Nicely done Ben! Good motivation right there, J. Prufrock. Get after it buddy!
Damn Ben…well done. What’s the time span of that transformation?
Looking good Ben.Not to derail this thread but how about some info on your cut.I’m sure the OP would value your input as well on this.Once again great job.
Stop stuffing yourself and only eat when you’re actually hungry and I bet you’ll be impressed with the results. Set up a reasonable macro ratio and eat that every meal and choose a calorie amount that’ll let you eat 4-6 times a day.
Guys, I really appreciate all this more than you know. I took the time to figure out my macros and went over to the IIFYM site to confirm. The numbers it gave me were close to Spidey’s suggested numbers, although the calories seemed a bit low. It would have me at 2700~calories, 250 protein, 250 carbs, and something like 90 fats. I personally thought the calories just didn’t seem high enough so I might start more towards what Spidey advised. I have some chicken cooking up right now and plan to get my clean eating on tonight. Thanks for all the support, everyone.
And if you don’t mind… update this thread with a progress pic once in a while. Good luck! =)
Sure thing.
How many calories are you at now? If you are at 4k, for instance, you’d be better served going down to 3.8k for a few weeks, 3.6k for a few weeks, etc. etc. Don’t make the age-old mistake of dropping straight to 10x bodyweight or some nonsense, cause ain’t nowhere to go when you’ve already hit the floor.
Also, you should be gaining strength on this cut. If you start losing strength, re-evaluate the plan.
[quote]J. Prufrock wrote:
Guys, I really appreciate all this more than you know. I took the time to figure out my macros and went over to the IIFYM site to confirm. The numbers it gave me were close to Spidey’s suggested numbers, although the calories seemed a bit low. It would have me at 2700~calories, 250 protein, 250 carbs, and something like 90 fats. I personally thought the calories just didn’t seem high enough so I might start more towards what Spidey advised. I have some chicken cooking up right now and plan to get my clean eating on tonight. Thanks for all the support, everyone.[/quote]
[quote]MickyGee wrote:
How many calories are you at now? If you are at 4k, for instance, you’d be better served going down to 3.8k for a few weeks, 3.6k for a few weeks, etc. etc. Don’t make the age-old mistake of dropping straight to 10x bodyweight or some nonsense, cause ain’t nowhere to go when you’ve already hit the floor.
[quote]J. Prufrock wrote:
Guys, I really appreciate all this more than you know. I took the time to figure out my macros and went over to the IIFYM site to confirm. The numbers it gave me were close to Spidey’s suggested numbers, although the calories seemed a bit low. It would have me at 2700~calories, 250 protein, 250 carbs, and something like 90 fats. I personally thought the calories just didn’t seem high enough so I might start more towards what Spidey advised. I have some chicken cooking up right now and plan to get my clean eating on tonight. Thanks for all the support, everyone.[/quote]
[/quote]
That is pretty close to where I was. I was hovering around 4000 for a bit. Lately, I’ve been more around 3600~. So, I think going down to around 3400 would be a safe bet now. What do you think?
Sounds good… the smaller adjustments you can make (100 kcal subtractions, even), over a longer period of time (so, let’s say, every few weeks), will lead to you holding on the most muscle mass…
I think you can still see phenomenal gains in strength while dieting, so do not take this as an excuse to get weaker. Looking forward to progress pics!
[quote]J. Prufrock wrote:
[quote]MickyGee wrote:
How many calories are you at now? If you are at 4k, for instance, you’d be better served going down to 3.8k for a few weeks, 3.6k for a few weeks, etc. etc. Don’t make the age-old mistake of dropping straight to 10x bodyweight or some nonsense, cause ain’t nowhere to go when you’ve already hit the floor.
[quote]J. Prufrock wrote:
Guys, I really appreciate all this more than you know. I took the time to figure out my macros and went over to the IIFYM site to confirm. The numbers it gave me were close to Spidey’s suggested numbers, although the calories seemed a bit low. It would have me at 2700~calories, 250 protein, 250 carbs, and something like 90 fats. I personally thought the calories just didn’t seem high enough so I might start more towards what Spidey advised. I have some chicken cooking up right now and plan to get my clean eating on tonight. Thanks for all the support, everyone.[/quote]
[/quote]
That is pretty close to where I was. I was hovering around 4000 for a bit. Lately, I’ve been more around 3600~. So, I think going down to around 3400 would be a safe bet now. What do you think?
