Anyone cutting after a bulk?

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Replies

  • dozenmonkeyz
    dozenmonkeyz Posts: 150 Member
    steveko89 wrote: »
    steveko89 wrote: »
    I feel like IF is helping with adherence

    Data confirms adherence definitely improving doing IF; Under TDEE 80% of days since restarting IF, compared to a woeful 41% for the year prior. No wonder I was spinning my wheels.

    *edited for quote formatting

    Glad you've found your groove! Keep at it man, persistence pays every time.
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,223 Member
    steveko89 wrote: »
    steveko89 wrote: »
    I feel like IF is helping with adherence

    Data confirms adherence definitely improving doing IF; Under TDEE 80% of days since restarting IF, compared to a woeful 41% for the year prior. No wonder I was spinning my wheels.

    *edited for quote formatting

    Glad you've found your groove! Keep at it man, persistence pays every time.

    Thanks, @dozenmonkeyz! Me too. Itching to get back to working out and keep this train rolling. I've never really been properly lean (~10% BF). Best I can tell, ~167 should get me in that ballpark. Curiosity has me wanting get into the <74kg (165.3lb) weight class for a lifting benchmark were I to want to compete at some point. For whatever reason it seems way more than 5 lbs closer at 172 than 177.
  • stephaniedenise28
    stephaniedenise28 Posts: 104 Member
    After an awkward weigh day with my personal trainer last night- it would seem that after my competition this weekend it is time for me to consider stopping eating all of the food :'(

    Long time lurker of this thread, and I want some accountability so thought I would join in :)

    I think my maintenance is around 2,400cal, so I will look to drop it to 2,150 and see how it goes for a couple of months! Not actively looked to lose weight for a couple of years now, so not looking forward to it!

    What type of competition? I find it’s easier to cut then it is to lean bulk. Good luck this weekend!

    Sorry for the delay in reply- was away Friday- Sunday and then started a new job! I competed at the Rainhill Trials, which is a relatively large crossfit competition in the UK.. went into the competition in 40th place through seeding workouts and managed to gain 11 places to finish 29th, so very happy for my first induvidual competition!

    Now to the hard part :( Gained a kg with pre and post comp feeding- amazing hot dogs and bbq resturants were visited! So have spent this week feeling sorry for myself and pretty hungry- heres hoping I dont need to drop my calories too far!

    Everyone is doing so well!
  • dozenmonkeyz
    dozenmonkeyz Posts: 150 Member
    Great work!
    zklghshnm3jo.png
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    You are all doing so awesome! *cheers you all on from the bleachers* :)
  • Tic78
    Tic78 Posts: 232 Member
    @Keladelphia outstanding results 💪
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    yfb86t3t8wpq.jpeg

    My cut from the winter is finally over! 71kg (156lbs) and yesterday at 64.2 (141lbs).
    Now I’m ready to lift some heavy weights in competition and ready to eat some freaking snacks! hahaha

    Long time, no see!

    The seeing was definitely worth the wait. You look amazing!

    Good luck on your comp. When is it?
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    184.8 this morning! Yay! Under competition weight. :)

    Friday is my "official" weigh-in day. 184.6, even after a Mexican buffet lunch and ice cream for dinner yesterday. :bigsmile:
  • shaf238
    shaf238 Posts: 4,022 Member
    yfb86t3t8wpq.jpeg

    My cut from the winter is finally over! 71kg (156lbs) and yesterday at 64.2 (141lbs).
    Now I’m ready to lift some heavy weights in competition and ready to eat some freaking snacks! hahaha
    Wow you look awesome!
  • Keladelphia
    Keladelphia Posts: 820 Member
    yfb86t3t8wpq.jpeg

    My cut from the winter is finally over! 71kg (156lbs) and yesterday at 64.2 (141lbs).
    Now I’m ready to lift some heavy weights in competition and ready to eat some freaking snacks! hahaha

    Long time, no see!

    The seeing was definitely worth the wait. You look amazing!

    Good luck on your comp. When is it?

    Ha-ha. I compete tomorrow morning! It’s been nice that my cut went exactly as planned (for once) and that I don’t have to cut any water to make weight to lift this year.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    yfb86t3t8wpq.jpeg

    My cut from the winter is finally over! 71kg (156lbs) and yesterday at 64.2 (141lbs).
    Now I’m ready to lift some heavy weights in competition and ready to eat some freaking snacks! hahaha

    Long time, no see!

    The seeing was definitely worth the wait. You look amazing!

    Good luck on your comp. When is it?

    Ha-ha. I compete tomorrow morning! It’s been nice that my cut went exactly as planned (for once) and that I don’t have to cut any water to make weight to lift this year.

    Nice! I had to cut for my last meet, and it showed on the platform.

