What is My Body Fat Percentage? - Post Your Estimate Request Pictures Here - Vol III

6'3 183lbs.


Also recommendation on bulk or cut?

[QUOTE=MoistInitial;1582201831]6'3 183lbs.

imgur[dot]com/a/xk8iX7l

Also recommendation on bulk or cut?[/QUOTE]

I'd say you're around 15%BF.

It's mostly a preference call IMO. Do you care about being leaner over the summer or do you want to go for the long-term gains? Close to maintenance either way... and as always, focus on gym progress.

[QUOTE=inorb;1582211091]35 years old. 5'11'' 172 lbs. Already lost 12 lbs the last 2 months. Wondering if I should keep cutting or start bulking.[/QUOTE]

Looks to be ~23%BF. I'd say keep cutting at a slow and steady pace while trying your hardest to progress in lifting.

[QUOTE=Tucane;1582220571]Looks to be ~23%BF. I'd say keep cutting at a slow and steady pace while trying your hardest to progress in lifting.[/QUOTE]
Thanks Tucane, much appreciated.

Current pictures are in bodyspace, under both progress and the regular pics sections. Profile pic IS NOT me rn

6’2.5”, 228 lbs. I’d guess I’m between 15-20% bf, but please give estimates

[QUOTE=CaptainEarth;1582230051]Current pictures are in bodyspace, under both progress and the regular pics sections. Profile pic IS NOT me rn

6’2.5”, 228 lbs. I’d guess I’m between 15-20% bf, but please give estimates[/QUOTE]

In at ~19%BF. Looks like you have good mass. If your profile pic is of you in the past, then you'll likely gain back decent amounts of LBM too.

29yo male, 5'10, around 169lb
Should I continue cutting? I have a beach holiday coming up early Jul and I want to see abs.

Will I be able to see abs? Will I look better? Thanks

Back for another estimate: [url]https://imgur.com/a/1QhyQHA[/url]

I think i’m just going to eat at tdee or a little below and enjoy summer while attempting to recomp a little bit

[QUOTE=Faux Carnival;1582277941]29yo male, 5'10, around 169lb
Should I continue cutting? I have a beach holiday coming up early Jul and I want to see abs.

Will I be able to see abs? Will I look better? Thanks[/QUOTE]

Around 15% or so. If I tell you to do something you don't intend, will you take my advice?

You will see more of your abs and look better, how much is impossible to tell... all you can do is maximum effort.

Height: 5'5"
Weight: 113lbs
Age: 27

Ok no muscle guy checking in. I'm just a complete nerd that never exercise and play sports, let alone workout. But I want a change now. I'm just curious whether I have a high body fat. My TDEE is just a mere 1700 kcal.

Images are in mybodyspace. Thanks!

[QUOTE=BHFK;1582297261]Back for another estimate: [url]https://imgur.com/a/1QhyQHA[/url]

I think i’m just going to eat at tdee or a little below and enjoy summer while attempting to recomp a little bit[/QUOTE]

Close to 10%BF. Sounds like a good plan! I like to enjoy summer too... sometimes so much that I cut in the autumn:-)

[QUOTE=1155091615;1582310481]Height: 5'5"
Weight: 113lbs
Age: 27

Ok no muscle guy checking in. I'm just a complete nerd that never exercise and play sports, let alone workout. But I want a change now. I'm just curious whether I have a high body fat. My TDEE is just a mere 1700 kcal.

Images are in mybodyspace. Thanks![/QUOTE]

No you don't have high amounts of bodyfat. Due to untrained state it's still 17-18%BF though. Aim for ~2000 kcal, lift on top of that... and see where it gets you.

[QUOTE=Tucane;1582312511]Close to 10%BF. Sounds like a good plan! I like to enjoy summer too... sometimes so much that I cut in the autumn:-)[/QUOTE]

I’m gonna try eating @tdee and hopefully recomping down to 9% over summer. If a surprise vacation comes up in july or august i’m just gonna do an aggressive minicut for that but i think my physique right now is perfect for summer, i’m pretty sure it’ll look sickly in a bad way if i get leaner

[QUOTE=Tucane;1582236801]In at ~19%BF. Looks like you have good mass. If your profile pic is of you in the past, then you'll likely gain back decent amounts of LBM too.[/QUOTE]

Thanks bro. Yes the profile picture is me from 4 years ago. I was playing rugby and football in college at that time. I was wondering if someone could make an estimate on my bf% for my profile pic. I think at that time I was around 230 lbs as well, same height of 74.5 inches. Now that I have a strong support system in my life, I can see myself becoming very physically fit, probably even better than I was all those years ago.

