Don't Bulk or Cut - Transform Your Body!

[Legendsneverdie]

Cutting and bulking is totally unnecessary! Consistency is the key to having a better, stronger and healthier body. Cuts and bulks put way too much stress on your body, not to mention the terrible mood swings that come with them. I have had bad experiences with both. I started a new diet 2 weeks ago, 2000 cals, hour of cardio, hour or more of weights. I have had not only weight loss but strength gains as well. Previously I was cutting; I found weight loss occurred slower and my lifts dropped drastically. Find a happy medium and your body will love you for it

um ok, to OP and holly, saying one should never cut and bulk may be a bad idea if ur talking about advanced weightlifters. if u are talking about newb gains then sure fine eat around maintaince. but i been working out for years and if i eat around maintaince week in and out believe me i wont see any gains from it. but yeah maybe if some1 is over weight they should start out this way.

[VegasPumped]

um ok, to OP and holly, saying one should never cut and bulk may be a bad idea if ur talking about advanced weightlifters. if u are talking about newb gains then sure fine eat around maintaince. but i been working out for years and if i eat around maintaince week in and out believe me i wont see any gains from it. but yeah maybe if some1 is over weight they should start out this way.

Yup, I was gonna tell you that this article is for people looking to get in "fit" shape, but you finished off...

[Sup3rB3ast]

Great post... I do like the idea of increasing calories till you find your optimum amount.

[FBGM4L]

Pretty pumped I found this article. Hope it works.

[DefiningMoments]

yeah im bout to follow it this whole summer just eating 2000-2100 instead of 1500

[VegasPumped]

Great post... I do like the idea of increasing calories till you find your optimum amount.

This is exactly the idea. You make muscle gains while meeting your fat loss goals.
You can always drop 200 calories to speed up fat loss, but at the cost of muscle progress.
As an out of shape person, this plan may actually suit you best. Just don't drop the calories below 2000.

[JeffyDOS]

Finishing my first week of this tomorrow.
My calories ranged from 2200-2300 and I lifted hard for 5 days.
I lost 2 lbs and gained 1 back, most likely water. Still, the sign of losing water shows potential fat loss, correct?
Will post in weekly.
So far, so good. I'm loving being able to eat fast food and what not.

[Razorback666]

Once I get to my goal for July ish, I'm gonna maintain at around 2500 calories for a few months like you said, maybe gain a couple pounds of muscle, but nothing too much

[VegasPumped]

Finishing my first week of this tomorrow.
My calories ranged from 2200-2300 and I lifted hard for 5 days.
I lost 2 lbs and gained 1 back, most likely water. Still, the sign of losing water shows potential fat loss, correct?
Will post in weekly.
So far, so good. I'm loving being able to eat fast food and what not.

Dude, fast food is awesome, I get fresco crunchy tacos from taco bell, 99 cents each, like 160 calories... 12g of protein.. not bad for fast food.

Also, whopper jr. with no mayo.. under 300 calories I think.

Once I get to my goal for July ish, I'm gonna maintain at around 2500 calories for a few months like you said, maybe gain a couple pounds of muscle, but nothing too much

This way you are getting lean while gaining muscle.
But don't get me wrong, eventually you will have to up your intake to continue size progress.

[mab23]

great article! let the transformations begin!

[dustyrising]

I used the same concept in my transformation, started at 2200 and upped it every week until I"m at 3400 now, my maint for my crazy workout and schedule. I don't agree with eating junk hardly ever, even if it is only "300 calories". I lift, I lift harder, and then I about kill myself in the gym. I don't bulk, I don't cut, I eat enough to provide fuel and recovery so that I can kill myself again with high amounts of lifting and HIIT the next day. Clean up your calories and you should rip up faster, plain and simple.

[JeffyDOS]

I used the same concept in my transformation, started at 2200 and upped it every week until I"m at 3400 now, my maint for my crazy workout and schedule. I don't agree with eating junk hardly ever, even if it is only "300 calories". I lift, I lift harder, and then I about kill myself in the gym. I don't bulk, I don't cut, I eat enough to provide fuel and recovery so that I can kill myself again with high amounts of lifting and HIIT the next day. Clean up your calories and you should rip up faster, plain and simple.