    PRs and white lights!!!
  • AmbitiousButRubbish
    AmbitiousButRubbish Posts: 246 Member
    yfb86t3t8wpq.jpeg

    My cut from the winter is finally over! 71kg (156lbs) and yesterday at 64.2 (141lbs).
    Now I’m ready to lift some heavy weights in competition and ready to eat some freaking snacks! hahaha

    Amazing results! Absolutely incredible.
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,069 Member
    Holy crap @Keladelphia, you are absolutely shredded!! Fantastic job! I'm loving your winter curves too though. Fantastic job and good luck at your competition!
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    @Keladelphia congratulations! You look absolutely incredible!! Good luck :)
  • Mr_Healthy_Habits
    Mr_Healthy_Habits Posts: 12,588 Member
    edited April 2019
    Well pretty much stalled this week...

    But taking my boy to see Mexico vs Paraguay at Levi's stadium last Tuesday and indulging a bit in saltyness was so worth...

    He even got to see his first drunken brawl break out like 15' away 🤷🏽‍♂️...

    Oy us Mexicans 🤦🏽‍♂️😂

    Well the previous weeks were basically a wash...

    But refocused this last week and got serious about tracking and sticking to the plan...

    Down about 4 lbs in the last 6 weeks...
    181.6 lbs as of this morning...

    Just gotta do my best to not blow it over the weekend and coming in too heavy Monday...

    I will say that despite decent sleep, my recovery from workouts has been less this week than previous... But it's part of the plan

    The plan is to get down to 170lbs, then regain about 5 lbs of glycogen lost within the muscles from the weight loss
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    edited April 2019
    psuLemon wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    Been trying to get back into this (stuck around 178 as well) but the family has been real sick lately and work has been a bit stressful which has made this difficult. Have a work trip next week, so hope to recommit again when I get back.

    Sometimes life tosses things at us that have to be priority. No doubt you'll get through it and find time to get things back how you'd like them. Hope everyone feels better soon.

    Thanks.. i am focusing on good lifting sessions and trying to make overall good choices. I haven't gained, so that is a plus for me. Ideally, i can cut another 7-10 lbs by summer.

    Getting back from Hawaii today, so i starting PSMF tomorrow. Think this time i am going to incorporate a bit of IF. Going to try and do this for 3-4 weeks and than i will increase calories. Hoping to get down 10 lbs and then ill assess if i need to get leaner. If i do, ill probably switch to UD2.

    ETA: starting weight post trip is 182. I suspect 3-4 lbs is water weight though. I left at 177.
  • dozenmonkeyz
    dozenmonkeyz Posts: 150 Member
    Week 4 of RFL in the books and weight is down 9.3Lbs on the weekly average and 15.1Lbs from starting weight. Let off the gas Friday night and all day Saturday, letting myself have a couple drinks each night and killed some carbs throughout the day Saturday. But right back to it Sunday and I'm gonna be fairly strict for the next 2 weeks, maybe 3 if I can push it. Then 2 weeks off. Energy levels fluctuate but mostly tolerable and very little strength drop. Hunger isn't too bad but I've spaced my food out enough to combat it during the day. On a full EC stack but at this point I feel the effects have diminished to be hardly noticeable.
    Week 5 went pretty well. Skipped the free meal for the week. Had a couple drinks Friday evening but didn't indulge in any other extra calories. Sunday was my refeed and the carbs were as wonderful as I'd hoped. Weight is down another 2.2Lbs from last week on the weekly average. Overall, weekly average loss is 11.5Lbs, and, total weight loss is 16Lbs. Energy levels are still acceptable and hunger is always present but getting less noticeable. Lost a rep on a couple lifts yesterday but that's the first I've noticed any decrease in strength. Planning to grind out two more weeks then break for two weeks.
    Week 6 was a bit of a drag. Loss slowed and found myself really craving food. Managed to fight it off until Saturday night when I had a couple drinks that led me to snacking a few hundred calories. So, the planned refeed for Sunday had to be quite strict and ended up just being kinda miserable instead of relieving and satisfying. Going to grind out the rest of this week and then take my 2 week break. Weekly average loss is 13.1Lbs and overall loss from starting weight is 18.5. I'd really hoped to hit 200Lbs on the scale before my break but not looking likely.
    Started slowly back to maintenance calories throughout Friday & Saturday; so nice to have plenty of energy and eat carbs and all that good stuff. To close out my first phase of 7 weeks on RFL, I'm down 15Lbs on my weekly average and 21Lbs overall. Expecting around 5Lbs to come back on as water weight normalizes. My goal was to hit 200 this cycle but I ended up at 203.

