A Big difference cutting from 200 from 175 than from 225 to 200 ?

[Alcibiades1212]

This is a question for all of the guys who started at 230+ and eventually got down to 175-185ish.

I myself am hoovering around 220ish and look to be at 200 in the next 6 weeks or so. Been on a 17 week cut so far and dropped frm 270lbs to 223lbs.

I have a feeling that I'm going to have to go as low as 175lb-180lbs before I get close to 10% BF that I'm hoping for.

Now I know losing the 25lbs between 200-175 is going to be a lot different than the 25lbs between 225-200.

My question is how much different and what are some of the common things a person should be aware of once they reach this level.

One thing I can guess would be that once a person gets to 200lbs at a height of 5'10 to 6 feet, they start feeling really good about themselves and can get complacent and lazy. And of course cals would likely have to been around 1700-1900.

But physiologically, diet and workout wise what are some of the big difference you notice between the second 25lbs between 200-175 than the first? I'm getting close and would like to be prepared in order to get to that 180-175 10%ish BF by mid Jan 12' in order to start my bulk.

[AceDuddyMEGAA]

in for answers

[basspro05]

This is a question for all of the guys who started at 230+ and eventually got down to 175-185ish.

I myself am hoovering around 220ish and look to be at 200 in the next 6 weeks or so. Been on a 17 week cut so far and dropped frm 270lbs to 223lbs.

I have a feeling that I'm going to have to go as low as 175lb-180lbs before I get close to 10% BF that I'm hoping for.

Now I know losing the 25lbs between 200-175 is going to be a lot different than the 25lbs between 225-200.

My question is how much different and what are some of the common things a person should be aware of once they reach this level.

One thing I can guess would be that once a person gets to 200lbs at a height of 5'10 to 6 feet, they start feeling really good about themselves and can get complacent and lazy. And of course cals would likely have to been around 1700-1900.

But physiologically, diet and workout wise what are some of the big difference you notice between the second 25lbs between 200-175 than the first? I'm getting close and would like to be prepared in order to get to that 180-175 10%ish BF by mid Jan 12' in order to start my bulk.

It has been a big difference for me, just because the weight quits coming off so fast for me. I started at 260 lbs...8 months ago. I have been at 200 lbs since late July...my weight this morning was 195lbs.

That being said, I think you are right, I feel like I am less disciplined on my diet now that I am looking "better". With clothes on, I look like an average joe walking around rather than a fat azz like I used to look like..so I would say my discipline has gone down over the last month...but this week I am pretty much spot on so far, looking for a big loss next mondays weigh in.

[threeoneg]

You're spot on about the complacent part, at least with me... I came from around 220 eventually reaching 200, where I hovered for about 6 months. I made it down to 165 last year, and I've been holding 165-170 ever since. I probably need to hit 155 to be where i want to be bf% wise. The biggest problem for me was people telling me i was too skinny at 195..and i was probably 24-25% bf still. Anyway, just dont let other people dictate your goals like i did.

[drewsedg]

Sounds like you have a good idea of what to expect. Once I got under 195 I got complacent for a little bit because I had never been that light as an adult before. It was also my 100 pounds lost mark. People constantly laying on compliments just made it worse too. It got harder for me to stay disciplined because It seemed like the end of my cut was just around the corner(even though it wasn't) so I allowed myself to slip up more often.

My weight loss really began to slow starting about then naturally too. Instead of losing 8+ pounds per month 4-6 pounds per month became the norm even with added cardio. This really frustrated me because of my grand plans on when I would be done and when I could start bulking. Needing to lose 10-15 pounds more than I expected hasn't helped either. I had to learn to let that plan go and just let it happen whenever it happens. I really struggled with that for a while because I am anxious to put being fat as something in my past. I was really hoping I could achieve a body that I was proud of and other people were jealous of before this summer was over. Now it looks like cold weather will be upon us before that happens. I learned to accept it and relax though. Having that before the summer ended would have only been a small victory. The big victory is just getting there.

I am sure you have heard you probably have more fat to lose and less muscle than you expect. You might not want to accept that but it is probably true. My arms looked pretty big to me 25 pounds ago and I didn't expect they would get much smaller but boy was I wrong. Fat can really prop you up and think you have more muscle mass than you really do. Just hang in there and lose as much as you need to.


After about 25% bodyfat changes in the mirror seemed to come a lot more often. Instead of seeing big differences every 30 pounds I really start to notice 10-15lb changes. Even my dehydrated form first thing in the morning is quite a bit different than my form later in the day when I am 5 pounds heavier. I saw this explained as the paper towl effect. If you consider a new paper towel roll as a fat person and 1 sheet as 1 pound of fat you won't notice after removing 1 or even several sheets off of a fresh roll. However, when you get down to the last few sheets where each sheet wraps around the core several times the removal of a single sheet can make a drastic difference in the size of the roll.

