Skinny and hangry 2019 thread

[ajdahlheimer]

Negged for trimming your beard (jk)

Haha, big weekend of concert and camping this weekend. I knew the thing would be completely unmanageable there. The bottom part was just two weeks shy of a full year when I shaved it. Starting it again fresh on Monday. It will be back!

[ajdahlheimer]

Nice AJ!
I'm maintaining under 200 but not really making any progress dieting. Just not in the zone, and steak tacos at this new place we found are out of this world. I'm okay with where I am still can see abs etc, but not lean. I'm in a weird spot clothing wise still 32" waist, but had to break out my large UA loose fit shirts. My medium loose fits still fit, but just a little too snug for my personal taste. I don't want to look like a "try hard". The good thing is rapidly gaining strength again and my joints feel better than they have in years. Trying to dial it back in lol. Lifting belt is up 2" from my lowest ever which isn't bad, just a salty meal would add an inch from upper 170s low 180s. Look like I lift though...

Way to keep at it, bro. I'm just shy of 4 months of pretty hard dieting. I bought two new pairs of jeans a while ago that were 34" waist, but now those are too big for me too. I would REALLY like to see 200 pounds even again. Would be the first time since high school. Right now I'm the lightest I have been since 2000 (sophomore year in college). I have my diet locked down pretty well, it has been all the consistent additional cardio (skip-rope, running, and religiously walking) that has put me over though. It's crazy, I now have EIGHT holes showing extra in my lifting belt. Traditionally, there were usually only THREE!

[Hooverville]

New one year low for me today. 192. Still not satisfied with my mirror. 6 weeks in, probably 4 to go to finally see my abs. Starting to get tired of spinach and broccoli salad for dinner (with lean protonz). Feel a refeed coming on the 4th.

Keep at it guys.

[blue9steel]

Negged for trimming your beard (jk)

Have to agree, the beard was epic.

On hold since 5/19 due to a combination of factors (Crazy Work/School schedule, got sick and now moving to a new house). Basically on a recomp at the moment. Amusingly enough, calories say I should have gained about a pound while my trend weight has actually dropped about a pound. Once we finish settling in from the move I hope to fit in a couple more short cutting cycles before the holiday season kicks off in earnest, have to schedule them around some trips and other summer activities though.

Although the process of moving isn't much fun I'm pretty jazzed about it since the new place has enough room for a garage gym. Currently I'm at 24 Hour fitness and while that works it has a lot of drawbacks. Money is pretty good right now and the wife has basically given me a blank check to build it out. I'm pretty frugal so it's not cost is no object but there are lots of shiny new toys to shop for at the moment.

[ectoBgone]

In on this for now. I bulked from about November to mid May and put on about twelve pounds. Stripping off the fat now to see what has really happened underneath. I'm feeling pretty good about it overall but currently at that stage where I have lost the fullness of the high carb intake from the bulk, but not lean enough to look sharp yet. I just feel soft and skinny. On the bright side, I get a glimpse of my progress and upcoming potential with a workout pump and I like it. I'll be putting up one year progress photos when done, just need to dig through this body dysmorphia phase.

[tblodg15]

currently at that stage where I have lost the fullness of the high carb intake from the bulk, but not lean enough to look sharp yet. I just feel soft and skinny.

Interesting, I have heard others comment on the same phenomenon. With my first bulk this winter and now first cut after the bulk I don’t know if I am seeing the same effect. But I also think I am finding that maybe I don’t respond to carbs the same as many guys. I have a sedentary job but my carbs never went over 300 per day average on the bulk and now at 150 grams average per day I don’t feel any loss of energy for workouts 6 weeks into the cut.

On to my cut - currently 5 pounds down from a 12 pound bulk and am already seeing veins pop up that I never had at my leanest last year. New ones in my arms and starting to see some veins in my legs which is kind of cool but the wife thinks it’s gross LOL. The mirror and skinfolds are showing that I am close to being as lean now at 171 as I was at 165 last fall before the bulk. This is fun!

I am thinking of losing 3 more pounds and I won’t be super lean like many of you guys but I am ok with that. I will still have some flab around the lower waist and love handles but I have learned that to get completely rid of that I would end up with a very sunken face. And it’s just not necessary to meet my goals at 51 years old, somewhere around 11-12% puts me pretty lean everywhere except for the lower waist and that is good enough for me.

