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STEMJeff
STEMJeff g
90 Post(s)
90 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: December 12, 2017
Posted

So I have been figuring out how to ask this and what is going on.

Here's two pics of me from the side. In one i have my stomach poking way out but I find that during the day my normal posture is the other picture.

 

I last measured by body fat at 15% and to be honest on how I feel, the rest of me looks much better.

As far as lining up my meal plan, I am currently eating and sticking to a meal plan of my TDEE + 250 calories. And I have made progress but this stomach is hanging around still.

 

Do I have to just wait and go into a deficit in order to cut this down?  At 5' 8" and 172 lbs, should I continue to lean bulk or should I try doing a deficit for a couple of months?

jmboiardi
jmboiardi p John M Boiardi
2.6K Post(s)
2.6K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: October 10, 2013
Posted
Posted By: STEMJeff

So I have been figuring out how to ask this and what is going on.

Here's two pics of me from the side. In one i have my stomach poking way out but I find that during the day my normal posture is the other picture.

 

I last measured by body fat at 15% and to be honest on how I feel, the rest of me looks much better.

As far as lining up my meal plan, I am currently eating and sticking to a meal plan of my TDEE + 250 calories. And I have made progress but this stomach is hanging around still.

 

Do I have to just wait and go into a deficit in order to cut this down?  At 5' 8" and 172 lbs, should I continue to lean bulk or should I try doing a deficit for a couple of months?

If your bodyfat is truly at 15%, going into a calorie deficit to lose additional body fat is fine as long as you are OK with your current size. You will lose some mass when cutting but if you keep your deficit in the 250-500 range, do it slowly, and still eat wholesome foods in the right macro ratios you should be fine.

 

John

34 years of lifting and nutritional experience and resident "old man" :-) MS Athlete and past Super Hermanite since 2013.
Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: STEMJeff

So I have been figuring out how to ask this and what is going on.

Here's two pics of me from the side. In one i have my stomach poking way out but I find that during the day my normal posture is the other picture.

 

I last measured by body fat at 15% and to be honest on how I feel, the rest of me looks much better.

As far as lining up my meal plan, I am currently eating and sticking to a meal plan of my TDEE + 250 calories. And I have made progress but this stomach is hanging around still.

 

Do I have to just wait and go into a deficit in order to cut this down?  At 5' 8" and 172 lbs, should I continue to lean bulk or should I try doing a deficit for a couple of months?

@STEMJeff What's your main goal? To get shredded or to add size? If you're not a newbie to lifting you can't do both, so you have to proritize one or the other. You could cut down a bit more to get rid of some of that stubborn fat, then go into a lean mass phase where to aim to gain minimal fat. Or you could go straight into a lean mass phase from here, but no that you're unlikely to drop any of that fat you already have.

 

Also, it might be that your posture makes your gut look bad.. did you see this video I made?

 

Need 1 on 1 coaching? Send me a direct message to learn more!
STEMJeff
STEMJeff g
90 Post(s)
90 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: December 12, 2017
Posted
Posted By: jmboiardi

If your bodyfat is truly at 15%, going into a calorie deficit to lose additional body fat is fine as long as you are OK with your current size. You will lose some mass when cutting but if you keep your deficit in the 250-500 range, do it slowly, and still eat wholesome foods in the right macro ratios you should be fine.

 

John

@jmboiardi I always get the biggest measure on my BF calipers is at my stomach. When I last did it and got 15% i thought it would be higher.

 

I want to gain size but I also want to look good and do that efficiently. Is it easier for me to lean bulk while at a lower BF? If so I am ok staying at my size while lowering my BF.

 

@Scott_Herman Thank you for sharing that video. I had not seen that before. I will try out those tips!

 

I think I want to look shredded first and then bulk up. If I recall, it should be easier for me to lean bulk at a lower BF? I have pretty much been in a bulk for about 5 months but only seriously tracking calories for a month. Before I had guidelines and stuck to those. I went from 164 to 172 and did add size around my arms and chest for the first time ever.

 

I did a new meal plan calculation and got the following. I did 172 lbs, 5'8", 37, light activity, 15% BF, 1.5 protein, 0.45 fat.

 

Calorie goal: 2118

 

Protein: 219 g

Fat: 70 g

Carbs: 153 g

 

How does this look? I've been doing your PPL program but I have had to shorten the workouts in the gym just a bit due to a 45 minute time constraint so that's why I went to lighter activity.

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: STEMJeff

@jmboiardi I always get the biggest measure on my BF calipers is at my stomach. When I last did it and got 15% i thought it would be higher.

