I am a former fat guy (180, 20% bf)
I got down to a lean 165 at 6% BF earleir in the year.
I went on a bulking cycle earlier in the year and got decent results, so I decided to start cycling calories in hopes of acheiving better results.
I WAS WRONG!
Ever since I started this calorie cycling nonsense I have been getting fatter and fatter.
It is as if I put my body in “fat hoarde” mode.
How can I put an end to this viscious cycle without turning into a blimp?
I you’re prone to getting fat then you shouldn’t get as many calories as the bulking diets usually recommend. You probably have a slow metabolism. And a big part of it for you is to get those calories from good sources.
Do you have a scale at home? Do you keep a food log? You should pick a day in the week and in the morning before eating anything check your weight. Over 2lb/week is bad times so drop 500 calories next week. You can’t fail if you monitor it every week, simple as that.
It is no so much the weight in pounds but the ratio of the weight I am gaining (75%-90% fat).
My situation is pretty similar to yours - went from 200/24% to 180/6% about 3 years ago. I am holding pretty steady now at 8% and am up to 190lbs. Whether I am bulking or not, I keep my meals to Protein/Carb for the first 4 and Protein/Fat for the last 3. My first 2 meals have fairly high GI carbs (Surge and then Low-Carb Grow! with some fruit juice and maybe a yogurt) and the next 2 fairly low GI carbs (oatmeal and whole wheat bread).
I know my metabolism is relatively slow and that seems to help.
Do what W2097 says except use fat calipers in addition to the scale.
Christian’s quarter mile routine will get you back to under 10% in no time!
Wow you must be having a really super-slow(no pun) metabolism. You know what, CT has the same thing and he says that the typical bulking diets are not for guys like him. Check out the “Thibaudeau’s Top 7 Tips” article to get a decent idea.