I've been lean bulking and cutting for about 10 week periods since I started working out. IMO it's a waste not to bulk when you start out since your gain potential will be at it's biggest then, but when I've reached a certain level I'd prefer to have a more stable nutrition plan, stay on the same BF% and accept that the muscle gains will be slower.

How you look is obviously more important than a number but there's a part of me that thinks it would be pretty cool to be in the single digit BF% club, so I've set my goal on ~9%. It's so hard to tell where I'm at because some areas look kinda ripped but I still got that stubborn little blob below the belly button. I can feel the 8 pack below the fat with my fingers but I'm not sure it can ever show. Would be really helpful to touch some body builders bellys for reference lol.

What do you guys think?

Height: 5'9"
Weight: 169 lbs
Age: 26

Height: 5ft 10 or 178cm
Weight: 185lbs or 84kg
Age: 22

If anyone could give a BF estimate would appreciate it. Had bulked to around 88kg while doing a strength programme late 2018 and since then have sat around maintenance / sometimes below / sometimes above depending on sport / sports injuries / social life etc and have dropped to 84kg. Would like to pack on some more muscle but have the age old question of whether I should continue losing first before I do.

Thanks in advance.

Pictures attached (apologies for the inconsistencies in lighting)

[QUOTE=CaptainEarth;1582329471]Thanks bro. Yes the profile picture is me from 4 years ago. I was playing rugby and football in college at that time. I was wondering if someone could make an estimate on my bf% for my profile pic. I think at that time I was around 230 lbs as well, same height of 74.5 inches. Now that I have a strong support system in my life, I can see myself becoming very physically fit, probably even better than I was all those years ago.[/QUOTE]

Looks like you were somewhere around 14%BF back then. I'm sure you'll beat your former physique, just be disciplined and ride it to the finish line.

[QUOTE=Gaintainer;1582334291]I've been lean bulking and cutting for about 10 week periods since I started working out. IMO it's a waste not to bulk when you start out since your gain potential will be at it's biggest then, but when I've reached a certain level I'd prefer to have a more stable nutrition plan, stay on the same BF% and accept that the muscle gains will be slower.

How you look is obviously more important than a number but there's a part of me that thinks it would be pretty cool to be in the single digit BF% club, so I've set my goal on ~9%. It's so hard to tell where I'm at because some areas look kinda ripped but I still got that stubborn little blob below the belly button. I can feel the 8 pack below the fat with my fingers but I'm not sure it can ever show. Would be really helpful to touch some body builders bellys for reference lol.

What do you guys think?

Height: 5'9"
Weight: 169 lbs
Age: 26[/QUOTE]

Well I'd say you're close to 13%BF. You do store fat in the lower belt area like many men do by genetics. Good news is that you can lose it if you just keep pushing your deficit... you just need to be more stubborn than said fat.

[QUOTE=doubleyokers;1582336011]Height: 5ft 10 or 178cm
Weight: 185lbs or 84kg
Age: 22

If anyone could give a BF estimate would appreciate it. Had bulked to around 88kg while doing a strength programme late 2018 and since then have sat around maintenance / sometimes below / sometimes above depending on sport / sports injuries / social life etc and have dropped to 84kg. Would like to pack on some more muscle but have the age old question of whether I should continue losing first before I do.

Thanks in advance.

Pictures attached (apologies for the inconsistencies in lighting)[/QUOTE]

Looks to be 17-18%BF. You could go either way IMO, but since you are cutting, you might want to continue for a bit as you have momentum in losing weight right now. Keep a slow pace for muscle reasons, eat lots of protein and lift with max effort.

[QUOTE=westbastard;1582339381]5'10 - 180lbs. I've been cutting for a good 7 weeks now and lost 20lbs in the process. Put on decent mass as well. I'm wondering if I should continue to cut down until I'm at about 15 percent. I kinda wanna cut down until I'm at 170lbs. I turned eighteen not long ago if that matters at all. I've been having good progress on all my lifts, just recently hit 27,5kg(60lbs) dumbbells on bench and 1.5bw squat. My deadlift is also 1.5bw but I have been a bit careful with its progress since I'm still somewhat new to the movement. Though the strength gains have been stalling a bit, I assume partly thanks to cutting at a higher-than-500 deficit. Would be very grateful for advice. Cheers[/QUOTE]

Around 21%BF. Try to keep up strength by keeping your deficit @ –500 or even –300 if that's what it takes. This way you'll be less pronr to lose strength and you will likely gain some muscle on the way. I prefer carbs pre-workout for fuel.