[Alcibiades1212]

Sounds like you have a good idea of what to expect. Once I got under 195 I got complacent for a little bit because I had never been that light as an adult before. It was also my 100 pounds lost mark. People constantly laying on compliments just made it worse too. It got harder for me to stay disciplined because It seemed like the end of my cut was just around the corner(even though it wasn't) so I allowed myself to slip up more often.

My weight loss really began to slow starting about then naturally too. Instead of losing 8+ pounds per month 4-6 pounds per month became the norm even with added cardio. This really frustrated me because of my grand plans on when I would be done and when I could start bulking. Needing to lose 10-15 pounds more than I expected hasn't helped either. I had to learn to let that plan go and just let it happen whenever it happens. I really struggled with that for a while because I am anxious to put being fat as something in my past. I was really hoping I could achieve a body that I was proud of and other people were jealous of before this summer was over. Now it looks like cold weather will be upon us before that happens. I learned to accept it and relax though. Having that before the summer ended would have only been a small victory. The big victory is just getting there.

I am sure you have heard you probably have more fat to lose and less muscle than you expect. You might not want to accept that but it is probably true. My arms looked pretty big to me 25 pounds ago and I didn't expect they would get much smaller but boy was I wrong. Fat can really prop you up and think you have more muscle mass than you really do. Just hang in there and lose as much as you need to.


After about 25% bodyfat changes in the mirror seemed to come a lot more often. Instead of seeing big differences every 30 pounds I really start to notice 10-15lb changes. Even my dehydrated form first thing in the morning is quite a bit different than my form later in the day when I am 5 pounds heavier. I saw this explained as the paper towl effect. If you consider a new paper towel roll as a fat person and 1 sheet as 1 pound of fat you won't notice after removing 1 or even several sheets off of a fresh roll. However, when you get down to the last few sheets where each sheet wraps around the core several times the removal of a single sheet can make a drastic difference in the size of the roll.

Great Post. You are an inspiration Bro. Amazing work!

I'm hoping it'll be easier to be "patient" when I get to 200lbs, since I started my cut I've been avg 12 pounds loss per month. I know that's going to definitely slow as I get close to 200lbs. But being "happy" when I get to 200lbs will let me be more patient I hope when the results start coming in at an average of 5-8 pounds loss per month instead of the 12. I would suspect part of the reason for frustration with plateaus are that people are very "unhappy" being stuck at whatever weight they stalled at and quit.

I'm already feeling the magic being at in the 220s after being near 280 most of my life. I'm pretty sure when I look at it like that being at 200lbs and losing 5-8 pounds per month doesn't seem so bad at all.

But I can totally relate to what you said about the arm size. My arms maintained around 17 inches for 16 weeks of the cut and this last week have dropped to 16''. But I console myself by saying that was fat and an inch on the biceps isn't worth it if its an inch of fat. Better to lose it and rebuild it with muscle.

[nlite2000]

Gigantic difference, for me anyway from 200 to 180, bigger than the difference from 230 to 200. The former was "no really fat anymore to slim" the latter was "fat to not that fat anymore."


Each ten pounds lost is a more dramatic change than the last.

[CDub73]

Glad to see I'm not the only one that's gotten complacent at this point. I hit 195 about two weeks ago and have had the worst two weeks in terms of motivation since I started cutting from 240 back in mid-March. I will say each pound after 200 has shown more difference that the pounds before 200.

[Electricheadd]

I started at 270 lbs as well so I can speak to some of this.

Motivation for me probably worked backwards compared to some people. From 270-225 I really was just a smaller version of the fat me and it felt like my cut would never end. Around 215 lbs I started noticing changes, my arms and legs were beginning to have some nice definition and my stomach finally appeared to be shrinking. At 200 lbs it seems every few lbs makes a viewable difference, rather than just seeing smaller versions of fat me, I am seeing areas uncover now that I haven't seen in years. I am super motivated for these next 25-30 lbs.

Progression wise I have been lucky, I have had very few plateaus cutting between 1800-2400 calories/day. I am happy with my 1-2 lbs/week and it truly is a lifestyle for me so when I get there I get there. Had you asked when I was going to finish last year I would have told you September. (Its realistially going to be the first of the year 2012)

Your right about psychological part, I feel like I look pretty good in clothes and better than most naked. I enjoy the aesthetic aspects of body building but thats not my real motivation. I do it because I feel a real respect for people who have the will power and drive to shape their bodies into what they desire and I want to be one of those people. Any person who hit the genetic lottery can have a 6 pack, but the guy who earned his through blood/sweat/pain in the gym is a guy I want to know.

[AceDuddyMEGAA]

you guys are motivating the **** outta me

[ScSc0rP]

I started at 270 lbs as well so I can speak to some of this.

Motivation for me probably worked backwards compared to some people. From 270-225 I really was just a smaller version of the fat me and it felt like my cut would never end. Around 215 lbs I started noticing changes, my arms and legs were beginning to have some nice definition and my stomach finally appeared to be shrinking. At 200 lbs it seems every few lbs makes a viewable difference, rather than just seeing smaller versions of fat me, I am seeing areas uncover now that I haven't seen in years. I am super motivated for these next 25-30 lbs.