    I'll take a two week break while running a normal lifting routine (and a hefty amount of adult beverages on the upcoming St Patty's Day :p ), followed by another 6 week RFL cycle to hopefully get and additional 10-15Lbs off. If I can get to 190Lbs I'll be ecstatic to start summer time.
    It's been really nice eating a regular diet and getting solid workouts in. St Paddy's was a successful day full of adult beverages and tasty treats without any guilt and my weight has stayed steady so far. Settled in at around 208Lbs so water weight checks out at about 5Lbs. Maintenance calories are around 2,500 with macro targets of 30%P/45%C/25%F; I'm lifting 4 days per week during the break. Gonna stick to the break the rest of this week and return to RFL next Monday.

    Seems a bit quiet in here given we're about 12 weeks from summer. Figured this thread would be busier :shrug:

    B
    ack on RFL protocols today. Calorie goal is 1200/day, P195/C30/F33; supplements are EC stack 3x/day, 9 fish oils, daily vitamin, Potassium, magnesium, vitamin D, and biotin.

    The 2 week break was fantastic, but, I crept back up to nearly 210 so it's important that I jump back in full force and make sure I don't fall off the cliff. Certainly less motivation this time around but there's goals to be met so I'll have to be diligent.

    Once I get through these next six weeks, I plan to post some progress photos; not that it's terribly impressive but hoping there's a noticeable enough difference to show off a bit.

    Phase 2, Week 1 in the books. Kept things pretty simple, eating nearly the same thing each day keeps it easy to adhere but is very boring. Luckily life was busy all week and kept me from worrying about hunger or boredom. Workouts were great and energy was ok depending on time of day. Sleep was a bit restless most of the week but settled out over the weekend. Skipped the free meal and only did a partial/moderate refeed yesterday. Day one I weighed in at 212Lbs, ended the week at 205Lbs (assuming approximately 5Lbs is water weight), and my weekly average was 207.1Lbs. Grind continues to week 2.

    Keep up the good work all you fellow cutters. Summer is coming soon!

    Phase 2 Week 2 wrapped up and I feel it went better than any other week so far. No free meal but I did a proper refeed Saturday. Lifts felt good all all week and energy levels were acceptable. Last weigh-in I hit 202LBs, dropping my weekly average to 204LBs. Have to go out of town this weekend so I'll most likely fall off a bit Friday and Saturday, but, my goal is to hit my protein cals and try to keep overall calories at or lower than maintenance. I'm sure to have a few drinks and eat out a time or two so we'll see how resolved I can be.
  • dozenmonkeyz
    dozenmonkeyz Posts: 150 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    Been trying to get back into this (stuck around 178 as well) but the family has been real sick lately and work has been a bit stressful which has made this difficult. Have a work trip next week, so hope to recommit again when I get back.

    Sometimes life tosses things at us that have to be priority. No doubt you'll get through it and find time to get things back how you'd like them. Hope everyone feels better soon.

    Thanks.. i am focusing on good lifting sessions and trying to make overall good choices. I haven't gained, so that is a plus for me. Ideally, i can cut another 7-10 lbs by summer.

    Getting back from Hawaii today, so i starting PSMF tomorrow. Think this time i am going to incorporate a bit of IF. Going to try and do this for 3-4 weeks and than i will increase calories. Hoping to get down 10 lbs and then ill assess if i need to get leaner. If i do, ill probably switch to UD2.

    ETA: starting weight post trip is 182. I suspect 3-4 lbs is water weight though. I left at 177.

    Good luck and keep us updated!
  • Amwa77
    Amwa77 Posts: 71 Member
    I have been lifting for a while (with no direction). Recently I have started getting more into the whole weight lifting/ body recomp thing and now I'm trying to take it more seriously. So I'm sorry if this has been asked before, what is a refeed and how do they work? Also how would I know when to try to cut? I still have some squishy parts. Should I wait until they are gone or can I do a cut whenever? I'm super excited watching my body change but it takes so long.
  • stephaniedenise28
    stephaniedenise28 Posts: 104 Member
    After an awkward weigh day with my personal trainer last night- it would seem that after my competition this weekend it is time for me to consider stopping eating all of the food :'(

    Long time lurker of this thread, and I want some accountability so thought I would join in :)

    I think my maintenance is around 2,400cal, so I will look to drop it to 2,150 and see how it goes for a couple of months! Not actively looked to lose weight for a couple of years now, so not looking forward to it!

    What type of competition? I find it’s easier to cut then it is to lean bulk. Good luck this weekend!

    Sorry for the delay in reply- was away Friday- Sunday and then started a new job! I competed at the Rainhill Trials, which is a relatively large crossfit competition in the UK.. went into the competition in 40th place through seeding workouts and managed to gain 11 places to finish 29th, so very happy for my first induvidual competition!

    Now to the hard part :( Gained a kg with pre and post comp feeding- amazing hot dogs and bbq resturants were visited! So have spent this week feeling sorry for myself and pretty hungry- heres hoping I dont need to drop my calories too far!