[quote=cookieraider7;1582360991]170cm/5'7"
63.8kg/140.5lbs

full relaxed photos.[/quote]

~18%bf.

My gym has a scanner that supposedly tells bf% but just wondering what experienced guesstimators would say I am at now and 8 weeks ago. Pics in bodyspace. Height 5'-10", morning weights in sig.

[QUOTE=jademonkey;1582376961]My gym has a scanner that supposedly tells bf% but just wondering what experienced guesstimators would say I am at now and 8 weeks ago. Pics in bodyspace. Height 5'-10", morning weights in sig.[/QUOTE]

Good size and great back! Around 10-11%BF.

Edit, forgot the before pic... @ 15%BF or so.

Lost some additional weight.

78 kg / 172 lbs
183 cm / 5'11

Thanks in advance.

[QUOTE=Tucane;1582370871]Well I'd say you're close to 13%BF. You do store fat in the lower belt area like many men do by genetics. Good news is that you can lose it if you just keep pushing your deficit... you just need to be more stubborn than said fat.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the motivation. Yeah I've gotten to around this level before and this is when it starts to get hard. Will be going on vacation for ~2 weeks but I'll be working out and probably maintain during this time, but after that I'm trying HIIT along with my deficit. Right now I'm on probably like 300-400 kcal deficit on average + I go on a fasted walk in the woods in the morning for 30-60 minutes. It worked for a while but maybe it's not enough anymore.

[QUOTE=Gaintainer;1582397271]Thanks for the motivation. Yeah I've gotten to around this level before and this is when it starts to get hard. Will be going on vacation for ~2 weeks but I'll be working out and probably maintain during this time, but after that I'm trying HIIT along with my deficit. Right now I'm on probably like 300-400 kcal deficit on average + I go on a fasted walk in the woods in the morning for 30-60 minutes. It worked for a while but maybe it's not enough anymore.[/QUOTE]

A few weekly sessions of intense HIIT or taking another ~300 kcal off daily will produce similiar results. More activity is my choice of preference, although I maximise my lifting regime first and save PSMF+HIIT as a last resort for the final stages.

[QUOTE=Noble00;1582395421]Lost some additional weight.

78 kg / 172 lbs
183 cm / 5'11

Thanks in advance.[/QUOTE]

Your back is already fairly lean, more to lose in the classic problem areas... in between 15-16%BF.

[QUOTE=Tucane;1582395411]Good size and great back! Around 10-11%BF.

Edit, forgot the before pic... @ 15%BF or so.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the estimate. I ask because the scanner said 19.6% for the "before", which would put me at 15.6% now assuming 3 lbs initial water weight loss. I might be deceiving myself but I feel like I am a good bit lower than 16%. At 16% I could still lose 10 lbs but if I'm closer to 11% I sure as hell don't want to beat myself up trying to lose 10 more lbs lol. My initial plan was to get down to 163 by the end of next week and hope the scanner was misinformed.

[QUOTE=jademonkey;1582431371]Thanks for the estimate. I ask because the scanner said 19.6% for the "before", which would put me at 15.6% now assuming 3 lbs initial water weight loss. I might be deceiving myself but I feel like I am a good bit lower than 16%. At 16% I could still lose 10 lbs but if I'm closer to 11% I sure as hell don't want to beat myself up trying to lose 10 more lbs lol. My initial plan was to get down to 163 by the end of next week and hope the scanner was misinformed.[/QUOTE]

Likely it gave a false high due to hydration levels or something like that. Pre/post exercise gives different results due to conductivity aswell. Lots of room for errors.

Bottom line, your back is close to shredded (what people have at 9%) front looks like 13% and overall vascularity suggests you're 10-12%.

Any guesses on my update? I havent really moved weight wise since hitting the gym the past month and the change is attached. Wondering if anyone could give a shot at me currently on the right and what they think the difference is between the two?

