Always amazed at spill over during each new cut

[highiso]

I've been slowly cutting over the past two months. Just last Friday I weighed in at 196 lbs. completely fasted and somewhat dehydrated and I was looking fairly lean somewhere in the vicinity of 10-12% with a goal of 6-8% for the summer. My one day cheats usually turn into 2 during the weekends and my Monday weight is always about 3 lbs. more than Friday's, BUT when I've got my cut going good by the following Friday I've managed to lose another lb.

This weekend I had a major fail which happens on occasion. I drank many beers and ate lots of cake and processed garbage. I was surprised to see my weight when I jumped on the scale last night before bed. A whopping 11 lbs. difference, from 196 to 207. Today, after my workout I'm back down to 200.0.

I guess what surprises me even after 3 years of doing this is that a couple days of garbage can have a major effect on your physical appearance. I've gotten quite good a cutting my carbs during the week while on a cut and then bringing my carbs back up on Friday and Saturday to fill out for the weekend, but damn I really goofed this weekend, one big ball of moooosh I tell you. Not sure where my calories ended up for both days but I can confidently say I was probably WAY over maintenance.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that just a couple of days can really set you back a good week or more when trying to meet your goals. Not sure how you guys that compete or stay lean year round deal so well with keeping your cheats in check. It seems to be all or nothing with me, I've got no stop button when it comes to my junk food, BUT I've gotten quite good at hoping back on the wagon on Monday!

[Jtbny]

Gary I'm a lot like you with this stuff (except you actually look like you lift ).

When I'm tracking my calories, like I currently am, I'm very good about staying on plan. I can work in any "treats" to my daily calories and I'm good to go. I've been successful doing this. If I don't track, and I open the flood gate on of eating high calories foods with no regard, I binge like the former 300lb guy that I was.

I do this Gary because I have an unhealthy relationship with food

[trickyB]

I've been slowly cutting over the past two months. Just last Friday I weighed in at 196 lbs. completely fasted and somewhat dehydrated and I was looking fairly lean somewhere in the vicinity of 10-12% with a goal of 6-8% for the summer. My one day cheats usually turn into 2 during the weekends and my Monday weight is always about 3 lbs. more than Friday's, BUT when I've got my cut going good by the following Friday I've managed to lose another lb.

This weekend I had a major fail which happens on occasion. I drank many beers and ate lots of cake and processed garbage. I was surprised to see my weight when I jumped on the scale last night before bed. A whopping 11 lbs. difference, from 196 to 207. Today, after my workout I'm back down to 200.0.

I guess what surprises me even after 3 years of doing this is that a couple days of garbage can have a major effect on your physical appearance. I've gotten quite good a cutting my carbs during the week while on a cut and then bringing my carbs back up on Friday and Saturday to fill out for the weekend, but damn I really goofed this weekend, one big ball of moooosh I tell you. Not sure where my calories ended up for both days but I can confidently say I was probably WAY over maintenance.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that just a couple of days can really set you back a good week or more when trying to meet your goals. Not sure how you guys that compete or stay lean year round deal so well with keeping your cheats in check. It seems to be all or nothing with me, I've got no stop button when it comes to my junk food, BUT I've gotten quite good at hoping back on the wagon on Monday!

Sounds familiar. It can really mess with your mind. I definitely have nothing but respect for guys that can stay lean year round and go deep into single digit BF levels.

[induced_drag]

It is cool when you get to a point where a day or two of eating makes noticeable differences in your appearance. Very few guys reach that point.

I have found though, that most of the difference is really water / glycogen. I dont think it sets you back as much as you might think. Do the math.... you would really have to overeat an incredible amount to have that large an impact. The water will take a few days to drop. I too can easily see a 10lb swing in the scale from a good 'off the wagon' day.

I have got to the point though, where I just roll with it. I am enjoying life more, and know that even when I feel 'puffy', I am still much more defined then the avg guy. At times we can be too critical of ourselves. You look great man.... I can totally appreciate the goal if it that important to you, but unless you are doing a comp...or have a deadline, just roll with it. You are right up there with the best men when it comes to composition. You also have laid down a ton of good mass underneath (something very few can do). Enjoy it!

