How do you know when to start cutting?

Taniagirly

I lost 21kg since NYE, reached my goal weight but lots of muscle loss (it was probably already an issue because of knee and hip injuries).

I’ve been going well for 4 weeks in gym and surprisingly gained a good amount of muscle, starting to really like my shape now…

Just wondering do I just keep bulking or should I sort of cycle and cut occasionally?

Retroguy2000

It's a personal decision when to bulk/cut. My suggestion since you've successfully lost weight, is be careful with any intentional calorie surplus. One possibility is maingain from here, i.e. keep the same bodyfat % while gaining weight (i.e. mostly muscle) very slowly, like a surplus of say 50-100 calories per day, which might result in slow weight gain of half a pound to one pound per month. If you prefer to cycle between bulk and cut, also keep the surplus low during the bulk phase, to avoid regaining that weight you lost.

FinelyFermented

If you're gaining muscle, who cares what the scale does. More muscle leads to higher calorie needs.

mndamon

FinelyFermented wrote: »

If you're gaining muscle, who cares what the scale does.

This is the most important factor. If you like the muscle you're gaining don't worry about a cut. I only consider a cut when I feel like my bulk phase has started to add a little more body fat than I like.

Taniagirly

mndamon wrote: »

FinelyFermented wrote: »

If you're gaining muscle, who cares what the scale does.

This is the most important factor. If you like the muscle you're gaining don't worry about a cut. I only consider a cut when I feel like my bulk phase has started to add a little more body fat than I like.

I think I’m nervous about gaining fat with the muscle, especially now I’m on holiday in Bali for 6 weeks, gym access patchy and buffet access 100% haha. I guess it will slow down my muscle gains if I am too restrictive but also dont want too much flab in a bikini, since it can be hard to tell when there is muscle under there. A good opportunity to bulk with all the protein available to me though.

Taniagirly

FinelyFermented wrote: »

If you're gaining muscle, who cares what the scale does. More muscle leads to higher calorie needs.

This is so hard for women, especially so soon after drastic weight loss, as the fat can fly back on. I have no scales on holiday to measure it so it’s literally just the jiggle test in front of a mirror to see if I’m growing muscle or fat haha. Definitely don’t want to lose my gains either, fought hard for 8 weeks now.

Retroguy2000

Taniagirly wrote: »

I think I’m nervous about gaining fat with the muscle, especially now I’m on holiday in Bali for 6 weeks, gym access patchy and buffet access 100% haha. I guess it will slow down my muscle gains if I am too restrictive but also dont want too much flab in a bikini, since it can be hard to tell when there is muscle under there. A good opportunity to bulk with all the protein available to me though.

A bit late now, but for future, pack some bands. I got a set of Bodylastics bands and took them on vacation recently and they were great for upper body work. Not so much for legs, but you can probably do leg extensions with the help of a chair, and you can do lying leg curls for hams. And you're probably walking a lot anyway.

AnnPT77

Taniagirly wrote: »

FinelyFermented wrote: »

If you're gaining muscle, who cares what the scale does. More muscle leads to higher calorie needs.

This is so hard for women, especially so soon after drastic weight loss, as the fat can fly back on. I have no scales on holiday to measure it so it’s literally just the jiggle test in front of a mirror to see if I’m growing muscle or fat haha. Definitely don’t want to lose my gains either, fought hard for 8 weeks now.

Fat fly back on? Well . . . maybe. But I'm skeptical. Return, sure. Be bothersome psychologically, absolutely, so maybe feels extreme/quick.

I hope you're keeping in mind that extra retained water can also jiggle, and that tends to increase after air travel, when eating unusual food, when it's hot, and more. Also, if your usual lifting routine keeps some tautness/pump going, and you're not working out in the same ways now, things may look a little more slack - not muscle loss, but potentially deceiving when we're quite sensitive and tuned in to those kinds of changes.

I understand your concern, truly. But this stuff can mess with our heads, and part of moving along with a new self is learning to live with a revised head space. It's still going to take 7700 calories over maintenance to add a kilogram of fat, and that's a lot of calories, whether via lower activity or increased calorie intake.

NB: I'm female, lost almost 1/3 of my bodyweight, but it's been a while (8 years in maintenance so far). IME, fat tends to creep on - sneakily - more so than fly on.

In the early stages post loss, though it's completely normal to have those fears about quick regain. Hang in there, be active, eat reasonably sensibly (still enjoying some of the culinary delights of Bali!), and things will work out OK in the long run.

Best wishes!

nossmf

You say you are going to have limited gym access for the next few weeks. Good news, you don't NEED a gym to get a workout in! This thread includes not only traditional lifting routines, but an entire section at the top devoted to bodyweight workouts you can do anywhere you happen to have your body with you (which should be most places).