What would you say my bfat% is around? I reckon this is around 12?
this was on empty stomach, just woke up so not carbed up yet

[QUOTE=Kiffy200;1582460471]Any guesses on my update? I havent really moved weight wise since hitting the gym the past month and the change is attached. Wondering if anyone could give a shot at me currently on the right and what they think the difference is between the two?[/QUOTE]

Left pic looks about 22%BF.

Currently at ~15%BF.

[QUOTE=Nitir;1582463761]What would you say my bfat% is around? I reckon this is around 12?
this was on empty stomach, just woke up so not carbed up yet[/QUOTE]

About 12%BF on average is fair. Legs seem lower, torso might be slightly higher.

[QUOTE=Tucane;1582474411]Left pic looks about 22%BF.

Currently at ~15%BF.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the reply :) I was guessing around 16ish and managed to stay the same weight whiles training so happy with that :D

Age: 53
Height: 6 feet
Weight: 159.4 Lbs
Body Fat: 8.8% (13.9 lbs)
Water Weight: 106.9 lbs
Dry Lean Mass: 38.6 Lbs
Skeletal Muscle Mass: 82.7 Lbs

The above stats came from standing on a scale at a local supplement store.

It might be fairly accurate.

I have a medium frame and weighed between 140 lbs - 150 lbs from high school until my late 30's, and then I started working out consistently from age 36 - 53 (present).

I reached 185 lbs in my 40's with a 34" - 35" waist, and at my strongest I could only benchpress 265 lbs.

At 51 years old I dropped my body weight to 175 lbs and could only bench around 255 lbs.

Then in the past little over 2 months I stopped eating refined carbs (flour, sugar etc.) and in the end my weight dropped to 159 - 160 lbs.

And now my benchpress max is 1 rep with only 225 - 235 lbs.

It seems that by trying to lose fat I sacrificed some muscle (unless losing merely fat makes you weaker).

My waist dropped to 31" - 32" (at the fattest part near belly button) if I measure it in the morning before food and water etc.

A lot of abs are showing, but my abs and the rest of my muscle have always been small/lean/flat.

Chest is only 42", Thighs 21", Calves 14", Biceps 13.5" , wrist 6.5." hence medium frame.

When I was 185 Lbs everything was an inch or more larger except the waist was 3" larger because of more fat with muscle.

So for me losing fat seems to make me weaker especially my push exercises (not so much my pull exercises).

I know there are guys who might weigh 200+ with below 10% body fat much stronger then I (as well as guys shorter then me with 8% body fat and same weight, but stronger then me.)

The 8.8 body fat shows up as not enough fat.

But the goal at this point is to put on more muscle while maintaining the same waist size and fat percent, but not sure if that would be easy.

I eat a lot of salads, protein and complext carbs, but only twice a day.

I added the paperwork of my results to this post.

[QUOTE=Tucane;1582474731]About 12%BF on average is fair. Legs seem lower, torso might be slightly higher.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the reply man! I have another pic, i'm really unsure, but I assume this is 11%? this was like some weeks ago before I started binging and now
back on track, and will it be a huge difference from 11 to 10?

If the first pic is a bit unclear, because of the pose I added another one, but I was slightly fatter after binging,
I'm just wondering if I really have the mass to go down to 9-10% bfat.

[QUOTE=edjcrivello;1582480151]Age: 53
Height: 6 feet
Weight: 159.4 Lbs
Body Fat: 8.8% (13.9 lbs)
Water Weight: 106.9 lbs
Dry Lean Mass: 38.6 Lbs
Skeletal Muscle Mass: 82.7 Lbs

The above stats came from standing on a scale at a local supplement store.

It might be fairly accurate.

I have a medium frame and weighed between 140 lbs - 150 lbs from high school until my late 30's, and then I started working out consistently from age 36 - 53 (present).

I reached 185 lbs in my 40's with a 34" - 35" waist, and at my strongest I could only benchpress 265 lbs.

At 51 years old I dropped my body weight to 175 lbs and could only bench around 255 lbs.

Then in the past little over 2 months I stopped eating refined carbs (flour, sugar etc.) and in the end my weight dropped to 159 - 160 lbs.

And now my benchpress max is 1 rep with only 225 - 235 lbs.

It seems that by trying to lose fat I sacrificed some muscle (unless losing merely fat makes you weaker).

My waist dropped to 31" - 32" (at the fattest part near belly button) if I measure it in the morning before food and water etc.