[/quote]
[quote]browndisaster wrote:
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
[quote]browndisaster wrote:
[quote]infinite_shore wrote:
You post on this site and honestly believe you lack the information to “tighten up a little”? If so, you should spend less time conversing with Mr. cheeseburger. Actually thinking about it, your post incl. your choice of words is almost ironic.
Anyway, I give you a hint: the answer you seek has to do with the stuff that made you fat in the first place.[/quote]
Yeah seriously. Posse membership revoked. You’re probably above the teens and need to cut for a while.
My answer is iifym and keep lowering cals slowly. Oh and read the contest prep threads [/quote]
This was my first thought. If you think you’re in the high teens, you’re probably closer to mid-20’s. I think iifym is ridiculous for the most part. Look into Nate Miyaki’s stuff here. That dude knows his shit.
[/quote]
I like IIFYM a lot. But I end up spreading my meals out and eating vegetables and healthy fats so maybe it’s not much different than other diets.
OP, dreamer bulking is a right of passage on this site lol. You’ll look good once you cut down[/quote]
My problem against iifym here is that a guy in the op’s condition has no business eating syrup and waffles to hit his carb target. I personally don’t think shit like that should be a staple of any fitness minded persons diet, but anyway. … Nate Miyaki’s stuff is awesome and is adaptable to “gaining” and/or “losing” and would be ideal for the op, in my opinion.
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
[quote]browndisaster wrote:
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
[quote]browndisaster wrote:
[quote]infinite_shore wrote:
You post on this site and honestly believe you lack the information to “tighten up a little”? If so, you should spend less time conversing with Mr. cheeseburger. Actually thinking about it, your post incl. your choice of words is almost ironic.
Anyway, I give you a hint: the answer you seek has to do with the stuff that made you fat in the first place.[/quote]
Yeah seriously. Posse membership revoked. You’re probably above the teens and need to cut for a while.
My answer is iifym and keep lowering cals slowly. Oh and read the contest prep threads [/quote]
This was my first thought. If you think you’re in the high teens, you’re probably closer to mid-20’s. I think iifym is ridiculous for the most part. Look into Nate Miyaki’s stuff here. That dude knows his shit.
[/quote]
I like IIFYM a lot. But I end up spreading my meals out and eating vegetables and healthy fats so maybe it’s not much different than other diets.
OP, dreamer bulking is a right of passage on this site lol. You’ll look good once you cut down[/quote]
My problem against iifym here is that a guy in the op’s condition has no business eating syrup and waffles to hit his carb target. I personally don’t think shit like that should be a staple of any fitness minded persons diet, but anyway. … Nate Miyaki’s stuff is awesome and is adaptable to “gaining” and/or “losing” and would be ideal for the op, in my opinion. [/quote]
Well, we don’t have to worry about that. I’ve eaten grilled chicken, fruit, and 1% milk today with extra virgin olive oil thrown in for healthy fats. I don’t even like waffles.
You should be getting your protein from lean red meat, fish, eggs(a couple whole eggs, then make up the protein difference with egg whites), chicken breast, tuna, quality protein powder, low fat cottage cheese… stuff like that. For carbs: fruit, berries, rice, potatoes… fats from nuts, almonds, olive oil etc (and of course the meat and eggs you’re eating. Get a few servings of veggies a day(yes, it makes a difference), and drink plenty of water(yes, it makes a difference). How you cover your bases is personal preference, personally I like spreading it over 6 equal meals a day.
To the people commenting on my pics; I appreciate it, but I’m not done with my cut yet, will put up a thread of my own once I finish!
[quote]Grove wrote:
Damn Ben…well done. What’s the time span of that transformation?[/quote]
First pic is over 3 years ago, the second pic is about 6 months ago, last pic 2 weeks ago or something. I have bulked up, cut down, and also fell off the wagon a few times during that time span.
You should cut and bulk according to your lean body mass, so with those 4000 calories you might be maintaining 180 lbs of muscle and 80 lbs of fat. If you eat enough to maintain your muscle but cut calories a lot lower to something like what spidey or the calculator suggested then you’ll end up in the same spot as you would if you cut your calories more slowly. The only difference is you’d get there faster.
