack this. Any ideas or personal experiences? I have unintentionally recomped over the past 2 years but no where as lean as I want.
IMHO...
I'm not really a believer of the whole keto surpresses appetite thing... Just as many people will say that fibrous carbs surpress hunger...
It sounds like it could psychosomatic...
But consider the source of the carbs... A lot of foods are designed to make you crave more, making it difficult to stay in a deficit...
Also consider that you may just be over critical of what you are looking at in the mirror... I've tried for years to get abs to show, it was basically the goal of my last attempt at cutting... I got down to a point where it was just not worth it for me to go any lower, a few times actually...
However this last time I took a good a good hard look at myself at the end of it and realized, you know what... I do have abs... Sure they may be covered by some loose skin and cellulite, and no they are not granite carved... But they are nonetheless MY abs, it's what abs are going to look like for me...
I'm happy with it and it now and it's giving me direction on my continuing journey and has left me less afraid of gaining weight... It's really just a change of mindset, I bet they are there for you... But you know, we are our own worst critic 🤷🏽♂️2 -
@psuLemon
It could take some time to adjust to the carb intake. Have you considered carb/calorie cycling? This worked so well for me for my last cut. I would have 2 days a week (my non-lifting days), low calorie, low carb, high protein, low fat (you can adjust it how you please) and either all days at maintenance or higher with higher carbs. Also lots of coffee and distraction! I also took frequent diet breaks every 8-12 weeks. What about IF or anything like that? Sometimes it takes some experimenting to find something that can work.0 -
Mr_Healthy_Habits wrote: »So it sucks trying to get lean. Dropped a few pounds while adding carbs back (100-130g) but holy *kitten*, has my hunger returned like no other.
Its a crappy predicament, keto suppressed my appetite but I couldn't get passed the frequent cramping. It got me leaner than i ever have been since middle school. Carbs help my performance, get rid of my cramps but increases hunger which makes it difficult to stay in a deficit.
Struggling to decide how i can attack this. Any ideas or personal experiences? I have unintentionally recomped over the past 2 years but no where as lean as I want.
IMHO...
I'm not really a believer of the whole keto surpresses appetite thing... Just as many people will say that fibrous carbs surpress hunger...
It sounds like it could psychosomatic...
But consider the source of the carbs... A lot of foods are designed to make you crave more, making it difficult to stay in a deficit...
Also consider that you may just be over critical of what you are looking at in the mirror... I've tried for years to get abs to show, it was basically the goal of my last attempt at cutting... I got down to a point where it was just not worth it for me to go any lower, a few times actually...
However this last time I took a good a good hard look at myself at the end of it and realized, you know what... I do have abs... Sure they may be covered by some loose skin and cellulite, and no they are not granite carved... But they are nonetheless MY abs, it's what abs are going to look like for me...
I'm happy with it and it now and it's giving me direction on my continuing journey and has left me less afraid of gaining weight... It's really just a change of mindset, I bet they are there for you... But you know, we are our own worst critic 🤷🏽♂️
I appreciate the feedback.
The hunger suppression thing was more observational data on experience. It was certainly easier for me to stay at 1800 calories or less.
I do also recognize i am my worst enemy. I have seen some improvements in my arms, chest, legs and v-taper but my bellybutton area is still big. I have some upper ab definition. Its part of the reason i noticed an unintentional recomp.
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@psuLemon
It could take some time to adjust to the carb intake. Have you considered carb/calorie cycling? This worked so well for me for my last cut. I would have 2 days a week (my non-lifting days), low calorie, low carb, high protein, low fat (you can adjust it how you please) and either all days at maintenance or higher with higher carbs. Also lots of coffee and distraction! I also took frequent diet breaks every 8-12 weeks. What about IF or anything like that? Sometimes it takes some experimenting to find something that can work.
I have done UD2, so a version of calorie cycling but not in the way you have cycled. The high protein low carb, low/moderate fat could be interesting to throw in there.
What is interesting, i only eat two meals on the weekend. But struggle to implement that during the week. I suspect that is more mental than anything else.0 -
So it sucks trying to get lean. Dropped a few pounds while adding carbs back (100-130g) but holy *kitten*, has my hunger returned like no other.
Its a crappy predicament, keto suppressed my appetite but I couldn't get passed the frequent cramping. It got me leaner than i ever have been since middle school. Carbs help my performance, get rid of my cramps but increases hunger which makes it difficult to stay in a deficit.
Struggling to decide how i can attack this. Any ideas or personal experiences? I have unintentionally recomped over the past 2 years but no where as lean as I want.
I hear you, it's not easy cuttings cals
Fairly new to this thread so I don't know exactly when you started however it could just be a factor of giving it a bit more time. The body is immensely adaptable but maybe the transition from low(keto to mod carbs was too fast?
My current cut, I slowly tapered my carbs and fats reducing them in the order of 10's of grams. It's a mental hack has that worked for me (vs the standard 500 cals or what have you) and is still working about 2 weeks in.0 -
Carbs help my performance, get rid of my cramps but increases hunger which makes it difficult to stay in a deficit.
If I can throw in another question. How has sleep been for you?
Lower sleep always increases hunger for me. (Leptin/Ghrelin and all that jazz)
That is the case as we speak and I could eat a 1000 cals in a minute but my meals are done for the day
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