A lot of abs are showing, but my abs and the rest of my muscle have always been small/lean/flat.

Chest is only 42", Thighs 21", Calves 14", Biceps 13.5" , wrist 6.5." hence medium frame.

When I was 185 Lbs everything was an inch or more larger except the waist was 3" larger because of more fat with muscle.

So for me losing fat seems to make me weaker especially my push exercises (not so much my pull exercises).

I know there are guys who might weigh 200+ with below 10% body fat much stronger then I (as well as guys shorter then me with 8% body fat and same weight, but stronger then me.)

The 8.8 body fat shows up as not enough fat.

But the goal at this point is to put on more muscle while maintaining the same waist size and fat percent, but not sure if that would be easy.

I eat a lot of salads, protein and complext carbs, but only twice a day.

I added the paperwork of my results to this post.[/QUOTE]

It might or might not be accurate for you at the time of testing (we can't know). Errors stem from difference in conductivity within your body, so variations in hydration levels will give different results no matter what the test calculates your watermass as. +/– 5% isn't uncommon.

That's why we go by comparison pics in this thread. A full 6-pack abs is ~10%BF. At ~8%BF means vascular abs, full definition and lots of muscle striations.

Anyways, if you're happy with your cut and want to add mass, do that with a surplus dialed in just slightly above maintenance. No real reason for pinpointing your BF% number with accuracy.

[QUOTE=Nitir;1582482841]Thanks for the reply man! I have another pic, i'm really unsure, but I assume this is 11%? this was like some weeks ago before I started binging and now
back on track, and will it be a huge difference from 11 to 10?

If the first pic is a bit unclear, because of the pose I added another one, but I was slightly fatter after binging,
I'm just wondering if I really have the mass to go down to 9-10% bfat.[/QUOTE]

The lower pic is ~11%BF, definition is more apparent there. You likely have mass to look good at 10%BF aswell. Each drop in BF% will be clearly evident. Going lower than 10% might affect looks negatively, it depends on too many factors to be able to say for sure... You'll likely note the point of diminishing returns yourself as it happens, so it's easy to adjust.

Would really appreciate a BF% estimate

Height: 182 cm (5.9 feet)
Weight: 73,5 kg (162 pounds)

And I would really appreciate some advice from Tucane on the following.

As a former fatty (216 pounds at 25-30%BF) I feel I've been spinning my wheels the last 2-3 years after initally have lost about 40 pounds, despite continued being very consistent going to the gym 4-6 times a week and tracking macros everyday. With the wisdom of hindsigt I think the problem has been that I've finished my cuts before getting lean enough, such that I would end up getting too fat too fast when bulking (probably too high a surplus), and then I would start cutting again without have packed on much muscle and and as such it goes on.. I could've gain a lot of muscle the last 2-3 years instead of spending so much time in a caloric deficit. So, this time I don't want to make these mistakes again and I wanna take my physique to the next level. My last bulk I ended up gaining too much fat again and I've been cutting the last 5 months from around 182 pounds @18-19% BF. My plan is to get down to 12-13% and do a slow, lean bulk (250-300 cals over maintenance) for 8-10 months, with focus on getting stronger and progressive overload which should lead to muscle growth. What would you do in my situation? Cut an additional few pounds or slowly jump in to a slight caloric surplus? And I feel my arms won't look more lean whatever I do, could be due to lacking muscle I guess?

Thanks in advance

[QUOTE=PabloGala;1582489521]Would really appreciate a BF% estimate

Height: 182 cm (5.9 feet)
Weight: 73,5 kg (162 pounds)

And I would really appreciate some advice from Tucane on the following.

As a former fatty (216 pounds at 25-30%BF) I feel I've been spinning my wheels the last 2-3 years after initally have lost about 40 pounds, despite continued being very consistent going to the gym 4-6 times a week and tracking macros everyday. With the wisdom of hindsigt I think the problem has been that I've finished my cuts before getting lean enough, such that I would end up getting too fat too fast when bulking (probably too high a surplus), and then I would start cutting again without have packed on much muscle and and as such it goes on.. I could've gain a lot of muscle the last 2-3 years instead of spending so much time in a caloric deficit. So, this time I don't want to make these mistakes again and I wanna take my physique to the next level. My last bulk I ended up gaining too much fat again and I've been cutting the last 5 months from around 182 pounds @18-19% BF. My plan is to get down to 12-13% and do a slow, lean bulk (250-300 cals over maintenance) for 8-10 months, with focus on getting stronger and progressive overload which should lead to muscle growth. What would you do in my situation? Cut an additional few pounds or slowly jump in to a slight caloric surplus? And I feel my arms won't look more lean whatever I do, could be due to lacking muscle I guess?