[quote]myself1992 wrote:
You should cut and bulk according to your lean body mass, so with those 4000 calories you might be maintaining 180 lbs of muscle and 80 lbs of fat. If you eat enough to maintain your muscle but cut calories a lot lower to something like what spidey or the calculator suggested then you’ll end up in the same spot as you would if you cut your calories more slowly. The only difference is you’d get there faster.[/quote]
This is pretty much what I am doing. I am starting out where Spidey suggested. Getting 3400~ calories, 250g protein, 80-100g fat, and 280g carbohydrates.
[quote]J. Prufrock wrote:
[quote]myself1992 wrote:
You should cut and bulk according to your lean body mass, so with those 4000 calories you might be maintaining 180 lbs of muscle and 80 lbs of fat. If you eat enough to maintain your muscle but cut calories a lot lower to something like what spidey or the calculator suggested then you’ll end up in the same spot as you would if you cut your calories more slowly. The only difference is you’d get there faster.[/quote]
This is pretty much what I am doing. I am starting out where Spidey suggested. Getting 3400~ calories, 250g protein, 80-100g fat, and 280g carbohydrates.[/quote]
pro & fat look good. You could probably lower carbs to 100-150g (100g carb cure) pre & post, and see results a bit quicker like the gentleman above me was eluding at. You can always add them back in when you start getting a bit leaner, or if workouts start suffering. This is the fun part- you get to experiment! 
[quote]aspengc8 wrote:
[quote]J. Prufrock wrote:
[quote]myself1992 wrote:
You should cut and bulk according to your lean body mass, so with those 4000 calories you might be maintaining 180 lbs of muscle and 80 lbs of fat. If you eat enough to maintain your muscle but cut calories a lot lower to something like what spidey or the calculator suggested then you’ll end up in the same spot as you would if you cut your calories more slowly. The only difference is you’d get there faster.[/quote]
This is pretty much what I am doing. I am starting out where Spidey suggested. Getting 3400~ calories, 250g protein, 80-100g fat, and 280g carbohydrates.[/quote]
pro & fat look good. You could probably lower carbs to 100-150g (100g carb cure) pre & post, and see results a bit quicker like the gentleman above me was eluding at. You can always add them back in when you start getting a bit leaner, or if workouts start suffering. This is the fun part- you get to experiment! :)[/quote]
Could even replace some of those lower carbs with some additional fats.
[quote]J. Prufrock wrote:
Well, we don’t have to worry about that. I’ve eaten grilled chicken, fruit, and 1% milk today with extra virgin olive oil thrown in for healthy fats. I don’t even like waffles.
[/quote]
Don’t be afraid of animal fat. There is nothing unhealthy about fat from high quality meats. They are not bad for your heart or body composition. For ground beef I get grass-fed with the HIGHEST fat content I can find. For chicken I eat free range with the skin included. I don’t throw out any egg yokes (the part of the egg with all the good nutrition) from eggs I raise myself. I drink only grass fed whole milk.
I cook just about all my food from eggs to veggies in organic uncured bacon grease, coconut oil, or grass-fed butter. And my risk factors for heart disease, my strength, and my body composition are all better than they’ve ever been.
[quote]DoubleDuce wrote:
[quote]J. Prufrock wrote:
Well, we don’t have to worry about that. I’ve eaten grilled chicken, fruit, and 1% milk today with extra virgin olive oil thrown in for healthy fats. I don’t even like waffles.
[/quote]
Don’t be afraid of animal fat. There is nothing unhealthy about fat from high quality meats. They are not bad for your heart or body composition. For ground beef I get grass-fed with the HIGHEST fat content I can find. For chicken I eat free range with the skin included. I don’t throw out any egg yokes (the part of the egg with all the good nutrition) from eggs I raise myself. I drink only grass fed whole milk.
I cook just about all my food from eggs to veggies in organic uncured bacon grease, coconut oil, or grass-fed butter. And my risk factors for heart disease, my strength, and my body composition are all better than they’ve ever been.[/quote]
Isn’t it crazy?! Years of “anti-fat” in the 90’s and come to find out, I can eat a lot of fat without worrying about anything.