[ectoBgone]

Interesting, I have heard others comment on the same phenomenon. With my first bulk this winter and now first cut after the bulk I don’t know if I am seeing the same effect. But I also think I am finding that maybe I don’t respond to carbs the same as many guys. I have a sedentary job but my carbs never went over 300 per day average on the bulk and now at 150 grams average per day I don’t feel any loss of energy for workouts 6 weeks into the cut.

My workout energy is fine, I just lose a feeling of fullness. Could be partly mental because I expect it to happen.

The mirror and skinfolds are showing that I am close to being as lean now at 171 as I was at 165 last fall before the bulk. This is fun!

Sounds like things are going great, enjoy the ride and the results!

[tblodg15]

My workout energy is fine, I just lose a feeling of fullness. Could be partly mental because I expect it to happen.

I didn’t mean to imply that you were feeling less energy, but I know some guys do. What I meant is that when going from low to higher carbs or vice versa I don’t think I see much difference with my physique. But I also seem to get by on less carbs than average so maybe that is related or maybe it’s all in my head lol.

[jademonkey]

So long. 27 mile hike this weekend and I'm done cutting. Back to maintanance for a deload week, then we'll see about bulking again right away or saving it til after summer

[Hooverville]

Did 45 minutes of cardio after lifting yesterday. Scale is still at 192. I’m going to stay at my current macros for 2 more weeks and decide if it’s still worth restricting more. Not unhappy with my results thus far. Got into one of my form-fitting shirts this morning and it looks like it should.

Keep grinding.

[ectoBgone]

Getting to the point where each additional pound lost feels like it will have a visible impact. In the past I have typically stopped cutting at around 11-12% but I really want to push it down to 8-10% this year and see how it looks. I worked my ass off trying to widen and thicken the back and I want to see what's under that fat! I feel like my Fall-Winter-Spring bulk was successful enough that I can finally get away with it. I think it will take another 8-10 weeks if I stick to my plan of 4 weeks of deficit and 1 week of diet break.

[dazlittle]

Getting to the point where each additional pound lost feels like it will have a visible impact. In the past I have typically stopped cutting at around 11-12% but I really want to push it down to 8-10% this year and see how it looks. I worked my ass off trying to widen and thicken the back and I want to see what's under that fat! I feel like my Fall-Winter-Spring bulk was successful enough that I can finally get away with it. I think it will take another 8-10 weeks if I stick to my plan of 4 weeks of deficit and 1 week of diet break.

Awesome work, looking in fantastic shape.

[Cantplankwell]

Getting to the point where each additional pound lost feels like it will have a visible impact. In the past I have typically stopped cutting at around 11-12% but I really want to push it down to 8-10% this year and see how it looks. I worked my ass off trying to widen and thicken the back and I want to see what's under that fat! I feel like my Fall-Winter-Spring bulk was successful enough that I can finally get away with it. I think it will take another 8-10 weeks if I stick to my plan of 4 weeks of deficit and 1 week of diet break.

[]

Great work!

What is your current height/weight?, if you posted this before I overlooked it.

[ectoBgone]

Awesome work, looking in fantastic shape.

Great work!

What is your current height/weight?, if you posted this before I overlooked it.

Thanks guys! I am about 5'11" and sitting around 171 right now. I bulked from about 165 to 177 and on the way back down.

[drudixon]

Summer bulk photo in avi. Spent most of last year around 175-180 when I chased 3x bw deadlift. It was way too light and hampered growth staying lean that long.

Only writing to say, y'all hit your goal and make sure you don't stay too long.

Lots of great progress btw.

[induced_drag]

Still in this.... Just slow and steady. Hard to see in this pic, but leanness is really coming in now. Lots of little new veins across ribs...etc. Midsection is last hold out. Going to still keep on course. When I get my midsection where I want it, I could imagine everything else will be pretty crazy looking.

[CleanUponAisle9]

209 pounds, still good looking if I could lose some more weight, need to be 185, at 185 I have a gaunt looking face, big eyes and some veins at 209 I am just fat & weak and overweight. Hoping for some motivation here.

[ectoBgone]

I'd say that's some of the leanest I have seen you, ID. Nice!

