Alright guys! I am the new guy here! I lost 120lbs in 11 months. I was 350lbs and now weight 230. Now, I am 6'3'' and still have a bit of fat around my stomach and thighs. What do you guys think, should I continue to loose the fat or should I start a bulk? My ultimate goal is to be lean and strong and just have that "beach and vegas body" I thought would never be possible? You know, that 300 body or Wolverine body!  I just feel if I go into a bulk now I'll gain some fat. I just started to fit into 36" jeans and I am terrifed of going up in size.

Stephen,

Awesome job!  That I am sure was very hard to do but great job - your health and self-esteem will get a huge boost!.  I suggest you go for getting more lean.  You are already a big guy at 6'3" so you will look bigger than more average dudes like me at 5'9".  The "beach body" look is about 11-12% body fat.  The "300" look is more like 7-8%.  The first thing you want to do is maintain your meal plan and continue to lose body fat to help tighten up your skin and show more definition.  You are already getting strong by lifting and at 29 years old, your hormone levels are still high which will help with strength and leaness.

Once you have reached your desired look and body fat level, then you can decide if you want to add more mass. With proper diet and training, you can gain lean mass.  It will take longer (when natural) but it will be quality muscle and you don't have to do the yo-yo bulking/leaning cycle which is not good for your body.  I personally would rather gain lean mass and be patient to do so then bulk up fast and then have to diet down - just my preference.   Some people have this method down to a science and can do it easily.  I am not one of them.  You also inevitably lose some muscle with the fat doing it this way.

John

Hey what sort of bodyfat level are you at? I agree that you should bulk slowly but are you happy with what you look like now? If so then why should you change it? Keep yourself happy and then just maintain that bodyfat and if you are new to lifting enjoy those newbie gains!!!

I would personally remove the last bit of fat so that you can start a clean bulk to increase muscle mass slowly but surely. The rest is pretty much covered above me so i am just saying what i personally would have done in your situation

Right now I am at 14% BF. Muscle deffinition is starting to come trough but I still have fat around my midsection adn thighs. I think I am going to continue to loose that body and afterwards start a clean bulk I really want that 300 look. I've always been a big (fat) guy and now that I am where I am I want to continue this journy and get that body!

I think 230lbs with 14% bodyfat is pretty DEISEL man!

If you diet right, you should be able to continue to lean out a bit as you build more muscle.

Do you have your macros figured out?  That will be the key to your success.  and if you start to train to gain muscle, you should still be doing cardio a few times a week.  like 20-25 minutes after your workout 2 - 3 times a week

My current macros are:

232.4 grams of protein
80.8 grams of fat
317.4 grams of carbs
54 grams of fiber

Total calories - 2927

I adjust my macros every 3-5lbs lost and this as been working for me since I started my journey back in the end of December. I'll be finishing a 12 week program that I started from bodybuilding.com on Friday, so I'll post a before, before and after picture. 3 Pictures, when I first started, when I started this 12 week program and well the end. I'll let you guys be the judge. Now I've been getting my BF% from my withings scale witch I've been using since July and it hasn't failed me, as far as I know. :)

Dude that is amazing! Great job! Me and you are the same height and weight! I agree with everyone else, you should continue to lose the rest of that weight and do a clean bulk. It'll be a lot better for you in the long run and the lean gains will look better. Me and you are in the same boat!

I need to really focus on my macros and set up a consistant meal plan.

Hey Stephen,

I personally think your carbs are just too high.  Anything over 300 is where you start getting into "eccess bodyfat mode"

How about we make a little adjustment?

280 grams of protein (1120)
100 grams of fat (900)
227 grams of carbs

Total calories - 2927

Scott thanks for the advice man! I'll be trying this out on Monday! How did you come up with the macros needed though?

As promissed here is a before, before and after picture. First picture was when I started the journey at the end of December 350lbs, middle was the start of the 12 week program 250lbs and last picture was today at 230lbs. Acording to my scale I am at about 12.5% body fat. You guys be the judge. I'm having trouble loosing the midsection fat!  

Well, whenever you start to go high on the carbs 250-300G and over you are entering more of a fat wieght gain area.

I simply made adjustments to your ratios based on your current weight.  Keeping the fat around 80-100grams and going 70-100grams over your bodyweight is a quick rule of thumb.  I then used that to tone down your carbs.

I am making a video to show how to mathmatically get to these ratios. I will be posting it very soon :)

I'm totally in agreement with the rest of these guys. If I were you I would just continue to lean out more until you tighten up your stomach and thighs. Once you do so it will be easier to start to clean bulk while you are already lean. It sounds to me that you are already a pretty good sized guy so just continue leaning out until you're satisfied and then slowly start lean bulking to your desired weight.

Yeah his protein was a bit low for his size. If I was him I would be consuming at least 300 grams of protein per day to support those lean gains and that lean look.

You are looking great compared to the first pic. All you need to do is tighten up just a little more and you should be good to go bro. 

I'd love to see this video as well Scott!

Thank guys for your suggestions and help! I just need to loose that belly fat and leg fat! I am adjusting my macros and going from there! More protien and less carbs means more gainzzz!!! Honestly I have been reading and researching iifym. Now dont get me wrong, I do eat 98-99% clean with it but carbs have always been really high when I enter in my stats. I figured that since a lot of people are doing it, it must work! Thats why I joined this site, obviously Scott and crew know what they're talking about.