Quote:
Originally Posted by Now_Rudi
Jesus! 
I'm at 1350 to 1450/day for a while longer. I bulked in August & September and went overboard with the eating and gained 6 pounds. I'm finally back to the same size I was in August. I still want to drop about 5-8% more body fat before I start to bulk again and I'll only add about 200 cal/day when I do. I'm enjoying the transformation but the being patient part is killing me. I'm crazy skinny fat at the moment. Last November I was 211 at 26% body fat, now I'm 147 at 18%. Once I get to 10-13%, I'll get serious about making some gains. I added some muscle back in September but hated the added fat that came with it. In addition to strictly watching my caloric intake, I've started paying way closer attention to my macros. I feel like this is how I've dropped that added weight so quickly as I'm not doing half the cardio I was in the beginning. The goal is more of a basketball player physique. I wanna be lean and cut somewhere around 160-165. |
I think you are doing everything correctly. Now this is just my opinion, but most people shouldn't even think about bulking until they get 15% and below....and have held it for awhile.
Once below 15%, your body partitions calories more efficiently. You tend to store any excess as muscle vs. fat. When really lean, almost all surplus calories go towards muscle if your training hard enough to stimulate growth.
Since vacation, I've gained roughly 16lbs and slightly over 1/2" on my arms. And my waist has stayed pretty much the same.
When you have time, look into reverse dieting. With your calories being where they are at, once you are ready to increase them I think you would like that principle.
I have a pretty fast metabolism, but it didn't happen quickly. It took years of getting to a certain intake and weight....holding it so it becomes the body's new setpoint....then adding more and doing it again.
Good things come to those who are patient. You are laying a foundation that won't just fade away if you have to stop training for a little while such as limited time, injury (hopefully none), etc.
It's much easier to regain muscle you already had then it is to build in the first place. Just to put things in perspective, I use to weigh close to 225lbs with my and still slightly visable.
Now that was 10 years ago, but my body remembers. I probably won't get to that level again, but I think being a fairly lean 200lbs at my height is good enough for my age!