Probably sounds weird coming from me...a guy who has been guilty of being obsessive in the past. I have however put the food scale to rest...and have almost been a year since I tracked anything.

Good luck man..... You are looking great!

[cmoore]

Nothing to add beyond props and support.

[mcours2006]

I've been down this road before too. But I've come to the realization that the short term fluctuations do not mean much; it's what you do over the course of months that matters. A day or two of cheating isn't going to have a noticeable impact on your physique. When I examine photos (same position, same camera, same light conditions) from the past I realize that this is the case. But over the course of a year or two, you notice the difference. The apparent difference short term is psychological--we see what we expect to see. If we've binged we see someone who's gotten 'fat'. And if we're been good with our diet, we see someone more cut. Our eyes are easily deceived by our mind.

FWIW I've been at this weight and bf for the past seven or eight years now. It's still not easy to maintain. Constant vigilance.

[highiso]

Gary I'm a lot like you with this stuff (except you actually look like you lift ).

When I'm tracking my calories, like I currently am, I'm very good about staying on plan. I can work in any "treats" to my daily calories and I'm good to go. I've been successful doing this. If I don't track, and I open the flood gate on of eating high calories foods with no regard, I binge like the former 300lb guy that I was.

I do this Gary because I have an unhealthy relationship with food

My brotha, I knew you'd know that feel. We were like matching bookends. You're an inspiration. And I too have a very unhealthy relationship with food.

Sounds familiar. It can really mess with your mind. I definitely have nothing but respect for guys that can stay lean year round and go deep into single digit BF levels.

Speaking of single digits, you're looking ripped my friend!

It is cool when you get to a point where a day or two of eating makes noticeable differences in your appearance. Very few guys reach that point.

I have found though, that most of the difference is really water / glycogen. I dont think it sets you back as much as you might think. Do the math.... you would really have to overeat an incredible amount to have that large an impact. The water will take a few days to drop. I too can easily see a 10lb swing in the scale from a good 'off the wagon' day.

I have got to the point though, where I just roll with it. I am enjoying life more, and know that even when I feel 'puffy', I am still much more defined then the avg guy. At times we can be too critical of ourselves. You look great man.... I can totally appreciate the goal if it that important to you, but unless you are doing a comp...or have a deadline, just roll with it. You are right up there with the best men when it comes to composition. You also have laid down a ton of good mass underneath (something very few can do). Enjoy it!

Probably sounds weird coming from me...a guy who has been guilty of being obsessive in the past. I have however put the food scale to rest...and have almost been a year since I tracked anything.

Good luck man..... You are looking great!

Thanks, and you know first hand from dieting down that a few lb. swing from manipulating carbs can give a nice full look OR you can over do it and look soft & mushy (me at the moment). I have no near future plans to compete but I do like to look good during the summer and look like I at least lift, I spend enough time in the gym that it'd be a waste to look like chit during the summer. As a former fatty I've got to be super hard on myself in the kitchen to do what others may find easy. It's great that you've been able to look good, lift a sh!t ton AND run on cruise but for me the food scale and tracking app are in use from March-August.

Nothing to add beyond props and support.

^The guy who does it best barnone, wish I had your mental fortitude. It's tough for me to string 4 perfect days of nutrition together while you seem to do it effortlessly year round, crazy dedicated and always my inspiration!

[lifter629]

Sure like that Monday morning pump tho. By Friday its back to Skelator. The funny thing is nobody but me even notices, but I see 2 different people.

[Caesura75]

There's a kind of irony in your post Iso. You're annoyed at yourself for going too liberal on the food for a couple of days and see that as a momentary failure. But if anything, your guilt shows how focused and determined you actually are.

As ID said, i'm pretty sure the effects will be negligible in the longer term. Incidentally, i've now found that i'm actually lighter at lunch times than I am first thing in the morning! Can't suss that one out for the life of me!