 

I want to gain size but I also want to look good and do that efficiently. Is it easier for me to lean bulk while at a lower BF? If so I am ok staying at my size while lowering my BF.

 

@Scott_Herman Thank you for sharing that video. I had not seen that before. I will try out those tips!

 

I think I want to look shredded first and then bulk up. If I recall, it should be easier for me to lean bulk at a lower BF? I have pretty much been in a bulk for about 5 months but only seriously tracking calories for a month. Before I had guidelines and stuck to those. I went from 164 to 172 and did add size around my arms and chest for the first time ever.

 

I did a new meal plan calculation and got the following. I did 172 lbs, 5'8", 37, light activity, 15% BF, 1.5 protein, 0.45 fat.

 

Calorie goal: 2118

 

Protein: 219 g

Fat: 70 g

Carbs: 153 g

 

How does this look? I've been doing your PPL program but I have had to shorten the workouts in the gym just a bit due to a 45 minute time constraint so that's why I went to lighter activity.

@STEMJeff yes you remembered correctly - you'll likely have an easier time adding lean mass when your bodyfat % is a bit lower, so makes sense to cut down a bit more, especially seeing as you've been in a surplus for the last little while.

 

Those numbers look pretty good.. personally I'd like to see fat go up a little bit, but it's not too bad at the moment. If you're doing PPL, even if the workouts are shorter, I would still say that's moderate activity. That would mean your calories needed for maintenance would increase, and might also mean you can increase your calories for cutting a bit more too. You don't want to cut too fast or too drastically or you'll risk losing more muscle mass than you'd like - so try a deficit of about 250-300 calories initially at least.

 

If you do end up increasing the current calories, try bumping up the fat.

Need 1 on 1 coaching? Send me a direct message to learn more!
STEMJeff
STEMJeff g
90 Post(s)
90 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: December 12, 2017
Posted
Posted By: Scott_Herman

@STEMJeff yes you remembered correctly - you'll likely have an easier time adding lean mass when your bodyfat % is a bit lower, so makes sense to cut down a bit more, especially seeing as you've been in a surplus for the last little while.

 

Those numbers look pretty good.. personally I'd like to see fat go up a little bit, but it's not too bad at the moment. If you're doing PPL, even if the workouts are shorter, I would still say that's moderate activity. That would mean your calories needed for maintenance would increase, and might also mean you can increase your calories for cutting a bit more too. You don't want to cut too fast or too drastically or you'll risk losing more muscle mass than you'd like - so try a deficit of about 250-300 calories initially at least.

 

If you do end up increasing the current calories, try bumping up the fat.

Thank you @Scott_Herman for your help and insight.

 

I recalculated using moderate activity and got a calculated amount of 2285. I refigured my macros to the following:

 

Protein: 219 g

Fat: 91 g

Carbs: 148 g

 

Your calculator gave me 79 and 177 for fat and carbs, so I shifted the carbs down and fat up.

I'll try this and note my progress on Sunday by taking another BF measurement. This week I am changing the schedule slightly and doing Circuit A, Push A, Pull A, Legs A, then Circuit B.

 

Thanks again!

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: STEMJeff

Thank you @Scott_Herman for your help and insight.

 

I recalculated using moderate activity and got a calculated amount of 2285. I refigured my macros to the following:

 

Protein: 219 g

Fat: 91 g

Carbs: 148 g

 

Your calculator gave me 79 and 177 for fat and carbs, so I shifted the carbs down and fat up.

I'll try this and note my progress on Sunday by taking another BF measurement. This week I am changing the schedule slightly and doing Circuit A, Push A, Pull A, Legs A, then Circuit B.

 

Thanks again!

Awesome @STEMJeff, those numbers look like a good starting point! Let us know how you go!

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STEMJeff
STEMJeff g
90 Post(s)
90 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: December 12, 2017
Posted

 

I've dialed in my meal plan pretty well and took a BF and weight measurement this morning.

 

I feel I made a much more accurate BF measure by making sure I pulled away the fat from the measurement places and got reliable pinches before recording the numbers. I don't remember what the measurements were last time, but I know that my chest and thigh measurements were higher than last time. I still ended up with a measure of 15%, which tells me that my BF was likely (read: definitely!) higher.

My weight is now 168 as of this morning for a 2 pound loss, so my 2300 calorie macro setup is working. I'm gonna stick to it for another week and adjust from there.

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: STEMJeff

 

I've dialed in my meal plan pretty well and took a BF and weight measurement this morning.

 

I feel I made a much more accurate BF measure by making sure I pulled away the fat from the measurement places and got reliable pinches before recording the numbers. I don't remember what the measurements were last time, but I know that my chest and thigh measurements were higher than last time. I still ended up with a measure of 15%, which tells me that my BF was likely (read: definitely!) higher.