I'm going to do this for at least one month before changing up anything (as far as eating clean goes) because I know I can easily stick to this if I have the freedom of eating whatever I prefer.

If the results are not at least somewhat different than my original body, then I will eat clean foods. However, if I see progress, I will not change what I am doing, except maybe up the calories.

If SimplyJad could get cut while eating fast food, I think I should give it a try. I know everyone's body is different, which is why I'm going to experiment by eating fast food and what not, and see if my body composition improves. If not, then I'll go onto the next thing.

[dustyrising]

I'm going to do this for at least one month before changing up anything (as far as eating clean goes) because I know I can easily stick to this if I have the freedom of eating whatever I prefer.

If the results are not at least somewhat different than my original body, then I will eat clean foods. However, if I see progress, I will not change what I am doing, except maybe up the calories.

If SimplyJad could get cut while eating fast food, I think I should give it a try. I know everyone's body is different, which is why I'm going to experiment by eating fast food and what not, and see if my body composition improves. If not, then I'll go onto the next thing.

You'll get some results just as he did. You get what you put into it.

[Buck2814]

Do you guys eat 2200 calories whether you lift or not? I Have been on a meal plan that suggests eating 25% more calories on lifting days. Just wondering what you guys think about that.

[stratoo]

Good article. I'm doing something similar and it's working. I just don't know how much I could put on if I ate more.

Is it normal to feel hungry? I usually stick to the numbers. Should I listen to my body and eat more?

[Sprinter4]

amazing

[VegasPumped]

I'm going to do this for at least one month before changing up anything (as far as eating clean goes) because I know I can easily stick to this if I have the freedom of eating whatever I prefer.

If the results are not at least somewhat different than my original body, then I will eat clean foods. However, if I see progress, I will not change what I am doing, except maybe up the calories.

If SimplyJad could get cut while eating fast food, I think I should give it a try. I know everyone's body is different, which is why I'm going to experiment by eating fast food and what not, and see if my body composition improves. If not, then I'll go onto the next thing.

What is so bad about fast food?

A whopper is:

bread
full fat mayo (I say no mayo to lessen the calories, you don't have to)
lettuce
tomatoes
ketchup
onions
ground beef (which is a fatty cut of beef, but so what..)

It's not like fast food makes you gain weight faster thana bowl of pasta...

I eat taco bell all the time, I do count the calories very, very accurately.

Do you guys eat 2200 calories whether you lift or not? I Have been on a meal plan that suggests eating 25% more calories on lifting days. Just wondering what you guys think about that.

Ummm, yeah bro, you know food takes time to go through the stomache and digest, it's not like you eat pasta preworkout and you should expect to have lots of energy from it...

Eat the same on off days as you would on lifting days.

Good article. I'm doing something similar and it's working. I just don't know how much I could put on if I ate more.

Is it normal to feel hungry? I usually stick to the numbers. Should I listen to my body and eat more?

You should stick to the numbers and how the scale shifts...

If you're hungry, do this:

Go to the store, find Sara Lee's bread, 45 calories & delightful.

45 calorie slices of bread. Filling and ~half the calorie of normal whole wheat bread. Filling.

Popcorn: filling, 94% fat free = 220 calories/bag... very, very filling.

[WakeNBake]

hey man how should I space my meals out, I'm 243 and 24%, but I play multiple sports. I guess I'm trying to say, I want to lean out but I can't lose strength for my sports. Where can I find my maintainence and what should i do for macros on this transformation?

amazing thread btw

[dustyrising]

what's so bad about a whopper? You are serious right? A calorie is not a calorie. If you knock out this junk which hits the blood stream and doesn't slowly work through the body, you would get better results thats' all. Fast food is chemical induced, insulin spiking, crap. I'm not saying you can't eat it, but you won't get results like I did as fast as I did, eating fast food, if ever.

[Ivankannan]

Popcorn: filling, 94% fat free = 220 calories/bag... very, very filling.

You aren't joking, are you? As Dusty said, all calories are not created equally.

[JeffyDOS]

what's so bad about a whopper? You are serious right? A calorie is not a calorie. If you knock out this junk which hits the blood stream and doesn't slowly work through the body, you would get better results thats' all. Fast food is chemical induced, insulin spiking, crap. I'm not saying you can't eat it, but you won't get results like I did as fast as I did, eating fast food, if ever.

