Losing 4% bodyfat if you’re around 175# means losing 7# of fat in 8 weeks, so a 300 calorie deficit isn’t going to be enough. @jackolee is right on (as usual with dietary advice), 500 calories/day is about a 1#/week loss, which is almost exactly what you need…
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Have you (or anyone else here) made a similar drop (4% in 8 weeks)? Any personal anecdotes would be appreciated. I picked the number kind of arbitrarily (I’m in a fat loss challenge), so if it’s unreasonable or will prove to be detrimental in the long run, I can adjust.
I want from 15-17% to 5% in 16 weeks so yeah I say it’s totally doable. A lb a week is slow and steady man!
Damn! That’s impressive. You're a monster.mov - YouTube
Where are you getting 12% body fat from. In my experience most people greatly underestimate the amount of fat they are carrying
Just eyeballing. I’ve had it measured through a few methods in the past and have a BF scale at home that, though imperfect, is helpful for tracking trends. Here’s a recent shot
Yep. This year’s cut was quite disappointing. @bkb333, I reached my goal weight and still didn’t look the way I’d hoped. I’m just a couple pounds less than that number now. I decided to choose comfort and sanity over single digit body fat.
I think it’d be much more doable if I started at a lower body fat like you. I was fluffy.
Hey man, it still sounds like you made progress! Sometimes it’s definitely best to choose comfort and sanity, particularly if other parts of your life that are valuable to you (relationship, career, etc.) start being affected negatively. I’ve stopped cuts short before because I just didn’t want to annoy my wife any longer. Where are you at now? What was your goal?
I’d say your pretty accurate maybe even a little conservative. Looks like you have a few upper ab veins showing up and for me that’s not until around 9-10%
Here’s a shot at about 6-7% I believe
Overall, I dropped from 250 to 211. I saw 210 one day and that’s when I called the cut. I was driving my wife nuts and all I could think/talk about was food and calories. I’ve been hanging out at 211-212 most days since calling the cut (April 8th).
My initial goal was 215. Once I hit that I decided to try for 205. After date night with my wife and a discussion about how obsessive I’d become I told her I’d call it off early. The next morning I saw 210.4 on the scale so I decided that was a good time to make it official. I’m currently trying to get down to 208-209 just so 210 is normal instead of an all time low reading. This is actually the lightest I’ve been since high school (weighed 220+ in 2003).
I’ve always tried to stay above 220. I’ve dipped below that after shoulder surgery and after a tough break from the gym (two weeks of manual labor and drinking beer for my food LOL). I’ve always felt skinny at this weight, but I’ll be darned if my delts aren’t looking good these days. They have good definition and some veins that appear on occasion. I’m finally accepting my “skinny” weight and beginning to think I look pretty decent for a tall fella (6’4").
By the way, your starting point for this thing is awesome! You’re already looking good.
That’s encouraging! 6-7% is next level shred city. I’ve never been sub-10.
I think you definitely made the right call, man. We can all get a little obsessive at times and it can become a detriment to the other parts of our lives. I applaud you for being willing to change your goal, and it does sound like you’re still making progress. Plus I bet your wife is happy…which we all know makes everything in life better.
Damn, that’s a heavy “skinny” weight! There’s no way you’re skinny if you’re 6’4", 210. I’m 6’2", 175. I bet you look jacked.
Thanks, man! I’m actually really happy with where I am. Not entering this contest from a place of disliking my body; more so doing it for the challenge and to have something to work toward.
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Well, somewhere along the way I learned that I’m the same height as The Rock. I’ve always wanted to look like him, but the reality is that his teenage frame was bigger than my adult frame. My gene pool just doesn’t have that kind of size available. And, who knows - maybe I need some vitamin T?
I think that makes the cutting journey more enjoyable. You don’t hate yourself when you look in the mirror. I think that gives you some slack to cheat or mess up on occasion and not beat yourself up, too. Cutting for a challenge could be enjoyable if you’re competitive. Cutting out of necessity tends to bring stress - at least it does for me.
Oh man, any of us mere mortals would need an IV of vitamin T to look like The Rock. Dude is a mutant. But there’s no reason you can’t continue to use his mutant-ness to inspire you. Definitely good to have an inspiration! And 6’4", 210 makes you the biggest guy in just about any room. Hell, I’m usually the biggest guy in the room!
I’m hoping so. This will be the first time in my life that I’ve cut not because I dislike my body, but just for the fun of it. That said, I am competitive as hell, so I want to win!
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5/3
Woke at 180.4
I haven’t been very good with my water intake the last few days and I believe that contributed to the few days of low weight.
Headed out to Lubbock TX for the regional trampoline meet this weekend. Guess that means do what I can at the hotel gym. I have to get a shoulder session, and chest and triceps before the end of the weekend. If their setup sucks I at least brought my resistance bands.
Food is always provided at these competitions so who knows. I’m not at a place right now where I feel like I need to prep my meals ahead of time. If it’s pasta and breadsticks guess I’ll simply enjoy it.
We leave for Mexico in three weeks. I’m contemplating doing a mini cut, but then think it’s pointless to go down their and gain it all back. Think I’ll just ride this thing out until December.
Hope everyone has a good weekend.
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I love Lubbock, flat land and WIDE ASS streets! LOL
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@bkb333 you look absolutely great in that shot. If that’s 12% bodyfat… then I’m not as lean as I thought 
Which I probably ain’t. Damnit.
I would say you’d be able to lose a pound a week for 8 weeks. You seem to know what you’re doing and by the looks, you’re pretty determined and focused about what you’re doing.
This log is turning into a place were I just turns green of envy.
You and Jack looks so great.
@jackolee that shot of the shirt is awesome, shows just how long a way you’ve come.
Btw why not keep it at maintenance for 3 weeks, gives you a little room to really party in Mexico.
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5/4
No weigh in this morning.
Checked into the hotel yesterday and it’s pretty decent. Rooms nicely updated, AC is cold, they’re a good complimentary breakfast with an omelette bar, and the gym isn’t half bad. A cable setup much like what I have, various cardio machines, and dumbbells up to 65 lbs.
Got a chest and triceps workout in around 8 last night.
Superset 1
Dumbbell chest press / fly
Superset 2
Incline dumbbell chest press / fly
Superset 3
Narrow dumbbell chest press / rope triceps pull down
Superset 4
Overhead rope tricep extension / lateral raises
Solid pump but it was a grind from rep 1.
I’m feeling a little under the weather and lifts definitely reflected that. I was a solid 10 lbs lighter on my weights and still struggled to get the reps in. Not sure what’s going on… I feel really exhausted like I could sleep 12 hrs a night and still want a nap. No cough or congestion just fatigue and a mildly sour stomach.
Guess I’ll remedy it with a 15 hr work day today lol!
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Thank you, brother! I really appreciate the encouraging words.
I may have been overestimating. I just figure that’s better than leaning toward the other side, because so many people are like “I’m 12%” when they’re clearly more like 15-18, and then we all roll our eyes. That’s all to say: you very well may be dead on in your personal estimate.
Haha – we all do that on these forums, though! It’s great to have the motivation from others and also be able to glean from their wisdom/experiences, especially if they’re cool enough to respond to your individualized questions. Jack is a great example for the rest of us of what dedication and being consistent can do!
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Or Jack has major OCD issues and can’t do anything just for fun… but I’ll take the compliment. Thanks man!
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