My weight is now 168 as of this morning for a 2 pound loss, so my 2300 calorie macro setup is working. I'm gonna stick to it for another week and adjust from there.

That's great to hear and see you are making progress @STEMJeff! Losing 1-2lbs a week is HEAPS so you can definitely be happy with that. Best to drop weight slowly so that you can preserve as much muscle as possible 💪 Keep it up!

Need 1 on 1 coaching? Send me a direct message to learn more!
STEMJeff
STEMJeff g
90 Post(s)
90 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: December 12, 2017
Posted

Hi guys!

 

Been 2 weeks and still working on lowering my body fat %.

 

I made it to month 2 in PPL and did each of the B workouts once. I came down with a little head cold on Wednesday so I took that and Thursday off, so I did legs Friday, then two at home chest/triceps and back/biceps workouts yesterday and today.

 

I am now at 165 lbs and 13% body fat.

 

I want to try and cut down to 10% if I can. I'm still averaging 1 to 2 pounds lost per week. Diet has been very good even with a few meals out last week.

 

I ran out of my most recent protein supplement so I ordered a 24 serving container of BSN Syntha-6 isolate. I also found a Fish Oil and D vitamin combination at the store yesterday. I've been taking a vitamin d supplement for 2 years on doctor recommendation. I used to have a huge deficit.

 

Anyway, thanks for all your motivation and help. I think I can see good progress so far!

 

i

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: STEMJeff

Hi guys!

 

Been 2 weeks and still working on lowering my body fat %.

 

I made it to month 2 in PPL and did each of the B workouts once. I came down with a little head cold on Wednesday so I took that and Thursday off, so I did legs Friday, then two at home chest/triceps and back/biceps workouts yesterday and today.

 

I am now at 165 lbs and 13% body fat.

 

I want to try and cut down to 10% if I can. I'm still averaging 1 to 2 pounds lost per week. Diet has been very good even with a few meals out last week.

 

I ran out of my most recent protein supplement so I ordered a 24 serving container of BSN Syntha-6 isolate. I also found a Fish Oil and D vitamin combination at the store yesterday. I've been taking a vitamin d supplement for 2 years on doctor recommendation. I used to have a huge deficit.

 

Anyway, thanks for all your motivation and help. I think I can see good progress so far!

 

i

Weight is going down, bodyfat % is going down.. that is what you want @STEMJeff! What you're doing must be working 😁 The chest is starting to look more defined and I think I can see some abs coming through too!

 

Awesome to hear you still got some home workouts in as well to keep that consistency going. Enjoy the BSN Syntha-6 and keep on going man!

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STEMJeff
STEMJeff g
90 Post(s)
90 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: December 12, 2017
Posted

Hi Scott!

First off, LOVE....LOVE...LOVE the BSN Syntha-6 Isolate Vanilla Ice Cream flavor. I had it first with 8 oz. of milk when it arrived and was absolutely blown away at how good it tasted. I so far have used it also with water and in your protein pancake recipe. This stuff is awesome!

 

So I just saw the video you posted yesterday. Coincidentally, my wife said to me on Wednesday that "You're looking like you're getting too skinny. Can you take it easy with your training?" Given that I am trying to get my admittedly tiny frame to look lean and it is working, should I switch to a bulk now?

I've been in a caloric deficit pretty much for 6 weeks now. I have definitely lost weight and body fat, and as you noticed I am looking more defined and starting to get some abs for the first time ever.

 

But, since I have came back down to 12-13% body fat, is it time for me to just switch and go into a bulk and start adding on some muscle?

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: STEMJeff

Hi Scott!

First off, LOVE....LOVE...LOVE the BSN Syntha-6 Isolate Vanilla Ice Cream flavor. I had it first with 8 oz. of milk when it arrived and was absolutely blown away at how good it tasted. I so far have used it also with water and in your protein pancake recipe. This stuff is awesome!

 

So I just saw the video you posted yesterday. Coincidentally, my wife said to me on Wednesday that "You're looking like you're getting too skinny. Can you take it easy with your training?" Given that I am trying to get my admittedly tiny frame to look lean and it is working, should I switch to a bulk now?

I've been in a caloric deficit pretty much for 6 weeks now. I have definitely lost weight and body fat, and as you noticed I am looking more defined and starting to get some abs for the first time ever.

 

But, since I have came back down to 12-13% body fat, is it time for me to just switch and go into a bulk and start adding on some muscle?

Hey Jeff!