I understand.
However, if I do start eating clean(which I doubt I will if I see some decent results), I can only eat clean literally for 3 months. After 3 months, I begin my first year of college, where I have a meal plan of $20 a day, that DOESN'T rollover, and I can't take back any money I didn't spend. I HAVE to spend it at the food places that are provided for me, which is pretty much all fast food.

[VegasPumped]

hey man how should I space my meals out, I'm 243 and 24%, but I play multiple sports. I guess I'm trying to say, I want to lean out but I can't lose strength for my sports. Where can I find my maintainence and what should i do for macros on this transformation?

amazing thread btw

Steps:

Learn how to count calories accurately
Balance macros in a sensible manner, meaning don't avoid fats or carbs..
You're a big boy who exercises, and you said you don't wanna lose strength, that's fine.
Start at a high intake, about 3800...
If you're gaining weight, then lower it accordingly, if you're losing weight too fast (you might, I mean you're freakin' huge and you play sports).. then up the intake. It will take a little over a week to find the sweet spot and you can shed fat while keeping your strength going strong.

what's so bad about a whopper? You are serious right? A calorie is not a calorie. If you knock out this junk which hits the blood stream and doesn't slowly work through the body, you would get better results thats' all. Fast food is chemical induced, insulin spiking, crap. I'm not saying you can't eat it, but you won't get results like I did as fast as I did, eating fast food, if ever.

Ummm, whatever bro, I got results, (from out of shape to in shape eating "crap")...
Health aspect aside, a banana spikes your insulin, what's you point? Eat under maintenance and you'll lose fat.

I used to eat almonds, cottage cheese and lean meats all day, then I I was like, "wtf, I wanna enjoy eating whatever I want"... and being a former fatty, this mentality that I can eat whatever I want and eat it if I'm tempted worked well and still is working well for me.

If I want taco bell, I fill up on taco bell, give me 6 fresco tacos, under 1000 calories total.
I'm a happy man.

You aren't joking, are you? As Dusty said, all calories are not created equally.

Puh leeze, let's stick to the basics, energy in vs energy out.
Don't go up to a noob at the gym and tell him "bro, eat apples/quinoa for breakfast and fat free cottage cheese b4 bed"...

This is for out of shape people, who are either skinnyfat, flabby, fat and/or untrained in general...

Don't tell a fatty that avocados, olive oil and peanut butter are good for them...
Like I said, health aspect aside..

Popcorn isn't unhealthy and I would never tell some fatty who is hungry 24/7 and has trouble controlling their eating habbits to take in olive oil or peanut butter that have ~100 calories per table spoon... over a big bag of popcorn which is ~200 calories and is wayyyyyy more filling and they'll get stuffed eating it..

Trust me bro, the real world is filled with normal people, who read the back of cereal boxes for nutrition tips, get real.

I understand.
However, if I do start eating clean(which I doubt I will if I see some decent results), I can only eat clean literally for 3 months. After 3 months, I begin my first year of college, where I have a meal plan of $20 a day, that DOESN'T rollover, and I can't take back any money I didn't spend. I HAVE to spend it at the food places that are provided for me, which is pretty much all fast food.

Well, listen up brah.

Buy whey protein, get your protein in and as for the $20...

Eat whatever you want, once you're into this calorie counting, about 3 months.. it becomes very easy to estimate how many calories a dish has..

Is it fatty? Buttery? Oily? Sugary? Flour based?

You'll learn how to count calories.

[WakeNBake]

Steps:

Learn how to count calories accurately
Balance macros in a sensible manner, meaning don't avoid fats or carbs..
You're a big boy who exercises, and you said you don't wanna lose strength, that's fine.
Start at a high intake, about 3800...
If you're gaining weight, then lower it accordingly, if you're losing weight too fast (you might, I mean you're freakin' huge and you play sports).. then up the intake. It will take a little over a week to find the sweet spot and you can shed fat while keeping your strength going strong.

thanks man, I just looked up my maintainence and it said 3852, so I'm gonna start at 3800 and how often do i lower my calorie intake?

[VegasPumped]

thanks man, I just looked up my maintainence and it said 3852, so I'm gonna start at 3800 and how often do i lower my calorie intake?

