Really need some opinions....first pic post

[ShadyRensch]

I'm kinda stuck in what I need to do right now diet wise. 3 years ago as a Senior in HS I weighed 285 pounds. As of now I weigh 185, and am 20 years old. I have been "cutting" since about the beginning of this year at college, most of the time probably not the right way and lost a bunch of muscle. For the past month or so I've gotten really serious, kicking drinking pretty much completely. (Anyone else in college probably knows that's a tough thing to do.) I've been cutting on 2300 calories on lifting days, and 2000 cals on off days right now, but I'm not sure if that's right. I do exercise machines doing 20 minutes of a HIIT exercise on lift days, and 30-45 steady on off days. My ultimate goal is to get really lean, and see my abs well, after that I probably would want to put on some muscle again with a clean bulk type diet.

I don't really know my body fat % and I was wondering if anyone had a good estimate, and also if I should finish my cut, or whether I should start eating more. Also, I'm pretty sure from reading on here and around other places that I most likely have the Gyno condition, so that really sucks.

I never really have known my maintenance cals so its tough for me to figure what to cut at and stuff. But anyways, here's some pics of where I'm at, and any opinions on what I should do with my diet, and also maybe possibly whether I for sure have Gyno, and what % I'm at. I know it's a lot to ask, thank you.

[Jinkies]

Impressive weight loss, speaking from experience your gonna have to gain some muscle now to even out the leftovers ( they are a bitch) Keep workin hard and start to add some mass and you will fillout nicely

[Bohizzle]

i'd say 12-14%, and i don't think u have gyno, just a bit of loose skin. is it tender/feel like a glandular lump? and i agree with jinkies, now it's time to gain some muscle and start filling out! start on a clean slow bulk and it'll do u good! Awesome weight loss and great determination to do so. keep up thehard work!

Andrew

[Davidelmo]

Losing 100lbs is impressive! Nice work.

Yeah, I agree with the others that the saggage around your boobs is lose skin. Now it's time to pack tons of hard muscle underneath that skin

I'm not trying to be too critical or take away from your progress but one thing I notice is that you need to do a LOT of work on your back. Pullups (assisted if you can't manage full ones yet), barbell rows, deadlifts.

Start a long, clean bulk to fill out that excess skin with muscle and really change the shape of your body. Lots of squats and deads

[IronJay]

Awsome accomplishment man! Like Bohizzle says, slow clean bulk time!

[ShadyRensch]

It's not tender at all regarding the chest fatty area, It feels like fat really, never been tender before.

I agree after looking at these pics my back needs tons of work, I think I really messed up in the early part of my cut by going too low with the cals and lost a bunch of muscle that I gained last year in our football weight program.

I've never done a bulk before, where should I start for doing a slow clean bulk, as in calories? I'm very uneducated towards bulking as all the research I've been doing on this board the past few months has been toward cutting.

I'm also looking for a good routine, I've been lifting for quite a while, and WBB1 seemed sort of easy should I say? I'm looking for something that's gonna make me lean, and make me sore afterwards.

[IronJay]

I am about to start a bulk. I am going to slightly increase my cals week by week and slow down on the cardio. If I start noticing some fat, time to change it up

[Bohizzle]

are u monitoring ur calories? if so, then bump up what ur eating now by like 500cals... and then see how that works for two weeks... if u've gained, stay at those cals until u stop gaining then up some more... if ur still the same, up by another 200-500. as far as routine goes, check out baby got back, or search for fortified iron's workout (it's a thread). hth.

Andrew

[Eszekial]

I envy you and this thing you call "bulking." Oh how I long to eat an entire cow.

[getfit]

you've leaned out alot, time to bulk up

[ShadyRensch]

Yep, I do monitor my cals. I use fitday and have a scale that I measure almost everything that I don't read the info off the box. I was carb cycling in my cut up until now and this is what I was doing:

I've heard to up the cals by 100 each week gradually, or just jump 500. But how do you adjust the other numbers correctly? Like protein/fat/carbs. I had Built make that diet for me and just plugged away at it, I'm not sure how to do it myself.

I'm at school right now, and I think I might finish cutting just til the end of the year which is another 2-3 weeks, I've seen people much leaner than me at the end of their cut, must I add muscle by clean bulking and cut again to get to that, or do you think the last 2-3 weeks will help some?

[FighterInSnatch]

Hey man, congrats on the weightloss, I bet you feel like a new person. Dude, don't get caught up in the pictures you see in magazines of guys with abs; you've already pretty much cut enough fat for now and its time to build some muscle. If I were you, I would concentrate on bulking clean and lifting religously. Maybe look into some good whey(nitrean) and maybe creatine. I believe if you do something simliar to this that you will see nice gains. Don't expect the gains to come fast, be patient and it will all come together. Good luck and PM me if you need any pointers.

Edit: Here is a list of food that you might want to consider
http://www.wannabebigforums.com/showthread.php?t=46565

Ryan

[Bohizzle]

if u want to get leaner, then u can continue ur cut. and yeah u don't need to jump 500 right away, it might actually be easier for u to go up say 200 the first 2 weeks, and then 100 the next or something like that... but yeah i'd eat the same ratios, just more. hope that helps.. just throw in 1/2 cup of nuts or a cup and u should be getting the extra cals that u need along with extra protein and fat. hth.

Andrew

[ShadyRensch]

Thanks everyone, I'm going to finish my cut up these last few weeks of school and then start this clean bulk in the summer when I have access to many groceries at home, and a good bed for rest, and many more places to work out.

Thanks for the list of what people eat, trust me I've used it many times already for cutting, but thanks a ton. I have some creatine and No-xplode on hand as well as Fish Oils/Flaxseed Oils.

I already lift religiously, but I can't wait to start the Baby Got Back Routine, and just can't wait to get the clean bulk started in a few weeks. After awhile I'll post some update pics.

[ShadyRensch]

I was wondering, if I continue my cut for a little while longer, like say close to a month, could I lean out quite a bit more still, or must I do the bulk, and then cut again.

I'm going to do the bulk regardless, but just wondering if I could possibly start from a leaner standpoint.

[Bohizzle]

of course! u could probably still go down another 4-5% wiith not too much difficulty... getting below that might get tough.

Andrew

[ShadyRensch]

^Awesome, thanks man. Such few words can be so much motivation.
Now is increasing cardio a big part of getting the last few %'s out of the way, or is it just staying tough and strict for a good while.

[Bohizzle]

lol i've never really done a proper cut, so u might want to take my advice witha grain of salt, but no. if u continue with ur diet and really get strict, the last few %'s will shed off just like the earlier ones did.

Andrew