    Everyone is doing so well!

    Okay- so one week down, new job has me eating a lot less as the new office dont seem to buy daily biscuits and cake, thank god! It means I have been able to just eat what I have prepped without being tempted into eating other things. However, the trade off is a lot less walking around, perhaps I will have to offset this with getting out and having a walk at lunchtime when the weather brightens!

    I started at 71.4kg and now sat at 70.6kg, so a bit of a loss, hopefully it continues! Calories may have to drop after the next week as I am dropping back from so much crossfit and into my new olympic lifting block, which means much less all out effort.

    Hope everyone is having a good week!
  • Mr_Healthy_Habits
    Mr_Healthy_Habits Posts: 12,588 Member
    edited April 2019
    Well pretty much stalled this week...

    But taking my boy to see Mexico vs Paraguay at Levi's stadium last Tuesday and indulging a bit in saltyness was so worth...

    He even got to see his first drunken brawl break out like 15' away 🤷🏽‍♂️...

    Oy us Mexicans 🤦🏽‍♂️😂

    Well the previous weeks were basically a wash...

    But refocused this last week and got serious about tracking and sticking to the plan...

    Down about 4 lbs in the last 6 weeks...
    181.6 lbs as of this morning...

    Just gotta do my best to not blow it over the weekend and coming in too heavy Monday...

    I will say that despite decent sleep, my recovery from workouts has been less this week than previous... But it's part of the plan

    The plan is to get down to 170lbs, then regain about 5 lbs of glycogen lost within the muscles from the weight loss

    Down to 180.4 lbs today... So a little over 1lb in the last week...

    Feeling flatter and thinner, but also my recovery is dismal these days, definitely more sore and fatigued from my workouts but steadily dropping..

    About another 1/4" of the waistline and shoulder width is pretty much holding steady...

    I'm not sure if losing more is going to help achieve what I ultimately want tho, there's just too much skin at this point... If I get down to around 10% and my torso doesn't look any leaner and I just look smaller... Then it wasn't worth it 😂...

    This hit me deep this morning...
    But regardless, I'ma keep trying...

    [image removed by MFP mod]
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    Same weight as last week, 184.6. :/ I suspect there's some pre-TOM water weight.
  • letsgain01
    letsgain01 Posts: 106 Member
    Amwa77 wrote: »
    I have been lifting for a while (with no direction). Recently I have started getting more into the whole weight lifting/ body recomp thing and now I'm trying to take it more seriously. So I'm sorry if this has been asked before, what is a refeed and how do they work? Also how would I know when to try to cut? I still have some squishy parts. Should I wait until they are gone or can I do a cut whenever? I'm super excited watching my body change but it takes so long.

    A cut is when you lose weight to let the work of bulking really shine through. So if you're currently getting rid of the "squishy parts" then you are already cutting.

    I'm pretty sure refeeding is basically when you give yourself a high carb and/or calorie day here and there so you don't hate the decision to cut before you get to finish.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    Starting weight -182
    Week 1 - 179

    Bit this week had a bunch of work stress. I was at 176 but i suspect based on the the few days of higher cal higher carb, i am holding more glycogen.

    Although, workout performance was real good this week.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    So over the past week at the gym, I had a few interesting comments. People thought it was pretty ridiculous how I was able to heavy deadlift (325x3x5), squat (255x3x5) and hip thrust (255x3x8) on the same day. Was told that be a few separate individuals. I don't have any recovery issues and I am making progress weekly. Anyone else think that is weird?
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    So over the past week at the gym, I had a few interesting comments. People thought it was pretty ridiculous how I was able to heavy deadlift (325x3x5), squat (255x3x5) and hip thrust (255x3x8) on the same day. Was told that be a few separate individuals. I don't have any recovery issues and I am making progress weekly. Anyone else think that is weird?

    Nah, not really.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    psuLemon wrote: »
    So over the past week at the gym, I had a few interesting comments. People thought it was pretty ridiculous how I was able to heavy deadlift (325x3x5), squat (255x3x5) and hip thrust (255x3x8) on the same day. Was told that be a few separate individuals. I don't have any recovery issues and I am making progress weekly. Anyone else think that is weird?

    Nah, not really.

    Maybe it's just my gym, lol. Because I am running an upper lower power/hypertrophy split. And I didn't think it was all the nuts.
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,069 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    So over the past week at the gym, I had a few interesting comments. People thought it was pretty ridiculous how I was able to heavy deadlift (325x3x5), squat (255x3x5) and hip thrust (255x3x8) on the same day. Was told that be a few separate individuals. I don't have any recovery issues and I am making progress weekly. Anyone else think that is weird?

    The only reason I don't is because of time. If you've got the time, I don't see why not.