Ummm, damn, so my guess was solid!
Hahah, not bragging

If I were you..
And you want to get lean, and you have muscle on you, right?

I'd drop it to 3500 and continue to work my butt off on the field/in the gym.

If you aren't seeing results fast enough, 3300-3400.

The whole concept of eating at maintenance is.. for people who don't have muscle on them, but they want the beach body, if you're an athlete who has slabs of muscles under the fat, a cut aka eating under maintenance may be your best option..

You wanna get lean, but keep your strength?
Eat around 3700, see how fast you lose fat, if you want faster results, drop the intake.

Just know, you will ONLY look better from now on!

[WakeNBake]

Ummm, damn, so my guess was solid!
Hahah, not bragging

If I were you..
And you want to get lean, and you have muscle on you, right?

I'd drop it to 3500 and continue to work my butt off on the field/in the gym.

If you aren't seeing results fast enough, 3300-3400.

The whole concept of eating at maintenance is.. for people who don't have muscle on them, but they want the beach body, if you're an athlete who has slabs of muscles under the fat, a cut aka eating under maintenance may be your best option..

You wanna get lean, but keep your strength?
Eat around 3700, see how fast you lose fat, if you want faster results, drop the intake.

Just know, you will ONLY look better from now on!

I think I will start at 3600 untill results halter, then 3500, 3400,3300, etc.

thank you for the help

[VegasPumped]

I think I will start at 3600 untill results halter, then 3500, 3400,3300, etc.

thank you for the help

bro, I just saw your pic..

You're a kid, 16 and you're huge.. so yeah, you maintenance is that high.

I'm jealous that you found this site and you started lifting at 16..

You're gonna get ripped and still be able to play lineman bro.. good fuggin' luck, you can do it for sure...

Keep the lift progress going..

squat, bench, row, press

[WakeNBake]

bro, I just saw your pic..

You're a kid, 16 and you're huge.. so yeah, you maintenance is that high.

I'm jealous that you found this site and you started lifting at 16..

You're gonna get ripped and still be able to play lineman bro.. good fuggin' luck, you can do it for sure...

Keep the lift progress going..

squat, bench, row, press

thanks man! I got both of the huges going on nowhaimsayin :\

but I've just lifted hard never taken diet and supplementation too seriously

do you think I'm out of noob gains
bench 215x6
squat 335x3
deadlift 385x5
clean like 260 press 205?

[dustyrising]

once again, you get out of it what you put in. If you want to "get down to the basics" then you'll get a basic good transformation. Images show results and results don't lie. Sure, you have done a great job buddy but with that in mind, I don't see your physique turning heads at the beach any time soon

[JeffyDOS]

once again, you get out of it what you put in. If you want to "get down to the basics" then you'll get a basic good transformation. Images show results and results don't lie. Sure, you have done a great job buddy but with that in mind, I don't see your physique turning heads at the beach any time soon

No disrespect. I think you have done an awesome job to earn that awesome physique you have, and I respect the way you achieved it.

I still think the OP has a pretty good transformation though. Take a look at his progress pictures.

Nov 9, 2009, that picture is inspiring.
Maybe it isn't that great to you, but if I could ever change my body composition to that, while eating normal, I'd be a very happy man, turning heads at the beach or not, I'd still be satisfied.

Once again though Dusty, I know that I most likely will not end up with an impressive physique like yours, but I'm okay with that.

[dustyrising]

[QUOTE=JeffyDOS;501418001]No disrespect. I think you have done an awesome job to earn that awesome physique you have, and I respect the way you achieved it.

I still think the OP has a pretty good transformation though. Take a look at his progress pictures.

Nov 9, 2009, that picture is inspiring.
Maybe it isn't that great to you, but if I could ever change my body composition to that, while eating normal, I'd be a very happy man, turning heads at the beach or not, I'd still be satisfied.


And I complimented him because he does have a great transformation, but like I said, you don't look at him and say, oh ****, he has to have his diet on key to look like that....and it's true. In college I looked like him too, lifted hard and ate **** food on calorie. If you want a decent physique, by all means, lift and just monitor calories a bit. If you want to look better, dont listen to his advice and strive for better because it really is achievable by anyone who has discipline.