So I'm currently

154lbs

5Ft 7in

Body % around 15

 

My macros

Cal-1900

Pro- 225

Fat- 70

Carb-100

 

I started to cut when I was 160lbs As my body fat was high for my height. About 6 weeks and I dropped close to 7lbs and started to see muscle deffinition, what little muscle I have. So my question is, should I be cutting for the summer season to get that 6 pack, of should I switch to a bulk eating plan to put on more muscle. If I switch to a bulk will I lose my abs? I store most of my fat in my lower back and sides.

 

Any comments are appreciated :)

Peter,

 

I will give you my honest opinion. I am not a fan nor a beliver in bulking and cutting when you are natural. When you use anabolics, the equation changes dramatically and you can gain and lose fat and muscle much easier. Natural athletes, except for the rare genetically gifted individual, do not have this advantage.

 

Adding weight and losing weight in wide swaths is not healthy for the body and messes with your metabolism and hormones. This is why drugs can overcome these issues as they "override" the body's natural levels and reaction to fluctuations in weight. It is best to do lean gains which Scott and I are both very big proponents. The idea is to eat 250-500 calories above maintenance each day to add muscle then eat 250-500 calories below maintenance to lose body fat. This process is much slower and takes patience and dedication but it will allow you to build the most muscle while losing the most body fat naturally. The good news is all the gains and leaness are permanent and yours forever as long as you eat right and continue to train.

 

So, my suggestion is to eat a 250-500 calorie deficit each day if you want to lean up and get your abs showing for the summer. You won't lose muscle mass and you still need to train hard and rest. Adding and deleting calories in this manner will not lead to large amounts of body fat gain when in a calorie surplus or large amounts of muscle loss when in a calorie deficit :-)

 

John

Thank you,

 

As I said I have all my macros on point as far as I can tell. Right now I've been sticking with a calorie deficit of 400 in order to lose my last bit of belly fat. I was just trying to decide if I should switch to a calorie surplus in order to gain more muscle. I don't have very much muscle mass at 154lbs. When I mentioned cutting I only meant in my marcos, cutting back on carbs and adding protein and fat.

 

One other question I have on carbs. If I eat more than 150 carbs daily for an extended period of time, I put on a lot of fat in my torso. So I've been sticking with 100 carbs daily and making up in protein and fats. Will this effect muscle growth to much? I ask cause I see a lot of people eating upwards of 250 carbs.

 

 

Peter,

 

You are doing the right things then. When most people ask about cutting and bulking, they mean in the traditional sense :-)

 

As for you, everyone is different in their insulin response, insulin sensitivity, and processing of carbs. Some are more efficient than others. Sounds like your body is very insulin sensitive and processes carbs more towards stored glycogen than used as glucose. You are doing the right things to minimize body fat gain by keeping your carbs low. Muscle growth is fueled by enough and/or extra calories. As long as you fill in the carb deficit with fats, you will be fine to maintain or grow some muscle.

 

John

Hi guys i have the same problem with carbs but the only difference that i dont raise my fats at all cause i feel that it interfere with fat loss so i only try to eat more vegetable to fill me iam 190 lbs

 

13.5% bf 182 cm in height and 22years oldso my quesion is that wrong if i stayed at low caloeries about 1500 cal 200gm protein 35gm fat 100 gm carb? Or should i carb cycle to over come my proble with insulin

 

 

 

 

 

Hi guys i have the same problem with carbs but the only difference that i dont raise my fats at all cause i feel that it interfere with fat loss so i only try to eat more vegetable to fill me iam 190 lbs

 

13.5% bf 182 cm in height and 22years oldso my quesion is that wrong if i stayed at low caloeries about 1500 cal 200gm protein 35gm fat 100 gm carb? Or should i carb cycle to over come my proble with insulin

 

 

 

 

 

Ahmed,

 

This is a common misconception. Fat does not make you fat. Excess calories and high insulin levels make you fat. As long as you eat wholesome fats like olive oil, coconut oil, seeds and nuts, whole eggs, fatty fish, and avocados, you will actually lose body fat. Not only do fats make up all your hormones like testosterone they also tell the body it is OK to burn off body fat as it is receiving enough for its needs in your diet.

 

Carbs are the body fat wild card. Carbs need to be timed properly as they are the only macro to affect insuling levels. Your largest meal of carbs should be consumed post workout. You should not exceed 1g of carbs per pound of body weight unless you are trying to add some muscle. Carb cycling also works but its effectiveness tends to vary by individual.

 

John

your calories seem very low. Go to the meal plan section and find your bmr (should be around 2000 at rest and 3000 in motion. Find the average of the 2 and eat 250-500 calories less than that. If your sticking with low carb you'll need to bump up the fats. Good fats like coconut oil olive oil and almonds. Around 70g a day. I'm doing this now with less calories as I'm ssmaller, but it's working well.

Thanx so much for the response but 70 gm fat isnt too much and do u feel energized during workout when u lower your carbs (how many gm for carb) and pump up your fats

Thanx john for the answer but when i tried to pump up my fat and lowering my carb i actually found myself with low energy lvls and my workout start to suffer

So what do u suggest about carb is it ok to have about 100-150 gm carb daily and how about consuming MOST of my carb pre workout rather than postworkout as i felt much better when i did that?

 

And how much healthy fat should i sart with(i watched scott viedeo but i think this is too much for me)

These were just estimate number. Everyone is different. You could easily consume more fat. Everyone is different. I tend to feel best with my with energy around 125g carbs and 80g of fat. You'll hhave to experiment with your body more. Also carb cycling is an option. Look it up online somewhere, but basically you go 3 days of low carbs and 2 days of high carbs. And repeat. I'm going to start this on Monday to try to break the plateu I'm on.

Ahmed,

 

A couple of things. First off, it takes a while for your body to adapt to running on ketone bodies (fat sourced) produced by the liver tather than glucose mediated by insulin so it is understandable to feel listless at first. If you have given your body time (at least 2-4 weeks) and you still feel listless, you can try pre-loading with carbs if that works for you or have some green tea or coffee pre-workout.

 

I find carbs post workout work best for me. Pre-workout, I juice some vegetables, have a whey protein shake with some BCAAs, 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, and 2-3 cups of green tea. That gives me enough energy for my workouts and allows me to keep my major carb consumption post workout. You need to find what works for you and go with that :-)

 

John

These were just estimate number. Everyone is different. You could easily consume more fat. Everyone is different. I tend to feel best with my with energy around 125g carbs and 80g of fat. You'll hhave to experiment with your body more. Also carb cycling is an option. Look it up online somewhere, but basically you go 3 days of low carbs and 2 days of high carbs. And repeat. I'm going to start this on Monday to try to break the plateu I'm on.