Struggling with cutting/bulking

[Djourney15]

TLDR; at the bottom.

Hello, I have been consistently weight lifting for about 7-8 months now. I started about a year and a half ago but I didn't really know what I was doing so I have went through a few months of not weightlifting or not doing the right exercises correctly and stuff like that but I have really honed in and did my research since around February. The main problem I have been having is with my diet. I understand TDEE and how bulking and cutting works but I have never been able to get a real answer to what I should do. I am skinny fat and I have been big my whole life but I do look better now than I did when I first started High School, mainly because of sports but I have always been bigger.

When I first started taking weight lifting seriously (February) I was bulking (around 2800 calories a day) but once the summer hit (May) and I went home from college, I had no money or a meal plan to afford food so I started cutting (around 1800-1900) while Intermittent Fasting. At the end of my bulk before the summer I was at 196 lb and from mid May to mid August I dropped down to 170. The main problem of course was that I wasn't really able to increase weight on my lifts because I was always in a deficit. Starting this past September I have went back to bulking and I am sitting at a steady weight of 173-177 pounds depending on the day.

I know that me not being consistent and switching back and forth between bulking and cutting has stunted a lot of progress but I want to make sure I get this right. During the summer when i was cutting, I definitely lost fat in all areas around my body and I had looked my best but something about not being able to increase weight on even my compound lifts didn't seem right so I went back to bulking but I don't know if that is the correct thing to do. I have searched this up and tried to do my research but I have seen so many different answers between I should clean bulk for a few years and then cut or I should cut now and get to the lowest BF% possible and then bulk that I don't really know where to go from here.

TLDR; So I guess my main question is with me being skinny fat, should I cut until I get to a much lower body fat percentage and just maintain the weights I am using now or continue to bulk for a long period of time. My goals are pretty much like anyone else's: get skinnier, add muscle, etc. However, I just want to make sure I am going about it the right way. There are pictures in the gallery.

I weight lift 3x a week.
Age - 19
Height - 5'9
Current Weight - 176

[xsquid99]

Yes, you should cut... Your bodyfat is way too high to be bulking. Eat in a deficit and get on a decent lifting program.

[Djourney15]

Yes, you should cut... Your bodyfat is way too high to be bulking. Eat in a deficit and get on a decent lifting program.

So just add weight to my deadlifts for example until I can't anymore and then just maintain? That was the main thing I was worried about back when I was cutting during the summer but I wasn't for sure on the correct answer.

[xsquid99]

So just add weight to my deadlifts for example until I can't anymore and then just maintain? That was the main thing I was worried about back when I was cutting during the summer but I wasn't for sure on the correct answer.

Go the workout program forum and read the stickies and pick a proven lifting program. Fierce 5, All Pros, Vikings, Starting Strength, SL 5x5, etc are all popular and proven programs. Pick one that you think you will like (and stick with) and follow it exactly.

When you cut you should aim for no more than 1-2 lbs a week of loss, and ensure you are getting at least 0.8g of protein per lb of bodyweight.