[induced_drag]

I'd say that's some of the leanest I have seen you, ID. Nice!

You are right for sure. The pics after a while get hard to see the final differences. (especially through the midsection since water plays such a factor).

I had a realization recently when I went snorkeling on vacation about how much I have leaned out. I have always been dense, but I was shocked at how bad it is now. It is actually scary. Even with an inflatable snorkeling vest (the kind like a "BC" they use in scuba except you blow it up manually) I could barely stay above water with it fully inflated. I used to be able to sink a noodle in a pool, but now I am way more dense.

I carry fat weird. I look much 'fatter' than I am. Back in 2010-11 I got hydro'd. If you saw my pics, one would say I was 12-15%. The hydro came back at 9. I looked nowhere near 9%. I guess it is just stubborn abdominal fat. In the end, it does not matter what the numbers are. I can tell I am making that last push and the great part, is this is pretty easy really. Just slow and steady.

I have a friend that competes national level NPC and he said I look about "2-3 weeks out". He said with just a water prep, I would probably be in better shape than most guys who do local shows. That to me is a victory since at that point in prep many guys are starting to struggle. Only downside I am experiencing is some achy joints. That has always happened when I leaned out. My wrists are the worst.

I am going to keep on going and see where I end up.

[ajdahlheimer]

I had a realization recently when I went snorkeling on vacation\

ID--probably a really dumb question, but were you at a Waffle House in St. Pete Beach, Florida last weekend? I was on vacation there and there was pretty big dude eating alone in there who looked a lot like you (wore the ball cap like you too) and he looked me right in the face (like a "do I know you"? look as I passed by him). Probably was just two lifters doing the whole sizing each other up thing though. LOL.

-AJ

[tblodg15]

Had a low weigh-in of 169.0 on Saturday with a weekly average of 170 down from an average of 176. So down 6 pounds but only averaging .6 lbs per week. That is slower than I had planned but the good news is that I am still progressing with my lifts 10 weeks into my cut. All of my skinfolds including the abdomen and suprailiac are now the same or lower at 170 than they were at 164 at the end of my first cut 10 months ago!

If I was younger I would probably keep pushing and get below 10% to see what it looks like but my face gets sunken and gaunt below 15%. So I am thinking 3 more weeks which will be about 2 more pounds which should be somewhere around 12%.

[Payton1221]

All of my skinfolds including the abdomen and suprailiac are now the same or lower at 170 than they were at 164 at the end of my first cut 10 months ago!

Wow. This is how it's done!!!

I've actually tracked cals for the last two days . . something that I said that I'd likely not do again after having done so for a few years I've been vacillating between 172 and 175 for too long. I know that I look better at 170, so maybe I'll drop a bit below and make that my upper limit for a while.

[ectoBgone]

Had a low weigh-in of 169.0 on Saturday with a weekly average of 170 down from an average of 176. So down 6 pounds but only averaging .6 lbs per week.

I feel like your shadow. My latest google sheet numbers below....



I started at 178 in May and averaging around 170 now. Pumps are looking juicy. When I hit my lowest weight from last year (167) I'm going to do some year to year comparisons and it's going to be good, I can tell. I'm already as lean as then if not more so I'm guessing I got around 3 pounds of lean mass over the last year.

Keep up the solid, steady work!

[tblodg15]

I feel like your shadow. My latest google sheet numbers below....

I started at 178 in May and averaging around 170 now. Pumps are looking juicy. When I hit my lowest weight from last year (167) I'm going to do some year to year comparisons and it's going to be good, I can tell. I'm already as lean as then if not more so I'm guessing I got around 3 pounds of lean mass over the last year.

Keep up the solid, steady work!

LOL, we are definitely following a similar path with timing of bulks and cuts and we are almost the exact same weight. I started at 176 in May (I think you are a little taller though). I guess we need a pose-off when we end our cuts. Just kidding! Your teaser pics are looking great and lean, it will be neat to see your comparison pics from last year. I plan to do the same but I am skeptical that I am going to look much different even being up 5 lbs and lifting much heavier weights than a year ago.

Pretty cool that we also both seem to have had success with increasing volume instead of intensity. Let's keep it going together!

