Hello,
Long story short, weight has been a huge issue my whole life, I peaked out at 257lb when I was 18, now 26, I am sitting around the ~165lb mark. Lowest I got down to was 152 prior to Xmas/NYE.
I am chasing aesthetics. At 5’8", I think a realistic goal would be to aim for ~150lb @ 10% body fat. Right now I’m estimating my body fat to be in the low 20s. More skinny-fat than fat. Slight definition but very soft.
Plan of attack
Nutrition
Cut till 150, aiming for ~2000 calories a day. I’d be happy for my protein to be in the 100-150g window. Upon hitting 150, reverse diet, adding 100 calories per week until I hit maintenance levels. In this period of reverse dieting I am expecting to lose another 2-5lb. Once maintenance is achieved I will aim for a ~300 calorie surplus. Do not want to get any heavier than 160lb
Lifting
This is the part where I am honestly at a loss. I hear compelling arguments about fullbody routines (Starting Strength) and PPL routines for beginners. If these will produce roughly the same outcome, I can honestly see myself sticking more to a PPL routine.
Regardless of the program I’m on, I will be lifting incredibly light during the cutting phase and if things go to plan, by the time I start to reverse diet, the progression of my lifts will mean I will start to be lifting heavier which will sync up with when I eventually start to be in a surplus
Thank you for reading, looking forward to any suggestions that can help me achieve my goal.