Thanks in advance[/QUOTE]

Around 16%BF or so.

It's easy to look back and think that one should have done things differently... but you did lose fat, your muscle has adapted to a degree and that has put you in a better position to build mass. Now I would say that you can build muscle at as close to maintenance as possible. (There is actually no evidence yet that a bigger surplus, or even any surplus produces better results)

I'd also advice to keep daily protein higher than recommended and divided into 40g servings ~4h apart for MPS and to have most of your daily carbs preworkout, to have as much output power/energy as possible. Maximum effort in the gym, meaning, really push yourself to the limit.

If you have follow-up questions, feel free to PM me, just to keep this thread cleaner:-)

[QUOTE=Tucane;1582494141]Around 16%BF or so.

It's easy to look back and think that one should have done things differently... but you did lose fat, your muscle has adapted to a degree and that has put you in a better position to build mass. Now I would say that you can build muscle at as close to maintenance as possible. (There is actually no evidence yet that a bigger surplus, or even any surplus produces better results)

I'd also advice to keep daily protein higher than recommended and divided into 40g servings ~4h apart for MPS and to have most of your daily carbs preworkout, to have as much output power/energy as possible. Maximum effort in the gym, meaning, really push yourself to the limit.

If you have follow-up questions, feel free to PM me, just to keep this thread cleaner:-)[/QUOTE]

Thank you very much, I have sent you a PM! :)

Could I get an estimation? I want to do a lean bulk and put on some mass but I'm not sure if my bf is low enough.

6'0,160 lbs


[url]https://imgur.com/a/WqzvVjO[/url]

[QUOTE=ItsDolph4;1582501071]Could I get an estimation? I want to do a lean bulk and put on some mass but I'm not sure if my bf is low enough.

6'0,160 lbs


[url]https://imgur.com/a/WqzvVjO[/url][/QUOTE]

In @ ~13%BF.

You bf% shouldn't be the deciding factor for your path of choice. Go by preference and looking in the mirror... do I want/need to cut further? There's your answer.

If you still ask me, I'd say build muscle:-)

Asking for bodyfat % estimates.

Height: 6'2"
Weight: 235lbs
Age: 38


Thanks!

[QUOTE=Tucane;1582501961]In @ ~13%BF.

You bf% shouldn't be the deciding factor for your path of choice. Go by preference and looking in the mirror... do I want/need to cut further? There's your answer.

If you still ask me, I'd say build muscle:-)[/QUOTE]

That's good to hear, time to eat. Thanks for the quick response.

wondering what my body fat% is, been cutting somewhat past few months
should i start bulking or cut more?

height - 173 cm
weight - 132 lb
age - 25

[QUOTE=RomanFalcon;1582506041]Asking for bodyfat % estimates.

Height: 6'2"
Weight: 235lbs
Age: 38


Thanks![/QUOTE]

Around 30%BF.

[QUOTE=relevantk;1582529701]wondering what my body fat% is, been cutting somewhat past few months
should i start bulking or cut more?

height - 173 cm
weight - 132 lb
age - 25[/QUOTE]

About 17%BF.

I'd start at maintenance calories. Maximum effort to progress in lifting. If you stall in lifts, add calories.

Height: 5'9"
Weight:152 lbs
Age: 21
Would like a body fat percent estimate. Also, advice would be appreciated! I'm sort of confused where I'm at right now.

[QUOTE=dotr1697;1582555161]Height: 5'9"
Weight:152 lbs
Age: 21
Would like a body fat percent estimate. Also, advice would be appreciated! I'm sort of confused where I'm at right now.[/QUOTE]

@ 21%BF

You're not fat by any means, just untrained, that gives a higher %. I'd lift at maintenance calories for some time to build the initial strength needed. Fierce 5 for beginners is good if you aren't on a proven lifting program yet.

If you feel the need to lose some weight, you could do the above at a 300 kcal deficit instead. Don't do a big deficit as it will be harder to progress in lifts, which is key.