New Lifter

I used to weigh about 300lbs. Now @ 198lbs. Been training for like a year. I do know I look like shit. Some people tell me I should still cut, some say to just eat and lift and get the noob gains that I never achieved because I never lifted consistantly.

most muscular

Height: 5’10
Weight: 198lbs

Diet:

#1 - 1/2 cup oats, 2 whole eggs, 4 egg whites, 2 rings of pineapple

#2 - 25g whey isolate, 75g waxy maize

#3 - 6oz chicken breast, 3/4 cup brown rice or 1 sweet potato

#4 - 8oz tuna, 4g fish oil, 1 cup broccoli

#5 - 8oz lean ground beeg or steak, 1 cup broccoli

Just wanted to add I’m not trolling or anything. I looked way worse before. My realistic goal is to be 180 contest shape in the next 5 years. I hear naturals can only gain 5lbs of muscle a year at best and that’s what I am now.

Your goal in the next couple of years needs to be to put on quality size. Right now, I can imagine you’re a little worried about gaining weight, as you used to weight 300 pounds, but gaining mass needs to be your goal. Get on a solid training split, stay with it (probably the most important part), eat calorically dense foods, and you’ll be well on your way to gaining muscle.

What does calorie dense foods mean? like foods that fill me up? I find that rice goes right through me like I never even ate where potato keeps me more full.

I am worried about fat gain but it’s to the point where I’ve dieted down like 100lbs and I know I have at least around 40lbs more to go. I’m gonna look really small and I think that’s gonna mind screw me. I currently eat at 2100 calories cutting, should I eat at around 3000-3500 bulking?

Size is what I do want. Especially in the quads, calves, chest, and forearms.

Well, there are two things you could do right now. You could cut a little more, but too much and you’ll look emaciated, or you could start slowly gaining back weight with significantly more muscle mass. If you want to gain, you can mitigate fat gains by making sure you eat good foods. Carbs should be sweet potatoes, brown rice, rice, whole wheat/multi grain breads; protein should be lean cuts of beef, chicken, turkey, shrimp, etc; fats should be natural peanut butter, olive oil, fish oil.

If you make sure your meals consist of that, and you are training your butt off, you’ll gain the right kind of weight.

What should my calorie intake be around? 3000?

I can definately do a lifestyle of eating like that. Been eating like that for the past year. Don’t even like junk food anymore. Funny how I went from eating it everyday to it now making me sick. I could crave an orange more than I can crave a bag of chips now.

Should I do any cardio at all?

^ what BBB said.

I’m a legit 198 in those pics. I don’t have much muscle mass I know, but I’m working on it.

I’ve decided to diet down to 180 and that will give me and extra 20lbs to bulk with. My body leans out pretty well except in the chest (because of lack of muscle) and the abdomen. Everything else I notice pretty quick.

I bought a scale yesterday so now I’m gonna have my diet dialed in instead of eyeballing my meats. I’m also going to develop the mindset of never missing a workout and never missing a meal. Add further more on to that to not give up on a cardio session 3/4 the way through because I’m too hungry. I always feel defeated afterwards. For lifting I’m gonna have to set a standard for sets and reps and then try to smash it every time. I like the style of training of doing as many reps as possible with a weight and then moving the weight up for the next set. My strength always gets better this way.

The loose skin I’ve noticed too. I’ve come to accept I’m never gonna have a good set of abs showing and my chest may sag from loose skin also. Can still look good in a t-shirt though!

180 goal is for the end of April. Then bulk. Not gonna be paying much attention to the scale in these next months and more on how I’m leaning out.

Thanks for the help guys. I don’t post much these days on boards because it tends to distract me but I’m here to learn so I’ll ask questions mostly on the beginners board if I have any.

Thanks again!

5lbs a year? are you serious?
if you weigh 198lbs now, you are going to have to gain at least 50lbs of lean mass to look good!

What does your training look like


I do a 4 day split of

back/triceps
chest/biceps/calves
off
quads/hams
delts/abs
off
off

1 hour bike or stepmill everyday except leg training day

i found an old pic of me…

Well, shit you’ve made nice progress. Keep it up.

damn, it looks like you lost the equivalent of a 12year old kid!

Well done.

Dam dude, props on the epic body transformation.