Can't cut any more -- time to bulk?

keithcw_the_first wrote: »

I'm at about 12% BF; I wanted to get down to 10 but I don't think I can swing it.

Time to bulk for a little bit and try again? My lifts are all kind of stalling too, or at least just grinding along very slowly.

Depends on a number of things and it would be hard to outline everything in detail but if I were to generalize:

How long have you been dieting?
Why do you think you can't get to 10%
How do you feel about your current body composition and do you WANT to bulk?
How's your food focus/relationship with food as of late?
Are you using weekly refeeds?


Without knowing much more about your situation it's hard to advise. If you've not considered a diet break, that also might be a possible consideration. For example taking 2 weeks at maintenance caloric intake then resuming the deficit. But that sort of depends on the above answers still -- for example if you've only been at it for a few weeks it might not make as much sense but if you've been dieting for a few months and feeling run down, a diet break might be the right step.

keithcw_the_first wrote: »

Dieting in earnest since January. Off and on for years.

It's taking a long time to grind out this last 2% at about .75 pounds a week and it's taking its toll. I've got about 7 pounds to go, assuming no loss of lean mass.

I wish I was leaner, but I think it might be easier to try cutting to 10 with a few more pounds of muscle.

Food focus is constant. Probably too much. Weekends end up looser so there's a bit of a refeed there but usually not regimented.

If you don't feel like you have enough lean mass to look good around 10% then that's a good reason to bulk.

If the issue were just food focus/diet fatigue then I'd go the diet break route followed by going back to a deficit as that would help to resolve some of the food focus and performance issues.

If the plan is to go into a surplus I'd probably start with 200-300 calories the first week and then about 100 each additional week and monitor your change in weight as you go.

flab2fab760 wrote: »

How clean are you eating? Are you consuming alcohol? Are you getting enough sleep? Are you doing enough cardio?

Lots of factors to consider!

Only questions 2 and 3 are relevant. Clean eating and fat loss is unrelated. Cardio can actually cause catabolism of muscle if done too intensly and too long for people on a deficit and with little body fat spare (body can only burn 30 calories per day per pound of fat, so if not fuelled properly, no glycogen store left, and over lactate threshold you're in trouble).

Calorie deficit is what matters here.

Alcohol robs nutrients which isn't good on a deficit, it also disturbs sleep, amongst other things. Though sleep is important, you don't need it for fat loss.