[highiso]

I've been down this road before too. But I've come to the realization that the short term fluctuations do not mean much; it's what you do over the course of months that matters. A day or two of cheating isn't going to have a noticeable impact on your physique. When I examine photos (same position, same camera, same light conditions) from the past I realize that this is the case. But over the course of a year or two, you notice the difference. The apparent difference short term is psychological--we see what we expect to see. If we've binged we see someone who's gotten 'fat'. And if we're been good with our diet, we see someone more cut. Our eyes are easily deceived by our mind.

FWIW I've been at this weight and bf for the past seven or eight years now. It's still not easy to maintain. Constant vigilance.

I'm all too familiar with consistency over time. It's what you must do to reach your goals. I've learned that the only time that small adjustments create big differences is when you're lean enough for those adjustments to make a huge visual difference.

Sure like that Monday morning pump tho. By Friday its back to Skelator. The funny thing is nobody but me even notices, but I see 2 different people.

Funny, my nickname during the summer is "Skeletor." Srs.

There's a kind of irony in your post Iso. You're annoyed at yourself for going too liberal on the food for a couple of days and see that as a momentary failure. But if anything, your guilt shows how focused and determined you actually are.

As ID said, i'm pretty sure the effects will be negligible in the longer term. Incidentally, i've now found that i'm actually lighter at lunch times than I am first thing in the morning! Can't suss that one out for the life of me!

Bingo. It is guilt. One of the things that keeps me on the path. I could do without it though, food is my crack.

[discdoggie]

Even on treats and cheats I have to exercise restraint. I am capable of serious damage.

[drudixon]

No way in hell all that weight is fat. It takes hormones and enzymes to make fat, and you simply can't make enough in that short of a time frame. Most likely you recharged your liver, muscles and are due for a massive dump.

Keep at it bud. You got it.

[highiso]

Even on treats and cheats I have to exercise restraint. I am capable of serious damage.

I have restraint until I get a taste of the good stuff, then it's all over.

No way in hell all that weight is fat. It takes hormones and enzymes to make fat, and you simply can't make enough in that short of a time frame. Most likely you recharged your liver, muscles and are due for a massive dump.

Keep at it bud. You got it.

Nay on the fat, yay on the massive dump.

[lifter629]

I don't have your problem with cake on the weekends but the warmer it gets the more beer chances roll in. Always some sort of little get together or the lake or golf outing. Always the same thing, I'll just drink one or two. Before I know it 2 am and I have had about 12 beers and nachos or pizza. Sunday is spent in full blown panic mode, then Monday its back to the drawing board.

I'm not competing so looking 'good enuff' is soo much more enjoyable than saying no all the time. Quality of life thing.

[ShreddySmurf]

I can relate to this.

After obsessing with and wearing myself out over every gram of food, I've simply stuck with training hard and running a stricter diet in the week and chilling out somewhat over the weekend. It has done wonders for my mental state, and quite honestly I don't see that it has made very much difference with regard to my progress.

I tend to reach the end of the week looking and feeling very skinny-fat, and finishing the weekend feeling bigger and fuller. This is probably 90% mental, but there is definitely a small element that is physiological and the difference is quite visible. However, I agree with ID that it's mostly water/glycogen because it leaves as quickly as it arrives, so I've learned to live with it and just try focus on the training itself: working on getting fitter and stronger, slowly.

[cockywop]

These craft beers are killing me. I love my stouts and porters.

[wayneray]

Its good to hear I am not the only one. My guilty pleasure is beer on the weekend. The first time I saw I gained 10lbs over a weekend I nearly had a panic attack so I learned to put the scale away, work hard all week long and its ok to enjoy the weekend.

[MultiBeast]

Amen and Amen. I've tried to limit it to one disastrous meal (with a few drams of whisky) on Saturday nights, but man... it's tough to stay vigilant on the weekend. I take two steps forward M-F and one step back once the weekend arrives. It's slow going, but there are some simple pleasures in life that I'm not willing to give up completely. It's all about the long haul, which means I can make a little time for Mexican food, ice cream, cigars, and whisky along the way.

It's nice knowing I'm in good company.

[fpena]

What's confusing about all of this is that it's unlikely you really ate 11 pounds worth of food so where does the weight gain come from?

I've seen that happen too and then when I go back to tracking everything I can easily lose just as much in a period of a few days as well.

Our bodies sure don't make it easy for us...