Progression wise I have been lucky, I have had very few plateaus cutting between 1800-2400 calories/day. I am happy with my 1-2 lbs/week and it truly is a lifestyle for me so when I get there I get there. Had you asked when I was going to finish last year I would have told you September. (Its realistially going to be the first of the year 2012)

Your right about psychological part, I feel like I look pretty good in clothes and better than most naked. I enjoy the aesthetic aspects of body building but thats not my real motivation. I do it because I feel a real respect for people who have the will power and drive to shape their bodies into what they desire and I want to be one of those people. Any person who hit the genetic lottery can have a 6 pack, but the guy who earned his through blood/sweat/pain in the gym is a guy I want to know.

Definitely the mindset to have. You can only work out your muscles so much and have so big of a calorie deficit, trying to do too much just leads to impatience and can drive a person to give up.

[drewsedg]

Great Post. You are an inspiration Bro. Amazing work!

I'm hoping it'll be easier to be "patient" when I get to 200lbs, since I started my cut I've been avg 12 pounds loss per month. I know that's going to definitely slow as I get close to 200lbs. But being "happy" when I get to 200lbs will let me be more patient I hope when the results start coming in at an average of 5-8 pounds loss per month instead of the 12. I would suspect part of the reason for frustration with plateaus are that people are very "unhappy" being stuck at whatever weight they stalled at and quit.

I'm already feeling the magic being at in the 220s after being near 280 most of my life. I'm pretty sure when I look at it like that being at 200lbs and losing 5-8 pounds per month doesn't seem so bad at all.

But I can totally relate to what you said about the arm size. My arms maintained around 17 inches for 16 weeks of the cut and this last week have dropped to 16''. But I console myself by saying that was fat and an inch on the biceps isn't worth it if its an inch of fat. Better to lose it and rebuild it with muscle.

Thanks, I am glad I can pass the inspiration on. When I started my journey there were people here that had already done it and they inspired me. My ultimate goal is to put some pics up in the fat to fit thread in the pictures section but I am not quite ready for that yet. Hopefully I will be ready at 160lbs.

The changes ahead of you can be a mental struggle but you just have to learn to relax and accept things not going exactly how you might prefer they go. I found that the more I tried to plan things out the more I struggled with it when my plans didn't quite work out. Weight loss is a lot easier when you are a lot bigger and it can be easy to take that for granted until it isn't quite so easy any more. It was really hard for me to see my weekly progress become closer to 1 pound per week than 2 pounds. Weeks where I didn't lose any scale weight at all also go more common. Seeing that weekly change was my driving factor through my whole progress so having it change on me wore me down. If you end up struggling with that like I did just try to remember all of the hard work you have done and how much you have accomplished already. Look at some old pictures and allow yourself to have a "Daaaaaaaammmmmmmmnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!" moment. Doing that really helped me be patient and just go with the flow. Just don't get so comfortable that you let yourself slip enough that progress goes from slowing down to stopping altogether. Make sure you lose at least a pound a week. Don't be afraid to take a break if you really need it though. Sometimes a week off really helps to reboot motivation.

[asianstyles]

The numbers always drop slowly on the scale for me, even when I was at an all time high of 235. I was never one that steadily lost 1 to 2 pounds per week, even though my diet and exercise were spot on.

After two and half years, I'm down from 235 to 155 or so. Getting beneath 165 was the most difficult for me and required some extra supplementation. Also, I have not been able to get any lower than 153 yet. Trying IF now to see if I can get leaner.

[ciscoford]

Very good thread. Motivating for sure.

[topper1]

Just a heads up you will likely be around 160 - 165 at 10% unless you have reason to think other wise.

[AceDuddyMEGAA]

im worried about how my skins gonna look at 170. ****s scary its doing well now but thats 44 pounds away

[asianstyles]

im worried about how my skins gonna look at 170. ****s scary its doing well now but thats 44 pounds away

My skin isn't looking so great going from 235 to 155. I also lost the weight slowly, over 2.5 years.

[AceDuddyMEGAA]

My skin isn't looking so great going from 235 to 155. I also lost the weight slowly, over 2.5 years.

what part arent you satisfied with? i dont think a saggy lower stomach would bother me as much as the chest fat not going away. thats what im really afraid of.

[asianstyles]

what part arent you satisfied with? i dont think a saggy lower stomach would bother me as much as the chest fat not going away. thats what im really afraid of.

Oh, I'm not satisfied with the saggy lower stomach. Most of my chest fat has gone away, but luckily I never stored a ton of fat in my chest to begin with.

[AceDuddyMEGAA]

Oh, I'm not satisfied with the saggy lower stomach. Most of my chest fat has gone away, but luckily I never stored a ton of fat in my chest to begin with.

does it look better now than it did when you first reached that weight? How long have you been there?

[asianstyles]

does it look better now than it did when you first reached that weight? How long have you been there?

I have been between 155 for about 3 or 4 months. Been below 165 for 6 + months. Looks the same in my opinion.