to begin, I want to thank all of you guys for continued support through my training and dieting since I was obese last year.
god knows, i would’ve still been supplement pimping

i finally finished up a cutting cycle, and lost no strength at all up to this weight.

Height: 5 feet 8.5 inches
Weight: around 156 lbs

got here eventually from 205 lbs.

pics were taken in the morning, relaxed

Front:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v381/flyyydreamgrl/frontone.jpg

Side:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v381/flyyydreamgrl/IMG_0469.jpg

Back:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v381/flyyydreamgrl/IMG_0473.jpg

i’m debating on whether i should cut/bulk?
I want to get bigger, but
intuition says i need to lose a few more pounds (like around 4-5) to hit the 10-12% range so that I can start bulking.

i’m open to suggestions, guys

Getting “Page not found” on all links

Anatoly - 17 July 2010 05:09 PM

Getting “Page not found” on all links

fixed.

I’d say you have around 15%, maybe even more

Anatoly - 17 July 2010 05:22 PM

I’d say you have around 15%, maybe even more

alright, guess it’s back to dieting time.

Have you tried to use some formulas for body composition measuring?

Anatoly - 18 July 2010 06:13 PM

Have you tried to use some formulas for body composition measuring?

yessir

I think the Navy seal one gives me 14.5%
the YMCA one gives me 11%
the one on lyle’s site (the first link) gives me something ridiculous like 9%

as for other measurements, i’ve gotten mid-low teens from other people
and around 13% from my BIA scale (but it also gives me 20% or 11% depending on the time)

Hi Mumford,

Forget the body fat percentage, I think it is just fantastic that you lost 50 lbs and can still maintain it. You should be really proud and I am really glad that we all could help. You will be a good testimony for exercise Biology!

So once again congratulations!!

I think you are around 12-13%. And it makes it difficult when you lose 50 lbs. You tend to get a saggy skin which makes you look like you have more fat.

anoopbal - 18 July 2010 11:51 PM

Hi Mumford,

Forget the body fat percentage, I think it is just fantastic that you lost 50 lbs and can still maintain it. You should be really proud and I am really glad that we all could help. You will be a good testimony for exercise Biology!

So once again congratulations!!

I think you are around 12-13%. And it makes it difficult when you lose 50 lbs. You tend to get a saggy skin which makes you look like you have more fat.

don’t I know it. loose skin sucks :(

as for guidelines, if I estimate around 13% bf, i’ve got another 4-5 lbs to lose before i hit 10-11, and then i can bulk.
I have three weeks to do this before I have to travel and work at a camp where dieting is impossible

I have considered
1) a 11 day stint of PSMF (and a three day refeed at the end)
2) eating at 9-10 cals/lb for the next three weeks (with weekly refeeds)

which one should I go for?

I think anyone of them would suffice. Just pick the one which you think will be easier.

anoopbal - 20 July 2010 05:16 AM

I think anyone of them would suffice. Just pick the one which you think will be easier.

preciate it. i’ll post progress up in three weeks time.

okay guys, done with my cut PSMF
thankfully, strength losses were at 0%
I finally went to some health clubs to get myself calipered

Here are those and some other bf% measurements:
Calipers: 10.4 %
Handheld BIA: 7% (lol)
Standing BIA: 13.4%
YMCA formula tape measure: 11%

I’ve attached some pics, same lighting and poses and time of day:

Front: http://i895.photobucket.com/albums/ac155/drewybear/IMG_0601.jpg

Side: http://i895.photobucket.com/albums/ac155/drewybear/IMG_0602-1.jpg

Back: http://i895.photobucket.com/albums/ac155/drewybear/IMG_0605.jpg

So again, my goal is to get bigger, but I want to set myself up as best I can for a long slow bulk cycle so I don’t have to cut until i’m 15%. Suggestions? Can I bulk now or should I cut some more?

BULK !!!

The necessary condition for a great physique is sufficient muscle*.

Without sufficient muscle, you’ll look skinny-fat at 10¿ or above, and you’ll look emaciated at 7¿ or below.

Look to put on 10kgs of muscle (which may mean up to 20kgs of total weight gain) using a slow bulk (no more than 1lb/week)...this could take up to a year, given time off, lapses etc.

Then, and only then, start cutting again to reveal the muscle you’ve gained.

Cheers
Mav

* And the necessary condition for sufficient muscle is sufficient strength.

First Mumford congrats on your wt loss and second I can finally see your pics. I agree with mavros that you need to bul some, but my experience with people who have lost a significant amount of wt. is that they do not want to get blubbery again. So, IMHO your best bet is to carb cycle. Not only do I feel it is more anabolic but it will help you stay a little leaner while adding new muscle. I am also convinced that CHO cycling can be dome without the typical plateaus from conventional over eating. I like 3 high CHO days then 1 low CHO myself. I would train 4 days a week hitting every body part 2X WK.

Good luck,
Hawk

mavros - 16 August 2010 12:30 AM

BULK !!!

The necessary condition for a great physique is sufficient muscle*

* And the necessary condition for sufficient muscle is sufficient strength.

expound on this?
my plan for bulking as of now is lyle’s generic bulking routine, a 2 week ramp up and then pushing my PR’s up, slowly adding weight on the bar over time
I plan on putting weight on slowly, but my question is, how do I measure something as small as 1 lb/week? Water balance certainly throws this off.
And also, 20kgs is quite a bit (44 pounds, right?), at that point wouldn’t I have crossed the point where muscle/fat ratio gain is not optimal?

Jim, I certainly agree with you- I’m probably going to have a harder time putting on weight without too much fat because I had to diet down so much. I guess, it’s my fault for getting fat in the first place .

For the first 4 weeks, just calculate maintenance calories, then add 20% on top of that.  Note how much weight you gain over the four weeks, divide by four, and this will give you an average weekly gain (thus accounting for water balance fluctuations).

Yes, 20 kgs is a lot, but you are quite lightly muscled at this stage, and you need to put on a good amount of total body weight to support significant gains in muscle mass. 

I wouldn’t worry too much about optimal body composition (i.e. muscle/fat ratios and the like) at this stage in your development.  You need to order your priorities in terms of ticking off the most urgent things first.  Judging from your pics, your most urgent order of business is muscle mass (and therefore, your first goal is to gain significant levels of strength, which in turn requires a prolonged period of calorie surplus).

Once you’ve achieved this base of strength and mass, you can cut down and reveal and very good physique, and at that point, you can decide if you (a) want to stay cut at that body mass; (b) try to increase LBM without bulking; or (c) go on another bulk.

It’s imperative, however, that you don’t make the mistake that is made by many former overweight people, which is to nurse a powerful fear of re-gaining the fat, and to therefore avoid calories surpluses like the plague.  This will merely ensure that you never gain any appreciable muscle mass.

Cheers
Mav