So how is everyone? Summer is over and now is time for an update:
Summer bulking has been a success. Bodyweight is now a smidge over 190lbs, which is exactly where I predicted I’d be by this time. Body fat isn’t terrible; my waist measures 34.5" around the navel so nothing really to worry about. Top 4 abs are still visible.
This is pretty much my limit in terms of how fat I like to be though, so I’m going to cut a little fat. It’s not going to be an extreme cut getting down into single digits like it was last time; it’s just to tighten up a little so that the next time I do a mega cut I’m not starting out too chubby.
That’s not the only reason I’m dieting though - I am fucking sick of stuffing myself with food and I need a break from it. My cut’ll give my digestive tract a break and my mind an emotional break from force feeding. I also think that 9 months or so of pounding carbs has probably had a detrimental effect on my insulin sensitivity, so it probably makes sense to reset that.
The cut’ll last 8 weeks max, and the goal is to drop 10lbs and/or 2.5" from my waist. I actually think I’ll have that done in 6 weeks. So assuming I end up a sexy 180lbs (full six pack but not shredded, I’d expect) that’ll give me a good starting point to reassess my calories intake and start building that up.
The long term plan will be something like:
-Cut
-2 weeks of eating at maintenance (BW x 15, 150g carbs per day).
-Increase cals to BW x 18
-Continue until stall
-Increase calories and/or hormones as needed until I’m a little chubs again
And so on. Going to experiment with bulking on slightly fewer calories(3500 is a smidge too high I think if I want to stay lean long term) and waaaay fewer carbs, eating in a similar way to Punny (carbs timed around workouts, fewer carbs on rest days).
If I can end the year close to the weight I am now (realistically maybe 185lbs with full 6 pack) then that’ll be me well on course to finish out next year at a ripped two hundo.
If you experience any success whatsoever I believe proper internet bodybuilding protocol dictates that I HAVE to now brand myself as a diet and nutrition coach.
Thought about using a little clen on my cut but I’m so sensitive to it I essentially feel like I’m on speed the whole time. Makes me clench my jaw and gives me a crazy look in my eye that people can pick up on. Not really too cool in the workplace.
I’m English (sort of). Denying me my right to be a cunt to Scottish people is in itself anti-English xenophobia. It’s a fine tradition of my people dating back thousands of years.
I actually haven’t lived full-time in England for about 7 years now, but I grew up in NW London. Lived in Gibraltar then Dublin and now on the Isle of Man.
I was born in Wales and most of my family is Irish; I’d actually rarely call myself English and usually just say I’m British.
Diet starts tomorrow! A hit-it-and-quit-it 6 week blast.
So I’ll list what my usual day will look like and show how it is going to differ from my bulking diet:
Bulking breakfast: 4 eggs scrambled in 25g butter.
Diet breakfast: 4 boiled eggs no butter so fewer calories
Bulking snack: turkey and avocado
Diet snack: turkey and berries reduced cals from cutting out the avocado
Bulking lunch: chicken and rice cooked in olive oil
Diet lunch: chicken salad trace carbs, 0 fats
Bulking dinner: steak and rice cooked with 25g butter
Diet dinner: chicken and rice cooked with 14g fat leaner meat, less added fat
Pre bed meal were/are the same as dinner.
So the basic structure is the same, I’ve just seen where I can slash calories and switched things out for lower calorie options.
Bodyweight is 192lbs. 6 weeks should be enough to drop down to 180lbs or so. Weight isn’t as important to me as getting to 32" around the navel though so if that happens in 4 weeks then yeehaw.
No idea what the calories are and I don’t care. Protein will be around 200g.
I’m just a little soft around the midsection and I’d like to tighten it up a bit.
I’m happy with the weight gain for this year and the ratio of muscle to fat. I’ve gained over 20lbs and only gone up 2" around the navel, so I’m happy enough. If I can sharpen up a little it’ll mean not having to do like a proper fat loss phase in a few months time.
I also think that 10+ months of eating an absolute ton of carbs has probably dulled my insulin sensitivity. I’ll admit I don’t actually know how long that shit takes but I’m sure it couldn’t hurt to reduce the carbs/calories for a little while.