 

Oh man now that you've had it once.. you will be addicted haha. I can't get enough of the Vanilla Ice-Cream, it's basically all I have!!

 

If you're sitting at 13% bodyfat it's definitely time to get back into that surplus phase. The reality is you're very, very unlikely to gain muscle while you're in a deficit, so instead you may as well work on adding quality lean mass so that your overall weight goes up, and your bf% either goes up veeeery slightly, or even goes down because your overall weight increases meaning the fat basically has more of a frame to fill out.

 

So you're at 165lbs now.. if you get to say 170lbs and it's all added muscle.. your bodyfat percentage would then be lower.

 

So yeah man, hit that bulk and just keep the surplus small (250-500 calories above maintenance) and go easy on the carbs 🏋 

Need 1 on 1 coaching? Send me a direct message to learn more!
STEMJeff
STEMJeff g
90 Post(s)
90 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: December 12, 2017
Posted

Ok so the old macros I was using were:

Protein: 219 g

Fat: 91 g

Carbs: 148 g

Total Calories: 2285

 

This worked pretty well and helped me cut down to my current state of 165 lbs at 13% BF.

 

So now it's lean gains time and I'm excited! But of course, I want to make sure I knock out these macros.

 

What do you think of...

 

BMR at rest: 1706

BMR in motion: 2644

 

I was losing weight at 2285 (which was 359 calories below my BMR in motion), so I am going to start at 2800 calories.

 

Protein: 219 g

Fat: 95 g

 

Protein & Fat calories: 1731

 

Carb calories: 1069

 

Carb grams: 267 g

 

Do my carbs seem high? I've been hovering around 150 g. My favorite carbs are definitely whole grain pasta, sweet potato, brown rice....and dark chocolate :) Those Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter cups are my kryptonite.

 

How do these look Scott?

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: STEMJeff

Ok so the old macros I was using were:

Protein: 219 g

Fat: 91 g

Carbs: 148 g

Total Calories: 2285

 

This worked pretty well and helped me cut down to my current state of 165 lbs at 13% BF.

 

So now it's lean gains time and I'm excited! But of course, I want to make sure I knock out these macros.

 

What do you think of...

 

BMR at rest: 1706

BMR in motion: 2644

 

I was losing weight at 2285 (which was 359 calories below my BMR in motion), so I am going to start at 2800 calories.

 

Protein: 219 g

Fat: 95 g

 

Protein & Fat calories: 1731

 

Carb calories: 1069

 

Carb grams: 267 g

 

Do my carbs seem high? I've been hovering around 150 g. My favorite carbs are definitely whole grain pasta, sweet potato, brown rice....and dark chocolate :) Those Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter cups are my kryptonite.

 

How do these look Scott?

Great job figuring all this out @STEMJeff. Starting off with a small surplus of a little under 200 calories is really good, because you know you won't gain too much fat at this stage, and if you notice you actually aren't gaining at this number, you can increase it by about 100 calories daily every week until you start seeing consistent progress.

 

Those carbs actually aren't too high at all. They're perfectly fine to be lean bulking on. However, what you might want to do is simply lower them on your rest days back to 150g, and increase your protein and fat intake so that you are still getting 2800 calories on rest days.

 

So you'll be losing a little over 400 calories if you do cut carbs back on rest days, so you could bump the fat up to around 120g and the protein up to 250g and that would basically compensate for what you lose when reducing your carbs.

Need 1 on 1 coaching? Send me a direct message to learn more!
STEMJeff
STEMJeff g
90 Post(s)
90 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: December 12, 2017
Posted
Posted By: Scott_Herman

Great job figuring all this out @STEMJeff. Starting off with a small surplus of a little under 200 calories is really good, because you know you won't gain too much fat at this stage, and if you notice you actually aren't gaining at this number, you can increase it by about 100 calories daily every week until you start seeing consistent progress.

 

Those carbs actually aren't too high at all. They're perfectly fine to be lean bulking on. However, what you might want to do is simply lower them on your rest days back to 150g, and increase your protein and fat intake so that you are still getting 2800 calories on rest days.

 

So you'll be losing a little over 400 calories if you do cut carbs back on rest days, so you could bump the fat up to around 120g and the protein up to 250g and that would basically compensate for what you lose when reducing your carbs.

Wow thank you! That's a great tip. Super simple change on my rest days. Would you count days like today where I did Circuit C only as a "rest day"?

 

If I were to go up another 100 calories, should I basically split those calories equally between all macros, or more like 50/30/20 (P/C/F)?

 

I don't want to make the same errors I made last time I tried to bulk - too many carbs and not enough protein and fat.

 

Thanks for the help as always!

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