[ectoBgone]

LOL, we are definitely following a similar path with timing of bulks and cuts and we are almost the exact same weight. I started at 176 in May (I think you are a little taller though). I guess we need a pose-off when we end our cuts. Just kidding! Your teaser pics are looking great and lean, it will be neat to see your comparison pics from last year. I plan to do the same but I am skeptical that I am going to look much different even being up 5 lbs and lifting much heavier weights than a year ago.

Pretty cool that we also both seem to have had success with increasing volume instead of intensity. Let's keep it going together!

You bet! I may even start journaling again after the cut. I can guess right now that a pose off would result with me looking leaner and lankier with you looking a little softer but fuller ... and we would both covet what the other person has! Looking forward to your progress pics!

[Plateauplower]

Ive been bloat lording lately. I'm up to about 200lbs and will be on vacation through 8/12 and not worry about dieting. Then I'll likely get back down to about 185-190 range which is reasonable to maintain. I was 176-178 in Avi and pretty much had to live hungry all the time + extra cardio to stay there. Sucks where I am though for clothes, pants waist is the same but legs are pretty tight on my 32" jeans, my leaner shirts are too tight, my fatter shirts are too loose. It looks like I grow and shrink depending on what shirt I grab lol

[tblodg15]

I can guess right now that a pose off would result with me looking leaner and lankier with you looking a little softer but fuller ... and we would both covet what the other person has!

I think your hypothesis is probably spot-on for both how we look and how we feel about it! No pics needed LOL...

[blue9steel]

I've been eating at what my first half of the year numbers suggest was a small surplus ~50-100 calories/day but apparently I've hit a bit of a metabolic sweet spot and I'm feeling great and effortlessly losing weight at a slow pace. (roughly 0.25/lb a week)

[ectoBgone]

Ive been bloat lording lately. I'm up to about 200lbs and will be on vacation through 8/12 and not worry about dieting.

How does it hold up aesthetics wise? I am guessing you carry it pretty well having enough lean mass to maintain a good shape.

Then I'll likely get back down to about 185-190 range which is reasonable to maintain.

I take it you will use keto again? Plan to do anything differently?

I was 176-178 in Avi and pretty much had to live hungry all the time + extra cardio to stay there. Sucks where I am though for clothes, pants waist is the same but legs are pretty tight on my 32" jeans, my leaner shirts are too tight, my fatter shirts are too loose. It looks like I grow and shrink depending on what shirt I grab lol

Not much cardio here thankfully but definitely starting to feel it in terms of sleep quality and mood now and then. Hunger levels are shooting up even though relative caloric deficit isn't much different. Body is telling me it's getting outside the comfortable settling point, which for me seems to be 11-12%. I hear ya about the wardrobe challenges. Had to go to the outlets and pickup some medium shirts to avoid the DYEL look.

[Plateauplower]

How does it hold up aesthetics wise? I am guessing you carry it pretty well having enough lean mass to maintain a good shape.

I take it you will use keto again? Plan to do anything differently?

Not much cardio here thankfully but definitely starting to feel it in terms of sleep quality and mood now and then. Hunger levels are shooting up even though relative caloric deficit isn't much different. Body is telling me it's getting outside the comfortable settling point, which for me seems to be 11-12%. I hear ya about the wardrobe challenges. Had to go to the outlets and pickup some medium shirts to avoid the DYEL look.

Yea I carry it well, especially in clothes. Can still see where my abs would be (flabs) but can still see intercostals with my arms up but feel pretty fluffy after being lean. I feel good though, getting stronger. I didn’t make any progress in terms of strength when I was leaner my joints feel better overall except a little lower back issue I got trying to muscle a throw last weekend at a Judo tournament.

Yes I’ll probably use a very low carb approach. Only carb sources will be veggies low carb wraps. It just works best for me for curbing hunger. I might use a little IF as well since I’m not training in the morning usually. That helps because when I train early I have to eat my first meal early due to extreme hunger. Otherwise, No modifications other than I don’t think I’ll push as far this time. I felt like death toward the bottom of my cut, and it took awhile before I felt good again (awhile after I gained a little weight back).

Yeah it’s crazy toward the end of a cut how your body kinda fights you. I’m not sure what my BF was at my leanest but I dreamed about food a lot, and thought about my next meal incessantly even though none of them except dinner were particularly filling.