Should I diet first or bulk up????

[Daimbert]

Hello all am wondering if you can all help me out but first let me give you a lil history. I was extremly overweight about 3 years ago. I was 260 at age 17 and the doctors told me I had to loose it. Will I did with mostly alot of weight training a proper diet. I got my weight down to about 215. After that I started using Hydroxcut and I lost another 15 pounds. For the last year due to school I wasn't able to really go to the gym am now at 205lbs and am starting to go back to the gym seriously and religiously again. The thing is I also gotten extremly weak...I didn't loose a tone of muscle but am just weak so I want to gain my strength back as well and get more muscle. But to be honest I want to drop by bodyfat % quite a bit I think. I always had this fat in my middle and love handles that never went away. Well I want it gone now too. Now I've heard it said that it's hard to gain muscle as well as loose fat because their both opposite diet etc. So my question is should I loose my fat first then later bulk up correctly for gaining muscle or should I just bulk and keep my love handles (grin). I also want your opinion if I should or should not get on another product like hydroxycut or should I do it the old fashion way. I also need some advice on diets to use and books to read on nutritions and how to contruct a proper diet. If any of you can also give examples of what you would eat in a day it would be wonderful. Thanks

[speda1]

Only you can decide that. Many people here would suggest a bulk first.

I would cut first. There is some evidence to suggest that it is harder to put on muscle when you are already fat. Probably because abdominal fat greatly increases insulin resistance.

[cut_eyes]

cut first, its a major ego trip to see yourself build up those muscles

[Boeing747]

hey Speda1 & Cut-eyes,

I'm also cutting 1st....have becum leaner since the past month

But i gotta ask....should i cut until im super-lean/ripped then bulk?

or can i start bulking wif a little jiggle still left on my belly? (abs can be seen when i workout)

[as0l0]

i wish I had bulked first.....

I cut first and got...I dunno.....1/3 of the way to my destination. I'm now on a bulk and I feel "uncomfortable" with the extra weight that's coming on.

if I had bulked first I wouldn't have felt the difference.....

this is my second week of a 6 week (minimum) bulk.

worst case is that everything gets reset for my next cut....plus I gain some muscle

[Original Poster]

Sounds like you already lost a bunch......I'd Bulk then cut. Bulking is much more fun. LOL Muscle burns fat and the more oof it you have, the easier it is to cut for most.

PEACE

[tommy91z]

Never bulk then cut unless you're already ripped. It was one of the biggest mistakes I ever made. Not only did I gain 25 pounds but half of my shirts didn't fit. It took almost a year to correct that mistake. How tall are you?

[Daimbert]

Oh yeah well am 5'8'', 205...., I just heard that is was hard to add muscle and also loose weight since there kinda negate each other.

[tommy91z]

At 5'8" and 205 I would definelty cut unless you are under 13% bf. I have found that the fatter you are the less of a chance bulking will be "clean". I see guys who are like 10% bulk and they seem to gain nothing but muscle mabey 1 pound of fat for every 6-7 muscle. I think that anyone over 15% bf can gain muscle while losing fat.