Cut or Bulk, what to do?

[clintharley]

Ok let's try this again and sorry for the previous post. I read somewhere here about how to post but obviously failed to see the humour and fell for it hook line and sinker.

hey guys, I need your help. I was 230, found Wavelength's fat loss for noobs and followed it pretty well. Using a calorie deficit and weight lifting, got down to 195 and plateaued. I then low carb'd it down to my present weight of 177 where I'm stuck. I got down to around 170 and started back on carbs and quickly got up to 180, so I'm back off carbs and on my way down again, but I'm really struggling.

I'm 6' even with a med to small bone structure

(see attached pics)

I'm embarrassed to take my shirt off because of my chest and waist and feel I'm missing out on a lot of good times at the beach, pool parties etc because of the way I look. I feel so damned drained on 20g of carbs a day but it seems like it's the only thing that works for me.

My challenges are:

-On low carb I'm having trouble doing the exercise that I love, lifting free weights, because I feel drained
-these crazy carb cravings push me to snack at night, blowing me out of keto slowing fat loss. I do so well all day, salads, chicken, lots of water, some almonds, meat, fish etc, and feel like I'm losing, then I get up at 2am and eat some chocolate or something and feel like an idiot after I do.
-after a few years of this I'm starting to lose patience and want some quicker results with respect to shedding the fat
-I feel like I've lost a fair bit of muscle, esp in my shoulders/arms/legs and worry at my age it'll be slow to regain it again.
-I can't control myself when I start back into carbs (bread/oatmeal/anything made with flour) and seem to expand like a blowfish until I reduce the carbs then life is good, but damn I miss the beer!

What's the quickest way to lose the waist and man boobs? Should I keep up the keto and get down to 165 and see if that's enough? I have the feeling it won't be, and don't want to turn into a skinny waif in the meantime. TNT Diet says I can cut and bulk at the same time, but most here talk about doing one or the other. As you can probably tell I'm pretty frustrated and confused and need some direction.

Thanks for the help

clint

[GROSO]

Cut

[map84]

well i'd say cut, but if you're genuinely having all those issues with self control and not loosing any weight whatever you do then i'd try a recomp(aka eat at maintenance while lifting) or a small surplus off 200 cal for a couple of months to try and get a little more muscle and have a break from the cutting and then have another go at it in a couple of months when you feel better.
Keep it up buddy.

[Emdamnify]

Cut

Just eat 500 cal below maintenance. Don't worry about low carb diets because they are pretty miserable if you go straight into one. Just lift hard, hit your macros and do some cardio if you stall out losing weight. Find your own rhythm and you will be fine.

[Spells0n]

Cut

yup.

[LoveThySpotter]

Cardio. Burn fat. Cut.
New words for your daily vocabulary

[speedjason]

cut

[ritchiedrama]

Well first things first, put some pants on :-D

Secondly; low carb/ketosis is a load of rubbish, yes it works, but it is just too extreme and NOT needed, cutting calories is what is needed.

Look into Carb Cycling also.

If you're not losing weight, you're eating too much, that is all.

[clintharley]

Thanks for all the replies so far guys I appreciate it. Sorry for the slow reply on my part, I've been dealing with a family problem which has pretty much consumed all of my time, but have been eager to reply and get some help.

The TNT diet says you can lose fat and build muscle at the same time which sounds great but I'm sure it's harder than in sounds. Has anyone been successful doing this or is it pretty much cutting or bulking? I'm worried about getting too thin and have lost a far bit of muscle, esp from my forearms and shoulders and don't want to lose too much more. Trying to get in the best shape I can for the summer and wonder what would be more effective, to keep losing a pound a week cutting or just start lifting heavier and fill out my frame a little. What do you think?

I agree low carb is tough, esp finding protein/vegs when you're on the road, etc. I can try calorie counting again. Right now I'm at 1700 calories a day and not really losing, thinking I need to be at 1500 or less. Do you guys agree eating clean or not doesn't matter all that much when you're counting calories and stopping at your limit each day?

What weight do you think I need to be at to trim the 2+ inches off my waist/chest/back? I'm worried I've got another 15 pounds or more to go and the muscle that will go along with it.

Sorry if I'm jumping all over the place, just got a lot on my mind and I'm trying to make a decision and move forward to get into the best shape I've been in 20 years.

Thanks again for the help...

[MichaelKB]

Cut! And do it leangains style so you can stay stuffed and satisfied for 8 hours at a time.